The Mystery of Godliness

---

The Mystery of Godliness 1 Timothy 3:14-16 Justin Deeter — May 22, 2016

Introduction Nobody likes spoilers. In our digital media age, someone’s always trying to spoil the plot of a movie before you see it or they’ll post the twist of the television episode you missed, and they’ll ruin the surprise! We like to go into a movie with a bit of mystery. That’s one of the great frustrations with movie trailers today, they practically give you the entire plot of the movie, before you even buy a ticket! Though we all like mystery when it comes to a new movie, we won’t want to be surprised at the last day at God’s judgement. God has created the world for a particular purpose, and we exist for a particular purpose, and this church exists for a particular purpose; and if we fail to grasp the mystery of God’s plan, we will not only be disappointed, we will stand condemned before God. The mysterious plan of God is the redemption of humanity through his son Jesus. As Paul discusses and celebrates this mystery that is now revealed, we must center our church on its truths and lift high this Gospel defending it form its attackers, but proclaiming it for the world to see. I pray that by the grace of God, he would help us to center our church on the gospel, the mystery of God for salvation. As we look at 1 Timothy today, Paul is going to instruct us to do just that.

The Household of God Paul writes 1 Timothy in anticipation of a future visit. He hopes to travel to Ephesus and see his protégée and friend Timothy, so that he can help bring the church into order himself. Yet, Paul never knew what the next day would

|1

bring. He hoped to come, but his plans could unexpectedly change due to persecution, sufferings, or other potential church issues. Paul was a busy man. So he writes this letter to Timothy in case he is unable to return to Ephesus himself to sort out the commotion going on in the church. If you’ve been with us for the bulk of this series, you will remember that the church at Ephesus is in disarray. Timothy, the young pastor, has been thrown into controversy, forced to deal with false teachers, bad leaders, and disorderly worship and conduct. The church is a mess, and Paul writes to instruct and encourage this young pastor for the task that lies before him. So Paul writes this letter, so that if he delays, Timothy might know “how one ought to behave in the household of God.” Indeed, that is the great occasion of Paul’s writing. He writes to help rightly order the church. As we’ve walked through this letter, verse by verse, Paul has hit on some controversial issues. As we read this letter it challenges some of our preconceived ideas about the nature of the church, the organization of the church, and the purpose of the church. God’s word is like a mirror. We stand before it, gaze into the reflection, and we don’t always like what we see in ourselves. It shows us our faults, our wrinkles, and our frumpiness. It shows us where we’ve gone out of step with the Gospel, it reveals to us our sins, and exposes our pride. Though painful, God always intends to use his word for our good! In addition to showing us our faults, it shows us God’s grace, the goodness of the Gospel, and a path towards righteousness and holiness. As we’ve submitted ourselves to the teaching of 1 Timothy, I’m sure everyone of us, including myself, have felt challenged at times. If that’s you, that’s a good thing! It means the Spirit is working within us. Praise be to God. One of the big questions 1 Timothy forces us to confront is this: who owns the church? Now, we all know the right answer to that question; God does! Yet, in practice we sinfully mutter beneath our breath, grumbling about what the Scriptures say. We groan when God’s word challenges our established practices. We resist laying our lives bear underneath the light of God’s revealed word, fearful that we might actually be convicted by what it says. We give our offerings with strings attached, insisting that the church spends its money however we personally best see fit. We lobby for positions of leadership and authority to exert our own influence and agenda. We think our seniority here, the fact that you may have been here for over 50 years think the church is required to bend to your preferences and wishes. We

