What does the Bible say about the mystery of godliness?

The mystery of godliness, as stated in 1 Timothy 3:16, reveals that God was manifest in the flesh, among other truths. The mystery of godliness is articulated in 1 Timothy 3:16, which proclaims that '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.' This declaration highlights the profound nature of Christ's incarnation and His role in salvation. It encapsulates the essence of our faith, affirming that God Himself became a man to redeem His people, showcasing both His divine and human natures.

How do we know the doctrine of the incarnation is true?

The truth of the incarnation is affirmed in Scripture, particularly in 1 Timothy 3:16, which declares God's manifestation in the flesh. We recognize the truth of the incarnation through the testimony of Scripture, notably in 1 Timothy 3:16, where it states 'God was manifest in the flesh.' This claim, presented as an undisputed truth 'without controversy,' serves as a cornerstone of our faith. The continual emphasis on Christ's divine and human nature throughout the New Testament reinforces this doctrine, presenting the incarnation not as mere theological speculation, but as a historical reality central to God's redemptive plan.

Why is the glory of God important for Christians?

The glory of God is fundamental for Christians as it aligns with the chief purpose of human life, which is to glorify God. The pursuit of God's glory is crucial for Christians because it encapsulates the ultimate purpose of existence. Scripture teaches that everything we do, whether in word or deed, is to be done for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). This reflects our primary calling as humanity—to magnify Him in our lives, not seeking personal success or recognition but rather His exaltation. In essence, glorifying God transforms our understanding of ministry and personal conduct, pushing us toward sincerity and truth in all we undertake.

