The Church’s Hidden Glory

Last I checked, Apple is valued over 4 trillion dollars. Perhaps no single company has transformed daily life recently as much as Apple. Innovator in computers in the 20th c., developed the iPod, and of course the iPhone.

But imagine when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were using Jobs’ parents’ garage in 1976? Their first computer would be unrecognizable to us today – a circuit board, with no keyboard and no screen. Imagine telling them they would build a company that would change the world, employ over 150,000 people, and be valued at 4 Trillion dollars. They could dream, but they couldn’t imagine Apple’s glory.

In our passage this evening, Paul tells us about the Church’s glory.  Now like those early days at Apple, if you look at the church today, you go in most church buildings on a Sunday, you might struggle to come away saying, “Wow, what a glorious place! What a glorious people.” If most people looked in on what we’re doing right now, they probably don’t come away thinking what we’re doing is anything special.

Certainly they don’t have the sheen and sleek design of an apple store or the futuristic feel of Apple Park, Apple’s headquarters. If you asked someone today, which has more glory, or prestige, Apple or the church, I’m sure many would say Apple.

But we’re told here that the church is the best place to be, the church has the best work to do, and the church has the best thing to say. And that statement provides us with our three points this evening. 

We’re going to be looking at the glorious character of the church, the conduct of the church, and the confession of the church.

Glorious Character

Paul pauses in the middle of this letter to tell Timothy the purpose that he is writing to Timothy. He says he hopes to come to Timothy, but he anticipates being delayed, so he is writing to Timothy so that Timothy might know how people ought to behave in the household of God. He’s telling him how people in the church ought to live and act.

Now our second point is going to go into the behavior/conduct of the church. Right now I want to focus on the three titles Paul uses to describe God’s people, and what they tell us about us.

First, Household of God

The emphasis here is more on the personal dynamics than a building. Household, not house. He just said that elders (v4-5) and deacons (v12) should manage their households well.

Think about that. We’re part of a family. God has a household. He is Father of an immense family. And we’re members of that family. We’re God’s children. He sent his Son to deliver us from sin. He justifies us – covers us with Jesus’ righteousness. But we’re not just made right before him and then told to go our own way.

We’re told to come out of the courthouse, and into God’s house. We’re so intimately tied to Jesus Christ, that we become by grace what Jesus is by nature: God’s son. What love that is! What a privilege. That’s what we celebrate when we meet. It’s like every Sunday we have a family reunion.

Glory here: Finding out someone is related to so and so. (while working on this; lady in coffee shop whose niece dates an NHL player) Tangential connection was enough to get me excited. Imagine (though its true) someone who meets you this week goes home and says to spouse, or kids, or friends: I just met one of God’s relatives to today. God’s son. God’s daughter. A “member of his household”

Second, Church of Living God

Here Paul is emphasizing that the church is a gathering of people (that’s what church means – a gathering or assembly of people). And it’s specifically the gathering or assembly of people who claim the only true God when they gather. God is often called the “Living God” in contrast to “dead idols.” 

Imagine that: no other group is gathered together, selected, brought together by the true living God. There are many false gods in whose name people gather; many political and societal organization under whose banner people gather; many different affinity groups. You go to any major city and you can find the sports pub where all the Lions fans or Tigers fans, Red Wings fans go.

But the Church – this is the one group that is gathered together by God himself; to join in praising him. Think about that. When we gather, we are a gathering under the name of the one true, living God. Of all the dead idols of the world, the dead ideologies worshipped around the world, we worship the living God. The God who is full of life, that is our God.

Third, Pillar and buttress of the truth 

Now here’s this last name for the church in this section. The church is a pillar and buttress of the truth.

Now some have used this title for the church to argue that there’s a sort of inerrancy in the declarations of the church. That even if the church makes developments to doctrine that you can’t find in scripture, they are still true because it’s the church magisterium that formulates them (RC).

We aren’t a pillar and buttress/foundation of truth because we establish doctrine. The church doesn’t create God’s law. We declare God’s law. We proclaim the truth. But the Church in this way is still vital to maintaining the truth. And a pillar is a great illustration. What does a pillar do? It stands, and it holds up what’s above it. Does a pillar or buttress sculpt or in any way contribute to what it holds up? No.

And if the pillar doesn’t do its job, how does that change the material it’s holding up? It doesn’t change what those materials are. It changes their appearance. So the church is a pillar, a buttress. Its job is to hold the truth high. To present the glory of God’s word in the preeminent place God has put it.

That’s another glorious facet of our identity as the church. God has entrusted the truth to us. Now think about this: we have a university with 15,000 students nearby, on 480 acres. They have a responsibility to pursue truth and uphold it. But God hasn’t called them a pillar and buttress of the truth.

Here, in this gathering, God’s church, we’ve been entrusted with the truth. And I mean this: the most important truths that there are in the entire world, are found here. They’re found in this book, and we’re responsible to confess, to teach, to convey what’s most important. To keep standing and holding up the truth.

Now if the church is God’s household, God’s family; if the church is the gathering where the one living God and source of life resides; if the church is the place where God has put the truth, and called to support the truth, don’t you want to be there? Be part of that?

Glorious Conduct

As Paul lists these names that describe the character of the church, he’s doing so to emphasize the significance of the church’s conduct. As we said earlier, He’s writing so that Timothy and the people in Ephesus may know how to behave in God’s household (v15). 

The effect is like Paul saying, “You want to know how to conduct yourselves? You’re part of the Household of God. The Church of the Living God. A Pillar and Buttress of the Truth. That’s a pretty important position to be in. And each of these titles imply specific things about our conduct, and they tie into 3 prominent focuses in the book.