|2

know that Forest Hills is God’s church, no doubt we would all say “amen!” to such a statement, but lip service and obedience are two very different things. No doubt the church belongs to Christ! Jesus purchased the church with his own blood. Through his blood he forgives us of our sin, brings us into his family, and sends us out as his servants. By the grace of Jesus, he has made us citizens of his kingdom. As his citizens we bend our knee to the king. We obey the command of the king; we heed the word of the messiah. If Christ owns the church, then he commands the church concerning its worship, purpose, and mission. If Jesus owns us by his blood then he decides how we organize ourselves, who the leaders are, and what is appropriate behavior in his household. Now how do we figure out what Jesus expects of his church? Well thankfully, Jesus has given us his inspired word in the Scriptures. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostles recorded the word of God, preserving it in the pages before us this morning. Since Jesus is the king, and since he has given us his word, the Scriptures then are the authoritative word of Christ for us. As we submit ourselves to Christ, we must submit ourselves to his Word. That’s why Paul’s word to Timothy in this letter continues to be relevant for us today. Paul’s instructions to Timothy on how to rightly order God’s household has been given to us. We must heed the words of the owner of this flock, the master of our church, the savior of our souls. We cannot just give lip service to Jesus’ ownership of our church then do whatever we think is best. Instead, we must demonstrate our love to him by responding in obedience to what he tells us. Isn’t this what Jesus himself tells us in the parable of the two sons? Here is what Jesus said in Matthew 21:28-31 ““What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.” (Matthew 21:28–31, ESV) What’s Jesus’ point? Lip service love for God without obedience to God is not love for God. In other words, true love for Christ is always displayed by

|3

obedience to Christ. Not that our obedience saves us, it is only God’s grace that can do that! Yet, we can say till we are blue in the face that Christ is Lord of Forest Hills, but unless we act in obedience to Christ’s word, we are but liars. So if the church belongs to Christ, what is the nature of this people? What is the purpose for which they are gathered? Well word church literally means “the called out ones” or “the assembly.” The church is the people of God, called out and assembled because of God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. We are the assembly of the broken, the gathering of fools, and the conclave of sinners. The church is the people of God who have recognized the wretchedness of their sin and who have received by faith the saving grace of Jesus. God has adopted us into his family and made us co-heirs with Christ. God has called this rag-tag group of redeemed sinners and now we are “the church of the living God.” We are the household of God himself. Now when Paul describes the household of God, he is not talking about a building. That is a terrible category confusion that we Americans make. We tend to confuse the church with the building. The foundation of the church is not concrete, but the cornerstone of Christ. The church is not brick and mortar, but redeemed flesh and blood. The church is not joined with nails and screws, but Spirit and Word. The church is not decorated with paint and furniture, but with righteousness and good deeds. As we thank God for the beautiful building we are gathered here today, may we never confuse this building with the miraculous work of God as he’s joined us together in Christ. If God summons a tornado to bring this building to a mound of rubble, the church at Forest Hills will still stand strong. May we be on guard of ever thinking that this building is a ministry. It’s not a ministry, but a tool for ministry. And may we never love a temporary structure more than we love the eternal Christ. The household of God is not a building, but a people redeemed and united by Jesus. But Paul not only helps us understand the nature of the church as a household, but also shows us our purpose! He tells us that the church is “a pillar and buttress of the truth.” Now, that’s architectural language. As God constructs his household made out of saints, we have a specific purpose. We are too support, protect, and defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, more than that we elevate it, lifting it high and drawing attention to it, so that we

