SGFC Worship (December 19, 2021)

Sovereign Grace Family Church

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December 19, 2021

Worship service at Sovereign Grace Family Church Sermon: The Great Mystery (1 Timothy 3:16) By Pastor Andy Montoro

00:15: Good morning.
00:17: It is good to see everyone.
00:19: Merry Christmas.
00:21: This is our, this is our last Sunday before Christmas, which of course is next Saturday.
00:28: And today we have a lot of wonderful things that we're going to be doing.
00:32: We're going to be doing some wonderful Christmas songs this morning.
00:36: Some, some special music that's a little bit different.
00:39: There's at least one song I know of that you have not heard of before.
00:43: 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.
00:49: Um, the evening events are as follows tonight at six o'clock, not six 30.
00:57: 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.
01:03: But tonight we are starting at six so that we will have time afterwards for a time of fellowship.
01:10: If we start too late, it'll go too late into the evening.
01:13: So please know that tonight's service begins at six o'clock.
01:17: 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.
01:24: So if you're able to bring a dessert, it's just desserts and refreshments.
01:27: So it's not a full meal.
01:28: So if you would like to share, please do.
01:32: Um, and that is our day's event.
01:34: So I'm thankful that you're here and I really hope that you plan to return tonight for our celebration.
01:40: 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.
01:46: But tonight we will light the center candle, which is the candle which represents the coming of Christ.
01:52: It is the, uh, the Christ candle, which we will do this evening.
01:57: One other announcement that I would like to make the elders and I discussed this and wanted to make it known to the church.
02:04: 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.
02:12: And one of the areas that we have needs is in the area of beacon and a man in the church we have recognized as being given the gift of service.
02:22: And that is obviously a prerequisite for the office of elder is Mike Smith.
02:26: And so what we have been doing is we have been, uh, talking to Mike about that, asking him to come to meetings.
02:32: We're having a deacons meeting today.
02:34: He's going to come.
02:35: He's already been doing some praying and things in the service.
02:38: But over the next two or three months, we're going to have a time of examination.
02:42: That's what the Bible says.
02:43: It says we put someone in a position after having examined them.
02:46: 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.
02:55: If you have a question about his faith or his services, what he's done in the past, that would be a good thing.
03:00: 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 they'll be the one lighting the candles in just a few minutes.
03:07: So, um, so that's Mike Smith.
03:10: And 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.
03:18: OK.
03:19: All right.
03:20: I believe that is everything I have by way of announcements.
03:22: There's no activities for the next two weeks in the evening.
03:25: We take these two weeks off to celebrate Christmas and also take a little break.
03:29: So the only thing going on is tonight.
03:31: So keep in mind, we want you back tonight.
03:34: And I think you will be thankful and blessed that you came.
03:38: Also, Brother Andy's preaching today.
03:39: I'm excited about that.
03:40: 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.
03:47: So we're looking forward to that as well.
03:50: So if we are ready, let us begin by standing to hear the word of God.
03:54: Brother Mike's going to come and read to us from the scriptures, and then we will light the candles and begin with music.
04:07: Going to read Psalm 98.
04:11: The joy in which we have in God from him sending his son into the world to redeem sinners and to and to to bring righteousness and judgment to the earth.
04:22: So those sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wonderful things.
04:27: His right hand and his holy arm have gained the victory for him.
04:31: The Lord has made known his salvation.
04:34: He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
04:37: He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.
04:42: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
04:46: Shout joyfully to the Lord.
04:48: All the earth break forth and sing the joy and sing praises.
04:52: 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.
04:59: Shout joyfully before the king, the Lord.
05:02: Let the sea roar and all it contains and the world and those who dwell in it.
05:07: Let the rivers clap their hands and the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth and he will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.
05:19: This is God's holy word.
05:21: Amen, and now we write, we light the the four candles, each one representing the peace, love, and the last today is joy.
05:34: And after we light the candles, we will begin.
05:36: We're going to actually have two songs at the beginning before we do our welcome fellowship.
05:40: So keep that in mind.
05:41: We're going right from the first song into the second song.
05:55: Oh come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.
06:15: And ransom captive Israel.
06:19: And ransom captive Israel.
06:21: Until the Son of God appear.
06:28: Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
06:45: O come, thou dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine hand.
06:57: Disperse the glooming clouds of night.
07:03: And death's dark shadows put to flight.
07:10: Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
07:26: O come, thou wisdom from on high.
07:32: And order all things far and nigh.
07:38: To us the path of knowledge show.
07:44: And cause us in the ways to go.
07:51: Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
08:06: O come, these light of nations bind.
08:13: All peoples in one heart and mind.
08:19: Bid its strife and quarrels cease.
08:25: Fill the whole world with heaven's peace.
08:32: Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
08:47: Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
09:13: The Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice.
