Turn in your Bibles to the book of 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy chapter 3, our text is verses 14 to 16. I'd mentioned that we're going to do some messages on ecclesiology, specifically the Lord's Supper and psalm singing and things like that. But I just wanted to lay the foundation of the groundwork with a reminder concerning the regulative principle of worship. You've all heard this particular sermon.

I preached it, I think, in 2021, so if it sounds a bit COVID-y along the way, know that that was the background. I have here, assemblies assemble and congregations congregate. That was certainly a COVID reference. Remember, they told us, you're not supposed to assemble together.

You're not supposed to congregate. The theologian in chief for British Columbia, Bonnie Henry herself, said, well, you know, Christians, you don't really actually need to get together to worship. Oh, well, thank you for that, John Calvin. I'm glad that we have you to guide us and to teach us on how we're supposed to worship our God.

So I want to consider the regulative principle of worship this evening, specifically verses 14 to 16, but I'll read the chapter beginning in verse one. This is a faithful saying, if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?

Not a novice, lest, being puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested, then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.

Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children in their own house as well. for those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly. But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. Amen. Well, let us pray.

Our gracious God and Father, we know that the church is the house of the living and true God. We thank you for membership here. We thank you that you've adopted us as sons through our Lord Jesus Christ, that in love you predestinated us unto adoption as sons. We rejoice in your loving kindness and in your goodness.

We rejoice in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know it is the apple of your eye. We know that the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. So God, please bless us now, guide us by the Holy Spirit, forgive us of all of our sin and unrighteousness, cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lamb.

And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Introduction

Well, as I said, we have in the scriptures what we call in Reformed theology the regulative principle of worship. And basically what that means is that God is the one who determines what we do in the public worship of God. I know that seems odd. It should just be all up to us, a democratic process.

We like 15-minute sermons. We like encounter groups. We like therapy. Well, it's not up to us.

We're not to be innovative. We're not to be creative. We're rather to be obedient when it comes to God's word and God's worship. And Paul has set forth that principle here and elsewhere in the New Testament, but it reflects what we see in the Old Testament as well.

So tonight I wanna look first at the nature of the church in verses 14 and 15, and then secondly, the confession of the church in verse 16. The church basically exists to make known the glory of God in the flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ. And that's sort of the connection. So Paul wants Timothy to conduct himself in a specific way in the church, and then he emphasizes the mystery of godliness there in verse 16.

So we exist not for our own sake, we exist not for our own comfort, we exist rather to make known that blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with a specific emphasis upon the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Nature of the Church

So let's look first at the nature of the church under three considerations. First, the apostles' plan for ministry in verse 14. Second, the apostles' purpose for Timothy in verse 15a. And then thirdly, the apostle's portrayal of the church in verse 15b.

The Apostle's Plan for Ministry

But notice his plan for ministry in verse 14. It's kind of interesting and it's kind of nice and it's kind of wonderful to have the book of Acts to basically give us the background to the various epistles that we find in the New Testament. Imagine if we went from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the gospel narratives of our Lord, right to the book of Romans. And then we moved on to 1st and 2nd Corinthians, and then we read Galatians, and Ephesians, and Philippians, and Colossians, and we continued on through Thessalonica, and we got to these pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus.

We liked them, and they would be the God-breathed word, and they would be most beneficial. But we might scratch our heads and kind of wonder, well, where did these Corinthians come from? Where did these Galatians come from? Where did these Ephesians come from?

Well, the book of Acts functions as a link. The book of Acts functions as a link between the gospel records and the epistles of the New Testament. The book of Acts records for us what the apostles do in light of obedience to the Lord's great commission. Go therefore, make disciples, baptize those disciples, and then teach those disciples.

Well, the book of Acts focuses primarily on that emphasis in the life of the church. Up until about chapter 11 and 12, you've got the emphasis upon the apostle Peter. And then from chapters 13 to chapter 28, you have the emphasis upon the Apostle Paul. And in the emphasis upon the Apostle Paul, you'll see three missionary journeys.

And he goes to the various cities that are named here in these New Testament epistles. And here, remember, Timothy is in Ephesus. Paul went to Ephesus according to Acts 19. In fact, we can associate that third missionary journey with Ephesus.

He spent about three years there. He rented the school of Tyrannus, and from that school he taught the word of the Lord to all who were in Asia Minor. And so we have the historical data, we have the historical background, we have not only the announcement of his travel plans there, but we also see it played out in the book of Acts. Now, I believe that 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus came after the conclusion of Acts.

