The House of God (1 Timothy)

First, first Timothy please. Paul's first letter to Timothy. Paul's first letter to Timothy and we'll just read a few selected verses please in several chapters in this epistle and a great pleasure to be with you and we thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.

I'm sure I'm speaking on behalf of my brethren but it's been a real pleasure for me to be here and to thoroughly enjoy your fellowship, your hospitality, your kindness and your love and we've certainly enjoyed the bible readings and the studies haven't we in the word of God and if we were thinking about the the book of the house in the old testament yesterday that was the prophecy the little prophecy of Haggai. I want to say something about the book of the house, the house of God in the new testament. We'll say something about Paul's first epistle to Timothy.

So I want to talk to you about the house and trust that that will be a blessing to us. Now I do have the blessing of my brethren just to speak for this time so I will be speaking until about 12 midday and then we look forward to lunch of course. So first Timothy please and chapter one just look at verse 15.

This is a faithful saying and it's worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners says Paul of whom I am chief. Albeit for this cause I obtain mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting and Paul seems to be concentrating in that first chapter on the gospel in relation to the house and look at verse 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. Chapter 2 verse 1 he's not so much now thinking about the gospel in relation to the house he's thinking about the gatherings of the house.

He says I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men and why for all men well verse 4 because God will have all men to be saved and to come unto the full knowledge of the truth. So certainly the gatherings of the saints because he's thinking there in particular of the prayer meeting and then he moves not just from the the males and he does speak there about the males he says verse 8 I will therefore that the men the males pray everywhere lifting up holy hands without wrath and without doubting but then he moves from the males to speak about the females the women and how it is that they can contribute to the gatherings and the godliness of this house. So verse 9 in like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety not with broided hair or gold pearls or cossier ray but which becometh women professing godliness with good works and let the women learn in silence with all subjection I suffer not a woman to teach or to usurp authority over the man but rather to be in silence and that is creatorial isn't it for Adam was first formed and then Eve.

So that was the pattern that was the order that God set at the very beginning. Chapter 3 I think this is about the of this house isn't it this is a true saying if a man desire the office of a bishop an overseer he desireth a good work and so he'll speak about the overseers he'll speak about their I don't like to use the word qualifications I prefer qualities the qualities that belong to an overseer and then in verse 8 likewise must the deacons the ministers be grave not double-tongued and so on so he's speaking about the government in this house now we must concentrate just on the end of chapter 3 please verse 14 these things write I unto thee hoping to come unto thee shortly but if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in house of God which is the church of the living God and the pillar and the ground of the truth and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit seen of angels preached unto the gentiles believed on in the world received up into glory now chapter 4 just a few more verses please and we'll tie it all together in a moment I think when you're reading chapter 4 of 1st Timothy this is about the the guidance of the house and you'll notice that verse 13 Paul says this until I come Timothy I want you to give attendance to reading and that wasn't Timothy tucked away in his study reading his library that was Timothy standing before the saints and reading the word of God we'll be thinking about that in Nehemiah I'm sure as Ezra read the word of God to the people of God Timothy did exactly the same thing he was reading the word of God to the people of God that's what we're doing now give attendance to reading and to exhortation and to doctrine and if there's anything that's going to guide the house of God in these last days it will be the word of God and then finally chapter 5 and maybe we'll say something about chapter 6 as well but in chapter 5 well look at verse 1 rebuke not an elder now this is not an overseer this is not the same individual that we've been reading of in chapter 3 but rather this is an older man in the assembly that becomes obvious doesn't it rebuke not an elder an older man but in treat him as a father and the younger men so you see now that Paul is speaking about the generations that belong to the house of God that was the alliteration by the way you didn't miss it did you the government of the house chapter 3 the guidance of the house chapter 4 the generations that are in the house chapter 5 younger men as brethren the older women as mothers the younger women as sisters with all purity honor widows that are widows indeed so it's the generations in relation to the house you say brother Dan you've certainly run out of the letter g not quite have a look at chapter 6 it says this verse 6 but godliness with contentment is great gain we brought nothing