The Function and Purpose of the Church — 1 Timothy 1-4

0:00 First Timothy. Open your Bibles to first Timothy chapter three. First Timothy chapter three. Someone someone said earlier that they're looking forward to to hearing hearing what what I have to say about deacons. Well, you know, when whenever I go to Mexico and somebody tells me, well, I'm not a doctor yet.

0:23 I'm I'm still in in training. I say, if you even smell like a doctor, you qualify, right, over there in Mexico? It's no big deal. We have chiropractors over there doing surgeries and administering shots and such, and so if you look like a deacon, come on, we'll name you. It's not a problem.

0:41 You qualify. You pass. Sorry. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding.

0:44 Alright. First Timothy three. First Timothy three, and I'm actually going to not not start from the beginning, but from the middle. So just like Dave this morning decided to sing different songs that we're not used to, we're... But that that was cool though.

1:03 He's... That's pretty brave of him. We're gonna start from the middle. We're gonna start from verse 14. Verse 14.

1:10 So I'm gonna work my way from the middle out instead of following the typical verse one through through 16. Okay? And I guess if you want a title, the function and purpose of the church. Now you know that in in chapter one, Paul says to Timothy, I'm leaving you I'm leaving you at Ephesus so that you could make sure you correct the wrong teaching. Right?

1:35 There's there's some teaching that's not good. Make sure you correct it, And and then he names a couple of guys that he said we had to remove them from fellowship because they were teaching wrong and so forth. Right? That's chapter one. It gives you kind of the...

1:48 One of the reasons why he's writing the book. And then chapter two, everything has to do with church, by the way, all of first Timothy, how a church should look like and function. So in chapter two, he says, okay. I want the... Make sure that the the church is praying.

2:03 Right? So I want men to be praying. We need to have that prayer going, and so consistent prayer, and it gives you the list. And then it says, this is what I want the women's row to be in the local church, and you all heard that last week, right? The part of the local church.

2:19 And in this week, he he wants to focus on the the leadership of the church and and the whole purpose of the church. So that's what we're going to look at today. So let's let's start with verse 14. I am writing these things to you hoping to come to you before long. But in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

2:51 Alright. And before we continue, a little brief pause. For everybody is welcome to stay for the picnic. If you didn't bring food or whatever you forgot, that's alright. There's plenty.

3:01 There's plenty. Believe me. We're gonna end up just giving it away. So if you're here, please stay. Feel welcome to stay for the picnic.

3:09 Also, have cornhole. We have a competition since some of you are too old to play basketball and volleyball because we don't want you to pull a joint or whatever, a muscle. Cornhole should work. All you have to do is just move your arm. Right?

3:24 So even the women qualify for that one, if you all want to try cornhole. Alright. We do have a water game too, if you don't mind getting splashed a little bit. So so we're going be doing that. We also bought...

3:37 I think it's called bachibah. Is that what it's called, Justin? Bachibah? If you don't know what that is, you can do it. All you have to do is roll a ball.

3:44 Right? Just move the arm. So we were considerate. There's games for older and younger. So please stay and and enjoy yourself with us.

4:18 So the church belongs to God, it's God's church, and it's his family, it's not a human institution. Paul's metaphor is not that it's a building, but it's a family. And so that's kind of what I want. So what I want you to be thinking today, because I'm not going to focus a lot on the leadership, the elders and deacons, but we're going to focus more on the church is supposed to be a family. Yeah?

4:43 Now, of course, that doesn't mean that you all of a sudden become my cousin or whatever, or or my mom or my dad, but I have found in the local body that it is like a family and that there was a... When I was growing up, there was an older man that I used to call grandpa. Right? Because we were close with them. And grandma...

5:04 And we would go hang out with moms, and I was so close with some of my friends and their moms that I would actually start calling them mom. Right? But what united us was Christ. And when we came to the local building, right, it was like, let's go be with the family. So we need to kind of think differently in that it's not let's go to church, because I've said that myself many times, because that kind of like means we're just going to go to a building, do our thing, and go home.

