Dr E. Stanley Jones, the famous missionary to whom I referred earlier, recounts in one of his books his first experiences when confronted by the religions of the East. He tells of reading the Sermon on the Mount to a Muslim who listened intently and then commented, ‘That is beautiful but we have something similar in the Qur’an.’ Later he met a Hindu and read to him Lord Jesus’ teaching about turning the other cheek and going the second mile as seen in Matthew 5:39 -41. The Hindu responded, ‘Our sacred books tell us that also. We are to be like the sandalwood tree which, when smitten by the axe, pours its perfume upon the axe that smites it.’ At this stage the missionary became somewhat nonplussed (so surprised and confused that one is unsure how to react) and wondered to himself, ‘How can I demonstrate the uniqueness of the Christian faith?’ The thought occurred to him that the Hindu would have nothing to compare in his religion with the story of the cross, so he read for him the account of the crucifixion. ‘This, too, is beautiful,’ said the Hindu. ‘Again our sacred books tell us that our gods did not hesitate to sacrifice themselves for others.’ Everything the missionary talked about had its parallel. Then it dawned upon him that all that had been said by the Muslim and the Hindu was simply a word become word. The story of the sandalwood tree was an illustration, not an exhibition. The other stories, too, were illustrations, not reality. The difference between the Christian faith and other religions is that other religions are a word become word, whereas the Christian faith is a Word become flesh. This makes the Christian faith not just a little better than other faiths: it sets it on a level where no comparisons are possible.

Now let us read 1Timothy 3:14-16; 14 Although I hope to come to you before long, I am writing these instructions to you so that, 15 If I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and stay (the prop and support) of the Truth. 16 And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [[a]God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory.

1 Timothy 3:14-16 emphasizes the Church's role as a "pillar and foundation of the truth" and the importance of confessing the gospel. It highlights the mystery of godliness, which is manifested in Lord Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection. The passage underscores the Church's responsibility to proclaim the gospel and live out the truth of Christ. Elaboration: • The Church as a Pillar and Foundation (1 Tim 3:14-15): The passage describes the Church as "a pillar and foundation of the truth". This means the Church is a steadfast and reliable source of truth, supporting and upholding the gospel message. • Confessing the Gospel (1 Tim 3:16): The passage uses a confession to express the core tenets of the Christian faith: Lord Jesus was manifested in the flesh, justified by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, and taken up in glory. • The Mystery of Godliness (1 Tim 3:16): The confession highlights the "mystery of godliness," which refers to the profound truth that God's grace and love are revealed in the life and ministry of Lord Jesus Christ. This mystery is revealed through Lord Jesus' incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension. • The Church's Role in Proclamation (1 Tim 3:16): The Church is called to proclaim the gospel, making known the truth of Christ's life, death, and resurrection to the world. This includes sharing the message of salvation and demonstrating its power in everyday life. • Living Out the Truth of Christ (1 Tim 3:16): The passage emphasizes that the Church should not only confess the gospel but also live it out. This means demonstrating godliness in all aspects of life, reflecting the character and truth of Christ in our everyday activities on earth. • The Significance of the Church (1 Tim 3:16): The passage underscores the importance of the Church as God's instrument for spreading the gospel and demonstrating the power of Christ to the world. It calls for believers to be actively involved in the mission of the Church and to be lights in a dark world. Have you ever visited or maybe even belonged to a Church that was incredibly ingrown (growing or tending inward)? They didn’t have a lot of contact with the outside world, everyone only hung out with each other, perhaps they were cliquey ((of a group or place) tending to form or hold exclusive groups and so not welcoming to outsiders), and there were inner circles that everyone wanted to be a part of. It’s exclusive. Things get even worse when the pastor believes or even teaches that their Church is the only true Church. They’re the only ones that are teaching the truth and concerned with everyone’s godliness. The Mystery of Godliness -1Timothy 3:14-16; And I bring that up because you could read this passage and think that maybe Paul is encouraging Timothy to make the Church in Ephesus exclusive. After all, Paul tells him that they have the truth and confess godliness. Those are trigger words when you talk about the Church right? If you were visiting Churches and someone said, “this Church is about the truth and their personal holiness,” you’d probably think, “I’m going to keep looking” to see if I can see the truth and the holiness, is it not? How uncomfortable would you all be if I said, “Here at this Church we’re a pillar of the truth and we’re all about godliness” this sounds general and not too specific! Not only do statements sound arrogant, but, your legalism and works of righteousness radar would start to pick something up as well in them! And yet, that's the primary focus of these three little verses at the end of 1Timothy 3: the Church is a beacon of truth and godliness. To be even more specific, a faithfully organized Church holds up and supports truth and godliness. You have to keep in mind Paul’s thought process here in 1Timothy. He’s gone through conduct for men and women in chapter 2, the qualifications for elder and deacon in chapter 3 verses 1-13, and here he gives the reason for why Church government is so important: it supports, inculcates, protects, and encourages truth and godliness in its adherents.

