Let us turn to God's Word as
we return to these words that we are considering at the end
of 1 Timothy chapter 3. In 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse
16, and we come tonight to those words preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world. preached on to the Gentiles believed
on in the world and of course it was that previous clause preached
on to the Gentiles that we were looking at last week or last
time I should say that was two weeks ago and so now we come
to see this the next clause which speaks of faith and the mystery
of faith all these clauses really I suppose are part and parcel
of that great mystery of godliness the mystery of real religion
beginning with the incarnation but each of the statements that
Paul is making as its own particular mystery attached to it and last
time when we were considering the preaching onto the Gentiles
we made some reference to the fact that the Apostle goes into
some detail there in the opening part of Ephesians 3 with regards
to the mystery of the calling of Gentiles and again at the
end of Colossians chapter 2 He speaks of that mystery of the
calling of the Gentiles. But now we come to the mystery
of faith. What is his faith that he's being
spoken of, believed on? The God manifested in the flesh
and justified in the spirit and seen of the angels and preached
unto the Gentiles. He is the One. who is to be believed
on in this world. We know that there are different
types of faith set before us here in Scripture. There is false
faith as well as true faith. There's, we might say, natural
faith as well as spiritual faith. There's a dead faith as well
as a living faith. and here in this epistle we even
read of a faith that might be shipwrecked remember what the
apostle says at the end of the first chapter exhorts Timothy to beholding
faith and a good conscience he says which some having put away
concerning faith have made shipwrecked a shipwrecked faith of whom is
Imanias and Alexander whom I have delivered unto Satan that they
may learn not to blaspheme a faith that can be shipwrecked and also
when we turn to the second epistle he speaks of a faith that can
be overthrown there in chapter 2 and the verses 17 and 18 we read
of those whose word will eat at the canker or a cancer of
whom is hymenaeus and philetos who concerning the truth have
heard saying that the resurrection is past already and overthrow
the faith of some Well, a faith that is overthrown, a faith that
can be shipwrecked, is not saving faith, not true faith, not the
faith of God's elects. There are then these various
types of faith that are spoken of in scripture. We are aware of that, I'm sure.
We can think of at least four such faiths, that faith that
is what we might term historic or natural, bear assenting to
the truth, like the demons believe, they believe us that there is
one God, says James, they do as well. The devils also believe
and they tremble. Merely historic, assenting to
truth, there's that faith that is is temporary, the stony ground
type of faith how they hear the word and they immediately receive
it with joy the troubles come and they quickly fall away it's
just a temporary faith although it seems to be so flourishing
it's that faith that is being spoken of there in Hebrews 6
verse 4 following we know there's that faith of miracles that were
so evident amongst the Corinthians and how the Apostle rebukes them
really. Though I have all faith, he says,
so that I could remove mountains and have not love, I am nothing.
I am nothing. Though one has that great faith
that can do remarkable things, miraculous things, it's not saving
faith. Well, the faith that's spoken
of in our text is that true faith that centers in the Lord Jesus
Christ, God manifest in the flesh, God the Son, the only Saviour
of sinners, believed on in the world. But how that faith at
times is so sorely tested and tried. Doesn't Peter speak of
it, the trial of your faith? being so much more precious than
the gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire is found
unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ
it stands the trial it stands the trial the wonder of it through faith
the life of God deep in the heart it lies it lives it labours under
load though damped It never dies. That's saving faith. And it is
that faith that overcomes. John says as much. This is the
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. It's not overthrown. No, it overcomes. It overcomes all opposition. Well, as we come to look at the
words, this particular cause, the mystery, of faith, I want
to deal with two things really. First of all, to consider it
as that faith that is promised of God. And then secondly, to
observe how it is that faith that is performed of God. Firstly,
it is faith that is promised of God. It's promised of God. As I said last time, we were
considering, of course, the previous clause, preached unto the Gentiles,
and there's a connection, isn't there, between the preaching
and the faith? Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. It pleases God by the foolishness
of preaching, to save them that's believed. And that's part of
the mystery of preaching. It's God's own ordinance for
the salvation of sinners. And we were thinking last time
then of that great mystery that this message is to be proclaimed
even to sinners of the Gentiles. Very different to what we have
in the Old Testament where God's grace was so confined to Israel,
He showeth His words unto Israel, His statutes and His judgments
unto Jacob. He hath not dealt so with any
nation as for His judgments they have not known them, says the
Psalmist. the prophet says you only have
I known God speaking through Amos to his people you only have
I known of all the families of the earth and the calling of
course, the calling of the Gentiles is part and parcel of that promise
that God has given in the scriptures the faith that is being spoken
of here is something that God himself promised that it would
come even to sinners of the Gentiles the language of the prophet the
words that we find there in Isaiah 49 And verse 6 he said, It is