5:34 But rather, let's look at it this way. It's the Church of God, the Church of the Living God, and it's a family. Right? So don't think about it as a building. We need a building to meet, right, so that we won't get rained on, and when it's cold we can stay warm.

5:48 But it's supposed to be a family, so so that we're, as a family, we're there with one another, and we want to hang out together. Right now, family is supposed to come together and have meals together and talk. Right? And so the problem is that even in the smaller category of family at home, the TV and the cell phones and everything, you know, you take a bite, and you look, and then you take a bite, and it's like, hey, how about we turn that thing off just for a little bit and talk? Okay.

6:19 So for about five minutes, and then all of a sudden it's like, somebody might have texted me. I'm going hurry up and check, right? And so what happens is that the whole concept of family has kind of... We kind of lost the idea of what that means. Right?

6:34 I remember in many occasions, I've done visits to homes, and I'm trying to talk with a couple, and I said, could you please turn the TV off so that we can talk? I don't mean to say it that way, but sometimes I have to. You know, turn it off. Let's talk a little bit. And as soon as I leave, you can crank it right back on.

6:51 Believe me. Hopefully, you won't lose too much. Right? But the whole concept of of family is kind of like losing its its its real value. Right?

7:00 And that we don't know how to talk anymore. But hopefully, today will encourage us a little bit. By the way, at the end, we're going to have about ten minutes of question and answer. I have some questions for you guys. I want you to participate with me.

7:13 All right. So so let's look at at the whole idea. So you can see in verse 15 then, it says the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. And so let me let me just read with... To you.

7:29 You can listen a couple of chapters of different portions where it talks about the church of God and so forth. So acts twenty and twenty eight, be on guard for yourself and for the flock... For all the flock, among which the holy spirit made you overseers speaking to the elders. Overseers and elders, the same word, and bishop also, they're all interchangeable. To to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

7:57 So so that we need to look at then the the church, this local body, as not just a building, but it's a family, and the family came together because God sent the Son and he purchased it and made it... Made us part of his family. All right? So the family of God is universal, that is, there's Christians all over the world, but this is a local church, right, a local family here that God has put together. And so it's the Church of God, and he purchased it with his own blood.

8:31 So it's not like, somebody tells me, is that your church? I'm part of that local church, and I serve there, but it's not my church. It's the church of God. That... Technically, that's what we should say.

8:44 Right? Jesus bought it... Bought us, and it became the church of God, the family of God, And so the the elders, the shepherds overseas are supposed to to to make sure they oversee, and they're looking out for the church of God. Now the same concept you can see in Ephesians two nineteen. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, that is any believer is a saint, and are of the house, God's household.

9:15 So there's that expression again. It's God's household. It's a family. It's a family. Galatians six ten.

9:23 While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. So God's household, household of faith, the Church of God, it's all the same concept, but notice that it's called a household of faith, a family that that has a... A... Uses the expression of a home. Hebrews three six, but Christ was faithful as a son over his house whose house we are.

9:55 So we're the house of Jesus Christ. And first Peter four seventeen, for it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. And so there you see that concept then is in quite a few passages in the New Testament. I'll give you an old testament just for fun. Isaiah sixty six one through two basically says that God dwells...

10:21 Are you going to make me a building to dwell in? I own everything. I'm everywhere. But here's who I dwell with. I dwell with the person who's humble and contrite of spirit who trembles at my word.

11:02 And so that's what the the Lord's Supper is supposed to do. Of course, we come together for teaching and instruction. First Timothy chapter four, you'll see it next... In a couple of weeks or whatever next week. Give attention to public reading of scripture to exhortation and to teaching.

11:19 So when we come together as a family, while we come together for the Lord's Supper and also to read the scriptures out loud like we did a while ago, and to exhorting from the from the word and to teaching of the word. And of course, as we saw last week, we come together to pray, Come together to pray. And for fellowship, and thus we're gonna have picnic afterwards and have fellowship. But we should probably do more of that. Right?

11:48 Won't you agree? How about every couple of months? Don't don't you think we should? Alright. Well, encourage us and we might start doing it.

11:55 Amen? Yes. Everybody's getting excited. Okay. Good.

