A Biblical Understanding of the Church

I want to begin here this morning by saying that, A failure to understand the church. More times than not will foil the church. Failure to understand the church will foil the church. A dim view of the church.

Is detrimental to the church. Not understanding the church and not seeing the church. Brothers and sisters, the church is you and I, born again believers, not seeing it and not understanding it is detrimental. To the church.

It will foil the church. The church will be weakened as a result. There are plenty of evidences of how this is true. There are folks out there who professing to be believers do not attend church regularly.

Consistently. There are those who would, if you will, date the church, moving from one church to another and at whatever point in which this particular church doesn't meet their needs because their needs are not being met, they leave. Well, I understand that there are times in which there's legitimacy there. I understand that.

But at the same time, in a consumer culture, I believe that some believers are guilty of approaching church from a consumer perspective. There are those who say that they do church at home. I've heard people say this to me directly. I, I do church at home.

I'm not against home church per se, as long as if it is a legitimate church, but what some people mean by this is, I, I worship God at home with my family. We are the church and I am the head of my church. And you run into people who would say something to that effect. Again, we're talking about a low view of the church.

We're talking about a failure to understand the church. There are folks who perhaps they come to church regularly, but they choose not to get involved in the affairs of the church. There are folks who fail, if you will, to give to the church. They fail to give of their time, their energy, their resources.

And so we see that there are those indeed who they just don't have a clear view of the church. They, they fail to understand the church and the net effect is that the church is weakened. It stagnates. It is not as strong as it should be.

You see, when, when we understand the church, when we see the church clearly, when we see it through the lens of God Himself, We will be more likely to function effectively as its members. We will be more likely to, to holiness and to godly living. We will be more likely to, living in a godly manner within its construct, within the church. This morning, I would like to address the topic.

Of a biblical understanding of the church. We're not going to hit every nail on the head. There are just a few nails that we will hit on the head, and those nails are the nails that we find in the passage we happen to be looking at this morning. OK?

So, this is not going to be exhaustive, nor will it be conclusive, but I believe that the points that will be made in this message connect themselves to, Our understanding of the church and we're gonna be looking at 7 truths to motivate and direct the church, 7 truths to motivate and direct us towards godly living within the context of the church. I'm going to ask you to turn with me in your Bibles to First Timothy chapter three. First Timothy chapter three. And looking at verse 14.

1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 14, for those who are visiting, we are continuing in a verse by verse exposition of God's word. We have been in the book of First Timothy for a while now and we find ourselves looking here this morning at verse 14. 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 14. And please read from your Bible or from the overhead that's behind me if the test is on the screen.

read with me as I read aloud this passage. The Apostle Paul writing to the young pastor Timothy, who is the pastor of the Ephesian Church, says, 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 will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. Again, may God help us to see what He has for us through these two verses.

We're looking at 7 truths to motivate and direct the church towards godly living, 7 truths. Truth number 1, number 1, the church has an impact. The church has an impact. It has a profound impact.

It has an impact on individuals and it has an impact on the society. The church makes a difference in this world. And you're asking me, well, how in the world do you gather that? Well, look at verse 14.

We've got the apostle Paul saying, I am writing. I, I am writing, and, and this is a clear reference to Paul himself, Paul the apostle. Now if you go back to Acts, and you go ahead. And turned it with me.

Acts chapter 7. I want to take just a little bit of time to unpack Paul and my point here is that the church has an impact. The church made a huge difference in the life of this man, Paul. Look with me, if you will, to Acts chapter 7.

Verse 54 Acts 7:54. Beginning in verse 54, we read, now, when they heard this, this is a reference to the sermon that Stephen had just preached. When they heard Stephen's message, they were cut to the quick and they began gnashing their teeth at him. Stephen is a Christian.

He has just proclaimed the gospel message, and there were those who did not like what he had to say. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God. Even gazes into heaven, he sees the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.

But they cried out, his enemies, those who opposed, Stephen, they cried out with a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed at him with one impulse when they had driven him out. the city, they began stoning him. They began stoning him and witnesses, the witnesses laid aside the robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. OK, Mark that, tuck that in the back of your mind.

Saul himself was there observing the church in action. Saul himself was there seeing a man of God proclaiming the truth of God. Saul had observed this man. Stephen, he saw him being stoned, and it continues in verse 59.

They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and he said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. Having said this, he fell asleep. So you see, Stephen is echoing some of the words of Jesus Christ himself.

