God’s Expectations of His Church

Transcript

GR1750
01/12/2014
God’s Expectation of His Church
I Timothy 3:14 – 4:1
Gil Rugh

As I mentioned this morning, I want to consider the doctrine of the church with you and we are going to use 1 Timothy for our study because there is where God addresses some of the matters relating to the church and what He expects the church to be.

Turn to I Timothy, chapter 3 and just pick up with verse 14. Paul is writing to Timothy. We will have more to say about these as we move into the opening verses of chapter 1 but note what Paul says here. “I am writing these things to you, (to Timothy) 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. And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations,Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.” Then he immediately continues in this letter which would not have had chapter divisions or verse divisions. The Spirit explicitly says, “That in later times some would fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” So he clearly establishes his purpose in writing so that we would know how the church is to function, conduct itself and it’s in the context of the danger of false teaching and false doctrine. When he opens the letter in chapter 1, verse 3 he will say, “I urge you upon my departure from Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.” So the doctrines he warned about in chapter 4, verse 1, as we read, were already being infiltrated into the church at Ephesus at this early date and he wants Timothy and particularly the church that Timothy is helping to get on track and focused so they understand what they are to be and how they are to function.

We live in days where the church is going through the same kind of turmoil being infiltrated with false teachings and false doctrines and these things come in disguise. I was going to bring to you some of the recent books that have come out and I thought just some ideas. Well I didn’t want to carry them in. Then I was going to bring a catalog that talks about books that are available for sale and you get pages on books on the church and some books that are written about the church are very good, very Biblical, very helpful but the general flow of material is not based upon Scripture. It is founded on principals that came out of the church growth movement. Look at what’s working and then try to implement those in churches.

Here’s what one recent writer has said in critiquing these things, “the old traditional model was New Testament based with expository teaching and preaching from the Bible about the nature of God, man, sin, repentance, judgment and God’s plan of redemption, relying upon the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit. The new model has fixated on the mega church as being the sociological change agent wherein man transforms himself by addressing felt needs in a community and society.” And as I mentioned in an earlier study. one writer has made this observation: “The first generation fights for orthodoxy. The second generation assumes orthodoxy. The third generation abandons orthodoxy and that usually takes place over a 75 year period and I think that is a struggle. The first generation battles for the truths, stands against error. The second generation assumes, well yes, we know these things. Of course we believe these things. Let’s not make an issue of it. Let’s not get carried away; let’s not be divisive with the truth. We just assume the reality of it. And very quickly the third generation just abandons the truth and I think we see some of these things going on in our own day.”

Doctrines of the church: some of the books that were written, I didn’t write down the titles, but we’ve had the Seeker Church, that you are familiar with, the Purpose Driven Church, a book written on the Deep Church, some of the books, the Break Out Churches and we have the Emerging Church or Emergent or the Emerging Conversation because they are not sure what they believe they are just in conversation about things. These kinds of doctrines and they infiltrate what used to be sound churches.

One of the major influences among churches has been the Willow Creek Church in Chicago. You know, we are not going to go into talking about what some of our differences may be but they are built on a management model, influenced by Robert Schuller and his philosophy of the church and so on and that succeeded in having a mega, mega church and they have created an association of churches that want to learn from them. And, if you get on the web site of the Willow Creek Association you know what you will find? A number of those churches you would be familiar with in our city known as Bible believing churches are members of the Willow Creek Association of Churches. I am not going to read them. You would recognize the names of some of these churches very quickly. Why would you belong to this association? As I watch what they do, the speakers they bring in and so on, some of them have nothing to do with Biblical Christianity and would not give testimony of even being believers. There is something to learn. Of course if you would ask these churches, “why are you members” they would say well, we only take out of them what would be consistent with Scripture and not in violation. One person wrote in a different subject but said he would sup with the devil must have a long spoon. You know you think you can delve into and well we just take out of this. We went through this with psychology. Oh, we only take out of psychology what would be consistent with the Word. Oh, we only take out of these churches that are really functioning Biblically but they have certain things you can learn and we root through the garbage of the world thinking we are going to improve the church which is to be the pillar and support of the truth.