|4

not only protect the Gospel, but proclaim the Gospel of God to the lost and dying world. This is why rightly ordering the church is essential, because if we do not structure the church properly, then the Gospel is not displayed for the world. Jesus tells us we are to be a “city set on a hill.” John tells us we are to be a light in the darkness. Yet if the church is thrown into confusion in its purpose, organization, and mission then that we cannot properly lift up the glories of the Gospel to our community and world. When the church is not structured biblically, the witness of the church suffers in the community. Instead of lifting up the Gospel as a pillar, we hide it and obscure it from the world. Paul tells us that the primary purpose in the churches mission is the Gospel—the truth about what Christ has accomplished for sinners and the realities of his coming kingdom. Yet, in our American comfort it’s easy for us to lose this singular focus in the church, and become distracted with secondary or even contradictory purposes. In fact, if I asked you to write a one sentence purpose of the church we’d have many different answers and few of us would write “a pillar and buttress of the truth.” Instead we see the church as a place to hang out with my friends, so I come not to worship God, but to socialize, go on fun trips, and get out of the house. For many the church becomes a comfortable cruise ship, an instrument for our leisure to meet my every whim and pleasure. Sadly, many churches are outfitted for entertainment, not for mission. Fun, friends, and good food often happen in the church, but may God help us if we ever think they are the purpose of the church. A country club church doesn’t just obscure the Gospel of Jesus, it contradicts it. Rather than holding up Christ as our all-consuming joy, we kick Jesus off the pedestal and replace him with a myriad of worldly, temporary, and sour idols. The Church must be radically Gospel-centered. Notice, Paul does not define the church by its activity, but by its convictions. Truth matters, because the Church guards and proclaims the deposit of truth entrusted to it. I’ve seen several people over the course of my life try to minimize the importance of truth in the church. We give lip service to the gospel, we distract ourselves with busyness and activity in the church so we don’t actually have to wrestle with God’s word. We are content to be ignorant of God, wanting just enough Jesus to get into heaven, but no more. Yet, Paul says the church is the pillar and buttress of the truth! We are the custodians

|5

of the truth, and we must devote ourselves to knowing the Gospel and proclaiming the Gospel. That’s our purpose! May we cast aside any secondary purposes in our church and focus on the truth of Christ—knowing him and proclaiming him to our city and world. That is why we are her, and as soon as we forget that, may God be graciousness enough to remove our lampstand and shut our doors, lest we bring reproach to the name of Christ. Now what is this truth we are to proclaim? What is the set of doctrines to which we hold? What is the Gospel we are to lift up? Well, Paul tells us about this wonderful mystery of godliness.

The Confession We Hold Paul describes this confession as the great “mystery of godliness.” Mystery was a favorite phrase for Paul, using it to capture the beauty, wisdom, and glory of Christ’s work. Paul writes in Corinthians, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Corinthians 4:1, ESV) In Ephesians Paul writes that “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ” (Ephesians 1:7–9, ESV) In Colossians Paul describes the Gospel as “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.” (Colossians 1:26, ESV) Now by using this idea of mystery, Paul does not mean that we need Nancy Drew or the Hardee boys to figure out what the Gospel is. Rather, the Gospel is the hidden plan of God, now revealed in Christ. The mystery is God’s plan of redemption for humanity through the death and resurrection of Christ. For the church, the Gospel is a known mystery, that we share and declare to the world! With that Paul writes a hymn of the early church about this great, mysterious confession of the church. It’s a beautiful summary in song of what the church supports as the pillar of truth. As we look at this short little

|6

hymn, it beautifully summarizes the confession of the church. The hymn focuses on Christ, his work, and his reward. Let’s take each phrase of this hymn at a time. First, “He was manifested in the flesh.” The mystery begins with the incarnation, that glorious, baffling mystery! God, who exists as Trinity, sent the second person of the Trinity, the Son, into this world and united him to human flesh. The confession of the church begins with that glorious truth of Christmas—God became a man. Jesus, the eternal God, weds himself permanently and inextricably to humanity. God becomes one of us. He identifies with us. He shares in our sufferings. He experiences our weakness. He knows our temptations. Jesus is one of us. The man Jesus Christ has served us as a mediator between us and the Father. In order to bring forgiveness of our sins, redemption from our slavery, and peace from God’s wrath, Jesus went to the cross. He substituted himself in our place, taking on our curse so that we might be spared. Our sin nailed Christ to the tree and it was his love for us that held him there. By the death of Christ, God absolves the wrath we deserve for our sin, and now by faith in Jesus, we receive God’s forgiveness, mercy, and love. The God who became flesh, died in the place of sinful flesh. Yet, Jesus not only was manifested in the flesh, but he was, secondly, “vindicated by the Spirit.” The man Jesus Christ died, but he did not stay dead. On the third day, Jesus rose bodily from the grave. The Spirit of God called him forth from the grave, vindicating the son from his enemies, proving that Jesus is not only the suffering servant of God, but the victorious and holy King! At Jesus’ resurrection a new reality has dawned, a reality in which the dead no longer stays dead. Jesus is resurrected in a physical body as the king of kings and the lord of lords. At the resurrection God inaugurates Christ as king. He sits at the right hand of God, and the Father has made his enemies a footstool for his feet (Ps 110). God has given to his anointed kingdom, power, and glory forever more. Yet, look at the third phrase of this hymn, “seen by the angels.” You see Jesus is not only the appointed king of humanity, but of the cosmos. The entire cosmos from the swirling galaxies to tiniest subatomic particle, from the angels in heaven to the demons of hell, the universe will recognize that Jesus is Lord! His glory, majesty, and worth expand outside of time and space itself. He is Lord of all!

