The Pillar of the Truth

 A Sermon preached at Church of the Ascension of May 15, 2013

 1 Timothy 3

Years ago, I read a book with the title They Like Jesus butNot the Church. The book chronicled the attitudes of the unchurched towards organized religion and the church in particular. The predominant feelings towards the church, even among those with an openness to Jesus, was suspicion and distrust. I’m sure you all know people who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. Maybe you are one of them. There is no doubt that a lot of this wariness and disillusionment is entirely justified.

One doesn’t have to dig very far to find reasons not to like the Church, the unending in-fighting and lawsuits, the hypocrisy, the dishonesty, and even the horrid corruption of sexual abuse. 

Many sincere and morally minded people have concluded that they would rather not be involved with the church. After all isn’t it just as possible to connect with God by reading your Bible in your home or on a Sunday morning nature hike? Such people say, “My faith is a personal relationship not a religion.”

I want to be clear, I believe that having a personal and heart felt relationship with Jesus Christ is essential, but the Lord also wants us to have a corporate relationship with his Church. Jesus loves the church, despite her many failings as his very own bride. Saint Peter writes, “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.(1 Peter 2:9 ESV)   

The Church has a very special role in God’s plan of salvation. Our Epistle reading today describes it as, “the pillar and buttress of the truth.”

Scholars have often described the Pastoral Letters—1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus—somewhat negatively as the domestication of the radical movement of the Early Church. They say that the message takes a shift from the radical, world-changing, message of Paul’s early ministry to more conservative and institutionally focused concerns.

 In some ways they are right. There is a shift taking place. The age of the Apostles is coming to an end. The Apostle Paul wants to assure that the Church he has labored so hard to establish is preserved and the Gospel that was entrusted to him is defended from the encroaching threat of false teachers. It is imperative that the Church be left in the hands faithful leaders of godly character.

Those entrusted for the care of God’s people, as shepherds of the flock, are called epískopos which means overseer or guardian. It is also where we get the word Bishop. However, the office isn’t exactly the same as that of bishop as we would understand it today.

In the New Testament the offices of episkopos and presbyter-- which means pastor, priest or elder—were basically synonymous. It isn’t until the following generations that we see the three fold ministry of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons securely in place.

The office of bishop, as we understand it today, has more to do with continuing the role of the Apostles. The Apostles, appointed leaders, such as Timothy, as their heirs and charged them with the ordination of leaders and the defense of the gospel.

It is to that end that Paul instructs Timothy that, those who aspire to the office of overseer desire a noble task. Because of the awesome responsibility involved in being a pastor, It is essential that those ordained to this role be people of character who will not bring reproach upon the church.

There was a video making the rounds on Facebook of a school bus of children from my home town, acting absolutely appallingly. Somebody happened to capture the scene on their cell phone. It gets so bad that the police need to intervene! Needless to say it has caused a bit of a scandal. Whenever kids act up in this way the most natural response is to ask, “what is wrong with these parents?!” Parents are responsible for setting an example for their children, disciplining them if needed, and teaching them the appropriate way to behave. When parents do not have a strong character themselves, its absence in their children isn’t too surprising.

In the same way, pastors are to set an example for the church through their manner of life. They must not only be competent teachers, but also must be people not easily overcome with vice. They must be generous, self-controlled and faithful to their spouses.

 It is important that they manage the affairs of their own house well, not only for the sake of their reputation, but also as proof of their competency to lead the church.

The home has been described as the “domestic church.” Any life of virtue and devotion has to begin with one’s own family and loved ones. It is often far easier to maintain your virtue with strangers!

It is also important that a pastor be someone who is mature and experienced in their faith. One must learn the humility of being a follower and a student, before one is ready to be a leader and teacher. It is all too easy to allow a quick rise in status to go to one’s head. Those in positions of power and authority need to always be on guard that they not be consumed with pride.

Paul then turns his attention to the qualifications for diakonos  and  diakonissa, what we would refer to as deacons. There is some debate whether diakonissa refers to a female deacon or the wife of a deacon. The context seems to suggest that these are indeed female deacons or deaconesses  that are being referred to. Paul is talking about the qualifications for leaders, it would seem odd that he would shift gears to talk about the deacon’s wives especially since he did not do so for the role of overseer (bishop).  There is also a president for female deacons in phoebe who Paul refers to in Romans 16:1-2.

