Sermons of Redeeming Life Church

“House Rules” (1 Timothy 3:1-16)

What is the role of Elder in the church? What is the role of Deacon in the church? Are women allowed to serve as Deacons? How do the roles of Elder and Deacon fit within the overall leadership structure designed for the church as outlined in Scripture? In his sermon, “House Rules,” from 1 Timothy 3:1-16, Pastor Josiah shares how God has a perfect design for the leadership structure of the church and explains how every area of service or leadership within the church must be found in either the role of Elder or Deacon as defined by Scripture. Pastor Josiah also shared how, as Christians, it is our responsibility to live out our lives as model citizens of God’s kingdom. As followers of Christ, each one of us has been called to steward the truth of God’s word and to be a guardian of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As stewards of the truth, it is our responsibility to exemplify Christ in every aspect of our lives. This sermon was preached on July 21st, 2024. Copyright 2024. For more information, please visit RedeemingLifeUtah.org.

Duration:: 38m
Broadcast on:: 22 Jul 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

You're listening to a sermon preached at Redeeming Life Church. - Well good morning church. I see some new faces or at least unfamiliar faces to me. So for those who don't know me, my name is Josiah and I have the joy of serving as our lead pastor here at Redeeming Life. If you have your Bibles with you, I wanna invite you to turn with me to First Timothy. Our church has been spending the last few weeks going through the book of First Timothy together. And today we're gonna be looking at chapter three this morning. If you're using one of those red church Bibles underneath the seat near you, we're gonna be on page 1052, page 1052. Or if you're watching online or maybe using electronic device, all the scripture verses that I mentioned this morning are gonna be in the U version Bible app as well. As you're making your way there, I wanna share a little story about my grandmother or about my grandmother's car specifically. I remember growing up, my grandma had a brand new Mercedes Benz. And when I say brand new, I mean brand new. Like they shipped this car over from Germany. They didn't even buy it off the lot. And it was a 560 SEL for those who know cars, for those who don't know cars, that's German for it was a boat. (audience laughs) It was gigantic. It was black exterior, black leather interior. It looked like the kind of car that a mob boss might drive or maybe a dignitary or someone from Parliament, except it was driven by my grandmother. It was the only driven by my grandmother. I can count on my hand. On one hand, how many times my grandma actually gassed up or fueled up a car in her entire life? I remember she would drive my grandfather to the gas station so he could get out and gas up her car. And she loved this car. She was so particular about this car. She would only take it to certain places to get lost. She was particular about who worked on it. One day when she got a little bit older, she kind of a little minor accident and cracked the tail light on the car. I remember having to help my grandparents navigate eBay and try to find one that was just an original tail light so it would match the car. She was so particular about that car. But this morning, we're gonna see that just as particular as my grandma was about the car, even more so, God is particular about his bride, about the church. I can assure you Christ cares even more about his bride, that my grandma cared about her car. That's why it's so important that we rise up, raise up Godly elders and leaders who follow Hong Kong's word and exhibit the guidelines that we're gonna see outlined in scripture today and in chapter three. That being said, you might be singing yourself this morning. I don't own a Mercedes and I don't feel called to be a pastor. So what's in this text for me today? Well, the purpose of Paul's letter to Timothy is to instruct the entire church on how they're to conduct themselves within God's household. So as a result, this letter's not just for the church and Ephesus, but it's for us here today as well. And for every Christian really seeking to serve God and honor him. As we look at first Timothy three this morning, I'm not going to spend a lot of time really unpacking the office of elder or the office of deacon. Our church, if you've been with us for the past few months has spent a substantial amount of time really looking at both those offices and those roles within the church. As part of my evaluation to be the lead pastor and to step in this position in the last couple months, we've discussed the qualifications surrounding eldership. This past January is we were making changes to our Constitution regarding the role of deacon in the church. We spent some serious, intentional time talking about what deacon is. The include we even had a theological discussion night with a panel group talking about this topic in depth. So if you're new here and you're wanting to know a lot about deacons and elders, this probably isn't going to be the most informative sermon or if you've been searching the interwebs looking for a sermon on this subject, there are probably better ones out there. But I believe that God has a specific message from his word this morning that he wants to share with our church and this local body of believers. So therefore, as we study God's word together, I plan to touch on the subject of both elders and deacons, but we're going to spend the bulk of our time really discussing how we as members of redeeming life and the Catholic church or the universal church are to conduct themselves within the entire body of Christ. So here in chapter three, we come to the heart of Paul's letter, right? The thesis statement or the central theme that he's wanting to communicate both to Timothy and the church in Ephesus. If you look