Let a man so account of us. And as we saw last week, that
word is impute. And if you want to understand
what imputation really means, I think we get a real clear understanding
of it with this. Let a man so account of us. as
of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of
God." He's not saying, account us that because we're not really
that, but account us that anyway. He says, account us that because
that's what we are. I've entitled this message, Faithful
Servants and Stewards. Let a man so account of us, the
apostles, as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God. A servant of Christ. Someone Christ has actually sent. He said, he that heareth you,
heareth me. He that despiseth you, despise
of me, a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries
of God. Paul said earlier, we preach
the wisdom of God in a mystery. I love that. We preach the wisdom
of God in a mystery. He said to the Ephesians, pray
for me. That utterance may be given to me that I might open
my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for
which I am an ambassador in bonds that therein I may speak boldly
as I ought to speak. A servant, just a servant, it's
not a high title. not reverend or right reverend
or all the titles men use in religion. I find them offensive. Just a servant, Paul, a servant
of Jesus Christ, a bond slave of Jesus Christ, separated unto
the gospel of God, a servant. And the word is actually an under
rower. It's the lowest form of servant.
Down in the bottom of the ship, you got the men with the oars.
lowest form of servitude. That's what Paul calls himself
and really isn't that what we all are? I don't like it when
a preacher kind of distinguishes himself. I'm the servant of God.
We're all servants of God if we're believers. We're all servants
of God. I wouldn't want to make some
kind of clergy laity distinction. I find that offensive. The scripture
finds it offensive. But there is such a thing as
a servant of God, one whom he has sent speaking his word. And what they preach is the mysteries. The mysteries. of the kingdom
of God. Now, what is meant by mystery?
I've said this many times, but maybe you haven't heard it. A
mystery is something we would never have known had not God
made it known in his word. Would you have ever known, would
you have ever guessed through your diligent studying and meditation,
would you have ever known that God is one God in three distinct
persons? You've never known that. The
only way you know it is God has made it known in his word, this
glorious mystery. And a servant of Christ is called
on to be a steward of the mysteries of God. Now, if a man is that,
a servant of Christ, a steward of the mysteries of God, And
I failed to recognize it. I put myself in a very dangerous
position. If a man is a servant of Christ and a steward of the
mystery of God. And I've also, I was thinking
about this. If you are, you don't have to prove it. People know
I don't have to convince you. I'm a servant of Christ. I'm
a steward of the mysteries of God. You'll know by what a preach
not might be convincing you. Oh, he's a servant of Christ. You know, a lot of preachers
try to get people's affirmation like that. I don't want to do
that. But I do want to be a servant of Jesus Christ and a steward
of his mysteries. You know, Paul said to the Galatians
with regard to this thing of being a servant, for I do, do
I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? If
I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ. If I have, if I'm popular with
the world, you know what that means? I'm not a servant of Jesus
Christ. Now, as I said, there's a sense
in which all men are his servants. I'm his servant. If you're a
believer, you're his servant. If you're an unbeliever, you're
his servant. You might not know it, but you're doing his will.
You know, those men who drove the nails in the hands and feet
of Christ, they were His servants doing His will. They were doing
what He caused them to do. He's the Lord of the dead and
the living. Every unbeliever, He's their Lord. You know, I
love saying that. I particularly like if somebody's saying, he's
not my Lord. He is. He is whether you like
it or not. He's your Lord because he is
the Lord. But oh, he's especially the Lord of the believer. We
love his Lordship. We, you know, people have talked
about the Lordship issue. Lordship is not an issue, not
an issue at all. He's the Lord and he's my Lord.
