We are together this week, and the burden of the week is about being serviceable to the Lord, to our Master: that we might be good servants and live our lives as Christians in such a way that the Lord says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Everybody who is born again is a servant of the Lord. The New Testament especially reveals that there are rewards in the kingdom—rewards in the Christian life for those who are faithful. Thank God, we are all saved by grace. By grace, we will all live with the Lord forever; and by grace, we can serve Him faithfully and be rewarded and commended in His presence.
There is a burden regarding service. Although everybody is called to serve, not everybody responds in such a way as to be a bondservant—one who has, of his own free will, given himself to the Lord.
This afternoon our brother Stephen shared on the sanctification of the body. In the midst of it, he shared many tremendous and searching things regarding our surrender to the Lord and our serviceability to Him. If you had children to care for, or for whatever reason you were not at the meeting, you should listen to what our brother shared today.
Tonight, we want to spend this session—and, Lord willing, the next session that I have some time down the road—looking at both 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. Tonight we will consider 1 Timothy, and next time 2 Timothy, as we look at service in His house.
Let us turn to 1 Timothy 3, and then to 2 Timothy 2.
Paul is writing to his coworker Timothy:
“I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long;
but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.”—1 Timothy 3:14-16
Now let us turn to 2 Timothy 2, where our theme verse is located, beginning with 2 Timothy 2:19:
“Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.’
Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
—2 Timothy 2:19-22
We come tonight with the promise of our dear Master: “I will build My church.” We come knowing that the Word of God is used in our lives when breathed upon by the Holy Spirit. So we ask that the Holy Spirit would now be with us, enlightening our eyes so that we can see the revelation that we need.
Give us the grace to obey and to live so as to be useful servants to You in Your house. Help us, Lord, tonight. We have heard a lot of things, and our bodies are tired. Give us the breath of refreshment from the very presence of the Lord, so that we can remain alert during this hour and take these things to heart.
We commit this whole time to You, thanking You for our privilege to gather together in Jesus’ name. Amen.
We read these two passages in 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, and you probably noticed that the house of God was mentioned twice. But there is quite a contrast between the two houses.
First Timothy was written while Paul was traveling and ministering. He was in Macedonia when he wrote Timothy, who was staying in Ephesus. Ephesus was a church built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ by the apostles and prophets, and especially by the apostle Paul.
In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul writes that one ought to know how to conduct himself “in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” This reminds us of what Paul wrote to the Ephesians:
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
—Ephesians 2:19-22
In Ephesians 2, we see this tremendous revelation that the church is a living organism. It is being built by God out of living stones. It is the family of God, the household of God, and the temple of God. All these phrases are thrown together. This is the church—the house of God—that we see in 1 Timothy 3.
But when Paul writes 2 Timothy, he is in prison and, from the context, appears to be about to be martyred. He is writing perhaps the last words he ever shared with this younger brother, Timothy. Things have changed.
In 1 Timothy 3, Paul spoke of “the church of the living God.” But in 2 Timothy 2:20, he says, “Now in a large house.” He is using an illustration, but it is more than an illustration. It has to do with the condition of the church as it now stands.
There may have been several years between the writing of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, but there has obviously been quite a change. The church of the living God—that is what it was. Now it is a large house.
The implication is that there are many people, something big. But you get the impression that the door is different. In the house of God, the door is Jesus: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” In fact, it is Christ crucified.
To be part of the household of God, you need to be part of God’s work in which He, by the power of the cross, deals with us and brings us into proper relationships with one another. These things are necessary if we are to be this living household of God.
But in the large house, there is a door and there are people who have professed faith in Christ. Surely many have been baptized. But perhaps somebody is not watching the door. They are not guarding things, because there are all kinds of vessels in there: good vessels and bad vessels, gold vessels and wooden vessels, honorable vessels and dishonorable vessels.
This certainly looks different. The house of God in 1 Timothy is defined as the pillar and support of the truth. It has a testimony, a standard around which it is drawn. But we do not find that in 2 Timothy. We find independent vessels, with no clear pillar of testimony standing there.
In 1 Timothy, and from Ephesians, we know that the church at Ephesus was built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, built by Paul as a wise master builder. But in 2 Timothy 2:19, there is indeed a foundation, though it is no longer an outward, visible foundation. It is a spiritual foundation:
“Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.’”
