Fortress of Truth

This morning, Pastor Davis Morgan from our sister church, Westside PCA, here in town, is going to bring God's word to us.

And so, Davis, welcome.

New Testament reading is found in 1 Timothy chapter 3.

1 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

1 Timothy chapter 3, verses 14 through 16.

1 Timothy 3:14–16

So great to be with you again.

Cheyenne Mountain.

And I believe I was here on November 1st.

And that was the Sunday that we started 1 Timothy at Westside Church.

We have wrapped up that book.

But one of my favorite passages is verses 14 through 16 in chapter 3 of 1 Timothy.

And so, I thought I would bring that word to you today as we draw near to the end of 2020.

So, hear the word of our Lord, His holy, His inspired word that He has kept and preserved for us, His people, today.

1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 14 and following.

1 Timothy 3:14

The Apostle Paul writes,

This is the word of God.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Let us pray for our time in His word.

Join with me, please.

Lord God, we thank you for this time that we have, that you have in your great providence you have ordained for us,

that we would be here this day to sit under the preaching of your word.

God, we confess as your people.

We confess as those who perhaps are here that are not part of your people.

But you are drawing to yourself.

Lord, we all have in common our need for your spirits and our need for you to reveal the glorious gospel of your Son.

Amen.

We pray, we ask for this.

We ask for the gift of understanding, of illumination, of knowledge of who Jesus Christ is.

We also pray for the little theologians that are here.

Lord, the children that are sitting under the preaching of your word.

We pray that you too would work in their hearts to give them understanding of these things.

Take the things of Christ and make them real to us here today.

We pray in His holy name.

Amen.

Amen.

In the darkness, something was happening at last.

A voice had begun to sing.

It seemed to come from all directions at once.

Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself.

There were no words.

There was hardly even a tune.

But it was beyond comparison.

The most beautiful noise they had ever heard.

Those present looked above them and saw the blackness filled with stars.

And each of them were singing as well.

But the voice of the stars grew fainter as the voice of the one singing drew near.

Wind came rushing.

The blackness of the sky turned to gray.

Hills began to stand up around them.

The sky changed to pink and then to a brilliant gold.

And as soon as the voice swelled to the mightiest sound it could produce, the sun rose over the hills.

And from the sun's light, they all could see the source of the singing.

A large golden lion standing in the middle of the valley.

With each step, the singing lion took with its large paws trees and mountains and animals and rivers and flowers

and all sorts of lovely things were bursting forth into existence until finally all was created.

Narnia had been created by the voice of the lion.

Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake, love, think, speak, be walking trees, be talking beasts, be divine waters.

Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, Narnia.

This scene is from C.S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew.

And it brilliantly captures the creation story.

Written in such a way as to capture the compelling nature of what Christianity is from beginning to end.

And that is a story.

It's the story of all stories.

It's the greatest story ever told.

because as J.R.R. Tolkien told his good friend Jack Lewis,

his friend Jack Lewis, who at the time was struggling to believe such a story,

Tolkien said, quote,

This story has entered history and become the primary story.

That's what sets it apart from all other stories.

Other stories may talk a big game,

but when the time comes when they are measured up against God's story,

they fold every time.

This is why the British playwright and author Dorothy Sayers called the Christian story,

quote,

The most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man.

And the meaning of it all, she says,

the dogma, what it means, she said very famously,

is the drama.

The doctrine or the dogma is the drama.

Who God is and what he has done in history,

recorded for us in Scripture,

is the most thrilling and the most exciting story that you and I will ever encounter

because this story has happened in time and space.

It has happened in history,

which is a good reminder for us.

It's a great reminder for us who sit here this morning

under the preaching of this story

on the last Sunday of the year.

And what a year it has been.

A global pandemic,

shutdowns,

mask mandates,

social distancing,

civil, social, political unrest.

If anything sums up 2020,

it's unrest.

It's uncertainty.

And it's a very stark reminder

for us not to hold on to the things of this present age

because they can be turned upside down in a moment.