11:59 Alright. And so so look at it as we're not going to church, but we're going to to the church of God, the family of God is going to get together, and we're going to remember Jesus, the founder. Right? And we're going to we're going to fellowship. We're we're going to hear teaching.

12:17 We're going to pray together, and we're going to be with one another. Now I'm telling you right now that when my family has had sickness and need, the family of God has been there with us, and I praise God for that. I mean, there have been... In fact, that's what led my parents to Christ, that when my sister had cancer, the Christians would come and be at the hospital with my mom, and my mom and dad just freaked out, like, what is this? What kind of love is this?

12:47 And that led them to Christ. And so the body should be here to help one another. If somebody loses a job, we all bring and help out, right? Maybe collect an offering, bring bread, or do something, but we're to be there for one another. And that's what God intended.

13:05 It's not just let's show up on Sunday, hear our thing, and go home, and and leave me alone until next Sunday. That's... That wasn't the point. That wasn't the point. Not at all.

13:16 But that we love to be with each other. Alright? And so we'll we'll talk about that one in a little bit. Hold that thought. Okay.

13:23 So notice then also in verse 15 that it's the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. Alright. So what is the message of the church? The responsibility. Support means a foundation on which the structure rests.

13:43 So when we come together as a family, you know the family has to have rules. Right? You can't just go into the home and the kids can't just start busting windows and turn up the... You have to have certain rules. Right?

13:55 Okay. Even though when I was growing up, my brothers and I broke at least 10 times broke windows. But but, you know, we got spanked for and all that kind of, you know, stuff. So you... There there was rules, right, that we had to keep, and so there has to be a structure.

14:13 So the the the church then, when it gathers together, it has to have a support, a a foundation a foundation. And it's also a pillar. The pillar in the Old Testament time, in the Bible times, held up those huge structures. You... You've seen them, right, pictures of...

14:30 In Greece and all over where the Bible was written, those big pillars that would hold up those huge structures. So the pillars then hold up something. So the foundation has to be there, and the pillars have to be there. What what do we support? Notice it says the truth.

14:48 The truth. In other words, divine revelation. What what does that mean? That means that we believe that this is the word of God, and it's divine revelation, and we're going

14:59 to

14:59 obey and believe and follow the principles that it teaches. Amen to that? Right? Amen to that. Okay.

15:08 And so we we believe in this local body that the word of God is the authority of God, that it is inerrant, that that is sufficient, and that we can trust it, and we want to do what it says. That doesn't mean that we always completely understand it or that we can have certain different opinions on certain verses and all. But overall, we agree that it is the word of God supernaturally preserved by God, and it is indeed inerrant. And we're not gonna bend on that in this local place. Amen?

15:45 Amen. Alright. You all scared me. I didn't say that with conviction, but hopefully it's in there. Alright?

15:51 Amen. Okay. Thank you. Amen. Alright.

15:55 So the church has as its responsibility to uphold divine revelation of God, which is the gospel and the content of Christian faith. We must firmly hold the truth of God's word. We are to support and safeguard the truth of the gospel, which is the only hope for lost sinners and a source of sanctification for believers. Now a church won't support and uphold unless it believes fully and is convinced fully that this is indeed God's word. So hopefully you're convinced and you're going to be there to support and uphold.

16:33 When people come here, we're to say, this is what God says, not our opinion, but this is what God says and this is what we believe. Alright? So amen to that? Yes. Amen.

16:49 It's a family of God. We come together, and then, of course, the family has to have a support system. Right? The the truth of of the Bible, divine truth, the pillar. When people come, hopefully, they receive divine truth from us.

17:03 Right? And we're not going to bend on that. And then it also needs fathers. Right? Any home needs a father and mother.

17:13 And and some have father and mother, and they're still dysfunctional. Nothing I can do about that. Right? But but that was God's plan, to have a a father and mother and children that grew up in a loving environment that that... Where the parents gave direction so that the kids can feel loved, right, and understand their purpose.

