The Ridge Abilene
The Pillar and Ground of the Truth

      • 2 Corinthians 9:7NKJV

  • I'll Fly Away
  • The Longer I Serve Him
  • Build Your Kingdom Here

      • 1 Timothy 3:14–16NKJV

  • Living Hope
  • 1 Timothy 3:14–16 (NKJV) Series: The Household of God
    Big Idea The church exists to uphold and display the truth of Jesus Christ.

    Opening Prayer

    Father, we thank You for Your Word, which is truth. As we gather in Your house today, remind us that the church belongs to You. Teach us how we ought to live as Your people. Strengthen this church to stand firmly on Your truth and to lift high the name of Jesus Christ. Open our hearts to receive Your Word, shape our lives by it, and help us to be faithful witnesses in a world that desperately needs the gospel. We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

    Opening Illustration — When the Structure Fails

    Several years ago, engineers were studying why certain buildings collapse during earthquakes while others remain standing. Two buildings can look almost identical on the outside. They may have the same height, the same design, and even the same materials.
    But when the ground begins to shake, the difference becomes obvious.
    The buildings that collapse usually fail because of something you cannot see from the outside—the foundation or the support structure was weak.
    The structure that was supposed to hold everything up was compromised.
    The building may have looked impressive on the outside, but when pressure came, the weakness underneath was exposed.
    But the buildings that survive earthquakes are the ones with deep foundations and strong support pillars. Those pillars distribute the weight, stabilize the structure, and keep everything standing when the pressure comes.
    Now listen carefully.
    The same thing is true of the church.
    When cultural pressure increases, when false teaching spreads, when confusion fills society, the church must be the structure that stands.
    And the reason the church stands is because it rests on truth and lifts up truth.
    Paul says the church is “the pillar and ground of the truth.”

    Introduction — Why the Church Matters

    Listen to the passage:
    1 Timothy 3:14–16 NKJV
    14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; 15 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. 16 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, Received up in glory.
    Paul has just finished giving qualifications for overseers and deacons.
    Now he pauses and tells Timothy why he wrote the letter.
    1 Timothy 3:15 NKJV
    15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God,
    Paul is reminding Timothy that the church is not casual and it is not chaotic.
    God cares how His church functions.
    The church is not merely an event we attend.
    It is God’s household, God’s witness, and God’s platform for truth in the world.
    Now Paul shows us what the church truly is.

    I. The Church Is the Household of God

    Paul says believers must know how to conduct themselves in “the house of God.”
    This phrase refers not merely to a building but to a family.
    When a person is saved, they are brought into God’s family.
    Ephesians 2:19 NKJV
    19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
    The church is a spiritual family.
    God is our Father.
    Believers are brothers and sisters.
    Another passage reinforces this truth.
    Romans 8:15 NKJV
    15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
    Salvation brings us into God’s household.
    Because the church is God’s household, we do not have the authority to redefine it.
    God determines how His house is ordered.

    Transition

    Now if the church is God’s household, that tells us who we belong to.
    But Paul goes even further.
    He reminds us whose presence defines the church.

    II. The Church Is the Church of the Living God

    Paul says:
    1 Timothy 3:15 NKJV
    15 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.
    This phrase separates Christianity from every false religion.
    The idols of the ancient world were lifeless.
    But the God we worship is alive.
    Jeremiah 10:10 NKJV
    10 But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
    Our God speaks.
    Our God acts.
    Our God saves.
    Christianity is not built upon the memory of a dead teacher.
    It is built upon the reality of a living Savior.
    The church represents that living God to the world.
    When people look at the church, they should see evidence that God is alive.

    Transition

    Now if the church belongs to God and represents the living God, the next question is obvious.
    What is the church supposed to do?

    III. The Church Is the Pillar and Ground of the Truth

    Paul continues: “…the pillar and ground of the truth.”
    1 Timothy 3:15 NKJV
    15 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.
    A pillar lifts something high so it can be seen.
    A foundation stabilizes and supports the structure.
    The church holds up the truth for the world to see.
    The church protects the truth so it will not collapse.
    Notice something important.
    The church does not create the truth.
    The church proclaims the truth.
    Jesus said:
    John 17:17 NKJV
    17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
    The church must hold firmly to the truth of God’s Word.
    When the church abandons truth, society falls into confusion.
    But when the church stands firmly on truth, the world can see Christ clearly.

    Transition

    But this raises an important question.
    What truth is the church supposed to hold up?
    Paul answers that in verse 16.

