you, maybe probably once, probably
twice, but I remember one time when Kathy and I were on the
Harleys up in Canada. I got to tell you this, the ice
fields of Canada are something just to amaze you in visual And
if you've ever stood at the bottom of the El Capitan rock, El Capitan
rock over there in Yosemite, and looked up and just said,
wow, look how big that is. The ice fields will do that exact
same thing to you. It's just the turquoise color
of blue that runs through the ice. The ice is, in some places,
200 or 300 feet thick. And it's on top of a cliff that's
another 500 or 600 feet high. It's just amazing. And I remember
standing there looking at that. And I said to Kathy, I said,
wow, look what our great God has created. That was just absolutely. Have you ever done that with
the clouds? Stood outside and said, look what the Lord has
created in the clouds. You know, He's created all of
that. He causes all of that. He's sovereign ruler over everything. There's no greater example of
how sovereign our Lord is but to declare that He knows every
hair on your head as a number. We can't even really imagine
what that means, to be honest with you. Really nothing compared to what
our Lord is. How great He is. That He would
look upon us with love. Amen? Turn to 1 Timothy, if you
would, chapter 3. We began a series of messages sometime back. We don't stick
to it every Sunday. Sometimes the Lord impresses
upon my heart something else to preach, so I have to go preach
it. I have to preach what He gives
me. And so we return this morning to a series of messages that
I've been bringing from 1 Timothy, expounding from Scriptures the
things of Christ, just as Christ did on the road to Emmaus with
the two disciples. We want to look into God's Word
and see what He will show us, the things of Him. Some things
we've stopped at and spent time looking at. Other things we've
just read by and we allow the Lord to speak through us through
His Word. In our last message from this
epistle, Paul, in giving Timothy and the leaders of the church
instructions on how they should go about choosing, in choosing
those leaders, and how to conduct themselves as leaders in their
roles with the church. As we saw that there are qualifications,
but most important is the message that they should portray. Folks, we're all sinners. Our
Lord gives these instructions, one that ruleth, in verse 4,
ruleth well over his own house, having his children in subjection
with all gravity. We're supposed to look for things
like that in our leadership. But do we hold it out to them
and say, that's the way it's got to be if you're not that
way? Who can be that way? Who can
be without sin? Is there any here today? No. That's why the message is about
Christ and Him crucified. That's why we expound from Scriptures
the things concerning Christ. Our Lord gives us great instructions.
I highly encourage each and every one of us to go out and do the
best we can to turn from sin. But that's not salvation. Salvation
is the Lord, and the Lord alone. That's our only place to look,
and that's the message, Christ and Him crucified. Look at verses 1 through verse
9 of chapter 3 with me, if you would, just to get it. It's important
as we go through Scriptures, to always keep in context what
it is we're reading with the Scriptures before and after it.
You can take a little verse here and you can make it mean whatever
you want. Many, many people do. That's
how we have the false religions that we have in today's world.
That's why men worship men, because not only is it their nature,
but they've taken God's Word. The devil took God's Word and
made it a little bit of this for his purpose, didn't he, with
Eve? Verse 1, this is a true saying,
if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good
work. Paul is instructing Timothy,
because Paul's going to be away for a while, and he's instructing
Timothy on how to go about leading the church. It's good for a man
to desire the office of a bishop if he desires the good work.