If you were playing a word association game and someone said, what words do you associate with ‘Church government’? Would you immediately pipe up and say, “Truth and Godliness!” If you were playing that game you’d need to find some new friends. But Paul makes that connection in our passage. After expressing a desire to visit Timothy and the Church of Ephesus Paul gives his reason for writing to Timothy in the first place: I am writing these things to you so that, 15 If I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and stay (the prop and support) of the Truth. After all, everything that Paul has written in 1 Timothy so far could be summarized as how one ought to behave and conduct him/herself in the household of God. Beginning in 1 Timothy 2, Paul gave directions for how the elders ought to pray in worship, then in chapter 2 verse 8 he gave directions for how men ought to conduct themselves in worship and in verses 9-15 how women ought to conduct themselves in worship. Then in chapter 3 he gave instructions to Timothy for how the Church should be organized, outlining qualifications for both the office of elder and deacon as seen in 3:1-13. Paul wrote to Timothy to explain how the Church should conduct and organize itself. Why? Because “the Church of the living God [is] a pillar and buttress of the truth.” Notice how Paul links together the household of God, the Church family, and how it should be organized with God’s truth. Church government is not one of those subjects that gets people animated. If you want subjects that will get people animated, bring up predestination or infant baptism or something like that, but Church government doesn’t typically get a ton of response. Most of the time, the only response you’ll get is a few shoulder shrugs and a lot of yawning. And even when you do get someone engaged in a conversation about Church government it’ll often be minimized. Because why should we talk about this, or worse, debate it, when people are dying and going to hell? In the grand scheme of things, Church government seems to be towards the bottom of significant issues within the Church. And yet, the Apostle Paul spends a considerable amount of time instructing Timothy in what to look out for in elders and deacons! We might not think it’s incredibly important but God’s Word seems to think that it is important if not very essential! But all of these we have swept under the carpet, and going on to doing things in the Church any which way! But we ought to be doing the right and correct things in the Church! That’s because the Church is responsible for protecting God’s truth! Paul says, “the Church of the living God [is] a pillar and buttress of the truth.” He uses a building illustration to describe the responsibility of the Church in guarding God’s truth. As I’m sure you all know, pillars are those large columns that hold a structure up, and a buttress is a support that reinforces the walls and foundation of a structure. Paul clearly believes that the Church has an important role to play. This is why Church government and the character of the men who are installed and ordained as ruling elders and deacons are so important. But today, do we follow all of those rules, do we try to find out the character of those who we installed and ordained as ruling elders and deacons? The Church has a collective responsibility to maintain, keep, and protect the truth! His truth, because this is a body dedicated and committed to the Lord Jesus Christ! Paul’s view of the Church stands in dramatic contrast to the typical, modern, evangelical view of the Church. We’ve made our faith incredibly individualistic. Just me and my Bible - what else do I need? Or perhaps you or someone you know and love who has professed faith no longer sees the point in going to Church. American evangelicalism has an incredibly low view of the Church. There are countless people who we all know that profess faith in Christ, but don’t think it’s a big deal if they blow off the Church. It’s like being on a raft out at sea. Any storm, current, or wave of false doctrine can easily carry them away because they no longer stand on the truth as the anchor. There’s nothing anchoring their faith. If you’re not a part of a local Church where are you getting guidance? Who are you listening to? And how do you prevent yourself from slipping into spiritual indifference? You and I need one another. We need the Church; our shared faith is something that should bring us into fellowship with one another. We need encouragement, accountability, support, and friendships that will point us to Christ. And there are lots of reasons you should love and appreciate the Church, but Paul seems to be making one very clear point: the Church is where we go to each week to hear God’s truth. Our faith is built up and strengthened by hearing God’s truth. It may shock some of you to learn that the Westminster Confession of Faith says in chapter 25 paragraph 2 “that there is no ordinary possibility of salvation outside of the visible Church.” That’s pretty heavy language isn’t it? But the Westminster Confession isn’t saying it's impossible to be saved outside of the Church; rather, it’s saying it’s not ordinary. That would be an atypical case, because most are saved through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Church. The Church has a heavy responsibility to teach God’s truth. Pastors shouldn’t stand up on Sunday mornings and just talk about whatever pops into their minds. It’s about teaching God’s truth. I think everyone probably understands that. It’s pretty self-explanatory. But what we often fail to realize is the cumulative effect of hearing God’s truth proclaimed Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day. The Church is where believers go to be built up and encouraged in the truth of God’s Word. Which is why Church government, Church leadership are so important. Churches will rise and fall at the hands of their leadership and commitment to the truth. I’ve had this conversation with a few of