17:34 That's what God wanted. Of course, you know that the devil does whatever he can to destroy the family, the first institution that God established. Whatever he can, he will to destroy it. Okay? Now when it comes to the greater family of God here, he wants to destroy the leadership as well.

17:55 Amen? Alright. So let let me just say this. We we need a lot of prayer. We need a lot of prayer.

18:04 If anybody... The other ones don't, I do. So pray for me. I need it. Okay.

18:11 Now the the whole leadership thing to God is very important. But what I'm going to do is I'm going to just give you a general sweeping thing because I don't want to spend the whole time looking at all the qualifications and all that. If there's a man here, because notice what it says, if any man aspires the office of overseer or elder or bishop, it's all the same. You call me an elder overseer, but don't call me a bishop. That's kind of weird to me.

18:36 Call me anything else. Alright? Or you can just call me Ray if you want or Raimundo. Alright. So so notice it's a fine work he desires to do.

18:45 So if you really desire it, then then come see us as leaders, and we'll tell you these are the qualifications. Alright? But I'm gonna just give you like a general sweeping statement. God is looking for personal character, somebody who manages their home, not this one but their home at home correctly, able to teach the word, and a measure of experience. Alright?

19:09 So if you want a general statement, I'll say it one more time. Personal character, manages home correctly, able to teach and and a measure of experience. You notice I said not a new believer or or... Because he might get full of pride. Right?

19:24 So you have to have some experience and some growth in the Lord. Alright. Why? What's the purpose of leadership? Notice verse five.

19:33 But if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God? There it is again, the family of God, the the greater family. So if he can't manage three or four kids at home, how are you gonna manage a greater number? See, it kind of makes sense. Right?

19:50 Okay. Now, let's focus on one thought that is above reproach. Okay? Now, when you look at the qualifications, it kind of freaks you out, and it's like, oh my word, who in the world can do all of that? Right?

20:08 It is pretty scary. It is pretty scary to which many men who who should be elders aren't because they look at that and like, oh my goodness. How in the world am I gonna do all that? So just a word of encouragement, and I got this from James McDonald's commentary. He says, It doesn't mean that a man is sinless, but rather if he does commit some fault, he makes it right with both God and man.

20:36 All right. So could you know that everyone here, every week probably we sin and we have to go before God? God, I repent. I acknowledge that I sinned. And you get it right with God.

20:50 The issue is if you don't get it right with God. Alright? Because it says you're not supposed to love money. Well, there's times that I don't. Everything's great, but then there's times when all of a sudden I want some.

20:59 You know? Alright? And so I'm like, Lord, I'm having this desire just to have money. It's like, take it from me. I repent.

21:07 You see? So you acknowledge that that part right there, and then the Lord gives you grace, and you move on. But to to want to constantly keep all of those things, and if you can't, you're not going to be an elder, but then nobody would ever do anything. God does give us grace and helps help us to to be able to do those things. Right?

21:29 But anyway, so that... There you go. General sweeping statement. Now the requirements for the deacon are pretty much the same except for it doesn't require that he's able to teach... That he's able to teach.

21:42 So our our understanding is that elders should be teaching and leading, and deacons are more, according to acts as well, are are more responsible even though they have to be godly men, spiritual men, are more responsible for the physical building, for for finances, and such. Right? So I'm not going to die over that. If you think it's more spiritual, that's fine. Alright.

22:09 But read it for yourself. It's a good thing to desire to be in leadership. If if if you feel like you you would like to or you would like to know more, we as elders would love to have you join us in our elders meetings, and you could pray with us and observe, and see maybe God is calling you to to that. But we do need some men to step up. We do need some men to step up.

22:35 Did you hear that? Should I say it one more time? Everybody hear me? We do need some men to step up. Alright.

22:44 So one last thing about that, and then I'm gonna go on to... Because I only need time for talk for some interchange here. All right? Once your children, and this is kind of debated, but I believe that once the children leave the home, responsibility as far as that verse of managing your own home is done. Right?

23:12 You're still embarrassed because your kids do goofy stuff and all that, but I'm talking about while they were at home, you managed your home. Right? The kids respected you. They were there. But once they leave and they're adults and growing up, I I I can't be babying them and telling them what to do anymore.