I think Acts ends at around A.D. 60 to 62 with Paul in his first Roman imprisonment. I believe that Paul was released from that first Roman imprisonment, and it's then that he goes again on more missionary enterprise, and he writes the letters of 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus, and I would argue that he writes Hebrews at that time as well, though that's a bit of a debatable subject. I think the last epistle, well the last epistle is 2nd Timothy. So he writes 1st Timothy and Titus around the same time.

So in verse 14 he announces his plans. He says, These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly. So the apostle stationed Timothy there in Ephesus, notice in chapter 1, to combat error. to combat heresy. Notice in 1 Timothy 1.3, as I urged you, when I went into Macedonia, remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine.

And then he gives sort of a list of the things that they were engaged in that was a departure from the truth of God's word. And then notice in 1 Timothy 1.18, this charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith, have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I deliver to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. So here specifically in verse 14 of chapter 3, He says, these things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly. And so the apostle is announcing to Timothy his plan to hopefully visit him there in Ephesus.

And then notice what he goes on to say in verse 15a, in terms of his purpose for Timothy.

The Apostle's Purpose for Timothy

He says, but if I am delayed, and that's a good sort of qualifier if you're Paul. Right? When you read the book of Acts, does everybody just open their arms to the great apostle and welcome him in? No, they don't.

The believers do. They love him. They weep at the thought of him being persecuted or oppressed or harassed. But the world at large doesn't like Paul.

The unbelieving Jews hate him. They want to hunt him down. They arrest him. They ultimately deliver him up to the civil magistrate.

He actually gets a pretty fair shake at the hands of the civil magistrate in the Roman Empire at that time. Now, later on, when he writes 2 Timothy, he knows that he's going to die. And he does die. Apparently, according to history, he had his head chopped off because he was a Christian believer, because he was ultimately a martyr for the faith.

But in this particular instance, he says, but if I am delayed, If the unbelieving Jews of the Roman Empire or some other person or group gets in my way, I could possibly be delayed. So here's why I'm writing to you, Timothy. Remember this morning we saw John's thesis statement in John 20, 30, and 31. You see Paul's in the book of Romans in 1, 16, and 17.

I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Well, here he gives the specific purpose as to why he writes 1 Timothy. Notice, but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God. Now, the things that he writes, notice these things, verse 14, he goes on to say in verse 15, but if I am delayed, I write.

So the implication is, I write these things. Well, what are these things? I would suggest it's the entirety of the letter. The necessity of corporate prayer in chapter 2, verses 1 to 7.

So things that preceded this statement, and then things that follow this statement. So in other words, I'm writing this letter to you, Timothy, so that you know how you ought. Now, the ought there is not It's kind of a strong recommendation. It's a bit of a suggestion.

Now, the oughtness there contains divine necessity. In other words, you ought to obey God. You must obey God. There is a necessity laid upon you to do what God says.

And again, Timothy would have never questioned, well, Paul, what if I don't want to do what God says? It would have never entered the mind of the Apostle Paul to say to Timothy, you just go right ahead and you find out those felt needs there in Ephesus, and you cater your worship services to whatever it is they want. Remember, many years ago, that was the strategy in the church growth movement. The persons that wanted to plant a church in a particular neighborhood, before they did that, they would go survey the neighborhood.

They'd ask them, what are you looking for in a church? Well, I like 15-minute sermons, if that. I don't like a lot of theology. I don't like a lot of law.

I don't like a lot of commands. I like feel-goodery. I like do-goodery." And then he would tailor the church that they planted in that community with reference to that survey. Well, that's not what Paul is doing.

Timothy, find out whatever it is that makes those Ephesians tick, and you make sure that your church reflects that specifically. No, I write these things so that you may obey God. So in the context of this epistle, the various things that Paul deals with, again, necessity of corporate prayer, chapter 2, verses 1-7, the directions for women in corporate worship, modesty, 9-11, and exclusion from leadership in 2.12-15. Now before you say, well that seems barbaric, that seems antiquated, that's God-breathed.

It is God who designed that men lead in the home and men lead in the church. Again, if we have a problem with that, we have a problem ultimately with God. So he tells them, notice again, the language in 1 Timothy 2, this is a place of departure. Churches do not hold to this.

Notice in 2.12, I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. I don't know how you could be clearer. I really don't. And just in case he's not clear, when he starts to deal with elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3, they're obviously men.