They can be taken away just like that.

With such uncertainty and unrest,

we might be tempted to think

that there really is no certainty,

that there really is no truth to hold on to.

Or at the very least,

the truth that I decide to believe in

is what Carl Truman calls,

quote,

the triumph of the therapeutic self.

In other words,

whatever I feel is true.

But as you well might imagine,

that's even a more shaky ground.

That's even more unstable to stand on.

Because as my wife could tell you,

as long as I have my coffee

first thing in the morning,

I'm a happy guy.

But if I'm hungry,

if I'm tired,

or if I've only had one cup of coffee,

I can be quite unpleasant.

Or my feelings may tell me one thing.

My kids haven't emptied the dishwasher

after I asked them five minutes to go.

Therefore,

I'm angry.

When in reality,

they simply didn't hear me

say for them to empty the dishwasher.

They got distracted by a phone call

from their grandmother.

My feelings may tell me to be angry,

but I'm missing crucial information

that would say,

there's no need to be angry.

What I'm saying is this,

while our feelings are important,

and they are,

in terms of sustaining us

in the midst of uncertainty,

they're unreliable.

And here's what I have for you today.

Something from outside of us.

Something that is imperishable,

undefiled, unfading,

that's kept in heaven for you.

Something that cannot be shaken,

because it is made possible,

it is guaranteed by the one

who is infinite,

eternal,

and unchangeable.

that though the mountains

may be moved

into the heart of the sea,

though the waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble

at the swelling,

we will not fear,

for our God is our refuge.

Our God is our strength,

and through His Son,

He is able to save you and I,

Hebrews chapter 7 says,

Hebrews 7 · chapter mention

to the uttermost,

to the uttermost.

This refuge in Christ

is what Martin Luther called

our mighty fortress,

a bulwark,

a foundation that is never failing.

Luther was reflecting upon Psalm 46,

and in our text this morning,

1 Timothy 3, 14 and 16,

but particularly verse 16,

Paul is reflecting,

Paul too is reflecting upon

that same surety,

that same foundation,

that certainty that we have

in Jesus.

And here's what we learn

in 1 Timothy chapter 3,

1 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

that not only do we have

this foundation,

but that we as the church,

we are the fortress,

we are the fortress,

we are the guardian

of that truth.

We guard it,

we defend it,

we use it to defeat

the strongholds of the enemy,

as Paul says

in 2 Corinthians chapter 10.

2 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

The weapons that we have

are not of the flesh,

but have divine power

to destroy those arguments,

those lofty opinions

that are raised up

against the knowledge of God,

that are raised up

against the truth of God,

that he has sovereignly revealed

in his word

for you and for me.

So,

we're going to unpack this

by looking at Paul's instructions

to Timothy and the church.

1 Timothy 3,

1 Timothy 3:14–16

verses 14 through 16.

And I want to point you

to three aspects.

I want to point you

to the story,

I want to point you

to the dogma,

and I want to point you

to the life

that results from that.

The story,

we're referring to

the action of God,

the dogma,

we're talking about

the meaning

of what God has done,

and the life

is the practice,

the response

that we are to have

to what God has done.

Now,

for you little theologians,

for the kids

that are here today,

here's what I like

for you to draw,

kids,

if it's okay

with your parents.

I like you to draw

a scene

from your favorite story,

your favorite story.

For me,

this time of year,

I love

Charles Dickens'

A Christmas Story,

or A Christmas Carol,

A Christmas Story,

that's on TNT.

A Christmas Carol.

I try to read that

every year

around this time.

So,

for you kids,

I want you to draw

a picture

of your favorite story

or your favorite book

that you like to read

or that you like

to have read to you.

And here are the two questions,

kids,

that I'd like you

to listen for,

that I'd like you

to answer today.

One,

what is the Christian story?

And two,

why do we need

to know this story?

What is the Christian story,

and why do we need

to know the Christian story?

Now,

first,

we're going to,

we're going to start

in verse 16

and then move back

and finish with verse 14.

