The Church - The Pillar and Foundation of the Truth

Joy to worship. Not only worshipping our Lord through song, but also singing such great truth about the church. I think that some of you have noticed a few new songs, a couple of new songs that Brother Keith has been introducing to us about the church. I would encourage you to be familiar with those songs, maybe acquire them, have them in your home, because these can powerfully teach us and help us, especially during this time as we are studying the church. If you would, go ahead and take your Bible and turn with me back to 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 15. 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 15.

Like I've been announcing, we will pause our study in the Gospel of John. We finished up the last of the Roman trials, and we're revisiting this series called the Ten Pillars of the Church. I would encourage you to be very faithful to these messages. If you cannot be here for worship, I encourage you to listen to them, maybe even seek out my notes, because I think it's imperative that we all are together in this study. If you have a spouse that cannot be here, maybe you help your spouse. I think that it is important for us as families to digest what we're looking at.

Again, this is extremely important for the growth of the church and where He wants us to be. Now this morning these verses, verses 14 and 15, primarily the end of verse 14 and verse 15, this will be our launching pad for what we're going to look at. If I can use a racing metaphor, this is the starting line for this morning's message and the series. Now the title of the series is simple, the Ten Pillars of the Church. I will refer back to this passage numerous times as we progress along.

So be faithful to mark this verse in your Bible, even study it in some other translations, and then let the Lord sink this into your minds and your hearts as He is going to teach us. Now for those of you who have a good memory, you remember that we studied the Ten Pillars way back in the fall of 2013. I was discussing this with Brother Keith this week and some of our planning. Truthfully, it's been way too long since we have revisited this teaching. Five years is too long. Sometimes it is difficult to know when to come back to some teaching that's foundational.

I look forward to as the years progress to coming back over and over to this teaching. Now if you really think about who we are and where we are and where we've come from, there are three kinds of people here this morning. First, those who were here during that initial study. Some of you were here, you took good notes, you remember some of the teaching, and it is firmly fixed in your mind. And then second, there are those of you who did not go through the study, but you've been here long enough to hear me reference this teaching.

You've absorbed some of this and it will be familiar to you, although you need to hear it together in one package, just like all of us. And then third, there are some of you, you've really not heard much of this teaching at all. Maybe you've not been coming to Nola very long and you need to hear this teaching because this will show you who we are, what the Lord's called us to do, and where we are going. And because of this gap, I feel that it is necessary to introduce the teaching of the ten pillars. If we simply jump straight into examining the ten pillars, I think for some of you there would be some gaps.

And I don't think that would be very good. Now, in an overall manner, this is how we're going to cover this message this morning. First, I will give you some context. I will give you some background. It's important for you to know the background, the context of what we're looking at. Second, I will divide these verses. The end of verse 14 and verse 15. Again, this is our launching pad. This is our starting line. Third, I will give you the ten pillars so you can write them down simplistically and then I will give some brief definitions and then we will build on these as we progress through the series.

And then fourth, I will give us some closing instructions. So this is our approach this morning. Context, personal context, then the starting line, the starting blocks in First Timothy, then the ten pillars themselves, and then some instructions for us for the week to get us started. Now, I will guide you in taking some notes. We're very faithful here to take notes, study our notes, and I will help you because there are some areas you just need to listen and then some areas you need to put the pen to the paper so that you can hold on to what the Lord is giving us.

And like I see repeatedly, often, if you need my notes, they're available to you. Many of you will request them and I trust they're a good source for you. So first, first is the context. First is, is this background? There can be a question that can come into your mind and your heart, "Where did this teaching come from?" I want you to see that this is not something that came simply from a book or a study. This is not something that myself or Brother Keith that we reached and grabbed out of someone else's ministry.

Now, there are times we do grab something from a resource, from another ministry, from another minister, but that's not the case here. I would say that this comes from four sources in my personal life. This comes from my previous years of ministry, my previous years of ministry, both good and bad. If we look back on our years of walking with the Lord in different churches we've been in, we've all seen good and bad. Much of this comes from my home church. Many of you know that I came to Christ at the age of 20 and that became my home church, Highland Baptist Church back in Laurel, Mississippi.