23:30 You can give some advice if they want it. Most of the time they don't because, you know, too old, too disconnected or whatever. But anyway, that was for free. Let's go to verse 16. Verse 16.

23:44 Alright. So let's connect you then. It's a it's a it's a family. Right? It's a household of God, the church of the living God.

23:53 It's supposed to be a family that comes together, and we were supposed to be a support and a pillar of truth. We teach truth according to the Bible. And then, of course, any local group gathering needs a leadership, so you have elders and deacons. That's how it's laid out. Right?

24:10 God established for the men to lead in the local church. So that's pretty clear in in the scriptures. Right? And so after that, let's go to this final portion, which is the the the core of what what do we teach? What do we believe?

25:01 So if anybody feels gifted or or inspired, maybe you can put some music to these to these words. Right? There's six stanzas, six little things. So come on, somebody get creative, and maybe in a couple of weeks you can sing it. That'd be great.

25:16 Alright. Don't look at me like I'm crazy. There's nothing wrong with saying something like that. Maybe somebody is inspired. Alright.

25:22 So here's the the common confession. Here's what the church would confess. Alright? Number one, he was revealed in flesh. There's six things.

25:31 Alright? Six things. He was revealed in flesh. This is... First John put it this way, whoever does not confess that Jesus came in the flesh, he is the antichrist.

25:43 That's right. Antichrist. Fundamental to what we believe and what we preach is that God became a man. Right? Number one, and they would confess it, they would say it clearly.

25:55 Second, he was vindicated in the spirit. Now to vindicate means to justify, to justify. So in other words, all the claims that Jesus made through the Holy Spirit... So when he read Isaiah, for example, in the temple, and he said today the scripture is fulfilled, When he said that, he was saying, I'm the Messiah. Right?

26:19 And so he was claiming to be the Messiah. He said that he was sent from God. He said that he was going to be crucified, and that he was going to raise from the dead. And so to vindicate, to justify means that the Holy Spirit says everything that Jesus said came true, and there's no more argument about it. Let's put it this way.

26:45 Romans one:four, the resurrection of Jesus is a mighty proof of his deity, and this is declared by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is declaring and saying, I vindicated, I justified Jesus, that he was the authentic, the real Messiah, he's the only savior of the world, and the Holy Spirit is giving affirmation to that reality. Amen? Alright. So next, he was beheld by angels.

27:12 Angels announced his birth, as you know. They talked to Mary and Joseph, and they sang when he was born, they comforted him when he was tempted by Satan, They were present at the resurrection, and they said he's not here when he rose from the dead. And then when the disciples were talking with Jesus and he went up, they were right there saying, quit looking up. He's gonna come back later. Right?

27:34 And so the angels were involved in the ministry of Jesus Christ. Number four, he was proclaimed among the nations. And the first preaching of the word in Acts chapter two, 3,000 Jews were saved, and then the Samaritans were saved, and the Ethiopian man was saved, and then they started preaching throughout the whole world, as you know, and it's still being proclaimed, and people are still getting saved. All right, praise God for that. Okay, then he was taken up in glory.

28:05 And so that's part of our fundamental belief, that he went back up physically in a body, was taken up, and he's going to return physically in a body. So right now, where is Jesus? He's up where? In... Say it, in glory.

28:20 In glory. He was taken up in glory. So right now He's up there, but He's going to come back, and that's what we proclaim. Okay? So these are the the fundamentals of what we believe, and we should probably read this passage more because those are the six points that that we hold to firmly.

28:54 Alright. Look at real quick. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. Alright. So I want you to interact with me in the in the remaining eight minutes.

29:21 Alright? Now according to this, what can we do to maintain the unity of the spirit? Let me have some participation. Alright? So we already said we're a family, and the Holy Spirit brought us together as a local church.

29:36 What can we do to maintain the unity of the spirit? The spirit already brought us together. Yes, brother.

29:42 To think of ourselves more highly

29:44 than the divine. Okay. Wow. That's awesome. I never thought of that one.

