Let us turn then to God's word
once again, and directing you this evening to those words that
we find at the beginning of 1 Timothy 3.16. Those six words, God was,
manifests, in the flesh. We looked a couple of weeks ago
at the previous verse, so to say, something of the church
as the house of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And then in the following verse,
of course, we are reminded of what that truth is of which the
true church is said to be the pillar and the ground and we
have this remarkable statement really this little compendium
of theology in verse 16 the son the substance of the truth of
the gospel and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness
God was manifest in the flesh justified in the Spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, received up into glory. And having sought to say something
last time with regards to the mystery of godliness, what we
to understand by that opening clause in the verse, I want us
now to consider those following words that are the beginning
really of the explanation of what that mystery is all about. It is God's manifest in the flesh. We said last time that that godliness
that's spoken of is to be understood in terms of the work of grace
in the soul of the sinner. the life of God, as it were,
in the soul of man. Remember how the apostle goes
on to say in chapter 4 at verse 7, he says, exercise thyself
rather unto godliness, for bodily exercise profiteth little, but
godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of
the life that now is and of that which is to come. So he speaks
there of that godliness that centers in the great promise
of God in the gospel. The mystery of godliness, as
I said, is that God accomplishes in the soul of the sinner when
he brings new life to those who were dead in trespasses and in
sin. So we tried to say something
last time with regards to how we are to define the mystery
of godliness, a mystery in the sense that it is something that
has been revealed. Only you made the world can make
the Christian, says Joseph Hart, how true it is. It's a revealed
religion that we see before us here in Holy Scripture. The Apostle
tells us, doesn't he, in the opening chapter of Galatians,
how it pleased God to reveal His Son in Mary, a secret that
is being revealed. the secret of the Lord. It is
with them that fear Him. He will show them His covenant,
says the psalmist. And we see how the Lord Jesus
in the course of His own earthly ministry is ever unfolding that
mystery to His disciples. And how He makes use time and
again of the parables and the purpose of the parables. It's
part of His discriminating ministry. He tells them, unto you it is
given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to them
that are without these things are done in parables, that seeing
they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and
not understand. There's a concealing of truth,
even as there is a revealing of truth. This is ever always
the way of God, the discriminating ministry even of the Lord Himself,
who is the Prince of all the preachers. And so we thought
last time of that mystery of godliness, that remarkable work
that's accomplished by the Spirit of God as he comes to make real
in the soul of the sinner that salvation that is only found
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so now we come on to consider
that one who is the center of that religion, God. manifest
in the flesh. God manifest in the flesh. And so first of all I want to
try to say something with regards to the mystery of Christ. The mystery of Christ in terms
of the person of the Lord Jesus. Professor John Murray says somewhere
that the first of all mysteries is the mystery of the Trinity. That is the first, that is the
greatest of all mysteries. God is one. Hero Israel, the
Lord our God is one Lord. There is but one living and true
God. But here is the mystery that
God is three persons. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. The three that bear record in
heaven. The Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost. And the three are one. And the one is three. And we cannot really ever begin
to comprehend that or to find any illustration that is adequate
to help us to understand it, we have to bow down before that
mystery where reason fails with all her powers, their faith prevails,
and love adores. It is a matter of faith, but
there is the first of mysteries. But Professor Murray goes on
to say the second mystery is like on two. The second mystery
is the doctrine of the incarnation. And that's what we have here
in the words that I've announced as our text tonight. God was
manifest in the flesh. It's spoken of, of course, In
the Old Testament we have that statement in Isaiah 9 and verse
6, Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the government
shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace. What a prophecy it is concerning
the person of the Lord Jesus. Here is the child born. Here
is the Son given. And when we think of the Son
given, that is the Eternal Son. Eternal He is, in the sense that
He has always been. But when we think of the Child
born, that is the Incarnation. The Man Christ Jesus came to
be. The Man Christ Jesus came to
be. there was a time when there was
no man Christ Jesus and yet the son always was unto us a child is born but unto
us a son is given when the fullness of the time was come God sent
forth his son made of a woman made under the law Well, this
is part of that mystery, is it not? In that person of the Lord
Jesus Christ, we see two distinct natures. He is God and always
was God, always will be God, never ceased to be God. And yet,
he takes to himself a human nature. Now the angel utters those words
to Mary, that blessed virgin, who was to be the bearer of that
human nature. The Holy Ghost shall come up,
only the power of the higher shall overshadow thee, therefore
also that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called
the Son of God. The Son of God taking to himself
a human nature, that holy thing, a human body, a human soul. And you're probably aware with
some of the statements that we find in the ancient creeds. How
these truths were so disputed in the early years of this Christian
era. And so there were those great
doctrinal statements drawn up to try to define what the true
doctrine of Christ is. The language of the Athanasian
Creed, who although he be God and man, yet is he not two but
one Christ? One Christ, but two natures. Just as in that first mystery