I served two churches full-time in student ministry, did lots of associate pastor work in those churches 10 years, and then I've been a part of other churches and had many friends in other churches. So this has come out of the previous years of ministry good and bad. We have to look back in retrospect. We have to learn from where we have come. This has also come from my own study of God's Word. From my own study of God's Word.

There are different times that we go to the Word and different reasons that we go to the Word and a lot of this came from dealing with the bad in church, finding myself in prayer and fasting and just digesting and studying, just being in the Word of God. I'll give you an example. I can remember back in the early 2000s being very disgusted at the types of evangelism I saw, even evangelism I was a part of. And I began to study the work of salvation. God began to reform my thinking and change my understanding and of course it took many years to get to where I am and God is still teaching me.

Then this also comes from studying other materials, reading books, other ministers and their ministries. I think as a minister you need to be a good student and a good reader. Not just of God's Word, but of church history and what other men have given us through their ministries. I'll give you an example. This is something that you've heard from me. A lot of my understanding of the church has come from gleaning from Jeff Noblett at Grace Life Church of the Shoals, Muscle Shoals, Alabama. As I was learning and picking up the pieces, my experience of the church, I began to listen to this man elevate the church.

The Lord was really taking things He was teaching me and solidifying them as I was able to look over His shoulder. And then also this comes from my personal experiences. What I mean by personal experiences? In all of us there's this personal aspect to walking with God. This is experiential. So much of what I've learned about prayer has been through prayer. Yes, reading about prayer from men like E.M. Bounds, praying in the life of the church when I've seen many things going awry, but just praying in my own life, praying with Brother Keith, these are personal experiences.

I can sit down with you and tell you how the Lord's taught me about prayer in my own life. So in this series, I'm simply dipping the bucket into the well of a whole lot of this mixture of all that I have shared. So in all of this, my previous years of ministry, my own personal study of the Word, reading books, looking at other people's ministries, personal experiences of my own, this is all mixed together and it forms a solid, growing work. This is a work that God is doing in me. This is a work that God is doing in Brother Keith and God is doing in many of you. And I pray that this work continues in our church.

And this is a work that I believe will continue through the years. So first, that's the context, the background of really all that we're going to look at in these few weeks. And then second is this teaching from our verses. Let's go back to 1 Timothy again. 1 Timothy chapter 1, or excuse me, verse 3. 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 14. Let's read them again. "I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long.

But in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar, the support of truth." Now we're going to make three observations out of these truths. Many times I call these the major truths of the outline. I will give them to you so that you can take notes. Again, this is truth that you do need to write down. So these are our major truths in this teaching. The context, verse 14 and 15. Then we have the recipients, verse 15. And then the last portion of verse 15, we have the picture. There's a picture here that Paul gives us.

So three major truths in our outline this morning. So let's jump right off into this portion of the message. Truth number one, the context. The context. We see this in the beginning of verse 14 and 15. "I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long, but in case I am delayed." Here we have the Apostle Paul, and he is writing to this much-loved son in the faith, Timothy. Paul led Timothy to Christ. This came in his first missionary journey. And then as Paul circled back around on his second missionary journey, Paul revisited Lystra and he took Timothy along in his ministry travels. We see this in Acts chapter 16.

Now Timothy was a very young man, but he was a very respected and godly young man. Paul was this great mentor to Timothy as well as other men like Titus. But Timothy was also a co-labor in our language. It would not be inaccurate to call him an associate pastor. He was a co-labor with Paul, really for Paul and the rest of Paul's ministry. Paul often sent Timothy to other churches like an assistant, like a representative of Paul's apostolic and his authoritative ministry. Now after Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment, Paul decided to revisit many of the cities where he had ministered before and Ephesus was on the list.

Now after finding major problems in the Ephesian church, Paul decides to leave Timothy there at the church to sort out the problems. Timothy had to deal with bad doctrine that had crept into the church. Timothy had to deal with disorderly worship that had come into the church. Timothy had to deal with the need of qualified, God-called spiritual leaders in the church and there were other problems as well. And then what we have is Paul traveling on to Macedonia and it was from Macedonia that Paul writes back to Timothy in order to help him in this work. So we have the Apostle Paul.