The Mystery of Godliness - Henry Mahan | Full Transcript & Audio

I'm not going to announce my
subject nor my text immediately. I want to talk to you just a
few moments before I bring this message today. I want you to
listen to me. Now I've been in the ministry
preaching the gospel for a little over 43 years and I've always
felt during these 43 years that I've been trying to preach the
gospel of Christ our Lord, that those who preach the word should
do so with four things in mind, always in mind. I've thought
about this quite a bit and I try to keep these four things in
mind when I preach the gospel, either on this television program
or in my pulpit or in meetings, Bible conferences, wherever I
preach, and I feel this ought to be the motive of every man
who preaches and teaches. First of all, we preach what
we preach for the glory of God. Even our Lord Jesus Christ, when
he prayed in Gethsemane's garden, John 17, the priestly prayer
of our master, he said, Father, glorify thy son that thy son
may glorify thee. You glorify me, strengthen me,
help me, use me, that I may glorify Thee. That's the chief end of
man, to glorify God. Not to please himself or anyone
else, but to glorify God. Paul wrote, whatever you do,
in word or deed, whether you eat or drink, do it for the glory
of God. And that ought to be our motive,
number one. Not success. Not recognition,
not applause, but the glory of God. Whatever I do, do it for
the glory of God. And then secondly, keep in mind
always when we're preaching or teaching the truth of God's word. You know, you shall know the
truth and the truth will set you free. Men are set free from
the bondage of sin, from the penalty of sin, the power of
sin. by knowing and loving the truth. The truth. Our Lord in
that same prayer in John 17, he prayed for his disciples and
this was his request. Father, sanctify them through
thy truth. Thy word is truth. And I'll tell
you this, we don't dare compromise the truth. Whatever it costs.
Whatever we have to pay. Whomever we offend. We're not
here to please men. We're here to preach the truth
of God. Do we dare compromise the Word of God to please men?
Paul said, if I please men, I'm not the servant of Christ. I've
got to please Him, whose servant I am. And so we preach for the
glory of God, and we preach the truth of God as it's written.
Thus saith the Lord. His Word, verse by verse. And
then thirdly, This is awfully important, too. All of these
things are extremely important. Thirdly, we preach with sincerity. With sincerity. Over in 2 Corinthians
2, Paul said, we're not as many who corrupt the Word of God,
who deal deceitfully with the Word of God. I wouldn't dare,
wouldn't dare use religion and the Word of God and the Bible
to promote myself. Paul said, I don't dare do that.
But as of sincerity, as of God, in the sight of God, we're in
the sight of God. It's not what do you think, it's
what does he think. In the sight of God, we preach
Christ. We preach Christ in sincerity.
That's our purpose. We don't dare, dare preach insincerely. routinely, as a matter of fact.
Every service is of great importance. I talked to my son who's a pastor
over in Virginia just a few days ago. And we talked about this
very fact, this very truth. Approach every service, whether
it be a prayer meeting, or a Bible class, or a Sunday school class,
or a preaching service, or a funeral, or whatever. Approach it fully
prepared, praying that God will use us for His glory, and accomplish
His purpose, and be a blessing to His people. Never hypocritically. With insincerity, approach any
service carelessly, but with sincerity. And I'll tell you
the fourth thing is this, with simplicity. Make the message
plain. I'll tell you this, we can't
make men believe our message. That's God's Word. It's only
God who can convince of sin. Convince of sin. Not just convict,
but convince of sin. It's only God who can convince
a man of sin. It's only God who can give a
man a new heart. It's only God who can give him
faith to believe. It's only God who can bring him
to Christ. I can't make a man a Christian. But I can make my
message plain enough and clear enough so that at least he'll
understand what I'm saying. whom we preach over in 2nd Corinthians
again chapter 1 verse 17 Paul said this our rejoicing is this
I have preached the gospel in simplicity and with godly sincerity
not with fleshly wisdom but I have preached the gospel in simplicity
and with godly sincerity by the grace of God Now let's put those
things in practice. You who teach, you who sing,
you who preach, in whatever way God's called you to magnify his
name, do it for the glory of God. Preach the truth if it costs
you your life, preach the truth. If it costs you your best friend,
preach the truth. You dare not do otherwise. Paul said, woe is unto me if
I preach not the gospel. Woe is unto me if I preach not
the gospel. And do it with sincerity. And
my soul, do it with simplicity. That people might understand,
at least whether they believe or not, that they might understand
what we're saying. Now, turn to my text. And this
text over in 1 Timothy 3, verse 16. This is one of those texts
in which a man has no problem glorifying God. He has no problem
preaching the truth if you'll stay with the text. For it begins
without controversy, without debate, without argument, without
question. And then he has no trouble with
simplicity because here it is, here it is as clearly and plain
as it can be stated. Look at the text, 1 Timothy chapter
3 verse 16. Paul writes this, without controversy. Great is the mystery of godliness,
the mystery of the gospel, the mystery of God. And here it is. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles,
believed on in the world, received up into glory. That, my friends,
is the mystery of godliness. One old writer said, this is
a clear statement, easily understood. Those aren't hard words to understand,
are they? Easily understood, and yet a
mystery that must be revealed. Profound and yet simple. Another writer says, here is
the sum and substance of true religion. Here is a summary of
the mystery of godliness. Will you look at it with me again?
Let's look at every statement, and then I'm going to talk about
each one individually. It starts with this, without
controversy, that is, without debate, without argument. There's
no place here and no room for argument. This is a declaration
of God. This is the truth of God. We
don't have to explain this. We just preach it, proclaim it.
Without controversy, without debate, without doubt, without
argument, great! is the mystery of godliness.
And here it is, six things. Almighty God became a man. Almighty God literally actually
was made flesh, became a man. Secondly, this God-man, God-man,
God became a man. And this God-man was justified,
write the word vindicated, vindicated by the Holy Spirit. And thirdly,
this God-man was seen announced of the angels, the heavenly hosts.
And fourthly, this God-man was preached to the heathen, bona
fide genuine heathen, Gentiles. Fifthly, this God-man was believed
on, actually believed on in this world. And sixth, in the sixth place,
this God-man was bodily in the flesh as a man taken up into
heaven. And I'm going to show you from
this scripture. It's as great a miracle for a man to be in
heaven as it is for God to be on this earth in the flesh. It's
as great a miracle for a man, a fleshless substance born of
woman, who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean. How
can he be clean as born of a woman? That's a question Job kept asking. But it's as great a miracle for
a man to be in glory in heaven, in the throne room, at the right
hand of the majesty on high. It's as great a miracle for a
man to be there as it is for God, whom the heavens cannot
contain, to be contained in a human body.

The Mystery of Godliness

What does the Bible say about the mystery of godliness?

How do we know the doctrine of the incarnation is true?

Why is the glory of God important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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The Mystery of Godliness

What does the Bible say about the mystery of godliness?

How do we know the doctrine of the incarnation is true?

Why is the glory of God important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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