Prabhupāda may be seated. I'd like to share. OK, if you will, open your Bibles
to Luke, chapter 12. Luke, chapter 12. You can also be finding 1 Timothy,
chapter 3. 1 Timothy 3 will be the text
this morning, but I want to read something from Luke 12 first
of all. Another scripture in the Gospel
of John says this. It says there was a great division
among the people because of him. A great division among the people
because of him. And look here at Luke 12, verse
51 and following. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ is
speaking here, and he says, "'Suppose ye that I am come to give peace
on earth, I tell you, nay, but rather division. For from henceforth there shall
be five in one house divided, three against two.' two against
three. The father shall be divided against
the son, the son against the father, the mother against the
daughter, the daughter against the mother, the mother-in-law
against her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law." Division. There was a great division among
the people because of him. Great controversy surrounded
the Lord. wherever he went, everyone was
divided because of him. Some said one thing about him,
others said another. Some said he was Elijah, risen
from the dead. Some said he was a prophet. Some
said he was John the Baptist, risen. Some said he was the Christ.
It was a great controversy. Now, over to 1 Timothy chapter
3. 1 Timothy 3. And today the controversy remains. Controversy grows. That's the
reason there are hundreds of denominations, and all supposedly in this name,
in this one, believing this same one, but there are hundreds of
denominations and as many or more differing opinions and beliefs
about it. Controversy. division over who
he was, over what he did, controversy about what he said. And some
today say he is God. Some say he's just the son of
God. Some say that he loves everyone without exception. Some say he
loves just his chosen. Some say that he died for all
without exception. Some say that he died for some
with exception. Some say he tried and failed
to do what he came to do. Now it is up to man to finish
that work. Others say he finished it. He
finished it. Controversy surrounds it. But
here is one thing without controversy. Actually, six things. Look at
1 Timothy 3, verse 16. 1 Timothy 3, verse 16. It says, without controversy. Great is the mystery of godliness,
or that which pertains to this man, this one. Godliness, without a doubt, without
controversy, indisputably, undeniably, without controversy. Great is
the mystery of godliness. The gospel is what he's talking
about. The gospel was and still is.
a great mystery. It is a great mystery because
it's the great God who purposed it, the great God who planned
it. And it's about so great a salvation,
and about this great One who performed it. Purpose before
the world began, a great mystery. And now the Scripture says, made
known unto us. This mystery, this great mystery
is made known unto us. according to the good pleasure
of God's will. God has made this mystery, and
he even said the prophets who wrote about it were still somewhat—it
was still somewhat of a mystery to them, but is now revealed
unto us by his Spirit. God has made known this mystery
unto some of us. This gospel made known Himself.
And there are six things here in the text, a more glorious
text we could not study this morning. Six things, he says,
include this great mystery. All right, let's look at them.
Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. Number
one, God was manifest in the flame. God was manifest in the flame. Without a doubt, this is the
greatest of all mysteries. We could spend today, all of
today, and the next service, and the remainder of our days,
studying this great mystery, the incarnation of the Son of
God, God becoming a man. And we were never exhausted.
God became a man. The author of life began life as a child. Isn't that a mystery? The infinite
one became an infant in arms. The one, the Scripture says,
under whose everlasting arms all things are upheld became
an infant in a woman's arms, upheld by her. The one who upholds
all things by his power was held by a woman. The glorious God
became a gooing babe. That little child of yours, God
was one of those. That's the mystery. The God of
miracles. The God of miracles became a
man of sorrows. A man of sorrow, without controversy,
a great mystery, the creator of the oceans, became thirsty. The Son of the Highest, whom
angels praise, became meek and lowly. He said, I'm a worm and
no man. The Lord over devils. The Lord
before whom demons and devils must present themselves was tempted
and taunted by that devil. Explain that. The judge of the
universe, the Scripture says, before whom all will someday
stand, the judge of the universe, stood before a kangaroo court
of men, near mortal men, and was judged by them. a great mystery. The one with the keys of hell
and death at his side, who decides who lives and who dies, who lives
eternally and who is cast into hell itself, was sentenced to
die by men. And the Lord of life, in whom
we live and move and have our being, hung dead on a cross. without controversy. This is
the greatest mystery of all. A great mystery. No matter what
men may say, no matter that they cannot explain it, it's so. Here it is. God was manifest
in the flesh. Christ said, You call me Lord
and Master. He said, You say, Well, for so
I am. Though he was veiled from human