a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the
tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will
also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest
be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Here is the promise
of God then. It is at that God himself as
appointed It is God that gave the promise initially to Abraham. In Abraham, all the families
of the earth were to be blessed. In that very chapter we're in,
we have a remarkable type really of the sacrifice of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the 22nd chapter of Genesis. where the faith of
Abram is so sorely tested God gives him this strange commandment
to take his son, his only son the son of promise Isaac to the land of Moriah and
there is to offer him upon one of the mountains and now Abram
is obedient to the command of God and he takes the lad but
he doesn't sacrifice the lad, he receives Isaac, as it were,
back from the dead, as it says in Hebrews 11. But the Lord makes
that provision of a ram, and that ram is to be offered in
place of Isaac. And Abraham is so blessed, then,
of God. So blessed because he was faithful. His faith was an obedient faith. And so God's promise in Genesis
22. 16 By myself have I sworn, saith
the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not
withheld thy Son, thine only Son, that in blessing I will
bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the
stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore,
and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. 17 And in
thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because
thou hast obeyed my voice. God's blessing upon Abraham and
in that blessing of course sinners of the Gentiles are embraced
and God is so faithful to his promise all because of Abraham's
seed. Blessing says God I will bless
thy Or to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith, Not unto seeds as of
many, but as of one unto thy seed, which is Christ. Christ is that one who is the
true seed of Abraham. That one who is a light to lighten
the Gentiles. and the glory of Israel his people. Think of the language that we
have there in Luke 2.32, the song of Simeon at the birth of
the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the fulfillment then
of God's promise, that promise that he had given long since
to Abraham, that the gospel is going to be preached to Gentile
sinners and believed and believed as I said just now Paul goes
into some detail doesn't he there in in Ephesians chapter 3 and
the opening part of that chapter and also when he writes to the
Colossians there at the end of the opening chapter the first
chapter of Colossians he also speaks of the mystery the faith that God promised and
not only the faith that God promised but the faith that God also procured
and provided we know how in that covenant of grace the Lord Jesus
Christ is assured of success it's the sure mercies of David
That's how it's spoken of in Isaiah 55, the sure mercies of
David. And God says He will give him,
that is, David's greatest son, as a covenant to the people.
When David comes to utter his last words there in 2 Samuel
23, the last words of David, the sweet psalmist of Israel
what does he say concerning that covenant he hath made with me
an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure this is
all my salvation all my desire and David such a remarkable type
of Christ his greatest son the sure mercies of David the covenant
ordered in all things and sure Is it not the great covenant,
the covenant of grace and God's promise in that covenant he shall
see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. The great
truth of a particular redemption that the Lord Jesus Christ by
his obedience unto death, even the death of the cross as he
accomplishes all the terms of that eternal covenant he is assured
that his precious blood is not shed in vain he doesn't just
make salvation something that is possible or even probable
probable for people no there is that that is sure and certain
all for whom he shed his blood shall be saved dear dying lamb,
thy precious blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed
church of God be saved to sin no more. Here is that then that
God has procured as he has given Christ for a covenant of the
people for a light to the Gentiles. And there we see the Lord Jesus
Christ when he comes to the end of his earthly life He pleads
the covenant. Isn't that really the great subject
matter of what we have there in the 17th chapter of John's
Gospel? The high priestly prayer of the
Lord Jesus. How does He pray? Well, He lifted up His eyes to
heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son
that Thy Son also may glorify Thee. as Thou hast given Him
power over all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given
Him. He's pleading, you see, with
the Father concerning all that were given to Him and now He
is that One who has power now to give eternal life to all those
the children that God gave to him in the covenant. He says
in verse 9, I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine
are mine, and I am glorified in them. And then again at verse
29, that pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their words. that they all may be one, as
thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one
in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent Mary." The
whole tenor of his praying there has that ring of certainty because
he speaks in terms of what he had agreed in the covenant with
the Father from all eternity. He pleads. He pleads that promise
of God. Not only that, he is not only
assured of the fruit of his sufferings, but by those sufferings he has
also procured that faith that is necessary to the salvation
of his people. We have the language of the Psalmist
there in that 68 Psalm and it's clearly a Messianic Psalm. And
what does the Lord say? Well, the Psalmist tells us how
he has ascended on high, how he has led captivity captive,
how he has received gifts from men, yea, for the rebellious
also. All this is at one, you see.
