SGFC Worship (December 19, 2021)

Good morning. It is good to see everyone. Merry Christmas. This is our, this is our last Sunday before Christmas, which of course is next Saturday. And today we have a lot of wonderful things that we're going to be doing.

We're going to be doing some wonderful Christmas songs this morning, some, some special music that's a little bit different. There's at least one song I know of that you have not heard of before. And I'm going to encourage you to sing along with us as best you can, but maybe listen to it the first time through and then be able to sing along.

Um, the evening events are as follows tonight at six o 'clock, not six 30. There's been a big confusion because almost everything we do during the week is six 30 and that's because people have to have time to get off work and get here.

But tonight we are starting at six so that we will have time afterwards for a time of fellowship. If we start too late, it'll go too late into the evening. So please know that tonight's service begins at six o 'clock.

It should last for about an hour and afterwards we will have refreshments and I believe there was a request for folks to bring stuff. So if you're able to bring a dessert, it's just desserts and refreshments.

So it's not a full meal. So if you would like to share, please do. Um, and that is our day's event. So I'm thankful that you're here and I really hope that you plan to return tonight, uh, for our celebration.

We, we, in a few moments we're going to light the four candles of Advent, which are the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. But tonight we will light the center candle, which is the candle which represents the coming of Christ.

It is the, uh, the Christ candle, which we will do this evening. One other announcement that I would like to make the elders and I discussed this and wanted to make it known to the church. Um, as many of you know, uh, we are always praying for God to raise up people in the church to serve in different areas.

And one of the areas that we have needs is in the area of deacon and a man in the church we have recognized as being given the gift of service. And that is obviously a prerequisite for the office of elder is Mike Smith.

And so what we have been doing is we have been, uh, talking to Mike about that, asking him to come to meetings. We're having a deacon's meeting today. He's going to come. He's already been doing some praying and things in the service, but over the next two or three months, we're going to have a time of examination.

That's what the Bible says. It says we put someone in a position after having examined them. So we're going to go through a couple of months of examination during which time it would be encouraging to you.

If you have a question for Mike to go and talk to him, if you have a question about his faith or his services, what he's done in the past, that would be a good thing. Mike, if people don't know who you are, he's the very well dressed, handsome gentleman right here next to his beautiful wife.

And there'll be the one lighting the candles in just a few minutes. So, um, so that's Mike Smith. And, uh, we wanted to let you all know, hopefully around March sometime, we will actually do the installation service provided everything goes well with the next few months.

Okay. All right. I believe that is everything I have by way of announcements. There's no activities for the next two weeks in the evening. We take these two weeks off to celebrate Christmas and also take a little break.

So the only thing going on is tonight. So keep in mind, we want you back tonight and I think you will be thankful and blessed that you came. Also, brother Andy's preaching today. I'm excited about that.

It gives an opportunity for us to hear from another one of our pastors and he's going to be preaching from first Timothy chapter three. So we're looking forward to that as well. So if we are ready, let us begin by standing to hear the word of God.

Brother Mike's going to come and read to us from the scriptures and then we will light the candles and begin with music.

Psalm 98 and the Joy of God’s Salvation

Going to read Psalm 98, the joy in which we have in God from him sending his son into the world to redeem sinners and to, and to, uh, to bring righteousness and judgment to the earth says, Oh, sing to the Lord, a new song, or he has done wonderful things.

His right hand and his holy arm have gained the victory for him. The Lord has made known his salvation. He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout joyfully to the Lord. All the earth break forth and sing the joy and sing praises, sing praises to the Lord with the liar and with the liar and the sound of a medley with trumpets and the sound of a horn shout joyfully before the King, the Lord, let the sea roar and all it contains and the world and those who dwell in it.

Let the rivers clap their hands and the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord where he is coming to judge the earth and he will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.

This is God's holy word.

Amen. And now we write, we light the, the, the four candles, each one representing the peace, love. And the last today is joy. And after we light the candles, we will begin. We're going to actually have two songs at the beginning before we do our welcome fellowship.

So keep that in mind. We're going right from the first song into the second.

Oh, come thou dayspring come, our spirits by thine hand disperse the gloomy clouds and dance dark shadows good to fly. Rejoice, rejoice. Amen. Shall come to thee, O Israel, come thou wisdom on high and order all things far.