you, but there’s an understanding among many in the general, our denomination, that whenever a Church goes off the rails nine times out of ten it’s because of the pastor. Whether it’s a moral failing or some version of false teaching - pastors are often the ones that want to drive the car off the cliff. And more often than not, it’s the lay elders and deacons who are holding the line. Which really falls in line with what Paul is telling Timothy: he moves from giving Timothy the qualifications for godly elders and deacons to saying, “I am writing these things to you so that, 15 If I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and stay (the prop and support) of the Truth. The Church Supports Godliness (v. 16); The Church confesses, “the mystery of godliness” The Church must protect and teach the truth, and secondly, the Church must support and promote godliness. Notice here that we learn in verse 16, the truth that the Church must confess in verse 16. 16 And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [[a]God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory. “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, Justified and vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached and proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.” This is the confession we constantly ought to be making every day in our life! It is called the mystery of godliness. And it is this rare and distinct confession that distinguishes Christianity from other religions and makes it incomparable! If you remember, one of the qualifications for deacons was very similar. Paul said that deacons “must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.” Paul is using similar language in verse 16 when he says that the Church’s confession is the mystery of godliness. But the mystery of Christian godliness is really not that mysterious at all because that wonderful hymn gives it away. The mystery of godliness is Lord Jesus Christ. Actually it seems obvious, doesn’t it? One way to think about the mystery of godliness that I mentioned from earlier are in the lyrics from that great hymn And Can It Be captured so well in the lyrics, “Amazing love/grace, how can it be that thou my God shouldst Die for me.” Is the mystery of godliness! God (Lord Jesus Christ) died for you and I to live, and live for Him! Lord Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross is our strength and hope for living the Christian life. Lord Jesus crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension is the assurance and hope that we too according to His promise, when we die in the faith, will surely be resurrected too some day by Him! The Lord Jesus that saves your soul is the source of your godliness because as He comes into you in His Holy Spirit, He begin to impact in your heart/mind the divine character and attributes of God different from the immoral character and attributes that is in the carnal fleshy world. The Christian’s godliness doesn’t come from anything he has done (works/charity) but in and through the finished work of Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. The Christian isn’t holy by inherent righteousness, or some place of goodness tucked inside him or some works of charity, no, the Christian is made righteous because he’s covered and redeemed in the blood of the lamb. The Church has a responsibility to teach all of this truth as the basis for sanctification and spiritual growth in being justified. It is important to know that the Christian life is a lifetime of turning or surrendering more of yourself daily over to Lord Jesus Christ. This is possible when you tried and become an embodiment of God’s Word and also be practicing it in your daily life. That’s what it means to be salt and light in a sin-sick/filled world! The more you turn yourself over to Lord Jesus in your heart/mind, the more you align your life in accordance with God's Word, the saltier and brighter and more progressive your life will become. You become a new creature in Christ and your character, attitude, behavioral pattern and life style changes from being carnal and worldly to becoming Christly like that of our Lord Jesus Christ. I dika Jesus! Truth and Godliness are Centered on Christ (v. 16); It really sounds like Paul is laying down the ingredients for a Church to become weird, cliquey, and ingrown, right? Paul’s basically telling Timothy that Church government is critical for protecting the truth and building up godliness. Otherwise if Church loses these ingredients that I am giving or dictating to you now, said Apostle Paul, Church will be corrupted with worldliness and begin to do the dictates of man and its godliness will be lost. That would get some struggle from the Church wouldn’t it? We’re standing for truth and encouraging godliness, it requires some element of sincerity and firmness in the Word. But look at this hymn with me at the end of verse 16. Before we dive deeper into this hymn, I want you to know that it’s poetry because it has a chiastic structure. Chiasm is a poetic structure where language is mirrored and repeated. A good example of a Biblical chiasm was when Lord Jesus said, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” Or another one is, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” And that’s exactly what’s going on in the poem at the end of verse 16. For all of you Bill Shakespeares out there, these six lines are three contrasting couplets that form an ABBAAB structure if you’re into that sort of thing. Maybe the easiest way to see what I’m talking about is to look at the last word in each stanza of the poem: flesh, Spirit, angels, nations, world, glory. It begins with earthy/worldly language and ends with spiritual/heavenly language. Keep in mind that at this very time that we are talking about, the New Testament was still being composed and compiled based on the activities that happened in our Lord Jesus ministry with His disciples, so music or putting statements in music form would be a great way for believers in the