Paul writing to Timothy in 1
Timothy chapter three and verse 15 says, 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 ground of the truth or foundation of the 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, received up into glory. Now, I don't know of another
passage of Scripture in the Bible that more succinctly
describes the gospel than this one. And surely, as Paul wrote to
Timothy, and he said, without controversy. Now there's much controversy
in the world, is there not? I mean, there's much controversy
in the world about this, what Paul's saying about here. There's much controversy over
many things that are in the Bible. You know, men can find something
to fight about in every place that there is. We don't have
to look for anything. It just kind of creeps up on
us from time to time. But he said this is without controversy. And what he means by that is
it cannot be overturned. It doesn't make any difference
what men think about it. It doesn't make any difference
if anybody ever believes it. Doesn't matter. Now a lot of
people think that if men don't believe these things, it's gonna
be a terrible thing. But I'm telling you what, if
nobody ever believed, the truth of God is as he sets it forth
it wouldn't change one thing in the world because God is going
to have glory and he's going to accomplish the things that
he has determined to do. Now the glorious thing is that
he has determined that this world would not be a place where there
would be no faith for he has indeed given a basis for faith
and he has wrought faith in his people. And it's without controversy. It can't be overturned. It can't
be argued against. It's like Nebuchadnezzar said
that the Lord does according to his will in the army of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth and there's none that
can stay his hand over Say unto him, what doest thou? Just like Paul wrote in the book,
in the ninth chapter of Romans, he says, who art thou, O man? That replies against God. It's
a foolish thing to do, is it not? I mean, when the Lord says
something, that's the way that it is, whether you like it or
not. It's without controversy. I mean, the Lord has given a
display of the glory of His person and His work right out here in
our midst. I mean, you look at the creation
around you and you cannot deny it is without controversy that
God created the heavens and the earth. Now, men have hid their
head in the sand and men make gods under their own self and
they think, oh, well, we know of a better way. that it would
be, but it's without controversy. God has demonstrated. Now do
all men believe it? No. Great multitudes of men scoff. They would laugh at the things
that I have said. They would think that in this
modern age, when we know so much about science and all the different
things, how foolish is it to think that God created these
things? I mean, didn't they just kind
of a spark happen somewhere, and all of a sudden, this and
that happened, and now here we are today, and it's just gonna
go on like that forever. But the same one that made it
in the beginning will bring it to a close when he sees fit to
do so. And it's without controversy.
Cannot be overturned. But he doesn't talk here about
creation per se. But he says without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness. Now a lot of people have a lot
of ideas about what godliness is. There's denominations. that think they've named themselves
as what they consider what godliness is. They think that it's a way
you wear your hair, it's a way you wear your clothes, it's a
way you do a lot of things. And that's not to say that there's
not things taught in the scripture that we ought not to learn about
those things, practical living in the world, but that's not
godliness. Great is the mystery of godliness. Godliness is a
mystery. It's a mystery that a man can't
discover. See, a mystery is something that
you don't know what it is. A mystery is something that you
look to find out the answer to. It's not something that is just
sitting out there like a flower to be picked. Now that's kind
of the way that what a lot of people call the gospel today
is set forth as if it's just laying out there and it's the
Lord just waiting for you to come along and find it. Well
you see this is a mystery that can't be found. Man can't discover
it. I mean you can look high and
low and you won't discover it. Now a man may look and he may
think he's discovered it. See, the Apostle Paul, he thought
he had discovered it, did he not? He thought he knew what
the mystery of godliness was. He said, no mystery at all. He
says, I'm a Pharisee. I'm born a Jew. I'm favored of
God. And he believed it. I mean, you
could not have convinced him otherwise. He knew what it was,
did he not? That's exactly correct. But you see it was a mystery
that was hidden from even such a great scholar as the Apostle
Paul, a great lawyer, a man who knew the law of God backwards
and forwards. It was a mystery. Great is the
mystery of godliness because the Lord would demonstrate this
mystery of godliness in a way that men could never have devised
