I did choose thee. Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. I want to speak to you this morning
on the mystery of godliness. In 1 Timothy 3, verse 15, Paul
said, 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 church is not a man-made
organization or institution. The church is not a building. The church are men and women
that God has saved. That's the church. It's the church,
the called out assembly of the living God. The pillar and ground
of the truth. The church is the pillar and
the ground of the truth. It is founded on the truth and
it upholds the truth so that all can see the church of the
living God. Now, here is the pillar and ground
of the truth that the church stands for. Look what he says
in verse 16. And without controversy, great
is the mystery of godliness. We use superlatives quite often. That was an awesome meal. Really? I mean, it was good. I love good
food. Nobody loves good food more than
I do. But was it awe-inspiring? How you doing? Oh, I'm doing
awesome. Really? We have a tendency to either
over-exaggerate things or under-exaggerate things. But the Word of God never
does. And when the Word of God says,
great is the mystery of godliness, indeed it is a great mystery. And notice He says without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness. Nothing controversial here. True
story, there were two brothers who were both preachers, and
one believed in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, he's the
Son of God, and the other denied that he is God the Son. Why somebody would bother to
preach if they didn't believe Jesus Christ was God, I don't
know, but this guy didn't. But this man who didn't believe
in the deity of Christ says, Brother, now I want you to come
preach for me, but I don't want you to do anything controversial.
And his brother agreed, I won't. So he read for his text, without
controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest
in the flesh. Now this word controversy is
where we get the word confession from. It comes out of that word.
It's the adverb form of the word confession. He could just as
easily say, confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness.
This is what every believer confesses. this great mystery of godliness. Now notice that word mystery.
Great is the mystery of godliness. You know, the truth is a mystery. That does not mean truth concealed. You know, when we use the word
mystery, we talk about something we don't know. What's a mystery
to me? I don't have the answer. But in the scriptures, a mystery
is not truth concealed. but truth revealed, truth that
we would have never known or even suspected unless God was
pleased to make it known. The Lord Jesus said, I thank
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hid
these things, these things of salvation, from the wise and
prudent and revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so
it seemed good in thy sight. Mystery is the truth that we
wouldn't have otherwise known revealed in Holy Scripture. Do you remember when the Lord
said to his disciples, whom say men that I am? And they say pretty
good things. Some say you're John the Baptist,
others Elias, others one of the prophets. He said, but whom say
ye that I am? And Peter said, Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God. And the Lord said, Blessed
art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood didn't reveal
that to thee, but my Father which is in heaven. The mystery of
the scripture. We read in 1 Corinthians 2, 7,
we speak the word, the wisdom of God in a mystery. Ephesians
1.9 says, having made known to us the mystery of His will. That's not just talking about
His will for what I need to do for a job. That's talking about
His will of redemption. His sovereign, good, perfect,
holy will. His will in Christ Jesus. We read in Colossians 1.27 of
the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ
in you. the hope of glory. We read in
Ephesians 5.31, the two shall be made one flesh. This is a
great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. He's talking
about marriage, the union of marriage, where the two become
one. He said what this pictures is the relationship between Jesus
Christ and His bride. They become one, the mystery
of union with the Lord Jesus Christ. We read in 1 Corinthians
1551, where Paul said, Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. We read in II Thessalonians
2.9 of the mystery of iniquity that doth already work. And then
here we have in our text, great is the mystery of godliness. Here it is. First, God, the eternal
God. The one who never began to be. The one who's always been. The
one who's all-powerful. The one who's absolutely sovereign
and controls everything, the first cause behind everything.