—2 Timothy 2:19
Things have changed quite a bit.
I shared some testimony previously, and I would like to comment on it for another moment as we begin tonight. I want to illustrate something, as I understand it, about these testimonies before us.
The house of God is that gathering of people who stand in the Lord Jesus Christ and somehow bear a testimony to the reality of the heavenly house that is eternal. The large house is the way Christendom is today.
These are larger pictures than merely a local place, though the principle can apply locally. What is the whole Christian scene like today? It is like a large house—a very confusing large house. You can almost pick and choose according to your particular preferences.
There are houses built on the basis of racial prejudice. There are places built on total tolerance, welcoming everybody no matter their moral condition or public confession. There are all kinds of things in this large house.
I shared last time that when I traveled to England years ago, I saw the house of God. I felt God at home and myself at home. But I do not want to leave people with the feeling, “Well, now I know where the house of God is, and sorry, you do not know where it is.” I do not want to pontificate in that way.
Let me share my testimony. I was saved in the large house by honorable vessels who preached the gospel. I got saved, and I thank God for those people who preached the gospel to me and helped me find Jesus.
I was trained in the large house. The large house does not have its own training center; it has schools that you go to. When I felt called to the ministry, nobody knew whether I was called or not. They had to agree with me, because in the large house everybody is an independent vessel.
So they send you to an independent school that trains independent vessels to go back and build the house of God. Something is strange there. I went to this school after college and studied under some vessels of honor and some vessels of dishonor.
I studied under professors who did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus, who did not believe in the Second Coming, and who did not believe in so much of the New Testament and the Old Testament. Then I had others who really loved the Lord and preached the Word. It was a confusing situation.
Then I became a pastor serving in the large house. You could almost pick and choose whom you wanted to preach to and whom you did not want to preach to, whom you would put out of the church because you did not like them, and whom you would accept. It was a very confusing thing, and I was very confused.
So I do not want to judge the saints who are in the large house today. I found it very confusing.
There is no house of God that is perfect. That group I went to in England that changed my life—they are not perfect. But I could see something there. Neither were the Corinthians perfect, though they were called the church of God; and Ephesus certainly was not perfect.
The house of God is not a perfect thing, but it has a testimony. Somehow, you can sense the presence of God.
As we look at 1 Timothy tonight, we will see that the house is the house of the living God. Therefore, the house of the living God has a life—the life of the Lord—that can train a servant. Tonight we are looking at service in the house of God. It is a wonderful thing.
The next time I speak, Lord willing, we will look at 2 Timothy. The emphasis there is much more on the servant himself, because he does not get help from the house. We will talk about servanthood in the large house.
When things get large, there is a tendency to open the door to compromise. That is the problem with the large house.
As I shared the other night, while I was serving in the large house, I met some people from the house of God. I began to listen to our brother Stephen. He was coming from another place. The word he spoke was so simple. The house of God was simple. The large house I was in was very complicated.
I had to report to my denomination. I had to fill out papers saying whom I had joined, how many people I had visited, and how many baptisms I had. There were political matters with the associational missionary and conferences with other pastors. What a confusing thing.
Then I heard that in the house of God, everybody serves. I said, “Wouldn’t that be great?” These are simple things, but they are so simple.
Here is the thing that really got me in the end: in the large house there is a lot of compromise. The Lord put it in my heart, by His grace, not knowing what I was getting into. I got down on my knees one day and said, “Lord, I do not know what the truth is, but I do not want to compromise.”
Eventually that got me put out of the large house, where they wanted me to compromise on the Word of God. It is a matter of conscience. As we will see in 1 Timothy, conscience is a key issue for a servant in the house of God.
Again, in the large house there are vessels of honor. There are men of God out there serving God, laying their lives down, preaching the Word—tremendous people. There are not only people in public places with prominent speaking ministries, but many faithful brothers and sisters in the large house.
But for me, when I saw the compromise involved, I could not in good conscience remain there. So I had to go. I want you to understand that. Yet I do not think we can judge the large house.
The Lord takes seriously everybody who truly has a heart for Him. I was in the large house, but I was open to something if I could ever hear the truth. I never knew what the house of God was. Fortunately, I was able to receive some light from brothers who were faithful to preach the Word. Some people never hear these things, and yet they are faithful.