They're males. They have the male pronoun, all those buzzwords that we like to throw around today. But then notice the argument. Verse 12, I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.

Those who oppose this say, well, you know, there were problems in Ephesus. You had pushy women, you had this, you had that. But he doesn't argue from Ephesus. He doesn't argue from the culture.

He argues from creation. Notice in verse 13, for Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Nevertheless, she will be saved and childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with self-control.

So these things that Paul writes to Timothy, he wants Timothy to implement in the life and context of the church. qualifications for leadership in the church. Elders, chapter 3, verses 1 to 7, and then deacons, chapter 3, verses 8 to 13. Notice, no apostles, no prophets, no tongue speakers. The two abiding offices in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ are elders and deacons.

That is God's word to us. And then as well, following, we've got the ministerial conduct of Timothy, chapter 4, verses 6 to 16, and the conduct of Timothy toward various groups of people in the church, 5.1 to 6.2, the various persons, older men, older women, younger men, younger women. How is Timothy supposed to conduct himself in terms of ministry with reference to those people? And then a final warning concerning false teachers in chapter 6, verses 3 to 10, and then instructions for the rich in the church in chapter 6, verses 17 to 19.

So Paul says, I want to come to visit you, Timothy. I want to go to Ephesus. He liked Timothy. He loved Timothy.

In fact, according to Acts 16, when he heard about Timothy, he wanted Timothy to join him. on the missionary enterprise. I've always thought that's a great commendation. If Paul comes to your town and wants you to go with him, you're a good guy. Whatever else anybody may say, you've got the apostle Paul wanting to take you with him.

That's a good thing. But then we go back to the text and he says, but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself. Again, the oughtness here is not up for debate. It's not a suggestion.

It is rather the mandate of God Almighty. It is what the Lord calls us to. The reason for the conduct necessary is ultimately indicated by what follows. And we turn to that now.

The Apostle's Portrayal of the Church

Look at his portrayal of the church in verse 15b. He says, so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of the truth. So he calls it first, the house of God. The last couple of Wednesday nights, we've looked at the church a little bit in Matthew's gospel, in Matthew chapter 16.

Jesus comes into the region of Caesarea Philippi, and he says, who do men say that I, the son of man am? Disciples say, some say John the Baptist, and some say one of the prophets. And then Jesus says, but who do you say that I am? So Peter confesses, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

And then Jesus pronounces him blessed. Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this, but my Father is in heaven. And he says, and I say to you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. And the rock isn't Peter, you know, contra Rome.

The rock is the person of Jesus that Peter just confessed. He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Well, when we see that passage, we see a son of God building a house for God. And that's 2 Samuel chapter 7.

God tells David that a son of God, a son of David, a son of God, is going to be raised up that will build a house for the name of the Lord. When Jesus says that in Matthew's gospel, we're to think fruition or fulfillment of Davidic covenant. So here the apostle identifies the church as the house of God. Now, I can just give an illustration and probably end here and we can say amen in terms of the regulative principle of worship.

Who calls the shots in your house? Me? No. If I came over to your house and said, you know what, brethren, I don't like the couch on that wall.

Could you, you know, move it over to that wall? I really don't like the placement in your kitchen. I like my knives over here. You'd look at me like, what's wrong with you?

And you might even say it. And well, you should. Why? Because it's your house.

And by the same token, if you come to my house and you say, well, I don't like the knives there. OK. I don't care. I'm not going to move the knives for you, but whatever floats your boat.

It's the house of God. No man, no men, no anybody can come into the house of God and start moving things around. We can't come in and say, well, we don't like sermons. We don't like singing.

We want encounter. We want therapy. We want emotion. We want story time.

We want, you don't have the authority to do that. Now, I realize churches are out there doing that, but at some point we got to ask the question, are they churches anymore? When you get rid of everything God commands and you substitute in His place all the things that you want, is it then the house of God or has it become your house? Again, we could probably end right here and you've got the regular principle of worship.

Well, of course, if it's God's house, then God gets to call the shots in terms of what we do in His worship. It just makes perfect sense. So Timothy is told to do these things, or to let his conduct, how he ought to conduct himself in the house of God, because it is, in fact, the house of God. Calvin says there are good reasons why God bestows this name on the church.

For not only has he received us to be his children by the grace of adoption, but he also dwelleth in the midst of us. And that's, again, another point. The redemptive work of Christ includes the dwelling of God with his blood-bought children. We've looked at Ephesians 2, 18, and 20 many, many times in many, many contexts over the last little while.