09:35: Give ye heed to what we say.
09:38: Jesus Christ is born today.
09:43: Absinthe has reborn him now.
09:46: And he is in the manger now.
09:51: Christ is born today.
09:54: Christ is born today.
10:12: The Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice.
10:20: Now ye hear of endless bliss.
10:24: Jesus Christ was born for this.
10:28: He hath opened heaven's door.
10:32: And man is blessed forevermore.
10:35: Christ is born for this.
10:38: Christ was born for this.
10:47: Lift your voices higher to the King of kings.
10:56: Join the angel choirs.
11:00: Lift your hearts and sing.
11:04: Lift your voices higher to the King of kings.
11:11: Join the angel choirs.
11:15: Lift your hearts and sing.
11:25: The Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice.
11:33: Now ye need not fear the grave.
11:37: Jesus Christ was born to save.
11:41: Calls you one and calls you all to gain his everlasting hope.
11:49: Christ was born to save.
11:52: Christ was born to save.
11:56: Christ was born to save.
12:00: Christ was born to save.
12:06: Lift your voices.
12:17: Lift your voices higher to the King of kings.
12:24: Join the angel choirs.
12:28: Lift your hearts and sing.
12:32: Lift your voices higher to the King of kings.
12:40: Join the angel choirs.
12:44: Lift your hearts and sing.
12:47: Lift your voices.
12:48: Lift your voices higher to the King of kings.
12:55: Join the angel choirs.
12:59: Lift your hearts and sing.
13:03: Lift your voices higher to the King of kings.
13:11: Join the angel choirs.
13:15: Lift your hearts and sing.
13:34: Turn to your neighbors and welcome them in the Lord this morning.
14:36: All right, everyone, we're going to continue now with Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.
15:06: Come thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free.
15:17: From our fears and sins release us.
15:24: Let us find a rest in thee.
15:29: Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art.
15:40: Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.
16:02: Come to earth to taste our sadness, hear whose glory's new bowing.
16:13: By His might He brings us gladness, our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.
16:24: Living riches without number, born within a cattle stall.
16:36: Faced the everlasting wonder, Christ was born of love.
16:58: Turn thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a king.
17:09: Born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom break.
17:20: By thine own eternal Spirit, rule in all our hearts alone.
17:32: By thine all-sufficient hand, raise us to thy glorious throne.
17:43: Gary is going to come and remind us of the importance of giving as well as the manger offering.
18:09: I'll do that.
18:11: The Bible teaches that Christian giving should be done in light of the incarnation.
18:17: Many Christians argue about whether the tithe or 10 percent is still the standard for Christian giving.
18:24: Disputes usually want to show less than 10 percent is fine.
18:26: Paul scuttles the whole debate in one verse in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9.
18:30: He says, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
18:40: Christ's self-giving is now the standard for our giving.
18:43: We begin from the base of the tithe and then aim to emulate in His self-sacrifice.
18:48: Our giving is to be inspired and instructed by Christ's inexpressible gift.
18:52: In light of such a challenge, who could possibly be satisfied with asking how little a percentage is acceptable for me to give? Amen.
19:02: 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.
19:10: That gift is more than what we could ask for.
19:13: And we just praise you this day, Lord God.
19:15: We praise you with our worship, Lord.
19:17: We praise you with the tithe, Lord God.
19:21: The gift that we're going to give you, Lord God.
19:23: And we do it with a cheerful heart in Jesus' mighty name.
19:26: Amen.
19:28: 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.
19:36: We're going to receive our offering.
19:39: We have two offerings this morning.
19:41: We have our regular gifts that are used for the ministry of the church.
19:45: Those will be given in the silver plates.
19:46: We have two at the front and two in the back.
19:48: But we also have our manger offering.
19:50: The manger offering is a special offering that's meant to be given to missions.
19:54: The gospel going out into all the world.
19:56: Christ is the light that has come into the world.
19:58: And so we give this to missions and it will be going directly to Scott Phillips, a missionary that we support.
20:05: So if you have a gift to give Scott Phillips, please place it in the manger.
20:10: If you have your regular offering, please put it in the silver plate.
20:14: If you did not bring your special offering for Scott Phillips today, we will have the manger available tonight.
20:20: You can bring your offering tonight if you didn't come prepared this morning.
20:25: Yes, Matt.
20:28: Let's make it out to the church and we'll do Scott one check.
20:30: That'll make it easier.
20:31: So if you do write a check, just write it to the church and it will all be given.
20:34: It's easier to give him one that way.
20:36: All right.
20:37: So we're going to actually on this song, Matt's going to begin and lead us.
20:41: That way we can hear the first verse and then we'll come in on the second verse.
20:53: From Adam's rebellion to Moses' good law, Death reigned the master of men.
21:10: With all of creation held under its claw, Awaiting redemption from sin.
