The Mystery Revealed - [1 Timothy 3:14-16]

Well, good evening. It's a blessing to be back with you having just been down to Virginia and Washington DC. We got to visit with Lewis and Dallas and that was a lot of fun for us. Did the what was that the skyline Drive?

One afternoon evening. That was beautiful. We just had a really good time of fellowship with them. Well, I would invite you to open your Bibles to first Timothy. As I warm up my hands. You know, I I think I Think I'm gonna move this before I walk into it.

How many of you Have ever owned a car the first car pretty exciting. For me, it was a little bit less exciting. I Guess I was just kind of spoiled in a way. My first car was 1963 Ford Falcon. I Wasn't really that excited about it.

It was big and boxy and everything. But then eventually I got a 1969 Mustang. Now that was kind of exciting who wouldn't love that vehicle 351 eight cylinders. Really cool vinyl roof. Well, that wasn't so cool, but It had an am8 track player in it.

You just don't find those these days. Also had an air conditioner and this was it was memorable because when you crank that thing up full blast. It would actually throw ice on you. Pretty sweet but you know, I was just thinking about because we went on this trip and You know, I honestly know I might be exaggerating but it seems like this is true because you know.

Driving the truck. I had to get gasoline a few times and it seemed to me like I actually put in 83 octane at some point during this trip 83 that seems pretty low. Because I was thinking back to when I owned that Mustang and you know, you got to put in premium fuel because it's it's an eight-cylinder.

I think I put in 105 octane one time 105 octane. I don't I don't even know if that's legal anymore. I don't know if there's anywhere in the United States that you can get that. Thank you, Frank. There you go.

There's anything on the border. Frank knows all about it. I just remember thinking 100 I mean I can remember putting it in the gas tank and going 105 like it was gonna make me go faster. But I was excited about it.

I was excited about that car. I was excited about everything. This is kind of a I get excited about Church about the church about God's Church, you know, you just think well, how can you be excited about it?

It's what you do for a living. Somebody do for a living. I Get to preach and teach and that's all well and good. But I come to church. Anyway, I mean look at pastor Mike. He doesn't have to be here tonight.

I mean he does but he doesn't if you know what I mean doesn't need to be here in the sense that you know, he's going to come here and be Mystified, you know Church is a priority for God. It's a priority for the Bible the New Testament.

Christ gave his life for the church. Christ said he would build his church and yet so many Christians are just so kind of. They could sell for that 83 octane this is a 195 octane passage today. This is a fired-up exciting passage.

This is kind of the the core it is the the center. It is the heart of this book and I would submit that it is one of those mountain peaks in the New Testament. Just to kind of bring us up to where we are.

Kind of doing this review a little bit differently when we just thinking about it personally the interaction between Paul and Timothy. And he does call him his beloved Child beloved son Tecnon in the faith, but but I think there was just so much more.

I think Paul had a genuine love for Timothy. Now, we don't know if Paul had a physical son. At least I don't know. But personally I doubt that if he had a physical son He could have loved him any more than he loved Timothy.

I think Timothy was Kind of that that special Convert Partner just the person that he loved more than any other man in the world. He just had so much invested in him was so pleased with how the Lord had used him.

He trusted him he'd seen him Come around in terms of ministry seen him develop. He'd seen his giftedness. He encouraged him in that in this book and I think he really kind of hand-picked Timothy to go to the church at Ephesus and to Set things in order there.

He knew it was gonna be hard. He told him in chapter 1 that he was gonna have to Basically tell the false teachers that were already there at Ephesus to be quiet to stop teaching. In fact, all of what Paul assigned Timothy to do was difficult.

It was hard. Timothy had some self-doubts. But Paul encouraged him in chapter 1 also to use the law lawfully. He reminded him of his God-given abilities. Told him that his task was going to be the equivalent of warfare.

And then he got into the nuts and bolts of ministry. How do you actually run a church? He gave special priority to prayer special priority to knowing the saving nature of God. Focused on the appropriate roles of men and women in the church particularly with respect to leadership and vital ministries.

So here we come to the end of chapter 3. He's just finished. Paul's just finished giving the Qualifications for elders and deacons and talked about the promises that are available to deacons who are faithful in ministry.