    IV. The Church Proclaims the Mystery of Godliness

    Paul writes: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.”
    1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
    16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: (1) God was manifested in the flesh, (2) Justified in the Spirit, (3) Seen by angels, (4) Preached among the Gentiles, (5) Believed on in the world, (6) Received up in glory.
    Paul begins with the statement:
    “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.”
    The word mystery in the New Testament does not mean something unknowable. It refers to something that was once hidden but has now been revealed by God.
    In the Old Testament, the full picture of redemption had not yet been completely revealed. The prophets saw glimpses of it. The sacrificial system pointed toward it. The promises anticipated it.
    But in Jesus Christ, the mystery was revealed.
    The mystery of godliness is the gospel itself — the saving work of Christ that produces true godliness in the lives of those who believe.
    Paul then summarizes the gospel in six powerful statements.
    “God was manifested in the flesh.”
    This is the incarnation.
    The eternal Son of God stepped into human history. Jesus Christ was not merely a moral teacher or a prophet sent by God. He was God Himself taking on human nature.
    John writes:
    John 1:14 (NKJV)
    “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
    The God who created the universe entered His own creation. He lived among us, walked among sinners, and ultimately came to save us.
    The gospel begins with the miracle that God became man.
    2. “Justified in the Spirit.”
    The word justified here does not mean that Jesus was made righteous, because Christ was always perfectly righteous. Instead, it means He was vindicated or declared righteous.
    This points primarily to the resurrection.
    When Jesus rose from the dead, the Spirit of God publicly confirmed that everything Jesus claimed about Himself was true.
    Paul says in:
    Romans 1:4 (NKJV)
    “Declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
    The resurrection was God’s declaration that Jesus truly is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
    3. “Seen by angels.”
    The angels witnessed the entire redemptive work of Christ.
    They announced His birth to the shepherds.
    Luke 2:13–14 (NKJV)
    “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’”
    They ministered to Him after His temptation.
    They were present at the empty tomb when Christ rose from the dead.
    The angels watched the unfolding drama of redemption — something even they longed to understand.
    4. “Preached among the Gentiles.”
    The gospel did not remain confined to Israel.
    After the resurrection, Christ commissioned His disciples to take the message to the entire world.
    Jesus commanded:
    Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)
    “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
    What began in Jerusalem spread to Judea, Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth.
    The message of Christ crossed every ethnic, cultural, and national boundary.
    5. “Believed on in the world.”
    The gospel was not only proclaimed — it was believed.
    Men and women from every background, language, and culture have trusted Christ.
    People once trapped in sin have been forgiven.
    People once spiritually dead have been given new life.
    People once far from God have been brought near through the cross of Christ.
    This is the transforming power of the gospel.
    6. “Received up in glory.”
    This refers to the ascension of Christ.
    After His resurrection, Jesus returned to heaven where He now reigns as Lord.
    Acts 1:9 (NKJV)
    “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”
    Christ is not a distant historical figure.
    He is the risen and reigning King.
    He sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for His people and ruling over His church.
    All of this is the message entrusted to the church.
    This is the truth the church must lift high.
    Not opinions.
    Not trends.
    Not cultural preferences.
    The church proclaims Christ.
    The church lifts high the gospel.
    Because when the church lifts high Christ, the world can finally see the truth that saves.

    Conclusion — The Lighthouse That Would Not Move

    Off the coast of England stands the famous Eddystone Lighthouse.
    Several early versions of that lighthouse were destroyed by storms.
    Finally engineers realized the problem was not the light.
    The problem was the foundation.
    So they anchored the lighthouse directly into the rock beneath the ocean floor.
    For more than two hundred years storms have beaten against that lighthouse—but it still stands.
    Why?
    Because it is anchored to the rock.
    And every night its light shines so ships can find their way safely through dangerous waters.
    The world today is a stormy sea.
    Confusion crashes like waves.
    False teaching pounds against the truth.
    But the church must stand like that lighthouse.
    Anchored firmly to the rock of truth.
    And lifting the light of Christ high for the world to see.

    Final Appeal

    Paul’s message is clear.
    The church is the household of God.
    The church is the church of the living God.
    The church is the pillar and ground of the truth.
    And the truth we lift high is Jesus Christ.
    Have you believed that truth?
    Jesus died for sinners, rose again, and offers salvation to anyone who will repent and believe.
    When you trust Him, you become part of God’s household.
    And you join the mission of lifting the truth high so the world can see Christ.

    Closing Prayer

    Father, thank You for the church—the household You have created through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Help us stand firmly on Your truth. Guard us from compromise and confusion. Strengthen this church to be a pillar and foundation of the truth in this community. And if anyone here has never trusted Christ, draw them to repentance and faith today. May this church always lift high the name of Jesus so the world can see Him clearly. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

      • 1 Timothy 3:14–16NKJV

      • 1 Timothy 3:15NKJV

      • Ephesians 2:19NKJV

      • Romans 8:15NKJV

      • 1 Timothy 3:15NKJV

      • Jeremiah 10:10NKJV

      • 1 Timothy 3:15NKJV

      • John 17:17NKJV

      • 1 Timothy 3:16NKJV

  • King Of Kings

      • Mark 8NKJV

The Ridge Abilene
office@ridgechurchabi.org
325-698-4331
http://ridgechurchabi.org
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