21:23: When the law thundered, an earthquake and fire, Weak as it was to our flesh, Could not help conquer our sinful desires, Only to tighten the noose around our neck.
21:44: Still God remembered His mercy and wrath, Promised a way of escape, Planned to be killed on the people's behalf, And trampled the head of the snake.
22:09: Though we would offer our best to the fire, And rivers of blood would be spilled, This could not help with our sinful desires, Nor atone for the debt of our guilt.
22:31: 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.
22:56: 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.
23:19: Joy set before Him, and love to display, He laid aside His great crown.
23:33: Sharing our nature as creatures of light, Emptied Himself and came down.
23:45: Lived like a servant without any hope, Carried our sorrows and griefs, Spit at rejected, despised, and alone, But cursing He hung on a tree.
24:07: 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.
24:31: 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.
24:55: We're no longer slaves, we've been bought with a price, Adopted, delivered, we're sons now with Christ.
25:06: We stand in His righteousness, dressed to His righteousness, free.
25:14: We're no longer slaves, we've been bought with a price, Adopted, delivered, we're sons now with Christ.
25:27: We stand in His righteousness, dressed to His righteousness, free.
25:38: 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.
26:03: 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.
26:25: So that He might appear for redeeming.
27:00: The atonement, justification, adoption, redemption, all of those key truths of the faith are in that psalm.
27:09: I'm going to read article 37 of the church confession.
27:12: 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.
27:29: 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.
27:37: And we're going to give an account.
27:38: And we're going to be held doubly accountable for the words that came out of our mouth and how we led you.
27:44: Before we go to prayer, I want to lift up, give you some others to add to your list in prayer.
27:51: Adam Artesani's lieutenant, Dan Hall, has cancer.
27:55: And he has a surgery coming on the 29th.
27:59: So I would ask that you would keep him in your prayers.
28:01: Walter Rogers goes back to the doctor on Tuesday.
28:05: And hopefully, Lord willing, he will get a good report.
28:09: I had not realized how long he had been with this infection.
28:12: I think he told me yesterday it was 82 weeks.
28:14: Is that correct, Chairman? So continue to pray for him.
28:18: Pray for Mike Smith's mother.
28:20: She's in her last days that the Lord would be merciful to her and grant her repentance that leads to life.
28:26: And for the Gomez family, they have had another loss in the family, Jerry's grandmother.
28:33: So I pray that you would continue to pray for them.
28:35: Let's go to the Lord in prayer.
28:49: Father, what a privilege it is to come to you and call you Father.
29:02: 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.
29:35: Father God, thank you.
29:37: 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.
29:47: 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.
30:19: Father God, I want to say thank you for the trials and tribulations which you put in our life, which so many times we recognize how really not in control of anything of our life.
30:32: Father, you are working all things out into your own will.
30:35: And Father, thank you for those trials.
30:37: Thank you for those tribulations.
30:39: 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.
30:47: Father, I thank you for those within this body that are in sickness and are not well, that, Father, we could use the ministry of intercession to lift them up to you.
31:00: 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.
31:11: And, Father God, I pray for Walter.
31:13: I pray, God, that you will continue to strengthen his frail body.
31:17: God, I pray that you would continue to strengthen his mind, uplift his spirits.
31:21: 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.
31:32: For, Father, he has expressed to me that he longs to be back in the assembly.
31:37: And I pray for Sharon, that you would strengthen her body and give her patience as she continues to take care of him as well.
31:43: Father, I pray for this Lieutenant Hall, a friend of Adam Artesani's.
31:49: God, I pray that you would send forth your spirit.
31:52: Father, I pray that you would miraculously heal him.
31:55: You are the great physician and you are able to do that.
31:57: But, God, are you willing? Father, if you are not willing, I pray that you would be merciful.
32:04: 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.
32:25: Father, God, I pray for Mike Smith's mother, Virginia.
32:29: God, I pray that you would be merciful to her in her last days.
32:34: God, I pray that you would send forth your spirit, the spirit of regeneration that would open up her dead heart.
32:42: 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.
32:53: Oh, God, be merciful.
32:56: Father, God, I lift up the Gomez family.
33:00: I pray that you would be with them as they have lost another loved one.
33:04: Father, God, I pray that you would strengthen them.
33:06: I pray that you would give them understanding, give them peace of mind.
33:12: 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.
33:28: Father, God, I thank you for Andy, my fellow friend and fellow elder.
33:36: 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.
33:53: Lord, you say when your word is preached, that it is life unto life and death unto death.
33:57: And, Father, I pray today that it would give life.
34:01: 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.
34:14: Father, we love you.
34:16: Be honored in all that's said and done.
34:18: Amen.
34:18: I think I could sing for about four hours.
34:50: I'll listen to Brother Mike pray for about four hours.