The title deacon comes from a common Greek word referring to a minister or someone who serves, especially at table. The qualifications for those ordained as deacon are very similar to those of overseer. They are to be people of virtue and self-control and must be mature in the faith having been tested. They are to be people of clear conscience who cling to the “mystery of faith.”

What is meant by this enigmatic expression? Paul uses a similar phrase a few verses later, declaring, “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness.” The term mystery was a common expression in religious life of the Greco-Roman world used to refer to secret esoteric knowledge revealed to a select inner-circle. Mystery cults were committed to keeping this knowledge a secret and withholding it from outsiders.

Paul turns this concept inside out. The mystery of godliness, “the mystery hidden from ages past but now revealed to the saints,” is what Bishop Lesslie Newbigin refers to as an “Open Secret.” Open in the sense of being declared to the nations, but secret in the sense of being manifest only to the eyes of faith. The content of this open secret is God’s surprising and unexpected work of salvation in Jesus Christ and the community that declares his name,

“He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

This short phrase, perhaps taken from a hymn, is meant as a summary of the gospel proclaimed by the Apostles and entrusted to the church. The Church is called to be a steward of this mystery, upholding the gospel and declaring it to all the world.

As the bride of Christ united to him as one flesh, the church herself is a mystery, declaring God’s plan to unite all things in Christ. Although she is broken and sinful she is simultaneously righteous in Christ who sanctifies her through the washing of water and the word (Ephesians 5:26).

Sinful, human, leaders often fail the church and fail to honor the nobility of their office. Many are wolves in shepherd’s clothing.  Christ, however, has promised never to leave nor forsake his Church. He is with us even to the end of the age. He himself is our High-Priest, the shepherd and overseer of our souls, and our exalted king who comes to us as one who serves.

How exceedingly wonderful and precious are the riches and glory of this mystery revealed by faith which is Christ in you, the hope of glory!

The Answer is Yes!

 

 This sermon was preached at The Church of the Holy Comforter in Drexel Hill, Pa on June 16th, 2013

 

 

2 Samuel 11:26-12:10,13-15

 In 1972 John Lennon and Yoko Ono appeared on the Mike Douglas Show for a full week as co-host. I of course did not see the program when it first aired—I wouldn’t be born for another 10 years!—but I did see a re-broadcast of the week long appearance years later. During their time on the show, John and Yoko shared with Mike Douglas the story of how they first met. Yoko Ono was exhibiting some of her avant-garde artwork at a swank London gallery, and John Lennon was an incredulous guest. He really didn’t know what to make of the work. One piece in particular caught his eye, however: a ladder leading up to a white canvas suspended from the ceiling with a spy glass dangling from it attached to a chain. Lennon cautiously climbed the ladder to peer through the glass. What it revealed was the word “Yes” written on the canvas.

Lennon said, if it had said “No” or something else negative or insulting he would have walked out. Because it said, “Yes” he decided to stay and give this woman a chance, and the rest is history.

I think this story reveals something profound about human nature. We all long for acceptance and affirmation. We desperately want to see “Yes” under that spyglass. What we live in constant fear and anxiety of, is the awful possibility of the “No,” the terrible verdict of rejection.

The Bible teaches us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We cannot escape this fact. We live out our lives in the shadow of judgment. We cannot face the truth and so we avoid and rationalize. We live in denial. It is easy for us to recognize the fault in others but much harder for us to be honest with ourselves.

In today’s Old Testament reading from 2 Samuel, King David is confronted with the horrifying reality of his own sinfulness. David coveted the wife of Uriah, a soldier in his army. He saw Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, bathing on the roof and lusted for her. David was the King and had his choice of all the most beautiful women in the kingdom, but he wanted this one who belonged to another. He took her to his bed and made her pregnant. To cover up his crime, he sent Uriah into the front lines of battle knowing that he would be killed and took Bathsheba as his own wife. She bore him a son.

The thing that David did was repugnant to the Lord and so he sent his Prophet Nathan to David. Nathan told him the story of a rich man who rather than killing one of his own flock to feed a guest, took the beloved pet of a poor man, slaughtered it, and served it to his guest.