view, God Almighty took a veil, put on a veil of human flesh,
and men could not behold his glory. They didn't believe him
because he wore a covering. One time he did uncover himself,
didn't he? He did reveal himself up on that
mountain to a few of his choice disciples. He took them up there
one day and peeled back that flesh that they might behold
his glory. And John, later on, wrote about
it. He said, We beheld His glory. We beheld His glory. Life. Light. Light. He said, You call
me Lord, for so I am. He said in another place, He
said, I am from above. And you're from beneath. I am
from above. He said in another place, If
you believe not that I am He. Who? God. Some said Ben, and
they say now that he never said he was God. Not so. Not so. Right in John 8, 24. If you believe
not that I am, you shall die in your sin. The Jews knew what
he was saying. He was saying, I am God. Who
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but took upon
himself a harm, therefore men did not recognize it. Didn't
know it. He says, all authority is given
unto me in heaven and earth. All authority. Because God was
manifest in the flesh. God was manifest. Turn over to
Isaiah 25. If you don't have this marked
in your Bible, you should look. Isaiah 25. This is a glorious—one
of my favorite verses of Scripture. Isaiah 25. Look at this. God
was manifest in the flesh because only God can save us. Only God
can save us. Look at Isaiah 25 and 9. It shall
be said in that day. What day? The day God is manifest
in the flesh. In that day it shall be said,
Lo, this is our God. We have waited for him. And he
will—not Mike—he will save us. This is the Lord. We have waited
for him. We will be glad and rejoice in
his salvation. This is our God. We've waited
for him. He will save us. He will save
us. Only God can save us, because
only God can fulfill his own law. Because every man, woman,
boy, and girl born under God's law is guilty of breaking it.
And man is meant to glorify God, and that's the only man God will
have anything to do with. The only man God will receive
to himself—clean hands, a pure heart, never lifted up his soul
unto vanity, or had anything come out of his mouth but praise—is
only one who ever did it, the God-man. God had to come down
and do it himself as a man, glorify himself, fulfill his holy law
for himself. God lived the life of a man for
himself, for his own glory, that men might see how man is to live
and glorify him. And he did that, but he also
did it for some chosen people. whom he gave this life to, whom
he imputed this life to, whom he reckoned this or charged this
holy life to their account, and therefore God accepts them in
the God-man because of what he did. Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but the works of righteousness which the God-man
did. God was manifest in the flesh. And this is the mystery.
How did I get credit for what he did, and he gets credit or
the blame for what I did? And he was made flesh and dwelt
among us to fulfill his holy law as a holy man and to satisfy
God's justice against our sin. What is justice against our sin?
What does the law demand against our sin? What is the penalty
for breaking God's holy law? God is eternal, and our sin is
against him. What is the punishment? Death. What kind of death? Eternal death. That's what hell is all about.
Eternal condemnation and wrath of God upon those who did not
glorify him as God. Man can't satisfy that justice. Man cannot. That's the reason
hell is eternal. But Jesus Christ, the God-man,
in six hours on the cross, because of who He is, because of His
power, could satisfy eternal justice against death. And He suffered the equivalency of an
eternity spent in hell for all of His people, because He's God. because he's God. He's satisfied
just as our brother prayed that God might be just and yet justify
or have something to do with me. Declare me accepted in the
beloved, in the beloved. Only God can sovereignly decide
who receives this, too. And God was manifest in the flesh.
And the great shepherd, the chief shepherd, came looking for his
own. And he said, I died for this one and that one. I lived
this righteousness for that one and this one. And he came calling
his own. He called him by name. And as
a great shepherd, he took them in his arm and bore them all
with him. Glory. It's a mystery. a mystery. God was manifest in the flesh.
Back in the text, look at the next thing. Without controversy,
this is a great mystery. And you know, we have all of
the—we have the terms now, imputed righteousness, justification. We understand, we preach in part,
we know in part, we understand something of imputed righteousness
and its justification. in his mediatorial work, but
I'm telling you, it's still a great mystery. And he's going to take eternity
in declaring it to us, revealing it to us. We'll know, even as
we've been known. It's a mystery. It's a mystery. I'll tell you what's a great
mystery. Well, I'm getting ahead of myself. Number two. This is
a great mystery without controversy. He said God was manifest in the
flesh and justified in the Spirit. Justified in the Spirit, that
is, confirmed, testified to be, proven, declared by the Holy
Spirit to be who he was, who he is, the Son of the Most High
God with power. The Spirit declared him at birth.
The Holy Spirit's the one that announced his birth. came to
Joseph, first of all, came to Joseph and said, Joseph, that
which is conceived, fear not to take Mary unto thee for wife.
