1 Timothy 3:14-15: Exposition

Driving home: It has often been said, and I am sure many if not all of you have heard the saying, that there is perhaps no greater nor more important question with respect to discerning where a person is spiritually than the question,…

Martin uses the question 'What do you think of Christ?' as the ultimate index of a person's spiritual state, comparing it to a foundational diagnostic for spiritual discernment.

And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. He who was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, received. He who was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached among the nations, preached among the nations, preached among the nations, preached among the nations. It has often been said, and I am sure many if not all of you have heard the saying, that there is perhaps no greater nor more important question with respect to discerning where a person is spiritually than the...

4:52 - 6:16 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I want to suggest that perhaps second in importance with respect to your spiritual state, is the question what do you think of Christ's church?

The church is described as the 'fullness of Christ himself' and intimately joined to Christ, even more profoundly than a husband and wife becoming one flesh, to emphasize its inseparable connection to Christ.

those two questions. For the scriptures describe the Lord Jesus in reference to his church in such amazing language as that which we find in the end of Ephesians 1, in which the apostle speaks of the church of Christ as the very fullness of Christ himself. And in Ephesians chapter 5, he speaks of the church as being so intimately joined to Christ that even the description of the union between a husband and wife in which the two become one flesh pales in insignificance before that greater mystery. And Paul says, I speak concerning Christ and his church, and he nourishes and cherishes the church...

7:47 - 8:58 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I want to suggest that perhaps second in importance with respect to your spiritual state, is the question what do you think of Christ's church?

Martin compares his two-part sermon (exposition then application) to the Puritan practice of delivering a complete two-hour sermon in one sitting, explaining the conference format necessitates the division.

where we trust the glory of Christ person, and the sufficiency of Christ's work will again and again be brought to our attention, it is indeed fitting that our attention should likewise be directed to his glorious church. And what I propose to do in the two sessions allotted to me, rather than give you a popular lecture or two after the vein of systematic theology, which I would like to do in some respects so that you would have a broad overview of all of the most strategic passages on the doctrine of the church, I want to approach the subject more pastorally and more exegetically. And so, God...

8:58 - 10:23 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the historical context of Paul's letter to Timothy, explaining that Paul, having left Timothy in Ephesus, writes to convey the perspectives and priorities he would…

Martin ironically labels Paul a 'poor missionary strategist' for leaving Timothy in an established church like Ephesus rather than sending him to 'new frontiers,' highlighting Paul's counter-cultural emphasis on church order and behavior.

Now in the face of the mentality that prevails in our day, Paul was a very poor missionary strategist. Had not Ephesus been evangelized? Had not the church been planted? And not only planted, had it not been furnished with a richness of gift in terms of a plurality and parity of oversight?

20:17 - 20:40 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Timothy, remember it is God's house, not your church, Timothy, it's not my church, Timothy, it is God's dwelling place and every line, every angle, every piece of furniture, every activity within God's house is of suprem…

The incident of Jacob exclaiming 'This is none other than the house of God' after God appeared to him is used to introduce the concept of God's special presence defining His 'house'.

in the text. The glorious identity of the church is that of the house of God and if you were to take your concordance to track down this concept you would probably end way back in Genesis chapter 28 in that amazing incident in which God appeared to the fleeing Jacob and after God appeared to him Jacob exclaimed in Genesis 28 in verse 17 this is none other than the house of God. Genesis 28 and verse 17 and he was afraid and said how dreadful is this place this is none other than the house of God this is the gate of heaven and that means that the dimension of the house of God gives us some indic...

24:44 - 26:10 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Timothy, remember it is God's house, not your church, Timothy, it's not my church, Timothy, it is God's dwelling place and every line, every angle, every piece of furniture, every activity within God's house is of suprem…

The tabernacle and Solomon's temple are presented as further developments of the 'house of God' concept, where God's glory and peculiar presence dwelt among His people, foreshadowing the church.

with his servant and would be with him with his special presence it was that which caused old Jacob to exclaim this is the house of God and that concept of the house of God is further developed with great richness in the days of the wilderness wanderings in conjunction with the tabernacle and you have many references to the tabernacle being called the house of God references such as we have in Exodus 23 and verse 19 where the people of God are said to bring their sacrifices to the house of God and likewise though there was now at least a temporary physical structure it was not the structure so...