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant,
sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach,
not given to whine, no striker, no greedy, a filthy lucre. but patient, not a brawler, not
covetous, one that ruleth well his own house, having his children
in subjection with all gravity. For if a man know not how to
rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of
God? Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he fall
into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must have
a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into reproach
in the snare of the devil. Likewise must the deacons be
grave, not double-tongued, not given to too much wine, not greedy
of filthy lucre, holding the mystery of the faith in pure
conscience." Our last message is focused on this point, the
mystery of the faith. A faith that the world cannot
understand. In fact, the natural man runs
from the truth of God. We will not have this man rule
over us is what we all said at one point in our lives. It is our nature to rule ourselves. It is our nature to Find our
own way, to make our own way through this world. We are spiritually
dead in our sins, for we are sinners by birth. Faith or belief
in the One who came to save sinners is foreign to the natural mind. Continue on in verse 10. And
let those also first be proved, then let them use the office
of a deacon being found blameless, Even so must their wives be grave,
not slanderer, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons
be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their
own houses well. For they that have used the office
of a deacon will purchase to themselves a good degree and
great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. These things
write I unto you, hoping to come unto thee shortly. But if I tarry
long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself
in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and the ground of truth, 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, and received up into glory." Once again, we see Paul speaks
of a mystery. This is the purpose of those
who are sent of God to lead the church, the called out, the elect,
the people of the true and living God. It is to preach the unsearchable
truths of God. God was manifest in the flesh. Last Sunday I brought a message
on a child. A child who was born king of all that is, sovereign
ruler. One who the world declared that
they were celebrating, yet the world knew him not. If they had
known him, they would not have crucified him. Yet that too was his purpose.
a mystery to the world. Why would God sacrifice himself?
He's God. Why can't He just make things
happen the way He wanted to? Folks, we're just the clay. As
we spoke about in Bible study, who are we to question what God
does? His ways are not our ways. We
think we're this all-smart people. We've come all this way. We build
airplanes that can fly. We take a heart out of one person
and put it in another. Look what we do. God creates hearts. He takes that old black heart
out of his people and he puts in a pumping living heart that
loves and worships him. Born again. You must be born
again. God's ways are not our ways. His purpose to come into this
world, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, to be crucified by
the very ones that he put in the womb of their mother is a
mystery to the world. Because in our natural state,
we do not see the depth of our sin. We don't see our true depravity. We don't even see our need of
a physician. We say things like, I'm not that
bad. How many of you remember the
lady and her granddaughter who got up and walked out of here
and very clearly said, I'm not a sinner like that guy's saying? She was sitting right over here.
Got up and walked out. I'm not a sinner like that. Everybody
heard her. That's the natural man. I'm not as bad as the other guy.
Look at all the good that I do. I feed the poor. I put houses over people's heads.
I do this. I do that. I do this. I don't
need a physician. I can turn from evil and do good. I can decide when I need a savior.
We all have a little good in us, as they say. It's a small
flame, and we can choose to do good or evil. All we have to
do is fan that flame. Or can we? The devil said to Eve, you shall
know good and evil and you shall be as gods. In one way he was
right. We come into this world thinking
about ourselves, thinking about our own little world. What can
I do to make my little world better? It's natural. It's our
nature. It's the way the flesh is. We come into this world thinking
we're gods, that we have the right to choose which way we
go. We forget that we're the clay. But we don't know that
we are just clay in the potter's hands, in the Creator's hands.
He who created everything. Scripture tells a different story.
In Romans 3.11 we read this, There are none that seeketh after
Me. Have you ever heard anybody say,
I've been looking for the Lord and I found Him? I found Him. I can tell you, I was never looking
for the Lord and He found me. You've heard my story. In John
10, 26 we hear this, You hear not, for you are not my sheep. We read that in Bible study this
morning. What do you mean I don't hear?
I'm hearing. Are you hearing? With the heart. Unless the Lord speaks to your
heart, you will not hear Him. And He will not speak to your
heart unless you're one of His, unless you've been one of His
since the beginning of everything. The very one of His that He went
to that cross for and hung on that cross and died for. The
perfect blood of God was shed for those sheep. And he says,
my sheep, hear my voice. Scripture says in John 6.44,
none cometh to me except the Father draw him. How often have
we heard so-called Christians say, I started following Christ. I started doing this in such
and such time. I made a decision for the Lord.
Paul tells Timothy in verse 15 that as the pillar and the ground
of truth, keep these points before us, before all else. Yes, it's
important to follow those instructions as best we can. Yes, it's important
to turn from sin as best we can. But that's not what saves us.
