Introduction:
A. How many of you like to watch home improvement shows on television, like Fixer Upper, Property Brothers, or Home Town?
1. We like to watch those shows in our household.
2. It’s amazing to see the home renovation those folks are able do with $100,000! Right?
3. But you know, here’s the trouble with home improvement trends: 15 years from now, people on home improvement shows will be saying: “Wow, these white kitchen cupboards are awful and we need to add some walls between the living room, the dining room and the kitchen.”
4. If you don’t know why that’s funny, it’s because you don’t realize that the trend today is to rip out all the traditional wood cabinets and replace them with white cabinets, and to tear out all the walls to make an open concept between kitchen, living and dining rooms.
5. Trends change, right? And trends are cyclical – if you wait long enough, those maple cabinets will be back in style – just like bellbottom pants.
B. But in the end, no one can decorate or arrange your house like you can.
1. You are the sole architect of its ambiance and you are in charge of creating a desired feel and look for your house.
2. You might like country or rustic, contemporary or traditional, mid-century modern or industrial.
3. You are free to choose what you like and to lay it out anyway you wish – it’s your house.
C. But imagine if someone barged into your house and rearranged everything or replaced everything.
1. On the one hand you might be thrilled and thank them, but on the other hand you might say, “How dare you!” and “What gives you the right to change my house – it’s my house!?”
D. Here’s the important application: The church is God’s house - His household - His dwelling.
1. God’s house is supposed to be built, furnished and arranged according to His designs.
2. But how often has humankind decided to rearrange or renovate God’s house? Far too often!
3. And what gives humans the right to change God’s plans and designs? We don’t have a right to mess with God’s house.
E. Today’s sermon begins a new series on the book of 1 Timothy that I am calling “Church Matters.”
1. I chose that title because it is a play on words – church matters.
2. The church does matter and that’s why we need to protect God’s church and be sure that we follow God’s designs and plans for the church.
3. The other play on words has to do with matters pertaining to the church.
4. This letter from the apostle Paul to the young minister named Timothy is full of church matters – all kinds of nuts and bolts about how to do church together – how to conduct matters in God’s household – house rules for God’s family.
a. Paul’s two letters to Timothy and his letter to Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they are written to young ministers and are full of practical church matters.
b. Some of Paul’s other letters contain a lot more theology, but the Pastoral Letters read more like a minister’s handbook – a “how to” manuel.
5. In chapter 3, Paul told Timothy the reason for the letter: 14 I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon. 15 But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1 Tim. 3:14-15)
a. Paul wanted to remind Timothy about proper conduct of God’s children in God’s household.
b. I love the descriptions of the church that Paul used here – they speak to how precious and important the church really is – the church matters!
c. The church is the church of the living God – God is alive and the church belongs to Him!
d. The church is also the pillar and foundation of the truth – the church is built on the truth and is the sustainer of the truth – the church matters!
I. The Background of 1 Timothy
A. Let’s turn our attention to the way that Paul began his first letter to Timothy: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope: 2 To Timothy, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (1 Tim. 1:1-2)
1. As was the custom of letter writing in Paul’s day, the writer would identify who was writing, then identify to whom they were writing, and then would give a formulaic greeting, thanksgiving or blessing.
a. We notice that Paul followed that basic outline in this correspondence.
B. First, Paul identified himself as the writer with the words “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savor and of Christ Jesus our hope.” (vs. 1)
1. The book of Acts and the letters of Paul reveal a lot about Paul’s life and story.
2. Paul was born as Saul of Tarsus – Tarsus is on the southern coast of modern-day Turkey.
3. The date of Paul’s birth is unknown, but he was born to Jewish parents who had Roman citizenship.
4. He studied to become a Pharisee under the rabbi named Gamaliel in Jerusalem.
5. Paul violently opposed Christianity until he had a personal encounter with the risen Christ and was commissioned as an apostle of Jesus – he was an apostle by the command of God.
a. Certainly Timothy knew that Paul was an apostle, but Paul brought it up because other readers of Timothy’s letter in the future would need to know of Paul’s apostolic authority.
6. After Paul’s conversion, he became an itinerant preacher and missionary.
7. He was a tent-maker by trade and often supported himself as a tentmaker so that he would not be seen as just trying to profit from preaching the gospel.
8. Paul suffered greatly as an apostle of Jesus and listed some of that suffering in 2 Cor. 11:24-28, which included beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks and other dangers.
9. Paul’s life is an amazing display of God’s grace and power to take the church’s greatest opponent and persecutor, and turn him into the church’s greatest preacher and promoter.