The one who's inflexibly just, absolutely holy. The one who's
all-wise. The one who's merciful and gracious. Oh God, The Creator, the one
who spake this world into existence, God, was manifest in the flesh. God became flesh. Understood? No. Believed? Absolutely. 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, the sole representative of the being
of the one who is God, he who is God. God was manifest in the
flesh. Colossians 2.9 says in him, dwells
all the fullness of the Godhead. The fullness of power, the fullness
of sovereignty, the fullness of holiness, the fullness of
wisdom, the fullness of power, all that God is resides, dwells
in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead in a body. The infinite became an infant. The omnipotent God became the
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. The Creator was nailed
to a cross by His creatures. God was manifest in the flesh. Now, in 1 John 4, verse 2, we
read this. Beloved, believe not every spirit.
This is pretty much the same thing. Listen. Beloved, believe
not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they're of God.
Because many false prophets, not just a few, many false prophets
are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of
God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And
this is the spirit of Antichrist. Now in this simple confession,
and it's a confession, that means it's something we preach publicly.
It's what all believers believe. It's a confession. Don't ask
a preacher what he believes privately. He'll just tell you what you
want to hear. You listen to what he says publicly. That's what
he believes. That's what he stands for, what
he confesses. Now, every spirit that confesses
that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, God manifested in
the flesh, the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Now,
here's what we confess. We confess he was before he came. Now, before He came in the flesh,
He was the eternal Son of God. Isaiah 9, 6 says, unto us a child
is born, unto us a son is given. That Son was not born, that Son
was given, that Son has always been. And the government shall
be upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. That's who He is, God manifest
in the flesh. We confess He was the Eternal
God before He came, and He came in the flesh. God was manifest
in the flesh. God became flesh. And we confess that He did exactly
what He came to do. Now when His birth was announced
to Joseph that He would be born, He told Joseph that Mary would
be with child, and He said, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for
He shall save His people from their sins. That's what He came
to do, and that is precisely what He did. When He said it
is finished, His people Not everybody's his people. Those who believe,
having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them to
the end. His people. He shall save his people from
their sins. And that's precisely what he
did. He saved his people from the
penalty of sin. I'll never have to give an account
for my sins because they've been paid for. They've been washed
away. He saved his people from the
power of their sins. There was a time when I was under
the complete dominion of sin. I couldn't believe, I couldn't
repent, I couldn't love. But I do believe now. I do repent
now. I do love now. And it's because
I've been delivered from the power of sin. Somebody says,
well, sin doesn't have power over me. Well, you prove by that,
you're under the complete dominion of it. You're blind. But oh,
to his people, you've been saved. Everybody that believes, you've
been saved from the power of sin. And one of these days, bless
God, I'll be saved from the very presence of sin. God was manifested
in the flesh. Jesus Christ came in the flesh
and He did precisely what He came to do. He lived in this
flesh. He kept the law in the flesh.
He died in the flesh. Somebody says, how could the
God-man die? I don't know, but He did. He
did. He died in the flesh. He was raised from the dead in
the flesh. He ascended back to the Father in the flesh. Right
now in the flesh there's a man in glory representing all of
God's people and he's coming back in the flesh. Great is the
mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. Now the next thing he says is
great is the mystery of godliness. He was justified in the Spirit. You see, God was manifested in
flesh for this purpose. Here's why He came. He came to
save His people from their sins. And maybe one of the best Bible
words to describe this is justification. You remember the story the Lord
gave of the Pharisee and the Republican? The Pharisee, the
religious guy who stood and prayed dust with himself, God I thank
you that I'm not as other men are. I'm not an extortioner. I'm not an adulterer. I'm not
unjust. I'm certainly not like this publican. I fast twice a
week. I give tithes of all that I possess.
