Mystery of Godliness

Are you ready for another mystery? I was first introduced to the gospel back in the mid-70s. And it began what turned out to be a lifelong quest to understand and communicate the mysteries of God. I heard the gospel preached and I said to myself when I heard him preach it, I didn't know that. And after more than 50 years of reading and studying and listening to men preach, I'm still saying, I didn't know that. I didn't know, we are so ignorant of God and God's word.

The tendency is to pick it up and read it. And then when you read it, it's so foreign to you that you soon tire of it. But it's so important to read. Read it. Get it in your head. And then when you hear the truth, you'll know that's the Word of God. And that's what that's teaching. That's what that's teaching.

Paul writes to the Ephesians and he said unto me, talking about himself. See, he didn't think like folks do today, religion's a step up. He knew religion was a step down, false religion. And he writes to the Ephesians and he says unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, Is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles, heathen idolaters, pagans, but you and I, Gentiles, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ? Can a man by searching find out, God? It's unsearchable. It's unsearchable.

And he said in verse nine of that chapter, and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God who created all things by Jesus Christ. These mysteries that I'm attempting to preach and expound, these mysteries overlap. They intertwine. His vesture was without seam, was it not? And so it is in the word of God. These mysteries are one. They're one. They blend together, and when revealed, they declare the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

In Colossians 2.2, Paul describes it this way as receiving the riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God. That's what we're doing. That's what we're doing.

And of the Father and of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. It's all hid in Him. Well, why would any man say such a thing to these pagan idolaters? He tells you in verse four, and this I say, lest any man beguile you with enticing words. And that's probably the testimony of everybody here.

We were beguiled by enticing words. And then one more passage before I go to my text, 1 Corinthians chapter two. Verse one, he said, and I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. Why? Paul was the bravest man I've ever read of. Why would he be in fear and in much trembling? Because he realized how impossible this work is and how contrary this work is to the nature and character of man. Knowing something of the mystery of God's will, the mystery of iniquity, and the mystery of God.

And then he says in verse four, my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. How does the Spirit of God, through the preaching of the gospel, how does the Spirit demonstrate? You ever thought about that? I like to think, I read these verses and I see these words and they puzzle me. I want to know what they mean. How does the Spirit of God demonstrate the gospel? In Jesus Christ. You want to see the love of God demonstrated? Look to the cross. You want to see the mercy of God demonstrated? Look to Christ.

How does the Spirit demonstrate in the personal work of Christ and in the inward work of grace? What does the Spirit do in us? He reveals Christ. What we read in this book, what we hear from the pulpit and God's minister, and what we see in the crucifixion of Christ, Christ is revealed in us. So what becomes our hope? Christ in you, the hope of glory. Demonstrate. Don't need a lot of words. Spirit of God's gonna take these things and demonstrate them in us. And I'll tell you this, God will bless what God has purposed to use.

And listen to what he says in verse five. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. I don't want a faith that stands in the wisdom of men. I've had that, and God showed me the ignorance of man's wisdom. He tells us that in 1 Corinthians chapter one.

Not many wise men after the flesh. One of the queens of England said, she thanked God for an M. It said, not many noble. Instead of any, he said, not many. And she said, I thank God for an M. Howbeit, he said, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect.

I had to wrestle with that for a few years. That means perfected by the offering of Jesus Christ once for all, and it means having perfect provision in Christ laid up for me so that I can understand these things. God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit. And these things we speak, isn't that what he said?

But the natural man, there's no provision for him. The natural man received not the things of the Spirit of God. He's not gonna receive preaching, he's not gonna receive mysteries, he's not gonna receive anything. No demonstration, no nothing. He'll just look at you with that blank look like you're from another planet and he'll walk away.