10. Paul was faithful to the end and was martyred because of his faith sometime between AD 64 and 67.
11. Paul described Jesus as our hope, and Jesus truly is our hope and He was Paul’s hope.
C. Next, Paul identified the recipient of the letter as “Timothy, my true son in the faith.”
1. The relationship between Paul and Timothy had been formed on Paul’s first missionary journey to Lystra, a Roman colony sometime between AD 45-48 (as recorded in Acts 13-14).
2. Timothy was the son of a Gentile father, and had a Jewish mother named Eunice.
3. It appears that both his mother, Eunice and grandmother, Lois, became Christians as result of Paul’s first missionary journey to Lystra.
4. During that first visit to Lystra, the people of Lystra hailed Paul and Barnabas as gods, but then turned on them and stoned Paul, leaving him for dead.
a. If the young Timothy had not witnessed the event, he surely must have heard about it.
5. By the time Paul returned to Lystra on his second missionary journey, some 3 to 5 years later, Timothy had become a Christian and grown in his faith, and the leaders encouraged Paul to allow Timothy to join his missionary team (Acts 16:1-2).
6. So, Paul took Timothy as a companion for his missionary journeys and as a co-worker, and it was a role Timothy would play until the end of Paul’s life.
7. Paul came to regard Timothy as his own “beloved and faithful child in the Lord (1 Cor. 4:17), and his “own son in the faith (1 Tim. 1:2).
a. In Philippians 2:20, Paul gave Timothy this compliment: “I have no one like him…”
8. Paul and Timothy went on to work together for more than two years in Ephesus (Acts 19:10).
9. Timothy is actually named as a co-author of six of Paul’s letters (2 Cor. Phil. Col. 1 & 2 Thess., and Philemon).
D. As we move through this letter to Timothy, we will see that it glows with the flame of a torch-passing from the apostle Paul’s hand to the hand of his friend and protégé, Timothy.
1. Timothy was on assignment in Ephesus, and was charged with the task of strengthening and correcting a church.
2. Paul sensed the immediacy of the need for giving instructions to Timothy.
a. Paul hoped to come to Timothy soon, but in case he was delayed, Paul sent the needed advice and instruction in letter form (1 Tim. 3:14-16).
3. So, if you were Paul, what would you have told your understudy when you realized that he was serving a church that was in crisis?
a. And what else would you tell your apprentice when you realized that your time was almost up?
4. You would tell him the things he needed to know about and the things that were closest to your heart.
a. These are the very things we see that Paul wrote to Timothy about in this letter.
E. The last thing that Paul included in the customary opening of his letter was the formulaic greeting or blessing: “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1. The greeting “grace and peace” was a traditional ancient greeting and Paul Christianized it and used it in 11 of his 13 letters.
a. The greeting spoke to Gentiles - “grace” and Jews - “peace” (shalom).
b. Only in Paul’s two letters to Timothy did he added “mercy” to “grace and peace.”
c. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve (reward).
d. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve (punishment).
e. Grace and mercy result in peace from God and with God.
2. From that initial, customary introduction, Paul moved quickly into the content of the letter.
F. The letter of 1 Timothy divides nicely into four sections.
1. Warren Wiersbe has written a brief commentary on all the books of the New Testament and he has the ability to break things down very simply and orderly.
2. Here is Wiersbe’s outline of 1 Timothy.
a. Section 1: The Church and Its Message (Chapter 1).
b. Section 2: The Church and Its Members (Chapters 2-3).
c. Section 3: The Church and Its Minister (Chapter 4).
d. Section 4: The Church and Its Ministry (Chapters 5-6).
II. Diversions From God’s Design
A. Lord willing, next week we will begin to examine the content of the letter of 1 Timothy, but for the rest of our sermon for today, I want to consider some of the challenges facing the church and some things to think about from this introduction to 1 Timothy.
1. I began this sermon with the illustration about the private ownership of a house and how no one has a right to renovate or remodel someone’s house without their permission.
2. The church is God’s house and let’s consider some of the ways people have been renovating and remodeling the church against God’s will and God’s design.
B. First, the church diverts from God’s blueprint and design when there it has a deeper commitment to tradition rather than to Scripture.
1. Rigidity rules in many congregations and the words “we’ve always done it that way” echoes through the halls of many churches.
2. Now there is nothing wrong with tradition, per se, because tradition can remind us of our roots and our heritage, and provides opportunities for celebration and consistency.
3. But we go to far when we make tradition, and not the Scriptures, our primary yardstick for measuring ministry and the church.
