All right, if you'll turn your
Bibles over to first Timothy chapter 3 Verse 15 and 16 And again, I cannot tell you
enough how thankful to God I am for you all. We should be thankful for each
other. Here in Timothy, chapter three,
verse 15, it 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." Everything in this world was
created. Everything in the universe, everything
that is visible and invisible was created by God. And the word was with him. And
the Word was God. And He created all things. This
Christ, Jesus. Everything is held up by Him.
He is on His throne right now. That God-Man, Jesus Christ. He rules and reigns. It's all
for His glory. and all for the saving of his
elect souls. What a comfort. We're in God's house. We are God's house. We make up
his body. He is our head. That's the church,
not the building. It's the elect of God. The Church of the Living God,
we're His kingdom. He's the forerunner. He's before
all. The one in whom we are kept by His strength. We're in Him. He's in us. He's the pillar and the ground
of the truth. And in Him, in Him we have strength. In Him
we declare His gospel. He has given that to us. He has
put it in us. If you're called of God, that
gospel of God is in you. The truth is in you. And you
ought to declare it. Because He's the Bishop. and the shepherd of our souls.
Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. And He is coming again. It says,
if I tarry long, I know this is talking, Paul's talking to
Timothy, but God's talking to us. There's a day He is coming
back. How do we behave ourselves in
the house of God? It's because He didn't leave
us comfortless. He put His Holy Spirit in us to teach us, to
guide us, to cause us to love one another. Things we cannot
do of our own selves, not in our own nature. He gave us a
new nature. He created a new creature in
us that loves Him, that does not have sin, because it's of
God, born of God in Christ Jesus. Till then, we are kept. We're
kept by His faithfulness. We're kept in Him. We are His
body. He's our head. And God only reveals
Himself to us through Jesus Christ. You only know the Father by the
Son. Because He, He is the express
image of God the Father. Of the invisible God, He is the
revelation, the Word of God that came and dwelt among us, the
Son of God, to redeem His people. It says in verse 16, 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 to glory. We're God's chosen people. Fallen. Ruling sinners with Adam's God-hating
nature. That still is going to be on
us until, like Brother Merle, we are separated from it at our
appointed time by God. Chosen by God's grace and His
Son before the world was. Predestinated to be conformed
to His Son's image. Predestinated to be the children,
the sons of God, the image of Christ, whom God sent to redeem
his elect by his sin atoning blood, the one who came and suffered
to accomplish, to obtain our salvation. He came to save sinners. Sinners, we know, God tells us, Only the call of God know their
sinners. And he came to save us. By grace you are saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift, a gift of God,
not by your works, not by your righteousness, not by anything
you merited or anything that we have done or ever will do. It's by his grace, his grace
alone, lest any of us should boast. What do we have to boast
about other than Christ Jesus and God's grace? He called us
by His word. Through the foolishness of preaching,
that's the means that He uses. He does not need man, but it
pleased Him to use a vile sinner to declare His word to other
sinners about a wonderful Savior. It's all to His glory. And it
is Christ who justified us. He sanctified us. It is God who
was glorified in us, in saving us. It's all to his glory. And it pleased him to save the
people he chose in Christ. And we are to serve him. Him who laid down his life for
us. We're to love one another as
He loved us. We're to love Him. It is Christ who bought us. We
belong to Him. You are not of your own. You are bought with the price
of Jesus Christ's blood. You're His. You're his inheritance. God gave him to us to him before
the world was as an inheritance. The firstborn among many. The
one who would come in the flesh. And God exalted his son. He's
over all his creation. And it is him that we come, gathered
in his name. He says where two or more or
two or three are gathered in my name. I'm in the midst of
you. He's in you, and He's in the
midst of His church when they're gathered in His name for His
glory. We're gathered here to worship
Him, to praise Him, to love Him, to love one another. There in
1 Peter chapter 2, In verse two, where as newborn
babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow
thereby, if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious to
whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men,
but chosen of God and precious. Ye also, as lively stones, are
built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, wherefore also
it is contained in the scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion the chief
cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded. He is that foundation that the
church is built on. We're His body. He's made us
so. He's our head. We're His church. We're His kingdom. God gave Him
a kingdom to be over. That kingdom is His elect. We are to feast on Christ, to
eat His flesh and drink His blood. Because He has made us partakers
of His divine nature. We had that God, we still got
that God-hating nature in us. Those two natures that every
believer has. We also have that nature of Jesus
Christ Himself. That doesn't sin. And they war
against each other, so that we can't do what we would do. The
flesh can't be as bad as it wants to be, because it would choose
sin and turn from Christ. But that nature who He gave us,
it's His. It doesn't sin. It loves Him. It wants to serve Him. Yet in this flesh we can't do
it as we would, as one day we will, when He separates us from
the flesh. from that old nature. We're to
give Him the praise of our lips, led by His Holy Spirit. That's
how you do it. He didn't leave anything for
you. He guides us. He makes our wills willing to
serve Him and love Him and each other. We are to praise Him who was
crucified and worship Him For He is the only one worthy of
praise and glory. He did it all. He deserves it
all. The Son of Man must be uplifted.