Then we come to what I call this mountain peak in Chapter 3 and it is just kind of breathtaking especially the way it closes very unique different. This evening I want you to see three truths about the Church of God Found in our text tonight so that you will know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God.

How do you view the church is? That a cold sterile object of thoughts. Do you think about it? Is it kind of like, you know, it could be work. It could be school. The church is a manifestation of the love and grace of God toward each saved person.

I Want each of you to love the church at least as much as Paul did he didn't even lay down his life Sacrificially for the church at least not in the full sense of it. I think he certainly did lay down his life sacrificially as Much as any human being can.

But this is no Handbook kind of written by a bureaucrat. I remember we used to have these, you know large Regulation books. I ever wrote one of these things, you know in this situation. You could do this this and this all these kind of things.

This isn't like that in fact this Message tonight this little section of this book this heart of the book of first Timothy is really an impassioned Insight into what the church is all about. Why it exists and you should be Excited about God's church.

You should be excited about being with God's people even as I was thinking this week about all the things That God has granted me since I've been saved. I'm just amazed if I think about it too long. I'll start crying right here.

Church is a place where we can go not only to worship God. Not only to serve God's people but to be reminded again and again and again of the goodness of God of saving us of Rescuing us. Let me read our passage tonight in first Timothy chapter 3 verse 14 Paul writes.

I hope to come to you soon. But I am writing these things to you. So that if I delay you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God. Which is the church of the Living God a pillar and buttress of the truth.

Great indeed we confess is the mystery of godliness. He was manifested in the flesh vindicated by the Spirit seen by angels proclaimed among the nations believed on in the world. Take it up in glory. Let's pray Father we delight in your word.

We thank you that we have Received it that you have opened our eyes to it that we may learn from it father. I pray that this evening as we look into what your word says here about your church that our hearts would be kindled or rekindled.

That we would look at things differently that we would see that a church is not we intellectually know that it's not Just a building. But father I pray that we would look at it rightly that we would see it as you do that we would be delighted To be here that we would be delighted to be among your people Lord that we would love the church as you do father.

We pray these things as we look to your word in Christ's name. Amen. Well, I Have these three truths. The first truth is The church's principles. The church is built on principles. Look at verse 14. I hope to come to you soon.

But I am writing these things to you so that if I delay you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God. Now this is Really more of a personal letter. This isn't like, you know I Paul's not writing to the church at Thessalonica the church at Ephesus the church at Rome.

This is to Timothy not the church at Timothy. It's very personal and he wants Timothy his disciple his student to take a much bigger role in the church at Ephesus. Because Paul's got other things to do.

Literally what he wrote here. This is my own translation. He said these things to you I write Hoping to come to you in haste or speedily in his own hand. Paul wrote this with a persistent. Hope it's a present active participle meaning.

He was in a state of hopefulness that his desire would become reality that he'd get to go to Timothy. I Mean, it's one thing to just send Timothy off there and it's another thing to think, you know this would probably go a whole lot better a whole lot easier for Timothy if I could just kind of Transition him into this if I could sort of be there, you know to be the kind of you know to use the law enforcement analogy Andy Griffith to his Barney Fife, although he was no Barney Fife.

He was much better than that. Some of you guys are going who's Barney Fife? You're not old enough. The point is it would have been easier for Paul as the Apostle to show up and say look I'm gonna straighten things out.

Rather than Timothy saying well, you know what? I have this letter from Paul and he told me to do this and to do that. It's always easier for the person with the most authority to set things, right? He wanted to go there he wanted to help but Paul knew one thing and That's that God is in control of our travel plans.

It happened to Paul over and over again Paul would try to go somewhere and get shipwrecked Paul. What you I mean the the number of events that happened in the life of Paul. I Don't think he was fatalistic here.

But I think he knew that he wasn't in control. Of course Proverbs 69 says the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. James talks about you know, we can't presume to know anything, but we need to say as the Lord or if the Lord wills but when Paul wrote in verse 15 If I delay it.

Or if I delay, it's a third-class conditional in the Greek. And it's not like he really doubted he was going to delay whatever was going on. He's like, you know what? I really want to be with you Timothy, but I'm probably not gonna make it.

It's probably not gonna happen. I am most likely going to be delayed. And so then we come to the purpose of this entire letter. When you see those words so that you just kind of need to underline it because that is in the Greek it's a henna.