34:53: We'll take a 15-minute break, and then we'll come back in and look at the Word.
34:59: If you have any Bibles this morning, I'd ask that you would turn to Paul's epistles of Timothy, 1 Timothy chapter 3, as we prepare to look at God's Word.
35:11: 1 Timothy chapter 3.
35:30: 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.
35:47: But I will read from verse 14, the third chapter, and then end at verse 16, and then we'll ask God's blessings.
35:56: 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.
36:15: And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.
36:20: 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.
36:35: Let us just ask God's blessing.
36:39: Father, again now, as we 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.
36:54: And Lord, even if we were to be honest, so often we grumble against the truth.
36:59: 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.
37:12: To be with your word as only you can, we ask in Jesus' name.
37:16: Amen.
37:18: So I titled it, The Great Mystery.
37:24: 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.
37:43: 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.
37:52: So I went to Webster's Dictionary, looked up mystery.
37:56: 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.
38:10: And then another definition that they put in there for that word is that it's something that has a secretive quality to it.
38:19: 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.
38:36: And I thought, man, that's right on.
38:41: 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 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, but that even in that we can only understand it to a certain point.
39:25: 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.
40:01: 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.
40:21: 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.
40:45: 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.
40:57: 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.
41:10: 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 given.
41:25: For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance.
41:30: But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
41:38: 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.
41:49: Brother Mike said that, how privileged we are.
41:51: 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 in everybody.
42:15: Jesus said he had given it to the disciples to know the mysteries of the kingdom.
42:26: 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.
42:39: It said, by his spirit he adorned the heavens, and his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
42:48: Indeed, these are the mere edges of his ways.
42:53: And how small a whisper we hear of him, but the thunder of his power, who can understand? You and I realize this morning that we come as beggars in that sense, and 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.
43:23: 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.
43:39: And at the end of chapter 11, Paul says, Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.
43:48: How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out.
43:55: Now, the reason I've said all that is I wanted to deflate us, that when we see something of this great mystery of godliness, that we would be raised up.
44:10: 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.
44:20: 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.
44:46: So let us consider this morning for a few minutes.
44:49: And I say, just consider briefly, because in truth, look at this verse.
44:53: There are six different things that are mentioned here.
44:56: Now, some will put two together and say there's three couplets of understanding.
45:02: And for me this morning, I want to look at six specific things that are set out in verse 16.
45:07: Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.
45:10: 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.
45:20: And I briefly want to touch each one of those.
45:23: 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.
45:36: Even his brother Keith preached on Wednesday night from 3 John, the little books.
45:43: And when he was done, you know what I said? Some of you were here, I said, the little big books.
45:48: Because there's so much truth in such few words.
45:52: 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.
46:05: So consider with me for a few these glorious truths.
46:09: The first one is that God was manifest in the flesh.
46:14: And that probably is the one that most people say, especially around this time of the year, we sing about it.
46:19: And everybody knows that Christmas time is the celebration of Jesus' birthday, which I'm just not comfortable.
46:26: I'm sorry.
46:27: I'm not comfortable with Jesus' birthday.
46:30: But if you are, fine.
46:33: But there's reality of God manifest in the flesh.
46:36: And Paul includes that within the mystery.
46:39: The mystery of godliness is that God was manifest in the flesh.
46:43: 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.
46:55: This one, this second person of the Trinity, this one who is co-equal with the father and the spirit.
47:08: This one who came in the flesh created all things.
47:18: This one who came in the flesh is the one who opens his hand and satisfies every living thing.
47:27: Who says that all are his servants.
47:33: That's the one who was manifested in the flesh.
47:42: That he was truly God, truly man.
47:45: Son of God and the son of man.
47:50: I like the way one brother put it.
47:53: He said, this Jesus who was not a mere man, yet he was a true man.
48:01: He was not a mere man, but yet he was a true man.
48:05: 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.
48:13: But that's not necessarily what I want to do except to mention it because it's such a mystery for us to understand.
48:21: 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.
48:44: If you can explain that, please come up.
48:51: That the one who is boundless can find himself in time and space.
48:58: That the one who knew no sin took on sin in the likeness of sinful flesh.
49:08: While maintaining his absolute purity.
49:14: You got that one? Come on.
49:18: How can it be that one who is absolutely pure, whose are purer eyes than to behold evil.
49:24: Who is good, only good, always good.
49:28: 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.
49:41: That he would confine himself to the limitations of a man while maintaining his majesty.
49:48: 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.
49:54: And Jesus fell asleep in the front of the boat.
49:57: Sounds like something I would do.
50:00: Sounds like something you would do.
50:02: 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.
50:11: You know what's so cool is it says that the disciples were astounded.
50:20: That's the mystery of God manifest in the flesh.
50:24: It's a great mystery indeed, isn't it friends? That he who knew the thoughts of every single man.