We have the Apostle Paul who is the apostle to the Gentiles to the Gentile churches. We have young Timothy. He is the upstart elder and minister who has been placed here at Ephesus by Paul. This would have been a very, and if I can use this language, good appointment for Timothy. Paul had a great ministry there so there was a great heritage in this church. This was a regional church. They had a great influence in the numerous churches in the area, but there were problems and with Paul's help, Timothy could be a faithful elder and he could lead the church back to biblical health. With that said, go back to the verse.

I am writing these things to you hoping to come to you before too long, but in case I'm delayed, I'm writing this so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself. See, he's seeking to bring the church back to biblical health. Now an application. This is the fight that we must see is so important today. This is the battle for the church today. Now we can identify specific battles, specific problems in the church in our day, but the major battle is bringing the church back to biblical health. That's what you see in all of Paul's writings. So much that's going on around us today that is far from biblically healthy.

As a matter of fact, there's a lot of stuff going on today that is unbiblical and unauthorized. There are lots of so-called churches. I think they just need to be closed. I was having a discussion with a friend of mine this week. He was talking to me about the church where he's ministering and I really firmly said to him, the major battle is reforming that church back to biblical health. And that's what we see here in this context. So continuing with these verses, our second major truth, let's notice the recipients of the letter.

Go back to the verses, "But in case I am delayed, I'll write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself." Now here's the recipients, "In the household of God, which is the church of the living God." Now we do understand that the letter was written to Timothy, but we need to see more. This letter was ultimately written to this church, the church there at Ephesus. This church was a great work of God. Paul founded this church on his third missionary journey and this story is given to us beautifully in Acts chapter 19. In verse 10 of Acts chapter 19, it says that Paul labored there for two years.

And as a matter of fact, the chapter tells us that all of Asia heard the word of God. Both the Jews and the Greeks were impacted for Christ. Now we've gotten a picture of this in our study in the book of Colossians. We know that the Colossian church was impacted through the work of Paul here at Ephesus. This was a great spillover word. And these were the recipients. This is the church. This is a true church. This is not an apostate church. This is a true work of God, but yet they do have problems. Now there are two specifics out of this portion of verse 15 I want us to examine. Two specifics. Notice first, this is the household of God.

Go back to the verse. I'm writing so that one should know how they should conduct himself in the household of God. Now this is no man made institution. This is God's church. She, this church, belongs to him. Now notice God describes the church using the word household. The King James uses the word house. Now this is not referring to a building. This is a metaphor. This is an analogy. And this is used to describe a family. Born-again Christians and these people as born-again Christians, they were members of God's family, God's household. And Paul uses this language all throughout his writings. See this in Ephesians 2.19.

We see this in Galatians 6.10. We see this in Hebrews 3.6 although we do not know who wrote Hebrews. See this in Peter's writings in 1 Peter 4.17. So these people at Ephesus receiving this letter, these were God's household. This was God's family, the household of God. And then the second observation, this is the church of the living God. Go back, the household of God which is the church of the living God. Here Paul continues to describe or define God's church. Notice he uses this phrase, church of the living God. This is another player. This can be translated from the original, the living God's church. This speaks of God's possession.

The true and living God, he owns this church. Acts 2.28 helps us see this. Acts 2.28 tells us that Christ purchased the church of God with his own blood. Ephesians 1.14, Paul called the church God's own possession. We see this language in Titus 2.14 in Peter's writing in 1 Peter 2.9 and also in John's writing in Revelation 5.9. So these people were God's possession. They belonged to Christ because Christ purchased them both individually and collectively for God the Father. And all of this was for the Father's glory and for the Father's purposes. So we see who is receiving the letter. This is the holy and living God's possession.

These were God's people but more God's family. This was God's household. So the living God was writing to his living people, his family. I think some of you heard this phrase but I thought about this and study. I was sharing this with Brother Keith this morning. You might have heard someone say this. You know you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family. Isn't that true? Did you know that that applies to the church as well?