at verse 14, Paul says, I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon, but if I should be delayed, I've written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the foundation of truth. Within these two verses, Paul is telling the church that as stewards of the truth, it's our responsibility to exemplify Christ in every aspect of our lives. We see this powerful truth outlined in verse 15. If the church is the pillar and the foundation of truth, we must be guardians of the gospel and stewards of the truth. Now, first things first, we must remember that the church leadership is a part of God's plan. There's not man's invention. It's not about a multilevel marketing plan or adapting the latest, greatest business model to hope that we'll see rapid growth within our church. This is about understanding God's design for the church and following his commands in order to display his glory and his power to the whole world. So that being said, when we come to portions of scripture like we find today, we need to take a moment. We need to first set aside our preconceived ideas or the traditions that we've held on to over the years and allow ourselves to be open to God's word and shaped by the truth contained inside. So as we prepare ourselves to look at the role of elders and deacons, let's do just that. Let's set aside our traditions. Let's set aside our predetermined notions. Let's look at God's word objectively to see what he would have us do and determine how the church is to function based on his perfect plan for leadership in the church. But before we do anything else, let's take a minute to pray. Will you bow your heads with me? Dear Lord, as we prepare to examine your word and look at chapter three here together this morning, Lord, I pray that you would open our eyes and ears to hear your voice, to see the truth of your word. Lord, I pray that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit and speak through me today, Lord. What we know not, I pray that you would teach us. What we see not, I pray that you would show us so that we could be a church that exists to proclaim your gospel and to glorify you. See, you're holy and precious anymore, I pray. Amen. All right, let's look at chapter three now, starting in verse one. Paul says this saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work. An overseer or a pastor or an elder, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach. Not an excessive drinker, not a bully, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy. He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity. If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God's church? He must not be a new convert or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil. Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders so that he does not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. So as we examine the role of both elders and deacons, a key idea that we need to remember is that a biblical model of church leadership is necessary for the church to display the glory of Christ in its worship and its witness. Christ has entrusted the care of the church to elder qualified men who will shepherd and guard the flock. As a result, it's our responsibility to determine who these men are that God would have lead us and guide us and only follow those who meet these expectations. So with that in mind, the question we have to ask ourselves is what is the role of an elder? When considering the role of elders in the church, we find that there are two other words for elder found in the New Testament. There's the word pastors in Ephesians 4, 11. The word overseers in Titus 1, 7. We know that both these words, both elder and overseer are interchangeable because the passages like Titus 1 where Paul uses the term elders in verse five and overseer in verse seven. These character traits listed in the opening verses of chapter three are not exhaustive, but rather are meant to represent the bare minimum qualifications for elders who serve the bride of Christ. God's word tells us that elders need to be a brother approach. You'd almost put a colon after a brother approach because everything else that comes after that is really stems from that first qualifier. He needs to be the husband of one wife. Now, some Bible scholars will look at this verse and determine that divorce is the unforgivable sin. However, I don't think that could be further from the truth. I think what Paul is saying is that an elder must be fully devoted and fully committed to his wife. I know lots of men who have only been married to one woman, but they have not been one woman man. We have to be self-controlled as elders, sensible, respectable, hospitable. Nobody wants an elder who's not hospitable. Nobody wants an elder who says, "Really? They're coming over again?" (congregation laughing) Hebrews 13.2 says, "Don't neglect to show hospitality "for by doing this, some have welcomed angels "as guests without knowing it." And now there must be able to teach if it's not being an excessive drinker. You can't be a bully, you need to be gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy. He must manage his household competently and have his children under control with all dignity. This verse is really important too because in the early church, oftentimes the church would meet in homes. They'd meet in the homes of the elder. How hard would it be to have a Bible study if kids are swinging from the chandeliers or jumping on the couch? He must not be a new convert, he says. He must have a good reputation among outsiders. The elder has a bad reputation in the community that doesn't speak well for the church. The reason that these qualities are so important and necessary in the life of an elder is because of the work the elder's been tasked with. Throughout the New Testament, we see how elders are tasked to protect the flock. They're tasked to nurture the flock, teach the word of God, and model the character of Christ. All