So,

look with me first

at the story

of Scripture

that's found

in verse 16.

Paul says

in 1 Timothy 3, 16,

great indeed

is the mystery

of godliness.

Now,

why is Paul saying this?

What Paul is alluding here to

is twofold.

He's alluding to

the pagan mystery

religions

or cults

of the ancient world,

and in particularly,

he is alluding to

or referencing

the confession

that was there

in Ephesus

at the time

in the first century.

If you remember

the story

in Acts chapter 19

Acts 19 · chapter mention

when Paul was in Ephesus,

he turned the entire city

upside down

by preaching the gospel,

and he performed

an exorcism

on a girl,

a slave girl

there in the market.

she was possessed

by a demon,

and Paul,

he exercised

that demon.

He demonstrated

the power

of the gospel

over the pagan

mystery religions

of the time,

and the city's

response to this

was great hostility

to the apostle,

and it says there

in Acts 17

or Acts 19

that the entire city

had gathered

in the amphitheater

there in Ephesus,

and they were chanting,

great is Artemis

of the Ephesians.

And so here,

Paul is both,

he is referencing

those two

common beliefs,

common creeds

or confessions

of Ephesus

at the time

because this letter

was written

to Timothy

in Ephesus,

and he's alluding

to what the culture

then held

to be sacred,

and he's shedding light

on what is truly sacred,

and that is what God

says,

what God has done

and revealed

to the world

because after he says

great indeed

is the mystery

of godliness,

he unfolds

what this mystery is.

It's that God

has moved towards us.

We cannot move

towards him

in our sin,

but he has moved

towards us.

God has acted

in history.

This God,

the living God

that he says

in verse 15,

he is the foundation

of all religion.

He is the foundation

of all worship,

all piety,

all devotion,

and Paul wants us

to understand

that if we miss this,

then we miss him.

We miss ultimate reality.

We miss essentially

everything

if we miss this God.

You want to know

what is truly great

and stunning

in the world to see.

While we might

look out these windows

and be amazed

by the mountains,

or earlier this week,

we may be amazed

when the planets align

and we are moved

to awe and wonder.

What is truly great

and truly stunning,

friends,

is what Paul says

this mystery

of godliness is.

The mystery meaning

it was once hidden.

It was once hidden

to us.

It was once hidden

to us in our darkness,

in the darkness of sin.

And God now

has revealed,

revealed this

to the world.

He has revealed

what Gerhardus Voss

said,

the chief actor

in this drama

has come upon

the scene.

The chief actor

has stepped

into history.

And you'll notice

there,

after he says,

great indeed

is the mystery

of godliness,

he then presents

this in poetic form.

Poetic form

in verse 16.

And what we can gather

from this text,

from other texts

like Philippians 2,

5-11,

for example,

you may know

that passage,

or Colossians 1,

15-20.

These commentators

are convinced of

were early confessions

of the church.

Which means

what we're reading here

in all likelihood

goes back

to the very first

generation of disciples,

the very first

generation of the church,

those who walked

with Jesus

when he was here

on earth.

And that makes

what we see

in this early creed,

this early confession,

that much more remarkable

because,

as New Testament scholar

Richard Baucom,

he says,

quote,

the earliest Christology

already was the highest

Christology of the church.

That's what we see

in 1 Timothy 3, 16.

The earliest belief

about who Jesus

is,

and Jesus,

when he came

into this world,

was already

the highest belief

that you could have.

And we find

here in this passage

the exaltation

of Jesus Christ.

What great comfort

that is for us,

is it not?

What great comfort

to know that

from the very beginning,

the church knew

who Jesus was

and what he had

come to do.

And they are

confessing this

for us

so that future

generations

know who Jesus

was

and what he came

for.

So for us today,

friends,

this is God's

gracious reminder

to us

about the foundation,

the rock,

the certainty

that we have

this mystery

of godliness

that he has revealed.

And what has he revealed?

First,

we see the incarnation.