into this world it's certain we can carry nothing out and having food and raiment let us be there with content so i think in chapter 6 and though he's spoken about it in chapter 3 you will find that in chapter 6 he will revisit and emphasize this great theme of godliness so it's godliness and the house when it is that you come to chapter 6 right just focus your attention please on chapter 3 verse 14 and verse 15 that's where we'll just begin our opening remarks so i thought now often when i'm speaking to the people of god on the lord's day very often i like to speak about the person of christ and i like to make the ministry devotional it won't quite be like that this morning i think just because we didn't have enough time perhaps to say something about it yesterday but because our attention certainly in these bible readings and as we're thinking about the book of ezra we're thinking about the book of hagi we're thinking about the book of nehemiah and the emphasis that there is in those post-exilic books on the house i want to talk to you a little bit about the house of god we're not thinking about it so much in the old testament we're thinking about it more in the new testament and we'll say something about the fact that the local assembly today is house of god and isn't it remarkable that as paul is writing to timothy and remember that timothy he was in the local assembly in ephesus and he says paul is very kind to us he says timothy this is why i am writing this epistle i am writing this epistle now listen i want to come to you very soon but if i tarry if i am withheld from coming to you very soon he says i am writing this epistle that you might know and of course it wasn't just to timothy this epistle it was going to be communicated to the assembly at ephesus he says so timothy i want you to know how to behave yourself in house of god and that was the local assembly at ephesus so it wasn't just timothy but it was the whole company he says there is there is a manner of behavior there is a manner of conduct which is fitting for those who belong to house of god and that local assembly in ephesus it was house of god in character and there was a behavior there was a conduct that was just in keeping it was fitting for those who were gathered together in house of god character look at what he says because he describes the house of god in three ways so verse 15 how you ought to behave yourself in the house of god i think that's a name that's a title which describes something of the divine presence god is here here is a company that belongs to him house of god is the divine presence but then he describes the house in two other ways he says this house of god is the church of the living god and here is a city ephesus that is full of idolatry and it's full of idle temples and he says you are church of the living god not dead gods not idols but you are a company that is gathered to the living god so house of god is the divine presence church of the living god i think that's divine power god was amongst them in his power and then he says and he's describing this house in a different way it's not just church of the living god he says it is the pillar and the ground of the truth that is the divine purpose of the house this house is to display the truth of god pillar this house is to defend the truth of god it's the ground it's the buttress it's the defense of the truth that's the very purpose of the local assembly to display and to defend the truth of god you say what particular truth well i think it's in the next verse isn't it without controversy great is the mystery of godliness god was manifest in the flesh that's one of the great truths isn't all truth in relation to the person and the work of the lord jesus that is truth that the local assembly displays truth that the local assembly defends now i want to talk to you for a moment please about these three statements and i want to develop them paul says you are house of god in character what does that mean this is a great theme and here we are yesterday spending hours speaking about the building of the house of god and the building of the temple but what exactly does it mean this house of god theme the local assembly in ephesus is house of god you understand please that this is a theme now i want you to grasp this this is a theme that is running all the way through your bible so from the book of genesis even to the book of revelation this great theme of house of god this great theme of god presencing himself amongst his people the theme begins in genesis 28 doesn't it you know this i'm sure you know this i hope you know this so here is a man jacob and he's running away from his brother esau he's running towards his uncle laban and you remember he lies down in a place that he is going to call beth el house of god and when he lies down in that place and he takes a stone for a pillow and he has visions of god and his eyes are open to see something of the presence of god and there is this ladder or staircase going up to heaven and angels ascending and descending and when jacob awakens from his sleep this is what he says he says god is here he says surely the lord is in this place he says this is an awesome place he says god is here this is a place that should be marked by reverence this is an awesome place he calls it beth el he calls it the house of god so the place where god's presence is known and the place where god's presence is experienced and you follow that theme all the way through your bible so god's presence was experienced at the first in a place that place was beth el but then as you move