And he is basically saying, oh God, do not hold this against them. Oh God, allow those who are present who are persecuting me to at some point in their life experience your transforming power. Again, Paul is there, OK? Paul, Saul of Tarsus is there observing this and hearing this, chapter 8, verse 1, it says Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.

And on that day, a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem. Jump ahead please with me to chapter 9 of Acts. Acts chapter 9. It says now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the If he found any followers of Christ, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who is it, Lord? Is it you, Lord?

And I would venture to guess. That Saul at this moment is beginning to make the connection. Again, Saul, who becomes Paul upon his conversion, he's beginning to see the connection between his persecution of the church and his persecution of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and Saul would recall the testimony of the church before him. Saul would recall, Stephen.

In himself being martyred and hearing the words of Stephen, Father, forgive them. Don't hold the sin against them, recalling the words of Stephen, recalling the message of Christ that he proclaimed, recalling the fact that Christ came into the world to save sinners. Paul would have remembered this. He would have recalled this.

And so there's a transformation that is about to happen here. Let's jump ahead just a little bit. Chapter 9, verse 17. Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, be filled with the Spirit.

Immediately there left from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight. He got up and he was baptized, and he took food and he was strengthened. Verse 20 now for several days, he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus. Immediately, Saul, the apostle Paul himself, he would become the apostle Paul.

He began to proclaim Jesus and you see the point that I am trying to make here is that the church made a difference in his life. He saw the example and the testimony and the message of the church he heard, and it inevitably made a difference in his life. Here was a man who went from hatred of the church. the lover of the church, and consider what he has to say in 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 14.

He says, I am writing these things to you. I am writing these things to you, Timothy, hoping to come to you. I want to see you. I want to fellowship with you, hoping to come to you, Timothy, before long.

I do not want to delay in my coming to you. I want to see you as soon as I can. But in the event that I am delayed, if God in His sovereignty would see, would, would have me delayed, if God would cause me to not be able to see you, he says, I write these things to you. I write to you and then he gives us purpose, right?

So that 1 may know how to conduct himself in the household of God. But you see Paul's heart for the church. He's thinking about the church, he's concerned about the church. He's understanding what's going on in this Ephesians church and he's writing this letter to the pastor so that God through the pastor would be able to minister effectively to the church so that that church is built up, so the people in this church are, are functioning in a biblically consistent manner so that there is transformation in the lives of the people in this church.

This is Paul's heart for the church. And you see, His heart for the church. I submit to you. is the result of the impact that the church had on his life.

God uses His church to have an impact on people. God uses us, the church, every member of the church to have an impact. On lost people. There may be a soul.

who God wants to turn into a Paul. In your neighborhood? At your workplace. In your family?

God wants to use the church to have an impact. Moving on to number two. The church has a structure. The church has a structure.

Listen again. He says, I am writing these things to you. What does these things refer to? These things refers to everything that Paul has thus far said in his letter and everything that he is about to say.

That's what these things refers to. So, we would include the whole, Book in these things, but in particular, if it's true that everything is included, keep in mind part of what the apostle Paul has already addressed to Timothy. He has already spoken to the topic of church leadership. He has already spoken to the topic of elders and to deacons.

And the apostle Paul, interestingly enough, is writing to an elder, knowing that this is God's ordained structure within the context of the church. So he's writing to the elder knowing that as he can minister to the elder, and he can minister to Timothy, that Timothy in turn can be used by God in the lives of the people of God to minister to them, to bless them, and to bring them up in the ways of the Lord. And so the church has a structure. Brothers and sisters, God would ask us, he would call us to acknowledge the structure that he has put, put in place in the church.

He would call us, I believe, to submit to the structures that he has placed. That he has put it, put up in the church. He, he calls the people of God to live in submission to the authority that he has placed over them. He would call the people of God to, to be seeking his direction and guidance through the leadership structure he has put in place.

I had a conversation with one of our brothers here just the other day. you guys know Vincent Green. He's, in, in the process of finishing his doctorate degree at the Masters Seminary. He's a member of this church.

He's participating in the life of this church, and he's a man who believes that the Lord, he has believed that the Lord is calling him into ministry to the Philippines. He believes that the Lord wants to use him to minister to pastors and to teach pastors how to do a better job of pastoring. So, I was speaking to him on the phone the other night and he was telling me that he, he's pretty convinced that this is the direction the Lord has for him. his family is with him, his wife and his children are with him in the Philippines and, and, and they're all in agreement together as a family.