|7

The fourth phrase describes the effects of Christ’s work. By his resurrection, he has ascended the throne, and now in this present time his kingship is being “proclaimed among the nations.” The church as the buttress of this truth of Christ, proclaims to the world that Jesus is the living and resurrected king! And notice, the global implications of this truth. Jesus isn’t just king of the Jews, but of all the nations—Jew and Gentile both! Jesus isn’t just the savior of Americans, but Africans, Asians, and Europeans. The message of this Gospel must be spread around the globe, because Christ’s rule knows no limits. Jesus is not a tribal deity, but a cosmic one. He is the one true God of heaven and earth, and we as the church have the responsibility that the world hears of his goodness, might, and power! The church, as citizens of this heavenly kingdom, have the responsibility to herald and proclaim the kingly rule of Christ. The fifth phrase reveals the results of this proclaiming work. The Gospel will be “believe on in the world.” The nations of the earth will come, through the witness of the church and the sovereign grace of God, the nations will turn from their sins and trust in Christ. The lost in our city, in our country, in our world will recognize that Christ is Lord. As we are urged in the psalms, “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!” (Psalm 67:4). The redemptive love of Christ supersedes any racial or nationalistic boundaries, and we take heart and celebrate that God is doing a work, even now, as he is calling the nations to himself in China, in Africa, and in South America. We celebrate the explosion of Christianity in the global south and the spiritual revivals that are taking place there, because God is the God of all people. The sixth phrase shows us the reward of Christ. He will be “take up in glory.” Just as Christ ascended after his resurrection into heaven, as the kingdom of God spreads, one day Christ will return cloaked in the purity of his glory. The king will come into his kingdom robed in beauty, majesty, and power, and the universe will see that Christ is Lord. Christ will receive the adoration and praise he deserves. The king will be elevated and the hearts of his people will rejoice in gladness at the collision of heaven and earth at Christ’s second coming. Christ the king will come. He will wipe our tears. He will remove the decaying effects of sin. He will judge the wicked. He will protect his saints. He will live with his people, walking with us in the cool of the day, and we will give glory to our Christ, our Lord, our friend, our savior forever and ever. Amen. Come Lord Jesus. May it be so.

|8

Final Thoughts The church confesses this grand and glorious mystery, the dawning of the king, the glories of this resurrected Christ! Church, may we cast aside all distraction, and hold up this mystery to the world as a pillar for the truth! May the realities of Christ’ kingdom be expressed in us, and may we behave in such a way that is fitting for the household of God, so that the world can not only hear the word of the king, but see the kingdom of God in miniature as our community looks at Forest Hills Baptist Church. May we submit ourselves to this King, give our lives for this king, give our church to this king, so that we can treasure Christ together, lifting him high so that all the world might see and behold Christ the king! Come behold the wondrous mystery, the beauty of the King.

|9