50:36: Yet when they asked him about the hour of the consummation, he said, no one knows it but the father.
50:47: 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.
51:02: And yet at the same time, the demons know who he was.
51:19: What a mystery it is that God was manifest in the flesh.
51:22: You see friends, I say it often and I'll continue to say it.
51:26: We have too small a perception of the God that we worship.
51:32: We have whittled God down and try to make him manageable.
51:37: Friends, the mystery is beyond management.
51:40: I say to you young people this morning, grow in your knowledge of who God is.
52:00: Open your mind and look and see that this great and glorious, boundless, majestic, divine person became a man and dwelt among us.
52:14: That he would be born of a virgin by the power of the spirit.
52:23: 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.
52:41: He touched and they handled God.
52:44: 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.
52:57: Jesus says, power has gone out of me.
52:59: And the multitude said, what are you talking about? There's people all over.
53:07: Men and women in that sense touched God manifested in the flesh.
53:14: I say to you, my friends, that he did indeed become flesh.
53:20: I say to you that he most certainly dwelt among us.
53:24: Interesting how Paul sets this up without controversy.
53:29: It's without controversy.
53:31: It's not without rebellion.
53:32: It's not without rejection, but it's without controversy.
53:38: You might not believe that Jesus is God in the flesh and that Jesus, the son of God, came in the flesh.
53:43: You might not believe it this morning, but it's still true.
53:47: Your belief or disbelief will not add to it or take away from it.
53:52: 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.
54:11: You may ask us for a few minutes to then move to what it says next.
54:17: It says justified in the spirit.
54:20: Great is the mystery of godliness.
54:21: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit.
54:26: Now I want to take a minute here, because I think there are basically two ways to consider what that means.
54:36: Matter of fact, if I'm not mistaken, in the ESV it says vindicated by the spirit.
54:45: And basically two ways to think about it.
54:47: One is, is that Jesus had the power and presence of the spirit of God like no other.
54:57: 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.
55:09: And I believe in most translations, it will say justified in the spirit, capital S.
55:20: 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.
55:40: You remember at his baptism, it said the spirit of God descended on him like a dove.
55:49: 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.
55:59: 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.
56:15: 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.
56:25: John 3.34.
56:28: 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.
56:47: That a man born of the flesh submitted to the leading of the spirit of God like no other.
56:55: I know that's a mystery for you because I know myself.
56:57: And there is no way that I can comprehend what it means to put myself in submission to the Holy Spirit of God without ever grieving, resisting, arguing, complaining, disagreeing, and any other negative thing.
57:19: I hope you're all conscious with their witness to that.
57:22: There's never been anybody like Jesus.
57:26: And there will never be anybody like Jesus.
57:28: That's part of the mystery.
57:33: That God in the fullness of time was pleased to reveal that a man born of a woman was so led by the spirit of God and in such submission to the spirit of God that he never sinned.
57:50: He was led by the spirit in everything in absolute submission.
57:54: From the womb, to the tomb, to the grave, to the resurrection, to the ascension.
58:04: That is a glorious mystery, my friend.
58:09: So that's one way to consider what it means when it says vindicated by the spirit or justified in the spirit.
58:14: And again, you look at your own Bibles and depending on your study Bible or translations, you might see capital S.
58:20: And there are some different translations in the second place where it will say, God was manifest in the flesh and justified in the spirit, and it'll be a small s.
58:32: To distinguish again from the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, but rather the thought would then be that Jesus in being both divine and human vindicated himself by that very thought and that very truth that he was fully God and fully man.
58:59: That as he said that, he also said that this one was vindicated in the spirit because of who he was.
59:30: Again, as I said to you, I don't know how I would react if someone woke and calmed the seas.
59:39: Oh, and you remember one of the gospels? When he calmed the seas, they were where they were supposed to be at the shore.
59:45: That's stupid.
59:53: Do we really know this? Do we really stand that this is a mystery and that God has been pleased to reveal some of it to us? This great mystery in which Jesus being fully God, fully man was demonstrated over and over and over again.
01:00:26: That he was a man of human weakness.
01:00:30: Remember what it says? When he had long fasted, he was what? He was hungry, right? And I suppose you could look at it in many different ways, but here's the reality.
01:00:41: He was afterward hungry, yet Jesus said that he had food to eat that no man knew of.
01:00:51: As I said, when he slept in the boat, that as that man, he was able to take his own life and yet he laid down his own life.
01:01:04: So whatever way you want to take that, here's the reality, friends.
01:01:08: It's still a mystery.
01:01:11: This God-man, this Lord of Lord and King of Kings, this suffering servant, this obedient son, this Redeemer that you and I, I trust, have come to worship this morning, that we come with an expectancy that God will pull back the curtain a little.
01:01:35: I don't know why we were talking about that.
01:01:36: We were talking about The Wizard of Oz.