I have no doubt that when these mysteries fall on the ears of his elect, they will embrace them, rejoice in them, rest in them with perfect understanding. I'll tell you what you'll do. You'll say, that's it. That's it. Verse seven, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world under our glory. And of these mysteries, two are described by the Spirit of God as great, great mysteries. I went home last night, I did such a pitiful job on that great mystery of marriage, I felt like I needed to call folks up and apologize. I tell you, this thing, Brother Mahan said one time, he was, The Lord gifted that man with words and he was preaching and he said, he was talking about the preacher and I told you Paul was, why he feared.

It's such a great thing. He said, I feel like I'm standing there before Mount Everest and the Lord gives me a pair of tennis shoes and says, climb it. Or he takes me over on the great Atlantic Ocean And he said, here's a rowboat, cross it. And that's what we do. That's what we do. And apart from the spirit of God, Paul said, we're not sufficient to thank anything of ourselves. God is our sufficiency.

I don't know if you really think about that, but before you come in here to me, you need to pray for your pastor and pray for yourself that God's spirit will attend the service. Because oh, what a flop it'll be if he don't. It'll just be what Paul called beating the air. I was watching a movie the other day and they wanted to have a meeting, this Western, and he said, I hope we're gonna do more than just poke holes in the air. But that's what most preaching is in our day, just poking holes in the air.

The mystery of marriage, our saving union with Christ, receiving his name. You ever read in Jeremiah those two accounts there? His name shall be called the Lord our righteousness. But what about his bride? Her name shall be called the Lord our righteousness. She takes his name.

And then my message this morning, the mystery of godliness. So turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 3. Paul writes to Timothy in chapter 3 and begins to convey the qualifications of the office of pastors and deacons. One of the most important is one I used as a text the other night, holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience, understanding that what you believe and what you do is in perfect harmony with the character of God. It's pleasing to God. And then in verse 15, He said, but if I tarry long, that thou may knowest 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.

Now he's not talking about in a building. I've heard that applied so many times to children in a building. or wives, or on and on the list goes. That's not what he's talking about here at all. He's not talking about, he's talking about how to behave in here, in the assembly of God, being a member of God's church.

See, Christ is the head of that church. He's the husband. You think his children are obedient? Paul said they are. And he said, he's going to teach you. We're going to learn how to behave ourselves in the house of God, in his church. We're going to learn this.

And then he makes the most amazing declaration I think I've ever heard, 1 Timothy 3.16, and without Controversy.

That is among the children of God. That's not talking about the world. It's always a controversy to the world. But among the children of God, it is 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. I've been looking into these things for over 50 years and I still struggle to find the words to declare it. Our church library is full of books. I've heard Countless men preach on the subject But the spirit who searches all things uses six words Six words to declare this mystery Great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest in the flesh So where can I began to preach such a text to you well, I'm going to begin in as almost all the other mysteries began with this as to what godliness is. Godliness is god-likeness. God-likeness. Well, nobody's ever seen God. Now what he says, no man has ever seen God at any time. People say they do, But he says no, no man has ever seen God at any time.

He told Moses to look on me, you couldn't survive it. You can't look on me and live. I'll show you my hinder parts, I'll show you a little. But you couldn't look on me in my essence and live. So, Where are we gonna learn God likeness? No man's ever seen God. Are we left our imaginations to conjure up what godliness is?

And there's some overlapping of these mysteries here. God's not just verifying his existence. He doesn't feel the need to. He said creation bears witness to me. All you gotta do is walk out the door and look. There's too much order. Too much involved for things like mother nature. It's a testimony of God. And it's a testimony of His sovereignty with just one time speaking. There's a universe out here that we can't, with all of our technology, even see the end of.

And he did this with a few words. Who can do that? I don't know, but I'll tell you this, whoever he is, he's sovereign. He's sovereign. He has all power. God's not trying to verify his existence. Everything here verifies his existence. And he's not trying to validate the words of men bound into a book. He already did that.

He confirmed their words with miracles and wonders and signs which God did by them in our midst, both even Christ. God validated him as his son the same way and he validated the apostles that way and the prophets. He tells us that in Hebrews chapter two.