who has accomplished all that is necessary
for the salvation of his people even to the procuring of their
saving faith and he bestows these gifts upon rebellious sinners,
gifts for men, yea, for thee rebellious also." And of course
those words of the 68th Psalm are quite specifically applied
to the Lord Jesus by Paul there in Ephesians 4.8. So there's
no disputing the truth that the Psalmist is speaking of the Lord
Jesus. He is that one who exalted a
prince and a savior who gives repentance to Israel. and the
forgiveness of sins. He is that one that they are
to look to who is the author and finisher of their faith. All that the Lord God has promised
is what the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished by His own life
and His obedience even to the death of the cross. but not only
the faith that is promised of God, procured by God himself,
but also that faith that is performed of God. We see how God's purpose
is, and God prophesies, and God promises, and God performs. All
of these things. Or what do we see here? We see
something of the power of God, in saving faith. It is faith
of the operation of God. The language of Paul there in
Colossians chapter 2 and verse 12. Faith, he says, of the operation
of God. It's so different to all those
other sorts of faith that we spoke of initially. The faith
that shipwrecked. or the fight that overturns so
different to all those fights this fight is truly spiritual
and so it suits those who are dead dead in sin we know that
sin is of man but all that sense of their sin is something that
comes from God. It's the evidence that God is
performing His work in the soul of the sinner. A new life from
Him we must receive before for sin we rightly grieve. And where
are the Gentiles by nature? Oh, they walk in the vanity of
their mind, says the Apostle. All this gospel concerning God
manifest in the flesh that's to be preached to Gentiles and
believed on in the world. It comes to these Gentiles who
are walking in the vanity of their minds, says the Apostle,
having the understanding darkened, alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness
of their minds and their hearts. carnal minds enmity against God
not subject to the Lord of God neither indeed can be and the
strength of Paul's writing there in Romans 8 I think I said before
one's well sometimes to misquote scripture when we try to quote
from memory and I've done it myself misquoted those words
in verse 7 of that chapter the carnal mind is enmity against
God because it is not subject to the law of God neither can
be and missing out that word indeed which is so emphatic you
see indeed it cannot be subject to
the Lord of God such is man's state by nature dead in trespasses
and in sins now man needs faith then and that faith must come
from God where does duty faith come in? how futile it is when we think
of what man's condition is this is the work of God says the Lord
Jesus that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. It's the work
of God. It's the work of God, said in
faith. And you know those words we quoted
to Magain this morning there in Ephesians 1, the exceeding
greatness of his power. To us who do believe. And that
beautiful language that's so typical of Paul. Loading the
words together. he doesn't just speak of power
or great power but he speaks of the exceeding greatness of
his power to us who do believe and it's all according to the
working of his mighty power which was wrought in Christ when he
raised him from the dead oh this is our comfort this is our comfort
that the faith that's being spoken of here is something that God
performs in the soul of the sinner no man can come to me says the
Lord Jesus Christ except the father which hath sent me draw
him and we have to come to that the
end of ourselves despairing of ourselves when God turns the
man to destruction brings him to the end of self and then says
to that poor soul who feels it's all so utterly hopeless, return
return you children of men and where the word of a king is there's
power there's power in his word, it effect you now it was the
experience of Simon wasn't it Simon Peter there at Caesarea
Philippi when he made his great confession Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the Living God. How could he make such a confession?
Well, blessed art thou, Simon, by Jonah, flesh and blood hath
not revealed it unto them. It's not the work of some preacher
who has come with his rhetoric and his persuasive arguments
and his offers of grace and so on and so forth. No, it's divine
revelation. flesh and blood has not revealed
it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven it is that gracious
work of God faith of the operation of God
who raised Christ from the dead all there's a connection is there
not between Christ's resurrection and that faith it's so clear And this is the faith that the
apostles themselves knew and experienced. This was the faith
of Paul. He says he pleased God who separated
me from my mother's womb to reveal his Son in mine. God had to do
it. God had to make the Saviour known
and make the Saviour real in the soul of the apostle. And now it is there. It's there
in the soul of the man. It's not just a an ascent with
the mind. No, it's much more than a mental
awareness. It's something transpiring in
the very depths of the man's being. It's the work of God. It's the
life of God in the soul of a man. With the heart man believeth
unto righteousness. and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation says Paul you see it's with the hearts
and how necessary then that we have that promise of the new
covenant where God says he will give to his people a new heart
a new heart will I give them a new spirit will I put within
them I will take away the stony hearts out of thy flesh I will
give them heart of flesh if any man is in the Lord Jesus
Christ he's a new creature, a new creation that's the pure heart, isn't
it? blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God we have to imagine for a moment
that that blessed man who has a pure heart has managed somewhere
or other to attain a state of sinless perfection no, he's born
again of the spirit of God, he has a new nature, he has a new
heart and we know something of the marks of that new heart we
know it's a broken heart the sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit, a broken and contrite heart God will not despise If
we've got a new heart, we know some think of being broken-hearted,
contrition, compunction, grieving over our sins, hating our sin, and yet feeling
that we're so in love with our sins, we cannot really deliver
ourselves from them. if we know anything of the quickening
we'll know something of those two natures that the Apostle
speaks of the flesh that's lusting against the spirit and the spirit
against the flesh and now these are contrary one to the other
and we'll say with the Apostle all wretched man that I am all
will be broken hearted that's the new heart but it's not only
a heart that's broken it's a heart that's whole also isn't it? that's
a strange paradox of the man's experience he's whole-hearted,
he's broken-hearted over his sins but whole-hearted in his
desires after the Lord Jesus doesn't God say, ye shall seek
me and find me when ye shall search after me with all your
heart? no divided heart, we can't have a heart that goes after
the things of this world and also the things of God. No, the
affections have to be set upon those things which are above,
where Christ sits at God's right hand. All this new heart, it's
whole-hearted. In its love towards God, it desires
after God. Ultimately, it's the believing
heart. It's the work of God, the power of God in saving faith. The power then the performance of God in bringing
the sinner to this faith preached unto the Gentiles, believed on
in the world. Now when it comes to this work,
of course, we have to recognize the significance of the words.
