1 Timothy (Quality: Good)

[0:00] I would direct you to the third chapter, first official of Timothy, and the last verse.

[0:13] And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory.

[0:43] First Epistle of Timothy, third chapter, last verse. Paul at this time was in Rome.

[1:00] And as you will have noticed in all his epistles, how concerned he was for the Church of God.

[1:12] Besides his many labors, he said also that he had daily the care of the Church of God.

[1:25] And he was anxious that the things of the Church were carried on in right order.

[1:38] And he said it would be sanitary, really, if we read this chapter more often and were influenced by it in all our churches throughout the land.

[2:02] But he says, But if I carry long, that thou mayst know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of truth.

[2:27] You see, the importance of the Church of God is a divine institution. It is not a man's device at all.

[2:46] It is not a man's device at all. It is the purpose of God that his people should be gathered together right from Genesis.

[2:59] And to him shall the people come. And through this chapter, the great word is the ninth verse, holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

[3:25] There seems to be a kind of wholesome sting. There seems to be a kind of a wholesome sting. Do you know what a wholesome sting is?

[3:37] That which brings you up. That stings you, awakens, gives you to search yourself and your conscience, holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

[3:56] But if I carry long, that thou mayst know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

[4:18] The truth is established upon the Church of the Living God.

[4:33] And I might say everything else is. The whole universe is built upon the Church of the Living God.

[4:54] The purpose of creation is the glory of God and the glory of the Church of Christ in the Church.

[5:13] But the secret... It is. But it's a mystery.

[5:24] Without controversy, the great is a mystery of godliness.

[5:34] there's many reasons why it's a mystery but the great thing is that God himself incomprehensible he is is the whole mystery of godliness for as we were reading lately all things are for him and by him and to him and came without him there was not anything made that was made take his providence the providence of every creature and every person for he has to do with men is according to his appointment you are not your own that is if you cry you are not your own you are bought with a prize but let us look at the source of this mystery without controversy although really there's nothing more controverted than the Lord Jesus in his incarnation but it means this it is without controversy in the church it is without controversy those who are brought to need him there's no controversy and a poor sinner that realizes there's no salvation without him and without controversy grace is the mystery of godliness there is a very great difference between a difficulty and a mystery they are entirely different if you should say and without controversy great is the difficulty of godliness then it could be solved either by mathematics or by some wise people but it's not difficult it's a mystery and I do feel there's something very blessed about that distinction if godliness was difficult it could be worked out but you'll never work out a mystery and the first mystery which contains every mystery is the being of the infinite god all mysteries are in him and proceed from him and it will run right through the mystery of the work of the holy ghost in the sinner's heart and another thing it's a mystery because all the things of god that pertain to life and godliness are invisible everything of men their lawful things and we are here as I pray we are here for a purpose and it's very important and I wish our dear young friends to think of it and not be indifferent not to say the parson says that this world is vanity so it doesn't much matter how we go on not at all we are here for a purpose and the world is carried on by a variety of natural gifts and intelligences and another thing the lord has nothing to do with any but men not creatures he's created them and he takes care of them he feeds them but he's nothing to do with them they need no salvation they know nothing naturally if all beasts were created there would be no work done no houses built about all the works of men are tangible you can take hold of them you can see them but all the works of God in the mystery of godliness are invisible you can see the effects of them but the thing itself the mystery itself you cannot see and to take one consideration which runs through the whole thing is perhaps I mentioned it that the purpose of creation is that

[12:27] God may create a creature capable of knowing him capable of being brought into union with him capable of being brought into blood relation with him capable of being with him in eternity forever what a creature and you read that in the proverbs was it was with men unto you oh men I call you take care of the beast they've got no reason and when they die they're just finished but unto you oh men

[13:30] I call who have immortal souls and so that the mystery of the things of God are invisible you continue to take of them we have that in John as you know the wind you can't see the wind blow it where it lifted they'll hear it to the sound thereof but thou canst not tell whether it cometh or whether it goeth so is every one that is born of God it's an invisible work but let us look as the

[14:35] Lord may help us at this mystery and without controversy grace is the mystery of godliness and although as we said every mystery is in God and yet and they said godliness in Godliness which means that everything that emanates from him that proceeds from him the work that is done by him the salvation that is that is beloved son brought out and finished and godliness in his people's heart in a work of grace in their conversion in their lives in his teachings it's a mystery you can see nothing you can feel it you can see the effects of it oh blessed mystery