And we stand fast in faith. That faith that God gives. And it looks to His faithfulness.
Jesus Christ is the faithful one. Faithful to God. And he's faithful to his people.
He said, I will not leave you comfortless. He's the one who
gives us life and faith to believe and serve the living God in his
house. And we are to preach his gospel.
It's the power of God unto salvation. That's the means he uses. It's what pleased Him. It's what
He ordained. It's how He ordained to do it. He's made us His people. One
with God in Him. Made new. Born again. Creatures
created in Christ. Christ revealed in you the hope
of glory. The only hope you have of eternal
life and glory with Christ. And God the Father. We now serve the one, true, triune,
living God. All wise, all sovereign, all
gracious, all merciful. And you're taught by him. Only
he makes his word effectual. His word doesn't go out void.
It accomplishes exactly what he's already ordained it to do.
Nothing happens by chance. Nothing happens by your will.
God has ordained a time and a place for everything that happens.
You're here today because God ordained you to be here. He convinced He convinces us,
convicts us that Christ is our only, only acceptance to God
the Father. And we watch and we wait for
him because we believe by faith that he is coming again to gather
his elect unto himself and to judge. He came in the flesh and dwelt
among us. God. Came. In his son. And dwelt among us a word. Dwelt
among us. And he poured out his soul unto
death. That mighty God who created all. In all things belong to. Sovereign over all his creation.
came in the flesh to die for his elect for God's
glory. And without controversy, it says there is no debate. God's word
is a declaration. It's a revelation. It's God's Word. There's no way that natural man
can understand the things of God. There's no way you can come
to God any other way than by Jesus Christ. There's no way you can understand
spiritual things because we are born with that nature of Adam
that is spiritually dead. A dead person cannot do anything. In Matthew 16, verse 15, Matthew 16, verse 15. Christ,
God incarnate flesh upon this earth as a man, the God man never
ceased to be God. He saith unto them, but whom
say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, I'm sorry, let's go on up to 13. When Jesus came into
the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying,
whom do men say that I am? The son of man am. That's one
of the first times he called himself the son of a man, son
of man. And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist.
Some, he lies. Some, Jeremiah, or one of the
prophets. A man in his natural state does
not know God. He doesn't know his son. And these people thought he was
John the Baptist or Elias or Jeremiah. And he said unto his
disciples, unto them, but whom do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus
answered and said unto him, blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for
flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father,
which is in heaven. Can only be revealed by God. The knowledge of Jesus Christ
can only be revealed To whom God will reveal it to.
And that's his elect. And it's only in Christ Jesus.
He can only reveal himself to you in his son. And Christ is that rock. He's
that rock on which he built his church is what he went on and
told Peter. Only God by His free and sovereign
grace in the Lord Jesus Christ can open up your eyes of understanding
that He gives in the face of His Son. And only God can give
you those eyes and those ears to hear. when He calls you by His grace
in the face of His Son. There's no debate. God said it. God ordained it. God purposed
it. In eternity and it shall be done. There's no controversy. It's
the truth. We can only believe it by faith.