I love the way Paul said a servant of Jesus Christ called. to be
an apostle. So in that sense, all men are
his servants. But I want to hear someone who
is his servant, as far as preaching. I want to hear somebody who is
his servant. You know, when I listen to a man, and I've said this
before, but think about it. When I listen to a man, there
are three things that are absolutely necessary for me to listen to
that man. First, he's got to have God's message from the Bible. I'm not interested in anything
he has to say. I'm not interested in his opinions
or his thoughts. He has to have the message of
the scripture, God's message. He needs to proclaim the mysteries
of the gospel. And secondly, that man that's
preaching, he's got to live what he believes. I'm not gonna listen
to him if he doesn't. Now, when I say that, I realize
that any man is fallible and sinful, whoever the preacher
is. He's fallible. I'm fallible. I'm sinful. You
know how sinful you are? That's how sinful I am. That's
so. I recognize that, but I'm not
gonna listen to a man unless he's dedicated his life to the
Lord and he's all in. This is his only desire. I've
got to have that or I'm not interested in what he has to say. And thirdly,
that man has to have my best interests at heart. If I'm part
of his ministry, I'm not interested. He's got to have my best interests
at heart, not me being part of his program and part of his kingdom
and part of his preaching. I don't have any interest in
that. I don't want to listen to a man like that. I want to hear
somebody who truly wants me to know the Lord. That's really
all he cares about. that I know the Lord, that I'm found in him. Now, Paul says, let a man account
us. Let a man account us as ministers,
servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now, a steward is not an owner. You know, if someone manages
a farm, that farm doesn't belong to him, does it? None of it belongs
to him. He's not the owner of it. It
belongs to somebody else. A steward's not the author. He
doesn't make these things up. Here's what I think, here's my
take on it. A steward faithfully delivers the mysteries of God. That's his one job, to proclaim. The mysteries, things we would
have never known had not God made them known in his word. You'd have never come up with
this. I'd never come up with it. And even this thing of mystery,
I love, I love the mystery of mystery. It's so powerful. It's
so glorious. I don't, I can't explain the
mysteries of God. I proclaim them. It's beyond
the ability of anybody to explain the mysteries of God. Can I explain
the Trinity, how God is one God in three distinct persons? Of
course I can't. Can I give you an illustration?
Well, it's like this. No, this is all otherworldly.
It's glorious. It's other. I believe it. I don't understand it. I believe
it. I believe the mysteries of the Scripture. They're beyond
intellectual comprehension. You just believe. You can't understand
the Trinity, can you? One God and three distinct persons?
You can't understand eternal union with Christ, how I've always
been united to him, even before time began. I was noticing when
you were reading that Psalm, Psalm 77, when he, the first
nine verses, he talks down about his experience, and then he said,
this is my infirmity, but then he said, I'll remember the years
of the right hand of the most high. I'll remember his eternal. unending work. And what a mystery
to think that every aspect of salvation was accomplished before
creation. Isn't that mysterious? Isn't that glorious? And you
know, if I'm depressed about myself, what a blessing to remember
that all my salvation was already accomplished before I was ever
born. It's all taken care of. Mystery. The great mystery of
godliness. Now the word mystery is used
27 times in the New Testament and when he says pray for me
that I'll preach the mystery of God with boldness, he does
that twice in the New Testament. Pray for me that I'll preach
the mystery of God with boldness, with clarity. with the proper
fear and reverence. I don't want to have some kind
of cocksure, arrogant attitude about this. I'm scared. I don't
want to misrepresent the Lord. But I want to preach the mystery
of God with boldness. Thus saith the Lord. I don't apologize for what he
says. I glory in what he says. Timothy, preach the word. Whatever
the word declares, whatever the mystery is, preach it. Don't
apologize for it. Don't explain it away. Don't
try to lower it down. Preach it as God makes it known in His Word. Now, let me give you some things
in the New Testament that are called mystery. Would you have ever known that
the just shall live by faith? Would you have ever just figured
that out? I believe the just live by faith. You'd have never
known that. You wouldn't have even suspected
it. I love what Charles Spurgeon once said. He said, if God asked
the angels how he could be just and justify the ungodly, he said
they'd still be scratching their head. They couldn't figure it
out. I couldn't figure it out. You
couldn't figure it out. The mystery of the faith, that's what he
calls it in 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 9, the mystery of the
faith. Also called in Titus 1.1, the
faith of God's elect, the acknowledging of the truth, which is after
godliness. Now we could have never figured
out unless God revealed to us, the just shall live by faith. Four times that's written. The
just, the justified. I'm either just or I'm unjust
before God. I'm either righteous or I'm unrighteous,
the just. the just, the justified. What
does justified mean? When that publican beat on his breast,
crying, God be merciful to me, the sinner, what did the Lord
say about that man? He said, I say unto you, this man went down to his house,
not forgiven, he was, Not shown mercy, although he was. He went
down to his house justified, sinless, having never sinned. That's the glory of the gospel,
how God can be just and justify. Somebody like me? The Lord said
that regarding this man. He went down to his house justified. Now, if you're justified, All
the sin you have on your heart and soul, the sins you've committed
in the last 24 hours, the sins you're so ashamed of, you never
did them. Yeah, I did. No, you didn't.