four of these tasks can be summed up in the act of shepherding the flock. In first Peter five, Peter charges the elders of the church to shepherd God's flock. He says, "I exhort the elders among you "as a fellow elder and a witness "to the sufferings of Christ, "as well as one who shares in the glory "about to be revealed. "Shepherd God's flock among you. "Not overseeing out of compulsion, but willingly, "as God would have you. "Not out of greed for money, but eagerly. "Not loarding it over those entrusted to you, "but by being examples to the flock." Amen is right. We see similar language in Acts when the time came for Paul to leave Ephesus. Remember that from our study in Acts? In Acts 20, Paul gathers together the elders in Ephesus, and he reminds them of their duty and obligation to the church. Acts 20 starting in verse 25, Paul speaking, and he says, "Now I know that none of you, "among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, "will ever see me again. "Therefore, I declare to you this day "that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, "because I did not avoid declaring to you "the whole plan of God, "beyond guard for yourselves, "and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit "has appointed you as overseers, "to shepherd the church of God, "which he purchased with his own blood. "I know that after my departure, "savage wolves will come in among you, "not sparing the flock. "Men will rise up even from your own number "and distort the truth to lower the disciples "and to following them. "Therefore, beyond the alert, remembering that night "and day for three years, "I never stopped warning each one of you with tears." Throughout Scripture, we see that elders are to be servant leaders. They are tasked with serving the church through their God-centered leadership. Elders are not supposed to be controlling or domineering, but rather are responsible for modeling the love of Christ and the leadership of the church. Just because I don't watch your feet every week doesn't mean I'm not a servant to the church. I tell my daughter all the time, "Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future." Meaning that the people that you hang out with and the people that you surround yourself with are going to shape and dictate the type of person that you become. The same could be said for the church, "Show me your elders, and I'll show you what matters to you." The things that are important to the elders are going to be important to the church. If you have an elder who is serious about missions, you're going to be a church that's serious about missions. It's about going on mission and supporting mission organizations. If you have an elder who is hospitable and welcoming, you're going to be a church that's friendly and inviting to all who come through the doors. If you have an elder or elders who are serious about God's word and are committed to right doctrine, you're going to be a church that's rooted in God's word and grounded in His truth. Of course, the opposite of these things is also true. If you have an elder who isn't very interested in missions or being a missional-minded church, you likely won't go on very many mission trips anymore. If you have an elder who's aloof or cold or distant, you're going to be a church that's not very friendly or inviting to the guests who walk in the doors. I know this because I've seen this firsthand. If you have an elder who isn't committed to the word of God but is more interested in the latest growth model, then you're going to be a church that's tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine that comes along. The problem with many churches today is they are not committed to the word of God. As long as something is labeled as Christian, they assume it's OK, and they just go along with it. As a result, there's no gatekeepers in these churches. There's no elders who are betting the classes that are being taught or the songs that are being sung in church. They hear songs on the radio and go, well, that must be a good song. I heard it on Christian radio. Let's sing it in the church. Never mind the fact that the song is not doctrinally sound. It has a lot more to do with you than the creator of the universe. Church, we are so blessed with a worship minister who vets all our songs, who make sure that the songs we sing and the songs that we worship to are doctrinally sound and theologically rich. Amen. Praise God for Robbie, mostly because I can't sing. The point is this. Elders shepherd the flock. They guard the flock. They protect the flock. And they do all of this through the word of God. As Christians, God's word should mean everything to us. In my study this week, I saw that the preface to the Geneva Bible in the 17th century states that the Bible is the light to our path. The key of the kingdom of heaven are comfort in affliction, our shield and sword against Satan, the school of all wisdom, the glass wherein we behold God's face, the testimony of his favor as the only food and nourishment of our souls. The Bible is light, key, comfort, shield, sword, school, mere testimony, food, nourishment, foundation, and pillar. And it's everything, and it should mean everything to us. As a result, it's our responsibility, as members of the Church, to examine God's word, to understand it and to live it. We must turn to God's word to determine what the qualifications for Elders are, and then vet our Elders based on the guidelines listed throughout Scripture. The same thoughtful explanation that I've gone through as the Church, to be examined, to become an elder, is the same thoughtful examination that we should be utilizing with Robbie as we're considering him to be a future elder in this Church. As stewards of the truth, it's our responsibility to demonstrate Christ in every aspect of our lives. It starts with Elders, and it trickles down into the rest of the Church. In addition to Elders, we also find the role of deacons as part of God's leadership structure from the Church. Look at 1 Timothy again, picking up in verse 8. Paul says, "Deacons likewise should be worthy of respect." I have a critical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. They must also be tested first. If they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons. Wives likewise should be worthy of respect, not slanders, self-controlled, faithful in everything. Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, one wife, managing their children and their own households competently. For those who have served well as deacons acquire good standing for themselves and great boldness in faith in Christ Jesus. The key takeaway that we need to remember about deacons is that every one of us is tasked with serving the Church, whether we function in the office of deacon or not. Mom and Dad always said, "Many hands make light work," right? The Greek word for deacon is found more than 100 times in the New Testament. The word deacon almost always refers to some form of ministry or some form of service. The work of ministry that Paul describes in Ephesians 4 lists the different, where he lists the different giftings to the Church. It's referring to service and the responsibilities of all members of the Church. Each one of us is expected to serve or help out the Church in one way or another. That being said, it can be tempting for many of us to get caught up in the specific surrounding the office of deacon and focus on the roles within that office alone. Rather than simply making sure that we're all seeking to be deacons and act like deacons and really be servants in the Church. Let me explain what I mean. We know that there are two offices in the Church, or two leadership areas, Elder and Deacon. Every leadership role in the Church must fall within these two categories of leadership. Otherwise, we're forced to create a third category that's not outlined in God's word. If we do that, we quickly find ourselves on dangerous ground because there is nothing in Scripture that talks about a third category. So as a result, we find ourselves in uncharted territory as we have no choice but to make up the rules and responsibilities for this third option on our own, outside of Kant's word and what he's dictated. So while each one of us is tasked with serving in the local Church, there are specific roles and responsibilities that fall within a specific office or area that's been defined within either the office of Elder or the office of Deacon. We see an example of this two-part leadership structure in Acts 6. Acts 6, starting in verse 1, says, "In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews, that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. The Twelve, being the Twelve Apostles, summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, "It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables." Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer into the ministry of the Word. The ministry that these deacons provided stemmed from a specific circumstance that arose within the Church. Some acts of service that we see in the Church are not specifically laid out in Scripture. In Acts 6, we found that the care for widows and food distribution was addressed by deacons. However, just because we don't read about a deacon of coffee does not mean that's not important for the Church. Amen. Or that such a role doesn't even exist. We don't see a parking lot ministry in Acts 6, but that doesn't stop men from putting on reflective vests, grabbing flashlights and helping people to and from their cars at night during our Eva Beeb worship service in December. In Scripture, we find the framework for biblical leadership. That helps us address the needs in our Church that arise within our own specific context. In the New Testament, deacons were tasked with various responsibilities. In an effort to help free up the Apostles, to dedicate their time to prayer and the proclamation of God's work. Deacons served so that the elders could lead. Deacons also lead so that others can serve alongside of them. In the New Testament, we find deacons organizing others around them to make sure that certain work is being done and accomplished. Even though everyone in Church is invited to serve, those identified as deacons and called upon by the elders help lead other servants in assisting the Church with them. Deacons also unified the Church around the Word of God. They helped bring unity to the Church. Deacons support the overarching ministry of the Church. From fixing sprinklers to food distribution, to visiting shut-ins and other various tasks, deacons help keep the ministry of the Church functioning. So, that being said, as we examine the guidelines outlined for deacons, we find a list of qualifications just like we saw for the list of elders or overseers. And some of these same items are similar to what we saw in the earlier verses. Deacons cannot be a drunkard. They're not supposed to be greedy for money. They're supposed to be worthy of respect and self-controlled. One of the biggest differences that we see in these two lists is that deacons are not called to preach, like the elders of the Church are. In fact, we just saw an axe that one of the primary reasons for deacons is so that elders can devote themselves to preaching God's Word and spending time in prayer. So, with that in mind, there's a vital question that often arises concerning deacons and who's allowed to function in these roles. The primary question about deacons that's often debated is can women serve as deacons? So, let's talk about it. We've already established that the role of elder is limited to specific men. We talked about that last week. But what about the role of deacon? Are women allowed to be deacons? If not, if this role is only reserved for men, why would Paul talk about deacons' wives and not elders' wives? Shouldn't we be more concerned with how the pastor's wife behaves rather than the deacon of the parking lot