Ya'll Behave Yourself (Part Two) by Dr. Rod Mattoon

About this sermon

1 Timothy 3:14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. In part two of this message, we look at the meaning of the description “the church of the living God” and “the pillar and ground of the truth.” What does this mean to Christians? The word "church" in the New Testament is derived from the word ekklesia {ek-klay-see'-ah} which means "an assembly; a company of people who have been called out." That is the correct meaning of this word. In Greek cities in Bible days, citizens of cities would be called to gather for public meetings. These people were called and responded to the call to assemble. They were not selected. They were not picked out and not all responded to the call. In the same manner, God's call has gone out to every sinner. He does not pick and choose some to be saved and some to be lost. He desires that all men be saved, even though many refuse to trust in Him. * 2 Peter 3:9-The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. *John 12:32-And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. The Lord is drawing all men to Himself, but many have rejected or have not responded to His invitation to be saved. People do have the ability to resist God's grace because God gives them the choice to do so. Men have a will. In the matter of salvation, the Lord does not interfere with the will of a person. He wants sinners to come to Him willingly, not by force. We are not a bunch of robots. The church is the church of the living God. Our Lord is not dead, not deaf, not dumb, and not defeated. He has risen from the grave. We worship a living Lord who loves us, looks out for us, listens to our prayers, and leads us if we will let Him. Because He has risen, the last trump will sound one day. The bodies of all believers in Christ will exit their graves to rejoice like the chief butler in Genesis 40 who was released from prison and restored to his dignity at the court. On the other hand, like the chief baker who faced judgment and death, the bodies of those who reject Christ will face eternal death in the torments of Hell. Christians serve a living God who is just and holy. Until the Lord returns, may all of us who profess to know Jesus as our Savior behave ourselves. God help us all! This message was preached on Wednesday night, March 1, 2023, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.