The article that Greg referred to on the atheist, he said the article appeared in the Omaha paper and the Lincoln paper so some of you read it. And they look at churches and they say, “Well they have fun music, an inspirational talk and good fellowship, we can do that. But if that’s all the church is, anybody can do it. I mean we just have fun music, a challenging talk and good fellowship with friends and the atheist say, “Yes, we ought to have that.” But, that is not what the church is.

In I Timothy chapter 3, verse 15 we are told that “the church is the household of God, the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” The world may not like a Biblical church but they ought to realize this is what we are about. We have tried to change the church and one of the things we are going to do – we are not going to use terminology that unbelievers would not understand or like; words like redemption, salvation and on we go, and then what? Pretty soon we have become, we have classes for those who are addicted. We don’t want to talk about sin and the slavery to sin that is what the Bible talks about. Pretty soon the church is not anything but one big self-help group that has turned its attention from its focus on God and the wonder of who He is and the power of His salvation.

Look at verse 15. In some review we will look at details on this when we get here but, “I am writing so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself.” The truth is not just something to be learned. The truth is something to be learned so we can put it into practice. We ought to be functioning and conducting ourselves as the church in accordance with God’s instructions.

I did some study on church growth, its thinking, many years ago which has been foundational to what is happening in churches today. They just had principles that if you implement these, these will work. I have shared with you before, one of the leaders in the church growth movement, 35 years ago, said, “we have principles that will work whatever your theology.” Well we have found out how to grow churches whether God is involved or not. Is that success? This is “so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God.” Paul is writing to Timothy at the church at Ephesus. Now Paul wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus; just back up to Ephesians, that’s a little bit before 1Timothy in your Bibles. The letter to the Ephesians and in chapter 2, verse 8: “For my grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” This is the foundational issue of our salvation - “For we are His workmanship.” And that will tie with what he is saying to Timothy in 1Timothy 3, “We are the household of God, we belong to Him. We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” And that’s why the first part of chapter 2 of Ephesians started out in verse 2. He talks about how we used to walk when we were unbelievers as Paul writes to the Ephesians but now we walk differently, we live differently and so how are we as believers to conduct ourselves. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 86:11 “I walk in Your truth.”
Come back to 1 Timothy 3, “I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God.” The household of God is God’s house, God’s family, the house of God. Not talking about the physical building but this is God’s family, God’s household. God’s people belong to Him. We are His family. He has used this in verse 5 of chapter 3 and verse 4: “He must be one who manages his own household well,” talking about a physical family, when he talks about elders and deacons.

Verse 5: “If a man does not know how to manage his own household,” so you see what he is talking about, a physical family there. Then he comes to chapter 3, verse 15 and he is talking about a spiritual family. That is what we are. We are God’s family and just as a man has responsibility to oversee his family so God oversees His family and instructs us on the proper behavior and conduct that is acceptable and pleasing to Him. It is the household of God, the church of the living God. The stress is on – we have a God who is alive. He’s the living God. The church that is His. It’s not my church. It’s not your church and I’m not saying we shouldn’t use a phrase like, “Well, my church,” in the sense this, the church that I attend, this local church. He’s writing about a local church and to a local church when he writes to Timothy. That is the emphasis in the New Testament. Over 90 of the 114 uses of the word “church” in the New Testament refer to local churches. That is the emphasis. It is my church in the sense I belong to it, I am a part of it but it’s not my church in that I own it or I ultimately am over it.
As he talks about Elders and Deacons there are responsibilities in administering God’s family but we don’t want to lose sight of whose church it is. It’s “the church of the living God. It’s the household of God.”