Now I know God leads us to identify with certain or specific individual churches but what I'm trying to show you is as we are born again people, we are God's household and this is the work that God does and he brings us together. It is God's work, God's choosing as he assembles his people today. And look, if we have been purchased by him and for him and if we are assembled by him, how does this apply to us? We cannot live our life any old way. We can't live the way we might want to in our flesh but specifically as it applies to the church, we can't do the church any old way. Isn't that what's going on here in the church at Ephesus?

There were some folks who were doing things man's way in the life of the church and Paul is writing and Timothy is working to straighten this out. These are the recipients, the church of the living God, born again people, the family of God but yet needing instruction. And then third, continuing with these verses, we see a picture. We see the picture. Look back at verse 15, the household of God which is the church of the living God and notice here, the pillar in support of the truth. Now here we see Paul uses illustration. He uses picture. He uses pictures and illustrations to describe the function of the church.

We can say that this is the primary mission of the church. We can say that this is the primary function of the church. This teaching can be overlooked but we need to see the picture here. It is from this teaching or from this picture that we will work towards and into the ten pillars of the church. Now there are two specifics here as well. First, this word pillar. Go back to the verse. The pillar and support of the truth. Now this word pillar is a key word. I would invite you to underline it or highlight it in your copy of God's word. This word would have really gotten the attention of the recipients of this letter.

See because in the city of Ephesus in that day stood the great temple of the goddess Diana or Artemis. History tells us that it was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times and in Paul's day they had the third rebuild of the temple and this temple was so great it was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was massive in size but it had major influence in the city. Almost the entire economy of the city of Ephesus was tied to the temple and the worship of this goddess. In Acts 19 we see the spread of the gospel was so successful that the economy of the city was crippled and it almost cost Paul his life.

Now the most impressive features of the temple were its massive pillars which held up the massive portico or the porch in our language. There were 27 giant pillars made of marble and history tells us that it was overlaid with gold and some of them were studded with jewels. These pillars were funded by kings and they were a type of tribute to the kings who donated these pillars. The tribute by the kings and the ornate decorations were secondary.

Their main function they were to hold up the massive structure so it would have been safe to assume that these Ephesians when they heard this word most of them would have thought of the pillars of the temple. And all of them were very familiar with the temple. They saw it probably every day. It was a major part of their culture and a major part of their economy there in Ephesus. So we have this pillar. In second we have the foundation. Go back to the verse. The pillar or support of the truth. Here we have another key word no matter what your translation says, the new American says support. The English standard uses the word buttress.

The King James translates it word. It could be accurately translated foundation. So in your margin if you were to write that word foundation that's not inaccurate. And with the picture of the pillars of the temple of Diana there would have been the almost unseen foundation. The pillars and the temple they rested on a solid foundation. They would have been on solid ground. If it had not been this way the temple and the pillars would have just simply toppled over. Or they would have been structurally unsafe. Or they would have sagged and leaned over time.

So we have this solid foundation which supports the pillars, which supports the entire structure and it's not untruthful to say that all of these people would have been very familiar with this temple. But notice where Paul is using this imagery, this picture. This is applied to the church. Go back. I'm writing so that you may know how to conduct yourself in God's household, the church of the living God, the pillar and the support of the truth. Paul is applying this picture using these words in the truth. Here he's saying that the church is the foundation, the solid ground. On this foundation the church is the pillar which supports the truth.

Now this demands a question. Now if we answer this question incorrectly we knock a massive hole in the bottom of the boat and the church sinks to the bottom of the sea. What is this truth? This truth is the revelation of God in His word. And this includes the truth of the gospel of God whereby men might have a right relationship with God. This truth is the content of the Christian faith for all Christians throughout the ages. And this truth is the God for the church throughout the ages. So Paul is telling this church that it was their responsibility to hold up the truth. They were to be the solid foundation.