early Church to remember core doctrines of the faith just as Lord Jesus Christ was putting it. But let’s walk through this confessional hymn together again: He [[a]God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory. Now we have carried our confessional hymn from above to here so that we can be looking at it! The first two lines are references to the key points of Lord Jesus’ Earthly Ministry: the Incarnation and the Resurrection. The first line says, “He was manifested in the flesh.” This is a reference to the incarnation of Lord Jesus Christ, which is what we celebrate at Christmas every year, God in the midst of men—Emmanuel! The fact is that the Eternal God Jehovah took on flesh as Son in Jesus and dwelt among, in the midst of man to impact in man His Eternal Will, Purpose and Plan in Creation so that man will be able to work along/corporate with Him as co-creator without distorting any aspect in the divine agenda or design! But man failed and is still failing Jehovah God Almighty! When will man realize, well as divine education in truth goes on! The second line states that He God was “vindicated by the Spirit” which is a reference to the other bookend of His Earthly Ministry: the Resurrection, because when He said that He is the resurrection of the body, nobody seem to believe Him but when He demonstrated it Himself, it was amazing! Now His Whole Ministry in one sense was “vindicated by the Spirit, right? He performed countless miracles, taught heavenly truths that were not in existence until He began to voice them out and men were bewildered at the kind of utterances that were coming out of His mouth, but the absolute pinnacle of Lord Jesus manifestations being “vindicated by the Spirit” came at His Physical Bodily Resurrection in the very before of men and women. Until then and even till now and forever, nobody has nor will ever be resurrected until He comes again and begin another round, what I call the phase two of resurrection, which is going to be when He starts resurrecting individual departed souls, those who will meet the qualification by believing in Him as He requested and commanded! Paul makes this point in Romans 1:4 where he said, “[Jesus] was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord…” The second couplet revolves around those who witnessed the power of Lord Jesus’s ministry: “seen by angels/proclaimed among the nations” The power, work, and ministry of Lord Jesus Christ was witnessed and affirmed by both spirit, angels and men. Throughout the gospel accounts, angels make it a regular habit to attest, validate, and affirm the power of Lord Jesus Christ. Mark tells us the angels ministered to Lord Jesus while He was in the desert. Angels “strengthened” Him on the cross in Gethsemane. Angels bore witness to His glorious resurrection. And angels comforted the disciples after His ascension. So angels attested to, affirmed, and validated the work of Lord Jesus Christ on earth. And so did people. People proclaimed/spread the gospel of Christ among the nations, which is exactly what happened at Pentecost, right? Peter preached and 3,000 were added that day. And the message that was proclaimed was for all people from every tribe, tongue, and language. The gentiles were graciously grafted into the kingdom of God. It’s spelled out for us in the Great Commission: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. The third and final couplet is about the results or outcomes of Lord Jesus’ ministry: He was “believed on in the world/taken up in glory.” The natural result of Lord Jesus being “proclaimed to the nations” would be people getting saved, right? The result of the gospel being proclaimed is the salvation of men. And once His earthly ministry was completed, He was “taken up in glory.” That is, He ascended into glory at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. On a broader, more basic level, this hymn that Paul is probably reminding Timothy of is simply a summary of the gospel. It’s a mini Apostles’ Creed. But everything that happens in the Church should be born out of a deep love for the gospel of Lord Jesus Christ. He is our godliness. But again, there’s a logical connection in these verses: the Church’s duty must be about establishing good elders, protecting and proclaiming the truth, and encouraging godliness, all centered upon Lord Jesus Christ. And when we cling to the truth and grow in personal holiness and righteousness all out of a love for Christ - that is the Church’s witness to the world people! It is very important to know that there is something deeply ironic when we believe that in order to reach people for Christ in winning converts we need to compromise God’s truth and live just like them; very wrong! Maintaining the truth and encouraging godliness among believers in the Church should not be doctrines we cling to in order to keep the world at arm's length: no, those are the very doctrines we cling to in order to draw people in for Christ to save them! Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.” It’s naive to think that there is no connection between our Church’s commitment to the truth of God’s word, your personal holiness, and reaching the lost. No, those things are intimately connected and you do not have to compromise in any. In order for the gospel to be proclaimed in power to the nations we must be committed to the truth and personal holiness. Robert Murray M’Cheyne (1813-1843), an influential Scottish pastor famously said, “My people’s greatest need is my personal holiness.” It’s certainly true for me. Ministers must be men/women who are committed to the truth and pursue holiness. But it’s true for everyone too. Your family’s greatest need is your unwavering commitment to God’s Word and your own personal holiness and righteousness. Our Church’s greatest need is your personal holiness. And Lord Jesus Christ is the well that you and I must return to over and over and over again. The same message that saves us is the very basis for our godliness is the same for all people!