Back up to Acts chapter 20 to verse 28. And Paul here, you know where he is? He is on a missionary trip and he is meeting part of his travel with the Elders from the church at Ephesus. He is not in Ephesus itself for this meeting as you aware but he is meeting with the Elders from the church of Ephesus and he gives them instruction; verse 28: “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” See its God’s family. It’s the church of the living God. He even appoints those who have responsibility in overseeing His family to shepherd the church of God. The emphasis, it belongs to Him. Isn’t it amazing how much time we spend reading other books and men’s ideas that say this is what the church ought to be. This is how the church ought to operate. This is what will make the church; as though the church belonged to us. It’s “the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

We understand that the church is made up of those who have come to place their faith in Jesus Christ and have had the finished work of Christ on the cross applied to them because they have believed in Him. So when you believe in Christ “for by one Spirit we have all been baptized into one body,” the baptism of the Spirit that places us into the body of Christ and that makes you a member of this church when you place your faith in Jesus Christ and this is where God has led you to fellowship. You are a member.You belong here. Church membership is not an option. You are placed into the body of Christ. You are part of the church. Now if you choose not to function as part of that local body as God has instructed, you are in rebellion against Him. This is God’s plan. It’s not my plan. I don’t say that because, “oh, you’re a pastor you just want people to come to church.” Well I like it when people come to church but that’s not a good reason to come. The reason to come is what – because we are God’s family and He tells us “don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together” as we’ve studied Hebrews chapter 10. He is writing here of a church that has some organization. There are Elders over it. He’s addressing the Elders who are responsible to shepherd God’s people in this local church, the church at Ephesus. Again in Acts chapter 20, He purchased this church with His own blood Paul writes to the Corinthians and tells the believers you are not your own. You have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and this church is the group of believers in Jesus Christ who had been redeemed by faith in His work, the finished work on the cross. They had been brought together in this local place to accomplish what God has given to us as a local church. And we will talk more about that.

Then the warning: “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” The damage done to the church doesn’t primarily come from without. There is severe persecution that can come from without, the hands of unbelievers but the real damage to the church comes from within. He goes on to say in verse 30: “From among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, seeking to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert.”

Verse 32: “Now I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” The church is the pillar and support of the truth. The truth is a reference to God’s Word and that’s what enables us to be matured in Christ. We are to be a group on the alert; “From among your own selves.” You know what? That prophecy of Paul has come true. And the church at Ephesus is dealing with men who are teaching things that should not be taught and Paul tells Timothy you have to deal with it, always unpleasant to deal with error within. These are the attacks I shared with you in our earlier study today. You know, we don’t have to be dividing over doctrine and we ought to be more open. It’s not a Biblical doctrine. The church is the pillar and support of the truth.
Come back to I Timothy 3:15. The church is the pillar and support of the truth. The church is about the truth. That’s why we say this should be a truth center. What are we about? Well this is a pillar. We didn’t create the truth. Roman Catholic doctrine says the church created the Bible. That is not true. The truth of Scripture is objective revelation from God. The church comes out of the truth that God has revealed and our response in faith to the truth but the church is to be a pillar and support of the truth. Here’s where the truth is held firmly, unshakably. It’s defended, it’s promoted and it’s disseminated. This is to be a truth center. This is God’s family. This is God’s church. What is your church? It’s the pillar and support of the truth. What draws you there?