And then you had the publican, the despised publican, the sinful
man. He stood back in the back and
he'd beat on his breast. He wouldn't so much as lift his
eyes up to heaven. And he'd beat on his breast crying, God, be
merciful to me, the sinner, the worst man to ever live. And the
Lord said about that man, he said, I say unto you, That man
went down to his house justified rather than the other. That man
who bragged on his religion, he went down to his house in
his sins condemned. And the man who condemned himself
and said, I'm the greatest sinner to ever live. God be merciful
to me, the sinner. Christ said, he's justified. Now, justified. By his own confession
he was guilty, but Christ said he was justified. He was without
guilt. He stood perfect before the holy
law of God. Now that's what Christ came to
do to justify his people. The scripture says he was delivered
for our offenses and raised again for our justification. And God
the Holy Spirit enabled him to do this great work in the flesh. God was manifest in the flesh
and he had the fullness of the Spirit. John the Baptist said
concerning the Lord Jesus, he didn't have a measure of the
Spirit, he had the fullness of the Spirit. A believer has a
measure of the Spirit, but he had the fullness of the Spirit,
and he lived in complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit. He offered
himself by the eternal Spirit without spot unto God. He depended
upon the Holy Spirit to strengthen him, to obey the law perfectly. It was by the Spirit that he
did all. did all these things. He was
justified in the Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit testified
at His baptism. The Holy Spirit confirmed He
was God by using Him to work miracles that only God could
do. The Holy Spirit raised him from the dead. The Holy Spirit
inspired men to write the Bible concerning him and his great
work and justification. Holy men of God spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost. And it is the Holy Spirit who
bears witness to him right now. If you have eyes to see Christ,
it's because God the Holy Spirit gave you eyes to see him. He
was justified in the Spirit. Now the justice of God demands
the salvation of everybody he died for. He was justified in
the spirit in this great work of justification. And then next
it says in our text, great is the mystery of godliness. God
was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels. Seen of angels. Do you think that most of what
is going on in the world piques the interest of angels? I doubt it. You see, angels know
men for what they are. The scripture tells us that they
are greater in power and might than we are. And they know men
of low degree or vanity and men of high degree or lie to be laid
together in the balance. They're altogether lighter than
vanity. Angels know that and they see the affairs of men and
they're not impressed. But don't you reckon that they
were astounded when the infinite became an infant. when the eternal
God became a fetus in a woman's womb. Don't you reckon they were
astounded? How they rejoiced at the birth
of Christ. Glory to God in the highest,
on earth peace, goodwill toward men. He sent his son toward rebellious
man. What an amazing thing. How they
watched him closely during his life. And what about the way
they were at his death? You know, the Lord said, don't
you know, I could call my father and he'd send 12 legions of angels.
They were ready to smite. They were, when they saw men
crucified, oh, they, they, they were ready to, to wipe out man
if that's what was necessary. Oh, they were amazed. It was
angels who testified of his resurrection. Why seek ye him that lives among
the dead? Oh, the ministry of angels. He
was seen of angels. And then next it says, great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles. Now I wonder if you've ever really
thought much about this, that this is a great mystery. that
the gospel was preached to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. Now,
in the Old Testament, God made a covenant with the Jews. There
wasn't any scriptures. There wasn't any promise from
God for the Amorites or the Philistines or any of the other nations.
He made himself known only to the Jews. There was no word from
God to the Gentile world, only to the Jews. Now what this pictures
to us, national Israel, pictures spiritual Israel, all of God's
elect. Not everybody is elect of God,
only those He chose before time began. This is spiritual Israel,
God's chosen people. Now, Paul says this is a great
mystery that the Gospels preached to the Gentiles. The non-Jews,
the unbelievers, the unbelieving, the undeserving, that's me. It
is amazing to me that the good news of the gospel would be preached
to me, a Gentile. who does not in any way deserve
the favor of God, who doesn't deserve the gospel. What a mystery
that the gospel is preached to such unworthy creatures as Any
man, really. It ought to be something that
amazes us, that the Gospels preached to me, that God would be pleased
to bring me the Gospel. All I deserve is to go to hell,
but God has brought me the Gospel. He's even made me a preacher
of the Gospel. What a blessed privilege. This is the great
mystery of godliness that the Gospels preached to the Gentiles. Are you amazed that the Gospels
preached to you? You know, most folks, I'd think, probably not
very amazed by that. Men have such high thoughts of
mankind and themselves. Well, I deserve it. I mean, he
made me. Of course he preached. Oh, that's such a horrible attitude,
though. Oh, would to God that I would be mystified by the fact
that God would have the gospel preached to me. And then the
next thing he mentions in our text, 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. Now this is a great mystery
that anybody believes. You see, by nature, men hate
the living God. And by nature, men hate the gospel. Now men don't hate the imaginary
God, the God they've made up, the God they can control, the
God they can manipulate. Nobody's mad at that God. You
don't even need to be afraid of Him. But I mean the living God,
the God of the Bible, the God who controls everyone. The God
in whose hands you are and He can do with you and me whatever
He's pleased to do. He can save us or He can pass us by. He can
bring us into heaven or He can bring us into hell. Whatever
He does is right. Now that's the God of the Bible.
