 This morning is 1 Timothy chapter 3, and we're looking at verses 14 to 16, the sermon title, Conduct Worthy of King and Cause. Conduct Worthy of King and Cause. And this is part 2 in our series here in verses 14 to 16. And I want to read this passage to you before we get into the passage itself. These things the Bible says, I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly, but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up in glory. Paul here in 1 Timothy is writing an instructive and a corrective letter to the church at Ephesus through Timothy, but specifically to the church. In these simple but profound verses in chapter 3, Paul takes a brief moment. A pause, if you will, to put his correction and his instruction here in 1 Timothy in perspective, to put it in its right context. As we've talked about, sometimes correction can be difficult. It's often painful. And when we are in our pride, we don't tend to take it overly well. For that reason, it is often important to remind ourselves of both the goodness of God in correction, but also in the necessity of godly correction. Paul here is correcting and he's instructing this church in Ephesus through this first letter to Timothy, and in this, he corrects and instructs us. And we need to humbly take that instruction and take that correction. Paul here is after right conduct in the house of God, which is the church of the living God. There are those in Ephesus who are teaching wrong doctrine and they need to be corrected. There are those involving themselves in needless disputes and they need correction. We see that in chapter 1. There are those giving themselves to meaningless fables, endless genealogies, idle talk, vain janglings. We also see that in 1 Timothy chapter 1, and they need correction. There are those who are misusing the law of God, who don't understand it. They twist it to their own destruction. They need correction. There are those who have strayed from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. They strayed from holy living and right conduct, which would mark them as members of the house of God, the church of the living God, and they need correction. There are those who are not serving and not obeying the Lord. There are those who have suffered shipwreck of their faith. And in suffering shipwreck of their faith, they're leading others down the same path. There are men in chapter 2 who are contentious in their prayers. There are women there who are rebellious to authority, immodest in their dress and pretentious. There are women who are forsaking their God-given roles in the family. And there were unqualified leaders, unqualified deacons in place, two of which, Hymenace and Alexander, have already been put out of the church. The church needs correction. Our church needs correction. You and I need correction. Godly correction is how we grow in Christ. But this is a lot to take in. Turning this ship is not a small undertaking. Oftentimes, turning our own Christian lives around is not a small or a light undertaking. Sometimes it takes great effort, diligent effort, to turn the ship around. Paul, in 1 Timothy chapter 3, here in these verses, is calling for a right response to that correction. We have correction given in chapters 1 through 3. We have correction coming in chapters 4 through 6. And here is just a brief pause to get our act together, to get our minds right about this correction and to engender, if you will, a right response to the correction that's going on here. He's calling for a right response, which is right conduct. That's right living. That's holy living. That's obedience to the word of God. That you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God. You know from experience, don't you, that a correct response to correction often takes sacrifice on your part. It takes a tough redirecting sometimes of resources, of time. Sometimes it takes a change of schedule. It takes a change of habits. It takes a redirecting of energy, of focus. Most importantly, it takes a change of thinking, a change of judgment, a change of behavior. It takes genuine repentance, and genuine repentance will result in godly fruit, right conduct. And for that reason, with all this correction that is necessary and needed, all the correction, it's important that we remind ourselves often of why we do what we do. Why are you here? What are we doing? What are we all about? What are the reasons that we should heed the correction? Why are these things important? And Scripture regularly, praise the Lord, and often gives the greatest reasons why that are possibly imaginable, right? The greatest reasons why. Why do you die to self and forsake your life in this world? Why do you count all things that were once gained to you? Why do you now count them as loss? Why do you now count them as rubbish? Why do you strive to put aside worldly priorities for heavenly ones? Maybe you've forgotten why, and you don't strive as hard as you once did, or don't strive as hard as you should to put away worldly things and to remind yourself of heavenly ones. Why do you endure the persecution? Why do you bear the reproach? Why do you evangelize? Why do you go downtown? Why do you listen to the scoffers? Why do you fight to endure? Why do you wage war against sin? Why do you hate that sin that you once loved? Why are you trying desperately to put off the old man and put off the new man? Why do you pray? Why do you devote yourself to the Word of God? Why do you devote yourself to serving others? Why are you submitting? Why are you following the Lord at great cost to yourself? Why are you here? From your heart, can you give this answer from Scripture? For the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ. Is that the answer from your heart? And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God by faith that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death. If by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. It's not the doing of these things that earn you Christ. It's not the doing of these things that earn you righteousness. But it's the goal of the Christian life. It's the prize that we press for that motivates us. Paul goes on to say, not that I've already attained or I'm already perfected but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren he says, I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. That is a glorious why, isn't it? It's a glorious reason. We should be all about that reason, willing to take correction, willing to take instruction, willing to be conformed into the image of His Son. Let me give you another reason. Turn to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. There are many reasons given throughout Scripture. Glorious reasons. And often we need to just pause. As Paul does here, just pause, take a moment to examine those reasons, to hold them up as beautiful portraits before our eyes that we can look to, that we can rest on, rely on to press us forward in the work that we've been called to do. Here another reason in chapter 12, Hebrews chapter 12, beginning in verse 3. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 3. For consider Him, Christ, who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You become weary in the work, weary in the labor. Listen, your life, your life is a short-term mission trip. This life is passing away. Unless you become weary in this life and doing the work of the Lord, look to Christ. He endured such hostility from sinners against Himself. You've got His example. Verse 4. You've not yet resisted a bloodshed striving against sin, and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons. My son, do not despise the chasing unto the Lord. That chastening there is correction. That chastening is discipline. That chastening is discipline and instruction from the Lord. Nor be discouraged, it goes on to say, when you were rebuked by Him, for whom the Lord loves, these He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives. That word scourging there reminds us of Christ and Christ's suffering at the hands of wicked men. But that scourging from our loving Heavenly Father is a blessed grace to us. That's His discipline, His correction, His rebuke. That scourging is a good thing. We need to respond to that well. Respond to that with obedience. Respond to that with faith in Him. Respond with right conduct. Because verse 7, it says, if you endure that chastening, God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. It's interesting there, which all? All Christians have become partakers of chastening. When you're a sin, do you feel the weight of God's hand on you in your sin? Do you suffer consequences of that sin? Do you experience the chastening, scourging, disciplining, correcting hand of God in your life? That's a grace of God. If you have no chastening, no discipline, you're not in Christ. It's all who are partakers of that. If you're not partakers of that, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Verse 9, furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but he for what? For our profit, for our good. He works all things together for our good, including our discipline, our correction, our chastening. That we may be partakers of his holiness. And if you're a Christian here today, that is the great desire of your heart is to be a partaker of his holiness, to live pleasing in God's sight. You hunger and you thirst for righteousness. If that hungering and thirsting for righteousness isn't there, you're not in Christ. That's part and parcel of the new creation. You're gonna hunger and thirst for holiness, for righteousness. Listen to what it says in verse 11. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful. All God's people said, amen. Nevertheless, it's the fruit of that. This is, it's taking your medicine, right? It's the fruit of that. Nevertheless afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. And as much as that chastening may be painful, we say, Lord, with the saints, please, please grow me, please mature me, please Lord, correct me where I'm wrong. God, bring the chastening. We want to be conformed in the image of his Son. We want to be like Christ. Why must you constantly check your priorities and conduct to make sure that you are walking worthy of the calling with which he's called us? This is conduct that is worthy of our King, worthy of his cause. This is that conduct which is appropriate, considering that you belong, if you're in Christ, you belong to the house of God, the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth, that Paul gives several more reasons. We've seen these, but Paul gives several more reasons back in 1 Timothy chapter 3, right here in verses 15 to 16. These verses, again, represent a restatement of a grand purpose. They are re-clarifying values. They're restating why it's important to respond to this correction with right conduct, to get everyone on the same page again to rally the troops. This is a time for us to remember. It's a time for us to contemplate. A time for us to reaffirm what we are to know and how we are to live. This is a time to reflect on the big whys, the big reasons that drive the Christian life. Last week, we looked at what our response to that biblical correction should be. So today, let's look at Paul's reasons. Paul gives reasons here in verse 15, and it's interesting the reasons that Paul gives. We look first at our response. Here in verse 15, we see some reasons. But if I am delayed, Paul writes, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. That is a simple but a profound statement, laden with truth and laden with reason for why we should respond with right conduct. There are many reasons given in Scripture that should motivate us to take correction from the word of God, but the reasons that Paul gives here are wrapped up or contained in our understanding of the church. Our understanding of what the church is, its identity and its nature, but also our place in the church and what that means. Now think about it for a moment. A proper understanding of the church and all that that entails will inform in you a sense of right responsibility that you have to the church. A right understanding of the church will inform a right sense of responsibility in you to the church, and that should, if you're a Christian, respond in right conduct. All starts here with an understanding of the church. Inevitably, that's going to lead to proper worship. We'll see that when we get to verse 16. Proper conduct, proper worship. But first, now here in verse 15, Paul describes in just these few words here, the