ministry? Despite the fact that the elders have stricter qualifications, there's no mention of requirements concerning their wives. So, if only men are allowed to function as deacons, why does Paul take the time to address their wives and not the elders' wives? This is a topic that even the greatest Bible scholars argue about and are divided on. Many of you already know my thoughts on this issue because Pastor Brian and I spent countless hours researching this topic and addressing this question in January. Now, will some will disagree? I believe that women can serve as deacons. Part of my reasoning for this stems from the language that Paul uses here and the word likewise that we see repeated in 1 Timothy 3. As one Bible commentator I read noted, the overall structure of the passage seems to lead to the conclusion that Paul was not referring to the wives of deacons in verse 8, but rather to female deacons themselves. He used the word likewise to transition from talking about elders, in verse 7, to talking about deacons in verse 8. Paul then used the same word likewise, in verse 11, to transition into talking about deacons' wives or female deacons. It doesn't seem natural to me for the flow of the passage to run like this. First elders, likewise deacons, and then likewise deacons' wives. The following seems more likely. First elders, likewise deacons, and likewise female deacons. In fact, depending on the English translation that you have, translators have either utilized the word women in verse 11, or they've used the word wives. We also can't dismiss the vital role that Phoebe played in transporting one of the most important and crucial books within all our canon of scripture. The book of Romans. Lastly, if we determine that women are not allowed to function in the office of deacon, then we're stating that there is no role for women in our church. We already determined last week that Godly women and their giftings are tremendous blessing to Christ's church. At the end of the day, regardless of our personal opinions, we must ensure that everything we do conforms to God's design for the church rather than our own desires or our own ideals. Both in Acts 6 and outlined in 1 Timothy 3, we see a beautiful picture of God's design for leadership in the church played out through a faithfulness of both the elders and the deacons. Within this biblical structure of church leadership, we see elders or servant leaders devoting themselves to prayer into the ministry of the word. We find deacons or leading servants meeting needs, supporting the ministry of the word and unifying the body of Christ. In addition, all members of the church are to minister together and are to see the multiplication of the gospel throughout our community, our workplaces, and around the world. My prayer for us today is that we see occur in this, what we saw in the 1st century church in Acts will continue to happen in churches across the world today. Acts 6, 7 tells us that through this biblical model of leadership that Christ established for the church, that the word of God spread. The disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith. At the end of the day, it takes more than Godly elders and faithful deacons to advance the gospel throughout the world. We need to also ensure that as Christians, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we too are living our lives as model citizens of the kingdom of God. Because I ask Christians, as stewards of the truth, it's our responsibility to represent Christ in every aspect of our lives. We see this chart from Paul in the conclusion of chapter 3. Let's turn our attention again to verse 14 once more. We've read this verse at the very beginning. Paul says, "I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon, but if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar, and the foundation of truth. Church leadership affects every follower of Christ. As I shared earlier, our elders and leaders shape and mold our church in the same way that our friends influence and shape our lives. So with that in mind, a key idea we have to remember is that the church's God's household, and it's been charged with living in accordance with and upholding the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we look at the qualifications for elders and deacons, and we examine what's been outlined here in Scripture, it's clearly evident that Paul is charging the elders and the teacons of verse Timothy here to display Christ and model their lives after him. As a result, the characteristics listed within Scripture really aren't far off from how each one of us, as Christians, should be living our lives. If we're going to call ourselves Christians, is it right for us to be living our lives as a drunkard? Or an adulterer? If we're going to tell others that we are a servant of Christ, can we really justify being greedy for money or inhospitable to others? If we're going to tell our friends, if we're going to tell our family members that we are followers of Christ, is it not counterproductive to be chasing after the things of this world rather than the things above? As Christians, it's our responsibility to embody Christ in everything that we do and all that we are. As Paul washer so rightly stated, submitting our lives to the Word of God is not radical Christianity, it's basic Christianity. Here in verse Timothy 3, we see that there are house rules that we as Christians have to follow within the household of Christ. As Robbie said, each one of us has our own set of rules when it comes to our households. I remember growing up, my grandmother would not let us sit at the table with a baseball head on, or drink from a can at the table. When I visit my parents' house, I still sit in the chair I call Dibzon as a child. That is still my chair all these years later, and my sister knows it. It's my chair. Some of us have a no shoes indoors rule, or set of dishes we only use when guests come over. Yet some of us even