The Lord takes people seriously when they love Him. He will take people just as far as they are willing to go. He will take a people, a group, through. It does not matter where the group started. They may be an established denominational group originating in the 1500s; if they love the Lord, He will take them through the cross and strip away things from them, as long as they keep going with Him.
That is why, when you travel around, you touch the testimony of the house of God in some of the most unlikely places. Things may be set up wrongly, and they may even believe some things wrongly, but their hearts are for the Lord without compromise. They are living according to the light God has given them, and you go there and sense the reality of the house of God.
On the other hand, just because a group has reacted against the established church, meets in a house group, claims to be nondenominational, or claims to stand on the true ground of the church, that does not mean it is the house of God. There is something of the heart, of faith, and of conscience involved in the house of God.
You may find the house of God in many unlikely places, but the question is whether they will go through. Hebrews 3 says:
“Whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.”
—Hebrews 3:6
There is an “if” there for any group that desires to be a testimony of the eternal house of God in the heavenlies.
I am sure some people are truly called to serve in the large house. How do I know? Probably some people here tonight have no other option. The place where you live has nothing but the large house.
I say to you: be faithful to the Lord. Overcome. Keep yourself unstained. Some of the greatest and noblest servants of God in the Bible are those who overcame in difficult situations. Be faithful to the Lord.
Some people have no option. You may live where there are people trying to be a testimony to the house of God, and thank God that you are there. But some people live where all they have is “brand X” or “brand Y.” Yet they should not forsake the assembling of themselves together. Find a place and be faithful to the Lord. They can overcome.
Meanwhile, as for me, I have found that I want to pursue “righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” I am thankful to live in New York City—now in Manhattan—and to have fellowship with brothers and sisters in Queens who desire to be a testimony to the house of God. I am privileged to be in such a testimony.
Tonight I want to speak from 1 Timothy on what I am calling the nobility of service in the house of God.
I am taking this expression from the NIV translation of 1 Timothy 3:1. Mark this down, because it is one of the only times you will ever hear me quote from the NIV. But I heard a brother quote it a couple of weeks ago, and I said, “Hey, I like that,” because it expresses something of the beauty of the house of God:
“Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.”
—1 Timothy 3:1, NIV
This particular passage concerns overseeing, but serving the Lord in any way in the house of God is a noble task. Paul is saying that a brother who dwells in the house of God should have this spiritual aspiration: “I want to be an overseer.”
We may say, “Oh, that is terrible,” because we think as the world thinks. We imagine that an overseer is somebody on top, somebody who wants to lord it over everybody else. But in the house of God, a brother aspiring to be an overseer is really saying, “Lord, I want to be serviceable to You. I love Your house. I love You. I want to be faithful and useful to You.”
Do you have this aspiration? Do you desire this? Do not be falsely humble about it: “Oh, I could never be that.” That is not what the passage says. It says this is a noble task, a wonderful aspiration.
The word translated “good” in some versions has a fuller meaning. Pizza is good. Some people think tofu is good—I doubt that. But this Greek word, kalos, means noble and honorable. It is more than merely good. It is a noble thing to desire to be an overseer.
Let us look at other references to this word in 1 Timothy, translated “good” but carrying the thought of nobility.
In 1 Timothy 1:18-19, Paul tells Timothy:
“Fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”
Fighting in the house of God is a noble thing. Keeping faith and a noble conscience is a noble thing.
In 1 Timothy 2:3, Paul says:
“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”
In 1 Timothy 3:1, an overseer “desires a noble work.” In 1 Timothy 3:7, he must have “a noble reputation with those outside the church.” In 1 Timothy 3:13, those who have served well as deacons obtain “a noble standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”
In 1 Timothy 4:6:
“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.”
That is a noble servant of Christ Jesus. In 1 Timothy 5:10, speaking of widows, Paul speaks of a reputation for noble works:
“If she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, if she has devoted herself to every good work.”
There is a noble woman. In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul says:
“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
Then in 1 Timothy 6:13, speaking of Jesus:
“Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate.”
There we are: noble. The nobility of service in the house of God; the nobility of being in the house of God. To serve God in His house is a noble thing. To live in God’s house is a noble thing. It is honorable and valuable.