01:01:40: I remember when I was young that that was the big show we were allowed to watch.
01:01:44: This was back when all you had was Channel 2, Channel 4, and it was before the Peacock come on, and everybody said good night, and they played the American, you know, some of you know what I'm talking about.
01:01:54: And I remember The Wizard of Oz, and I remember that whole thing when they see the great and wonderful Oz, and all of a sudden they see the dude, the little midget guy hanging out behind the curtain, right? Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
01:02:12: Pay attention to this though, that when men looked upon Jesus, when men saw his power that flowed out of him, that he was vindicated in that he was fully God, fully man.
01:02:37: In the third place, it says, Seen by angels.
01:02:41: I thought this was pretty interesting, why this is mentioned in the mystery.
01:02:45: Seen of angels.
01:02:48: To me, it just furthers the mystery.
01:02:49: The truth is that the person and work of Jesus Christ among us was not only seen by men of this world, but was displayed before the unseen world.
01:03:01: Set your mind on that for a minute.
01:03:06: That the world beyond the veil saw the incarnation or witnesses.
01:03:18: The world beyond the senses watched as he came among us.
01:03:26: Remember at his birth, what does it say? It says that the heavenly choir sang.
01:03:30: I don't think they were just out walking down the street of heaven just singing songs.
01:03:37: What a mystery! It came out of them, this heavenly choir of God manifesting.
01:03:45: How can this be? You know what Peter says? Peter says that the angels in heaven desired to look down to the things that were seen by men, and yet they were.
01:03:57: As I said to you, you remember, as Jesus was encountered by demons, they knew who he was.
01:04:05: Are you not the Holy One? Do not torment us before the time.
01:04:14: The mystery was revealed not only to us below, but to those beyond even at this point our own understanding.
01:04:25: To principalities and powers.
01:04:30: Not only to the earth, but to the world of created things.
01:04:39: The angels were witnesses to the resurrection.
01:04:42: You know what it says in the book of Hebrews? It says this in the book of Hebrews, that at the coming of Jesus, the angels are told to worship him.
01:04:56: And Paul says and accuses concerning this mystery, he says, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages have been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the church, to the principalities and powers in heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
01:05:30: Seed of angels.
01:05:33: Witnessed by every living thing.
01:05:38: I hope we're beginning friends to understand the mystery of Godliness.
01:05:43: And the privilege we have.
01:05:49: I will say this to you.
01:05:50: If I ever stop bragging on the Lord Jesus Christ and the gift of redemption, make sure you get rid of me.
01:06:02: I won't do you any good.
01:06:04: Neither will brother Keith nor will brother Mike.
01:06:09: You and I will be continually amazed at the God we serve.
01:06:18: That when we sing these Christmas hymns, we sing them because we understand something of it.
01:06:29: And I promised myself I wouldn't mention Santa Claus, so I'm not going to mention Santa Claus.
01:06:35: Although I want to mention Santa Claus.
01:06:44: Paul says the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to his saints.
01:06:52: How wonderful.
01:06:54: How marvelous.
01:06:56: How great.
01:06:58: How God has been to us.
01:07:01: How blessed we are to know something of it, friends.
01:07:04: And I do hope you know something of it.
01:07:07: And I do hope you desire to know more of it.
01:07:14: I do pray that we will begin to think the reality of all this and that we would desire to know more, not know less.
01:07:25: I don't know about you, and I know I'm repetitive.
01:07:27: My wife has told me that for almost 50 years.
01:07:33: But here's the truth, my friends.
01:07:38: We need to desire to know more and more, because more and more is what God wants to give us.
01:07:54: But it was seen of angels.
01:07:57: I could have taken you to the tomb where the angels were.
01:08:01: I'll take you to the resurrection and the ascension in a moment.
01:08:05: Seen of angels.
01:08:07: Then it says preached on to the Gentiles.
01:08:10: And I thought this was, again, so gracious of God to reveal this.
01:08:16: Preached unto the Gentiles.
01:08:19: And there's another aspect of this great mystery, and I'll go through it very quickly, but let me say it to you this way.
01:08:24: Any careful student of the Word of God, or any student of the Word of God that has even a brief understanding of the Old Testament and of what was laid out, there is this reality that the mystery of godliness, the reality that Christ would come into the world as a redeemer, as a savior, as a salvation, and that it was known that the Gentiles in some way would enter into it.
01:08:51: But I would say if you're a careful student of the Word of God, you would agree with me that for the most part it was sprinkled throughout the Old Testament.
01:09:03: And yet, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.
01:09:06: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of them, preached among the Gentiles.
01:09:12: Who would have thought it would provoke Paul, as I said to you in Romans 11, that the Gentiles would be grafted in, that all nations and all tongues and all tribes and all kindreds and all cultures outside of the nation of Israel would come to know.