Corporate Worship and Divine Presence

So let's turn to Hebrews chapter 12. So in this house of God, we find that God dwells with his children in his house. There's a great little book out. It's a newer book.

It's a fellow that went to seminary at the same time as Mike Kirkpatrick, Jonathan Landry Cruz, and the book is called, What Happens When We Worship? I don't know that we think about that. What happens when we worship? Well, you know, we go and it's kind of boring and it's kind of long and it's kind of loud.

Well, from God's perspective and from scriptural perspective, there's a lot going on when we worship. And I think Hebrews 12 sort of illustrates that in a wonderful way. Again, kind of contrasting the two covenants. Notice what he says in 1218.

For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and and that burned with fire into blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. For they could not endure what was commanded. And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow. And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling." Now, brethren, all my statements about the Old Covenant shouldn't be taken as condemnatory.

The Old Covenant did exactly what God intended for it to do. The superiority of the New Covenant was always in place by God. So it's not like we're picking on the Old Covenant, but the Apostle is setting forth the Old Covenant as the foil by which he presents the glory of the New Covenant. And so here at Sinai, you were terrified.

You couldn't come near, you had to keep your distance because if you got near Sinai, you could quite likely die. You see that in the case of Nadab and Abihu, they offer up strange fire before the Lord. Leviticus chapter 10, what does God do? Oh yeah, that's great, innovation, creativity, I'm all for that.

No, he kills them. He kills them because they offered up profane fire to the Lord. Now notice the contrast, but you have come to Mount Zion. See, the Bible, the New Covenant, takes Old Covenant language and applies it in New Covenant ways.

When you see references to Mount Zion in the New Covenant, think church. Think church of Jesus. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God, the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. So you see, that's the dynamic involved in corporate worship.

So do we use those things that God calls us to use in order to invoke that, in order to invite that? Absolutely, or do we try and repel that by substituting preaching for story time, by substituting singing for rock bands, by substituting praying for who knows what goes on today in the name of prayer? We do not use those means if we want the hope for results. We use the means that God's ordained to facilitate this meeting of God with his people.

Christ Among the Lampstands

Notice in Revelation chapter one, Revelation chapter 1, specifically at verse 12. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. Those are later identified as the churches.

And in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of God clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. Do you hear that? The lampstands are the churches. Where is Jesus on the Lord's day?

He's in the midst of the churches. He is there. He is communing with us. We have that interaction.

The God of glory and power and majesty and love and grace deigns to dwell in the midst of his people. So going back to 1 Timothy 3, when he says, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God. We see this emphasis on redemptive work of Christ bringing us as adopted sons and daughters into the family of God. The redemptive work of Christ includes the dwelling of God with his blood-bought children.

And then the very definition of ekklesia, the Greek word for church. It highlights the necessity for God's people to gather in God's presence for God's worship on God's day. And this is my note here, assemblies assemble and congregations congregate. It's not absolutely crucial that we have a building.

The church is not the building. The church is the people of God. But as I've said before, the people of God don't want to get rained on when they're singing praises to God. The people of God don't want to feel the blasts of cold air and snow when they sing their praises to God.

So buildings aren't essential to church. But they're sure nice and helpful for the church to gather together. And so for some to suggest that, oh no, go ahead and close down and just stay at home. No, part of the whole concept of congregation is congregating.

The whole concept of assembly is assembling. And we need that. We need to be with one another. And the practical implication from this is that it's God's house, so what is done here is by God's command.

But notice the apostle doesn't stop there. He goes on to further describe this entity we call church. So he says, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, and then notice,

Church of the Living God

which is the church of the living God. That language living God is Old Testament-ish. And it's always a contrast to the idols of men. It's always a contrast to those idols that have ears, but they don't hear.

They have eyes, but they don't see. They have mouths, but they don't speak. They have noses, but they don't smell. The dead idols of men are contrasted with the living God.

And the living God dwells amongst his people in his church on the Lord's day as they gather together. Therefore, what we do, we do as an oughtness in obedience to him. The church is God's special possession. It's the church of the living God.

I read at the outset of worship, Psalm 87. Have you ever pondered this verse? The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. You had sermons by Puritans who highlighted that corporate worship was more important than private devotions.

Now, don't take from that, well, I'm not going to do my private devotions anymore. That's the whole, I love apples on Twitter, and people will comment, why do you hate oranges? Those things don't match, see? But the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.