26:10 - 27:39 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Timothy, remember it is God's house, not your church, Timothy, it's not my church, Timothy, it is God's dwelling place and every line, every angle, every piece of furniture, every activity within God's house is of suprem…

Martin uses the analogy of a physical house needing an architect, materials, construction, an owner, and a tenant to explain the spiritual realities of the church as God's house, with God fulfilling all these roles.

house oikos God's sanctuary his naos the place where God dwells in his peculiar and powerful presence in the midst of his people and Paul in essence is saying to Timothy Timothy some of these instructions may seem overly concerned with details Timothy some of these instructions may seem to be relatively unimportant in the light of the fact that you're laboring in the midst of a pagan world reeling to and fro under the heady wine of its pagan ignorance and Timothy something in you at times may burn to break out of so privileged a place as Ephesus where the church is established and where there ...

29:09 - 30:39 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Timothy, it is the church of the living God, and I want you to note that the context demands that we regard this reference as pointing to not exclusively but primarily to the church in its visible concrete expression wor…

The worship of the goddess Diana in Ephesus is contrasted with the 'living God' to emphasize the uniqueness and power of the true God who can call out and constitute His church.

because God himself dwells there and makes the house rules but then he gives the identity of the church with the second phrase he calls it the church of the living God which is and the relative pronoun points back to that which he has already described lest any out of pagan background identifying a house of God with a physical temple or those of a Jewish background thinking in terms of the carnal earthly physical type or shadow he says this house is the church the assembly the called out and called together ones of the living God the church his house is his people now there at Ephesus there we...

36:34 - 38:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Timothy, it is the church of the living God, and I want you to note that the context demands that we regard this reference as pointing to not exclusively but primarily to the church in its visible concrete expression wor…

Martin briefly mentions and dismisses 'Landmarkism' as a 'Baptist Romanism' to clarify that while the New Testament emphasizes local congregations, it does not support a continuous, unbroken succession from John the Baptist.

while I trust we abominate the heresies of landmarkism I call it a Baptist Romanism and for any of you who don't know what landmarkism is don't bother to find out but those who do those who do I hope that's suffices the silly notion that we trace a true church back to John the Baptist and then we see the pedigree coming on down through to the present day no no we abominate that and any person who says there is no reference to the church in the New Testament but a specific concrete local congregation must do violence to at least four or five key passages in the New Testament but the overwhelmin...

40:59 - 42:29 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if the truth of God is the roof and the walls it is the church which upholds it before any given generation in any given community and society it is the church that is a city a temple as it were set upon a hill

The story of Samson pushing down the pillars of the temple of Dagon is used to illustrate the critical supporting role of a pillar, connecting it to the church's function as the 'pillar of the truth'.

of the church look at the text how one ought to behave himself in the house of God which is the church of the living God the pillar and ground of the truth now obviously the key words are pillar ground and truth now what's a pillar well a pillar is that which supports the roof structure and often in ancient architecture it was so strategic that the pillar was very prominent and therefore was often very ornamental in design and that imagery is taken up in the scriptures you remember the promise of the risen Lord to one of the churches in Revelation chapter 3 and verse 12 to him that overcometh ...

42:29 - 43:59 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if the truth of God is the roof and the walls it is the church which upholds it before any given generation in any given community and society it is the church that is a city a temple as it were set upon a hill

The prominent pillars of Diana's temple in Ephesus and Solomon's temple are referenced to make the imagery of the church as a 'pillar' tangible to the audience.

restored from his backsliding in that great temple of the God Dagon he places himself between the two main pillars and he prays that God will give him strength once more and as he presses out upon those pillars when those two pillars broke the entire structure came down and thousands were slain now the apostle takes that imagery which would be very real to those at Ephesus for remember the great temple of the goddess Diana was there and those with the Jewish background knew something of the ornate nature of Solomon's temple and its porch with its huge and beautiful pillars which held up the ro...

43:59 - 45:27 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The church is pillar and ground of the truth what truth not just the central truths of the gospel as blessed as they are but hasn't God revealed some thing about the truth of roles has God constituted masculinity and fem…

Martin quotes John Calvin's perceptive commentary on 1 Timothy 3:15 to amplify the dignity and responsibility ascribed to the church in preserving and spreading God's truth through its ministry.

God constituted masculinity and femininity in creation yes or no well God helped the church that upholds the law and when women stand in places of prominence and leadership the church is saying God gives our that is a law that's why he says Timothy I desire that the men be found in places of leadership that the women learn in silence the church is pillar and ground of the truth and it's to be pillar and ground of every truth that God has revealed in the language of Acts 20 the whole counsel of God Calvin in his most perceptive way comes to the heart of the meaning of this part of the text when...

48:25 - 49:54 Read in full sermon