identity of the church first as the house of God. Now the imagery here is of a building, but the building is a metaphor and it's a metaphor for the family of God, the people of God. The church isn't the brick and mortar, it's you. It's you individually, it's us corporately that make up the people of God, that make up God's body, the church. Therefore, this is not about the behavior that you're to have when you come into the church building. This is about the behavior, the conduct that you are to have because you are the church, because you are the people of God. Your identity as a member of God's family should inform how you respond with right conduct. This letter to Timothy points to the conduct that is proper for a member of God's family, for the people of God. And this is such a simple statement, house of God, but if you stop to ponder this, it has tremendous impact on your life. What is the church, the house of God? The church is that blessed assembly. The glorious bride of Christ who has been called out and gathered together by God himself. They are a ransomed and redeemed people. Not merely rescued out of Egypt, but rescued out of sin, rescued out of bondage, rescued out of wickedness, rescued out of this world. They are a people purchased by Christ's own blood. The life of God in the flesh shed for sinners. They are a people called by God, born again by God, not constituted of the will or decisions of men. They are called forth by God in light of their hopeless depravity. The church are the trophies of God's infinite mercy and God's infinite grace. Saved from sin, saved from death, saved from the wrath of God to reflect God's own infinite, immutable, and incorruptible glory. And they're to do that by living changed lives and worshiping him in spirit and in truth. The house of God in every way that communicates that we are His people, that we are owned by Him, that we belong to Him. We belong to God. And we're not His because we are worthy, but we're His because He chose us. We're here merely by virtue that He chose to love us. We love Him because He first loves us. We draw near to Him because He first draws near to us. And if you think about it, God chose the children of Israel not because they were more in number than any other people, but they were the least of all peoples it says, but because the Lord chose to love them. He chose them to be a people for himself, a special treasure above all peoples. In similar fashion, God loves the precious, called out ones of the church, the assembly of God. Those whom He foreknows He predestines to be conformed to the image of His Son. Those whom He predestines, He calls to Himself. He justifies and He glorifies. And not at all because He chose us in Christ from before the foundation of the world. Not because many are wise according to the flesh. Not because many are mighty. Not because many are noble. Your value as a church, as a body, you individually is not in any of that. But simply your value is in the fact that God chose to set His love on you. Because Christ gave Himself for us to redeem us from every law as need and purify for Himself His own special people zealous for good works. John 15, 16 Christ says that we did not choose Him, but that He chose us and appointed us that we should go and bear fruit. It begins in the Old Testament with a promise. It's the promise of the new covenant. God says in Jeremiah 31 I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people. That's the church. The people of God. No more shall every man teach his neighbor and every man his brother saying, know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them to forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more. The church is made up of those people that God has redeemed to Himself, saved from sin, redeemed, rescued. Ezekiel 36, God says I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and I will give you a humble heart of flesh. I'll put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. You will keep my judgments and do them. He goes on to say and again a reference to the New Covenant in Hosea chapter 2 I will betroth you to me forever yes I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice in loving kindness and mercy I will betroth you to me in faithfulness and you shall know the Lord and in glorious promise he goes on to say I'll have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy then I will say to those who were not my people and they shall say you are my God speaking of the Gentiles there then in Luke chapter 22 Christ sitting at the table took the cup after supper saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you he purchases this new covenant with his own blood he enters into covenant with us he draws himself to us binds us to him in covenant with him and that is for the Gentiles Jesus too says that God has now called to himself those who were not his people and he says to them you are my people he has broken down the middle wall of separation between those who are far off and those who are near between Jews and Gentiles the Gentiles being far off the Jews being near so as to create in himself one new man from the two one body one church made up of the redeemed and Gentiles so that he could reconcile both to himself in one body through the cross and that is the church he came and preached peace to us who were far off and to those who were near for through him Christ we both have access by one spirit to the Father now therefore we are no longer strangers aliens we are no longer foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the house of God the church of the living God the ground pillar and ground of the truth redeemed Jews and redeemed Gentiles men and women from every trunk tongue every tribe every nation God's purchased possession God's family the congregation of saints the city of the living God the general assembly of the first born the golden lamp stands God's building God's field the bride of Christ the rock of God a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light that's the church out of darkness into light you were once not a people destined for destruction but now you are the people of God you had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy I will be their God and they will be my people this is the house