Isaiah 6:1-7 | The Beauty of Holiness | Abe Stratton

In the midst of darkness, where is the light? In the midst of seemingly rampant sin (both in ourselves and in those around us), where is the hope? In Isaiah 6:1-7 the prophet sees a glorious vision of the Holy King. Isaiah’s vision of God would transform him forever, and it provided the message of hope and light which he would share for the rest of his life. So what light can we offer in a world of darkness? What hope can we cling to as we see our own sinfulness? Listen in to find out.

Psalm 99 | The Beauty of Holiness | Abe Stratton

Holiness is a word which stirs up any number of reactions or emotions. It also exposes a lot of misunderstanding and misperceptions. To get a grasp on what it means, we have to turn to the God who is described in Scripture as “The Holy One.” In Him we begin to see what holiness truly is, and from Him we begin to learn how we can be holy. Through the preached word we will meditate on Psalm 99 and gaze upon the Holy God as Pastor Abe Stratton begins our 4-part series, “The Beauty of Holiness.”

1 Timothy 4:1-6 | Building a Healthy Church | Trent Hunter

Why do some among us fall away? We get one answer in 1 John 2:19: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” When someone falls away they do so because they never belonged to us in the first place. But in 1 Timothy 4:1–6 we get another set of answers. Demons are involved, so are false understandings about God. How does God keep and protect His own? He does so, in part, though the vigilant labor of theological watchdogs, sheepdogs called, elders.

1 Timothy 3:14-16 | Building a Healthy Church | Trent Hunter

We have reflected on the important roles of elder and deacon within the church. But if we’re inclined to think that elders and deacons are the important people and the rest of the church something else, then this week’s text will set our thinking right. The church, the new covenant community, is “the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). And this church has its origin in the womb of a virgin and the right hand of the Father. A healthy church knows who she is and whose she is.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 | Building a Healthy Church | Trent Hunter

We will look at a second office of the church, that of deacon, a term that comes from the word for servant. In God’s wisdom, He has ordered His church so that she would be led by qualified leaders, and that they and she would be joyfully served by a team of servants. Servanthood isn’t something for a few of us, of course, but for all of us. Jesus Himself “came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Through their service, our deacons model the kind of deaconing we all do in following Christ.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 | Building a Healthy Church | Trent Hunter

1 Timothy 3:1–7 outlines the qualifications for the office of elder. Or, to use another biblical word, the role of pastor. This is the Lord’s check-list for how to identify those He would have lead His church. Put another way, this is how much the Lord loves and treasures His church, the very household of God.

1 Timothy 2:11-15 | Building a Healthy Church | Trent Hunter

1 Timothy 2:8-10 | Building a Healthy Church | Trent Hunter

What happens when a church loses their vision of God in all of His majesty and mercy? We find out in this text, 1 Timothy 2:8–10. The topics that come up there will be familiar and well-worn in church life—prayer, modesty, etc. But these subjects take on depth when we understand why they come up here.

1 Timothy 2:1-8 | Building a Healthy Church | Trent Hunter

Timothy is a young pastor with an urgent task. He must deal with false teaching in the midst of the church which threatens to choke out her gospel life. But there’s another matter of great urgency: prayer. Timothy is to lead the church at Ephesus in prayer for specific people and for specific reasons. As we meditate on this call to prayer we find evidence of a subtle but strong current that runs through all of Paul’s letters and through this letter: the church’s gospel purity is for the sake of her gospel witness.

1 Timothy 1:18-20 | Building a Healthy Church | Trent Hunter

What images come to mind when you think about the church? Family is a good one. Perhaps a vine or a light on a hill. Those are biblical images that serve specific purposes. There’s another image we might use: a war zone. When Paul tells Timothy, a young pastor, how to go about the work of ministry, he says, “wage the good warfare.” What is this war, what is it for, and how is it fought?