The Church And Jesus Christ Series

Let us continue to worship with the Word of God. Open your Bibles to 1 Timothy 3. Last week we noted that the Christian Church was growing in Ephesus and Timothy was appointed to lead. We noted God protecting His Church by listing qualifications for Overseers (Bishops, Pastors, Elders) and Deacons (ministry servers). Read along with me now 1 Timothy 3:13-16….

And so we note….

V13: Those who serve well in the church will be rewarded:

a. the church will appreciate them! If we study this further, we can note that God through the Holy Spirit will gift a Christian for service; and the reason for these gifts is to build up the church! Are you looking for a church? If a church is more focused on spiritual gifts than Jesus Christ and helping Believers mature in Christ, I would not go to that church!

Yes, the church will appreciate those who serve well in the church but the appreciation is for mutual encouragement, not a personal one!

b. Their own faith in Jesus Christ will be built up! The Christian life involves growing in faith by yielding more and more to the Holy Spirit and becoming more and more like Jesus Christ! The more a Christian serves the church in the power of the Holy Spirit,, the more they will be more and more like Jesus Christ!

V14-15: the letter was instruction for people’s conduct in the church!

The church is of the living God = The church belongs to Jesus Christ who is alive and active! And so, the people in the church should conduct themselves to honor Christ always!

Now, let’s read again the last part of v15… God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. A quick read sounds like the church is the pillar and foundation of truth. But let us note that if the church does not adhere to Jesus Christ, who is the truth, it will not be a pillar and foundation for truth. Jesus Christ states “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life!”

And so let us never forget, the pillar and foundation of truth is Jesus Christ and the church must depend solely on Him!

And v16 tells us why the church must totally depend on Jesus Christ:

a. the mystery of godliness is great BUT it is revealed through Jesus Christ!

Godliness for a human being can only be attained through Jesus Christ! This is the main reason why a church must totally depend on Jesus Christ!

b. Jesus Christ became a human being on earth!

Jesus Christ walked on earth not only to be a testimony for God to people but to experience all the troubles in life, but yet He did not sin! Jesus Christ is our example in everything!

c. vindicated by the Holy Spirit; i.e. God the Holy Spirit affirmed who Jesus Chris was and is! Do you remember when Jesus Christ was baptized by John, not because He needed to but because it was the right thing to do? God the Father spoke to all people present that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and God the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove and rested on Jesus after being baptized! Each member of the Triune God affirms each other for they are One United!

d. Was seen by angels, i.e. Angels in heaven affirmed His Being!

e. preached among the nations, i.e. Everyone in the world, no matter the ethnicity, needs Jesus Christ! Some people will say that God will not love you unless you do certain things; they are 100% wrong! What does John 3:16 tell us? For God so loved the world, that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life! We can easily miss it because a lot of time we just think about how this verse applies to us; but what does it say? For God loves the entire world no matter the ethnicity! All lives matter to God and so He gave Jesus Christ to every color of humankind, to have the opportunity to be saved from eternal judgment! And we note in this verse that many, I trust you are one of them, have believed in Jesus Christ and are saved from eternal judgment!

f. Jesus Christ was taken up in glory, i.e. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven to be at the right hand of God! But let us not forget the completeness of the Gospel, that Jesus Christ will come back to earth no longer as a baby again but as King of kings and Lord of lords to finally judge the living and the dead! Jesus Christ can come back today!!