through your bible let them make me a sanctuary says the lord that i might dwell among them that's god's people as they've come out of egypt and they've experienced the exodus and you say well what is this sanctuary going to be like where god is going to dwell among his people well that's the tabernacle and ultimately god will presence himself in the holy of holies in that tabernacle so that house of god was a place beth el and then it became a tent and it was a portable tent but god was dwelling there and the presence of god was there and as they came out of the wilderness and they came into the land ultimately david has a desire in his heart to build god a more permanent structure a more permanent house a temple and god will under the under the the the direction of solomon as that temple is built god ultimately will presence himself in that temple you've got the idea of the presence of god at the beginning a place beth el and then it's a tent the tabernacle and then it's a more and then it's a more secure building in the temple and that's where we come to in ezra and that's where we've come to in hagia this building of the temple the place where god has presenced himself i know that the glory had departed the glory had left in ezekiel's day but still you have this idea of the house of god it follows all the way through doesn't it to the revelation because when you come to revelation chapter 21 there is an eternal city and the word of god says the tabernacle of god will be with men and that for eternity the presence of god with his people so now i want you to understand this house of god was a place then house of god was a building ultimately god is going to dwell with his people in an eternal city you say where is the presence of god today and where is house of god today you say is it a place if we want to seek the face of god do we need to go to jerusalem if we want to seek the presence of god do we need to go to beth no no no house of god today is not a place and house of god today is not a tent and it's not a building house of god today is a people and here is a company of people that are gathered together at ephesus gathered to the name of the lord jesus and paul says this people this company of people is house of god and the presence of god is there so in the old testament god's people went physically into the house in the new testament god's people they are the house and every local assembly as they gather together house of god in character the divine presence and look at how he expands that he says this house is church of the living god this company of christians is ecclesia they are a called out company they have been called out from the world they have been called out from it by the preaching of the gospel called out from the world morally they've been called out from the world politically despite what we were saying yesterday they've been called out of the religious world they've been called out from all that and they've been gathered solely and absolutely to the name and to the person of the lord jesus house of god the divine presence church of the living god divine power they're gathered to the name of christ alone and what a contrast to the lifeless idols of ephesus over 50 by the way idol temples in ephesus and they left that orbit they're all behind just to gather to the person of the lord jesus there shouldn't be any cold dead formality about us should there this is church of living god there should be divine life and there should be divine energy seen amongst us as we gather together this is church of the living god and it's the pillar and the ground of the truth that's the purpose of the local assembly to display the truth to defend the truth and i tell you ephesus knew a thing or two about pillars every everywhere you went in ephesus there was pillar after pillar after pillar all these idle temples and all of these pillars and of course great is diana of the ephesians you can go to ephesus today it's a remarkable place by the way in terms of what has been recovered of the ancient ephesus but just outside the city of ephesus there is the footprint of a huge temple this was one of the wonders of the ancient world and it was a temple that was dedicated to diana of the ephesians how many pillars did it have 127 pillars belonging to that temple paul says forget about those idle temple forget about those pillars he says local assembly you christians you are pillar and ground of the truth they didn't have in this day first timothy they didn't have social media you know that don't you but the pillars of the city of ephesus they really were the social media of the day if you wanted to advertise if you wanted to tell people something that's happened a notification of this then you would put that notice on a pillar around the city of ephesus now says paul the local assembly is the pillar of the truth you display the truth you preach the truth you communicate the truth you live the truth you display that truth you defend that truth the ground of the truth the buttress of the truth truth especially in relation to the person of the lord jesus now maybe i want you to understand this please maybe i haven't just communicated that too well but you understand please what you are connected to if you belong to the fellowship of a local assembly when it is that we gather together we are house of god in character there's the divine presence there is the divine power there is divine purpose about us see what we're connected to now says paul because you're connected to them there is a necessary kind of behavior that is fitting to all those