EPIPHANY
February
1-3, 2025
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text:
1 Timothy 3:14-4:5
“HOW TO BEHAVE IN
THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD”
In the Bible God tells us to love one
another and to bear with one another, to put up with each other. While you
might think that God is urging us to put up with our fellow citizens who are
out of step with our morals or beliefs, that’s not the context of the
admonishment and encouragement. No, this instruction was given to congregation
members toward each other. Make sure you love each other. Be ready to lovingly
put up with one another. Why? Because while members of a congregation are
united by common faith and beliefs we all come from different backgrounds and
the way we are raised matters to us. And we all naturally expect other people
to be like us and conform to us. But we are different and have been raised
differently so we have to bear with one another in love and lovingly put up
with each other’s differences. As an example I am guessing that for some to see
a sermon theme on how to behave in God’s house made you say, “Finally!” You see
we have in this congregation many people who have been raised conservative
Lutheran and have been going to church weekly all their lives. We have many new
to the Lutheran stripe of Christianity and maybe rarely if ever went to church
as kids. This is wonderful! But it means we have to put up with each other and
to try to empathize, both with those who didn’t grow up going to church for
whom this is all really new and different and takes some getting used to and
those who did and are used to things to be done in a certain way. I did grow up
going to church weekly, so for those newer let me tell you a little bit of how
many of your fellow members 30 and older were raised to help you put up with us
and if we give a look we shouldn’t, this is why. If you grew up Lutheran,
church is an hour. You know that. So you and your kids go potty before church,
so you come in once and you go out once and if you dare leave church in
between, it better be an emergency! Crying kids are shushed immediately. Many
of us got the pinch on the thigh or the Vulcan death grip on the neck and we
liked it so you should too. If the pastor should say something funny during the
sermon, and he shouldn’t, but if he does, you don’t laugh, you smile as loudly
as you can. Clapping is of the devil and will only lead to sinful pride. If you
don’t do 10 up downs in a service, you feel cheated. Some can remember a time
when there was this thing called your Sunday best. Every man was expected to
wear a suit and a hat to church and every woman a dress and a hat. Men’s hats
came off in church. Women’s stayed on. When I was a pastor in Texas and
circumstances warranted a discussion with the Elders about how to behave in
church I recall one of them saying, “Pastor, I can guarantee you that my jeans
cost a whole lot more than your suit, so what’s my Sunday best?” And he didn’t
even know I got that suit at a thrift store. Made me think. Cultural
expectations change. So when it comes to how to dress or behave in church, we
have to put up with each other.
Actually though, the word of God
before us today is not instruction on how to behave in God’s house. It actually
says how to behave in God’s household, that means in the Church, Christ’s
church. Since every believer here is a member of that church it’s important for
us to know how to behave in God’s household. This will result in blessings for
all of God’s people. So how do you behave in God’s household? A good summary
would be “All of this. None of that.”
All of what? “I am
writing these things to you even though I hope to come to you shortly. 15 But
if I am delayed, I wanted you to know how it is necessary to behave in God’s
household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of
the truth. 16 Undeniably, great is the mystery of
godliness: He was revealed in flesh, was justified in spirit, was seen by
messengers, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was
taken up in glory.” In God’s household, in Christ’s Church, of we are a
part, all of the main focus is to be on the truth of Jesus and what has done
for us and will do for us. Verse 16 seems to be either the verse of a hymn the
early Christians sang or a simple creed, a statement of beliefs they used. It
focused on the mystery, things that had to be revealed by God. Jesus, true God,
became flesh. His resurrection justified him, proved Him to be the true
Messiah. He was seen by those who became His messengers to the nations. He is
believed and ascended to glory. What God expects in His churches, in this
church, is that we will proclaim God’s truth, all of it. Even if it makes the
church unpopular. Why? Because when people hear God’s truth they are blessed.
You are blessed. Your faith is built up. You receive comfort knowing you are
forgiven, you get confidence for hard times when you hear Jesus never leaves
you, nor forsakes you, that He lives to silence your fears, wipe away your
tears. Every person here who has recently done the hard work of dealing with
the death of someone they love knows how quickly so many of the things we spend
our time on fade away and all that matters at that time is Jesus and what He
has done and to be able to look forward to that mansion He has prepared and to
be able to know your loved one is there. This is how you behave in the
household of God. You proclaim God’s truths, all of them, with the main focus
always on Jesus and what He has done. Every one of you here has the right and
the responsibility to make sure your pastors and this church are doing just
that. It’s how we are to behave in the household of God.
All of this and none of that. None of
what? “The Spirit clearly says that, in later times, some will fall away
from the faith, because they devote themselves to deceitful spirits and the
doctrines of demons, 2 in connection with the
hypocrisy of liars, whose own consciences have been seared. 3 They
forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from foods that God created to
be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 In
fact, everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is
received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is
sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” What is it that constitutes bad
behavior in the household of God? False teaching. Adding your own ideas to what
God says, changing clear truths He has said. Some things jump out at us here.
In later times. After Paul wrote this letter, including our time. Some fall
away from the faith. False teaching is no small matter. Left unchecked bad
things happen. People lose faith and die eternally. Deceitful spirits and
demons are behind false teachings. Paul even gives some examples of what to
look for. Forbidding people to marry. This is not talking about same sex
marriages. The Bible clearly teaches that marriage is to be between one man and
one woman. It’s talking about people who have every Godly right to get married,
like for example if our WELS said that men who want to serve as pastors can’t
get married you would know that is a teaching of demons. Forbidding people to
eat certain foods. If I would tell you that for the next 40 days you can’t eat
meat or you can’t ever eat ham or bacon you would know I was deceived by evil
spirits. And God says, “None of that!” That’s bad behavior in the household of
God. Things that God has meant to be blessings, to make life in a sin filled
world a little more bearable and enjoyable, that are to be used and enjoyed
with thanksgiving to God cannot be forbidden. So while we can be free to have
our own opinions on certain matters, it is not right to force individual likes
or dislikes on others and hide behind God when you are doing it. None of that.
So, that how you behave in God’s
household. Never put up with false teaching. Always proclaim God’s truth. As
for how to behave in church, love one another, put up with each other. We want
everyone here in church listening to God’s words which will tie hearts and
lives to Jesus. Can we put up with some kids making noise as parents do the
hard work of teaching them how to worship? With gladness. We are so happy children
are here. Can we put up with some of us old time Lutherans cringing if younger
parents are not doing things the way we did? With gladness. We are so happy
they are here. Why? Because God wants everyone to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth. Only one way for that to happen. Hear the Word,
regularly. Amen.