They really sense the leading of the Lord. And one of the things that was interesting to me about, what Vincent Greene said to me, he says, but, Carlos, he says, The light isn't totally green yet. He says, I'm, I'm waiting for the Lord to make the light green as he speaks to me through the leadership of Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church. That if the Lord really does want me there, he's going to confirm that through the leadership.

He will confirm that through the elders of the church. And I thought to myself, what a, what a great example of a man who has an understanding of the importance of the church structure. So, we've got number one, the church has an impact. Number two, the church has a structure.

We would do well to acknowledge it and to live our lives in light of the structure. Number three, the church has a standard of conduct. The church has a standard of conduct. Again, listen to what he says.

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, Timothy, will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God. I want you to know very clearly what godliness looks like. I want you to understand what proper conduct in the church is, and I want you to forward that standard of conduct to the people of God in your church. You see, the church has a standard of conduct, and I submit to you that that standard of conduct is rooted in an understanding of and experience of the gospel, and the gospel as it is applied in the lives of people, brings about transformation in their lives so that their conduct is what God wants it to be.

Go back with me. if you will, to, to that passage, 1 Timothy 1:5. We recall from this passage where Paul says, the goal of our instruction is love. The goal of our instruction is love.

The goal of our instruction, we understood a few months ago that the instruction is a reference to gospel teaching and the ways in which the gospel connects to life. The goal of our gospel instruction is what? Love, and what is love? But one of the fruits of the spirit, the primary fruit of the spirit, if you will.

God calls us. Through the power of the gospel transforming us to walk in a loving manner with our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the standard of conduct, but to be more specific, the apostle Paul says more. He just doesn't leave us with the goal of our instruction is love.

There's more that he says, and if you begin to read through First Timothy, you can, you can begin to get a sense of, of what godly conduct looks like. He's given to us godly conduct. In the qualifications of leadership. And we recall that as we looked at those qualifications of leadership, those qualifications are qualifications that all of us need to try to live up to by God's grace and through the experience of the gospel.

He has given to us the, the qualifications of elders and the qualifications of deacons, and in both cases, it is pretty much all about character. So if you want to know what godly conduct looks like, if you want a blueprint for godly conduct in your life, take the time to look at those qualifications of elder and deacon and let that be a blueprint for you in terms of how you want your life to be characterized. Therein is a standard of conduct, a code of conduct, and the church has a standard.

So that you may know how one ought to conduct himself, how one ought to live, how one ought to behave, how one ought to out of the overflow of the gospel, be loving towards one another, so you would know how one ought to conduct himself within the context of community, within the context of relationship, within the context of the household of God.

Interestingly enough, the apostle Paul. Is writing to a pastor of a local church and so we also see from this passage that the local church is pretty central to the heart of God. The church, local as well as universal, is important to God. So, the church has a standard of conduct.

Let's continue with number 4. Number 4, the church has an identity. The church has an identity. Notice how he describes the church.

He says, 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? What is the identity of the church? What is our identity, brothers and sisters?

We are the household of God. This is the metaphor that Paul uses in connection to what the church is. The church is the household of God. Now, in Greco-Roman society, Even in our own society.

For example, if, if, if, A Greco-Roman person were to say to you, or let's say if I were to say to you, let, let's say I were to say to you, that's my house. What would you assume about that house and me and my relationship to the house? Well, you would assume ownership, of course, but what else would you assume? That is the place where I dwell.

That is the place where I live. That is the place where people can come and get to know me. That is my house. That is where I want to, I want to be able to go to my house and be comfortable, to be able to take my shoes off, if you will, and relax in my house.

that is the place where I, I just, I just want to be and the best, the best way for people to get to know me is to come and observe me within the context of my home, right? Brothers and sisters, we are the house. Of God. The house is the church.

The church consists of born again believers. Anyone who has repented of sin and who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and who are born again, they've got the Spirit of God in dwelling in anyone who is a Christian in the proper use of the word. Anyone. Those people constitute the house of God.

The house of God is not the four walls and the roof that surround us. You and I constitute the house of God. And God wants to be at home in his house. God wants his presence to be experienced in a special way within the context of his house.

God wants people to come into the house of God, if you will, and to experience among the house of God. He wants lost people to experience God among them. And to be blown away by what they see in the house of God. They will know Christ.

By the love that we have for one another. And so this household terminology would would cause us to, to, to think about We are the place where he wants to dwell. Almighty God, God by His Spirit wants to dwell among us. He wants his glory to find expression among us.

He wants people to, to observe us and to see from us. The very person of God Himself in terms of his communicable attributes. OK, but this household terminology also speaks to another point, and the point is this, that if we are the household of God, we share the same Father. There is one Father of the household, and we share the same Father.

