Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, located at 2709 Rock Springs Road in Kingsport, Tennessee, would like to invite you to listen to a message of Sovereign Grace by their pastor, Gabe Stoniker. For information and service times, visit www.ksgc.church. And now, Gabe Stoniker.

I will be speaking to you today from 1 Timothy chapter 3. 1 Timothy 3, and we will be looking at verse 16, which says, 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.

without controversy. This is one of the great standalone verses in scripture. One verse among many, there are many great standalone verses. But what I mean by that is contained inside this one verse is an entirety of wonder. an entirety of wonder contained inside this one verse is the full declaration of the glory of God's gospel. It's all right there. The mystery of godliness. It's revealed it's declared right in that one verse. Not that we have the capacity to fully understand it. but God has declared it, and we believe it.

So I just want to go line by line through this one verse, and verse 16 begins by saying, without controversy. Without controversy, that means by the consent of all. That's the definition of without controversy, by the consent of all. Nothing disagrees with this. Everything supports this as the absolute truth that it is. That is absolute truth without controversy. We're not even going to have a discussion about it. That's what it means. Without controversy. That's what I love about the truth of God's Word. It is without controversy.

It's without controversy. False religion is so full of controversy. It is so full of controversy. Nobody agrees on anything. And it's because everybody has their own opinions and their own imaginations of how they think things are or imagine they should be. And they obviously haven't consulted God's Word. on their thoughts and their imaginations because if they did, they would see that God's word does not consent to man's natural thoughts at all. It actually disagrees with man's thoughts and imaginations. It doesn't support it. It doesn't support man's thoughts or imaginations at all.

Isaiah 55 says, our ways are not God's ways. They are not. His ways are much higher than our ways, and His thoughts are infinitely higher than our thoughts. And if men and women really knew that, they would realize when we try to intertwine our thoughts and our imaginations with God's thoughts and God's Word, all we get in the end is controversy, confusion. That's all we get. which ultimately leads to error. That's all we end up with.

If mankind starts interjecting his own opinion into God's word, it's only going to lead to that man and everyone who hears that man being in error. That man will only end up in error and everyone who listens to that man will end up in error. You know what I love about the truth of God's gospel alone, honestly? There's no opinion in it. There is no opinion of man in it. There is only fact from God written inside the pages of this book. There is only fact from God. As long as men and women stay focused, stay singled in on fact from God, if we are standing on nothing but fact from God, then we are standing on truth. And every soul who stands on truth is in perfect agreement. Every man, every woman who is standing solely on the truth of God's word is in perfect agreement without controversy, without controversy. And here is the fact of God's truth that all of his people are standing on. Okay. Verse 16 says, and without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. Great is the mystery of godliness, without controversy. Great is the mystery. The mystery. Everything concerning God is a mystery. Everything. Can we, by searching, find out God? Can we find out the Almighty unto perfection? God is as high as heaven. What can we do? Deeper than hell. What can we know? That's what Job chapter 11 says.

Man naturally thinks that he understands God. That's a great error on man's part. Man naturally believes that he understands God. Explain eternity, really. You know, eternity goes in both directions. People can fathom something never-ending, but try to explain something never-beginning, an eternity past, no beginning. Explain that. Explain the Trinity, really. God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit. God is three persons, but only one God. There is only one God. We talk about the Father, we talk about the Son, we talk about the Spirit. There's only one God. Are there three persons? Yes. Explain that, really. Explain how God can be just. That means as a judge, he must do what's right according to the law. according to whatever the law says. Explain how God can be just in dealing with sinners. What does the law say about sinners? Well, it says the wages of sin is death, condemnation, punishment. How can God be just in dealing with sinners and justify sinners at the same time? You say, well, he can do that in the substitution of Christ. That's true. But explain that to the fullest degree. Explain that truly to the fullest of God's degree. Explain how Christ, who knew no sin, that means he never committed one sin, in thought, in deed, in motive. Explain how Christ, who knew no sin, could be made sin in the place of his people, justly, rightly.

This is what we have to call the mystery of godliness. The mystery of godliness. Mark chapter 4 verse 11 calls it the mystery of the kingdom of God. Ephesians 1 verse 9 calls it the mystery of his will. Ephesians 3 verse 4 calls it the mystery of Christ. Ephesians 619 calls it the mystery of the gospel. Verse 9, right here in 1 Timothy 3, calls it the mystery of the faith. And verse 16, which is our text, sums it all up by saying this is the mystery of godliness. The mystery of godliness.