To us the path of knowledge, the simple ways to glory's road. Shall come to thee, O Israel, come thou desire of nations, bind all peoples in one heart and world with heaven. Rejoice, we men shall come to thee, O Israel, rejoice, rejoice.

Shall come to thee. Rejoice with heart and soul and voice. Give ye heed to what we say. Jesus Christ is born today. Of celestial glory, risen of nature now. Christ is born today. Christ is born today.

Rejoice, O soul and hear of Jesus Christ was born for this. He hath opened heaven's doors, blessed forevermore. For this Christ was born for this. Lift your voices higher to the kingdom. Join the angel choirs.

Lift your hearts and sing. Lift your voices higher to the kingdom of peace. Join the angel choirs. Lift your hearts and sing. Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice. Now ye need not fear the grave.

Jesus Christ was born to save. Calls you one and calls you all to gain his everlasting hall. Christ was born to save. Christ was born to save. Christ was born to save. Christ was born to save. Lift your voices.

Lift your voices higher to the King of Kings. Join the angel choir. Lift your hearts and sing. Lift your voices higher to the King of Kings. Join the angel choir. Lift your hearts and sing. Lift your voices.

Lift your voices higher to the King of Kings. Join the angel choir. Lift your hearts and sing. Lift your voices higher to the King. Join the angel. Lift your hearts and sing.

Turn to your neighbors and welcome them in the Lord this morning. That's mine. Yours is down there. All right, everyone, we're going to continue now with Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.

The Coming of Christ and the Offering

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus. Born to set Thy people free. From our fears and sins, release us. Let us find our rest in Israel's strength and consolation. Hope of all the earth in His power of heaven.

Joy of heaven to taste our sadness. He whose glory in wonder Christ was born. Thy people to deliver, to raise forever. Now Thy grace leads us to Thy glory.

We come now to our time for the offering. Brother Gary is going to come and remind us of the importance of giving as well as the manger offering. I'll do that.

The Bible teaches that Christian giving should be done in light of the Incarnation. Many Christians argue about whether the tithe or 10 is still the standard for Christian giving. Disputes usually want to show less than 10 is fine.

Paul scuttles the whole debate in one verse. In 2 Corinthians 8 -9 he says, Amen. Dear Lord God, we just come before you this morning. And we are so thankful, Lord God, that you died on the cross for us, Lord God.

That gift is more than what we could ask for. And we just praise you this day, Lord God. We praise you with our worship, Lord. We praise you with the tithe, Lord God, the gift that we're going to give you, Lord God.

And we do it with a cheerful heart in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

So as we sing the next song, and it is a new song, and it is a song which tells the story of why Christ came, we're going to receive our offering. We have two offerings this morning. We have our regular gifts that are used for the ministry of the church.

Those will be given in the silver plates. We have two at the front and two in the back. But we also have our manger offering. The manger offering is a special offering that's meant to be given to missions, the gospel going out into all the world.

Christ is the light that has come into the world. And so we give this as missions, and it will be going directly to Scott Phillips, a missionary that we support. So if you have a gift to give Scott Phillips, please place it in the manger.

If you have your regular offering, please put it in the silver plate. If you did not bring your special offering for Scott Phillips today, we will have the manger available tonight. You can bring your offering tonight if you didn't come prepared this morning.

Yes, ma 'am. Let's make it out to the church, and we'll do Scott one check. That'll make it easier. So if you do write a check, just write it to the church, and it will all be given. It's easier to give him one that way.

All right? So we're going to actually, on this song, Matt's going to begin and lead us. That way we can hear the first verse, and then we'll come in on the second.

The Fullness of Time and Christ’s Redeeming Work

From Adam's rebellion to Moses' good law, Death reigned the master of men, With all of creation held under its claw, Awaiting redemption from sin. But when the law thundered and earthquake and fire, Weak as it was to our flesh, It could not help conquer our sinful desires, Only to tighten the noose around our neck.

Still God remembered His mercy and wrath, And promised a way of escape. He planned to be killed on the people's behalf, And trampled the head of the slave. We would offer our best to the fire, Rivers of blood would be spilled.