I’ve shared with you on occasion that something happened in our family when I was younger, a teenager that I didn’t forget. Our family had gotten saved. We moved from Pittsburg to Philadelphia and we went to a Methodist church. That particular church had some believers in it but it wasn’t a Bible teaching church and my parents got wind of a church that had Bible teaching so on Sunday nights we started going there as family and soon my dad decided we were going to leave the Methodist church where we were going. I was a teenager and already knew everything and I told him why that was not a good idea. All my friends are here you know. I didn’t want to leave my friends. I remember what I was told. We are leaving. Why? That is a place where we will be taught the Bible and that’s what is most important. You know when I got there, having my friends isn’t the most important thing, being taught the Bible is. I didn’t appreciate it as much then but I could with the passing of time and I looked back. What is number one? Is the truth being taught? It’s not a matter – do I like the music, do I like the people, do I like the preacher, do I? Is the truth being taught? That’s foundational because what is the church to be, the pillar and support of the truth. And if we are not doing that we have to ask, are we really the church of the living God? Well yes, we’ve really placed our faith in Christ. Well then, why are we in rebellion against Him? One thing ought to be clear, I hope it will always be true in my lifetime and if the Lord doesn’t come and whoever fills the pulpit after that. Oh if you go to Indian Hills you will hear the Bible. You may hear more of the Bible than you want to hear, get a longer sermon than you will like but one thing we cannot ever have that you won’t hear the truth because the church is to be the pillar and support of the truth. That is so simple but I read you examples this morning where those to claim to be evangelical have moved away from that view.

Another way we move away from it is that we say, “Well, you know, we interpret it differently. I don’t find anywhere in Scripture where differing interpretations are allowed. I am not saying that we have a perfect understanding of every passage but I am greatly concerned that the idea is given that the eternal God has spoken His truth to His people so that they can obey it but He did it in such a muddled way that it’s acceptable for everybody to have their own idea of what it means. I don’t think the Bible is that unclear. I don’t think that we have been called together as God’s family to be the pillar and support of the truth which we can’t really be sure what most of it means. That is not acceptable. It never has been acceptable.

I want to look a little bit at what some of the passages where God addressed these matters. Come back to Exodus. It’s true, we are before the church, obviously in the Old Testament but the point is the same. Any time God speaks He speaks with the expectation and the requirement that it be understood and obeyed, Exodus, chapter 24. There are many verses but we are just going to take a selection of these verses. Look at verse 3: “Moses came and recounted to all the people the Words of the Lord and all the ordinances and all the people answered with one voice and said: ‘All the Words which the Lord has spoken we will do.’”

Verse 7: “Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people and they said, ‘all that the Lord has spoken, we will do. We will be obedient.’” Any indication, well boy, we really don’t know what God means. I mean this is not clear. I think you know? You could have several different opinions on this. It is clear. Now they won’t do what they said. They won’t be obedient. It’s not because God wasn’t clear and they were expected to understand it to be respond to it.

Come over to chapter 19 while you are in Exodus. Exodus chapter 19, verse 5: “Now then if you will indeed obey My voice, keep My covenant.” You see, when God speaks the expectation and requirement is – you will obey it. This idea, well we can each give it a different meaning and we ought to be open to that is another way that the devil infiltrates among the church and gives the idea that you can have differing doctrines but we should be tolerant of that with one another. We should be intolerant of anything that is contrary to the Word of God. That doesn’t mean that we have perfect understanding of every verse and our church is the only church that has the understanding but a more serious error is being promoted among the churches that, well there are, you know, so many opinions on this. We’ve talked about eschatology, future things, prophecy and some people have the view, well you know, many good people disagree on these so we are just not going to make an issue of it. What are you going to tell God? Well God, well it’s…didn’t you understand it. Well Lord, I thought it was clear You meant this but they didn’t. Well then why didn’t you do what I told you? Why didn’t you teach what I gave you? Well, I thought if they disagreed I shouldn’t give the idea that I knew more than they do. Do you think that’s an excuse? I mean, I could have never gotten away with that with my Dad. Well Dad, I know what you said but they told me you probably didn’t mean that. My dad would say, “You knew what I meant.” Yes, I mean I’m not going to tell God, “Well Lord, there were a lot of different opinions.” What’s that got to do with anything? The people, verse 5 of Exodus 19, “you will indeed obey My voice.” That’s the requirement. Verse 8: “All the people answered and said together, ‘well we are not sure what you said Lord.’ All that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

