Stewards of Mysteries of God #2 — Stephen Kaung

Stewards of the Mysteries of God

Will you please turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 4, we will read verses 1 and 2. 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 1 and verse 2. Let a man so account of us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Here further it is sought in stewards that a man be found faithful. Dear Lord as we gather here this morning we sense thou hast brought us into thy inner chamber and there we behold thy beauty. We partake of thy life.

We enter into thy secret council and there did thou we have heard I call come take up thy stewardship of the mysteries of God in my household. Oh Lord we answer thy call and come. We look at thee to reveal thy mind to us.

We depend upon thy grace to enable us to be faithful and prudent stewards of thine and for this end we trust ourselves to thee. May thy will be done in our lives. May thy kingdom come and may thy name be hallowed in the midst.

We give thee all the glory in the precious name of our Lord Jesus. I do hope that these two simple verses in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 will really be deeply inscribed upon each of our heart. Thank God for calling all of us, not just the Apostles, not just a few, but all the redeemed of the Lord.

All who have his life in them. All are called into the household of God and to take part in the management of that house. Therefore brothers and sisters we need to realize that each and every one of us is a steward.

Not just a steward of any kind but a steward of God's eternal purpose. Stewards of God's household and stewards of God's estate. What an honor and yet what a responsibility. Yesterday morning we spoke especially on this matter of the steward and this morning we want to look together into this matter of stewardship.

The Stewardship Entrusted to Every Believer

Steward speaks of the person. The person who is called by God to take part in the management of his interest and we are all called into that. Even though we may have different gifts, even though we are apportioned to different responsibilities, but let us remember one thing that it is not just a single gift or a special appointment, a special work that we are involved with.

We must remember that even though our gifts may be different, our places in the house of God may be different. Our responsibility may be specific and yet we are all together as stewards in the household of God.

In other words we need a more comprehensive overall vision or understanding of what we are entrusted with. So this morning we would like to enter into this matter of stewardship. Steward speaks of the person.

Stewardship speaks of the responsibility. We are all stewards. We are all in stewardship, but we need to understand what is our stewardship or to put it in another way, what is it that God has entrusted to us?

Is it just a specific work of one kind? Is it that we are all serving God in each our own way? Faithful maybe in that particular area, but we forget that we are all involved in one stewardship. There is an overall understanding that we must have.

Otherwise we will be each doing our own work. We may be faithful to that particular work, but it is just all separated, individual, independent, not related, not together. So I feel, brothers and sisters, that we need to have a real understanding of what the stewardship is.

The Apostle Paul tells us that we are stewards of the mysteries of God. Now brothers and sisters, this is what our stewardship is. Our stewardship is not our particular gift. Our stewardship is not our particular work.

Our stewardship is the mysteries of God. It is something far better, far greater, far comprehensive than what we usually think. Brothers and sisters, when we talk about stewardship, what is your real understanding?

The Great Commission and Discipleship

We are all familiar with Matthew 28, that great commission. You remember then when our Lord Jesus, before he left, he gave us a great commission. He said, all power has been given me in heaven and upon earth.

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name, to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I have enjoined you.

And behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age. When you read this great commission, what is your understanding? I think to most people, when we hear of this great commission that our Lord Jesus has committed the church to do, we usually think of evangelism.

Go to the nations, evangelize, bring them into the salvation of the Lord. That is the great commission. And thank God, throughout the generations, the centuries, for two centuries, we find the church has been trying to fulfill that great commission.

We feel that we are called to go to the nations, evangelizing them, bring them out of hell into heaven. And now, our stewardship. Thank God for that. I can never thank God enough for the missionaries that came to China and bring the glad tidings to us.

It is great. It is necessary. It is important. But brothers and sisters, if you read very carefully this great commission, you will find there is not a word about evangelizing. That doesn't mean that evangelizing is not important.

It is very important. Because without that, how can you disciple all nations? But that is the beginning. Thank God that the church has heard and has undertaken the great commission at its beginning. And for this, we are most thankful.

But everybody who reads this great commission can see that it is far much more than just evangelizing. The Lord said, go to the nations. Disciple all nations. You know, when our Lord Jesus was on earth, he preached the kingdom of God.

Believe him, and you shall be saved. Born from above. And you shall enter into the kingdom of God. But at the same time, you find while he was preaching, he called for disciples. He was discipling the nations.

What is discipling? It simply means follow him. Learn of him. To be like him. Not just saved, but saved to be like him. Taking up his character upon them. Grow up into sons. That is what discipling means.

Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Why is it baptism is so important? It is important because this is the beginning of true discipleship. It is the door by which you enter into being disciples of our Lord Jesus.

Following Christ Through Baptism

You know, in the old days, we do not have schools like we have today. So when you want to learn something, you have to be an apprentice. And if you are an apprentice, you do not stay at home. You leave all your old environment behind.

You leave your home, you leave your family, you leave your past, and you stay with your master to be one of the master's family. And usually during the first year, if you are going to learn carpentry, your master will not even let you touch the instruments.

He will ask you to hold his baby. He will ask you to serve him at his meal. He will ask you to sweep the floor and do all these things. It seems as if there is nothing to do with what you are trying to come and learn.

It is only gradually he will allow you to touch the instrument and teach you something. Why? Because he is to disciple you. Not only to teach you his skill, that is secondary. He is to teach you how to behave, how to be a man.

That is the most important thing. So you know oftentimes after you have been with your master for three years or more, you not only learn all his skills, you become a master carpenter. But you learn his way.

Oftentimes you walk like your master. You talk like your master. You think like your master. You are almost like a duplicate of your master. Then you are graduated. And dear brothers and sisters, that is the way of Christ with us.

He saved us in order to disciple us. Come and follow me. And then you find the disciples that left everything and followed him. They were with him day and night. Heard him. Watch him. Stay with him. Abide with him.

And it all begins with our being baptized to the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Dear brothers and sisters, what is baptism? Baptism is not just a ritual. Some people ask the question, if I believe in the Lord Jesus and saved, what else is needed?

The water will never cleanse me from our sins. It is the blood of the Lord Jesus. So why should I be baptized? But baptism is important because baptism tells us that all our past buried and now I rise up from the water, being alive in Christ Jesus.

I'm being delivered from my past. It is no longer I. It is Christ who lives in me. So that's the beginning. But only in that way you are able to be taught of all the things that our Lord Jesus said he has adjoined us.

Otherwise, if he will try to teach you anything, you have your own idea. And you will say, my idea is better. I will stick to my former ways. You will never learn. You have to be dead to the past, dead to yourself, completely new, walk in newness of life with a new mind, transformed.

And that's how you can be taught. And you can learn. And you can really be. And our Lord Jesus said, I will be with you to the end of the ages. So when you read the Great Commission, what is the Great Commission that he has given to the church?

Why is it we must be disciplined? We must be discipled. Why is it that we must be baptized? Why is it that we must learn all that he has taught us? Why? For what purpose? On this rock, I will build my church.

And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. You are a little stone, a piece of the rock. Now you have life in you. And you need to be built upon me and build with other small stones into my house, into my church.

And the gates of Hades shall not prevail. So what is the Great Commission? The Great Commission is that we are called to take up the stewardship of the mysteries. This is our great. Anything less than that is below, is shut off, the eternal purpose.

A Larger Vision of God's Eternal Purpose

So dear brothers and sisters, when we come into this matter of stewardship, I think first of all, we need to realize what a stewardship. He so loves us, he commits himself totally. In a way, our God, our Lord is not just committing a little bit of his to us.

He has committed himself totally. All the mysteries of God, all the secrets of God, all that are in the very heart of God, all that God has according to his good pleasure, purpose, even the foundation of the world, all that he has working throughout the time, all that he's aiming at, all that is what he wants to, he commit.

He commits to us. His commitment is total. And our stewardship, so dear brothers and sisters, we need a larger vision. Somebody asked me the question, if I know what my gift is, if I'm faithful to the gift that God has given me, if I am doing my bit of work as I understand it, do I still need vision?

Do I still need a larger understanding? Certainly you do. Otherwise, what you are doing is independent, is individual. It is not serving the whole council. So it is absolutely important, dear brothers and sisters, that when we come to this matter of stewardship, first of all, we need an understanding.

Even though we are doing our little bit, but that little bit is not isolated. It's not a work by itself. It is not about our objective. It is a part of the greater plan of God. It is a part in the eternal purpose of God.

It is a part of the mysteries of God. Now if you see it, I wonder how you will react. Do you see that we are involved in something so immense, so eternal, so spiritual, so all-inclusive? Even the mysteries of God have been entrusted to us.

We are to keep, we are to possess, we are to serve, we are to fulfill, to realize what? Do not think that it is a little bit of work that God has entrusted to you. Even though it may be small in human eyes, but it is a part of the mysteries of God that God has entrusted to the church and to each and every one.