That which is conceived, not by her, but in her. She's just a vessel. Mary is
not to be exalted above what she is, above what any other
human being is. A vessel of mercy. blessed among,
not above, but among women. And he said, that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit conceived this
in her. What a mystery. What a mystery. The Spirit descended upon him
at his baptism. He was born And the Spirit descended
upon him at his baptism. You remember when John was baptizing
him? And it says, John said, I saw
the Spirit descend upon him in the form of a dove, and I heard
a voice from heaven say, This is my son. This is my beloved
son in whom I am well pleased. The Holy Spirit declared him
to be the son of the Most High God at his birth, at his baptism. And his death, raising him from
the grave. Romans 1 says he was declared
to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness
by the resurrection of the dead. The fact that he came out of
that grave, which no other man had ever done. Many had been
raised from the dead. Elijah, the other raised son. Right? Our Lord himself raised
Lazarus from the dead and Tabitha from the dead, didn't he? But
only one raised himself. Only one arose himself and walked
out of that grave, declared by the Spirit of God by his resurrection
to be who he said he was. He said it before he died. He said, three days, I'll come
out of there. And they taunted him and mocked
him by that. Thou who destroys the temple in three days and
will raise it up, or destroys the temple and will raise it
up after three days? He did. He did. Declared to be
who he was and he proved it. Declared manifest to all God's
chosen people by this same Holy Spirit. He was manifest to you
one day. Wasn't he, John? Through the preaching of the
gospel, the Holy Spirit came and justified or declared Him
to you, saying, listen to me now. This is God's Son. Believe Him. You didn't have
any interest in Him before. You didn't see His glory. There
was no beauty about Him that you should desire Him. But one
day the Holy Spirit said, behold Him. And you did. And you believed. You believed. And that's the next point here.
It says God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit.
Scene of angels. Scene of angels. Turn over to
Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. Scene of angels. Those mysterious and heavenly
creatures—yes, creatures—called angels or seraphs or cherubs
They were everywhere to be found during our Lord's time upon this
earth. Everywhere to be found. Everywhere
during God's stay upon this earth. They ministered Him even now,
always. And they did then, too. When
God walked this planet, angels were to be seen everywhere and
about, always attending to Him and around Him. And you know,
men, note this. I spoke of Mary a while ago.
Men are more in awe of angels today than they are of the Lord
whom they serve, aren't they? They're more enamored with and
taken with things like angels. But the Scripture says angels
desire to look in the things of heaven. That's what they're
enamored with, even now. Even now, Hebrews 1, look at
it, verses 1 through 6. God, who at sundry times in different
manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophet, hath
in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the world. Who, or that
is Christ, be in the brightness of his glory, and express image
of his person. That means he's God. and upholding
all things by the word of his power, when he had, when Christ
had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of
the majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels,
as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels,"
not even Micah, said God at any time, Thou art my son, this day
have I begotten thee. And again, I will be to him a
father, and he shall be to me a son." Which of the angels did
God say that? None. Read on, and again, when
he bringeth in the first-forgotten into the world, he said, Let
all the angels of God worship him. Verse eight, Under the sun
he saith thy throne, O God. God declares him to be God. Thy
throne, O God, is for ever and ever. A scepter of righteousness,
the rule of thy kingdom is a scepter of thy righteousness." Righteousness. Angel declared him. Angel. Scene of angel at his birth. At Christ's birth, we read it
there in Luke, a multitude of the heavenly hosts declared his
coming, heralded his coming. Hark, the herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn King. Glory to God in the highest.
Peace, goodwill toward men. Come and see this sight, they
say. Come and see this holy sight. Wonder of wonders. Emmanuel,
God is with us. God is with us. at his temptation. Not only at
his birth, but the angels ministered him at his temptation. They must
have watched when Christ was tempted by Satan. They must have
watched in awe and wonder and amazement as the one Satan—one
time, if you've read the book of Job, Satan had to present
himself to To who? Satan came with the sons of God
and ministered or presented himself to who? Christ. Satan one day before time, a
long time ago, presented himself before the Christ, before him. And they must have, what these
angels that saw that, must have watched in wonder and amazement
as this same one tempted him. tempted him, taunted him, tried
him. Don't you know they were bewildered
by all this? Huh? Scene of angels. Scene. It doesn't say understood.
It says scene. They saw this. They saw this. And then at the judgment hall,
I've already alluded to that. The judgment hall. Pilate's judgment
hall when Christ stood before that measly man. The Pharisees and the Sadducees
pummeled his face. And his body, the angels watched
him. And Pilate declared his two-bit saying when Pilate said,
Don't you know I have power over you? What do you think the angels
were thinking? Power! They were witnessing all
this. Power! Don't you know Pilate
said, I have power over you to crucify you? Power! They thought. And I'm sure they may have thought,
just say the word, O Lord of glory, and we'll wipe him out. Power! Lord, show forth your
power right now. Show forth your power. The psalm
says, He could have called ten thousand angels. to destroy the
world. He could, with a word, say, Come!