Come over to Deuteronomy. We will just pick up a few verses in Deuteronomy. We are in God’s Word. The church is the pillar and support of the truth. God’s people have always had the responsibility of being entrusted with God’s truth. Israel in the Old Testament, the church when it was established in Acts chapter 2, that God’s people have always been responsible as, can I say, the caretakers of God’s truth and those who live in submission to God’s truth. Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 2: “You shall not add to the Word which I am commanding you nor take away from it.” That same instruction is given in a little different wording at the end of the book of Revelation where Christ warns about anybody who adds to what He has given in the book of Revelation or anybody who takes away from it, judgment will come on them. “You don’t add to it, you don’t take away from it that you may keep the commandments of the Lord, your God which I command you.” I mean it’s clear. You don’t make additions, you don’t make subtractions. You just submit to it.

Chapter 5 of Deuteronomy, verse 1: “Hear O Israel, the statutes, the ordinance which I am speaking today in your hearing that you may learn them and observe them carefully.” Down in verse 29: “Oh that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me and keep all My commandments always.” Verse 31: “But as for you, stand here by Me that I may speak to you all the commandments and all the statutes and judgments which you shall teach them that they may observe them.” Verse 32: “So you shall observe to do justice the Lord your God has commanded you. You don’t turn aside to the right or the left. You walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you.”

That presupposes understanding that there is only one interpretation. Well, scholars have said that. It doesn’t matter. These shepherd people that have been slaves in Egypt, not getting the best education were expected to understand what God was saying and live in obedience to it. That’s encouraging. Almighty God has spoken with the intention that His people know and understand what He requires and so do it. That encourages me. God intends us to understand the Bible. It is a disaster that the church is being infected with this idea.

Jump over to Joshua chapter 1. The encouragement and instruction to Joshua is now picking up from Moses. How do you follow Moses, no one like Moses who spoke with God face to face? I mean this is an impossible task. Joshua is not called to be Moses. God is calling Joshua to be obedient to Him. Can he fill the shoes of Moses? He’s not called to fill the shoes of Moses. He is called to do what God give him to do. He may be carrying on some of the similar responsibilities but he’s not another Moses but he is to be in verse 6: “Strong and courageous,” again verse 7: “Be strong and courageous.” Well how to do you get that? At the end of verse 5 God has assured him, “I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you.” Then He tells them, verse 7 as He goes on: “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left so you may have success wherever you go.” True success is pleasing God and that’s what Joshua is to do. “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. You shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” Be strong and courageous. Don’t tremble or be dismayed. The Lord your God is with you wherever you go. That’s what Joshua is to do. That doesn’t necessarily mean he will have the same experiences of going and talking with God face to face on a mountain. No, but he has the Word of God, the Word of God that came from Moses and now is in his hands. You be careful you don’t veer to the right or the left. That presupposes what? Joshua is responsible to meditate upon it, to think upon the Word, to fill his heart and mind with the words so he knows what God has said so he can do it. That’s encouraging. Here Joshua the warrior, not Joshua the scholar but he’s expected and required to know the Word and obey the Word.

Come over to Psalm 19. We will just take, not Psalm 119, just 19. Psalm 119 is a great extensive Psalm but we will just take Psalm 19. Look at verse 7 and following. The Law of the Lord is the Word of God that they had at that time, up to that point. There will be future revelation but they are responsible to the revelation that God has given of Himself to this point. “The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true, righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, than much fine gold; sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned. In keeping them there is great reward;” the wonder, the beauty, the preciousness of the Word of God.

You know, I was sharing with someone this morning concern for the church. You know the church has moved to the point, less is better. People are happy we don’t have to meet on Sunday night. That frees up Sunday night for me. People don’t want to come to Sunday School. We don’t play that up and you know people are not up for long sermons. Thirty minutes is better and if you could fit that in, in a time when it won’t interfere with things that I am really interested in, that would help me a lot too. How are people going to learn the Word? Any wonder the first generation battles for truth. The second generation just assumes it and the third generation just abandons it. We’ve cut back so much that thirty minutes in the Word at the time when it doesn’t interfere with too much – what are our kids going to cut back to, I wonder? Well I guess we just don’t bother with it at all. It wasn’t that important to my parents in the first place. It wasn’t important to the previous generation. They just assumed that but we are beyond assuming that and it’s just not that important. It’s the most precious. The Psalmist says here, “it’s more desirable than gold, yes than much fine gold.” It’s the food for my soul and we are happy to get less.

