The Pillar of Truth

Website Editor • October 7, 2020

From Pastor Ky Martin's sermon on 1 Timothy 4:11-16:

There are so many events in scripture that would be incredible to step in and see first-hand. The parting of the Red Sea. The fiery furnace. Noah’s Arc. Jesus feeding 5000….


The Apostle Peter saw some of scripture’s greatest highlights. At the Mount of Transfiguration, he had the ULTIMATE mountaintop moment. He saw his heroes Moses and Elijah return to earth (...Moses IN the Promised Land!)! He witnessed the veil of divinity removed from Jesus’ face and got to see Jesus in all His glory and splendor!. He heard God speak!


And yet… Peter would go on to believe that there was something even greater than this experience.


In 2 Peter 1:19 (after talking about the transfiguration), he writes, “and we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention.” (The NIV translation renders it this way: “we have something more sure.”)


To put it simply, the prophetic word of the Lord is better and more trustworthy than any experience!



As Peter leads the church, through his letters we see that the church’s role is to proclaim, preserve, and protect the word of God. This is at the core of what a church is.


Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:15, “If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth.”


Like a pillar, the church is what God has intended to uphold the truth so it is known and available for the world to see.


John Calvin explained it this way, “For the same reason, also, she is called the “pillar of truth”, because the office of administering doctrine, which God hath placed in her hands, is the only instrument of preserving the truth, that it may not perish from the remembrance of men.”


The church has uniquely been given the authority and responsibility of preserving, proclaiming, and protecting God’s message.


Because the church is the pillar of truth…


...a pastor’s primary role is proclaiming and protecting the truth. Before any other responsibilities, a pastor must have a reverence and passion for the Word of God. In Paul’s Pastoral Epistles [instruction to pastors], the overwhelmingly dominant charge is to proclaim and protect the truth. (1 Timothy 1:3-4; 4:6,11-16; 6:20; Titus 1:9; 2:1, 15; 2 Timothy 4:1-5)


...the greatest threat to the church is false teachers. The main enemy of the church is not culture or government, but false teachers who have infiltrated the church and are corrupting it from the inside out. Over and over again in Paul’s Pastoral Epistles, we see him warning against false teachers who make the peripheral things the main thing. The main thing is always God’s work at the cross. (2 Timothy 1:18; 2:14)


...we cannot be driven by numerical goals. When money or attendance become the main goal, we have redefined our success outside of scripture. While these things are not necessarily bad, they are not meant to be the church’s ultimate focus. Sunday mornings are not meant to be Ted Talks with Bible verses, the central message of any church gathering should be gospel-centered; proclaiming and protecting the truth.

.

..we must trust the power of God’s word. If you are a follower of Christ, you know how you are so prone to wander. It is essential we keep ourselves in scripture so we can remind ourselves of who God is; His love for us; His power and plan.


We do this by reading our Bibles! We study it; we remember it; we meditate on it; we are led by it; we are devoted to it; we trust it.


We are the church. We are the pillar of truth.


Watch this sermon, here .



Freed to Serve

April 28, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:11-17 This is the beginning of a section addressing how God's people now function in this world. It begins with aliens and exiles and continues with servants, wives, husbands, and finally, all of you. 1.) Our identity defines our actions. We are sojourners and exiles (temporary, passing through, not at home) We have a heavenly citizenship Actions We abstain from the passions of the flesh Keep conduct among the Gentiles honorable (our conduct is for the benefit of other people) Honorable conduct wins souls… sojourners, exiles, and soul winners “Peter’s point is that believers’ behavior creates a context in which people will listen to God’s word. He is not teaching that ‘good deeds’ in themselves convert unbelievers, but they establish an environment for the Gospel-word to do so.” -Barnett 2.) Our identity defines our expectations (Unbelievers will respond to honorable conduct in 1 of 2 ways) Some will speak evil against us as though we are evildoers Some will see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 3.) Our identity defines our view of authority (Does anyone here ever just want to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That’s why laws exist) Be subject to every human institution (for the Lord's sake) This includes governors and emperors (no distinction between good/bad) The will of God... by doing good, we silence the ignorance of foolish people 4.) Our identity defines our view of freedom Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil We are freed to serve God Honor, Love, and Fear Discipleship Questions: 1.)Why is it so important to understand our identity before talking about our behavior? 2.) How might this reality impact your parenting? For real, what are 3 ways that you can apply that this week? 3.) How is good conduct a form of evangelism? 4.) What do these verses say that we can expect from others? 5.) How can we honor a government that isn't always honorable? Seriously, what are 5 things we should immediately stop doing and 5 things we should immediately start doing? 6.) What are some tangible ways to honor others? Love the brotherhood? Fear God? Honor the Emperor? 7.) Should we fear the Emperor?

Cornerstone

April 22, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?

Born Again

April 16, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
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