Not if Christ put them away. They've been canceled. They've
been expunged from the universe. They're gone. You stand before
God having never sinned. Does that excite you? to think
that you can actually stand before God having never sinned. Oh, the just shall live eternal
life, the life of God in the soul. The just shall live, oh,
spiritual life. And you hath he quickened, hath
he given life to who were dead in trespasses and sins. The just
shall live, oh, this is life. Living by faith. This stuff here
is not life. I love it when the Lord said,
when you enter into life, this here in life, when you enter
into life, that's when you live. The just shall live by faith. Not by works, by faith. Looking to Christ Only the just
shall live by faith. Listen to this scripture, Romans
chapter four, verse five, to him that worketh not. Do you understand what that means?
Do you understand that you cannot, if you can't be saved, unless
you do something before God can save you, you don't have any
hope. Do you understand that? To him that worketh not. You
know you can't be saved by your works. To him that worketh not. but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. The just shall live by faith.
The mystery of faith. We would have never known that
had not God made it known, but thank God he has made it known. He gives life. He gives faith. We're just before him. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 9 says,
having made known to us the mystery of His will. Now if somebody came up to me
on the street and said, I know the will of God. You know, I'd
think, you're an idiot. I don't believe you. Don't believe
you for a second. You'd think the same thing. I
hope you would. I know God's will. I know God's
will for you. No, you don't. But if somebody
shows me from the scripture what God's will is, having made known
unto us, it's by revelation. Having made known. I think of
what the Lord said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because you have hid these things from the wise and prudent
and revealed them unto babes. Salvation by revelation. having made known the mystery
of his will. Now, I know the will of God.
Let me quote the scripture that will tell you that. Christ said,
I came down from heaven. I love it when he says that.
If I said to you, I came down from heaven, you'd say, what?
He says what we know he did. I came down from heaven not to
do my own will. but the will of Him that sent
me. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that of all which He hath given me." There's a people
God gave to Christ, the elect. He gave them to Christ before
time began. This is God's will. That of all
which He hath given me, I should lose nothing. If he could lose one, they'd
all be lost. But he doesn't lose one. You
see, he's the successful savior. When he said it is finished,
they were all saved. Their sins were paid for. Salvation
accomplished. This is God's will. that all
that the Father giveth me, those that come to me, I'd lose nothing,
but raise them up again at the last day. And this is the will
of him that sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son and believeth
on him has, hath, means he's got it, everlasting life. Do
you see that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Come on, do you? Do you believe he's the creator?
Do you rely on him as your salvation? You have eternal life. It's God's
will. We know the will of God. First Timothy chapter three,
verse 16. You can write these down. You
can look at it if you want. Here's another mystery. Great
is the mystery of godliness. Great is the mystery of godliness. God. was manifest in the flesh. The eternal God, whom the universe
cannot contain, lived in a womb for nine months. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit. What He did, God justified what
He did by justifying everybody He did it for. Justified in the
Spirit. Scene of angels. I love thinking about this. There's
always programs on TV about angels and angels this and angels that.
There's a lot of things like that. Angels aren't interested
in any of the stuff going around here. They're not even interested.
But I tell you what, you can bet that every second of his
life, angels were watching everything he did in amazement. The elect
angels were. I love the way Paul calls them
elect angels. The only reason they're not fallen is because
they were elected by God. You know, nobody ever complains
about God electing angels. They complain about him electing
men, but they don't complain about him electing angels. But
the angels are called the elect angels, aren't they? And you
can be sure that they watched every second of his life in utter
amazement, which things angels desire to look into. And then
the next thing he says in the mystery of godliness is he was
preaching to the Gentiles, me and you. Do you find that mysterious? Glorious That you are allowed
to hear the gospel preached Are you amazed by that that you're
sitting there right now and you know There's a lot of people
that never hear the gospel and the Lord has given you the grace
He's given me the grace to hear the gospel. Oh, I'm so thankful. I've heard the gospel and then
he says Believed on in the world That's a mystery if anybody believes
this. I mean, most people don't, but it's a great mystery. If
God gives you the grace to believe, you've been blessed with a great
mystery of the gospel to believe on him. Do you find it mysterious? Really? Do you find it mysterious
that you believe? You know, I really do believe
the gospel. I believe the gospel. What a mystery. What an amazing
occurrence. And then, after he's believed
on the world, he was received into glory as the successful
Savior. Great is the mystery of godliness. What a great mystery. What about
this? Ephesians chapter 5. It's there
at the end of the chapter when Paul had been giving those instructions
concerning marriage. And he talks about the two, quoting
from Genesis chapter two, the two shall be one flesh. He talks
about the union of a man and woman in marriage and the act
of intimacy making them one. And he said, I'm not talking
about human marriage. I'm talking about Christ in the
church. The union that exists between Christ and the church.