who belong to the house of god you say what is the behavior well this is a theme that runs all the way through the epistle but the great behavior is godliness that is what should mark us as those who belong to the house of god we said something about this again yesterday godliness i think is the new testament equivalent of the old testament fear of the law here is a company of individuals that have a deep personal knowledge and reverence of god here are individuals that literally is this like you here are individuals that literally every day they live their lives in the presence of god just like enoch we should be walking hand in hand with our god every day and we live our lives in his presence and we seek every day to come to a deeper knowledge and appreciation of who god is and because we love him and because we know him we don't ever want to live in a way which will grieve him we want to live in a way that will please him godliness is the character that should mark you and mark me especially as those who belong to the house you say brother dan do we have any example of godliness lived among us i think we do great is the mystery of godliness it's not just to be like god but god was manifest in the flesh and here is a dependent man here is a man who walked every single day hand in hand with his god here is a man who morning by morning was awakened just to listen to the voice of his father one who lived in perfect communion with his god and one who always did those things that please the father there's godliness it's expressed in christ and that's the kind of behavior that should characterize you and me and as we gather together in house of god capacity that's what this epistle is all about so if you understood that and if you can gather and grasp some of that paul is telling you how to behave in house of god carrot now let's just think about this very briefly with the time i've got left 15 minutes let me talk to you about each of these chapters he's going to develop this theme of the house he begins in chapter one i can't talk about all of these chapters i've only got a few moments but you follow the theme through he's talking about the house he's talking especially about the conduct and the behavior which is fitting in relation to this house and isn't it interesting that in chapter one of first timothy he's going to talk about the house and the gospel you say well that doesn't seem to be about the behavior that is fitting for those who belong to the house but i think what paul is doing in chapter one is he's talking about not only the truth that we preach and the truth that we proclaim we are associated with the gospel i think he's talking about how the house was established in ephesus in the first place you say how did this company just happen to be gathered together in ephesus and they're so different to everything else that's in ephesus they are associated or they are disassociated i should say from the synagogue and from the jew and they are disassociated from all the idolatry they're just gathered out from all of that religion and they're just gathered to the name of christ you say how did this company come into being in the first place well it's obvious isn't it through the preaching of the gospel and that's what you have in verse 11 of chapter 1 he speaks about the glorious gospel of the blessed god which was committed to my trust and paul paul is ever amazed by grace isn't he and paul is ever amazed by the gospel and he says in verse 13 he says i was a blasphemer he says i was a persecutor i was injurious but i obtained mercy and he says here's a faithful saying christ jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom i am chief he says look at what i was look at what i did i was a blasphemer a persecutor i injured christians but he says verse 14 i was overwhelmed by a flood of grace the grace of our lord was exceeding abundant unto me and he says even though i might be the chief of sinners you say paul why are you the chief of sinners oh you say paul was the chief of sinners because he was an idolater no he wasn't he worshiped the true god he wasn't an idolater i didn't make him the chief of sin you say paul saw of tarsus perhaps he he was the chief of sinners because he was immoral no he wasn't he was a pharisee he left he lived a very moral life he lived a very upstanding life you say why was he the chief of sinners because he was a religious man and because he was a religious man he persecuted true and genuine christians and the work that god was doing through the gospel he persecuted those christians and paul says i'm the chief of sin he's not boasting in that he says i am the foremost sinner not that he is boasting in that but that he is setting a bar that is so high that everyone else can fit under that bar that's good isn't it if the gospel of god's grace can save a sinner like him and he was the chief of sinners then the gospel of god's grace can save us all it can save everyone and paul says this is the glorious message that established the house in ephesus at the very first you know the establishment of a local assembly is not at the whim of men and women the establishment of the local assembly is through the activity of the spirit of god when the gospel is preached he says house of god and the gospel you say what about chapter two well if in chapter one this is how house of god is established through the preaching of the gospel through the moving of the spirit of god in a locality through the saving of souls he says let me just talk to you about the gatherings of this house he says this house is a place of