of God the family of God the pillar and ground of the truth are you a member of this household where is your identity this morning where are you wrapped up are you in the house of God the family of God the people of God the church of God the church of the living God or are you still yet a part of this world that is passing away it is the most important distinction that you will ever make where are you at are you sons of God or sons of disobedience of your father God or of your father the devil the most important distinction you will ever make are you among the blood bought saints of the living God and how do you know how do you know is it based on the sincerity of your deceitful heart is it based on some experience is it based on some decision that out of the will out of the will of your own wicked heart that you somehow made no if you're in that people if you're in that assembly it's because God chose to set his love on you chose to be merciful chose to be gracious how is that church formed how are these this people this assembly gathered together out of darkness into life gathered from death from life how are they formed how are God's people made righteous in order to be standing before God one day without spot or wrinkle without blemish it's because God has risen a savior God has risen a savior in Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ the bible says therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign behold the virgin shall bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel meaning God with us 700 years later in Luke chapter 2 verse 11 for there is born to you this day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord Galatians chapter 4 verse 4 but when the fullness of the time had come God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 21 for God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him I love this passage in Romans chapter 5 for when we were still without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly will you admit today that you are ungodly outside of Christ for scarcely for a righteous man die yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die but God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us much more than having now been justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him through your own works no through your external expressions of religion no through going to church no through your own work no it is through him through Christ through Christ alone we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his son much more having been reconciled we shall be saved by his life and not only that but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received the reconciliation reconciled to God that's the people of God those who are reconciled if you are outside of the house of God the church of the living God is made up of those who are redeemed from ungodliness they have been reconciled to God they have put to death the enmity that exists between them they are reconciled they are justified however this savior that has been risen is also the head of the church the head of this body and he is king and he is judge in Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9 500 years before the birth of Christ rejoice greatly oh daughter of Zion shout oh daughter of Jerusalem behold your king is coming to you he is just in having salvation lowly and riding on a donkey a colt the foal of a donkey 500 years later in Matthew chapter 21 they brought the donkey and the colt they laid their clothes on them and set Jesus on them and a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road then the multitudes who went before those who followed cried out saying Hosanna to the son of David blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord Hosanna in the highest Revelation chapter 7 verse 14 he is lord of lords and king of kings and those who are with him are called chosen and faithful that's what it means to be in the church that's the identity of the church it is those that are with him those who are called those who are chosen and those who are faithful that is the church are you faithful are you in the church are you among his people Revelation 19 verse 16 and he has on his robe king of kings and lord of lords as king as head of the church he is to be submitted to he is to be followed with the right conduct that is worthy of our king and worthy of his cause in Revelation 20 it depicts Christ as judge and I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them and I saw the dead small and great standing before God and books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged according to the works by the things which were written in the books the sea gave up the dead who were in it and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them and they were judged each one according to his works then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire this is the second death and anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire what will your book say when it is opened what is written there if you thought about it are you among the people of God is your name before the foundation of the world written in the Lamb's book of life when the Lord opens the book of your life what will he see Jude says that Christ this head of the church he's going to come back to judge the Lord comes with 10,000 of his saints to execute judgment on all to convict all who are ungodly among them the holy deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him are you ungodly or are you one of those that will come with the Lord one of the 10,000 of his saints when you stand before Christ and the book of your life is opened what will it say will it say liar yes as a result of anger in your heart maybe as a result of condoning or committing abortion yes will it say thief yes rob time at work, rob time for family rob time, rob tie this is from God will it say grumbler yes will it say idolater yes it will will your book say adulterer yes it will lust in the heart or adultery will your book say covetous yes will it say flatterer disobedient to parents unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful yes will it say sexually immoral will it say unclean will it say envious will it say divisive yes will it say drunkard, reviler, hater