BIG IDEA:
THEME OF 1 TIMOTHY: THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD MUST BE STRUCTURED AROUND APPROPRIATE STANDARDS FOR CONDUCT AND THE COMMON CONFESSION OF UNION WITH CHRIST
INTRODUCTION:
Importance of Structure in the Local Church — not just do whatever you please, however you want;
There are standards about who is eligible to serve as an elder or deacon;
There are standards about how we should conduct ourselves in the church
It matters to the Lord Jesus what type of leadership is over His flock; these are not optional items: cf. context of Chapter 3:
an overseer MUST be above reproach;
likewise deacons men of dignity
The local church is of supreme importance to Christ — He is the head over His body = the church
I. (:14-15) APPROPRIATE STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR “THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD”
A. Urgency of Communicating the Appropriate Standards for Conduct
1. “These things” must be communicated
“I am writing these things to you”
2. Personal Visit is Preferred but may be Delayed
a. Prefers to Visit
“hoping to come to you before long”
b. Anticipates being Delayed
“but in case I am delayed”
3. Written Letter is Necessary in light of the Urgency (email would be even better!)
“I write so that”
B. Significance of the Appropriate Standards for Conduct
“you may know how one ought to conduct himself”
C. Importance of the Church
1. “Household of God”
this is a family affair; relationships are important
2. “Church of the Living God”
related to the living God; represents the living God in the world — can’t be a dead church
Stedman: “The Apostle Paul uses two descriptive phrases here to tell us what that was. He calls the church, ‘the house of God,’ which suggests intimacy and warmth, a family gathered; and then he calls it, ‘the church of the living God,’ which suggests excitement and power. That was what the church was, and is; that is the nature of the church.
D. Priority of the Truth — “pillar and support of the truth”
II. (:16) COMMON CONFESSION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR UNION WITH CHRIST — “THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS”
A. Summary of this Confession — “And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness”
1. THE COMMON CONFESSION
churches tend to emphasize their distinctives; what makes them different;
here we will look at the fundamentals; what we have in common as the true Church of Jesus Christ;
probably vs. 16 was sung or recited as an early creed or hymn
2. THE REVEALED SECRET OF GODLINESS
a. “Mystery”
We all love a good mystery. Our concept of a mystery = a whodonit?
Where we have to use all of our reasoning powers to piece together the different clues and figure out the answer.
Here we are talking about a Great Mystery —
Great = “Mega” like megabucks; like megachurch / like huge
When God says something is Mega, it’s really huge
Called a Mega Mystery — but not the type of mystery that we could ever figure out on our own;
NT concept of mystery: truth previously hidden, which when revealed by God is understood only by the believer through the Holy Spirit
What a privilege: God is going to clue us in on one of His Mega Mysteries.
b. “Godliness” = piety, devotion by men towards God;
these are not abstract truths about Christ that are being presented
the type of piety expressed in a life that is well-pleasing to God;
You want to be a good Christian: here is the secret:
Everything is wrapped up in our Union with Christ
We have looked at the summary of the Confession; now let’s look at the DETAILS:
B. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Different ways to treat the structure of these 6 sayings:
1) treat as couplets = contrast between visible realm and invisible; chiastic structure
2) treat as 2 groups of 3 — which is my preference
1. “REVEALED IN THE FLESH”
Answers the Question: WHAT IS GOD LIKE?
Interesting paradox:
“veiled in flesh the Godhead see”
combination of:
self-concealment: “emptied Himself” (Philip. 2)
self-disclosure: John 1:14-18
Heb. 1:1-3 God has revealed Himself in His Son = the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature
Heb. 2:7 made Him for a little while lower than the angels
Heb. 2:14 Christ took part of flesh and blood
2. “VINDICATED IN THE SPIRIT”
Answers the Question: CAN CHRIST BE TRUSTED?