What's this power? Come to destroy the world. He upholds all things by his
power. The angels saw Him. Then on the
cross, their Lord, their God, they saw
Him hanging on Calvary's cross and watched with wonder and amazement. They watched in wonder and amazement
as mortal men were allowed to drive spikes through those holy
hands, beat him to a pulp, drive a thorny crown on his brow, drop
it in a hole, and sit back and mock and scoff at their Lord
whom they praised. This is a mystery. It was a mystery
to those angels, and surely God must have said, must have restrained
them. And then at his death, the angel saw him bow his head,
give up the ghost, then take his body off the cross and put
it in a tomb and roll of stone, and for three days, dead. Dead. This is a mystery. The angels. This is a mystery. But then,
three days later, two highly favored angels, two
highly favored angels, God Almighty said, chose two angels, said,
now, go down there and roll away the stone. My son's coming out. They flew. Scene of angels, as
the Son of the Most High God walked out of that grave. He's
risen, they said. He's risen. And those people
that came said, why do you look for the living among the dead?
He's not here. You can't kill God. He's risen. He's Lord over life and death.
These things the angels desired to look into, even now. Even that. Look at the next thing.
And it says he was preached unto the Gentiles. Scene of angels
preached unto the Gentiles. Turn quickly to Ephesians chapter
2. Gentiles. Who's that? That's you and me.
Gentiles. We're not Jews, or at least not
outwardly. At least not outwardly. I don't
look like a Jew, do I? Eh? No, I look like a Scotch-Irish,
which I am. I don't look like a Jew. They'll
do some of you. And the Jews were the chosen
people of God. God chose Jews. He came to the
Jews, became a Jew, the Scripture says. From the beginning, the
Jews were the favored and blessed people. But Paul said in the
Romans, he said, He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, but inwardly,
and circumcisions of the heart. But the Jews were the chosen
people, and it's the Jews to whom the Messiah came. They were
promised and came. That's who he was born. King
of the Jews. Yes, he's king of the Jews. Born
in Bethlehem, where the Christ was promised to be born. King
of the Jews. Son of David. The lineage of
Jews, he came to the Jews. Well, look at Ephesians 2, but
he's preached unto the Gentiles. He said in one place in Isaiah,
he said, you are my people who were not a people, not the Jews,
Gentiles. And Ephesians 2, verse 11, it
says, in Christ we have, I'm sorry, Verse 11, remember that
you being in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcised
by the Jew, by that which is called the circumcision in the
flesh, at that time you were without Christ, aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenant of promise,
having no hope without God in the world. But now, in Christ
Jesus, you who sometime were far off, are made nigh by the
blood of Christ. He is our peace, who hath made
both one." Who? Jew and Gentile. "...hath broken
down the middle wall of partition between us, abolished in his
flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in
ordinances. For to make in himself of two one new man, so make in
people." A Jew, a fellow worshiper with a Gentile? That's the reason
the Jews objected to it of old. They hated the Gentiles. But
they, some of them, by God's grace,
became fellow worshippers of the Christ. A Jew worshipping
with a Gentile? Never! Oh yes, forever. Next, the next mystery here in
our text, look at it, back to 1 Timothy 3. And another mystery
is, some of these Gentile dogs believe him. Some of them believe
him. You're looking at a, you're looking
at a mystery. This man is a mystery. The new
birth, the making of a A son of God is a mystery. Without
controversy, I am a mystery to myself. This thing is a paradox
to me. It's a mystery to me still. If
it ever ceases to lose that mystery to you in wonder and amazement,
what you are now, you have forgotten the pit from which you were dug.