Turn with me to John chapter six. In John chapter six, verse 38, our Lord said, for I came down from heaven. Where's heaven? That's where God resides, heaven. That's where mercy is dispensed. That's where grace is given. That's where justice and righteousness prevail. For I, who is that talking about? That's the Son of God, isn't it?

I came down from heaven. Why? Was he dissatisfied? Was there something in heaven that didn't suit him? Was he run off as Satan was, cast down in the twinkling of an eye? Before the thought ever got into words, like lightning, he fell from heaven. Why would anyone leave paradise?

Well, he said, I came not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which he has given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day. This manifestation of God is overlapped with the mystery of God's will. And his will, as I preached to you the other day, is a redemptive will. A redemptive will, this manifestation of God in the flesh has to do with God's redemptive will.

And flip forward just a few pages from our text to 2 Timothy chapter one. Let me show you something over here. 2 Timothy chapter one and verse nine. I know this starts with the word who, but if you look back, it'll tell you who the who is, it's God. God has saved us. and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Now watch this, but is now made manifest, manifest. God was manifest in the flesh. It's now made manifest by the appearing of a Savior, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Oh, how thankful I am God woke me up one day from my sleep and revealed to me that the gospel is a person. It's not a plan. God has a wonderful plan for your life. Well, I guess he does, but it's not a plan, it's his son. God's purpose is in his son. Salvation's in his son. Redemption's in his son.

He said in Acts chapter 13 verse 38, Paul said, be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. I was at a meeting one time in rank Arminianism, and a guy had a big blackboard behind him, He was demonstrating sin. He was trying to communicate sin and forgiveness for sin, and he took a piece of chalk and he said, theft, and he made a mark. Adultery, made a mark. On and on, he made four or five marks. He said, here's salvation, and he took an eraser and erased the marks.

That's not salvation, and that's not forgiveness for sin. Sin has to be paid for. God has to, His justice has to be satisfied. That's how you forgive sin. And the only way God can do that, there's just one way. And this, Christ said, I'm the way. I'm the way. Only one way to do it, and that's through a man. A representative man. Jesus Christ, he's the head, that's what that word means. Representative, he's a federal head.

Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. How's God gonna do that in his son? Peter said the same thing over in Acts chapter 10. He said, to him, give all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sin. None other name under heaven given whereby we must be saved.

Jesus Christ. He manifested the very name of God. And listen to this, while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. Oh, I like that. Oh, that God will repeat that very thing this morning. Seal us with that Holy Spirit of promise. Enlighten every soul in this place.

God was manifest in the flesh And if he be manifest in the flesh, that presupposes, your pastor told me, his existence before. Does it not? You can't come back from some place he hasn't been. He was manifest in the flesh tells me that he was somewhere else before this.

So strong is this manifestation of God's redemptive glory that in 1 John 4, verse 2, the apostle said, Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit, that is, every preacher with the spiritual understanding, every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ has come into the flesh is of God. Whoever's spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ has come into the flesh is not of God. The saving revelation of God is in the manifestation of the Savior. There's no salvation apart from the Savior. Thou shalt call his name Jesus.

Now they're just like us. They were sitting there thinking, I know, you can't tell me they weren't. Mary and Joseph both sittin' there tryin' to think of a name for this child. What we gonna name this child? I know he's special. God didn't leave him to their imagination, did he? He said, thou shalt call his name Jesus, Joshua. Joshua. For he shall save his people. Who's he gonna save? His people. How many of them is He gonna save? All His people from their sin.

So important is this manifestation that what's made known by it, He calls eternal life. In 1 John 5 verse 20, John writes, And we know that the Son of God hath come, and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that's true, and we're in him that is true, in that spiritual union with him, even in his son, Jesus Christ, this is the true God and eternal life. Let me show you one more passage over here in John chapter 17, the gospel of John chapter 17. It's not just his appearance in Bethlehem as a babe, but what he did after he appeared.