there is one God and three persons in the Godhead. So in this great
mystery there is one Christ, and yet in that one Christ, two
natures. And in everything that he does
during the course of his earthly ministry, he is always God-man. We must not think in terms of
him sometimes acting as God and sometimes acting as man. We cannot
divide the person like that. There is one person. We can't
really begin to comprehend the wonder, the great wonder of the
person of the Lord Jesus. And as I said, how it was so
much disputed, even in the early church, and it seems that the
seeds of heresies were beginning to manifest themselves even in
the days of the apostles. And it certainly is apparent
that John is addressing some of these matters when he writes
in his epistles. Remember the words that we have
in that second very short epistle. Verse 9, "...whosoever transgresseth,
he says, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not
God, neither abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father
and the Son." There were those who were denying
the truth of the sonship of the Lord Jesus Christ. He mentions
it also there in the opening, the first epistle. There in that first epistle in
chapter 2. And the words that we have at
verse verse 22, Who is a liar, but
he that denieth of Jesus is a Christ, he is Antichrist, that denieth
the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the
same hath not the Father, but he that acknowledgeth the Son
hath the Father also. And then how he speaks of the
necessity of having that spirit of judgment. In chapter 4, Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they
are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the
world. You see, the spirit of heresy is already there. If I
know you the spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of
God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist,
whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already
is it in the world. Even then, there was that sect
of the Gnostics, who denied the reality of the human nature.
And then later there would be those various heresies that denied
the truth of the divine nature in Christ the Apollinarians and
the Nestorians and the Arians and so many others great controversy
how the doctrine, the mystery of the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ has been assailed and not only was it so in the early
centuries of this Christian era but even in our day there are
those in so-called churches whose theology is liberal they don't
really believe the Bible and they deny the truth that are
stated in scripture the modernists and the sects like the Jehovah
Witnesses how they deny the truth concerning the deity of the Lord
Jesus Christ or that spirit of Antichrist.
We witness it on every hand and now Antichrist will attack the
very person of Him who is the only Saviour of sinners. How
the doctrine of Christ, the mystery of the Incarnation, God was manifest
in the flesh, says the Apostle. And you know, it comes He comes
closer home than maybe we think. In the 19th century, certainly
among strict Baptists, there was controversy over the eternal
Sonship of the Lord Jesus Christ. There were those who denied the
truth of His eternal Sonship and said that is Remember the
language that we have in the second Psalm. We've looked at
it on a previous occasion. That tremendous statement in
verse 7 of Psalm 2. I will declare the decree. The
Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son. This day have I begotten
thee. And I love the way in which Martin
Luther brings out the significance of that statement, this day.
This day have I begotten thee. and the protestant reformer reminds
us it neither implies a yesterday nor does it imply a tomorrow
but always this day the present time and he says it is the eternal
day it's the eternal sonship that is being spoken of he is
the son of the father in truth and in love all the wonder of it you see
there has been so much controversy and yet and yet what do we read
here in the text without controversy right is the mystery of godliness
God was manifest in the flesh really there's no controversy
over the mystery it is a mystery it's a profound truth and natural
men won't receive such a truth. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolishness to him,
neither can he know them. Remember the words of the Apostle
there in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. He says, God hath revealed
them unto us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth
the things of a man, sayeth the Spirit of man which is in him,
even so the things of God knoweth no man. but the spirit of God
now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit
which is of God that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God we have to be brought to the
end of ourselves and recognize it's a mystery it's a wonder
it should fill our hearts with worship without controversy Great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. Or the mystery of the person
of the Lord Jesus. But what do we read here in the
second place? We read of a manifestation. We read of a manifestation. The
Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. He was manifest. How was He manifest? And where
was He manifest? Well, it says, doesn't it? In
the flesh. In the flesh. And Dr. Gill, Dr. Gill simply
comments, it's the whole human nature, the true body, and a
reasonable soul or that human nature of the Lord
Jesus Christ he was a real man a man there
is, a real man with wounds still gaping wide
from which rich blood in streams once ran in feet and hands and
side how true it is the reality of that human nature And now
it goes on here to say that he who was manifest in the flesh
was justified in the Spirit. And we see the Spirit justifying the Lord Jesus Christ
in all that work that he comes to do as a man. If you read through
the Gospels, try to note time and again the ministry of the
Spirit of God in terms of the person and the work of the Lord
Jesus Christ. How the Spirit vindicates Him
in every part of His life. He's there in His birth. He's
there in the life, in the death, in the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ. How the Father giveth not the
Spirit by measure unto Him. He comes as that one who is the
promised Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one. And of course
we've already referred to those words in Luke 1 concerning the
language of the angel to his virgin mother. It's the Holy
Ghost who comes upon her. She is with child of the Holy
Ghost. She is a virgin, a pure virgin.