This could not help with our sinful desires, Nor atone for the debt of our guilt. When the fullness of time had come, God sent us His only Son, Born of a woman, born under law, So that He might appear for redeeming.

When the fullness of time had come, God sent us His only Son, Born of a woman, born under law, So that He might appear for redeeming. Joy set before Him and love to display, Laid aside His great crown.

Sharing our nature as creatures of light, Emptied Himself and came down. Lived like a servant without any home, Carried our sorrows and griefs, Spit at rejected, despised, and below, But cursing He hung on a tree.

When the fullness of time had come, God sent us His only Son, Born of a woman, born under law, So that He might appear for redeeming. When the fullness of time had come, God sent us His only Son, Born of a woman, born under law, So that He might appear for redeeming.

Longer slaves we've been bought with a price, Adopted, delivered, we're sons now with Christ, We stand in His righteousness, Dressed to His righteousness free. No longer slaves. No longer slaves we've been bought with a price, Adopted, delivered, we're sons now with Christ, We stand in His righteousness, Dressed to His righteousness free.

The fullness of time. When the fullness of time had come, God sent us His only Son, Born of a woman, born under law, So that He might appear for redeeming. When the fullness of time had come, God sent us His only Son, Born of a woman, born under law, So that He might appear for redeeming.

So that He might appear for redeeming. So that He might appear for redeeming.

What a moving song. If that doesn't prepare your heart to either preach or to be preached at, there's a fundamental problem. Because we just heard of the atonement, justification, adoption, redemption, all of those key truths of the faith were in that song.

I'm going to read Article 37 of the church confession. It says this, That the ministers lawfully called, as foresaid, ought to continue in their calling and place according to God's ordinance and carefully feed the flock of God committed to them, not with filthy lucre, but in a ready mind.

That is an admonition and encouragement to us as pastors of this church to faithfully feed you because we will stand before God on the day of judgment and we're going to give an account and we're going to be held doubly accountable for the words that came out of our mouth and how we led you.

Before we go to prayer, I want to give you some others to add to your list in prayer. Adam Artesani's lieutenant, Dan Hall has cancer and he has a surgery coming on the 29th. So I would ask that you would keep him in your prayers.

Walter Rogers goes back to the doctor on Tuesday and hopefully, Lord willing, he will get a good report. I had not realized how long he had been with this infection. I think he told me yesterday it was 82 weeks.

Is that correct, Chairman? So continue to pray for him. Pray for Mike Smith's mother as she's in her last days that the Lord would be merciful to her and grant her repentance at least to life. And for the Gomez family, they have had another loss in the family, Jerry's grandmother.

So I pray that you would continue to pray for them. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, what a privilege it is to come to you and call you Father. Us once being alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel, once being dead in our trespasses and sin, once being under the wrath of God, being children of wrath, that you, rich in your mercy, sent forth your Spirit and quickened us and gave us life, granted us repentance, giving us the ability to turn from unbelief to belief, to turn to the true and faithful God that was represented in the incarnation of your Son.

Father God, thank you. Thank you so much for sending forth your Son into the world, born of a virgin, born under the law to redeem those who were condemned by the law. Father, thank you that when He ascended and was seated at the right hand of you, that you sent forth your Spirit down to every believer as the sign, seal, and down payment to one day us being just like Him, perfect, without sin, with no more unclean thought, no impure motive, no more sickness, and no more disease, perfect, just like your Son.

Father God, I want to say thank you for the trials and tribulations which you put in in our life, which so many times we recognize how really out of, not in control of anything of our life. Father, you are working all things out into your own will.

And Father, thank you for those trials. Thank you for those tribulations. So Father, that we can lean not on understanding in all our ways acknowledge you and trust you that Father, you are fulfilling your purposes.

Father, I thank you for those within this body that have sickness and are not well. That Father, we could use the ministry of intercession to lift them up to you. Father, thank you that we have the ability to bring our loved ones and our friends and our family to you and ask that you would be willing and be merciful to grant them healing.

And Father God, I pray for Walter. I pray God that you will continue to strengthen his frail body. God, I pray that you would continue to strengthen his mind, uplift his spirits. And I pray that Father, as he goes to the doctor on Tuesday, that God, that that doctor would give him a report that he is fine and that he could go about his daily affairs.

