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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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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, 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 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, 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. 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. 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.