God is our Father and that makes us together brothers and sisters in Christ. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. That ought to have impact in our relationship to the church. That ought to have impact in terms of how we think about the church.

That should have impact in terms of our understanding and the very fact that you are my brothers and my sisters in Christ ought to transform my life to a degree. You stop and you think about the fact that surrounding you is your family. And your family is the household of God. Which is going to lead us to the next point.

Number 5, the church has an owner. The church has an owner. we saw glimpses of this already in the point just made. But look at what he says.

I write, so that you may know. How one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, the household of God, which is the church of the living God. It is the church of the living God. of God and of the living God indicate to us the fact that God is the owner.

of the church. He owns us. We belong to him. This passage tells us that our God is also a God living.

Our God is alive. He is alive. He is not dead. As are those pagan gods out there in a pagan society, but our God is alive, irregardless of what people out there want to think.

We know the truth and the truth is, is that our God is alive and well and active, and he is working, and he is sovereign, and he is present, and he is, he is causing things to happen for a reason, for a purpose, that all things are working according to his plan. And as far as his plan is concerned, the church is part of his plan, and he owns the church. In Matthew 22:15, it reads, the Pharisees went and counseled together. As to how they might trap Jesus in what he said.

And they sent their disciples to Jesus along with the Herodian saying, Teacher, Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God and truth and divert to no one, for you're not partial to any. Tell us, therefore, Jesus, tell us, teacher, what do you think? Is it lawful to give a poll tax to Caesar or not? But Jesus perceived their malice, their ill intent.

He said, Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? And then what Jesus proceeds to do. Show me the coin used for the poll tax. Someone get a coin used for the poll tax.

Someone bring out a coin. Show me a coin. They want to see a coin. Give me a coin.

And they brought him a Daenerys, and he said to them, Whose likeness and inscription is this? Whose face do you see on the coin? Who do you see on the coin? we, we see, Caesar, Jesus, and Jesus says to them, well then, you, you give to Caesar, that which belongs to Caesar.

And you give to God. That which belongs to God. What is his point? That we as created beings made in the image of God, belong to God.

We are his possession. His image is imprinted upon us. We were created in His image and we are to give to him what belongs to him. Brothers and sisters, we belong to Him.

In Acts 20:28. The apostle Paul has a, a final meeting with the elders of this Ephesian Church. He has a final meeting. And during this final meeting, he, he speaks to, to these pastors, these overseers, heart to heart.

He's concerned about the well-being, he, he loves this Ephesians church. He had spent a, a, a number of years with the Ephesians ministering to them, pouring out his life to them, and so on this final meeting with the elders, he calls these elders together, has this big long speech, if you will, a heart to heart, among the things that he says is this, he said, Be on guard for yourselves and for all of the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. This speaks of that structure again, right?

The Holy Spirit has made you overseers over this flock, but notice what he says to shepherd the Church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

He purchased the church with his own blood. 1 Corinthians 6:20, you have been bought. With a price. You have been purchased with a price.

The highest price imaginable has been paid for you. Therefore, glorify God in your body. The Lord Jesus Christ hung on a cross in your place for you so that you can be freed from the guilt and power of sin. You have been purchased with a price.

Salvation was not free. Salvation came at the highest price imaginable. You were purchased through the blood of Christ. 4, honor God, and God is speaking not just to me as an individual.

He is speaking to his bride, he is speaking to his church, he is speaking to the household of God, and he wants the household of God to be reminded this morning that we are his possessions, purchased by the very blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 7:23, you were bought with a price, do not become slaves of men. You were bought with a price. Do not become slaves of men, to state it positively, be slaves of God.

Be His bond servants. And in Revelation 5:9, it says that they sang a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book and to break its seals, for thou, speaking of Jesus, wast slain, for thou wast slain and did purchase for God with thy blood men. From every tribe and tongue and people and nation, you see, we are not our own. The church is not ours per se.

The church belongs to God. You look at your brothers and sisters in Christ, and one of the thoughts that should enter into your mind is, that is my brother in Christ, for whom the blood of Christ was shed. Value Value, valuable, important, loved by God, cherished by God. Because that my brother is in Christ.