God has given us in Christ Jesus Our Lord now our salvation. He
is our salvation and he is our faith That's what our faith looks
to is his faith Great is the mystery of godliness To you to me sinner saved by
grace Called of God To you it is given
to understand. By the grace of God in the knowledge. Of his son, our Lord Jesus Christ. 2nd Corinthians. Chapter 4. Verse 3 Chapter four, verse three. But
if our gospel be hid, that's what a mystery is, it's something
that's hidden. It is hid to them that are lost. In whom the God of this world
have blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light
of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves but
Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has
shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have
this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power
may be of God, and praise God, not of us. That's gotta put a smile on your
face. Salvation is Jesus Christ, the God-man, the one whom God
sent to accomplish the Father's will And Christ came and He fulfilled
the will of the Father perfectly, completely, by His obedience
unto death, by His perfect righteousness. John 1 14 tells us, And the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. We believe by faith that just
shall live by faith. Faith in Jesus Christ. For God
was manifest in the flesh. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. God chose a people and his son
before the world was. That covenant of grace, that
covenant to the counsel of God, God, the Father, God, the Son,
God, the Holy Spirit. They're all one. Oh, the knowledge of God. God,
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It's all his work. Three persons. One God. the manifold wisdom
of God. But Christ was set up to be our
propitiation, our substitute, our surety of that covenant that
God made with himself of choosing the people to save, to love,
to show his mercy to. To redeem them with his own blood, with his one offering to God
to make atonement for all the sins of God's elect. Look how much he loved you and
his son. Look how much he loved you. Took
full responsibility to be your surety and accomplish your salvation. that the wrath of God that you
deserve would not fall upon you. Every one of us deserve the wrath
and the punishment that he took in our place. We're the ones that offended
God's holy justice. He's the one that came and appeased
God's holy justice for you. He's with God from the beginning.
He is God. Always was. He is and always
will be. God don't change and he don't
lie. Look what he's done for poor,
wretched sinners. The just for the ungodly. The
lamb slain before the foundation of the world. It was done in
eternity because God said it. God purposed it. But he had to come. He had to
come and accomplish it. Because God purposed that. His holy justice had to be appeased. He could not let sin go unpunished.
He could not let sin in you and me, his elect, go unpunished. But you couldn't bear it. We
couldn't bear it. There's no thing we could do. There's no righteousness in us. We disobeyed his law, his commandments. We did it in Adam and we did
it in ourselves. We have nothing to bring before
God that could atone for one sin. that we've committed. It took his son to come as a
substitute in the flesh, to do what we could never do,
to bear the wrath of God in the place, in the room instead, of
every one of his chosen elect. He bore it all alone in his body. For his glory and to save his chosen elect,
that he voluntarily became the surety, the substitute, and the
representative head of All rest on him, the government of thy
king. Rest on his shoulders. He came in the flesh and he appeased
the holy justice of God that we offended. We look to the cross of Christ.
We look at God's sufficient grace. and his son, and he is enough. Second Corinthians. Second Corinthians five. Let's
look at verse 19. Second Corinthians chapter five,
verse 19. Wrap your minds wrap your hearts
around this pray God reveal it to us in full To wit to know
You're gonna explain it to you. There's no controversy. This
is Great is the mystery of godliness
to wit that God was in Christ Reconciling the world unto himself The world, let's take it all
in its context. We know, surely we know God did
not die for the world, not for everybody, but those that he chose out of
the world. We don't belong to this world. We're sojourners, we're pilgrims.
By the grace of God in Christ Jesus, he has made us new creatures
and we no longer belong to this world. We're under God's grace. We are
his church. We are his bride. We are his
body. We are his children. He has made us so in him. So to wit, God was in Christ,
reconciling his elect, his people, his kingdom, unto himself, not
imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto
us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you
in Christ's stead, Christ's glory for Christ's sake. Be ye reconciled
to God, for he hath made him to be sin for us. His elect,
his chosen people. Christ who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. To wit, God was in Christ. Reconciling the world to himself
God was manifest in the flesh He sent his son Jesus Christ
the God man and Christ Jesus, the expressive
image of the invisible God. No greater love is there. He
laid down his life for his sheep, that we should have life in him.
He came because God can't die. Great is the mystery. But he came and died. He suffered. He bled. He was buried. And according to the scripture,
which is all about Christ, it's all of him. According to the
scripture, on the third day he arose again. Came in the flesh
as a man to suffer and die for his chosen elect for his glory. He took on our nature. He fully, who is God, came in
our flesh and took on our nature. You know, those two natures we
have. But without sin. Born of a virgin. Born of the
Spirit of God. Without sin. He God. He the firstborn among many brethren. He gives us his nature. He gives us his nature. Without
sin, the whole Godhead reside in him bodily. He suffered, he
bled, he died, he was buried, he rose again. Successful. Victorious. We were in him. God put us in
him before the world was. We've always been in him. Didn't know it. But thank God he reveals it to
us in a time that he's allotted for us God has a purpose in everything
he does and he has a time and a place for everything he does
And he ascended back into heaven in the holy of holies his blood
His sacrifice his blood sprinkled And he was exalted above all
his brethren Because He is before all. And
because He lives, our life is hid in Him. He has given us life. That old man was nailed to the
cross with Him. Crucified with Him. You no more
are under the dominion of sin. It doesn't have the rule over
you. You still sin. If you say there's no sin in
you, you're calling God a liar. But that inward man that He created,
that creature He created in you, the Spirit of God in you, that
new creation cannot sin because it is of God, born of the will
of God. Doesn't that give you comfort?