or considered. Because men think that by doing
certain things they can earn the favor of God. I mean, practically
everybody does. Is that not true? I mean, you
know, these things are set forth in men by nature. A man grows up, he thinks that
by doing things, he can do something that will please God. He thinks
that. Every man thinks that. Until
such time as the Lord pleased to reveal to him this mystery. Well, here's the mystery. God
was manifest in the flesh. You know, a man that doesn't
have a very high view of who God is, that's not much of a
wonder to him. But when a man is brought to
the place where he understands how far God is above where man
is, into the extent that as Paul
said, he dwells in the light. He only hath immortality, dwelling
in the light to which no man can approach. It's impossible
for a man to discover who God is. It's impossible for a man
to approach unto God. It's a mystery. But the Lord has seen fit not
to leave us in the dark. by His grace, according to His
mercy. Some shepherds on a hill over
in Judea, probably sitting around a fire, shooting the breeze,
I don't know what they were doing, you know. But the last thing on their mind was that the Lord of glory If
they even had any concept of who he was, and likely they had
been taught that as Jews, you know, raised up in a Jewish home,
they had some idea about God, but they had no idea what it
was that was about to transpire in their very eyes as the Lord
sent angels to declare unto them And they feared. See, when the
Lord is pleased to send His messengers, which the angels, an angel is
a messenger of God, when the Lord is pleased to send His messenger
with the Word of God, the true Word of God, it causes men to
tremble. This is not something, you know,
that a man just can take or leave. But when God is pleased to speak
to a man by His messenger, then He'll cause him to tremble. Because,
dear brethren, it's the unfolding of a mystery. It's the unfolding
of something that he cannot grasp. It's something that only He can
show. But He did that. God was manifest in the flesh. Now that's a glorious thing.
I don't know of a greater wonder that has ever been revealed unto
men than that God, the Lord of glory, the one who created all
of these things by the words of His mouth, that God, that
one who's inapproachable, that one who doesn't need anything
or doesn't need any body. Now, when I was a young lad growing
up and being taught in Sunday school, they always told us that,
well, the Lord created man because he wanted somebody. He was lonesome
and he needed somebody. And so he created man so he'd
have somebody to fellowship with. How foolish. The Lord of glory doesn't need
anything. Now, that's a downer to some people. They think, well,
that's not good. The Lord said, I'm a jealous
God. He said, I'll not share my glory with any. He doesn't need anything. Great's
a mystery of godliness, dear brethren, because God was manifest
in the flesh. He came and dwelt among men in
flesh and blood. And that's what those angels
came there that night to declare unto these shepherds who weren't
looking for an answer. But the Lord brought them there.
You see? He answered their question without
them even asking it. Just like He did with Nicodemus.
You know, Nicodemus, I'm sure he was right on the verge of
asking the Lord something. The Lord never gave him a chance,
did He? He said, Nicodemus, except a
man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Cannot
see it. Great is the mystery of godliness.
God was manifest in the flesh. Now this is a time of the year
when supposedly men remember the birth of Christ. Now, I don't
imagine that there's a whole lot of people that really care
one way or another. As I look around me, I mean,
most people care more about all the stuff that goes with it,
with the celebration. I'm not against celebration. Celebrate however you want to
celebrate. That's your business. But if we're going to consider That this is a time when we would
remember the birth of our Lord. Does it not require more solemnity? I mean, does it not require more
humility? Does it not require us to fall
on our faces and worship at His footstool? God was manifest in
the flesh. God who at sundry times in a
divers manner spake in times past by the prophets to the fathers
hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. You see the Lord when the Lord
sent those angels to declare this wonder that had transpired
that they would find a babe in a manger. Could they have perceived? Could they have had any idea
that this one, who he was? I mean, Mary and Joseph didn't
even really completely understand it, did they? I mean this was
an amazing thing. I mean you think about Mary not
having known a man and yet having this child growing in her womb
and bringing forth this child. And the Lord had sent the angel
to Joseph and said she's going to bring forth a child and thou
shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save His people from
their sin. Now they had that knowledge,
but they didn't know what that meant. No way they could have
known that, because you see, great is the mystery of godliness.
