1Timothy 3:14-16
The People and the Place
Paul wrote to Timothy to encourage and train him in the ministry.
This epistle is called a "Pastoral Epistle," because it is being
written to help a pastor help a church. Some who are not pastors
might feel this book has little value to them, but since it was
Paul’s ultimate goal to help the church, they are wrong. When this
book is taught directly to a church, the middle man (the pastor) is
just being cut out.
In these verses, Paul gave warning concerning the church, both the
people who are the church and the place that is called the church. He
was concerned that the people who are the church might lose their
understanding of how they should behave in the place called the
church.
Let’s see the warning with three thoughts:
I. There is a way to for the people to behave in the place.
1Tim 3:15 …if I tarry long, that thou mayest
know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the
house of God,
A. Let’s let that sink in for a moment.
1. Paul was saying that there is a way the people who are the
church should behave in the place that is called the
church.
2. If there is a way to behave then there are also ways to
misbehave.
3. To some that would be a revelation today.
a. There are right ways to worship and there are wrong
ways to worship. (Somehow I do not think worshipping
like drunks in bar or rockers in a concert is the
right way.)
b. The thought today is that anything goes as long as we
fill up the building. (I do not think behaving like
the world is the way to win the world to Christ.)
4. I agree, these are just my thoughts but let me spring some
Bible words on your that do not seem to be useable in
some churches:
a. Sin
b. Repentance
c. Holiness
d. Contrition
e. Conviction
5. But there are some words that seem to fit all too well.
a. Crowds
b. Fun
c. Comfortable
d. Accepted
e. Good time
6. If the last words I gave fit a church more than the first
words I gave, in my opinion, there is some MIS-behaving
going on.
B. Notice what Paul called the church in that verse:
1. House of God - The place where God lives.
2. The church of the living God
a. The word church comes from the Greek word "ecclesia"
which means the called-out body.
b. The church is not our house but God’s.
c. We are not the world’s people but God’s.
d. God has called us out of the world to be His people.
e. The people who are the church should behave that way
in the place called the church.
3. The pillar and ground of truth
a. The church is TRUTH.
b. But we are also the ground and pillar on which others
are to build (their faith, their lives, their
behaviors).
C. The Bible give us an example of a church "misbehaving" and
shows us what happened.
1Cor 11:18 For first of all, when ye come
together in the church, I hear that there be
divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies among you,
that they which are approved may be made manifest
among you.
20 When ye come together therefore into one
place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.
21 For in eating every one taketh before other
his own supper: and one is hungry, and another
is drunken.
22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink
in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame
them that have not? What shall I say to you?
shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
1. Notice the progression this worship service followed.
a. \\#20\\ It started with a SPIRITUAL purpose, i.e. to
worship and to partake of the Lord’s Supper.
b. \\#21\\ They turned it into a SECULAR function, i.e.
just eating and drinking.
c. Indeed, it had gotten so secular that Paul said the
people were not even gathering to eat the Lord’s
Supper. \\#20\\
(1) Their worship had become nothing more than a
fellowship.
(2) They lost the worship (the desire to glorify God)
and to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance all
together!
(3) When you take the SPIRIT out of the church, all
you are left with is the SECULAR.
d. \\#21\\ This secular fellowship turned sinful.
(1) People became drunk at the feast!
(2) Instead of being filled of God, they were filled
with the spirits of the vine.
2. For this, God had sent judgment.
1Cor 11:30 For this cause many are weak and
sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should
not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened
of the Lord, that we should not be condemned
with the world.
3. It is sad to think that in buildings called churches,
leaders called pastors have reduced meetings called
worship services to Bible-less talks of Spirit-less
subjects in worldly-like environments.
II. There is a mystery for the people to understand.
1Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the
mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the
flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, received up into glory.
A. Paul says that without "controversy" there is a great mystery.
We might say "without question" or "with doubt" or "without
dispute" there is a great mystery.
B. What is a mystery? In the Bible, a mystery is something that
is unknown and unknowable unless God’s Spirit revealed it.
C. What does this mystery relate to?
1. Godliness
2. What is godliness?
a. It is God-like behavior.
b. The suffix -ness means "full of."
(1) Goodness means full of good.
(2) Wickedness means full of wicked.
(3) Godliness means full of God or full of God-like
behavior.
3. Notice that in the last verse Paul was talking about
behavior and he still is.
4. I point all of that out because after getting us all set
to find out what the mystery that produces godliness is,
some think Paul changes topics.
D. In the remainder of the verse, Paul listed doctrines that
relate to Christ.
1. Notice the statements:
a. God was manifested in the flesh.
b. He was justified (vindicated) by the Holy Spirit.
c. He was seen by angels or messengers.
d. He was preached about to the Gentiles.
e. He was believed on in the world.
f. He was received up into glory.
2. Many believe that Paul switched topics, i.e. that he quit
talking about godliness and started talking about Jesus.
a. I have seen some mark this part of the verse the
doctrine of Christ or the doctrine of the
incarnation.
b. Well, I won’t argue that but either Paul mislead us
or it is also the secret to godliness.
c. I think it is the secret (mystery) to godliness.
d. The problem is the Holy Spirit has to show us what it
is. (I claim no revelation just a persistent faith
in the Word.)
E. I believe the mystery to getting the behavior of godliness
right is getting the doctrine of Christ right.
1. If you know what you should know, you will live like you
should live.
2. The key to being godly is understanding that Jesus is God
manifested in the flesh, justified by the Spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in
the world, and received up into glory.
3. No church that loses either the doctrine of Christ or
it’s love and devotion to that doctrine is going to be
godly for long.
III. \\#3:1\\ There is a failing to avoid.
1Tim 3:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart….
A. Depart from what? The way I see it,
1. They will first depart from their love for doctrine,
2. then they will depart from walk of godliness,
3. then they will depart from the doctrine.
4. Guess where we are living.
B. The church has ceased to be all three of the things Paul
called it in \\#1Tim 2:15\\:
1. the house where God lives
2. the called-out assembly of the living God
3. the pillar and ground of truth
C. Why? Because we have forgotten how the people who are the
church are to behave in the place called the church.
Let it not happen to you.
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