For Father, he has expressed to me that he longs to be back in the assembly. I pray for Sharon, that you would strengthen her body and give her patience as she continues to take care of him as well. Father, I pray for this Lieutenant Hall, a friend of Adam Artesani's.

God, I pray that you would send forth your spirit. Father, I pray that you would miraculously heal him. You are the great physician and you are able to do that. But God, are you willing? Father, if you are not willing, I pray that you would be merciful.

I pray that you would extend grace and that you would use the doctors and the surgeons and the medicines, whatever means necessary, Lord, for this man to be healed, so that when it's all said and done, that it would be reported that it would be under the provision and of the providence of God that this man was healed.

Father God, I pray for Mike Smith's mother, Virginia. God, I pray that you would be merciful to her in her last days. God, I pray that you would send forth your spirit, the spirit of regeneration that would open up her dead heart.

That God, you would remove that heart of stone and that you would implant with her a heart of flesh that would cause her to love you and obey you in these last days of her life. Oh God, be merciful. Father God, I lift up the Gomez family.

I pray that you would be with them as they have lost another loved one. Father God, I pray that you would strengthen them. I pray that you would give them understanding, give them peace of mind. And Father, I pray for Jerry as he begins to continually explain this to his children and to comfort his wife, that God, you would give him clarity of mind, understanding and wisdom in how to do that and that his words would be encouraging and edifying.

Father God, I thank you for Andy, my fellow friend and fellow elder. I pray that, Father, as he comes up, that, Father, you would empower him with the power of your spirit. That you would implant with him the oracles of God.

That he would preach them with power and he would preach them with boldness. And that, Father, the dead heart that's in here, that life would be given. Lord, you say when your word is preached, that it is life unto life and death unto death.

And, Father, I pray today that it would give life. Father, and I pray that the believer in this room would be more conformed to the image of your son. That they would leave encouraged, exhorted, admonished, and where repentance is necessary, God be willing to grant it.

Father, we love you. Be honored in all that's said and done. Amen.

I think I could sing for about four hours. I'll listen to Brother Mike pray for about four hours. We'll take a 15 minute break and then we'll come back in and look at the word. If you have any Bibles this morning, I would ask that you would turn to Paul's epistles of Timothy, 1 Timothy chapter 3, as we prepare to look at God's word.

1 Timothy chapter 3. This morning I would ask us to just look at one verse. And that verse would be in 1 Timothy chapter 3, in verse 16. But I will read from verse 14, the third chapter, and then end at verse 16, and then we'll ask God's blessings.

Paul says to Timothy, These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly, but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up to glory.

Let us just ask God's blessing. Father, again now, as we've been prayed, we come before you and ask you to do a great work, Lord. A work that only you can do. A work in our hearts, Lord. Those hearts of ours that so easily wander from the truth.

And Lord, even if we were to be honest, so often we grumble against the truth. But Lord, we pray this morning, Holy Spirit, that you would come, you would manifest yourself, and that it would transform us more into the image of the Son of God who so loved us that he gave himself for us.

But be what you word, as only you can. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. So I titled it, The Great Mystery. And I want to look at this verse in that thought, and probably many ways to consider this word from the Apostle Paul, but I want us to consider this morning the great mystery as it is laid out for us in these words of the Apostle.

Let me begin by saying, so I thought of the word mystery and I went, and many times I will, and I think it's a good thing at times, I wanted to see what the word was in English. So I went to Webster's Dictionary, looked up mystery.

And there's a number of definitions for mystery in Webster's Dictionary, and one definition is it's something that's not understood or even beyond understanding. Something that's beyond understanding.

And then another definition that they put in there for that word is that it's something that has a secretive quality to it. And then I was amazed that I found this third definition in Webster's Dictionary of the word mystery, and it says this, a religious truth that one can know only by revelation cannot be fully understood.

And I thought, man, that's right on. And that's what I want us to think about this morning, mainly in that vein of that definition that this mystery of godliness that you and I consider is a religious truth, a real truth, a God-inspired truth that we can only really know by God revealing it to us and, and this is important, that we not only would bow before him knowing that he is the one that allowed us to understand this great mystery, that even in that we can only understand it to a certain point.