hypocrite yes will it say that you have failed every day with every breath that you've taken to love the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul all your mind all your strength yes it will apart from Christ you are ungodly you are an enemy of God by your wicked works will you admit it will you admit it you are guilty if you were to die this instant apart from Christ you would suffer eternal damnation eternal condemnation eternal torment eternal punishment in hell where the worm does not die and the fire is never quenched what will you do you are guilty what will you do asking for forgiveness is not enough there is a penalty that must be paid there is the perfect justice of God that must be satisfied his perfect justice must be upheld trying to be a good person is not going to get you there it's not enough your good works are as filthy rags the bible says you are to be perfect you are to be holy God says as I am holy and without holiness no one will see the Lord going to church isn't enough as an enemy of God by your wicked works your worship outside of faith in Christ is an abomination to God is worthless, is disgusting is despicable before God face it you are in your sin and you cannot change yourself you cannot clean yourself you cannot forgive yourself and you cannot escape the perfect justice of God you can do nothing nothing about it for a moment you have all the resources in the world available to you you have a bible in your hands you have God's words of life and most of the time it sits there collecting dust on your shelf because you have no devotion in your heart to study or to read the word of God the bible says that you are to be perfect and yet you have lived a lifetime of sin despite how hard you try you are still angry you are still lustful despite how hard you try you are still a complainer you are still a grumbler you go to church and yet your life is empty it's hollow, it's shallow you are depressed you don't see any meaning in this life you feel the weight of your sin bearing down on you you are miserable in your marriage you are miserable in your work you are miserable in your school you are miserable in your family you have no real hope you are miserable and you'll always be miserable until you turn to Christ do you see that outside of Christ your life is completely worthless and then you die Ephesians says that you are a stranger to the covenant of promise having no hope and without God in the world but Ephesians in that very same passage says that Christ can become your peace that you can be made right with the holy God that you can be brought near to Christ by His blood the church the house of God is formed by Christ who redeems His people from this miserable state Jesus has come into the world as light but whoever believes in Him may not remain in darkness as we looked at in 1 Timothy Jesus has come into the world to save sinners being God in the flesh the head of the church Jesus Christ was tempted in every respect as we are and was without sin He lived a sinless perfect life He committed no sin neither was deceit found in His mouth when He was reviled He did not return when He suffered He did not threaten being perfect Christ then became the source of salvation He being perfect was qualified them to offer Himself as a sacrifice to die in your place and God did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all that in redeeming His own special people the Bible says that God was pleased to crush Him and Christ Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness the righteous for the unrighteous the just for the unjust to stand in your place as the only acceptable substitute taking our penalty He suffers He bears the wrath of God the full wrath of God and satisfies the perfect justice of God He died in your place when you are the one that deserves to die you owe a debt you cannot pay He paid a debt He did not owe He bears your guilt if you were to be saved it was necessary for Christ to suffer and then to be raised from the dead for you 1 Peter 1 verse 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory so that your faith and hope are in God He was manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles believed on in the world and ascended and was received up in glory where He is even now at the right hand of God making intercession for His own and He is coming back He is coming back will He even find faith on the earth will He find faith in you will He find you repenting will He find you trusting in His promises will He find you serving His cause will He find you with right conduct in the house of God will He find you embracing all that it means to be His own it is this Jesus the King the Judge the head of the church that calls out to you now Matthew 11 Jesus says come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart yoke is easy and my burden is light in Revelation 22 the spirit and the bride say come let him who hears say come let him who thirsts come whoever desires let him take the water of life freely you rebel come you sinner come you're weary out of the weight of your sin come if you've had enough with this wicked world come if you want to forsake that life and wreck of come and Christ will in no wise cast you out the call to salvation in Christ is a call to repent to turn from your sin to turn from your own foolish wicked works to turn from your selfish ambition to turn from living life for yourself and to put your faith and trust and reliance alone in Christ and Christ will forgive you of your sins He will wash you clean you forgive you cleanse you though your sins be as scarlet they'll be as white as snow they're red like crimson they'll be as wool this is the identity of the church the church is those that have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb those who have submitted themselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ those who have placed faith and faith alone in Christ and Christ alone to save them in their works but all their hope all their faith is in Christ they hope in Him for eternal life these are those who have been given who have given themselves entirely to serve Him not those who are half hearted not those who are carnal not those who are lukewarm but those who are sold out those who love Christ those