We see the incarnation.

Paul says

he was manifested

in the flesh.

He was justified

in the spirit.

This is the revelation

of the Son of God.

This is the revelation

of God

in the flesh.

The Word became flesh,

John 1.

And this is the revelation

of what Paul has already

said in 1 Timothy.

He said in chapter 1,

it was the words

of comfort and promise

we heard in our prayer

of confession

that Christ Jesus

came into the world

to save sinners.

In chapter 2,

Paul said

that he is

the God-man,

that he is

the unique,

the only mediator

between us

and a holy God.

He is the only one

of his kind.

He is,

as one commentator said,

quote,

he is man to God

and he is God to man.

He is man to God

and he is God to us.

And mediator,

mediator is the image

of,

when we think about

mediator kids,

think about an oven mitt

that you would use

to pull something hot

out of the oven,

like fresh baked

chocolate chip cookies.

If you don't use

that oven mitt

and you go to grab

the tray out of the oven,

it will burn your hand

because you cannot,

you cannot touch

the temperature

of the oven

is too hot

for us.

But if you put

on that oven mitt,

it mediates

between the heat

and your flesh.

And that is what

Jesus Christ is

as our mediator.

He is the one

who makes us

acceptable to God.

He is the one

that reconciles us

to God.

We can be

in the presence of God.

We can confess

our sins to him

as we did earlier

and we can trust,

we can bank

on the promise

of 1 John 1

that God is faithful,

God is just

to cleanse us

and to forgive us

of all unrighteousness

because Jesus Christ

is the only mediator

between God

and us.

Second,

we see the resurrection.

It says there

that he was seen

by angels,

he was proclaimed

or preached

on into the world.

This is the

proclamation

of this mystery

of godliness,

this God-man

who has stepped

into the world.

You'll notice

that there is no

reference to

the crucifixion.

And this is intentional

on Paul's part.

This is intentional

on the early church's part

because what are they doing?

They are emphasizing

the exaltation

of Christ.

They are emphasizing

the glory,

the glory of Christ

over all other claims,

all other claims

of the pagan religions

then

and all claims

of pagan religions

now as well.

Now, what do I mean

by that?

Anything that attempts

to raise itself

against the knowledge

of God

and the exaltation

of his son,

of this mystery

of godliness

that has been revealed

to the world

by definition

according to the New Testament

is pagan.

It's a pagan religion

and it is to be rejected.

As a matter of fact,

in 1 Peter 2,

God says that all other claims

will essentially be crushed

by this cornerstone

that God himself

has laid

as the foundation

of his house,

his son,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

So do not fear,

friends.

Do not let your faith

be rocked

because all other claims

will be crushed

to pieces.

We are to reject them

because they are

they are attempting

to usurp

what God has revealed,

what God has done.

You may be thinking,

well, how can you say that?

How can you say that?

To which I would say,

I'm not saying it.

God is saying it.

I am simply

the messenger.

God doesn't want you

or I to misunderstand

or misrepresent

his message.

Great indeed

is the mystery

of godliness.

And here's exactly

what it is.

That the Son of God

has come in the flesh.

That the Son of God

has overcome death.

And that the Son of God

has ascended back

to glory.

And we see that

in the ascension.

And that is the final

stanza of it.

Paul says that

he was believed on

in the world.

He was taken up

in glory.

This stands.

This stands as the summit,

the peak,

the apex.

The apex of God's

dealing in history,

friends.

That Christ was taken up

in glory.

He was crowned

with glory and honor

that's only reserved

for God alone.

And this is the message.

This is the message

that you and I,

that we are entrusted with

as the church.

This is the message

that we guard.

And it's the message

that we also proclaim

and we defend.

Because as Paul says there,

this is the message

that has been believed on

in the world.

This is the message

that changes the hearts

of you and I.

Now what does this mean

for us as a church?

What does this mean

for us as the people of God?

This is the dogma.

The dogma.

The meaning of it all.

This hymn, friends,

is inviting you and I.