But the Lord in His time, He would show them. He would show
Mary. He would show John the Baptist,
still in the womb of his mother, who this one was. And yet John,
in prison, would later send messengers unto the Lord to say, are you
really the one that should come? Because you see, great is the
mystery of God, and we can't get it. We can't grow. You know,
people say, oh, well, you need to study the Bible, so you'll
grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. You can't grow in
grace and the knowledge of the Lord by studying the Bible. Now
I'm going to tell you, now let me back up and say, but you must
study the scriptures. But you can't arrive there through
your study. But you see, you arrive there
by the grace of God showing you the mystery, showing you the
wonder that's found there in those pages. Great is the mystery of Godliness.
God was manifest in the flesh. He came. Just like any baby born into
this world. I can't fathom it. I cannot imagine
that in my mind. I mean, to tell you the truth,
I mean, if I was honest with you, I don't even believe it. But I can't help but believe
it. You can't anymore keep me from
believing it. then you can go back, come back
from somewhere where you haven't been. You know, when God is pleased
to give a man faith, he can't help it. He can't help it. He can't escape. See, the Apostle Paul, he was
doing his dead level best to do what he thought was serving
God, and yet all the time he was running as far away from
God as he could be. And the Lord said to him, Paul,
or he said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Isn't it hard for thee
to kick against the pricks? You see, Saul of Tarsus, even
in his devotion to the Lord, He was kicking against the pricks.
He was rebellious against God because you see he was in ignorance
of the mystery of godliness. Now, ignorance is no excuse.
See, men are accountable before Almighty God. They can't know the things of
God, but they're accountable to know the things of God. That's a mystery in itself, is
it not? How can that be? The Lord commandeth all men everywhere
to repent. And yet, it is not within the
power of a man to repent. But he must. He must. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, Now that word justified, you
know, is deemed righteous. He was deemed righteous. Now
he wasn't deemed righteous for his sake. He didn't need righteousness
for his own sake, did he? I mean he was a perfect man.
He had no sin. Neither was guile found in his
mouth. He came forth from the womb without any taint of sin
upon him, being born of a virgin without the taint of the Father's
sin being placed in him. But he was justified in the Spirit.
Who was he justified for? For those for whom he came. So
he didn't do anything for himself, did he? No, he laid down his
life. He gave his life. He poured it
out, not for his sake, but for ours. Scripture says, who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is now sat down at the right hand of the Father.
Oh, what a glorious Savior He is, justified in the Spirit. Scene of angels. Now that's, you know, they saw
Him, but they didn't get it. They didn't understand it. They
were sent with a message, Glory to God in the highest. We sang
it a moment ago. Gloria in excelsis Deo. Glory to God in the highest.
They knew that God was to be magnified. And they saw this
Savior and they were the ones that came to these shepherds
and told them that the Lord had brought this to pass. But they
didn't get it. Because you see, the only thing
that the angels had ever seen was the judgment and justice
of Almighty God. When a third of the angels, according
to what the scripture says, were cast out of heaven. Because of sin. That's the only thing they knew.
And why would it be that the Lord would come and dwell among
these sinful creatures? Why would it be that he would
come and make this known to these men? He was seen. The scripture says
that the angels desire to look into these things. You know,
we sing that song sometimes, the dark and thorny is the desert,
and in there it talks about the fact that the angels praise the
Lord, but a sweeter message, a sweeter concert, he says, causes
the heavenly arches to ring in heaven, and it's a song that
the angels cannot sing. See the angels, the Lord has
created some creatures that surround his throne and day and night
they cease not to say unto him, holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. But you see there is a greater
concert. There's a greater place of glory
that has been set forth. that Jesus Christ should be exalted
by those men that He has redeemed from sin and death. Oh, He was seen of angels, and
they worship Him. They worship Him as the Son of
God. But they can never understand or enter into that mystery of
godliness which is set forth in the manifestation of Jesus
Christ as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.