It indicates to us just where the work is to be performed. It's in this world believed on
in the world. It must be in this life that
we're brought to this faith. God says, I have heard thee in
a time accepted in the day of salvation, have I succored thee?
Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. or it's here and now it's not
something that we're to anticipate tomorrow in other words we're
not to be those who would procrastinate we must see the urgency of the
matter our lives are so mortal and we
know not what one day will bring forth there must be some urgency
there with regards to our attention to the ministry and the preaching
of the word of God we are to be leaving It's in this world. But we know
that God doesn't work in a vacuum. When God gives this faith, how
does God do it? He pleases God by the foolishness
of preaching. To save, and to save them that
belief, faith cometh by hearing, we're told. Oh, are we those
who are hearing? those who are listening for that
voice how the sheep they know not the voice of strangers but
they know that voice they know the voice of the Good Shepherd
and they follow Him and He gives to them eternal life and they
shall never perish faith cometh by hearing we're told so plainly
and we read of those who fell in the wilderness wanderings
there in Hebrews chapter 4 the word preached did not profit
them it says not being mixed with faith in them that heard
it or there is to be that mixing of faith with what we're hearing
when we're hearing the words of God we want to know that we have
faith and what grieves us is that we're so full of unbelief and we want to believe and we
cannot believe and we come again and again with that poor man
in the gospel who says to the Lord Jesus I believe help thou
mine unbelief help thou mine unbelief Oh, what a blessed work
it is that God performs, and He does it by the ministry of
the Word, the preaching of the Gospel. Love His own will, begotten
us, says James, with the Word of Truth. With the Word of Truth. Oh, do we recognize then the
priority of that Word. Born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God. which liveth
and abideth forever those words that we have at the end of chapter
1 in Peter's first epistle and they're interesting words,
aren't they? those last three verses of that chapter. Born
again, he says, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by
the word of God which liveth and abideth forever. For all
flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of
grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away,
but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word
which by the gospel is preached unto you. You're probably aware, some of
you at least, I'm sure, that two different words are used
here in verse 23 and verse 25. In verse 23, what we have as
the word is the Logos. The Logos. That's Christ, isn't
it? In the beginning was the words
and the word was with God and the word was God. And the same
was in the beginning with God. He is the Logos. But the word
that's used in verse 25 is a different word, rhema, and it literally
means the spoken word. This is the word, it's the spoken
word, the preached word, which by the gospel is preached unto
you, but the connection between the two. born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, as the Lord
Jesus, which liveth and abideth forever. And then that Word that is being
proclaimed and preached in the Gospel. And God, as I said, doesn't
work in a vacuum. and so what is the great subject
matter of the preaching of the ministry? Paul says we preach
Christ and Him crucified I determined not to know anything among you
save Jesus Christ and Him crucified it's the preaching of Christ
and the more of Christ there is in the sermon It must follow
that the more fruitful that preaching will be. We want Christ-centered
preaching. And that's what we have really
in the text, the great mystery of godliness. It begins with
God manifest in the flesh. And this one, you see, is a light
to lighten the Gentiles. He's preached unto the Gentiles.
he's believed on in the world, are we those who truly believe
in him, that's where we rest that's where all our faith centers
and we delight to think upon him, to meditate upon his person
and his work or as we come together now, those in the church to observe
that ordinance, that holy supper of the Lord we do all in remembrance
of Him, we seek then as we come together to contemplate all that
He is and all that He has done, this is the preaching and this
is the believing it's all Christ, Christ that one who is the only
Saviour the only name under heaven given amongst men whereby we
must be saved. May the Lord be pleased to bless
his word to us.