spiritual exercise would that be true of you but when you gather together sisters brothers when you gather together to the name of the lord jesus you have a spiritual exercise in your heart you have something to offer to the father you have something to give to him in relation to the lord jesus he says this house and its gatherings it's a place of spiritual exercise so that he says first one first of all he says i want to talk to you about the house but he says first of all in relation to this house first in priority and first in importance he says prayer supplications prayers intercessions giving of thanks should be made for all men do you know what he's saying he is saying that prayer is absolutely vital to the life of a local assembly and in fact a local assembly cannot function properly effectively without prayer you don't do this do you but you don't make a list of assembly gatherings and you say well if there's one i'm not going to miss it's that one it's top of the list if you did you'd probably put the breaking of bread at the top of the list we have some christians don't we who are smos i don't know whether you use that in the states sunday morning only christians have you met them they come to the gathering on a sunday morning but you'll not see them any other gathering it's almost as if that they are putting priority it's almost as if they are putting great importance upon one gathering and no other gathering as if they don't matter this is what paul says he says the matter of primary importance is that you gather yourselves together just to pray prayer was important to paul and he says this house of god cannot function effectively unless god's people are praying look at what he says in verse eight he says i will therefore that the males pray everywhere isn't that remarkable not just the people not just anyone who belongs to this house he says in particular the males are responsible to pray and to lead god's people in prayer he says when they pray metaphorically they lift up holy hands that's self-worth my brother if you want to lead god's people in prayer you must make sure that there is no unconfessed sin in your life you must be able to lift up holy hands self-worth and if you're not praying and not leading god's people in prayer audibly as a male then i must assume there's unconfessed sin in your life and therefore you do not have the right to lead god's people he says all the males everywhere lifting up holy hands self-worth and he says without wrath that's man would and without doubting that's god would let me just put it in a nutshell if you've fallen out with brother x or sister y if you've got a difficulty or an issue wrath complaint anger towards one of your brothers or sisters in the assembly you have lost your right brother to lead god's people audibly in prayer he says without wrath and he says without doubting think about this is godward if you do not believe that god will hear and god is able to answer such a prayer don't lead god's people please inaudible prayer i tell you it puts some weight and some responsibility upon the males that belong to the assembly there is a responsibility upon them to lead god's people in prayer and if they're not doing it and it's their habit not to do it i will have to think that there's something here in first timothy 2 verse 8 which is preventing them from leading god's people in prayer males you have a responsibility it would be a serious thing if a sister was to stand on her feet and start to pray you say well hang on that's not according to what you have here in first timothy chapter 2 i wonder if it would be just as serious for a brother who does have responsibility to lead god's people audibly to stay silent and never to lead god's people just as serious now i know on an occasion like this all the brethren can't take part audibly it's impossible practically speaking but just when you're back in your local assembly i hope it's your habit i hope it is your behavior to contribute to the house and the godliness of the house by males leading god's people in prayer you say what about us dear sisters you say what about us females well listen when the brother's praying you're praying too this is a brother who is leading god's people he is praying on behalf of the assembly that's why the assembly the assembly at the end of the prayer says amen let it be so we are in agreement with this brother we are standing in symphony behind this brother so dear sister you are praying he is leading you the company is praying but paul doesn't forget the females look at what he says in verse 9 he says in like manner also that the women the sisters the females do you know what paul is saying he's saying these dear sisters they too can contribute to the spiritual exercise of the house these sisters too can contribute to the order of the house these sisters can contribute to the godliness of the house how well by her appearance and by her attitude look at what paul says about her appearance that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel and with shame-facedness and sobriety so that the sister by her appearance and by the way this goes without saying for the brother by her appearance and by her clothing god is interested in clothing i'm sorry why would paul bother to write about it if he wasn't god is interested in the outward appearance sisters should be wearing suitable sisters should be wearing modest sisters should be wearing decent clothing and it all contributes to the order and the godliness of the house that's her appearance but then she has an attitude verse 11 let the woman learn