And the thing to know about a mystery is it has to be revealed. It has to be revealed. The things concerning God must be revealed. They must be revealed. If a man or a woman is ever going to know the truth concerning God, You know, people want to know the truth concerning God and men stand in pulpits claiming to have the truth concerning God. Well, if anyone is going to know the truth concerning God, the truth concerning the will of God and the desire of God, people are always talking about what God wants. Well, now you know God wants this and God wants that. Usually when people make statements like that, not coming directly from God's word, they're wrong. Almost always they're wrong. You say, how do you know that? It's because the truth has been revealed in God's word and he said, your ways are not my ways. And if we search God's word, we can find out what that man said. Well, I think, I think God is like this and I think God wants this. Read it in this word. That's not so. Normally we will find that to be true.

We must be in God's word if we pray he will reveal the mystery to us. If a man or a woman is ever going to know the truth concerning God, the truth concerning the will of God, the truth concerning the work of God, the work of God, that truth is going to have to be revealed by God. And how does he reveal that truth? Where does he reveal that truth? Right here in the pages of his book. Men and women can read this book and read this book and if God does not reveal the truth they will never see it and they will never understand it. It's not just in reading the pages. It's in God by his own will, by his own work, by his own decision, choosing to open eyes to it, open ears to it, to see the mystery. Inside this word is the mystery of godliness. And this is what it is if I pray God will reveal this to us. If God will reveal this to us we will see the truth of the gospel today.

All right. Verse 16 it says without controversy. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. Let's start right there. God was manifest in the flesh. That is impossible for man to get a hold of until God reveals it to any man or woman. God has to reveal that. That is the groundwork of our salvation. And it's impossible for man to fathom until God reveals it. Let's all ask the Lord to reveal this to us today. Ask him in your heart, open my eyes, reveal this to me today.

This goes right back to trying to understand the Trinity. This goes right back to that. This is what people naturally think. Let me tell you what people naturally think. All right. They naturally think God stayed in heaven. This is what people think. God stayed in heaven. God's son came down to earth. And God's spirit just kind of floats back and forth between the two. Now, let me share an amazing mystery with you. That is not what happened. That is not what happened. Again, let me repeat it, because maybe some of you have always thought this and seen it to be this way. People naturally think God stayed in heaven. And God's son came down to earth and the spirit is just back and forth. That's not what happened. It's not what happened at all. Verse 16 says, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God. was manifest in the flesh. Why does it say that right there? Because that is what happened. God was manifest in the flesh. That is what happened.

Over in Matthew 1, if you're following along with me and you want to look at Matthew chapter 1, Verse 21 says, this is the angel speaking to Mary, announcing the birth of our Lord and Savior. She shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel. which being interpreted is God with us. God with us. There should be no doubt in our minds whether Christ was able to accomplish the salvation for his people that he came to accomplish for them. It wasn't God's apprentice who came down. It wasn't God's successor who came down. It was Emmanuel. God himself. God himself. The only God that there is. Again, let's go back to the Trinity. There is only one God. There's only one God. 2 Corinthians 5 says God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. Why? Because Colossians says all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him. There's only one God. God himself came down. John chapter 1 says God was made flesh and dwelt among us. You say, no, I know that verse of scripture. I know John 1. It says the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That's right. It also says the Word was God. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Calling the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God. That does not mean that he is God's son in the same sense that I am my father's son. I am my father's son. He was before me. He lived on this earth before me. I came after him. I came from him. I was raised by him. He taught me the things that I know. Well, That's not what God the Son is to God the Father. God the Son is not the offspring of God the Father. Saying that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God according to the scripture, according to the revealed mystery of the Word of God, what that's saying is He is the only begotten image of God. the only begotten of the Father, the only bodily glory of God that there is. It's saying if you want to see God, then you're going to have to look at Jesus Christ. That's what it's saying.