Household of God

There’s a “way to behave” in a family. A code of conduct. You experienced this over the holidays: there are dos and don’ts in a family. Paul shows concern for how men and women conduct themselves in church; qualifications for elders and deacons focusing on their conduct and character; ch5 talks about how to relate to younger  and older men and women in church life.

Church of Living God

When you approach the one true God, the way you worship matters. Paul has taught on public prayer in the church and on who leads in church; he says in 4:13 “devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” We are a worshipping community, and how we worship matters.

Pillar and Buttress of the Truth

We need the right attitude towards truth as a church. The whole context for Timothy being here in Ephesus is that there are false teachers whose lives, ch 1:10 are contrary to sound doctrine. Receiving truth, upholding the truth is crucial part of our conduct as a church and as Christians. Belief and behavior go together.

Now there are all these facets to our conduct. We live according to God’s family code of conduct– part of his household. And we worship him as he desires to be worshipped – church of living God. We hold to and uphold the truth as a necessary part of our obedience – pillar and buttress of the truth. The character of the church shapes her conduct. These great titles come with great responsibilities.

The Church’s conduct encompasses her behavior, her worship, her adherence to the truth. This isn’t a simple list of “dos” and don’ts” Paul has in mind. It’s a holistic system of life. That’s why Paul uses the term “godliness” in this book to describe it. “Godliness” refers to a sort of system of piety, a God-centered, God-honoring way of living life.

It’s actually really hard to cultivate this. We’re good at focusing on one of these aspects in our life. Defending the truth. Or worshipping rightly. Or behaving rightly. But we need each other for our individual health, and for the church’s health. Because we balance each other, and we point each other back to the source of our godliness, which is Christ.

Notice v16 Paul outlines core truth that the church confesses about Jesus in v16, he refers to it as “the mystery of godliness.” Because Jesus Christ, the one being confessed in this hymn, is the source and ground of godliness; of a rightly oriented, God-honoring life.

When a church is rooted in Jesus, and godliness flourishes, it really is glorious. Worship and Truth and right behavior are all valued, but not in a cold and austere way. Christ is valued, and loved, and so the people in the church love one another and desire each other’s good.

When you see church carrying this out: speaking the truth in love; caring about the gospel and about people, it’s beautiful. It’s glorious. It’s literally the character of God shining through human seams. The Grace and Truth of Christ. Showing up in the church’s glorious conduct. That’s what we want as a church.

Glorious Confession

Now part of the conduct of the church, is that as the pillar of the truth, it confesses the truth. Paul talks about this in v16. When he says “great we confess”, it’s not him saying, “I gotta admit, this is pretty great.” He’s saying, “this is what we confess, this is what we claim as Christians.” This is a core, a key expression of Christian belief.

He calls it the mystery of godliness, to highlight that the truth about Christ is the basis for our godliness. He calls it a mystery because the truth about Christ was something hidden that has been revealed in all its wonder.

And what he goes on to say in v16 are 6 statements about Christ. You learn that the wondrous core of truths that are the basis for our godliness is summed up in a person. Jesus Christ.

Likely Paul is quoting a hymn that Christians had composed. Either a hymn or a kind of creed. Probably a hymn. Talking about Jesus.

Note 2 things about these lines

1st. these keep contrasting heavenly and earthly perspectives.

 

He was manifested in the flesh, earthly

vindicated by the Spirit, heavenly

seen by angels, heavenly

proclaimed among the nations, earthly

believed on in the world, earthly

taken up in glory. Heavenly

2nd. These lines speak of Christ’s work being accomplished, revealed, and received.

Christ’s work accomplished is the focus of the first couplet (first two lines);

He was manifested in the flesh, incarnation earthly side of work

vindicated by the Spirit, resurrection heavenly side of work

his work revealed is the focus of the second couplet  (lines 3-4);

seen by angels, heavenly manifestation: angels wonder at his work.

proclaimed among the nations, earthly manifestation: proclaimed.

his work received is the focus of the 3rd couplet (lines 5-6)

believed on in the world, earthly reception of X who has been proclaimed

taken up in glory. heavenly reception – person in heaven at God’s side in glory.

What a glorious confession this is. This mystery of Godliness. It’s been given to us. To the church. We get to lift high Jesus. Godliness manifested not in abstract principles, but flesh and blood. Here’s what Paul is saying: We get to tell the world – God has become man. He’s defeated sin and death; he died and brought death to death and dead men to life in his resurrection.

And God hasn’t kept this quiet. All the angels witnessed this in heaven, and all men have heard about this on earth. And people all over believe in him. He’s not for just rich or just poor or just women or just men or just white people or just black people; He’s not just for the middle east or just for Europe or just for America or just for Asia; He’s for the world to believe in.

And he’s in glory. Get that. You want to know what we were made for as people? How high is mankind’s ceiling? Heaven, in God’s glory. In the presence of life and beauty and love itself. Because that’s where Jesus is. You belong in God’s glorious presence. You get there through Jesus.

That’s where the church is heading. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for his people. For his bride, his church. What a glorious confession.

My friend, that’s the hidden glory of the church. What better place is there to be than in God’s family, where the living God is present, where he bestows his greatest truths? What better thing to absorb your life with than knowing and living out that truth in holistic godliness? What better thing to confess, and share with others than Jesus Christ?  What better future to have than glory in God’s presence?

You can have 4 Trillion dollars. I want this glory. I’ll stick with Christ. I’ll stick with his church.