I have had the privilege, not because of myself but because my father-in-law is a God-fearing and wonderful Christian man, of meeting people of nobility—important people overseas and here in the United States. I once had dinner with about half a dozen Christian senators who truly loved the Lord.
Whenever you are in the presence of nobility, you sense something sobering and deeper. You realize that you are in the midst of importance.
That should be our feeling when we are in the house of God. We may look at our gatherings week by week and see them as anything but noble. But it is a noble thing to be in the house of God, and it is a noble thing to serve in the house of God.
By “noble,” I am not talking about self-importance or putting on airs. I am not saying that everybody should wear a tie and a jacket. I am not talking about outward things. But do you sense the nobility of the house of God?
It is not noble because of us. It is noble because the living God dwells there. That suddenly makes our gatherings valuable.
When we are not careful, we evaluate things outwardly. We come to a conference and evaluate how good the ministry is, how good the singing is, how good the children’s classes are, and so on. But what does the Lord feel about this meeting? Do you sense the nobility and importance of the gathering?
You will if you sense His presence among us. There is no more wonderful place to be. All those psalms of David that speak of Zion and the house of God—how lovely it is, how God desires to dwell there—have been fulfilled in the house of God through Jesus Christ.
Let us return to 1 Timothy 3:14-15:
“I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
The house of God is so noble that one needs to know how to conduct himself there. It is not a free-for-all. Everybody does not just come in haphazardly, sit anywhere, and carry on. No, there is conduct in a noble place.
There are three definitions here that help us understand the house of God. First, it is “the church of the living God.” Do not take that lightly. The church of the living God means that God’s living presence is there.
Today there are many large meetings and worship meetings where we pray for a sense of the Lord’s presence. We sing, “Oh, how we need the presence of the Lord.” But the Lord does not commit His presence everywhere.
If people come together and truly love the Lord, He blesses them. But He commits His presence in the house of God—not everywhere. We may sing about His wonderful presence, but perhaps we are simply feeling His blessing.
His presence is a blessing, but we do not always think it is. Sometimes His presence is exposing. Sometimes it is corrective. Do you still want His presence, or only the pleasant feelings associated with blessing?
He is gracious, and He loves all God’s children. When they gather and call upon His name, of course He blesses them. But the presence of the living God is the very essence of the house of God.
It is the church of the living God. It bears His name alone. It is not a church with somebody’s name on it. The fact of the matter is that it is the Lord’s church, the church of Jesus Christ. It is His church.
When people come together, the focus is upon Him. Even more wonderfully, if an outsider comes in, he can say, “Truly God is among you.”
When the house of God truly is the house of God, He commits His presence—to correct, to bless, to encourage, to enlighten, and to rebuke. We are talking about the same Jesus who walked among the lampstands in Revelation. That is the presence we are discussing.
If we suddenly became aware of the reality of God’s presence in this meeting, there would be crying, and some people would be on the floor because of matters they have not dealt with. When the Lord graciously revives an assembly of His people, what happens is that the presence of God is restored—sometimes only temporarily.
The second definition is that the house of God is “the pillar and support of the truth.” This does not mean that the church itself is the truth. It means that the church stands for and proclaims the truth.
What truth does Paul primarily have in mind? From the context, it is the preaching of the gospel. In 1 Timothy 2:3-6, he writes:
“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”
Here is the truth: God came down to earth in Jesus Christ to save sinners. The testimony of the house of God is not that we climbed up to God. God came down in Jesus Christ, became a man, and saved us.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15:
“It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”
That is the truth. That is the pillar of truth the world needs to see. God came down. You do not have to climb up. You do not have to be saved by works or by keeping laws. God came down in Jesus to save us, and there is one Mediator between God and humanity: Jesus.
Because the church stands as the pillar and support of this truth, the church has a testimony. The testimony of the house of God in heaven becomes a testimony that men and women throughout the world can see. Jesus came down, and they can see the reality of that in the midst of God’s people.
The third thing about the house of God is that it lives by the mystery of godliness. In 1 Timothy 3:16, Paul says:
“By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.”
Some Greek scholars believe this is part of a hymn because of its poetic form. By common confession, the house of God stands together in this mystery of godliness.