Come over to Jeremiah, Jeremiah 15. This is one of my favorite verses. The prophet Jeremiah, we call him the weeping prophet. He had a hard life, a hard ministry, a long ministry but it was difficult to the very end. But in Jeremiah 15, verse 16: “Your Words were found and I ate them and Your Words became for me a joy and a delight of my heart for I have been called by Your Name, O Lord, God of hosts.” Who are we as the church? We are the people of God called by His Name. We are God’s family, God’s children. Is the Word of God that same preciousness to us who have been called by His Name? It’s just like, I am feeding on the Word and the Word is what produces in my heart, joy and delight. That’s what sustains Jeremiah.

You’re in Jeremiah, turn over a few pages to chapter 20. There were difficult times when Jeremiah thought, “you know, every time I preach the Word things only get worse.” Verse 7: “O Lord, you have deceived me and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughing stock all day long. Everyone mocks me. Each time I speak and cry aloud I proclaim violence and destruction.” And nothing has changed. 2500 years ago people didn’t want to hear negative messages. They didn’t want to hear about sin and judgment. They were more overt in their opposition to it. Jeremiah suffered because “for me, the Word of the Lord has resulted in reproach and derision all day long.” Maybe I ought to just keep it to myself. Maybe I ought to quit telling this people. You don’t want to hear it anyway. “But if I say I will not remember Him or speak anymore of His Name then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire, shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in. I cannot endure it.” Lord, it’s got to get out. Well you know, nobody wants to hear it anyway and they just mock me, make fun of me and make my life difficult. Maybe I’ll just be quiet and go about my business. But he says it’s not that way for me. As a child of God, His Word is in me and it’s like a fire burning in there and you know it’s got to be out. I can’t hold it in anymore. That’s the way the Word of God is. I just can’t keep it in. I have to tell people. I know they won’t like it and I know they are not going to want to hear it and I know it may result in trouble but I just can’t keep it to myself. I want to tell them.

Ezekiel chapter 2 and then we will just jump to a few verses in the New Testament to show nothing has changed. Just past Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, the Lamentations of Jeremiah and then Ezekiel, chapter 2. This is another great prophet and you know the wonderful experiences in Ezekiel chapter1, he has a vision of the glory of the Lord. Chapter 1 of Ezekiel opens up: “The heavens were opened. I saw visions of God.” You know, it’s not all up and you get to chapter 2 and God says to him, “Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you.” Stand up, I have something to tell you and “He spoke to me the Spirit entered me. He said, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed…” Remember back when these people said, “All that the Lord has said we will do?” But they didn’t. Not because they didn’t understand it. Not because God wasn’t clear. They just found reasons not to do it. “I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children; and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord.’” And then there will be a revival and people will turn from their wicked ways and see that you are telling them the truth. That’s not what’s going to happen. You say to them, “Thus says the Lord, as for them, whether they listen or not – for they are a rebellious house – they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions.” Indicating it’s not going to be pleasant. “Neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house.” The people of God ought not to be trying to adjust the message of God to make it more acceptable to a people who are in rebellion against God. “But you shall speak My Words to them whether they listen or not for they are rebellious.”

Now in that sense nothing has changed. We come to the church in the New Testament, God’s people now that He has called together as His family, as His church to be the pillar and support of the truth. And the church is constantly trying to find out how they can be more acceptable to the world, how we can be more well liked and well received and popular and big. That’s the mark of success, isn’t it? Everybody writing a book has because “my church has grown to be 10,000.” Well everybody wants to know, how did you do it? They don’t ask, “How did God do it?” We want to know, what did you do? What kinds of things can we do to make our church grow?