They were to be as tall, strong pillars holding up God's truth. They were to be tall, strong pillars, beautiful to see, beautiful to gaze at, yet holding up God's truth. So here we have some great imagery that communicates principle function, the principle function of the church, the core mission of the church. Principle and core meaning this was at the center of what the church did. Her basic or fundamental mission. And out of this comes all that the church should do. I thought about an illustration that has resonated with me. Some of you that are from the Brookhaven area, you might know of a famous local home in Brookhaven.

In recent years it's called the Lovell House. It's on Storm Avenue. It's an interesting story behind the Lovell House. Originally it was called Edgewood. It was built by the Butterfield family. Simplistically they were part of the group that came here and made lots of money on the timber industry. But you know it's been a fixture in Brookhaven for generations. Now through the years it's fallen into great disrepair. Quite a few years ago I had the privilege of going into the home, doing some work for a contractor that I once worked for. It was really sad to see the old beautiful home in such disrepair.

But you could see one of the saddest issues from the road. One of the, or two of the massive pillars from the home were literally gone. And the beautiful old porch or portico was just sagging. What am I showing you? Without the foundation and the pillars, the old house was just sagging, almost ready to be toppled over. Now I hear that someone's putting quite a bit of work and money into the old house. I'm glad to see it being resurrected from the dead. But this imagery can help us see what Paul is saying here to these Ephesians. He is saying that you must have a solid foundation and you're to be a solid strong pillar to do what?

Hold up the truth. I like how John MacArthur speaks of the church's responsibility here. And I quote, "It is the solemn responsibility of every church to solidly, immovably, unshakably uphold the truth of God's word. The church does not invent the truth and alters it only at the cost of judgment." We must not be like that old level house. Not holding up the truth as she should be held up. Now let's move on. Let's move on from these verses. We looked at first, context or background. Second, we looked at dividing these verses. And then third, specifically, I want us to look at the ten pillars themselves.

Here I will put the ten pillars, or what I call the ten pillars of the church. I'll put them on the screens for you. I would like you just to write them down as we progress. Very simple for you to get. I have chosen to list them in a different order than we did way back in 2013. Now I will give you the ten pillars. I will give you a brief definition. I'd like you to write down these individual pillars because I have some instructions to give for you. So you see number one, the church. Number one, the church. Now the church is the community of baptized born again believers. It's really sad.

Lots of churches are comprised of all kinds of people other than born again baptized believers. But the church is a community of believers who practice biblically prescribed ordinances. If you do some research into church history, some of the greats throughout the ages have always adhered to the church prescribing to the ordinances. And we do that here. And this community seeks to fulfill God's kingdom and God's work on earth. This is the church. The second pillar is the gospel. The gospel. Now the gospel is the good news that God provided a way for salvation for sinful men.

When we were lost and on our way to hell, while we were sinners, rebels against God, God provided a way. And through Christ, his sacrifice on the cross, we have salvation. This is the good news. And then the third pillar is the Bible or the Word of God. This Word of God is the breathed out, the God inspired Word of God. It is authoritative and it is contained in the 66 books, both the Old and the New Testament. And God's Word is authoritative and sufficient for instruction in all matters of life for men and for the church. Then we have saving grace or salvation.

Saving grace is the work whereby God delivers an individual from the power and curse of sin into a saving relationship with God through Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross. Salvation, conversion, or saving grace. And then the fourth or excuse me, fifth pillar is church membership. Church membership. Church membership is a formal commitment of a believer to identify with a local body of believers having joined together as the church. These believers seek to worship God and nurture each other as fellow believers and then evangelize the lost even around the world. So you see our first five pillars.

The church, the gospel, the Word, or the Bible. Saving grace or salvation and then church membership. And then number six, we have prayer. Prayer. Prayer is this continual work of believers. Yes, work. This is the continual work of believers to seek God for wisdom and daily living no matter if it's decisions to be made or trials that we're going through. Seeking God for daily wisdom and then corporately seeking God for assistance and empowerment for kingdom work here on earth. And then the seventh pillar is evangelism. Evangelism is the church's efforts to take the gospel to those who without the saving knowledge of Christ.