01:09:38: Paul says this in Romans, according to the commandment of our everlasting God.
01:10:00: He also says this in Colossians, What a glorious, preached unto the Gentiles, preached to, as it is today, preached unto every nation and tribe.
01:10:41: I don't know about you, but I'm so thankful for Scott Phillips.
01:10:45: I'm so thankful that this man takes his family.
01:10:48: I don't know how many times he said he had malaria and dysentery and everything else.
01:10:53: And he's got all those little chitlins with him.
01:10:55: And they go over there in Indonesia and they go into the tribe of the Tao people.
01:11:00: And man, I love them, but I ain't going.
01:11:08: But is he not just unfolding that great mystery of God reaching out to those in darkness? Let me just ask you for a second.
01:11:24: I will keep my time somewhat.
01:11:31: It says that he was manifest in the flesh.
01:11:33: God was manifest, justified in spirit, seen in angels, preached among the Gentiles.
01:11:38: Now, look how he distinguishes preached among the Gentiles to believed on in the world.
01:11:47: You want to know what really is so glorious about this great mystery of God? Fully God, fully man, manifested in the flesh, boundless yet bound, weak and yet almighty.
01:12:06: Manifested, seen in angels, preached unto the Gentiles.
01:12:09: Here's an aspect of the mystery that it's believed.
01:12:17: You and I are the reality of this great mystery, aren't we? The mystery that God has been making since he promised that seed that would crush the seed of the serpent.
01:12:38: This mystery that God has been changing lives one by one since the very beginning.
01:12:47: I hope you're here this morning because your life has been changed.
01:12:50: I hope you're not here this morning because you decided to change your life, but you're here this morning because God changed your life.
01:12:56: Because you believed on his word, because you saw him who is the one who lives forever by grace.
01:13:08: And you all know how we promote the sovereignty of God.
01:13:11: We don't promote the sovereignty of God just for the doctrine of the sovereignty of God.
01:13:17: We teach, preach, stand, defend the truth of the sovereignty of God because it's the reality in our lives.
01:13:31: God has been pleased to reveal himself to us hard-hearted people, sinful people, dull of hearing, uncaring, unloving, haters of God, despises of things that are good, bound by Satan.
01:13:54: That God has been pleased to allow us to believe to the saving of our souls.
01:14:01: That this reality grows, even as Jesus said, like the mustard seed, the smallest of seeds that grows into the log.
01:14:15: What a mystery that we have been chosen, called.
01:14:21: You know what it says in the Psalms? It says, as those that were set apart by God before the foundation of the world to believe, it says, as soon as they hear of him, they will obey him.
01:14:32: Why? Are they smarter? No.
01:14:37: Are they wiser? No.
01:14:39: Are they richer or poorer? I don't know.
01:14:44: Are they trophies of grace? Amen.
01:14:58: Behold, what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us.
01:15:02: We should be called the children of God.
01:15:10: I told my wife I won't cry this morning.
01:15:13: After she told me don't cry this morning.
01:15:18: But I'm a crier.
01:15:20: And I'm okay with it.
01:15:23: Because one day I'm going to sing like never before.
01:15:27: And one day every tear will be wiped away.
01:15:31: Because I've been enabled to believe in him who loved me and gave himself to me.
01:15:39: Let me end these thoughts in that last set of words.
01:15:45: Receive the glory.
01:15:48: In Acts, in the very first chapter, the angels speak.
01:15:52: And Jesus ascends.
01:15:53: And now when he had spoken these things, when they watched, he was taken up.
01:15:57: And a cloud received them out of their sight.
01:15:59: And while they looked steadfastly towards heaven as he went up, the whole two men stood by them in white apparel.
01:16:06: Now I spoke about the angels.
01:16:09: Who also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up to heaven? And this same Jesus who was taken from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him go.
01:16:24: The great mystery is that Jesus came, was dead, and is alive forevermore.
01:16:38: What a mystery.
01:16:41: That he has entered into the holiest of holies for us.
01:16:47: That the veil was ripped.
01:16:49: That he sits on the throne.
01:16:56: That he wiped out the enmity.
01:16:59: That he pleased God.
01:17:01: That he propitiated God.
01:17:02: That he satisfied God.
01:17:04: That the wrath of God has been taken away.
01:17:05: That we've been adopted as sons and daughters.
01:17:10: That he died and he rose again.
01:17:18: That the heavens is now kept in place.
01:17:20: That the accuser of the brethren.
01:17:23: What's the last couple words? Come on.
01:17:25: The accuser of the brethren has been kept.
01:17:32: Because Jesus has ascended.
01:17:36: He's conquered death, the grave, and hell.
01:17:40: So as I close this morning and ask you to consider this great mystery, I also ask you to consider this.
01:17:47: He's coming again.