[15:55] I've had a peculiar feeling sometimes that I'm glad that the things of God are not tangible and seeable you take the two a godly man and a worldly man that worldly man may come to you and say I can't understand however you can follow such a religion as that you've got nothing you can see nothing you can handle nothing you come and see my estate come and see my mansion you would pay to that man well take a half gallon of paraffin oil and pour it on your estate and set it alight and

[17:02] I'll come and see it in two or three hours time you see what it's made of oh but the mystery of these unseen things of God by which Moses endured he endured as seeing him who is invisible it is a peculiar feeling but that it should be invisible and invisible as communicated by the Holy Ghost into a sinner's heart and again we read in Luke the kingdom of God is without observation it's without outside show the Lord Jesus didn't come in a glorious pageant with drums and music he came sitting upon an ash a pole of an ash his home was a manger foxes have holes the birds of the air have nests but the son of

[18:33] God had nowhere to lay his head great is the mystery of godliness had it pleased the Lord he could have saved his people in a different way but this was his purpose and I felt it felt the wisdom of it and you are fine and I look back at my long sin stained life and I can see this that what teaching I have had has been through a rugged road of a tribulation being brought to self despair oh is a mercy to be brought to self despair if you if you are never brought to self despair you will never have a good hope through grace grace it's a great mystery and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness and it's a great mystery too that the

[20:06] Lord Jesus co-equal with the Father he who is eternal immense whose being cannot be contained who feels immensity that he should in love to his church rather than his church should be lost he said lo I come I come in him with more virtue than there is sin in the whole church I come he can swallow up all the sin of all his people by his infinite merit by his work his sufferings and his ignominy his death and his blessed death and resurrection great mystery that he fulfills immensity who is unknowable but unto those to whom he reveals himself should condescend to take human nature that's the great mystery

[21:35] God couldn't die man had broken the law and therefore the law requires that restitution shall be by the same nature that broke the law and there is no human nature so the Lord Jesus said then said I oh I do like that word then sacrifices and offerings thou wouldest not I have no use those Levitical sacrifices there was a remembrance made of sin every year but in the blessed sacrifice of the

[22:44] Lord Jesus once sin was put away to mistreat and that's done for individuals oh it will make you love your fellow men especially the dear people of God you know here we are and as I say sometimes we're not very big we don't take up much room but in that one little bit not the one next to you you there is either before you an eternal death or eternal life and in the mystery of godliness in the covenant of grace Jehovah has has decreed with respect to every individual what that end will be and it will make you very careful about your movements the movements of god's people are his appointments the movements of a worldling are his permissions there's a great difference he permits men to amass fortunes to build mansions and whatever they do is by his permission but the pathway of his people is by divine appointment that's a mystery what a mercy that is would you rather have your own way and so that you that permission as it is in the world today look at the state of it permission nickel honor

[25:11] July be a lord to yourself mercy if the lord should step right into the midst of that condition when our dear friends are young and say to them by his spirit you're not your own you thought you were you determined you would be and what you would do but you're not your own you're bought with a price great is the mystery of godliness and you'll feel the blessedness of the mystery oh the sweetness of it oh the feel of mysterious connection and contact with the eternal god in heaven they're united to him when they're converted when they're born again they're put into a union with the lord jesus christ that nothing can dissolve nothing they partake of him you may be very familiar with a friend but you can never partake of them themselves of their character but the lord's people partake of him partake of his righteousness partake of his holiness is the holiness of israel they partake of his precious blood without controversy great is the mystery of godliness and this godliness is a great mystery in the experience of his people so that the race is not for the swift nor the battle to the strong nor bread to the wise i'll mention again what i often do because it's so important the mystery of the work of the holy ghost is this that it comes to opposites the lord jesus was sent by his divine father and when he sent him he didn't send him empty how shall he not also with him give you all things and there's a fullness in christ which can never be diminished but it is a fullness of everything that the sinner can have to make him complete in christ complete as christ is complete except his divinity great mystery without controversy great is the mystery of godliness and it's a mystery too how the lord calls his people we haven't time to speak of many of them but take one or two take zepheus he had no grace but this notable man so much talked about was coming by and he wanted to see him and so he got up into a tree the lord knew it that was ordained in the covenant of grace that very tree that very time that the lord should be passing by he knew the tree and when he came to the tree he stopped zepheus come down for today i must do it in thy house and salvation has come unto this house he called him by grace there was nothing seen there was the effect of it you couldn't see what grace is and what it was done but you can see the effects of it and very precious it is oh my dear people