What more comfort could you have? He gives you the faith to believe
Him. There's your evidence. There's your evidence. It's your
gods because you have the faith given of God to believe on Jesus
Christ that he did come in the flesh To save his people And he did it he accomplished
he obtained your salvation No more condemnation. God could
not demand any more. All your sins have been paid
for. You still sin. And he gives you the faith to
believe him. He gives you the Holy Spirit
to convict you, convince you of it. And that there is a righteousness
that you need that you don't have. It's in Christ. your need for Christ and he brings
you low before him. You are on your knees, you call
and you run to him. That's all by grace that you
can do that. You can even call him father
out of your mouth, your filthy mouth, my filthy mouth, that
tongue. He gives you the grace in Christ
Jesus that you can call on him. Say his name and you can even
call him father. Abba father. And he's faithful. Christ is
faithful to forgive you. To cleanse you from all unrighteousness. How? How can the ungodly and the unjust,
how can he be just and godly and look upon us? Because it's
his blood. It's his righteousness. It's
his faithfulness. He's already put them away. He's
already put your sins away. And we glory in him. Those brief, glimpses of his
glory. He shines that light in our darkness.
He's the one that delivered us and gave us liberty in him. Freed
us from the bond of Satan. Freed us from sin, shame and
guilt of it. It's him who was crucified for
us. He took it all away and to remember it no more. It's forever. There's no debate. There's no
controversy. Great is the mystery of godliness. And only he can reveal it to
you. Justified in the spirit. Verse sixteen in Timothy says,
we are, he was justified in the spirit. Christ is Lord He was
filled. He's filled with the Holy Spirit
without measure. God made on this earth, when
He went to be baptized, that ordinance, that confession of
the gospel, that confession that we confess when He calls us,
borns us again. We confess in baptism and ordinance
that He showed, that He did, that He gives to us that one
time, one time sacrifice of Himself. We show that He has turned us
to Christ, the one, and we were in Him, our substitute. We confess Christ. We believe on Him. Who came? Who suffered? Who died? Shed his blood. For remission of our sins. We
identify ourselves in him. That when he died, we died. When
he was buried, we were buried. And when he rose, oh, he arose. Sin was put away. He justified us. And we were in him and our life
is hidden in him. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. Because he's God. without measure. And his father said, this is
my son. There he was in the flesh on
this earth, the word. And he said, this is my son and who
I am well pleased. Hear ye him. This is my son. This is my word.
I am your God. Believe on Him. He is the only acceptance you
have to the Father. It is Christ who was crucified.
It's Christ who is risen victorious over Satan. All the works of
Satan. Over sin. He perfected the law,
took the curse away for you. We're not under the law. Law is not for a righteous man.
He's made us righteous in him. That law ain't for us. It's good. Christ made it good. Speaks of
him, speaks of God. Look what he's done for you in
obeying God's law perfectly in your room instead. Brought an end to it for righteousness
sake. It's his perfect obedience, his
perfect righteousness. He conquered death. When this body dies, precious
in the sight of God, when one of his elect dies, and we're
rid of this sinful flesh. See our Savior face to face. See our faith, the author, the
finisher of it. Because we're in him. We're going
to be in him without sin. Successful. He purged all of
our sins. Every one of his elect sins are
purged. They're gone. He appeased the holy justice
of God. God's satisfied with his offering
for us, for you, for you, his elect. God is satisfied with
the offering of atonement that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
his chosen anointed one, he's pleased with his sacrifice. What he paid in full, the sin
debt for you He's happy. Satisfied. He can look on you. How can he look on you? Because
God, by His graces, justified you, sanctified you in His Son. You're covered. You're washed.
You're cleansed in His blood. You're robed. with His righteousness. And God can look at you because
He sees His Beloved. Because you're in Him. He can
call you His son. And through Jesus Christ, the
only way we can look at Him and cry, Only in Christ. Scene of angels. Says without controversy, great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit and scene of angels. Angels are created by God. There's
God's creation. God uses them as ministering
spirits. They minister to us. They don't preach the word. No. Christ chose sinful man to speak
through. To declare his gospel. There's no salvation. for the elect angels, those that
didn't fall when Satan was cast out of heaven. And there's no
redemption for those angels that are fallen. There's no hope. There's no chance of redemption. Yet they worship. Not the fallen. They know he is God. They do. They know he's God. They know
Jesus exists. Better than some of us. They worship and serve him. They
worship Christ. They sit amongst us. They desire
to know this thing of redemption. This thing of why you would even
look at a man. But he passed by the angels.