Evangelism is the responsibility of every believer and the body of believers called church. And then number eight are the eighth pillar. Missions. Missions is tied very closely to evangelism. Missions is the church's efforts to fulfill the great commission of Christ. Christ commissioned the church to make disciples of all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And then number nine, church leadership. Church leadership. This is God's prescribed offices within the church.

Church leadership or church leaders are those men who are called and they are appointed to fulfill those positions and serve in those responsibilities in the church. And then last, number ten, church discipline. Church discipline is the biblically prescribed method of discipline to lovingly restore sinners, believers, so as to preserve the purity of their walk and the purity of the church fellowship. Church discipline is the biblically prescribed tool to protect the church from so much.

Protects the church from false teachers, false doctrine, and it protects the church from those who would harm the church, harm the work, and also harm the purity. Now I want us to see that this teaching in verse 15 out of first Timothy chapter three very much relates to the ten pillars of the church. The principal function of the church or the core mission is to be the foundation and pillar of God's truth. But more specifically, streaming out of that large body of truth are these things called the ten pillars of the church. And for me, altering these or taking these things away are non-negotiable. These are non-negotiables.

They must be in the church. Now if I could shift to another illustration, if I could shift to the image of a river, maybe the Mississippi River. Many of us, most of us have probably put our eyes on the great river. But if we know how the river operates, we know that the Mississippi River is fed by all types of tributaries, some great, some large, some known, and yet some small and unknown. And all of these tributaries come together to form one river. Now if we think of this in reverse order, we have this one large stream of God's truth. And flowing out of this truth are these tributaries, these ten pillars.

I'll help you see this a little more. The institution of God's church. The church itself. What the church should look like, how the church should function. It flows out of the body of this truth. The church itself flows out of this one stream, the truth of God's word. I think about the commandments of evangelism and missions. Again, those are closely tied together. They flow from this body, this body of truth. And we know the commandment of evangelism and missions because we know the truth. But a question. What happens when you take away tributaries from the river? If you take enough of them away, the river dries up.

That is what has happened in many, many churches that we're familiar with. They have moved away from this body of truth. So anything goes with things like salvation or church membership or evangelism or so on. So much of what many do in the church today is totally not connected to this body of truth. So much of what is done in many churches today, it does not flow out of this body of truth. And we here at Nola Baptist Church, we must work, we must fight, and we must stay connected to this truth. And then fourth, we've looked at first the context, the background. We've divided second these verses out of first Timothy.

Third, we've looked at these ten pillars. And then fourth, some closing instruction. I invite you to take time this week. I invite you to open up your copy of God's Word. I invite you to study these ten pillars. If you've not gotten them, we'll give them to you. If you take two a day, Monday to Friday, you'll cover them. Take quality time. Get into God's Word. If you need some help or some direction in studying God's Word, I can help you. Brother Keith can help you. But listen, take some time and go and study evangelism. Study conversion. Study some passages on the church.

Read through in your own time and see what God's Word says to you about these subjects, these ten pillars. Take some quality time. Pray over these scriptures. Pray over what you see in these scriptures. Maybe discuss these with your spouse or in your home. For some of you, you do need to examine the past. This is different for every one of us. Now we can't linger too long in the past, but we must learn. But yet we turn and we press on. We can't live life looking in the rear view mirror. No, the front windshield is a lot brighter and a lot larger.

But we learn from the past, learn from our experiences, and this enables us to press on and be useful in the church today and tomorrow. And for some of this, this can be bitter because it can be tough. Now what have we looked at this morning? You will notice that I've not given you the title of the message. I've done that purposely. We see the message series, the ten pillars of the church. I like what Brother Keats said earlier this morning. You say, "Well, the title of the message comes right out of the verse." I said it like this, "Yes, I plagiarized it." He said, "Well, you can't plagiarize the Bible." What have we looked at?

The church, the pillar, and the foundation of the truth. We must be the foundation that holds up the pillar, that holds up the truth. And all that we do flows out of this truth. May the Lord help us to feel these shoes, whether we need correction or encouragement. Some of us might need to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. No matter where we are, may the Lord help us to be this pillar that holds up the truth. And all that we do just flows out of this truth, out of this truth, out of this truth. Let's pray together.