It's a purpose clause and that means that this is it. This is why he wrote this entire letter. He thought he was gonna be delayed. And he says so I'm writing these things so that with this purpose I'll get to that purpose in just a minute, but Paul was not going to leave Timothy to trial and error well I'll just tell you the purpose is obviously that so he would know how to conduct himself in the household of faith that he would know how to run a church that he would know how to organize things but imagine that a Man who had never run a church on his own Timothy was going to be given leadership over a church that had problems.

You think Paul was just gonna let him wing it? Hey Timothy, just go out there and you know, whatever happens happens. K Sarasara. We think about this. Timothy had never even been a seminary. How was he gonna do this?

You don't have to go to a seminary, but that's not the point Paul gave these instructions to Timothy so that he could implement put into practice. Organize the church. The way the Lord Jesus Christ wanted it organized Church needs to have godly spiritual leadership.

This is not optional. It is a fundamental principle Upon which the church must run. That's why Paul went on at great length about the spiritual qualifications of the men. Who would be elders? It's a principle.

When Paul tied the prohibition of women Teaching he prohibited women in teaching to the fall of Eve to creation. It is a bedrock principle upon which the church is to operate. You cannot have women teaching men another principle of the church another basic function of the church prayer.

He focused on prayer because the church has to be about the practice of prayer. This letter is filled with divine principles for operating the church as a spiritual enterprise so often churches today operate as if they are a political entity or as if they are a business concerned with the bottom line or maybe as some kind of social club where we all gather together and Share our problems or try to solve problems and All of those things may be fine.

But they're not the basis for running a God-honoring Christ exalting church. I was reading a book Recently that kind of detailed some of the seeker sensitive problems and Probably a lot of you know this but Willow Creek Over the last couple years has come out and acknowledged that they made a lot of mistakes.

They said hey, we missed it we We've over the course of many years we've observed some problems. One problem that we've noticed is that it seems like our church is divided by age. There's some groups, you know, there there's this 30-something Gap, and they don't really want to you know Intermingle with these people or a 50-something and you know, we've got these teenagers and they won't you know interact with older people and You know what's going on?

They also noticed that they had some people who just seemed they were stuck in a rut like they never grew spiritually and they had Problems too with people just leaving the church. So they did surveys.

Here's what they found out. That their problem with the age groups not intermixing not intermingling was because for years they had targeted Specific age groups with specific services. Okay, you're 20 to 30.

You need to be in this service and it's gonna be loud. It's gonna be rock and roll. It's gonna be hip-hop. It's gonna be whatever you want. That's what we're gonna give you. Okay, when you go to the 50 and older service.

You know. You're gonna get Johann Sebastian Bach and you're gonna you know. And so then they tried to bring these two groups together and they can't figure out why it doesn't work. When you've tailor made your services for a specific group.

You've you've trained them that that's what they should get and if they don't get it, then what do they do? I don't like this anymore. I'm out of here and Then with the people who never seem to grow well maybe just maybe it had to do with the fact that on Sunday morning you would come and you would be entertained for an hour and.

And then you'd just go home you get your car wash and your oil change in the parking lot and then you take your you know the Valley parking would come around and drop your car off and you'd go home without any kind of interaction with Scripture and they couldn't figure out why people weren't growing.

It's because they'd never been Fed spiritually and then some people were leaving. Well, why did that happen? Because those who independently studied. Figured out that they shouldn't be in a church that didn't preach the word so.

One might think that Willow Creek after admitting all these things would then look and go. You know what? We need to go back to the Bible and figure out what we're doing wrong and correct that it makes sense in that.

What they do. What do you think they did? They did a survey. They talked to they talked to all the churches in the Willow Creek Association and they said hey what's working for you guys? How are you guys overcoming these problems?

You know, how many of you did and so they're just gonna keep doing surveys until they get it. Right, that's no way to run a church. Might be a great way to run a focus group. You could do a lot of different things.

But that's not how to run a church many years ago. It's an amazing number of years ago when I was in the seminary remember a professor. This really wasn't in a class. This was in a discipleship lab you know one of these things where they're just supposed to impart their wisdom to you and He used to drive me crazy because I would find myself.

I had this little tiny Bible I carried around and I would actually write notes in the back of the Bible wouldn't. I would just be listening to him and I'm Going. I don't have any notebook paper, but I got to write this down.