Now, what a mystery. Claire, I think this is what
we were talking about this morning, that I've always been in Christ. There's
never been a time, now I know logically Christ, I mean, Christ
be my first elect, he said. Then he chose us in him our living
head. I know Christ comes before me,
but that being said, I've always been in the belief. before time
began. There was never a time when I
did not have personality before God. Both he that sanctifyeth
and they who are sanctified are all of one. For the which cause
he's not ashamed to call them brethren." What a mysterious
thing that I'm united, one with the Lord Jesus Christ. And I
love the way the Lord used the analogy of the vine and branches. I'm the vine, you are the branches,
and this is how close this union is. There's not a connecting
point between the stem that goes through the branches. The same
stem going through the vine goes through the branches. No connecting
point. One, not just close together,
one with the Lord Jesus Christ, eternally one. Colossians 1.27. whom God would make known what
is the riches and the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you." Christ in you. The hope of glory. Paul said, I live, yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. Christ in you. What about when
Paul said, when it pleased God? Galatians 1.15, when it pleased
God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by
his grace to reveal his Son to me. You see, if all He did, I know
myself enough to know this, if all He did was reveal Him to
me, I'd forget. It wouldn't last. But He didn't
merely reveal Himself to me. He revealed Himself in me. The
life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son
of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Christ's in me. Christ liveth in me. I love that hymn we sing. I'm
amazed by it. You're dumbfounded by it. You're
staggered by it. But this is true with regard
to every believer. Christ in you. hope of glory. Now, is that a glorious mystery?
Is that a grand mystery? Christ in you? In first Corinthians
15 verse 51, Paul says, behold, I show you a mystery. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment. in the twinkling of an eye at
the last trump for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall
be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. The mystery
of the resurrection. Would you have ever figured that
out? Had he not made it known? I love to think of the resurrection.
There's three resurrections taught in the scripture. The bodily
resurrection of Christ and how thrilling it is to think of him
laying there dead in that tomb for three days and all of a sudden
He opens his eyes. I love to think about that. He
lives! Why seek ye him that lives among
the dead? What a question. His physical resurrection, he
was delivered from our offenses, raised again for our justification.
There's the spiritual resurrection of the believer when we're dead
in sins and he says live and we live. And that final resurrection
when we're given glorified bodies. I love to think of this, you
know, In heaven, nobody there will mean less to
me or more to me than he will. I'll look at you and I'll look
at you like everybody else. There won't be these family relationships.
There won't be these, everybody's one in Christ Jesus. And everybody's
beholding his face. And David said, ask for me. I'll
behold thy face in righteousness, I'll be satisfied when I awake
in thy likeness. So the mystery of the resurrection,
glorious mystery. We read in 2 Thessalonians 2,
7 of the mystery of iniquity. And that's the mystery of the
harlot of Babylon, false religion, works religion. We would never
know this. had not God made it known to
us. Turn to Romans chapter 16 for a moment. Now here's what a steward is. He preaches, he makes known,
he declares the mysteries of God. Verse 25 of chapter 16, Romans
16 verse 25, now to him that's of power to establish you according
to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to
the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the
world began but now is made manifest and by the scriptures of the
prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God made known
to all nations for the obedience of faith to God only wise be
glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. The steward is to preach,
to make known the mysteries of the gospel. Now, go back to our
text, 1 Corinthians 4, verse 2. Moreover, it's required in stewards that
man be found, what? Brilliant? Talented? A great speaker? Charismatic personality? No. One requirement. Faithful. It's required in stewards that
a man be found faithful. As a matter of fact, what is
the one measure of success, if I can use that word? I can't look at anything and
say, yeah, the Lord's blessing that. I don't know if He is.
I hope He is. I can't look, if I'm preaching to 10 or 10,000,
I can't say, well, the Lord must be blessing. Look, this part,
this, that, no. The only measure of success is
faithfulness to declare the mysteries of God. That's the only measure
of success. If you have, maybe some of you
do, let's say you've got a million dollars, a lot of money. And somebody's going to take
care of it for you. What is your one requirement for that person?