she has never known a man and yet she is with child the miracle of the virgin birth and the Holy Ghost is there and
then of course when we see the Lord coming to begin his public
ministry he comes to John he's baptized of John we read it there
in the opening chapter of Mark's gospel earlier And now as the Father utters
those words from heaven at the baptising, the Lord Jesus submits
himself to John's baptism of repentance. He's altogether identifying
himself with those whom he's come to save, those who are sinners. He has no sins to repent of. And yet, he submits to a baptism
of repentance, identifying with sinners. And as he comes up from
those waters, the heavens open and the Father utters those words,
this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And the Spirit
descends upon him in the form of a dove. And then he's led
of the Spirit. And he's led of the Spirit into
the wilderness. And he's there 40 days and 40
nights tempted of the devil. and how he resists all the assaults
of Satan and he returns from the wilderness in the fullness
of the Spirit, it says. You see, the Spirit is upon him.
He's the Christ. He returns in the fullness of
the Spirit. He goes into the synagogue in
Nazareth and it's the Sabbath day and the minister gives him
the book of the prophet Isaiah and the Lord turns to those words
of chapter 61 the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor and he reads that
whole passage and then he tells them this day is the scripture
fulfilled in your ears all eyes are upon him Here is that one,
you see, who is the fulfilment of that very prophecy. The Spirit
of the Lord is upon him in all of his ministry. How does he
cast out devils? If I cast out devils by the Spirit
of God, he says the Kingdom of God has come amongst you. All
the Spirit is with him. What a wonder of it! And what
is he doing in all this ministry? He's revealing God to us. when he begins his miracles there
in Cana of Galilee he manifests to the disciples
something of his glory how he is being vindicated and remember
what we are told concerning that miracle of the miraculous draft
of fishes and the effect that it has upon Simon Peter in Luke's account in Luke chapter
5 and there at verse 4 he'd been teaching teaching out of the
ship And we're told in verse 4, when
he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, launch out into the
deep and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering
said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night and have
taken nothing. Nevertheless, at thy word I will
let down the net. And when they had this done,
they enclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net break.