29:48 That's right. When we come to church, we come with the fact that we're all equal in God's sight, and God loves us all. Don't think more highly. Excellent. What what else?

29:57 What can we do to maintain you? Yes.

29:59 Controlled by our spirit personally?

30:02 Personally controlled so that we won't say what we shouldn't say or just overall. Right? Being spirit led. Yes. Amen.

30:09 Amen. What else can we do then... Yes. Speak Speak the truth in love. Alright?

30:17 So if somebody somebody offended you, go and tell them in love. You offended me, brother. Right? Instead of talking to somebody that they offended you, go tell them directly. Am I understanding you?

30:26 Wow. Okay. Yes? Old trade saying is so true and

30:31 so biblical. The family that prays together stays

30:37 together. Okay. We need to pray together. Alright. Let's keep praying.

30:42 Make prayer make prayer more of a priority. Alright? That's excellent. What else can we do to maintain the unity of the spirit? To to may...

30:54 Let's let's switch a little bit. To maintain a family atmosphere. Maintain a family atmosphere. What else can we... Oh man, stuck.

31:05 Your first one I would say is break bread together.

31:07 Break bread? Okay. The one. The first one, break bread together. Okay.

31:12 Break bread, back... Yes, Kevin? Spending time together. Yes. And thus, we have a picnic.

31:20 Nobody's running off. Right? Amen. Yes. Spending time together.

31:23 And with food. Right? They had fellowship, they had food in the early church, and and let's let's enjoy food together. Amen. So hopefully, somebody...

31:34 Oh, no. We're gonna have hamburgers and stuff. It wasn't really everybody bringing their recipes and comparing all that. But... Alright.

31:40 What else? What else can we do? Yes, Scott. Thank you. Amen?

31:47 That's as practical as it can be. Yes. Just being nice to one another. Bob?

31:51 I'm gonna use the word discipleship. Okay. In our houses, we try to teach our children, right, our children learn from us, and we learn from each other. So that type of an arrangement where we're part of each other's lives to the point where we can train each other.

32:06 Yes. Excellent. Excellent. Serve one another. Yes.

32:13 And and that's so important fundamental to our Christian faith, right, that that we do think about one another. Joy?

32:19 Encourage one another.

32:20 Encourage. Yes. Maybe a little note, a phone call, an email, a text. Now this is when it's good to put out the text and all that kind of stuff. Now I don't do Facebook, I I have no...

32:31 I do text, you know, I have old fashioned, email and text if you want to talk to me. There you go. Amen. Old... Yeah, that's old fashioned.

32:40 That's not old fashioned, that's old fashioned over there. There.

32:43 Yeah. Swung signals carry a pigeon.

32:48 Okay, all right. So I have another question that I wanted to ask, and this is, pretty much we answered it, but what what is what is our responsibility to to one another to one another? To to pray for one another. Amen. Jack?

33:12 To teach. To to teach one another. Right? Get together, maybe read together, and encourage one another. Yes.

33:21 To love. I think we were talking about that earlier. Right? To to love one another. And and as the Lord is working in our hearts and we're trying to build more of a family atmosphere, I think that'll become more more real.

33:32 Who... Bob, were you gonna say? She took your answer. Alright. So praise God.

33:39 Well, may may the spirit help us as we wanna be... As we are part of the family, the church of the living God. Right? And may may the Lord help us to to to create this kind of atmosphere because I believe that when we do and we invite a non believer, he's gonna be touched by the spirit that's here. Amen?

34:00 Alright. Let's let's pray. Father, thank you so much for the passage that we read today. For the family, it's your church, oh, God, won by the blood of Jesus, and we are so blessed. Thank you for bringing this particular local church together.

34:17 And Lord, I pray that you would help us to really enjoy ourselves today, the food, just the fellowship. And Lord, I do pray too that if there's someone who might be have hurt, Lord, that they would be able to talk to the person and and they would get that right, Lord, that we would get... Have reconciliation. Help us, Lord, for that's the toughest part right there. But help help that to be true, that we may be a church that can actually reconcile and and show the love of Christ.

34:51 Help us, we pray, and bless our time now. In Jesus' name, amen.