What he did as a representative man. The gospel has to do, my pastor told me years ago, Brother Mahan, he told me this, he said the gospel is summed up with four things. Who is this man? Why did he come? What did he do? Did he do anything? What did he do? Or did he just come and try to do something? What did he do? And where is he now?

You find the answer to that, you will have understood the gospel. In John 17, our Lord's about to go to the cross and he gathers his disciples around him And he said, you sit right here, I go yonder to pray. You sit right here and you listen. Wouldn't you love to hear the Son of God praying for you? Oh, my soul. You sit here now and listen. I'm going right over here. John 17, 1, these words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come.

What hour? That hour for which he was made the steward of time. In the stewardship of the fullness of time. He's the steward of time. And when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, didn't he? The hours come. Now watch this, glorify thy son. Now wait a minute, he's God.

How you gonna glorify God? He thought it not robbery to be equal with God. That's what Paul wrote to the Philippians. How is God gonna glorify God? He's gonna glorify Him by revealing the glory of His justice and the glory of His holy wrath, the glory of perfect righteousness. He's gonna glorify His Son. And His Son, in bearing that wrath, And manifesting that glory is going to glorify the Father in return with the glory of His mercy, and the glory of His love, and the glory of His grace, and His kindness. Oh, loving kindness. The riches of His kindness. Glorify thy son that thy son may glorify thee. Do this, verse 2, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

This is where the understanding of the mystery is going to come in on the cross. This is where it's manifested. This is life eternal, verse 3, that they might know Thee, the only true God, the God who's uncompromising and yet would not spare even His Son, and Jesus Christ whom thou sent. I would if I had time show you how this great mystery works and the simplicity of it is Christ alone.

Now watch this. He was manifested in the flesh. Who was? Christ. I want to point out the simplicity of this mystery. It's all tied up in one. He was manifest in the flesh. He was seen of angels. What's that talking about? Well, they saw him in glory before he condescended. They saw him born of a woman. They carried the news to the woman that she was gonna bear the son.

He was seen of angels. When he was born, the angels sang, didn't they? The heavenly host. He was seen of angels. He was seen of angels when he was tempted in the wilderness and they came and ministered to him afterward. He was seen of angels when he was crucified on that cross. And angels testified of his resurrection. An angel came down and rolled the stone back. He was seen of angels. Who was? He was. Preached unto the Gentiles. Oh, what a miracle. What a miracle.

I know it doesn't appear to everybody like we're really pagans. When we think of pagans, we're thinking of those folks way over there in deepest, darkest Africa, dancing around a totem pole over there. you know, and shoving big saucers in their lips and painting ourselves up and all this. That's what we call paganism. I tell you what, go down to First Baptist Church. You want to see paganism? Go down to the funeral home and listen to men talk. Paganism, they're talking about playing golf in heaven and fishing and who knows what, baking cakes and oh, preached unto the Gentiles.

Here's a people so ignorant, their fathers weren't the prophets. They hadn't been taught since they was children. They just been told what everybody else was told. And it was successful, was it not? Better than half the New Testament are letters to Gentiles.

Justified, he said, in the spirit. Who was? Christ was. What do you mean justified? Well, he reconciled us in death. That body died. But the scripture said he was quickened by the spirit. The spirit. He was dead. and he rose from the dead by the Spirit of God. God justified him, and when he justified him, he justified us, because we're in union with him. That's good news, isn't it? Oh, my soul.

They gather around that old tabernacle, and the priest went in with the blood. Somebody said there was a lion tied on his foot, and if God killed him, they'd have to drag him out, and he had bells on the bottom and they could hear him in there. They could hear the bells jingling, but they couldn't see. They couldn't go in. It was not lawful for them to go in. And they stood outside that linen fence and watched and waited for that high priest to come out.

And he'd come out and then he'd speak the blessing on the people because the atonement was accepted. Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin unto salvation. You looking? Boy, I'm looking. But here's the assurance of it.