They can't get it. And they're not meant to. Scene of angels preached unto
the Gentiles. Now that's an amazing thing in
itself, is it not? It certainly took the Jews by
surprise because they figured they had this thing all sewed
up. They were the chosen people of God and that was that. They
would one day inherit the kingdom and all of the blessings of God. And it was quite a let down to
them. In fact, they angrily, that was
part of Paul's persecution of the church was that they were,
he felt like that they were degrading the word of God by carrying it
to the Gentiles. They had no, they were in his
mind casting pearls before swine. And he was right. But the Lord,
you see, when the Lord casts pearls before flying, he causes
them to hit. Preach unto the Gentiles. Dear
brethren, we, you know, we're twice blessed in the consideration
that we as gentiles we had no part nor lot in the things of
God as far as the scripture I mean if you read the Old Testament
you didn't have anything coming to you I mean the Lord never
made any promises to the gentiles did he? the promises were made
to the Jews and they thought that these promises were eternal
but they didn't understand that those Jews to whom the Lord came
to redeem out of all the tribes and kindreds of the world. It was to them that the promises
were made. And the Jews of this world merely
served as an illustration of that great love which the Lord
has for his eternal people. Preached unto the Gentiles. What
a glorious thing it is to hear the gospel preached. You know
preachers sometimes take to themselves a place of honor and they try
to make out like that there's something because they preach.
Look, the Lord can take the most ignorant man that ever lived
on earth and can cause him to preach the word of God. And no
man can overturn it. Because when the Lord sends his
word, it will accomplish the thing that he sends it to do. But the word of God will be preached.
It'll be preached unto the Gentiles and the Jews alike. Believed on in the world. That's an amazing thing, is it
not? That men would believe the gospel. Now a lot of people think
that that's just an easy thing to do, because they don't know
what it is to believe. Because you see, to believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ is to cast off all other hope and expectation
in anything else. Now a lot of people claim that
they believe in Christ, but they also believe in their own good
works. They also believe in their own deeds. They also believe
in all the things that they look at and see themselves and they're
happy with. But the people of God, when they
look at themselves, they're always ashamed. You know, when a man looks at
himself and he says, you know, I'm doing pretty good, he hasn't
seen himself. Because when the Lord shows a
man who he is, he's humble before Almighty God. And he knows himself
to be unclean. Knows himself to be in need of
help and something beyond himself. But he has been, this is a mystery
of godliness. Believed only in the world. How
do men believe? Only by the grace of God. You wouldn't believe it, neither
would I. Often say, I don't know if, sometimes
I don't know if I do believe. But then I can't help but believe. Believed on in the world and
then received up into glory. Let's talk about the one who
was manifest in the flesh, received into glory. Now that's not just
a little side note there. That's not just a little something
that happened, but dear brethren, that is the evidence that all
that Christ did was absolutely satisfactory. And it's upon that
that we rest. He received up into glory. You
see, when Christ ascended, he led captivity captive. He gave
gifts unto men. And the fact that he has been
received up into glory indicates that it's from there that he
will come. Because he said, if I go away. He told his disciples
this. John said, if it were not so,
or he said, if it were not so, I would have told you. He says,
I go away to prepare a place for you that where I am, there
ye may be also. He's in that place of glory. And he's prepared a place for
his people. And he said, I will receive you
unto myself and the Spirit and the Bride
say come and let him that heareth say come and whosoever will let him take
the water of life freely Christ is the Savior of sinners this
is a mystery a mystery of godliness. And it is set forth most clearly
in the scriptures, oh, that the Lord might send it forth with
power, that it might be made clear to our mind and our heart
that we might be among those who have believed on Him in this
world.