[31:07] I do feel a love to them sometimes there you are there you are and this mystery must either be accomplished in your soul or you have a terrible eternity before you I felt it myself I preached to myself great is the mystery of godliness and you take for instance the apostle Paul there were different kinds of sinners but there was not different kinds of sins he was a pretty sinner a good sinner a good liver as touching the law he was blameless blameless what more do you want he was ignorant of himself but the lord dealt with him and began like this when when

[32:41] I would do good evil is present with me so that the things that I would I do not the things that I would not that I do oh wretched man that I am there was a difference touching the law blameless oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death and there he found a door of hope I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness you could go on look at the woman at the well a sinner and the

[33:43] Lord knew all about her his sovereignty is so manifested he knew that woman he knew she had no husband and those she lived with were not her husband she said I have no husband they would say truly I have no husband she said sir I perceive they weren't a prophet and he gradually in that case gradually revealed himself to that woman who he was and he got her to such a point by his wisdom and knowledge come see a man that told me all things that ever I did a wonder a mystery that he should know everything that he did like the 139th psalm not a word in my tongue but they'll know it all together but he knew this woman and he gradually unfolded in her understanding as the light true light shined and at the end he said this to her

[35:25] I that speak unto thee am he oh the method he took to convert that woman and he said if we're to be saved my friends this is the way we should be saved no other way and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness so that there is a mystery of godliness in the calling of his people in their conversion god was manifest in the flesh it's well to repeat what i said the other day he wasn't a person that was born of the virgin mary there be confusion it was a thing that thing that is born of thee shall be called the son of god it was a god's eternal and co-equal son taken into union with his own divine person human nature he took a nature wasn't a person more person could there be everyone was sinners so that his divine father prepared for him a body as we read in the

[37:45] Hebrews a body as they prepared me oh the mystery of it a body that could die or could only die voluntarily nobody could kill the Lord Jesus he he was incapable of any disease and so holy was his sacred humanity and it is said of him that he shed great drops of blood sweat blood he couldn't sweat anything else for he had no perspiration that uncleanness he could not perspire his holy sacred humanity

[38:56] I wish I could convey what I feel of it perhaps you might not accept it but that I must leave that with you if the Lord Jesus Christ could perspire then he had something in him that was filthy perspiration filthy he sweat blood a mystery God was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit he was justified in the spirit when he rose again if the Lord Jesus had never risen from the dead he would not have been justified he wouldn't have been what he declared he was if he had never risen from the dead nobody else would

[40:13] I would be careful but if the Lord Jesus had never risen from the dead this sacred book would be a farce be no use it is a direct a direct effect of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus that is people are born again and you will find that in in the Ephesians it's worth just looking at and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us what who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places as though that the resurrection of his people are based upon the foundation of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus mystery but oh the mercy of the mercy of the mercy of the foundation what we've been trying to speak about really my friends is the kingdom of God and here we are in the earth and here we are in the dying world and what is their objective you young people have ambitions well it is good to be ambitious well it is good to be ambitious well it is good to be ambitious in a right way and to do things the best you can and if you're in the school to be as high in the class as possible and if you're at work to do your work the best you can not for the pay you get but out of duty we are here for a purpose and this life is important that is fixation of spirit vanity why the curse of God is on it why because it must end everything we can see one generation passeth away and another generation cometh and so it goes on until the end but the Lord's working is work of grace and salvation through these generations generations preached unto the gentiles believed on in the world oh he is believed on by some people and received up into glory he didn't go up into glory he was received received up into glory oh the reception of his dear father he loved him and yet he pleased him to bruise him he put him to grief and loved him and when he finished his work and his suffering he was received he received him he received his work oh how satisfied was the father with the son this is my beloved son in whom

[44:49] I am well pleased and I feel it warrantable to say my friends those of you who belong to the Lord Jesus through this gospel through his sufferings his merit his grace those of you that belong to him when the Lord when the father said this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased he said it of everyone that the Lord Jesus came to save I wonder how many of us if he came along these views whether he had stopped this one or that one and say this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased thank you

[45:52] God willing Mr. Walder is expected to preach here this evening and Mr. Jemson Mr. George Jemson next Wednesday evening we hope to hold our prayer meeting which our cospels to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to