It's inviting all of us

in this room this morning

to reflect upon

what Paul is saying here.

It's inviting you and I

to consider the implications

for you and I.

How does the incarnation

of Jesus,

how does the resurrection

of Jesus,

how does the ascension

or the exaltation

of Jesus,

how does that pervade

my thinking

on a daily basis?

How can you and I

live in the present age

with a mind knowing

that there is an age

to come?

An age that will transcend

everything I know

in this present fallen age.

You see,

what this is inviting us

to today

today

is to be reminded

of this

as we go into 2021.

That nothing has changed

for you and I

in Christ.

If anything,

we are that much closer.

We are that much closer

to glory.

Amen?

We are indeed.

This hymn

is designed to ground us

in that reality.

The reality

that we're fallen

in Adam,

but that Christ

came to save

sinners.

Christ came

to save sinners.

And little theologians,

you can be sure

of that.

The story,

the story

is that we rebelled

and we attempted

to kick God

out of his garden.

And yet,

he moved

towards us

in grace

and in judgment.

Because

this

mystery

of godliness,

this one

who was revealed

in the flesh,

ultimately would enter

the garden

a second time,

would he not?

Only this time,

it wasn't the garden

of Eden.

It was the garden

of Gethsemane.

And this time,

Jesus,

the son of God,

he was faithful

unto an agonizing death

on a Roman cross.

And he

bore our sins

in his body

on the tree.

Our shame,

our guilt.

That sin,

that sin

that is between you

and your spouse

here this morning

in your marriage.

The sin

that you

are struggling

with

in your parenting,

perhaps.

Or kids,

the sin

that you are committing

against your brothers

and sisters.

Or that you are committing

against your parents.

or the sin

that dwells

in each and every

single one

of our hearts

in this room.

That shame

that we cannot

feel

that we can confess

to God

or we can confess

to someone else.

That is the sin,

friends.

That is the shame

that he bore

on the tree.

He bore it

as your substitute,

as my substitute.

And in the process

he experienced

the full wrath,

the full wrath

of his father.

All of that,

all of that,

crystal clear,

guaranteed

that you can trust it,

that you can bank on it.

It really happened.

When I read this passage

I think about

the end

of A Christmas Carol

after Ebenezer Scrooge

has woken up

and he asked

the question,

was it all

too good

to be true?

Was it all

too good

to be true?

Was his redemption

too good

to be true?

Was it simply

a dream?

And then Scrooge

says there,

it's all right.

It all happened.

It's really true.

Right here

in 1 Timothy

1 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

we have the early church

essentially saying

that to you and I.

it all really happened.

It's all

really true.

Great

is the mystery

of godliness

Paul says.

This is what God

has done

emphatically

in history

for all

all of us

who will hear this

and believe this

friends.

It is meant

to help

recalibrate

our hearts

our minds

to this

not just

during this season

of Advent

and Christmas

but every

single day

of our lives

so that we

are not

shaken

we are not

rocked

but we are

firmly established

in the faith

here and now

so that

as he says

in verse 14

you and I

might know

how to behave

in the household

of God

which is the church

of the living God.

This is the third

point.

The life

shaped by scripture.

The word

for household

there

it's an interesting

word that Paul

uses here.

It's the same

root

of a word

that he used

in 1 Timothy

1 Timothy 1:4

chapter 1

verse 4

where there

he talked

about

that what

Timothy

was to

preach

what Timothy

was to teach

what we are

to preach

and teach

in the church

is the stewardship

from God

that is by faith.

It's the same

word for stewardship

it's the same

root here

or root

of the word

that he uses

here for household

and what

what Paul

is is getting

at

is that

just as

the message

the message

the doctrine

the teaching

is from God

as he says

in chapter 1

so too

is the church

that you and I

are of God

that the church

is born of the same

sovereign grace

that saved

you and I

to begin with.

the church

is God's

household

it's God's

household

and this is

this is amazing

language

given

given the first

century

given the ancient

world

Paul is using

this as a

as a term

for royalty

as a term

for of course

a familial

relationship

that we enjoy

both with

both with the

father

and the son

and we enjoy

with one another

as well.