4. It has amazed me over the years of my ministry when people have decided against our church because we don’t follow a lot of Christian traditions.
a. When I point out that those Christian traditions are not in the Bible, they say that it doesn’t matter that they are not in the Bible, they are what they are used to.
5. Scripture, and not tradition, must be the final word on how to conduct ourselves in the household of God.
6. The Word of God is clear about what God expects from His church and this is revealed in the commands and principles of Scripture.
7. But the Word of God also allows room for creativity and innovation as the church must adapt and fit into a different and changing culture and technology.
C. A second way the church has diverted from God’s blueprint and design is when the church cares more about being successful by the world’s standard than about modeling God’s values.
1. A disregard for the Bible’s instructions about the church can lead not only to traditionalism, but to secularism – which is an adoption of the world’s standards, rather than God’s standards.
2. In the world’s arena – bigger and flashier is always better.
3. Many church leaders turn to secular companies to learn how to market and promote church growth, rather than depend on the Holy Spirit to work in the Word and through Christians to draw people into God’s family.
4. Many churches have abandoned the slow steady climb of discipleship for the roller coaster ride of big business and entertainment.
5. Sadly, many ministers are no longer shepherds, but are showmen, are no longer ministers, but are managers, and consider themselves CEOs rather than clergymen – spiritual servants.
D. A third way the church has diverted from God’s blueprint and design is when the church is polarized by labels rather than unified by love.
1. Jesus envisioned a unified church rather than a divided church.
2. Jesus prayed that we would all be one, like He and the Father are one, and that our unity would lead to a witness to the world (John 17).
3. Unfortunately, the Christian world is far too divided, and I’m sure that grieves God.
4. Far too often we don’t love first and love enough, the way God loves us.
5. That doesn’t mean that we should compromise the Gospel or surrender our convictions in order to get along, but it does mean that whatever attempts to divide us, love will keep us treating each other with kindness and respect.
6. And a commitment to love will keep us from letting worldly and sinful things separate us.
7. And reminding ourselves who the enemy really is will help us to love everyone and be more unified.
III. Things to Keep in Mind
A. Let’s keep the following in mind as we move through this series:
1. First, let’s realize that God has given us instructions for the church and therefore, we should follow God’s instructions – that sounds like a “no brainer,” right?
a. When we buy a car or a major appliance, we get an instruction manual that goes with it.
b. If we follow the instructions, usually our car or appliance will perform much better for us.
c. Why is that? Because the instruction manual was put together by the people who designed the product. They know how it is supposed to work and how best to maintain it.
d. It is the same with the church - God designed the church, and He knows how it works best.
e. God has given us instructions for the church in the Bible, and a lot of them are right here in 1 Timothy.
f. We will do well to follow his instructions.
g. So, let’s be the 21st century church based on 1st century principles.
h. God’s truth doesn’t change, but times do, and so do styles and methods.
i. We must remain rooted in Scripture while we try to stay in touch with changing culture.
2. Second, Let’s realize that there will always be a tension between Scriptural ideals and human realities.
a. While we strive to be all that God wants us to be individually and collectively, we must realize that perfection will elude us on this side of heaven – nothing and no one is perfect but God and heaven.
b. While we strive for godliness and hold each other accountable for godliness, we must allow room for failure and brokenness.
3. Third, Let’s remember that truth is truth, whether it is modeled or not.
a. The failure of individual people does not mean that the truth is not the truth.
b. Although Paul urged Timothy to live out the reality of his faith, Paul realized that Christianity would not fail, even if Timothy failed to remain faithful.
c. The pages of church history, past and present, are strewn with defectors and backsliders, but God’s Word never fails.
4. Similarly and lastly, let’s realize that regardless of the church’s weakness, the church will not fail.
a. The church will remain, because Jesus said, “I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not overcome it.” (Mt. 16:18b). (overpower, conquer, or prevail against it)
b. We have the privilege of participating in the building of God’s kingdom, and this building project will succeed because of His perfect power and faithfulness, not ours.
B. So, those of us who are older in the faith, need to be good “Pauls” and pass on the faith and the ways of the church to the next generation.
1. And those of us who are younger in the faith, need to be good “Timothys” and learn from the older Christians so we can grow and become the next generation of “Pauls.”
2. But let’s all of us strive to be faithful and to conduct ourselves appropriately in God’s household, the church of the living God.
Resources:
• 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, Commentary by David Roper, Truth For Today Commentary
• “The Church as God Planned It” – Sermon by David Owens
• “My True Child in the Faith” – Sermon by Freddy Fritz
• “Introduction and Greeting” – Sermon by Ray Fowler