And so the notes would be in the back of my Bible and he said Listen the church. Today's modern church is all about for peace. People. Principles property and programs. People principles property and programs.

He says Jesus spent his time on people and principles. But what a church is today focus on. Property and programs. What's gonna pack them in. How do we keep them entertained? How do we keep the all those kids busy?

How do we make sure that all their comfort needs are met. Wrong focus. Paul here in this entire letter focuses again and again on principles on truths. On things that the church has to be involved with.

No or that they're non-negotiables. First Timothy as the rest of the New Testament does focuses on the principles for which a church must stand. It also focuses on the issues that a church must stand against.

When Timothy understood how he and others were to conduct themselves in the household of God. Meaning not the building but the corporate body of Christ the gathering of the family of God. When he did that when he understood it and when he implemented it they wouldn't need surveys they wouldn't need Attendance consultants or whatever these other churches use.

Or even books on what their purpose was to be. Paul wasn't gonna be with Timothy personally. He was going to be delayed, but he was writing this letter. To give the church at Ephesus and Timothy her leader the requisite principles.

To bring a group of sinners saved by grace. Together in a way that would honor the Lord who bought them. It's gonna take some organization. It's gonna take some structure. What happens if you don't have organization you don't have any kind of structure at all.

You're gonna wind up with chaos factions, you're gonna wind up with some kind of Dare I say it Corinthian Church principles are vital in building the church. Secondly the church's purpose. Look at verse 15.

I'm gonna start about halfway through there the household of God which is the church of the Living God a pillar and buttress of the truth. Well, what is the church to do? Once Timothy's kind of got the leadership and all the structure in motion.

What what does the church do? Well first Paul begins by telling us who the church actually is. The church is the assembly or the ecclesia of Those who belong to the Living God. This phrase Living God has so many connotations.

We talked about it a few weeks ago in Sunday school. Isaiah 40 through 53. Over and over again the God who lives the God who exists the covenant God of Israel. Yahweh challenges Idols to do what he can do.

He mocks these so-called gods the ones who are made of wood and stone by human beings. It is rather foolish right. Take a piece of wood take a stone. Carve paint something into it or whatever, you know, and then after you're done with it, you fall down and worship it.

You just made it. What kind of power does that thing have? But we the Church of God belong to the one and only God who exists the one who can say I Am that I am. Only he has the power to tell us what will happen to bring it to pass as he did in Isaiah with Cyrus.

Listen what John Stott says? When we come together as the Church of the Living God. Every aspect of our common life is enriched by the knowledge of his presence in our midst. In our worship, we bow down before the Living God.

Through the reading and exposition of his word. We hear his voice addressing us. We meet him at his table in our fellowship. We love each other as he has loved us and our witness becomes bolder and more urgent.

Indeed unbelievers coming in may confess that God is really among you. That's the picture of the church. We come together to strengthen one another and to focus on our purpose. So what is that purpose?

What is the primary duty of this assembly of those who belong to the Living God the one God who exists? Paul says that the church is a pillar and buttress of the truth. How does a pillar run? What is it?

What does a pillar look like? Does the pillar go, you know like this or? No, it goes straight up and down. It's vertical. The picture here is we've got a pillar that goes straight up and Then the buttress or foundation or support or ground any of those Translations will do is what it is the horizontal base.

It is the support in that aspect. So we've got a vertical aspect and a horizontal aspect and that no that isn't some kind of you know, God and Congregation aspect it's nothing to do with that. What it's talking about is The church is to support The truth Vertically and horizontally in other words in every way in every way the church as a spiritual or is a spiritual entity and It is involved in this support of the truth.

How does it do that? Well, I Would argue that there are two ways that the church supports the truth and not vertically and horizontally. But they both defend and proclaim. It's like we have defense and we have offense we have both when we defend and proclaim the truth we are defending and proclaiming the content of Christianity as the ultimate truth, that's the Dictionary definition it just means all the gospel all the truth all of Scripture.

We are to defend and proclaim. Just as a side note, I would say it's important to notice that God is not dependent upon the church to defend the truth and I say that because There are some circles in which it seems like God is kind of put on the back burner and the church comes front and center as the defender of the truth as the defender of Scripture maybe even as Let's say the determiner of Scripture the determiner of what books were in the Scriptures.