He belongs to Christ. We demonstrate God's ownership over our lives when we conduct ourselves. In a manner consistent with who we are in Christ. We demonstrate God's ownership over our lives when we love.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ, we demonstrate God's ownership in our lives when we obey Him in the ways in which he calls us into obedience. We demonstrate His ownership over our lives when we submit to our parents and when we honor our parents and when we respect our parents, we demonstrate his Ownership over our lives. When we as dads rear our children as best as we can by His grace to the glory of God, we demonstrate his ownership over our lives when we as men love our wives as Christ the church and when the women live in submission to their husbands and when they seek to help their husbands and, and when we, when we manifest the fruit of the spirit.

Spirit in our lives, love and joy, peace, patience, and so on.

We demonstrate God's ownership over our lives when we give our lives to Him and we come before Him as Vincent Green did and says, Lord, I, I, I believe you want me in the Philippines. I want to be in the Philippines. There's people there that need ministering to, but I will submit to you as you direct me to the leadership. We demonstrate God's ownership over our lives in those ways.

And so, the church has an owner, Moving on to number 6. The church has a function. The church has a function. He says, so that 1 may know how to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar.

And the support of the truth. We are the pillar and the support of the truth. Now, in Ephesus, they had this gigantic temple to the goddess Diana, and this temple was a huge immense structure and it had these gigantic pillars that upheld a rooftop. And Paul is, is borrowing from that, and he is saying that we, the church, we, God's people, we, his household are the pillar and support of the truth as opposed to the lie that that temple stands for.

We. sands for that which is true and we are called of God to uphold the truth. Note that we don't create the truth. Note that we aren't the origin of that truth, the truth stands and we simply live to support that which is true.

We'll talk about what the truth is here in a minute, but just note that our function is that of being a pillar and support of the truth. We are to make the truth known through our actions, our attitudes, our behaviors. There are a number of ways in which we uphold the truth along the lines of what I said previously. We uphold the truth.

We, we are pillars and buttresses of the truth when we live holy lives. And remember that's The heart of the passage we're looking at. I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God. Godly conduct is a way in which we uphold the truth, we uphold the truth.

When we are sinned against like Stephen was sinned against. The apostle Paul stood when he was Saul in condemnation of the man. And yet Stephen prayed for the salvation of those who persecuted him, if you will. Do not hold the sin against them.

And so we uphold the truth when we are sinned against and we respond in a Stephen-like manner. Or a Christ-like manner. Forgive them, Father. In fact, when we are sinned against, therein, we have the greatest opportunity to uphold the truth of the gospel.

Being sinned against is actually opportunity. When my spouse might sin against me or when I sin against my spouse, therein is the opportunity for me to uphold the truth. Therein is the opportunity for my spouse to be a pillar and support of the truth. We uphold the truth as we fulfill our God-given roles, as we, as we minister within the context of the church to our brothers and sisters, as we maintain gospel centeredness, as we reject the influences of the This world and the systems of thought that this world presents to us and unfortunately, much of the world has crept into the church and, and, and therefore some of the church is not functioning in the way that it should.

I'm thinking of the influences of postmodernism where truth is relative and it's a matter of opinion and I have ran into believers professing Christians who would say, what, whatever you think, that's fine and whatever I think, that's fine. But that is postmodernism creeping into the church and it serves to destroy the church. It creates upheaval, I believe, within the church because truth is not a matter of opinion. Truth is true irregardless of whether I affirm it or not.

And the church is called to affirm objective truth that has been delivered to us from the source of that truth, God Himself. There are the influences of secular psychology in the church serving to undermine the church to where the church doesn't function the way it should. It is a pillar in support of the truth. There is to be a rejection, if you will, of worldly systems and methods.

The church upholds the church when it upholds biblical doctrine. A right view of who God is. There's this thing out there called open theism in which those folks are saying that God is in the process of discovering Himself. OK.

What's up with that? And we laugh, but it's not funny. Because God's name is at stake. The very person and character of God Himself is being undermined by these false systems of thought.

God is not in the process of discovering Himself. He is all knowing, eternal. Totally self-sufficient. We've got to have a right view of God if we are to uphold the truth.

We have to understand our God is one, eternally existing in three persons, God, the Father, God the Son, God, the Spirit. We must uphold the sufficiency of scripture, believing that God through His word can bring about transformation in the Lives of people we are to lay, lay hold of and to affirm and, and, and, and, and to believe in the incarnation of Jesus, the perfect life that he lived, the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ that he was raised bodily from the dead and that he eventually ascended onto the right hand of the Father and he will come again someday.

These are truths that we are to affirm if we are to be a pillar and support. If we are to function the way God wants us to function, we must reject anyone that would add works to salvation.