And they beckoned unto their partners which were in the other
ship that they should come and help them. And they came and
filled both the ships so that they began to sink. These were
experienced fishermen. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell
down at Jesus' knees saying, Depart from me for I am a sinful
man, O Lord. For he was astonished and all
that were with him at the draught of the fishes which they had
taken you see in the miracle he is
manifesting his glory there is such an unction of the spirit
upon this man the man Christ Jesus that he is able to perform
great miracles and Peter's reaction depart from for I'm a sinful
man or when we get to see anything of the wonder of the person of
the Lord Jesus is that the effect it has upon us we cannot bear the presence of
such a one as this all the glories of the Godhead shine through
that human nature the wonder of it how that in these last
days God hath revealed Himself to us in the person of His Son
that God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness He shines
in our hearts to give the knowledge of the glory of His person in
the face of Jesus Christ it should fill us with awe how
it affected those who came to arrest Him, remember in the Garden
of Gethsemane there in John 18 at verse 4 in the following verses he asks who they've come to arrest
and they say Jesus of Nazareth and he says I am her literally
he says to them I am they ask him again I am and they fall
backwards They cannot approach him, they cannot touch him, they
cannot take him. No man was able to take his life
from him. His sacrifice was a voluntary
sacrifice. He gave himself. He tells us,
doesn't he, that he had power. authority to lay down his life
and authority to take his life again. That was the commandment
he had received from the Father. Oh, the wonder of the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ when we consider what it is that was
manifest there in that blessed man, the man Christ Jesus. And
so, even death cannot hold him. How He breaks through all the
barriers of death and rises again from the dead. How He is declared
to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness
by the resurrection from the dead. All the wonder of the Lord Jesus
then. His humiliation. And yet in all
that humiliation whilst he's here upon the earth, he's never
anything less than true almighty God. That passage, that great
Christ exalting passage that we find in the second chapter
of Philippians, he thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, but made himself of no reputation. and took upon him the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. You know, you're
probably aware, some of you, there has been a dispute over
that seventh verse in Philippians 2. Made himself of no reputation. Because it's the rendering of
a single word. It's the Greek word kenosis,
and it literally means to enter, or to be emptied. And Charles Wesley uses it in his
hymn, doesn't he? In that line, emptied himself
of all but love, the hymn and can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Saviour's blood?" In one of the verses
we have that line concerning the Lord Jesus, he emptied himself
of all but love. I suppose we might say that Wesley
is exercising a measure of poetic license here, because the implication
of what he is saying is that he emptied himself of everything
but love, he emptied himself of his deity, but he never emptied
himself of his deity. that could never be he was always
the eternal son of God and God manifest in the flesh that one
who took to himself a human nature he never ceased to be God when
he became a man and it's interesting because of course that expression
that we have in that verse made himself of no reputation That
was actually Tyndale's rendering. That's how Tyndale translated
that single word. And I would say that Tyndale
was right when we take account of the whole context. Because
what is it that is being said there in Philippians chapter
2? I know it's a great theological chapter in many ways, the Christology
that we have in those verses. But it's a very practical chapter
really. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in
lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than himself. Look
not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things
of others. Let this mind be in you. which
was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. Tindale has it right. Oh, it's
all to do with humiliation. It's the humiliation of the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's the context. and if we're
going to be those who are truly the followers of the Lord Jesus
Christ we must have the mind of Christ how do we become followers
of the Lord Jesus? how do we become disciples of
the Lord Jesus Christ? well Christ tells us if any man
will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross
and follow me That's how we become Christians. It's humiliation.
It's humiliation. It's a venturing to be nothing. But venture to be naught. We
have it in the hymn, 708. Venture to be naught, you have
to be nothing. And that's what that proud, self-righteous Pharisee
called Sword of Tarsus became. as we read it there in 2nd Corinthians
12 or what he learned by that thorn in the flesh though I be
nothing he says though I be a zero a nothing a cipher and this man
who'd been schooled at the feet of Gamaliel and we can only read
it read the epistles in the New Testament. I know it's the Word
of God, it's not so much the Word of the Apostle. It is the Word of the Apostle,
but ultimately it's the Word of God. But all what remarkable
things were revealed to that man. What abilities that man
had. And yet he's a nothing. And every
Christian has to come to that. We have to deny ourselves. And
you know, it's not just denying sinful self, is it? Or we want
to deny sinful self. If we're Christians, we certainly
want that. We want to mortify the deeds of the body. I think it was Ralph Erskine said,
all that I had not of myself. This old nature. This wretched
man that I am. Who's going to deliver me from
the body of this death? But it's not just denying sinful
self to be a Christian, we have to deny righteous self. Righteous self, as well as sinful
self. Complete denial of self, that
this might be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. How the
Lord humbled himself, how he denied himself. Even to the death
of the cross. Remember in the account of James
Hervey, that gracious minister back in the 18th century there
in Northamptonshire and we're told, aren't we, how he was rather
frail in his constitution and his physician told him he should
try to to breathe in the fresh air and he'd go out into the
fields and he'd like to follow the ploughman and here's the
ploughman ploughing up the fresh earth and here's that learned
The cleric, a great man really in many ways, James Hervey, and
he engages in conversation with the ploughman, and we're told
that the ploughman was a non-conformist who attended the ministry of
Philip Doddridge there in Northampton, and the cleric would engage the
ploughman in conversation. as he walked along breathing
in the fresh air and he would say to the ploughman, what is
the most difficult thing would you say for us to deny as Christian
believers? What is it that we have to deny? The ploughman was full of much
common sense and he turned around and he said, well, you're the
clergyman, you tell me. And he said, well, it's so difficult,
isn't it? So real, really difficult to
deny sinful self. We have this whole nature and
it clings to us, it cleaves to us. And we find it hard to deny
sinful self. And then the ploughman, he did
answer the question, he said, well, Mr. Harvey, I find it more
difficult to deny self. Righteous self. Righteous self. You see, by nature we're wedded
to a covenant of works. We want to do something. I think
there's some significance, you know, when we read in the Acts
of the preaching of the apostles and, well, think of the day of
Pentecost and the effect on the multitudes. What must we do to
be saved? or think of that rich man in
the gospel. What good thing must I do? We
tend to think that there's something to be done. And of course there's
nothing to be done. It's done by the Lord Jesus.