It took a perfect God man to redeem fallen man. Let's look in Hebrews. Chapter
one, verse 13. Hebrews chapter one, verse 13.
I'll try to go through this. But to which of the angels said
he at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies
thine footstool? Are they not all ministering
spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs?
joint errors with Christ and of salvation. Let's go on with
chapter two, verse one. Therefore, we ought to give the
more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at
any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward, How shall we escape if we neglect so great
a salvation? Which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. God also bearing them witness,
both with signs and wonders and with different divers, miracles
and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will, For unto the angels hath he not
put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. Look what God has done for us
by his grace in Christ Jesus. Most vile, sinful creatures, It is God's
purpose from the beginning to choose a people out of the world unto salvation. Passed by the angels how we should
serve him, how we should worship him, how we should praise him.
Angels desire to know about these things. But it's not given to
them. It's given to his elect, it's
given to you. How we should want to know more
about our Savior. How we should be down on our
knees begging God for mercy to please show us more of our Savior
and what he has done for us, because it is we're just scratching
the surface. We see darkly, we only know in
part, we only know what God reveals to us and only he can do it.
But how we should want and desire to know more and more about this
wonderful savior who even the angels desire to know about redemption. Romans 519 says, for as by one
man's disobedience many were made sinners. That's Adam. And so by one, so by the obedience
of one, that's Christ, shall many be made righteous. God's
grace, God's electing grace, the knowledge of his son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, and preached unto
the Gentiles. Christ himself came to save sinners,
Christ in the flesh, preached his gospel on this earth to sinners and publicans, the vilest of sinners. And he
set up his church, his earthly kingdom himself. It's the reason we're gathered
here today in his name. Because God ordained it to be
that way in his son. There's a place you can go. God
said he would be in the midst of you if two or more were gathered
in his name as a promise. His children would gather together
to praise him. Thank you. Worship. Give him the glory that only
he deserves. Because God scattered his elect
to all the four corners of the world. It's a remnant out of
every kindred and tongue. God calls his people by his gospel,
sending a preacher to them, no matter where they are, no matter
who they are, no matter how vile they are. Because that's the
way he ordained it. And only he can make his word
effectual. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 21. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 21. For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews
require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach
Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the
Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called, both Jews
and Greek, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. He's given us his word. The word of reconciliation. Believed on in the world, preached
on unto the Gentiles, and believed on in the world. Christ, in the
flesh, saved his elect. All that the Father gave him. God has appointed a time. He's
appointed a time for each and every one of his elect. How precious. God has appointed
a time to reveal himself to each of his elect. His time of love,
he calls it, because he delights in mercy, he delights He loves
you. Oh, He loves you. He loves you
in Christ. He put you in His Son. He sent
His Son to die for you. But you might live, have life
in Him. That's how much God loves you.
And He has appointed a time for each and every one of us. And
He will reveal Christ in you the hope of glory. Look over
in John 6, 37. John 6, 37. He said, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. He makes you willing. And him
that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. For I came
down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him
that sent me. And this is the Father's will,
which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which
seeth the sun, God reveals his health to you through his son,
and believeth on him, he gives you the faith, may have everlasting
life, and I will raise him up at the last day. He will call you out of your
darkness, each and every one of his elect at his appointed
time of love, received up in the glory, up in heaven, There
sits a man, the firstborn among many of his
brethren, the God-man, Jesus Christ, on his throne, the right
hand of the throne of the majesty on high. And he rules and he
reigns. He sits because that work that
we just talked about is finished. He finished it on the cross.
It's done. There's nothing more for you
to do. There's nothing more for you to add or you can't take away
anything from it. If you do, it's not of grace
and then it's not of God. It is all of God's grace. And
the knowledge is electing grace is free and sovereign electing
grace and the knowledge and the truth that is in his son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. So there, as we finish in verse
16. Received up in the glory. It's
all for his glory. It's all for the saving his leg,
but it's all for Christ's sake. And great. Without controversy,
there is no debating. It's the declaration of the gospel
of God great is the mystery of godliness
he came god came in the flesh he was manifest in his son jesus
christ glory to god glory be to god