First, we confess that Jesus came in the flesh. He lived a pious and perfect life, was vindicated by the Spirit, and was taken up in glory. Jesus came down in the flesh.
But what does it really mean? How do we live a godly life? What is the secret of living a godly life? Here is our common confession: Jesus lived as a human being in human flesh upon the earth, but He lived by a heavenly life.
This was the testimony of Jesus. He said, “I do My Father’s will. Whatever the Father gives Me to do, I do. Whatever the Father says, I say.” He walked upon the earth by heavenly life.
How do Christians in the house of God live? They live a godly life. First Timothy is full of the word godliness. Does that mean you must try to imitate God in your own strength? No. You live by the mystery of godliness.
I live in human flesh upon this earth by a heavenly life. I do not live the Christian life by my own life. I live the Christian life by the life He gives me.
That is the mystery of the house of God. How can you live a godly life? What makes you different from the Pharisees, who strive so hard to be godly? What enables you to be pure, righteous, and loving? You live by another life.
This was Jesus’ great mystery; now it has become our great mystery. This is our common confession in the house of God: we live by His life.
The implication for service is this: all service comes out of His life. It does not come out of our own life or our own clever ideas. We do not say, “We have come up with a good way to raise money. We will raffle off a Cadillac.”
We do not serve the Lord by our own natural life. We serve by the mystery of godliness. We live by His life. We serve by His life. This is the basis of service in the church.
Because the house of God is so noble—because it is filled with His presence, stands in a testimony, and lives by His life—the house of God is the divinely ordained training school for His service.
Because the reality of God is there, both in His presence upon us and in His life within us, the house of God is the divinely ordained training school for servants. The mystery of godliness ultimately is this:
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
—Galatians 2:20
If you live in the house of God, you learn the life of God. If you are in the house of God, you are in the school of Christ. You are trained in the light of His presence. There is no better provision.
Prayer meetings in the house of God are not carried out by our own natural life. If they are, they become deadly. Prayer meetings are conducted by His life, as we come to Him and ask, “Lord, what is Your will? What do You want us to bind and loose down here? What is Your desire regarding this matter?”
We pray in the Spirit, not in our own power. We worship in a living house, not merely by coming and singing songs. Our whole life is in His life. Because of that, a servant can be trained in this life—in the school of Christ.
The servant learns to live by the life of Christ. That is godliness. The servant also learns to serve within the parameters of the house of God, which lives in the light and does not let people get away with things.
What a training place the house of God is. The house of God can raise up servants of God.
In the large house, you have to send people out for training. I was sent out for training. Some people say, “Dana, it is not fair for you to say we should not go to seminary because you went.” I admit I learned some things. I learned tools, Greek, Hebrew, and other useful matters.
But seminary caused me trouble that I am still trying to get over. It caused trouble in my faith, my understanding of ministry, my understanding of myself, my relationship to other people in the body, and my understanding of interrelationship and interdependence. It caused trouble in all kinds of theology. It just did me in.
I did not understand my calling. I did not understand my limits. It was so confusing out there. You just do what you think sounds good.
Worst of all, for years I murmured every time the Lord touched me by the cross, because I never knew that we had to be crucified. I thought it was “up, up, and away”—up into eternity and beyond.
When the Lord touched me and dealt with me, I murmured. I said, “What are You doing? I am trying to be Your holy servant. Why are You touching me about something that is just my flesh?” I had been taught that God loves to use the flesh.
I remember when some heroes were brought in who were building successful churches. The next day, Ernie Hyle and I asked the professor a question. These men were megalomaniacs—these heroes who had been brought in to speak about their great churches. The professor replied, “God uses man’s flesh for His glory.”
I thought, “Whoa.” So, the stronger you are in the flesh, the better off you will be as a leader in the large house. That is absolutely right. But it caused me a great deal of trouble.
The Lord had to deal with me about many things. I have been to seminary, completed the full course, was near the top of the class, entered the doctoral program, and studied everything that could be studied that seemed worthwhile. I tell you the truth: there is no seminary or Bible school that can possibly equal being trained in the house of God.
If you are going the course of the large house, you need its training because you need its credentials. They do not trust you unless you have a little sheepskin. That is the way the professional system works.