01:17:51: That's one part of the mystery yet to be unfolded, isn't it? That's going to be a revelation.
01:18:00: That's going to be the final revelation, at least in my mind.
01:18:05: If you want to spend another two or three hours on eschatology, I'm cool.
01:18:09: But I don't think you want to.
01:18:12: But he's coming again.
01:18:15: And when he comes at the sound of the last trump, the mystery will be fulfilled.
01:18:20: He will have delivered up the kingdom of God to the father.
01:18:24: And then it says that God shall be all in all.
01:18:31: Friends, what kind of people are we to be? I pray we all have a Merry Christmas.
01:18:38: I really do.
01:18:40: I'm going to eat a piece of pie for you.
01:18:42: You have a piece of pie or even a piece of cake for me.
01:18:47: Friends, may the truth of the word of God grip us.
01:18:54: May we live expected lives, waiting for the return of the king of kings and the lord of lords.
01:19:01: Let's pray.
01:19:05: Our father in God, thank you so much for who you are.
01:19:09: This great mystery of the son of God who took on flesh and dwelt among us, who died at the hands of wicked men, was buried in another's tomb, rose from the grave, ascended on high and is coming again.
01:19:28: May we live as redeemed people.
01:19:30: And may we love you with all our hearts and souls and minds.
01:19:35: We ask these things in Christ Jesus our Lord.
01:20:12: Prepare ourselves throughout the week, so that when we come together at the table, it's not a time of preparation, but it's a time that as the Lord set the example there, that they gave thanks.
01:20:27: They blessed the bread and the cup, and they received it and they did it in remembrance, he says, of him.
01:20:36: And so, as we gather together here, I'm afraid that this week that has been your desire to prepare.
01:20:48: You say, well, how do we prepare? We prepare by seeking the things of the Lord.
01:20:54: We prepare by denying our flesh.
01:20:59: We prepare by loving our neighbor as ourself, so that when we come here, we don't come to the table with, now I need to confess all these sins, but we come ready to receive, thankfully, what God has done for us, remembering that he loved us, as our brother shared with us so beautifully this morning, he loved us so much that he came and he gave himself.
01:21:27: And having done so, we have received the grace.
01:21:40: Holy Father, we thank you for your word.
01:21:46: We thank you that you have set our souls this morning.
01:21:51: We pray, Lord, that as we set out on this week that is ahead of us, on this first day, we pray, Lord, that we would be prepared, if you tarry, for the next week, when we gather together again.
01:22:07: We come together now and we are thankful for this bread, a picture of your body given for us in this cup, a picture of your blood, your sinless blood, poured out for us through the forgiveness of sin.
01:22:22: We give thanks, even as our Lord did.
01:22:27: We're going to sing a song to prepare our hearts for communion.
01:22:34: As the elements are passed, we invite you to hold them until all have received.
01:22:40: All who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are welcome to receive.
01:22:44: The only time we would ask you to refrain is if you have determined in your heart you need to, or if you've come from another church where you are not in good standing for whatever reason.
01:22:52: But otherwise, we would encourage you, you don't have to be a member, but we do know that you must be part of the body of Christ.
01:23:13: The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King, Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.
01:23:28: Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies, With angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem.
01:23:43: Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King, Christ by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord.
01:24:11: Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of the virgin's womb.
01:24:18: Hail the flesh that God hath seen, Hail the incarnate Deity, Pleased as men with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.
01:24:32: Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King.
01:25:19: Let us come together as a people, and thank you that you love us so much, and together we pray the Lord that we would live like those who have been redeemed.
01:25:30: Let us together share.
01:25:59: We're going to conclude now by finishing Hark the Herald Angels Sing, which we were just singing.
01:26:04: And I want to invite you to stand and sing the last two verses with us.
01:26:09: And then when we are done, I will pray a prayer of benediction and we will be dismissed.
01:26:13: But let me remind you that the day does not end at the end of this service, but we will gather back again tonight at 6 o'clock for worship, to hear the word again, and for a time of fellowship over dessert.
01:26:29: That piece of pie Brother Andy prayed for will be enjoyed tonight if the Lord carries enough for us to be able to be together.
01:26:38: So let us sing out and be prepared to come back.
01:27:17: Hark the Herald Angels Sing Praise the sons of earth Born to give the second birth Hark the Herald Angels Sing Glory to the newborn King Come ye sire of nations Come fix in us thy humble home Rise o'er women's conquering sea Frozen as the serpent's edge Let us lead the lost regain Be the light, the inner man All to all thy self impart Formed in each believing heart Hark the Herald Angels Sing Glory to the newborn King Father, lead us from this place with the glory of the Lord in our heart.
01:28:53: Father, may the mystery of Godliness that has been revealed to us in the Son drive us in all that we do that we might be conformed to his image in Christ's name.
01:29:03: Amen.