So dear brothers and sisters, first of all, we need to ask the Lord to really open our understanding. Granted the spirit of wisdom and revelation that we may really know him. Without that, all our works will be in vain.

We may think we are serving God, but we may be like Saul of doing God a great disservice. Not until on the road to Damascus, he saw the Lord and that changed. So this morning we would like to go into this matter of the stewardship of the mysteries of God.

Christ as the Mystery of God

You notice here that Apostle Paul talked about the mysteries of God. It simply means God's secrets. God has called us into his inner chamber and there he will reveal his secret. He has many secrets, but all these secrets are related.

And this morning we would like to share a little bit on the fourfold secret, four aspects of the mysteries of God to which we have all been called to manage, to keep, and to work faithfully. First of all, will you please turn to Ephesians, the letter to the Ephesians, chapter one, verse five, nine, and verse 10.

Ephesians chapter one, verses nine and 10. And having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself for the administration of the fullness of time, to head up, to sum up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth.

And also Colossians chapter two. Colossians chapter two, verses two and three. To the end, that their hearts may be encouraged, being united together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of the understanding to the full knowledge of the mystery of God.

And in a number of manuscripts follows with the mystery of God, even Christ, notably Christ, in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and is the mystery of God. We are clearly being told the secret of God is none other.

Christ is the mystery, all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him bodily, and we are complete in him. In other words, if you want to know God, know Jesus. If you do not know Christ, you will never know God.

God is the greatest unknown, the greatest mystery. You may search for him, but you cannot find him. He is so infinite. He is so immense, so higher, that is beyond any human mind, any searching by man.

You remember how Lord Jesus said, no one knows the Father. No one knows the Son but the Father. No one knows the Father but the Son, and to whom the Son has revealed him. God is the greatest mystery in the universe.

But one day, that secret, the word became flesh. Tabernacle among man, full of grace. No one has ever seen but he, the Son. All that you want to know about God is in Christ Jesus. Outside of him, there is no knowledge of God.

Philip said to the Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us, and we are satisfied. And you know what our Lord said? He must say it with a very sad tone. Philip, you have seen me, you have been with me for so long, and you still haven't seen the Father?

Do you not know that the Father is in me, and I'm in the Father? If you see me, you see the Father. That's the only place you can know God. The mystery is here. Dear brothers and sisters, everything you want to know about God, you'll find it in Christ.

If you try to find God outside of Christ, you're lost. That is what the Colossian believers, they believe in the Lord Jesus, they want to be complete, they want to be full, and they were being led to something other than Christ.

Christ plus, and they lost it. It's one whom we need to know throughout our life, and life is too short for that. Even in eternity, we are continuing learning Christ, because he is the infinite one. There is no end to it.

Are you satisfied with the Christ that you know? As our brother Sparks often said, you make Christ little. As if you're able to comprehend him, he is far beyond every one of us. There's always something, because God, and he trusts this mystery.

The Testimony of Jesus

We who receive the stewardship of the mystery of God, what is it that we are really managing today? If you were here in this morning prayer time, our brother mentioned this matter of the testimony of Jesus, and this is what it is, because Christ is the mystery of God, and God commit the testimony of Jesus to the church.

We are here to bear witness. The Lord said, you have been with me for so long. When the Holy Spirit comes, he shall bear witness of me, and you too shall bear me witness. So we are the holder, as it were, of the testimony of Jesus.

Now when you come to the book of Revelation, you'll find again and again it is said the testimony of Jesus. John, the apostle, he was exiled to the island of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus.

And throughout the ages, you will find people who have the testimony of Jesus. Even the whole prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. We have the testimony of Jesus. Now do we really have it? We are supposed to have it, but do we really have it?

What is the testimony of Jesus? The whole Bible is the testimony of Jesus. And let us try to condense it maybe into one or two sentences. So will you please turn with me to Revelation chapter 1. Revelation chapter 1 verses 17 and 18.

John on the island of Patmos have a vision of the risen Lord. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, and he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not, I'm the first and the last and the living one.

And I became dead, and behold, I'm living to the ages of ages, and have the keys of death and of Hades. This is the testimony that our Lord Jesus testifies of himself. He said, I'm the first and the last and the living one.

That refers to eternity. He is the first, and he is the last. He is the first in the sense that he is the beginning of all things. He is the last in the sense that he is the end, the aim of all things.