What saves us is Christ Jesus. God was manifest in the flesh. This God-man was justified in
the Spirit. He was seen of angels. These
are the points we keep before the people of God. He was preached unto the Gentiles. He was believed on in the world.
He was received up into glory. So for what time we have left
this morning, let's consider these points. The first one being
God was manifest in the flesh. Turn over to Matthew chapter
1. Hold your place here in Timothy because we will come back to
it. Now, for the sake of those who
couldn't be here last week, I want to go ahead and look at these
verses once again. If you would, join me reading verse 18 through
verse 23 of chapter 1. Now the birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise, When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph
before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy
Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being
a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was
minded to put her away privily. But while he fought on these
things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in
a dream, saying, Joseph, Thou son of David, fear not to take
unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins." Now all of 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." Folks, we're talking about the
second person of the Godhead. There's God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons, yet one. Don't ask me how to explain that.
My puny brain can't. But I know that God's Word says
it. And by His loving grace, He has put faith in my heart
to believe what He says. God the Father, God the Son,
God the Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons, yet one
God. He also says, all the fullness
of the Godhead dwelleth in Him, in Christ bodily. We're talking
about God was manifest in the flesh. It had to be that way.
It could have been no other way, for there is no other blood pure
enough to cleanse sinners from sin. You can spend eternity shedding
your blood and you will not take one drop away from the justice
that you deserve. Have you ever stopped to consider
how deep the Lord's explanation of eternity in hell is? It's like a burning pit of fire. There will be gnashing of teeth.
for eternity. The blood of God had to be shed,
because it's the only blood that had the power to cleanse. He is the second person of the
Godhead, the Word. He is the Son of God. It is He who existed as a divine
person. as a distinct one from the Father
and the Spirit before His incarnation. He became manifest by the assumption
of human nature in a corporal way. So as to be seen, heard,
and felt. God is Spirit. Christ had to
be manifested in the flesh. So that He could be seen, heard,
and felt. And by flesh it is meant not
just body only, but the whole human nature consisting of true
body and a reasonable soul. He had to become flesh. He had
to be manifest in the flesh to experience the frailty of it.
Our Lord hungered. He thirsted. He tired. He slept. He laughed. Did you know the Lord laughed?
He sang! God Almighty! He had to feel our infirmities. He cried. He had to experience
temptation. He had to fulfill all that was
needed in the flesh to establish a righteousness to be imputed
to His people. He had to become flesh to pay
the ransom price for His chosen people. He had to become flesh
to die on the cross for His elect, those that He has loved from
before the foundation of the world. He had to become flesh
to provide Himself a sacrifice for their sakes. It says also
He was justified in the Spirit. which means either by the Spirit
of God making His human nature pure and holy, preserving it
from original sin and taint, and by descending on Him at His
baptism, thereby testifying that He was the Son of God, or maybe
by the miracles that He performed by His power, which proved that
Jesus to be the Messiah against those that rejected Him. He declares
in John 10, the works that I do in My Father's
name, and you still don't know Me. And by His coming down upon
the apostles at Pentecost, and who in their ministry vindicated
Him from all the accusations that were cast upon Him. Or maybe
it's to be understood of the divine nature of Christ, justified
in the Spirit, in the distinction from His flesh
or human nature. In the one, He was manifest and
put to death for the sins of His people, which were put upon
Him and bore by Him. And by the other, He was quickened
and declared to be the Son of God. He says, I lay down my life,
and I raise it up again. And being raised from the dead,
He was justified and acquitted from all the sins of His people.
He took all of our sins into the grave, and He left them there.