We must affirm the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and there is so much more, but at the end of the day, the bottom line is this that the church Has a function. We are a pillar and a support of the truth. So that a lost and dying world can see it, so that brothers and sisters in Christ can see it, to know it, to understand it and live in light of the truth so that they can be transformed. Christ says you shall know the truth.

And it's the truth that will set you free. And so freedom hinges upon upholding and buttressing and supporting the truth. Well, this brings us to the last point here and the last point is that the church has a message. The church has a message and the message is the truth.

And you might ask me, well, what is the truth? I've already referred to the truth and some of what I have said already. And the truth is going to get further unpacked in the following verse. And we're going to leave that to Pastor Milton to unpack it for us next week.

The following verse gives to us the truth, but if you would like it in a nutshell, at the end of the day, here it is. God is holy. And perfect, immense, almost unimaginable. God is the king, the Creator, the sustainer of all things.

God is sovereign over every detail in this world. There is a God. He does exist. And there is only one, eternally existing in three.

And we have sinned against this holy God. We have violated his commands. We have failed to love Him with all of our heart, soul, strength, and might. We have used his name in vain, maybe not in word, but in deed.

The truth is that there is a God who has been sinned against by his creation. He has been sinned against by you and me, brothers and sisters. This is the truth, and that we are deserving of judgment. We are deserving of hell.

We do not deserve life, but the truth is, is that God saw fit to send His Son and to have his son crushed. On the cross, crucified, murdered, beaten, stricken, and afflicted. God chose to provide for you and I, not just a mediator, but a ransom. Earlier, Paul says to Timothy, there is one mediator.

And, between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who is the ransom for our sin, God saw fit. To have Christ Crucified in our place. That's the truth. So that you and I may be forgiven for our sin.

And it is good, and it is healthy, and it is right. It is appropriate for us. To think about this truth. And as an overflow of the truth.

To therefore offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. It is appropriate in light of the truth to want to give ourselves over to the Church of God in service because we are the church. OK. So, the church has, A message We've considered 7 truths regarding the church that should aid us in our understanding and then motivate and direct us onto godly living within the context of the church.

Those truths include The church has an impact. The church has a structure. And we are to honor the structure that God has put into place. The church has a standard of conduct.

Love. The goal of our gospel proclamation is love. At the end of the day, it all could be summarized underneath that. And the church has an identity.

We are his house. We are the household of God. One father, many brothers and sisters. Of different backgrounds, different, racial backgrounds, different cultural, ethnic, backgrounds, social backgrounds and whatnot, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

The church has an owner. And he paid the highest price so that he could own us. We have been purchased through the blood of the lamb. The church Has a function.

We are pillars in support of the truth and then finally, the church has a message. We have a message to proclaim. And clearly, brothers and sisters, the church is very important. And it should be central.

In our experience of the gospel, it should be central in our lives if we are to be all that God wants us to be. I want to end with a quote from John Stott, and this is what he says, if the church is central to God's purpose, As seen in both history and the gospel. It must surely also be central to our lives. How can we take lightly what God takes so seriously?

How dare we push to the circumference what God has placed at the center? The church. The church is important to God and may God. Motivate us.

May God. Direct us onto godliness within the context of the local church. In your bulletins, you have information slips if you have any comments or questions connected to the sermon. Feel free to fire my way.

if you have any prayer requests, feel free to jot those down as the ushers come forward to take the collection, to take the offering. again, this is a way that we show God's ownership over us is as we give onto the Lord. Out of the overflow of what he has given to us first. As the ushers come forward and as you guys get ready to give unto the Lord as the Lord leads and let us know about your prayer request, let us go ahead and, and pray.

gracious heavenly Father, we come before you this morning and, The Lord, we have considered the church. And I pray, Lord, that you would help us to, To have a sense of passion for the church and help us, Lord, to, to live in a godly manner within the context of the church. Realizing lower debt. It is a priority to you.

It is very important to you. Lord, we, we pray that we would indeed be the type of church, In which you make your presence felt that you would be at home and as we would have an impact. We would make a difference. We would honor you with the structures that you have told us to have with elders and deacons and godly men qualified, but we, we just pray, that you would help us, Lord, to, to, to uphold the conduct that you want us to uphold.

Help us, Lord, to, to be a, a pillar in support of the truth. Help us, Lord, to, to truly be the household of God and, and help us, Lord, to, to know the message and to proclaim the message and to live the message of the gospel out in very relevant and practical ways, Lord. I pray that you would just bless the meat of the message to our hearts and bring about change in us as we contemplate, as we have contemplated the church. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.