He must have the preeminence in all things. All things come by him, through him, and to him. That is what he is. And he is the living one. In other words, he is life. Before him, there was no life. Outside of him, there is no life.

He is the living one, the only one who lives forevermore. Brothers and sisters, this is what our Lord Jesus, his testimony is. Now, is this true? Is he the first? It is easy to say, Lord, you are the first.

But is it true? Is it ourselves the first? Me first? My family first? My interest first? Or even my church first? Who is really the first in your life? Who begins everything in what you do? Does he have the preeminence in your life, in my life?

Do we allow him to begin everything, or we begin something and ask for his approval? He is the first, and he is the last. Not the last one, but the final one. Everything ends up with him. It is for him, for his glory, not for ourselves.

Who has the testimony of him? The one who really allows Christ to be the first, and to be the last, and all within, and one who really knows him as the living one. Live. Now, that is the testimony of Jesus.

The testimony of Jesus is not just a word. There is a power. There is a reality behind the word. Therefore, in Revelation chapter 12, they overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb. They are not perfect, but they know the blood of the Lamb, the power of the precious blood of our Lord Jesus, and the word of their testimony.

Behind their word is the reality that Christ is the first, and the last in their life, and they live by the life of Christ. So that word has power to overcome Satan. That's to the time that our Lord Jesus came into this world, and he said, Behold, I became dead.

The living one became dead. How can it be? Because the word became flesh, and tabernacle among man. He came to be the son of man, a new beginning, and he came for the purpose. He came to die in order that we may live.

That's what he did, and that's what we have experienced. And then, behold, I'm living to the ages of ages. He is resurrected. He has gone into death. Raw death of his power came out victorious in resurrection, and he lives forever and forever.

Do we know him, know the power of his resurrection, overcoming everything, and he holds the keys of death and Hades. The gates of Hades shall not prevail. Dear brothers and sisters, this is the testimony of Jesus, and this is the testimony that has been entrusted to us.

We are the custodian. We are the management. We are here to see to it that we ourselves are in it, faithful, prudent, and that many more may be brought into that same testimony. Now, this is the stewardship of the mystery.

The Church as the Mystery of Christ

Number two, will you please turn to Ephesians chapter 3. Ephesians chapter 3. We read from verse 9 to 11. And to enlighten all with the knowledge of what is the administration of the mystery hidden throughout the ages in God, who has created all things in order that now to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the church the all various wisdom of God according to the purpose of the ages which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The mystery of God is Christ. The stewardship is the testimony of Jesus. The mystery of Christ, as we find in chapter 3 verse 4. Paul said, by Christian reading it, you can understand my intelligence in the mystery of the Christ.

So what is the mystery of Christ? The mystery of Christ is the church. If you want to know Christ, there is only one way to know Christ. Know Christ through the church. Just as you are not able to know God except through Christ Jesus.

It is all exclusive and inclusive. The same thing is true. How will the world know about Christ? The church opens up the mystery of Christ that the whole world may know who Christ is. And that is the reason why the church is called the Christ.

You find in first Corinthians chapter 12 verse 12. First Corinthians chapter 12 verse for even as the body is one and has many members and all the members of the body being many are one body so also is the Christ.

Now we often think by the description of this verse the body is one has many members many members yet one body we will say so also is the church. And that's true it is the church. The church is the body of Christ is one and yet many members even though there are so many members is one body under one head Christ Jesus.

But the spirit of God said so also is the church because the church is the Christ. In other words the church is none other but Christ himself. In all of us it is like when God prepared a bride for Adam.

Adam couldn't find his bride in any of the living creatures no matter how intelligent how big he couldn't find anyone. So God said I will make him a helpmate. His life. God put him to sleep. Out of his sight he took out something and with that something out of Adam he made Eve.

And when Eve was brought to Adam immediately Adam recognized this is me bone of my bone flesh of my flesh brothers and sisters is a type. The anti-type is Christ and the church. When our Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross the soldier came thrust his spear through his side into his heart and out of the broken heart lost it and John said I and my witness is true out of the blood of our Lord Jesus out of the life of our Lord Jesus his bride.

Brothers and sisters we are entrusted with this mystery. We are here on earth with a mission with the trust from God himself to build the church. That is we are to see that the body of Christ is being built.

It is not a matter of our personal spirituality. God does not want monuments. He wants a house. He does not want individual giants. He wants a body. The body of Christ and it is our responsibility to allow the Holy Spirit to use us to build.