This is

truly truly

remarkable

as historian

Tom Holland

said in his

book Dominion

he talks about

that this

this concept

was so

incredibly

foreign

to the ancient

world

this concept

of God

being father

Jesus

being son

we be members

of the same

household of God

being family

and yet it's

this concept

that went out

from the world

and changed

turned the world

upside down

the pagan world

upside down

now this

household

is what

you and I

are called

to participate

in

we're called

to participate

in it

now how do

we do that

the main way

the primary way

we do that

is what we are

doing here today

being called

out of the world

to come and sit

to receive

from God

his means of grace

to receive

his pardon

for our sins

to sing

his praises

in response

to who God

is

we are to

confess our sins

we are to give

of our tithes

and offerings

we are to

confess the faith

that we have been

confessing as a church

for 2000 years

we are to sit

under the preaching

of his word

his primary means

of grace

and then

the Lord's Supper

baptism

the benediction

all of these things

God blessing

us as his people

again and again

and again

so that we are

built up

in holiness

we are built up

in godliness

and this is our

calling as his people

is it not

our calling

our calling

is to pursue

this God

our calling

is to pursue

godliness

pursue godliness

having our minds

transformed

having our bodies

set as living sacrifices

holy and acceptable

to him

having our hearts

our hearts

interacting with

God's truth

God's revelation

in his word

of who Jesus Christ

is

this is what we are

called to

as his people

this is ultimately

friends

what

Christianity

is truly

about

little theologians

know this

kids

that Christianity

isn't merely

a religion

it is a religion

who brings you

back

to your heavenly

father

and to your

blessed

big brother

the Lord Jesus

Christ

this is ultimately

what God

was doing

in revealing

his son

to the world

so that you and I

might be reconciled

back to him

and you and I

might be

might be at home

with him

in his household

and this is the

ministry friends

that as a church

we are entrusted

with

we proclaim

this message

we defend it

we protect it

Paul calls us

the buttress

or the fortress

of the truth

and don't miss that

he doesn't say

the fortress

of a truth

he says

the fortress

of the truth

the truth

it's because

this is

to be found

nowhere else

except in God's

household

this message

to the world

salvation

has come

this is our

great confession

friends

handed down

to us

by our

spiritual

ancestors

great indeed

we confess

is the mystery

of godliness

great indeed

is our God

friends

amen

he has provided

everything that you

and I need

for life and godliness

do not fear

but look to him

when on the day

the great I am

the faithful

and the true

the lamb

who was for

sinners slain

is making

all things new

behold

our God

shall live

with us

and be

our steadfast

light

and we

shall

air

his people

be

all glory

be to Christ

all glory

be to Christ

our king

all glory

be to Christ

his rule

and reign

will ever sing

all glory

be to Christ

that is the end

of the story

that is already

written

it is

kept in heaven

for you

and that is a promise

that you can trust

today

the grass withers

and the flowers fade

but the word

of our lord

stands forever

and thanks be to him

amen

let's pray

God we thank you

we thank you for this word

we thank you

Lord

in times

of uncertainty

of unrest

Lord

that each and every one of us

have experienced

this year in particular

perhaps more so

than

in any other time

of recent memory

in our lives

Lord

we are so thankful

that we are part

of your household

the fortress

of the truth

we thank you

for that

we thank you

for the story

that you have

written

Lord Jesus

the story

that you have

acted

that you have

taken upon

yourself

Lord

the story

that you sweep

us up into

and you make us

your very own

we thank you

for the dogma

we thank you

for the meaning

of the story

that we can

understand

what it all

means

and Lord

we thank you

for the new life

that we have

by the power

of your spirit

our union

with Jesus

we are united

to him

by faith

and faith alone

and Lord

you lead us on

you lead us on

to that great city

all glory be to you

we pray

amen