Ezekiel, you go tell them what I told you and it’s not going to be received. You go into chapter 3. He’s going to go on. He’s given the scroll and he takes it and he eats it. Verse 1: “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. Son of man, feed your stomach, and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My Words to them.”
Remember the Word of God is Psalm 19 is pictured as sweeter than honey. He is to take in the Word of God. He takes it into himself. Now he’s to go and tell them, verse 5: “for you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel.” You are going to a people who don’t speak Hebrew and so you are not going to be able to communicate. .” “A people of unintelligent speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to them who should listen to you; yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you; since they are not willing to listen to Me.”
We better be very careful to try to make the message of the church today palpable to a people who don’t want to hear what God has to say. Woe be to us as God’s people when we decide we are going to go around God. They don’t want to hear what you have to say Lord, but I’ve come up with a plan that will fill the seats multiple times. You know what? People think well of us. Did you tell them? The measure of Ezekiel’s ministry, well did you tell them what I told you?
Verse 10: “Son of man, take into your heart all My Words which I shall speak to you, and listen closely. Go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or not.”

Verse 14: “So the Spirit lifted me up, took me away. I went embittered in the rage of my spirit and the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.” We are supposed to have that nice, welcoming ministry that never says anything negative, never offends anyone. When Ezekiel came under the power of the Spirit with the Word of God he went in the rage of his spirit. “Embittered in the rage of his spirit.” He has to address the sin of the people.
I am not saying we ought to be harsh, unkind people but we ought to be firm, unshakeable, defenders and proclaimers of the truth, not embarrassed. Have you ever had the thought you would like to invite your friend to come to Indian Hills but, “I wonder what Gil’s going to be on today?” “Oh, I hope he doesn’t get on the Presbyterians, or the Catholics or the Lutherans.” Sometimes we get calls and they say, “Do you know what Gil’s going to preach on?” Well, you know sometimes what I say was not exactly what you might have thought I was going to preach on. What are we afraid of? If it’s the Word of God, Lord, You will use Your Word. This is how I come to it. Lord, as you guide me then, guard my tongue that I might be faithful to Your truth and say what You want said. I can’t worry who is going to be here. If they are open to the Word of God by the grace of the Spirit of God working, God will use it. I am not going to apologize for God. You know, we have come up with all kinds of ways to talk to people but you wouldn’t want to tell them they are sinners, that this is sin. But you sin because you are a sinner and there is no hope for you apart from casting yourself on the mercy of God, claiming the love and grace of God that was demonstrated when Christ died on the cross to make possible your forgiveness, your rescue from sure damnation in hell. Oh, that’s harsh. No, that’s love. That you were a wretched, hell deserving, hell bound sinner that can be saved, that’s love. This is the great demonstration of love “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” I should apologize. I should act like this is something that, yes you are a great sinner, the wonder is, He is a greater Savior. That’s the message we have. You come to Indian Hills you should hear the truth. You go to Sunday School classes, you should hear the truth. You go to Home Bible Studies, you hear the truth. You come to the Wednesday night classes, you hear the truth. This is a truth center, not this building but we as the church and all we do are about truth. So Ezekiel’s message.
Jump over to the New Testament, I Corinthians chapter 1, note, nothing changes. The church is not Israel, Israel is not the church but we are talking about the people God calls to Himself. In the Old Testament, it was the nation Israel. In the New Testament it is the church and God has communicated His revelation to His people and the responsibility to that truth and with that truth is basically the same. We are to learn it, to know it, to stand for it, be faithful to it, teach it and live it. I Corinthians chapter 1, Paul is coming to the Corinthians and we talked about scholarship and wisdom. I despair over the commentaries being written today. One commentary that I was reading this week, it’s a 1000 pages on the pastoral epistles. On one section of about four verses he spends 50 pages not exegeting those verses but explaining why you shouldn’t take them literally as they are. This is an evangelical commentary that gets great reviews. I mean, it is so frustrating. And of course, you have to quote all these unbelievers and extra Biblical sources and all to demonstrate what a scholar you are and the breadth of knowledge you have is so wonderful and all used to say that God doesn’t really mean what He says here so clearly. This is what is happening to the church. The simplicity of the beauty of God’s Word corrupted. Paul is going to Corinth. The Greeks loved wisdom.