That's who He is. Somebody says, I don't like that. Well, it doesn't
matter. That's who He is. That's who He is. The God of the Bible,
the living God, the natural man has no love for. And the fact
that anybody believes, that's the gift of God. By grace, you
say, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it's the gift
of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. I believe that before there was
ever a sinner, there was a Savior. Revelation 13, 8 calls Christ
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and I believe that.
I believe the Bible's the Word of God. I can't prove it. Feel
no need to. I know it is. I believe everything
the Bible says. I believe that before time began,
God elected a people to salvation. Scripture says, according as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.
I believe that God was manifest in the flesh. I believe that
God left heaven and became man, and in the flesh He kept the
law. I believe that when He died on
the cross, that was the God-man dying, and He did something by
His dying. He who kept the law was now made
the greatest lawbreaker when sin was placed upon him, and
he became guilty of the sins of his people. And I believe
he actually put them away. The scripture says, he hath appeared
to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, and he did, and I
believe that. I believe that his very righteousness
is my righteousness, and that's how I'm justified before God.
I believe that. I believe that He's ruling and
reigning and everybody's in His hands, me and you included. And
He can do with us whatever He's pleased to do. I believe He's
the Lord. I believe He's Lord of creation. I believe He's Lord
of providence. He's Lord of everything that
happens in time. And He's Lord of salvation. That
means if me or you are saved, it's up to Him. It's not up to
me or you. It's up to Him. He's the Lord. I believe that. And I believe on Him. And this
is what faith is. I am relying on Him. All that
God requires of me, He looks to Jesus Christ, His Son, for,
and I believe that, and I am relying on that. You know, that's
a miracle that I believe. You know, faith is not found
in the natural man. Actually, the things we believe,
somebody says, you believe something that crazy? Yes, I do. It's the
Word of God. It's the truth. Believed on in
the world. This world that didn't know God,
that had no love for God. There are men out of this world
that He saved. There are women out of this world
that He saved that actually believe the Gospel. I believe the Gospel. I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I am resting in Him as all that
God requires of me. He is believed on in the world. Now that is a miracle of grace. That is a part of what is called
the great mystery of godliness. Now the last thing he mentions,
without controversy, Every believer believes this. No controversies
here. This is what every believer confesses. Without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. He was justified in the spirit. He came for the great work of
justification and he accomplished it. And God the Holy Spirit testifies
of this and enabled him to do that. He was seen of angels. He was preached to the Gentiles. He was believed on in the world
and received up into glory. You see, after our Lord was crucified,
He laid in the grave three days. He was dead. What was going on
during that time, I do not know. nor does anyone else. I know
that the moment he died his body didn't see corruption, he didn't
begin the process of decay, and the reason he didn't begin the
process of decay is the moment he died complete satisfaction
was made to God for all the sins of all of his people. But as
he lay dead, all of a sudden he awoke, and he walked out of
that tomb. God had raised him from the dead,
and he was received up into glory. He ascended back to heaven because
God had accepted what he did. He finished the work his father
gave him to do. God accepted it and him, and
he brought him back up into glory to be there forever, seated at
the right hand of the father, sitting on a throne ruling and
reigning, and one day He will come again. Great is the mystery
of godliness. Now we have this message on DVD
and CD. If you call the church, write
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