It's done by the Lord Jesus. He is that one who has accomplished
all of salvation. And all our salvation is there
in all its fullness so that God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption that as it is written he that
glorieth let him glory in the Lord all the manifestation then
God was was manifest in the flesh and what a manifestation it was
how this man lived a life of dependence upon the Holy Spirit
throughout his life ever dependent upon that blessed work of the
Spirit and how when he comes to the end how he humbles himself
even to the death of the cross and then just briefly as we close
tonight Christ's majesty as God we thought of the mystery of
godliness the person two natures in one person one Christ two distinct natures
and then in everything he is God-man we thought of how that
mystery is manifest in the life of the Lord Jesus
and then finally his majesty as God his majesty as God observe
what it says God God was manifest in the flesh being in the form of God he thought
it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation makes himself of no reputation
and then we read being found in fashion as a man He became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. We have these
words, don't we, in that passage? Philippians 2, 6, 7 and 8. The words form and fashion. In many ways, the words are synonyms. But of course, there are differences
in the words. Who being in the form of God.
Now the word that we have there literally means the inner, the
essential, the abiding nature of a thing, the very mode of
existence. That's the force of the word
that's being used. Who being in the form of God. He is God. The very essence of God is there.
But then in verse 8 we read that being found in fashion as a man,
and the word fashion is somewhat different, it refers to the external,
the fleeting appearance. Oh, he's a real man because it
says also he's in the form of man. Being in the form of God,
he thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself
of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant. He's a real servant. But then
we read of him in fashion as a man. He's not quite the same,
you see. As I said at the beginning, he
was always, always the eternal son of God. Always was. But he
became a man. He became a man. He wasn't always
a man. He is the image of the invisible
God. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Oh, what remarkable majesty we
see in that blessed person. And we remember the opening words
of the epistle to the Hebrews. God who at sundry times and in
diverse manner spake in time passed unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son.
who being the brightness of his glory, the express image of his
person, it says. The brightness of his glory,
the express image of his person, he is God. And he has all the
authority of God, he has authority to forgive sins. We read those
words in the second chapter of Mark, when he says to that man paralyzed, sick of the pulsing.
His friends have brought him and somehow or other they've
managed to present him to the Christ. And what does the Lord
Jesus say? Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. And there are the scribes. Who
can forgive sins but God only? This man's a blasphemer. This
man's a blasphemer. But what does the Lord say? whether
is it easier to say thy sins be forgiven thee or to say arise
and take up thy bed and walk and he wants them to know that
here is one who has authority to forgive sins and he turns
to the man and says arise take up thy bed and walk and the man
does it he has authority to forgive sins he has all the authority
that belongs to God he has authority of course to make the great sin-atoning
sacrifice. Oh, He has made the atonement
for all the sins of His people. Therefore does my Father love
me, He says, because I lay down my life that I might take it
again. No man taketh it from me. I lay
it down of myself. I have power. Literally, I have
authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again. this commandment have I received
of my father or what authority is invested in him he is God
he is God and he is able to save and able to save to the very
uttermost or the language of dear John Newton what think
ye of Christ he says is the test to try both your state and your
scheme, you cannot be right in the rest, unless you think rightly
of Him. And in that verse, so guilty,
so helpless am I, I durst not confide in His blood, nor on
His protection rely, unless I was sure He is God. He is God, and He has authority. and is able to save to the Ottomans. Oh, the great mystery then of
godliness, the mystery of our religion, how it centers in this
blessed person, even the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man. Without
controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest
in the flesh. Now the Lord Be pleased to bless
His truth to us. Amen.