That doesn't mean he hates the dwelling places of Jacob. It's not that he's opposed to the families that make up Israel. There's something about the gathering of God's people on the Sabbath day when the psalmist says, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. I think I told you last week, Psalms 120 to 134, songs of ascent, as they're going to Zion to praise God, they're singing the pilgrim songs on their way.

The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Spurgeon makes the observation, God delights in the prayers and praises of Christian families and individuals, but he has a special eye to the assemblies of the faithful, and he has a special delight in their devotions in their church capacity. He's not lying. This is true.

The church is that blessed entity that Christ died to save. Notice in Ephesians 5.25, Ephesians chapter 5, specifically at verse 25, as Paul argues that husbands are to love their wives, he says, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her. So the church is that entity that Christ gave his life for. Acts 20, 28, shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

See, I think the church in many respects has fallen on hard times. We treat it with contempt in some ways or with indifference or an apathy. Now, I suspect that when sermons like this are preached, people say, well, you know what? You're a pastor and you've got a vested interest in people coming to church.

I do. I really do. And it's not money. It's not, boy, I'm really encouraged when more people.

It's because I know what makes people grow as Christians. If I go to the doctor and he says, stop ingesting poison. Go out and run around the street a few times and pick up heavy things and put them down. I don't think, well, you're only in this for your own.

No, I think he's got some wisdom. And probably I should go run around and pick up heavy things and stop ingesting poison. I'm not saying this to build up our roles or to build up our finances. I'm saying this because, brethren, health is connected to the means that God has ordained.

It really is that simple. Well, I'm really struggling. Well, do you go to church? No.

Do you read your Bible? No. Do you pray? No.

I'm surprised you're struggling. Not. Of course he's going to struggle. So brethren, when it comes to these things, I don't have a vested interest in numbers or roles or anything like that, but in spiritual health, if you want to be healthy in the Christian life, a good rule of thumb is to use the means that God's ordained for your well-being.

Notice the church is the dwelling place of the living God, not the place of dead idols. And then

Pillar and Ground of the Truth

he rounds out this explanation at the end of verse 15 by calling it the pillar and the ground of the truth. The pillar and the ground of the truth. Notice, not the place of entertainment, not the place of self-help, not the place of do-goodery, not the place of whatever it is we want to sacrifice, or rather put in the place of corporate worship. It is the pillar and ground of the truth.

I don't know that, again, that's something that we value. But if you read the pastoral epistles,

Sound Doctrine in the Pastoral Epistles

let's just take a quick tour. Look at 1 Timothy 1.10. 1 Timothy 1.10. As he's highlighting, a lawful use of the law, not the only lawful use of the law, but a lawful use of the law. Notice in 1.8, we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully.

What does that imply? That there's those who use it unlawfully. If you teach justification by law, then you're using it unlawfully. Knowing this, the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.

Look at chapter 4, specifically at verse 6. If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. Look at verse 13. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

Look at verse 16, take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. Notice in chapter six, specifically at verse three, if anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine, which accords with godliness. What do you think Paul is concerned about in the life of the church?

Therapy? Encounter? Emotion? Feeling?

He's concerned about the truth of God's Word going forth, because it is that which upholds the people of God. It is that which brings stability to the people of God. It is that which is the vehicle of bringing sinners out of darkness into marvelous light. Notice in 2 Timothy 1, verse 13, hold fast the pattern of sound words, which you have heard from me in faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus.

That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Notice in chapter 2 of 2 Timothy at verse 15, be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Notice in chapter 3 verses 14 to 17, He says, but you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.

It's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Notice as well in chapter 4 verses 1 to 5, we'll just specifically focus on verse 1. Notice, I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will keep up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.

But you be watchful in all things. Endure afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry.

Notice in Titus 1, specifically at verse 9, one of the qualifications for the elder. He must hold fast the faithful word, as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. Notice in chapter 2, verse 1, But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. Notice in chapter 2, verse 10, Not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

Kind of a theme in the pastoral epistles, isn't there? It's the pillar and ground of the truth, not entertainment, not therapy, not encounter session. And I'm not condemning, you know, entertainment, therapy, or encounter session. I'm not condemning that.

I'm condemning it if it usurps the place of God's ordained means in the life and context of the church of the living God. Because it's His house, and He demands that certain things be done. And that is a perfectly consistent thing that we find not only here in the New Testament, but it's certainly an Old Testament emphasis as well. So with reference to this statement of the Apostle, when he says the pillar and the ground of the truth, rather, he emphasizes that the Church's primary task is the propagation and defense of God's truth.