who are devoted to His Word and give evidence of that faith by obeying Him by giving them self and bound them to Himself it is those that express that new identity in a changed life express that new identity by living holy lives before God and that's one aspect of the identity of the church those that have been redeemed the redeemed people of God but it's interesting here in 1st 15 that Paul gives a second aspect of this identity and that's seen in the clause there the phrase the church of the living God the church of the living God those who are in the house of God the church of the living God living here contrasts the living God the one true and living God with the deadness and falseness of idols in 1st Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 9 says how you turned to God from those dead false idols who are nothing to serve the living and true God living here also used to emphasize that it is to be a vibrant healthy living fervent active dynamic body alive so to speak with the very presence of God and this imagery here is given of God's people as the temple of His dwelling place it is the living God and He lives among us 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 verse 16 says this and you are the temple of the living God and as God has said I will dwell in them and I will walk among them I will be their God and they shall be my people it is the living God and as such we are a living people we are an active people a vibrant people a dynamic people alive from dead in our sins and trespasses but alive in Christ alive to Him as is often the case the true God the living God can be made practically dead acts of religion we are to embody a vibrant and an active faith if our church fails to serve Him if our church fails to extol Him if our church fails to hollow His name if our church fails to esteem His Word then in our lifeless and worthless acts of religion we practically make the living God dead among us and He is the living God church is not to be the frozen chosen church is not to be the congregation of dull hearts and dull minds the church is a living active organism that represents and extends the very life of God often this living is associated or points to God's judgment the Bible says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God showing that God is capable and God will judge also says beware there lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God again pointing to judgment that illustration or that image begins in the Old Testament Numbers 14 28 says as I live says the Lord just as you have spoken in my hearing so I will do to you the carcasses of you who have complained against me shall fall in this wilderness it's an indication that God is capable of judgment and I will certainly judge but also that as I live God often says as an expression of his promises as an expression of his character that you can take him at his word as I live says the Lord God also living God implies the living nature of his work through the church the living nature of his rule and his reign in the church it is the living quality of those that make up his body here chapter 1 verse 4 says as he that's Christ is a living stone we come to him also as living stones being built up into a spiritual house we see that obviously in the way that the Lord organizes and structures and grows and develops his church we are drawn to God bound to him by covenant however in God binding us to himself by covenant he also binds us with each other it is both a vertical relationship with God and a horizontal relationship among God's people we are bound to him also by covenant and for an example of that turn to Romans chapter 12 the church of the living God is to be a serving fervent loving working laboring toiling evangelizing thriving healthy body it is to be alive this would be a living thing Romans chapter 12 look beginning in verse 3 here again this is how this works in the church for I say through the grace given to me to everyone who is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think but to think soberly as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith for as we have many members in one body but all the members do not have the same function so we being many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us let us use them we are to be in a body where your grace that has been given to you the gifts that have been given to you that measure of faith that has been given to you is to be used and actively work in the body for the good of the body if prophecy it says let us prophesy in proportion to our faith or ministry let us use it in our ministering he who teaches in teaching he who exhorts in exhortation he who gives with liberality he who leads with diligence he who shows mercy with cheerfulness where to put our gifts to work in the body let love be without hypocrisy abhor what is evil cling to what is good be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love in honor giving preference to one another not lagging in diligence but fervent in spirit serving the Lord rejoicing in hope continuing steadfastly in prayer distributing to the needs of the saints given to hospitality bless those who persecute you rejoice with those who rejoice weep with those who weep be of the same mind toward one another do not set your mind on high things but associate with the humble do not be wise in your own opinion repay no one evil for evil have regard for good things in the sight of all men if it is possible as much as depends on you live peaceably with all men beloved do not avenge does this sound like a body that is healthy, living, vibrant thriving, serving the Lord loving one another obeying Christ this is a picture and scripture of a living faith that is associated with being in the house of the living God the pillar and ground of truth the body is to be a living, thriving body active at work we can't say that's the house in a nebulous way that is you individually, me individually that make up the church we are the church so how are you personally how do you reflect the health and vibrancy of the church of the living God how are you individually contributing to the health and fervency and vibrancy and spirituality of the church or are you hindering it to the degree that you don't minister in the