So what is the stewardship? If you read Ephesians chapter 4 you will find we are to keep diligently the unity of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace. We need to fellowship with one another in spite of differences.

We need to be under the headship of Christ. Hold fast the head that all the members may be united together and minister one to another for the building up of the body in love. This is our stewardship of the mystery and dear brothers and sisters are we fulfilling it?

Are we faithful and prudent stewards? Number three. First Timothy chapter 3. First Timothy chapter 3 verses 15 and 16. Paul said if I delay in order that I may know how one ought to conduct himself in God's house which is the church of the living God.

The pillar and base of the truth and confessedly the mystery of piety or the mystery of godliness is great. God in the original there is not that word God it is who. Who has been justified in the spirit, has appeared to angels, has been preached among the nations, has been believed on in the world and has been received.

The Mystery of Godliness

The third aspect of the mystery of God is the mystery of godliness. What is godliness? Godliness simply means like God we have the life of God in us and it is the will of God that that life should grow.

That life should grow more and more into conformity to the image of God's beloved son. This is what the church is. This is our testimony and you know as you read these two verses most people think why is it that the translator put the word God in it?

Because in the original it is just who and they do not know who this is and if you read read on you will find who except God himself that's true but if you really read the preceding verse what is the antecedent of verse 16?

The mystery of godliness is great. What is that mystery of godliness referred to? God is God there is nothing strange being godly but here you find the mystery of godliness. Why the mystery? Because it was something unknown before impossible but now made possible.

So what is the mystery of godliness? If you read the former verse the former verse talk about the church. The church is the mystery of godliness and if you read all the description there manifested in flesh the church is heavenly in nature but it is manifested in flesh upon this earth.

Has been justified in the spirit it is the spirit in one spirit we were baptized into one body where the jews or gentiles and were all made to drink of one spirit has appeared to angels. The angels look at the church and wonder they learn from the church to all various wisdom of God what God has done in this group of lord and angels man and God can make them.

Isn't that marvelous? Has been preached among the nations now we will say you don't preach the church if you preach the church you get the cross we preach Christ and you get the church but thank God so far as the world is concerned the world should know what the church is has been believed on in the world.

In the early church you'll find people looking at the church and said who are they they are attracted and they believe has been received up to glory. The church is here in the wilderness on a journey we are going.

Brothers and sisters this is the mystery of godliness and this is entrusted to us how are we going to fulfill that trust in Timothy chapter first Timothy chapter 4 verses 8 and 9. Exercise thyself unto godliness for bodily exercise is profitable for a little but godliness is profitable for everything having promise of life of the present one and of that to come the word is faithful and worthy of all acceptation.

Brothers and sisters how can we fulfill the trust responsibility managing this mystery of godliness unless we exercise. We know how to exercise our physical body we are being told again and again how important it is that we should exercise for our health for our well-being but the bible said yes it profits us but a little but exercise godliness is not only for now but for eternity.

Brothers and sisters how can we exercise godliness by cooperating with the holy spirit. The holy spirit within us teaches us in all things and if we obey the teaching of the anointing within us we abide in christ.

By abiding in christ we become this is our responsibility we must do it. And finally the fourth aspect Ephesians chapter 6 verse 19 and for me in order that utterance may be given to me in the opening of a mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the glad tidings.

And then Colossians chapter 1 we read from verse 24 now I rejoice in sufferings for you and a field of that which is behind of the tribulations of christ in my flesh for his body which is the church of which I became minister according to the dispensation of god which has given me towards you to complete the word of god.

The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations but has now been made manifest to his saints to whom god will make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the which is christ in you the hope of glory whom we announce admonish every man and teaching every man in all wisdom to the end that they may present.

We may present every man perfect in christ where unto also I taught combating according to his working which works in me in power. There is the mystery of the glad tidings the mystery of the gospel. People never have thought of the gospel that god has prepared for man it is beyond man's understanding.

Even to man they think it's foolishness it's weakness. But to us the cross is the wisdom of god the power of and christ in you the hope of glory. Brothers and sisters these are the various aspects of the mysteries and god's soul love.

He has such faith. What a responsible who can fulfill this task. Thank god we cannot. This is well grace. It is a mystery. God's grace is so immense so manifold so complete that he's able to work all that he has to god be the glory.

Dear lord we bow in worship that thou should have such faith because thou has faith in thyself lord. We are unworthy but our love has constrained fulfill.