The claims Christ made as to His righteousness and His Sinlessness are all true
The Resurrection was the ultimate vindication
Rom. 1:4 “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord”
“justified” = forensically declared just and righteous; God’s seal of approval on His Son
“This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him”
pronounce a verdict on character, conduct and deeds as to whether they are righteous or not
Stedman:
“This is what is meant by the phrase, ‘justified in spirit.’ We are being given here the secret of the inner life of Jesus. The word ‘justified’ means the same thing here that it means in Romans 5:1:
‘Being, therefore, justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’
Justified is what is true of us, and it was also true of Jesus. It means, ‘made righteous.’ There was a continual witness being borne to the spirit of Jesus that he was righteous before God. That means he was fully accepted and acceptable to God. He was loved and cherished and desired and looked after with deep affection and concern. That was the secret of his serene and untroubled character. That is what kept him calm and panic-proof in the midst of all the pressures and dangers in which he walked.”
Titles for the Messiah:
Acts 7:52 “the coming of the Righteous One”
Acts 3:14 “you disowned the Holy and Righteous One”
Satan, the accuser of the brethren, the roaring lion who seeks to devour us, likes to sneak up on us and plant doubts about whether we can really trust Christ to do this or that:
Sure God commands you to trust Him and not be anxious or worry —
but that’s impossible
Sure God says it will be more than worth it to sacrifice all to follow Him —
but that’s a lot of bunk; you’d better provide your own riches and security for the future
3. “BEHELD BY ANGELS”
Answers the Question: HOW MUCH DOES CHRIST LOVE ME?
Stedman:
“The word ‘seen,’ as it is used here, is the word from which we get our English word, ‘eyeball.’ Jesus was eyeballed by the angels. They watched him all the time. They studied him; that is the idea. He was constantly under observation by angels.”
Angels had been used to seeing Him in Glory previous to the Incarnation;
How they must have marveled at how poor He became for our sakes so that we could become rich
2 Cor. 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich”
Function of angels = “ministering spirits” to minister to Jesus and proclaim His glory; job was certainly made more difficult by His placing Himself at risk
Angels were present at:
– Proclamation of the birth of John the Baptist, His forerunner to Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20)
“Gabriel who stands in the presence of God — sent to bring the good news”
– Mission of John the Baptist: “to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for Him”
– Proclamation by Gabriel to Mary regarding the virgin birth (Luke 1:26-38)
“Jesus shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High and will reign forever from the throne of David. He will be conceived by the Holy Spirit and will be holy”
– Proclamation of His birth to Joseph (Matt. 1:20-25)
Conceived by the Holy Spirit
Jesus = He shall save His people from their sins
Immanuel = God with us
– His birth: announcement to the shepherds in the fields (Luke 2:8-14)
a Saviour which is Christ the Lord
Did He come as a king in a royal palace?
No, you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger
– Warning to Joseph to flee to Egypt for protection from Herod (Matt. 2:13-18)
“out of Egypt did I call my son” — strange prophecy
– Assurance to Joseph that the coast was clear to return to Nazareth (Matt. 2:19-23)
– “that he should be called a Nazarene” — strange prophecy
– His baptism by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:13-17) the heavens were opened
surely the angels had a good view although not specifically mentioned here
– His temptation: angels ministered to Him (Matt. 4:11)
– His agony in the Garden (Luke 22:43)
-
Surprisingly absent during His agony on the cross: 3 hours of darkness
(Song: “He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free”)
Matt. 26:53
– Especially: at His resurrection!
Matt. 28:2-8
– At his ascension back up into glory: Acts. 1:9-12 promising His Second Coming
Stedman:
“I remember an old hymn that we used to sing when I was a new Christian:
Holy, holy, holy, is what the angels sing,
And I expect to help them make the courts of heaven ring.
But when we sing redemption’s story, they must fold their wings,
For angels never felt the joy that our salvation brings.”
C. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MY LIFE = UNITED TO CHRIST
1. PARTICIPATION IN PROCLAMATION — “PROCLAIMED AMONG THE NATIONS”
Answers the Question: WHAT IS MY MISSION HERE ON EARTH?
Response to Revelation of the Godhead in the flesh is Proclamation
2. PARTICIPATION IN FAITH — “BELIEVED ON IN THE WORLD”
Answers the Question: WHAT RESULTS CAN I EXPECT FROM MY
PROCLAMATION?
Response to Vindication of Christ is Faith in Christ
3. PARTICIPATION IN GLORY — “TAKEN UP IN GLORY”
Answers the Question: WHERE AM I HEADED?
Response to the Earthly Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ (as beheld by angels) is Eternity in Glory