But I had no idea of the Lord’s will, my ministry, or anything else until I began to hear men of God who came from the house of God.
I studied a great deal in seminary, but I learned more after getting out of seminary. When you are in seminary, you often do not even have time to read your Bible; you read books about the Bible. We took introductions to everything. I was introduced to everything, but I did not learn everything. That is an overstatement, of course, but you understand what I mean.
I hate to embarrass my brother, but I have learned more in twenty-five years through Stephen Kong than I learned through all those years of training in seminary. If I had it to do over again and wanted training, I would get every recording I could from Christian Tape Ministry and listen. Lance opened my eyes to things I had never seen and never heard anybody else say.
I am thankful for the house of God. I believe it is where people are trained. You are in a hothouse here. You have the life of God all around you. You cannot fool around. You cannot just experiment with your flesh. Great men of God are not trained by human hands.
I am excited because there is now a generation of young people—young adults—who have been trained in the life of the house of God. I am praying that God will keep them, because the large house wants them. They are among the best servants, with character, light, and truth.
But I pray that they will sacrifice for the sake of the house of God. If these young men and women give themselves to the Lord in these last days, we will see something that will make our heads spin. What an opportunity.
You have to go outside the house of God once in a while to appreciate what is happening here. I am spoiled when I go to a young people’s meeting. They sit, listen, take notes, cry, and pray. I ask them to pray, and they pray one after another.
Then I go to some other place, perhaps a large-house youth retreat, and the young people are climbing the walls, in rebellion, needing entertainment just to sit still for ten minutes. We have young people trained in the house of God. What an opportunity.
God is sovereign, and He can use people who go to seminary or Bible school. He can use those things. If you truly want to study the Bible, take a correspondence course or something similar. That is fine. But if you get into the mindset that is put upon you, it can be very difficult to undo those things.
I do not think you need that training if you are trained by God.
Who is noble? Here are noble servants in the house of God.
The man who takes half of his only day off every week to prepare a message to share with the saints the next day, for no money—that is noble service.
Brothers with busy jobs who somehow gather for a meeting that goes late into the night, where they pray and take care of business in the house of God, even seeking to help people who may be criticizing them at that very moment—that is noble service.
The sister who is busy with her own life and job but takes time to visit the sick, and even gives money when someone has financial need—that is a noble servant.
The young person who is an example of righteousness, faith, and patience because he or she is in the school of Christ in the house of God, serving in whatever way is requested—there is a noble servant.
The older saint whom most people may not even know is still alive, but who gives all his or her energy to prayer and intercession for young servants—that is noble service.
There is nobody in the world worthy of such servants. There are no kings with servants like these. There is no one who has found people willing to give themselves in such a way as servants in the house of God.
I love being in the house of God. It is marvelous to see. It is a noble thing. I hope you realize that there is nothing small about it.
I want to show four aspects in the house of God that train us as servants, drawn from 1 Timothy.
The first thing we notice is that the atmosphere in the house of God helps train a servant. When you read between the lines in 1 Timothy, you find two things that characterize the atmosphere of the house of God: order and godliness.
We have already touched upon godliness. It means that everybody must live out of the life of the Lord. But order is also part of the house of God.
Look at the first practical matter Paul addresses in 1 Timothy 2: prayer. We do not simply pray in the house of God; we pray in an orderly way:
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
—1 Timothy 2:1-2
We pray, “Lord, take hold of governors and people in government. Govern them so that we can live lives of godliness and dignity.” We do not pray merely that the stock market will rise. We pray for an environment in which godliness can be lived and the gospel can be preached.
Then 1 Timothy 2:8 says:
“Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”
Picture a small assembly gathered for prayer. When it is time to take authority in prayer, the brothers stand in proper order, lifting holy hands to speak or pray. They stand in oneness and agreement, without wrath. We do not pray vengeance upon people.
Meanwhile, the sisters are adorned in a manner that enhances the prayer meeting by their faithfulness, their amen, and their righteousness. It all adds to the life of the house of God. There is order and a place for the sisters in the prayer meeting. What a beautiful thing.
First Timothy is practical. It concerns overseers, deacons, perhaps deaconesses, widows, and many other matters. It is all about order.
If somebody desires to be an overseer, it is a wonderful aspiration—a noble aspiration. But he will be tested. In the house of God, we do not simply say, “That fellow looks good; you are an elder.” No. People are tested.