The great mystery of godliness is that was God that was manifest in the flesh, the eternal God, the holy God. Back over in our text in 1 Timothy 3, verse 16 says, Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit. Justified. That's what we all need to be before God. We need to be justified. What is justification? Let me tell you a story, and I believe it's the clearest definition of it that I know. When I was young, I grew up in another town. There was an incident that made the local news. A police officer was chasing a suspect and this suspect fired a gun on the police officer and the officer had to fire back. And the officer ended up killing this criminal, this suspect. And an investigation took place and they, after really looking at all the facts, It was deemed that the officer was justified in his shooting and no crime had been committed. And he was free to go. No sin was committed in what took place. That's what it means to be justified. After everything is inspected, it is deemed that sin was not committed. Justified. It's to be found not guilty of any wrongdoing. No wrongdoing was done. No sin justified.

Well, that's exactly what all of heaven and earth has to say about Jesus Christ. All of heaven looking at Jesus Christ, all of earth looking at Jesus Christ has to say justified. He is justified. God the Spirit descended on him like a dove. God the Father spoke out loud and said, I am well pleased with everything he has done.

After inspection, even Pontius Pilate had to say, I find no fault in him. This man is perfectly justified. Perfectly justified. And I'll tell you the truth of a great mystery. That's what all of God's people are. That's what all of God's people are made to be in him. Perfectly justified. That's what he earned for his elect people. That's what he has given to his elect people. That's where our righteousness comes from. That's where our holy perfection comes from. That's where our sanctified purity comes from. We've received all of that in him.

our justifier, our justification. When he traded places with his people, that's what he gave to his people, justification before God. That's amazing, that's a great mystery. That is a great mystery. We don't have that in ourselves. Men and women think it's their own responsibility to justify themselves before God, you know, to do righteousness and good deeds and make it so that when God looks at them and their flesh and what they're doing, he says, okay, you're justified.

Oh no, that could never be, not in sinful flesh. We don't have that in ourselves. We can't accomplish that in ourselves. But we have it in Christ because he accomplished it for us and he gave it to us. What a mystery. What a mystery substitution is.

Romans chapter 3 verse 20 says, Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. How are we justified then? Verse 24 says, Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. That's how. Galatians 2 says, Galatians 2 16 it says knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Our all of God's people justified by the deeds of Jesus Christ. by the works that God accomplished for us when he came down to this earth. Isaiah 45 verse 25 says, in the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified.

Now back in our text in 1 Timothy 3 verse 16, it says, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels. He was seen of angels all through the Old Testament prophecies concerning what he would come to do for his people. He was seen of angels when they announced his birth to the world. Host of angels. He was seen of angels while they desired to look into every single thing that he did as he walked through life on this earth. He was seen of angels as he suffered in the garden of Gethsemane while the sins of his people were being pressed into his body. He was seen of angels when he, from the cross, bowed his head and gave up the ghost. Thank God he was seen of angels the moment he rose from the dead. They came and rolled the stone back from the tomb and he walked out of that tomb. He was seen of angels. A great cloud of witnesses, everything that he did was seen by a great cloud of witnesses.

Verse 16 says, 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. Thank God. You know, the promises of God were to Israel, Israel, Israel, to the Jew, And everybody on this earth who's not of Israel is a Gentile. Every other nation is a Gentile. But God's mercy and grace was extended to Jew and Gentile, Jew and the Greek. He was preached to the Gentiles. I'm a Gentile, I would venture to say, preaching to Gentiles. And His grace and His mercy and His salvation was extended to men and women out of every tribe, nation, kindred, and tongue on this earth. The Lord is good. His salvation is so good.

Verse 16, 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. Every soul that God came and accomplished this work for, He is going to give them faith to see this mystery. He's gonna give them eyes of faith to see the mystery, ears of faith to hear the mystery, and a heart of faith to believe the mystery that God came down. God accomplished everything in Jesus Christ. He finished the work of salvation for his people. He left nothing for me to do. He gets all the glory for it. To him alone be all praise.

That's what he will convince every person that he did this for. He will be believed on in the world. 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, and received up into glory.

And every soul he accomplished that for Every one of them are already seated in him, but he said he will come back. The angels who witnessed all this said, this same Jesus will come back in the same manner that you saw him go up. And he said, if you see me go, I'll come again and receive you to myself. I'm going to prepare a place for you.

and every soul in Him will be received up into glory with Him forever, for all eternity. What a great mystery. What a great gospel. To Christ be all the glory. Amen.

You have been listening to a message by Gabe Stoniker, pastor of Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. If you would like a copy of this message, or to hear other messages of sovereign grace, you can call or write to the number and address on your screen, or visit www.ksgc.church.

Tune in at this same time next week for another message of God's free and sovereign grace.