And I want to say this at the beginning, that this God that you and I serve, this great God overall in his amazing grace, in his abundant mercy, has allowed all who believe to pull the curtain back just a little and see him who is behind it all, the great God of heaven and earth.

And the reason why I say that is because, my friends, if we are going to understand this mystery of godliness that God was manifest in the flesh and justified in the spirit and seed of angels and preached on among the Gentiles, believed on in the world and received up to glory, we are only going to be able to understand so much.

And if anyone wants to think that they understand it all, then I say to you, you are either a fool or a liar. Because it's impossible to understand the height and the depth and the length and the breadth of this glorious God whom we serve.

I thought of what Jesus said when the multitudes came to him. And if you remember how he often spoke to them in parables. And they weren't able to understand it. And then when he was alone and the disciples were with him, they said to him, Master, why do you keep speaking to them in parables?

And here's what Jesus said. He answered and said unto them, Because, you ready? It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. But to them it has not been forgiven, has not been given.

For whoever has, to him more will be given and he will have abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has, will be taken away from them. I hope that we will begin to realize this morning that when we come in worship of this great and glorious God, and when Paul lays these words out for us, how privileged we are.

Brother Mike said that, how privileged we are. I really ask us to think about that as we live our lives. How privileged we are to know God. To see something of this majesty that engulfs everything and everybody.

Jesus said he had given it to disciples to know the mysteries of the kingdom. You know what Job says about knowing God and understanding the great mysteries behind God? Because God is certainly mysterious.

Wouldn't you agree? Job said this, it said, By his spirit he adorned the heavens and his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Indeed, these are the mere edges of his ways. And how small a whisper we hear of him, but the thunder of his power, who can understand?

You and I realized this morning that we come as beggars in that sense. A desire of God to allow us to see something of his glory. Something of this great mystery. As we will look at in further detail in a moment.

Well think what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 11. After he had spoke of great mysterious things of God's sovereignty and election and predestination and calling and justification and glorification. And as he spoke about all the issues that had to do with Israel and the Gentiles.

And at the end of chapter 11, Paul says, Both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. Now the reason I've said all that is because I wanted to deflate us.

That when we see something of this great mystery of godliness, that we would be raised up. Because I assure you if you came here this morning with an attitude that you know and you understand, you will leave here with absolutely nothing.

But if you come here this morning and by this great glorious Savior of ours, in his abundant mercy. If we've come here with an attitude and a desire to see something of him that we have yet to see. Or to see it in a clearer way.

Then I know that God will be gracious. So let us consider this morning for a few minutes. And I say just consider briefly because in truth, look at this verse. There are six different things that are mentioned here.

Now some will put two together and say there's three couplets of understanding. And for me this morning, I want to look at six specific things that are set out in verse 16. Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.

God was manifest in the flesh. Justified in the spirit. Seen of angels. Preached among the Gentiles. Believed on in the world and received up in glory. And I briefly want to touch each one of those. Because I will tell you that if we were to seek to exhaust what Paul is saying in these words, we would be here for a month of Sundays times a month of Sundays.

Even his brother Keith preached on Wednesday night from 3rd John. The little books. And when he was done, you know what I said? Some of you were here, I said the little big books. Because there's so much truth in such few words.

And that's the glory of God, right? God can stoop down to our frailty. And give us mysteries that are beyond our own understanding. So consider with me for a few these glorious truths. The first one is that God was manifest in the flesh.

And that probably is the one that most people say. Especially around this time of the year we sing about it. And everybody knows at Christmas time it's a celebration. It's Jesus' birthday. Which I'm just not comfortable.

I'm sorry. I'm not comfortable with Jesus' birthday. But if you are, fine. But this reality of God manifest in the flesh. And Paul includes that within the mystery. The mystery of godliness is that God was manifest in the flesh.

And if you begin to think about it, friends. Why is it such a mystery? Because it's speaking of God coming in the flesh. This one, this second person of the trinity. This one who is co-equal with the father and the spirit.

This one who came in the flesh created all things. This one who came in the flesh is the one who opens his hand and satisfies every living thing. Who says that all are his servants. That's the one who was manifested in the flesh.

That he was truly God, truly man. Son of God and the son of man. I like the way one brother put it. He said this Jesus who was not a mere man, yet he was a true man. He was not a mere man, but yet he was a true man.