Faithfulness. Honesty. You don't want them
stealing your money. If they're going to take care of it for
you, what you want is faithfulness. It's required. This is the one
requirement of a steward. It's required in a steward that
a man be found faithful. Would you turn to Acts chapter
20 for just a moment? I'm going to read this passage
without making a lot of comment on it, but this is what faithfulness
is. Acts chapter 20, verse 17. And from Miletus, he sent to
the Ephesians and called the elders of the church, Acts 20,
17. And when they were come to him, he said to them, you know,
From the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner
I have been with you at all seasons." How? Serving the Lord. With all humility of mind. Humility is a just estimate of
yourself. What do you have that you didn't receive? Who makes
you different from somebody else? That's on down. We're going to
see that in the next few weeks in this passage of scripture.
Serving the Lord with all humility of mine with many tears. Tears
about myself. Tears of joy, tears of sorrow,
tears with regard to the people I'm preaching to, with many tears
and temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the
Jews. If I'm faithful, the religious people aren't gonna like me.
And Paul says that, that lying in wait of the Jews. He says
in verse 20, how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto
you. but have showed you and have
taught you publicly and from house to house. My public preaching
and my private conversation were the same. I didn't have one message
in public and another message in private. They were all the
same. Here's what it is, testifying
both to the Jews and also to the Greeks. Everybody gets the
same message. Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ. A change of mind about God and
faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now behold, I go bound in
the Spirit into Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall
befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every
city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. How do you reckon Paul
felt? Everywhere he went, he knew I'm
either gonna get thrown into prison, I'm gonna be beat with
a cat of nine tails. He knew something horrible was
gonna happen to him. Tell you what, Paul was a man's man, wasn't
he? He probably didn't have an appearance of that, but I tell
you what, he says, I know everywhere I go, I'm gonna get whipped for
preaching the gospel. But, verse 24, none of these
things move me, Neither count I my life dear unto myself so
that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which
I've received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the
grace of God. And now behold, I know that you
all among whom I've gone preaching the kingdom of God shall see
my face no more. You're not gonna see me anymore. Wherefore I take
you to record this day that I'm pure from the blood of all men
for I've not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God."
Now that's what faithfulness is, declaring all the counsel
of God. Verse 28, take heed therefore
unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God which he hath
purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing
the flock. Also of your own selves shall
men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples
after them. Therefore watch, and remember
that by the space of three years I cease not to warn every one
night and day with tears. I told you this is gonna happen.
And now therefore, brethren, I commend you to God and to the
word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you
an inheritance among all of them, which are sanctified. I've coveted no man's silver
or gold or apparel. I wouldn't try to get your stuff.
Yea, you yourselves know how that these hands have ministered
unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I've showed
you all things, how that so laboring you ought to support the weak,
and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said,
it's more blessed to give than to receive. And when he thus
spoke it, he kneeled down and prayed with them all, and they
all wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing
most of all for the words which he spake that they should see
his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship. That is faithful
to the mysteries of God. With regard to this thing of
faithfulness, I'm going to close with this. The faithfulness Paul possessed. And I hope we all possess, listen
to his words in first Timothy chapter one, verses 11 and 12.
He said, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which
was committed to my trust, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has
enabled me for that he counted me faithful. He enabled me to
be faithful and he counted me as such. Putting me into the ministry. Proverbs 13, 17 says a wicked
messenger falleth into mischief, but a faithful ambassador is
health. Proverbs 14, 5, a faithful witness
will not lie, but a false witness will utter lies. Proverbs 20,
verse 6, most every man will proclaim his own goodness, but
a faithful man. who confine. Boy, is that true?
I bet everybody will proclaim their own goodness, but a faithful
man, faithful to the word, who confine. Proverbs 27.6, faithful
are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are death. May we all be enabled to be faithful. You believe and you can be believed. That's a simple, definition of
faithfulness. You rely, you can be relied on. I want to be that good and faithful
servant. May the Lord enable us all to
be faithful to his word. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
mysteries of your gospel, how we thank you for your faithfulness.
Great is our faithfulness. Lord, how we thank you that you
always act according to who you are and you always act according
to your word. And Lord, we ask that you would
make us faithful men and women. We believe. and we can be believed. We rely and we can be relied
upon. Lord, make every one of us that
by your grace. Bless this word for your glory.
Give us all faith in Christ. Enable us to look to him only. How we thank you that the just
shall live by faith. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.