Paul says of deacons:
“These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.”
—1 Timothy 3:10
How are they tested? A brother in the house of God is free to serve. Does he care about the Lord’s house? Will he be responsible? The people watch and wait. They see who will be responsible, who cares, and who does not. That is how deacons are found.
The whole atmosphere of the house of God is order. First, you need order in your own life. You are a house, and your life must be ordered. Second, your household—your wife and children—must be in order. How can you have disorder in your own home and give order in the house of God?
You are a house within a house within a house. Your life must be in order; your family life must be in order; then perhaps you can give order to the church. Is that not simple?
Most requirements for overseers and deacons concern either personal faithfulness, holiness, and godliness, or family orderliness. It does not say that a man must be over six feet tall, make ten thousand dollars, tell good jokes, or preach wonderful sermons.
In the house of God, order is the key and godliness is the key. Show me people who are godly through the inner life of Christ, and whose lives are ordered.
Do you not love to see the occasional rare family where all the ducks are in a row, the children are orderly, and they obey their parents? I almost get raptured when I see something like that. There are people who have order in their lives.
Maybe we like chaos everywhere else, but in the house of God: order and godliness. These are the things we look for.
Consider 1 Timothy 5:1-2:
“Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, to the older women as mothers, and to the younger women as sisters, in all purity.”
There is order in the house of God. You do not go up to an older person and say, “You do not know what you are doing.” Young people, you do not do that to your parents. If you are a servant of God and deal with older people, you treat them as father and mother. You treat younger people as brother and sister. This is the house of God. We do not do things out of order.
The second aspect is that those who serve must evidence faithfulness and a good conscience. Who serves in the house of God? Those who prove themselves faithful and have a good conscience.
Paul exhorts Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18-19:
“Fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”
Unfortunately, in the large house you can serve the Lord without a good conscience. But in the house of God, we should be able to tell when someone is serving and something is wrong.
How important it is for a brother or sister serving in the house of God to exercise the spirit and keep the conscience clear. If your conscience is unclear, your ministry moves into the flesh, and you fall away from the faith.
According to 1 Timothy 4:1, in the latter times some will fall away from the faith. Their consciences are seared. But not so in the house of God. Men fight the noble fight of faithfulness. They keep their consciences clear and clean. These are qualifications in the house of God.
Third, ministry of the Word in the house of God has two simple aims: sound doctrine and godliness.
Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:3-5:
“Remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.
But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
Please, brothers, we do not need strange doctrines. We do not need endless speculation. The goal of instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. That is what we want to see in the saints.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:6-7:
“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women.”
Then in 1 Timothy 6:3, Paul speaks of “sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and “the doctrine conforming to godliness.” What is the aim of ministry of the Word? To conform people to godliness—speaking to them of the gospel of Christ and of His life as our life.
If a brother does not do that, Paul says he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an interest in controversial questions and disputes that lead to strife and friction. Why do people love to share things that cause strife, division, and friction? They get their chance to speak, share something, and suddenly everybody is fighting.
Instead, we need meat and potatoes. We need doctrines that conform us to godliness. That is the ministry of the Word of God.
Paul closes 1 Timothy by saying:
“O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge—which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.”
—1 Timothy 6:20-21
Even a man of God who has received sound doctrine can get caught up in philosophical contradictions, discussions, and controversies. The next thing you know, he is beginning to wonder whether the strange ideas might be true. The enemy is smarter than you. In the house of God, stay with sound doctrine.
The fourth matter concerns motivation. How are servants of God motivated in their service in the house of God?
On the negative side, Paul speaks much in this book about not being motivated by the love of money. He refers to people “who suppose that godliness is a means of gain” in 1 Timothy 6:5.
They think, “If I act spiritual and religious, I can make money. I can go around preaching and teaching.” Paul says godliness is indeed a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment—but he is speaking of spiritual gain.
What motivates servants of God in the house of God? The blessed hope of the Second Coming.
In 1 Timothy 4:7-10, Paul says:
“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”
When you fix your hope on the living God, you serve the Lord and wait for His coming. That is your motivation for faithfulness and for exercising yourself unto godliness.