church with your grace and gifts that God has given you is to the degree that you hinder the work of the body because we are given to the body the Lord puts us in the body with specific gifts we are to use those in serving the body another example of this is 1 Corinthians 12 turn there with me quickly 1 Corinthians 12 same concept Lord has formed the church the identity of the church is constituted from its many parts being one body it is the people of God knitted together, bound together bonded together by the Lord for his purposes in the church chapter 12 verse 12 for as the body is one and has many members but all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and all have been made to drink into one spirit for in fact the body is not one member but many if the foot should say because I'm a hand I'm not of the body is it therefore not of the body and if the ear should say because I am not an eye I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body if the whole body were an eye where would be the hearing but now God has set the members each one of them in the body just as he pleased and if they were all one member where would the body be the Lord has formed structured, organized the body, placed you specifically in the body Ephesians 4 says that he gives gifts to those in the church for the edifying of the saints for the edifying of the body for the work of the ministry but living where to be a living body a thriving, healthy, serving, loving body but a living church is also going to be growing a living church is a growing body the growing spiritually Colossians 2 verse 19 says all the body nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments grows with the increase that is from God to grow you individually are to grow in your maturity in Christ you're to grow into Christ we as a body are to grow in Christ there should be a living, growing healthy, thriving, serving, loving vibrant body right? if it is the church of a living God there's so much more that could be said here the word of God is so deep on this issue we could spend weeks and weeks at this point the church, the house of God the church of the living God the pillar and ground of the truth it is a vast and deep well I love that about the word of God we look at this one verse in chapter 15 we just start exploring what it means to be the house of God what it looks like and we could say so much more about what it means to be the house of the living God there's just so much truth that is packed into that one phrase in pondering that in thinking about that and contemplating that how that should motivate you, shouldn't it to write conduct because of who you represent you are a part of something so much greater than yourself you are part of something that represents God, the living God himself we're a part of that body we have no value in and of ourselves we have value that is derived from God himself in creating us and then God himself in for loving us and choosing us to be his own special people his treasured possession the apple of his eye, graven on his hand our value is completely wrapped up in that it should motivate right response to correction right response to instruction how we are to conduct ourselves in the house of God, the church of the living God we are in ground of truth if you today are here and you belong to the people of God does this motivate you do you see the greatness and the glory of all that God has done in Christ for the church and how he has just magnificently just knit us together and formed us a redeemed people to worship him that should motivate you Christian calls you to walk worthy of the calling worthy of the king and worthy of his call and your calling to the church is a high calling but if you are here today and you are not a Christian don't wait to come you are either of the people of God or you are of your father the devil you are a son of God or a son of disobedience why would you wait you can be the people of God who have an inheritance eternal life to look forward to where your state apart from Christ you have nothing to look forward to but hell but destruction but torment today is the day now is the time do not put it off you put it off you are just further hardened in the deceitfulness of your own sin you keep putting it off you will never come you will never come if you wait somehow thinking that you have to get your life in order first you will never ever come come now it is the lord of the church our gracious and merciful heavenly father that gives such good gifts to his children if you will come if you will leave your wicked life behind follow Christ and you will praise the Lord with the heavenly people of God for all eternity for His glory Amen Father in heaven, Lord God thank you for all that you have done in Christ it is glorious and our sight is awesome to behold thank you for your infinite wisdom for instituting the church what an amazing thing the church is redeemed people of God ransomed blood-bought worshipers of Jesus Christ vibrant, healthy thriving reflection of you, our Lord a testimony to this wicked world being swept away in the flood of their own debauchery on their way to hell and yet you glorious light set on the hill thank you, thank you for your church thank you for the gospel, thank you for salvation thank you for our brothers and sisters thank you for your family I pray God that we would walk worthy of the calling with which you have called us that we, Lord would be a healthy, thriving, serving, obeying, loving church that you would protect us, Lord the deceitfulness of sin that you would protect us from pride protect us from lifeless, worthless despicable religion that we would be faithfully serving you, our King God that you would preserve us to the end or that you would you would use us to further your work on the earth further your kingdom use us to see souls saved to gather in your people the house of God or that you would use us for calling those that would be your worshipers and thank you for this glorious work thank you for the glorious privilege God, the glorious blessing it is to be a part of your body part of the church God I pray that you would lay on our hearts a feeling of weight to the responsibility that we have to your body to your work thank you for it Lord, in Jesus' name