Verse 17 of chapter 1, I Corinthians, “Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel. Not in cleverness of speech.” Not in the wisdom of speech, not with the demonstration of scholarliness that would impress the Greeks. Because if I did, the cross of Christ would be emptied, made void. You can’t mix man’s ideas and man’s thinking with God’s truth without destroying the impact and effectiveness of God’s truth. “For the word of the cross is foolishness.” It’s moronic “to those who are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved it is the power of God.” I can’t make the unbeliever appreciate the wonder of the truths that God has revealed and the work that He has done in His Son. Only God in grace can do that and when the heart is convicted by the Spirit and they bow and place their faith in Christ all of a sudden they see the beauty and wonder of that which seemed to them to be such foolishness. “Where is the wise man, where is the scribe, where is the debater of this age?” (Verse 20) “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God? God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. I know the Jews want miracles, signs. The Greeks want more wisdom. To both I preach Christ crucified.” I don’t change the message for the audience. I have one message and when I am with the Jews who would like to see something spectacular, I preach Christ crucified. When I am with the Greeks who want a demonstration of scholarly wisdom and knowledge, I preach Christ crucified. That much emphasis, you know, you have to adjust your message to the audience. There is no adjusting.

In the years when I had opportunity to go to the university and speak to classes I only had one message. You have invited me here to talk about death and a perspective on death. I want to tell you what God says about death, why death is a requirement, why do people die. Did you ever think about that? Why do we die, why do we get old and die? The Bible says we get old and die because we are sinners and the penalty for sin is death. Am I going to think, how am I going to impress them? I’d better let them know I’ve read something about existentialism and I’m an expert in it though I’m not but try to demonstrate that you know, you’re not just an average, know nothing preacher. I am an average know nothing preacher. I came here knowing nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. They invited you down to speak to a doctor’s seminar at the university. You say, “Well, I can’t do that.” Say, “Sure, I’ll be there. I know exactly what to say.” What I’ll preach, Christ crucified. I know you are here studying to get your doctor’s degree. That’s wonderful. You are obviously very intelligent people. You know the God who gave you your intelligence has spoken and made Himself known. You know what He said? He says if you are ever going to experience the forgiveness of your sins and the salvation He has provided, you are going to have to set aside that confidence in your wisdom. You are going to have to bow in humility before Him, recognizing you are a sinner and that His Son is the only answer. The message doesn’t change does it?

Paul goes on through this, down into chapter 2, verse 2: “I determine to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and fear and much trembling. My message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power so that your faith would not rest in the wisdom of men but on the power of God.”

So be encouraged when you go out and share the message. You will recognize your weakness, the fear that comes with it, the trembling. You are in good company. That is how Paul felt but he still went ahead and told them the truth of the Gospel and that is what has been entrusted to us, the church. That is the message we have when we gather tonight to hear this truth and be reminded of it.

We will continue on as we move into I Timothy. Let’s pray together: Thank you Lord for the riches of Your Word. Lord we are the church that You have brought together in this place. Thank you for other local churches in this city and around this nation and around the world that You have called together in Your grace bringing redeemed people together as Your family and Lord, Your truth is proclaimed, defended around the world. We thank you for faithful people and faithful churches. Lord, we want to be part of that faithful group that is accomplishing Your purposes and are pleasing to You. Use us in the days of the week ahead of us to give forth this great message, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. In His Name. Amen