As we are oftentimes reminded as we read scripture, it is the truth which the Lord has designed to advance His cause in this present evil age. Well, I think we want to pick up the next section next time and sort of draw out as well some other passages with reference to the regulative principle of worship. So that'll be God willing next Sunday night.

Application

I just want to end with two quick emphases. Again, first, I want you to ponder, not in some government way, but think about it at some point or some time. What happens when we worship? What is going on here?

And again, brethren, it's not perfect. I think that, you know, well, you know, I have wandering thoughts at times, so therefore it must not be happening. No, no, no. We're always gonna have wandering thoughts.

We're always gonna have challenges. There's that proneness to wander, proneness to leave the God that we love, you know, in our hearts. But if we read our Bibles and we read passages like 2 Hebrews 12, we've come to Zion, or we read Revelation 1 and Christ is there in the midst of the lampstands. Or when we get the promises of Jesus, when the church is exercising discipline.

According to Matthew chapter 18, he says, I am there with you where two or three are gathered together. See, brethren, when we come on the Lord's Day, something greater is going on than what our naked eye sees. We are communing with our blessed God. And then the second thing that I want to encourage us to ponder and to contemplate is how do we facilitate that?

I've already mentioned it. We do what God commands. We don't have the right, we don't have the authority, we don't have the prerogative to change up what scripture commands be done in the public worship of God. We can't pick and choose and choose to get rid of stuff and substitute other things.

Then going forward, brethren, I want us to remember that within the regular principle of worship, there's a degree of difference and there's a degree of fallibility. We're going to do the best we can in terms of exegesis and proclaiming what the truth of God's word is, but good men disagree. I know there's regular principle of churches in our town. We all disagree to some degree or other, that's always going to be our lot on this side of heaven.

But at least doctrinally, we're convinced together that God does get to dictate what we do in public worship. I think that's a good thing. I appreciate, even though some differences that brothers might have when it comes to the implementation of the regulative principle, At least the brothers have the implementation of the regulative principle of worship. In other words, we need to ask the question, what does God demand?

What does God require? What does God call for in worship? It's not up to us. It's not up to a committee.

It's not up to a team. It's not up to the internet. It's not up to the Twitter theologian. It's up to God Most High.

And there is that necessity on the part of the church of the living God to obey to embrace and to do what we're called to do and to understand that when we do that, God holds out great blessings to his people when they gather together in his name. And I should end with the entrance to the church or the entrance to the house of God is by grace through faith. We didn't just wander in and say, you know, I want to be a part of the church. I mean, there is that human level in terms of, you know, that regard, but to actually be a member in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Not, you know, Free Grace Baptist, we got a little routine, we got some things that we have to do. But in terms of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, it's by God's grace through faith. It's the same emphasis that I brought out this morning in terms of belief in Him. Salvation.

That's what it is. It's to be adopted by God into the family of God, and then to receive the benefits and the privileges associated with that. One of the things being corporate worship, gathering together with God's people, as imperfect as it may be, nevertheless, singing praises to God, calling upon him together, hearing from him in his word, and going forward in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. So if you're not a believer here tonight, I encourage you to look onto the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, because that's the way of access into the household of God.

Well, let us pray.

Closing Prayer

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word, we thank you for this letter of Paul to Timothy, and we thank you for the entirety of Holy Scripture and the fact that it does govern, the fact that it does command and even demand how we function in the life of Christ's church. We thank you as well for the supreme privilege that we have on the Lord's day, knowing that Christ is in the midst of the lampstands. May we ponder this, may it strengthen us, may it cause us to be glad-hearted when it when it's announced to go to the house of the Lord. Go with us now, watch over us in this coming week, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. We'll close with a brief time of meditation.

Scripture References

• Leviticus 10
• 2 Samuel 7
• Psalms 87:2; 120-134; 122:1
• Matthew 16; 18; 18:20
• John 20:30-31
• Acts 16; 19; 20:28
• Romans 1:16-17
• Ephesians 2:18-20; 5:25
• 1 Timothy 1:3; 1:8; 1:10; 1:18; 2:1-7; 2:12; 2:13; 3:1-7; 3:8-13; 3:14-16; 4:6; 4:6-16; 4:13; 4:16; 5:1-6:2; 6:3; 6:3-10; 6:17-19
• 2 Timothy 1:13; 2:15; 3:14-17; 4:1; 4:1-5
• Titus 1:9; 2:1; 2:10
• Hebrews 12; 12:18; 12:22-24
• Revelation 1:12