When we hear this story we are outraged. Maybe we think of a pet of our own that is dear to us. We want to see the guy who would do such an awful thing pay. David is no different, he says that this man deserves to die and demands harsh punishment. The man that Nathan spoke of though was David. David was disassociated from the magnitude of the evil he had done. It was only when it was presented to him as the story of another man that he could recognize it.

A favorite preacher of mine, Tim Keller, summarizes the implications of the gospel in this way, “You are more desperately wicked than you ever dared to imagine, yet you are more loved, forgiven, and accepted in Christ than you ever dared hope.” God is relentlessly opposed to sin and unwavering in his condemnation of it. He pronounces an uncompromising “No” to all human evil, but his “No” is never his final word. God is also abounding in mercy and grace, and while never condoning sin or ceasing in his opposition to evil, all is Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20).

There will indeed be deadly consequences for David’s sin. Because he struck down Uriah with the sword of the Ammonites, the sword will never depart from his house. David’s line is under the curse of his own wickedness. Despite this, David’s own life will be spared. Although by his own admission he deserves death, the Lord has taken away his Sin and showed mercy to him. Nevertheless there is still awful consequences. Why is this so? Couldn’t God just forgive and forget?

God cannot wink at sin. What would it say if God were to let David get away with murder? Would that be justice? No way! Like we said a moment ago, God is relentlessly opposed to sin and unwavering in his opposition. God’s mercy cannot rob his justice. It would go against his very nature to be unjust.

God’s wrath against David’s sin is expressed in the death of the child he conceived with Bathsheba. How is this just you ask? This child is an innocent! Why should he pay for what David has done? These are indeed troubling questions! If we are appalled that this should be so, we have begun to feel something of the scandal of the Cross. A murderer was set free, and Christ, the one truly innocent person who ever lived, the perfectly righteous Son of God, was handed over to the shameful and ignominious death of a criminal. The iniquity of us all was laid upon his head! The Son in whom the Father was well pleased, received the awful condemnation of God’s “No”!

 It was our sin, and not any injustice or cruelty in God, that sent Jesus to the cross. He bore the punishment that we so justly deserve. In the same way, it was David’s wickedness that brought down curses on his family. It is important to remember that David receives the consequences he himself has decreed. Remember, he said “This man deserves to die, he shall pay four fold for the evil thing he has done!”

Someone once said that, the righteous requirements of God’s law aside, if all the words we had spoken in judgment of others were played back for us on the day of our own judgment, our own words would condemn us! Meaning, we can’t even live up to our own standards!

 

David will indeed pay fourfold for what he has done. He will live to see the death of four of his sons beginning with the baby born to Bathsheba and continuing onto Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah. Not only that, but the years ahead will see terrible rebellion and division in his own house.

 Is this terrible sentence of judgment the last word? Can we at last expect nothing but irredeemable tragedy in this life? It would be absolutely intolerable for the gospel story to end with the cross. Our forgiveness at so terrible a price could never be a source of joy but only sorrow at the meaningless injustice of it all. On that Friday, the goodness and justice of God itself was blacked out. It was hidden from us.

We know the story doesn’t end there, however, Jesus rose from the dead conquering sin and death and destroying the curse of condemnation that hung over humankind. God’s “Yes,” the gospel proclamation of restoration, peace, and acceptance with God, is his final word! All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of thingsshall be well! How can we help but shout in astonished wonder like Sam Gamgee in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, “Is everything sad becoming untrue?!”

Even in David’s situation, God’s “No” is not his final word. Unlike Saul, who lost the kingdom because of his unfaithfulness, God remains faithful to David despite David’s unfaithfulness. He remains faithful to us too!  The second son of David and Bathsheba, Solomon, will take the throne of his father. Solomon’s name comes from the Hebrew word that means “Peace,” particularly the peace that comes through restoration or atonement. 

This act of grace, mercy, and restoration shown to David points us forward to the ultimate act of grace, mercy, and restoration shown to all humankind in Jesus Christ. In the life death and resurrection of Christ all of our sins our taken away and atoned for. The Son of God himself receives the horrible sentence of condemnation in our place. God’s people need not fear, the answer is “Yes!”