Right? Oh my, it says here he was believed
on in the world. Believed on the world. The world
rejected the Christ. Everyone without exception at
one point turned thumbs down on the Christ, but a few. About
like those two thieves hanging on that cross. It says that at one time, while
they were hanging on that cross, they both cast the same thing
in his teeth, if you be this, if you be that, and mocked him
and taunted him. Imagine, that's the depravity
of man, hanging there dying. And men are dying now and mocking
the Son of God. But hanging there dying and mocking
the Lord of Life, their only hope of glory. Mocking Him. And
they both did it. Both of them did it. Miraculously, one of them changed. In the twinkling of an eye, he
was changed. He was looking at him, cursing
him, mocking him, deriding him, not believing him, looking at
him, excuse me, and then all of a sudden, he said, Lord. And isn't that what happened
to you? mocking him with a life, not
give a care for Christ's life, and all of a sudden one day after
hearing the gospel, said, My Lord and my God, remember me. I forgot you. I didn't give you
a thought for 30 or 20 or 30 or 40 years, 50 years, 60 years,
but now, Lord, oh, I see thee. Would you remember me? This old
sinner believed on in the world. Think of it, to believe, love,
and follow a man you've never seen before. Yes, some people
are totally enamored with somebody they've never met in the flesh. Huh? Whom, having not seen, you've
fallen in love with. Is that possible? It's certain. Based upon, you base your, you
commit, you submit, you commit your life, everything about you
to, according to the words of some illiterate fisherman. Some old book written, the last
entrance into that book was nearly 2,000 years ago. You commit, you believe everything
in it. And you commit your whole life.
You base all of what you believe on that. Huh? Isn't that a mystery? Hmm? Written in a foreign language? It's all but dead Hebrew. To fall in love with someone
you've never seen? To fall out of love with lifelong
habits? I tell you, it's hard, it's hard
to train an old dog new tricks, isn't it? It's hard to make an
old dog do new tricks, and it's hard. It's impossible with man
to make an old Gentile dog love what he once hated and hate what
he once loved. But God, with God, this is not
only possible but certain. Certain. To forsake houses and
lands and family and friends for someone you've never seen.
To die for Like in Hebrews 11, to die for the sake of this one
you've never seen. This is a mystery, to hear things
that are not spoken. You've heard His voice. You say
out loud, did Christ speak to you? No, He never has spoken
to me out loud, but I've heard Him. Wait a minute. It's a mystery,
isn't it? It's a mystery to hear things
unspoken, to see the unseen. I've seen Him. So you've seen
Jesus Christ? Not with these eyes, but I have
seen Him. Oh, I know, I know. If you've
seen Him, you've seen Him, right? Huh? Open the eyes of the blind,
to love what wants to inspire, believe the unbelievable. This
is all too good to be true. I've used adjectives like this
before concerning the gospel. This is just unbelievable. Would
I believe it though? It's unbelievable. And I understand
this mystery. This mystery, I do have something
of an understanding of this mystery. God was manifested in the flesh.
And the reason men don't really believe it is because they can't
explain it. They just can't explain. Well, how this? How that? I really
don't know, but I believe it. But I can understand somehow.
and only by His Spirit, only when He reveals it unto us by
His Spirit. That's all. The carnal mind,
the natural mind, receiveth not the things of God, neither can
he know them. That's foolishness to it. But I receive them. Why do I receive them? As many
as received Him, to them gave He the right to become the sons
of God, as many as believed on His name, which were born, born
of God. born of his spirit, washed in
his blood. A miracle, a mystery. I believe
the fact that this old hell-bent son of Adam believes and loves
and is enamored with Christ and not the world and sin is a mystery. It's just an absolute
miracle of God's grace, a miracle. and a mystery, let alone standing
up in front of you. Oh, my. Look at the next thing,
the last thing. It says, And he was received
up into glory. Great mystery. Received up into
glory. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world. And that is a gift. Not everyone believes it. the
gift of God's Spirit, God's electing grace, and received up into glory. Just as the angels announced
his and marveled at and wondered at Christ's birth and his temptation
and his life and his crucifixion and his death and his resurrection
one day, the Son of God ascended back to the right hand of the
majesty on high. The Son of God came walking back
into glory after thirty-three years being absent from it. That's
a mystery. God was there, but yet he was
here. And the Son of God came walking
back into the portals of glory, and though surely the multitude
of heavenly hosts, those same angels, must have stood and gave
him a standing ovation. He's back! The Son of God has
come home. And when we are received up into
glory, those who by his grace, saved by his blood, by his righteousness,
when we are received up into glory some day, we will say with
Sheba, the Queen of Sheba, remember when she saw Solomon's premier
glory of a man? She said, I heard of you, but now I see you. She said,
the half has never been told. We're going to say, I heard some
messages on this great mystery. I heard a preacher preach from
1 Timothy 3.16, and without controversy, it is a great mystery. But now
I see you, and the mystery is open, the greatest of mysteries. God was manifest in the flesh.
God was manifest in the flesh. Thank God He was. Thank God He
is. All right, let's sing in closing
hymn number 50. This is a great hymn of worship.
Hymn number 50. Hymn number 50. Jesus. We'll sing the first and
last verses of hymn number picture. Let's stand as we sing. Okay. Thee will I cherish, Thee will
I honor, Thou my soul's glory, joy, and crown. Last verse. And.