In 1 Timothy 6:12-14, Paul says:
“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Again, in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Paul instructs the rich not to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God. They are to do good, be rich in good works, be generous, ready to share, and store up treasure as a good foundation for the future, “so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
We are all servants of God. In the house of God, we serve because we love Him, and we are looking for His appearing and His rewards.
The enemy will distract us with prosperity and blessing. This will ensnare many servants of God. They become less the servants of God, and their blessed hope of the Second Coming grows dim because they are storing up treasures on earth. Their hearts become set on earth.
They may call themselves servants, but they are not servants because they are motivated by something else: the love of gain and the snare of money.
I have seen too many brothers taken out by accumulation, by workaholism, and by vain dreams that did not turn out as they expected. They gave themselves to it, gained the world, and lost their soul.
But in the house of God, we have a simple motive. We are looking for the Lord to come back. We weigh everything against that day. We remain faithful to Him. We serve. We lay up things in heaven for that day.
I sense that some people become uneasy when rewards are mentioned. People hate the thought of rewards, do they not? Well, I have decided that I want to be like Paul. I love rewards. I want rewards. I want to win the race. I want to be faithful to the end. I want rewards laid up. I want to be faithful against that day.
I am willing to sacrifice now to be rewarded then. Are you? Or do you still think that is an ignoble motive?
We have been so “grace-ified” that we feel apologetic about having any inspiration or aspiration. But in the house of God, people have noble aspirations: to serve the Lord, to be faithful, and to be serviceable to the Master.
You cannot simply say, “God, I want to be an overseer.” But you can say, “Lord, I want to be serviceable to You in the house of God.”
What a place to live: the house of God. The house of God has the power, because of the presence of God, actually to shape the servant.
In the large house, there is no shape. But in the house of God, the house can train a person. You learn the life of the Lord as you breathe in the atmosphere of the house of God. You learn the life of the Lord. You learn order and respect. You learn truth and error. You learn what is wicked and what is truthful.
It is right there—in the light of that pillar of truth, in the presence of God, living by His life. What a training ground for servants: the house of God. What a wonderful place.
This is God’s ordained and best possible way of training someone who truly has a heart for Him. No compromise—is that your heart?
Then learn the house of God. Give yourself to it. The Lord will train you, and the Lord will give you fruitful service.
Lord, I want to thank You tonight that You are teaching us how to be servants. I thank You, Lord, when I can walk into an assembly or live among people where I can sense order being put into place and godliness among servants whose lives are rich in the life of Christ.
Thank You for the house of God. Lord, raise up servants in the house of God. I know the temptation for young people is to bolt from the house of God because there appear to be easier training paths. But Your cross is the only way to resurrection life, and we want to serve on that ground.
Thank You, Lord, that You demand faithfulness from us. Thank You that You require order in our households. Thank You that the house is real and true, and that Your presence is committed there. Oh, how noble is the house of God.
Lord, I pray for people here tonight who do not know the house of God, who cannot live in the house of God, who are in the large house where there is much confusion. Your Word promises that You will be very present to everyone who calls upon Your name, who has an ear to hear what You are saying to them.
They can overcome by the grace of God and serve You in such a way that they also receive great reward for having been faithful to You. Lord, give them grace to be faithful in that place—whether it is a meeting place, an assembly, a house church, or a large church. Lead them without compromise in their own spiritual lives.
Thank You for the young people learning the Lord in the house of God. Thank You for assemblies here and there that desire to be a testimony to the house of God.
Lord, we cannot always say exactly where we are. Sometimes it seems that Your presence is not there. But we do not want to go by subjective feelings. Rather, we give ourselves to You and say, “O Lord, shine Your light upon us. Examine the lampstand. Help us see what condition we are really in.”
Lord, we are willing to repent. We are willing to be reconfigured. We are willing to be put into order. We are willing to learn the lessons of godliness. But, Lord, we desire that Your house of God should be here upon earth as a testimony to the house that is in heaven.
Bless those who are gathered for no earthly reward, but because of their love for the house of God and for You, Lord. Thank You for Your mercy. You never turn away anybody with a sincere, uncompromising heart.
Encourage all of us to be faithful to You, to do whatsoever You tell us to do, and to go wheresoever You lead. Lord, this is the testimony of the house of God. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.