Let me be clear here. The Roman Catholic Church did not determine the canon of Scripture. It did not even defend the truth. For centuries until the Lord brought about the right man and the right political climate.

The truth and those who believed it were actually targets of the Roman Catholic Church she was not the pillar and buttress of the truth, but The cross upon which the truth was executed in defending the truth one aspect of what it must do the church must fend off the error of Distortionists those who would twist Scripture those who would twist the truth and false teachers.

You know, some people say well, you know Bethlehem Bible Church. That's the place where you go and you've got kind of prideful and arrogant teaching. They act as if they know what they're talking about.

You know, I remember, you know, it's so true. People would bring this charge up against John MacArthur when I was there and I just I remember one woman saying that you know. He's so arrogant. He's so unloving.

I Just said well, have you ever talked to him? She said no, and I said, well, why don't you go talk to him? And of course she came back and said he's just so nice. You can't get up in the pulpit you can't say, you know, that says the Lord and You know would have people just say oh, he's just a big warm fuzzy teddy bear.

That's just not how it's gonna come across. But it's not out of pride or a desired show-off. It's by divine command that the church and its leaders its teachers must stand strong against those who would misrepresent the Word of God.

People say well what can't you just tell us what you're for? We don't want to know what you're against. Just tell us what you're for. I'll tell you what we're for. We're for the truth. Which by definition means what?

We're against error. You can't just say. If I say well, that's true. If I don't say that's true, then what am I saying? You're so black and white. Well, yes, I am because the Bible is very black and white even though I have some really nice blue numbers now in my New MacArthur study Bible.

We have to say what we're for. We have to say what we're against because we are defending the truth. We have to go straight after error. We have to debunk it. 2nd Corinthians 10 5 he says this. Paul writes we destroy arguments.

Paul was sure me and listen that we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and Take every thought captive to obey Christ. You can't just say what you're for because inevitably False teaching is going to come your way and you're gonna have to say listen.

You have to warn the flock. You have to tell the truth. Yes, but you part of telling the truth is defending against error. To allow false teaching to stand is to fail to follow God's design for leadership and for elders.

Titus 1 9 says give instruction and sound doctrine talking about elders. They must do this give instruction and sound doctrine and also to rebuke or to refute those who contradict sound doctrine. It's both.

It's not either or it is both. Commentator kitchen writes this. The church thrives when divine love life and truth exist in dynamic balance. In other words we want to be Loving. But we also have to be truthful.

We have to be honest. We have to shepherd the flock of God. We have to take great care to do that the church must support in In every way the truth. What have you tonight? What part do you claim? What part do you have in the church being a defender and a proclaimer of the truth?

How can you do that? How can you help defend the truth? Well, I'll give you one way. It's really pretty simple. I'm sure that people hear no compromise radio. And by the way, one thing I didn't mention I mentioned at the newcomers lunch and I have a new nickname.

I'm known in Virginia at least as the Tuesday guy. I was pretty pleased with that. You know, at least I have a Have a nickname. I'm a Tuesday guy on no co but If you if someone is Maligning even somebody who doesn't go to this church if they're maligning pastor Mike pastor Dave elder Pradeep.

What do you do? I? think as a very practical matter. If you love the church you will love those who Try to the best of their capacity to be faithful to the Word of God. You will defend them. You'll not let these things go.

You just can't let's move on to Our third truth the church's proclamation. The church's proclamation is that of Jesus Christ pastor Michael this morning and it is also known as the great confession. Look at verse 16.

Great indeed. We confess is the mystery of godliness. So many ways to translate the beginning of this verse here Ranges all the way from most certainly to undeniably beyond question both positive and negative.

In other words, he's just trying to eradicate any kind of doubt. Paul is well, what is there no doubt about. There's no doubt about the mystery of godliness, I love this word mystery. Mystery on. The word simply means something that was unknown that has been revealed.

One of my favorite examples is in Ephesians chapter 3. Let's turn there just for a moment. Ephesians chapter 3. Because it does illustrate what a mystery is. You know, it's not mystery theater mystery is something that when It was proclaimed originally in the Old Testament some of these truths must have seemed very odd and Almost unfathomable.