God raised him from the dead. He was delivered, Paul said, for our offenses and raised again for our justification. He was justified by the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, and then this is even more of a phenomenon, believed on in the world. I tell you, until you've experienced, you just can't believe the animosity of this world for the gospel.

My dad was the most honorable man in my life when I was growing up. He went to church every time the door was open. He read his Bible all the time. On occasion, he would preach and teach in the church. And he was so loving, so kind, all of my relatives looked on him as the perfect father. He just, he was a father to the whole family. Had 65 grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren. There was nine of us in our family. And when I come home and told him what I heard and what I believed, His face turned red. He was madder than a wet hornet. He thought I'd joined a cult. He was angry, and he stayed angry.

I'd come over to the house, and he'd have all these scriptures, you know, and things that I was totally unfamiliar with over in the Old Testament, and he'd just rattle these things off, you know, and I'd say, well, Dad, I'm gonna have to go home and sort this out, you know, and I would, and I'd come back, and we'd talk.

And I could see we were getting nowhere, got some cassette tapes, they used to tape Henry's messages, and I gave him some tapes by Henry, and I said, listen to these tapes. But I said, I can't keep coming over here and going through this argument and fighting, that's not why I'm coming over here. And he said, all right. So I didn't see him anymore for a while.

Phone rang and he called my wife and I to have supper, so we came over. Want to come in the door with big tears? He said, for whatever it's worth, I believe what you're saying is so. Believed on in the world. That's where he found me. Where'd he find you? I was in the world. I wasn't seeking God.

Back in the early days of Niagara Falls, it become a very popular tourist attraction back in the 1800s. And because of the falls and that big precipice going over and that water down below, it become a stage for daredevils. And it attracted them. They'd ride over the falls in barrels. They'd dive off of rocks. You know what Paul said about the sinner? Destruction and misery are in his ways. But the greatest of these was a man who called himself the Great Blandin. I think he was French if I remember reading the article right. But this man got together with a very successful promoter called Harry Concord.

And after telling Harry what he intended to do, Harry promoted him and he stretched a manila rope, not a steel cable, a manila rope across Niagara Falls and set up a day to walk and do all the things that he told Harry he could do. So Harry got it all set up and And of course, like a promoter might do, he had some very privileged friends, rich friends, and he built a little box on the other side where the rope, on the other side, so when this performer walked across, he'd walk right into their presence on the other side, and they had a clear view of him.

So he got it all set up, and they were all there on the day, and they all gathered over on the Canadian side of the falls, at the end of the rope, and this great Blandin, he got on a bicycle, and he rode partway out on a bicycle, and he tossed it over the side. They had a rope on it, and they pulled it back, and then he had some stilts tied on his back, and he got these stilts off, and he walked for a little ways on stilts out over Niagara Falls. And then he went out to the middle. He did several things.

It says in there that he actually laid down on the rope. But he went out to the middle, and I don't know if you've ever been to Niagara Falls, but they have a boat down there and you can get on. It's called the Maid of the Mist. And it'll take the tourists right up next to the falls. and the Maid of the Mist was down there and he took this like a drape record and lowered it down and they tied a bottle of wine and a glass to it and he pulls it up and pours him a drink and sat down on the line and drank a glass of wine.

And then he got up and he walked to the other side and of course, standing ovation. Everybody was standing up applauding and he came over to that little box and they were all standing up And he stood up at the end of the rope and he said, well, Harry, he said, what do you think now? You think I can do everything I told you I could do? Oh, Harry said, indeed. And he was just applauding. He said, get on. And he did. And he carried him back to the other side.

Here's what this whole thing is about. It's about hearing and seeing what he's done. And having seen it, he said, do you believe this? Oh yeah, I believe this. Get on. Get on. Trust in me, rest in me. Put your soul, your life in my hands, because that's where it's at anyway. Put it right here. And I'll carry you back to the other side. May the Lord give us all an understanding.

Mystery of Godliness

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Mystery of Godliness

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