in silence oh you say she's she's to be seen but not to be heard and that's about not at all paul says she comes to the gatherings of the saints in order that she might learn thank god for godly sisters who were here all day yesterday and they were silent throughout the gathering but they were learning and they were learning through the teaching of the word of god and look at their attitude they are learning in silence with all subjection the sister is willingly submitting herself to a divine order this is not the whim of men this is not what men or the world is saying this is what god has instituted at the very beginning as a divine order look at verse 13 because adam was first formed and then he that was a divine order in creation adam had the priority in time adam had the priority in authority adam was placed into a position of leadership as head and in a world that has thrown divine order to the wind and seeks to overturn it at every corner thank god there is a company perhaps just a little company of christians and as they gather together this is what they're saying we believe in divine order we believe in divine creatorial order and as male and females gather together the sister is taking an attitude of willing submission to divine order she is taking the place of silence and what honor that must bring to god in the local assembly so you've got the house you've got the house and the gospel you've got the house and its gatherings i don't have time to talk about chapter three the house and its government thank god the assembly is a place not just of spiritual exercise it's a place of divine order paul had warned the ephesian elders six years before this grievous wolves will be coming in from the outside doctrinally twisted men will be rising up from the inside he says you need a spiritual government in the assembly overseers shepherds the spirit of god will equip them the spirit of god will raise them up and they need it just to feed the flock just to safeguard the flock just to protect the flock thank god for a spiritual government in the local assembly now you seek to show them reverence and you seek to pray for them and you seek to make their work an easy work it's never an easy work by the way but seek just to bring them joy by submitting to the spiritual exercise and leadership of that government overseers in the house chapter four the guidance of the house the word of god i don't need to say anything about this this weekend that's been our focus chapter six the godliness of the house look at the behavior godliness with contentment can i just close please with chapter five just the first verse the house and its generations the local assembly is a place of courteous relationships isn't it there is or there should be a family spirit amongst us and i know that paul is speaking particularly to timothy who by the way was less than 40 years of age because he's called a youth let no man despise thy youth and the youth the word youth is used to describe those who are less than 40 so if you're 39 you're youthful now i'm sad to say i've just moved out of the youthful category i am no longer a youth unbelievable but timothy was a youth and paul is saying timothy listen the local assembly is a place of courteous relationships he says there are elders amongst us ideally he says there are older men amongst us and we should treat them as we would treat a father treat them with reverence and treat them with tenderness he says timothy there are younger men there are younger brethren amongst us he says treat them as brothers treat them as equals don't patronize them don't have a spirit of superiority over them just treat them as brothers listen to this and i'm done he says not just older men younger men he says there are older women there are older sisters in the assembly treat them as mothers treat them as a dutiful son would treat a mother woman listen behold thy son think of the way in which the lord jesus treated his mother and timothy there are younger sisters in the assembly he says you treat those younger women as sisters you treat them with care you treat them with respect and timothy you treat them with all purity in thought and in action i say it's a wonderful thing to belong to house of god how thou oughtest to behave thyself in house of god church of the living god pillar and ground of the truth god will bless his word to us let's just pray father we're very thankful for this day it is the lord's day and father we thankful that we have been able to gather together as we have been saying in house of god capacity just to gather to the name of the lord jesus to gather out from religion to gather out from ecclesiastical things to gather simply and solely to the name of the lord jesus and father to offer up our appreciation of him we thank thee our god for all that thou hast brought us into we thank thee for this lovely epistle which tells us about the behavior which is fitting in house of god we bless thee that we as thy people are the house of god and we should know if we're behaving properly we should know something of the divine presence amongst us father we've enjoyed that this weekend we pray that we might continue to enjoy a sense of thy presence with us as we study thy word as we look into the book of nehemiah as we seek to preach the gospel we pray that thou bless us with a sense of thy presence father for food that has been provided for us for the kindness of thy people for the grace of thyself we pray our father that thou bless that to us we ask all of these things and commit ourselves to thee in the name of the lord jesus amen