have a room that we don't even go in unless guests come over. You can almost rob it off like it's a museum or the White House. That's for guests. We don't go in there. Whatever the case may be, we all have household rules when it comes to our families. Here in Paul's writing to Timothy, we see that there's a way we are to function. There's a way we're supposed to conduct ourselves within God's household. After all, as Christians, we are the expression of God's family. As the church, we are the dwelling place of God's presence. We are the guardians of God's Word, and in turn, we exist to be a light in the darkness and a beacon of hope for a lost and dying world, none of which would be possible apart from Christ, which leads us to the ending of chapter 3. Paul concludes chapter 3 by talking about how great and mighty the Lord is. In verse 16, he says, "Most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great. He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and taken up in glory." This phrase, "Mystery of godliness" can be confusing at times. Paul loves this word godliness. He uses it nine times in this letter to Timothy alone. To have godliness is to have a god consciousness. We talked in previous weeks about the importance of having a good or a clear conscience. When Paul talks about the mystery of godliness, he's not talking about a mystery that's unsolved or difficult to figure out. He's talking about something that was hidden for a time, but has now been revealed. When Paul refers to the mystery of godliness, what he's referring to is the supremacy of Christ. Paul is reminding his readers that Christ is superior to everyone and everything else that this life has to offer. There's a reason that Paul and his letter to the Philippians said to live is Christ, but to die is gain. Christ is all, and apart from him, we have nothing of value in our lives. For those of us who have not yet been saved, that fact should be obvious. Without Christ, we can never be satisfied. Maybe that's you this morning. Maybe you are apart from God, and you feel that void or that emptiness in your life today. Maybe you're listening to this message, and you're not a Christian. If that's the case, then the truth is you are enslaved your sin, and you're in bondage to the brokenness of this world. The only way to break free from the weight of that sin that so easily has ensnared you is to turn to Christ, to look to the majesty of God, and the mystery of Godliness that is being revealed. The mystery of Godliness has everything to do with Christ. Paul's church, charged to the church in Ephesus, was about more than being on our best behavior. Paul was reminding the Ephesian Christians to act in accordance with the incredible truth of who Christ is, and the amazing victory that Christ has won over sin, hell, death in the grave, through his own life, death, resurrection, and ascension. As Christians, as those who have been saved by the power of the gospel, and the grace of Christ Jesus, we must commit ourselves to living godly lives, not in the hope that one day will be saved by our works, but in the hope that our lives will point others to Christ and remind them of their own need of salvation. Remember, everything that we've read so far in First Timothy has been centered around salvation. We are to live our lives in goodness and dignity, because, as chapter 2, verse 3 says, this is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. In verse 16, Paul reminds us that Christ has been manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world and taken up into glory. Christ is the manifestation of God-centeredness, or to put it in another way, godliness has been revealed to us in Christ. How does Jesus reveal the mystery of godliness? He displays the majesty of God. Christ displays the majesty and the glory of God throughout the gospels. Everything that Christ has done, the life that he lived, the death that he died, and his victory over the grave was all centered around his objective to display God's majesty. Not my will, Christ said, but your will be done. In turn, when we live our lives according to God's plan, and we center our lives around Christ Jesus and his sovereign will for our lives, we, too, display the majesty of God and model Christ for all the world to see. The only way that we could function as lights in the darkness is to live our lives according to the rules laid out for the household of God. As stewards of the truth, it's our responsibility to exemplify Christ in every aspect of our lives. As Christians, our lives are on our own, we have been bought at a price. As slaves of Christ, it's our responsibility to live our lives according to his plan and glorify him in all that we do, and it starts right now. You pray with me? Oh Lord, our God, our good and gracious King, I thank you so much. Lord, that you've not just entrusted your church, you've not entrusted your bride to just anyone, Lord. You've established a biblical model for the leadership in the church that is good for us and brings you glory. Lord, for those who serve the church, for those who are called upon to lead in the church, Lord, I pray that we would model Christ in all that we do. Lord, Lord, as Christians, I pray that we would model you and display the love of Christ in the majesty of Christ in all that we do. May we be faithful, Lord, not to live our lives according to our will or the ways of the world, but according to your design and your plan for our lives, so that we could be light in the darkness. Speaking of hopes of hope for those who are struggling, we might point others to you and see others come into this saving relationship in you. It was our prayer this morning as we seek to no live and proclaim the gospel. It would be stewards of the truth and guardians of the gospel. Senior name, we pray. Amen. We'd love to have you as our guest. For more information, visit redeeminglifeutah.org. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)