And we are justified in Him, having made full satisfaction
to the justice for us. He was seen of angels, it says, not meaning the ministers of
the gospel or the pastors of the churches who are sometimes
called angels, messengers of God, but by the blessed spirits
themselves, the inhabitants of heaven, He was seen at His birth. He was seen of angels of heaven
who then descended and they sung praise to God on the account
that Christ had come into the world. And in the wilderness
after He had been tempted by Satan, when they ministered unto
Him, and in the garden upon His agony and sweat there, When one
appeared and strengthened Him there, and at His resurrection
from the dead, the one who rolled away the stone from the sepulcher,
and that very one who told the women that He was risen from,
that He had risen from the dead? What about also at His ascension
into heaven, when they attended Him in triumph, and now in heaven? where they
wait upon Him and they worship Him and minister His Spirit,
sending forth by Him to do His pleasure and is seen by them
in the ministry of the gospel, into the truths of which they
look with pleasure and gaze upon with unalterable, unutterable
delight and admiration. It says He is preached unto the
Gentiles. Think about that for a minute. In our letter, Paul is talking
to Timothy. We can go back to Timothy chapter
3 if you would. In our letter, Paul is talking
to Timothy. Men of Israel. God is not just a God of Israel,
He is a God of all things. Israel had gone on for all these
hundreds of years as the only ones favored of God. And yet the Lord sent a man out
to preach to the Gentiles, to preach to the dogs. Aren't you
thankful for that? I am, because I'm a Gentile.
I don't believe there's a drop of Jew blood in me. And that's
okay. I'm a Gentile. I am so thankful
the Lord sent a man out to preach to the Gentiles. The Jews thought the Gentiles
were the worst of men. Preaching unto the Gentiles is
by the express orders of Christ himself. In fact, this very thing
was foretold in the prophecies of the Old Testament, but yet
it is a mystery. It has been hid from the ages
and generations past. It says that He was believed
on in the world, among the Jews and in the nations of the world,
so that He was preached with success. And faith in Christ
is what is preached. Whosoever believeth in Me shall
be saved, it says. Though this faith is not of man's
self, but it is the gift of God, not of works, lest men should
boast. It is the operation of His power. And what a marvelous
thing it is, considering the accusations that were made against
Him through the scandal of the cross, that He, this One who
is God Almighty, should be believed on as He was. And you can only
say that He was believed by the power of God, which goes along
with the ministry of the Word. For He is the only One who can
cause men to believe. It says also that he was received
up into glory. He was raised from the dead and
had glory put upon his risen body. He ascended into a glorious manor
to heaven, and in a cloud and in chariots of angels. And He
was received there with a welcome by His Father, and is set down
at the right hand, and crowned with glory and honor, and glorified
with the glory that He had with Him before the world was." These
are the points that Paul instructs all messengers of God. But not
just the messengers of God, he instructs all who serve Him. All those who serve the living
God keep these points before us. For as we see in the next
verses, God gives us warnings. Look at chapter 4, verse 1. Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times, some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits
and doctrines of devils. Speaking lies and hypocrisy,
having their conscience seared with a hot iron. Forbidding to
marry and commanding to abstain from meats which God has created
to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know
the truth? For every creature of God is
good and nothing is to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving."
Folks, we have a most wonderful God. One who will never leave us nor
forsake us. Yet He warns us to beware. Beware
of wolves in sheep's clothing, he says. He also says, have no confidence
in the flesh. I'm not near as worried. Worried is the wrong word. Concerned with those wolves out there.
who preach the lies about our Lord and Savior, who preach about
a Jesus who has no power, a Jesus who does not deserve to be called
God. I have more concern about confidence
in His flesh. Oh, how it gets in the way so
many times. Lord, help me to trust in Christ
to believe on the Lord Jesus. There's one thing that we cannot
go wrong with, folks, and that is this, Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. Have you ever heard the phrase,
actions speak louder than words? Don't ever look to the actions
of this. You'll be let down every time. Whether this be you or this be
somebody else. We are but flesh, folks. There's
no power in our flesh. There's no power in anyone's
flesh except for the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only are His actions greater
than His words. His words are perfect. His actions
are perfect. They're holy in every way. There's
only one thing that we cannot go wrong with, and that is Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. This is my story. This is my
song. Praising my Savior all the day
long. How about you? Have you turned from your flesh
and turned to the Lord Jesus?