And we can spend a lot of time on speaking about the hypostatic union of the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ in one person. But that's not necessarily what I want to do. Except to mention it because it's such a mystery for us to understand.

How can that be? How can Jesus be fully God and fully man? That though he is boundless, yet he can find himself in time and space. If you can explain that, please come up. That the one who is boundless can find himself in time and space.

That the one who knew no sin took on sin in the likeness of sinful flesh. While maintaining his absolute purity. You got that one? Come on. How can it be that one who is absolutely pure, whose are purer eyes than to behold evil.

Who is good, only good, always good. How can he come and be fully the son of God and the son of man and take on the likeness of sinful flesh and yet not be bound to be a sinner. That he would confine himself to the limitations of a man while maintaining his majesty.

You want to know what I think about when I think about this mystery of God manifesting in the flesh? I think about the time when they were in the boat. And Jesus fell asleep in the front of the boat. Sounds like something I would do.

Sounds like something you would do. And the disciples wake him up and they said, Lord, Lord, do you not care that we are perishing? And he wakes and what does he do? He calms the winds. You know what's so cool is it says that the disciples were astounded.

That's the mystery of God manifest in the flesh. It's a great mystery indeed, isn't it friends? That he who knew the thoughts of every single man. Yet when they asked him about the hour of the consummation, he said, no one knows it but the father.

Can you explain that in totality? That the one who was truly a man who had no, it says there was nothing about him that from an appearance standpoint that would attract others. And yet at the same time, the demons know who he was.

What a mystery it is that God was manifest in the flesh. You see friends, I say it often and I'll continue to say it. We have too small a perception of the God that we worship. We have whittled God down and try to make him manageable.

Friends, the mystery is beyond management. I say to you young people this morning, grow in your knowledge of who God is. Open your mind and look and see that this great and glorious, boundless, majestic, divine person became a man and dwelt among us.

That he would be born of a virgin by the power of the spirit. Anybody else ever done that? I thought about the great mystery of God manifest in the flesh that even the apostle John laid on the breast of God.

He touched and they handled God. Is that not mysterious? That those who came behind, that woman who came behind Jesus with the issue of blood, she touched the hem of the garment. Jesus says power has gone out of me and the multitude said, what are you talking about?

There's people all over. Men and women in that sense touched God manifested in the flesh. I say to you my friends that he did indeed become flesh. I say to you that he most certainly dwelt among us. Interesting how Paul sets this up without controversy.

It's without controversy. It's not without rebellion. It's not without rejection, but it's without controversy. You might not believe that Jesus is God in the flesh and that Jesus, the son of God, came in the flesh.

You might not believe it this morning, but it's still true. Your belief or disbelief will not add to it nor take away from it. Even as Job says, he says, what can we do to add unto God or what can we do to take away from God?

Great is this mystery of godliness that God was manifest in the flesh. You may ask us for a few minutes to then move to what it says next. It says justified in the spirit. Great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit.

Now I want to take a minute here because I think there are basically two ways to consider what that means. Matter of fact, if I'm not mistaken, in the ESV it says vindicated by the spirit. And basically two ways to think about it.

One is, is that Jesus had the power and presence of the spirit of God like no other. In other words, if you look at your Bibles and remember, and if you're not familiar where it's capitalized, it's speaking about the person of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity.

And I believe in most translations, it will say justified in the spirit, capital S. And the thought behind that being that Jesus Christ, son of God, son of man, manifested in the flesh. The mysterious reality of it is that he was led by the spirit of God like no one else.

You remember at his baptism, it said the spirit of God descended on him like a dove. Now I've had pigeons do some things on my head, but I've never had a dove come over the top of my head. That this one, this son of God, son of man, this boundless one, yet bound one, would be under the submission, direction, and leading of the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

You remember what the apostle John says? He said of Jesus that he had the spirit, and I believe there it means the Holy Spirit, without measure. John 3 .34. Can you explain that? Can you fathom the height and the depth and the breadth and the length of that truth?

That Jesus possessed the spirit of God without measure. That a man born of the flesh submitted to the leading of the spirit of God like no other. I know that's a mystery for you because I know myself.