How could this ever happen? And when it comes to be we say oh I get it now. Ephesians chapter 3 verse 1. For this reason I Paul. By the way, just to give you great insight. This is one of the reasons I believe Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians for this reason I Paul a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles.

Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you these Gentiles and in the area of Ephesus Asia Minor. How the mystery was made known to me by revelation as I have written briefly when you read this You can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it now has been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

Paul has insight into the mystery of Christ. It was previously not known and now it is but listen verse 6 this mystery is That the Gentiles are fellow heirs members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

They've been grafting in these Gentiles. Thankfully, what a great mystery. Why. Because here you had throughout the Old Testament the separation that existed between Jew and Gentile. Why? Because God wanted a holy people a separate people so he set up the law and All the strictures of the law which separated the Jews from everyone around them because they couldn't eat things and they couldn't wear things and They couldn't worship all these false gods that were all around them and they were completely separated from the Gentiles in terms of culture and that didn't go well.

Didn't go well at all. So, how could all the Old Testament prophecies about Jews and Gentiles someday worshipping together? How could this be in Christ in his fulfillment of the law? Back in first Timothy.

Here's a mystery for you. How could sinful man Ever be made right with God. How could he ever act in a godly way? Again thinking about my own life and just my own desires. How could this ever come to pass.

I was not running around trying to figure out how I could be right with God. How does that happen? How is it that even though I have a Sinful heart God can accomplish his purposes through me even though I don't perfectly obey him.

How can he do this? It's mystery of godliness. How does that happen through the finished work of Christ and this is the truth that the church must defend and Proclaim that in Christ we have been transformed and now act in obedience.

Demonstrating godliness as a result of the mediatorial work of the Lord as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit in us. That's the mystery. That's the solution to that mystery. That's the mystery revealed.

How is it that anyone produces godliness? Because the gospel because the gospel is at work in them and in this next section Really a probably an ancient hymn. Six lines in the ESV. We see six aspects of this work of Christ of his Existence of all the all the things that he accomplished.

Again look at verse 16. We see the incarnation of Christ in verse 16. He was manifested in the flesh. Listen what Walvoord says. He says the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ is the central fact of Christianity.

Upon it the whole superstructure of Christian theology depends that sounds pretty much like a foundation to deny that Jesus is eternally God as Mormons Jehovah Witnesses and others do or that he became fully man as Many also do.

Some say that he only existed as a spirit and only gave the appearance of being a man. To deny those things is to deny the gospel. One cannot claim that Jesus was a created being or that he only appeared to be human and Have any justification of the claim that he or she is a Christian?

That the word became flesh and dwelt among men is an absolute central truth of the gospel. God Always Existence. Second person the Trinity. Coming in the flesh made manifest in the flesh showing being shown in the flesh.

Secondly he was vindicated by the Spirit in verse 16 and Vindicated normally means justified. But when it is passive as it is here, it means that it actually proved God, right? And I think. Probably most of your translations have spirit capitalized and I think that is correct.

We'll get to the other idea here in a minute, but Jesus was not declared innocent. In other words, he wasn't vindicated or justified by the Holy Spirit in that sense. But he was shown to be the Son of God as he says he was.

By virtue of the fulfillment of his own prediction that he would be raised three days after his death. Romans 8 11. Don't turn there. I'll read it. But it says if the Spirit of him the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.

He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. As I used to ask ask in fundamentals of the faith which person of the Trinity raised Jesus from the dead.

The answer of course is yes. Others take the spirit to mean that it talking about the moral purity and that he never sinned his absolute innocence with regard to the law. That's true. But I think this is a clear reference to the work of the Holy Spirit in the resurrection of Christ.

Also verse 16. He was seen by angels. Gramacchi says that angels were actively involved throughout The life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Think about it. Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah.

Then angels proclaim his birth to shepherds. They ministered to Christ after his temptation. They strengthened strengthened him after he prayed in Gethsemane. They declared his resurrection To the women who were there and they explained his ascension to heaven to the Apostles.

Angels have learned about divine wisdom and grace. Even as they they peer longingly into the plan of God's salvation as they see people come to faith in. This verse the emphasis is upon his post-resurrection sightings.

Where did angels see him after he is resurrected? At the Ascension and Now seated at the right hand of the Father. Again, look at verse 16. He's proclaimed among the nations. Paul himself was a participant in this.