Jesus, God's Mystery of Godliness Revealed

Jesus, God’s Mystery of Godliness Revealed 1 Timothy 3:14–16 (NIV84) 14 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. Those of you who know me, know that I enjoy reading mystery novels and that I enjoy watching programmes of TV that has elements of mystery and suspense in it, especially those Crime Scene Investigation ones. In this, I’m not alone. I share this with the Anglican scholar, Tom Wright. In his book Paul for Everyone: The Pastoral Letters, Tom Wright refers to CSI shows where the senior officer investigating the case consulted his colleagues once more, and then went out to speak to the waiting press. ‘I’m sorry to say’, he said, ‘that the incident remains a complete mystery. There is no explanation for what happened. We have no leads to go on. Unless something new comes to light, a mystery it is and a mystery it will remain.’ Four incidents dominated the news during the past two weeks – for the sport fanatics among us, I’m not referring to the Lions beating the Cats; or Joffra Archer felling Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne giving the Poms a run for their money in the Ashes; or the All Blacks’ revenge in the Bledsoe Cup; or Nick Kyrgios’ latest meltdown low in tennis. No, I’m referring to the escalation of the pro-Hong Kong rallies; the three girls aged 12, 13 and 14, are before the courts over 13 grassfires police allege were deliberately lit on the New South Wales mid-north coast; the exposion of a Chinese Government-backed education program that has been axed in NSW public schools; and the confounding mystery of the last days of billionaire Jeffery Epstein. Friends, as interesting as these topics might be, I have no desire to focus on current news or the mysteries of our day. I believe what we need to focus on is much more relevant than any contemporary news event or mystery. We find what I would like to focus on in Paul’s first letter to Timothy. To be even more to the point, we find it in our Scripture reading of today. In our passage Paul reveals the reason why he wrote to Timothy: “I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” Our Scripture reading reminds us that Paul wrote this letter to Timothy because he was greatly concerned by how Christians behave themselves. He made this abundantly clear in verse 15 that he wanted the Ephesian Christians to know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. The conduct, or behaviour, of believers, was such an issue to Paul that he practically used all of chapters 2 and 3 to call believers in Ephesus to a higher standard of practice—to holy behaviour and uncontentious prayer (2:1–8), modest dress (2:9–10), to submit Biblical church order (2:11–15), and to install godly elders and deacons to organise church life (3:1–13). Paul supplied the motivation for behaving right in 1 Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV84): “This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Friends, when God’s people live out what they are in Jesus, God is pleased to increase the effectiveness of the preaching of the truth of the gospel. Knowing what God wants from us enable us to radically change the way we live, the reasons why we live and the outcomes of our way of life. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Holiness refers to the condition of something or someone that is set apart as sacred, consecrated or dedicated. ... Holiness is more than a form of piety. Friends, there is no higher compliment to a Christian than to be called a godly person. The words godly and godliness actually appear only a few times in the New Testament; yet the entire Bible is a book on godliness. And when those words do appear, they are loaded with meaning and instruction for us. When Paul wants to condense the core of the Christian life into one word, he use godliness. He tells us that God’s grace "teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives" as we await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-13). Paul especially emphasizes godliness in his first letter to Timothy. We are to pray for those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. We are to train ourselves to be godly. We are to pursue godliness—the word ‘pursue’, indicating unrelenting, persevering effort. Godliness with contentment is held forth as great gain; and finally, godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. To the people of Paul’s day, the radical change in the lives of people who became Christians was mind baffling. They struggled to understand it. They couldn’t understand why people who did what they did suddenly didn’t want to do it anymore. They struggled with this change in behaviour. It is in this context that Paul mentioned verse 16: Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. This is what I would like us to contemplate for a moment: the mystery of godliness. What is the biblical meaning of godliness? Some people argue that is to conform to the laws and wishes of God; to be devout; to live a pious life. Like Tom Wright, I find the way we use the word ‘mystery’ today, fascinating. We refer, for instance, to the mystery of Epstein’s death. We think of it as meaning, in the coroner’s words, something for which there is ‘no definite answer: something we cannot know for certain and probably never will fully comprehend. According to Merriam-Webster mystery, is “something not understood or beyond human understanding.” If we want to define mystery from a theological standpoint, it is a sacred truth that believers know only by revelation and cannot fully understand, like the doctrine of the Trinity or the virgin birth. The dictionary explanation is very similar to the understand the people of Paul’s time had for the word mystery. However, whenever Paul uses the word mystery, he uses it to reference Jesus as the revelation of God’s hidden plan of salvation, until the time of His birth. This was consistently Paul’s message. Listen to his message to the Ephesians and the Colossians: • God  made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ (Ephesians 1:9). • God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. (Colossians 1:27-28) So, in saying here that the “mystery of godliness is great,” Paul presented the person and work of Jesus as the key to godly conduct. How should we understand? I’m taking Pauls statement: ‘the mystery of godliness is great’, to mean that the duty that man owes God as revealed by Jesus, is intense, powerful and penetrating. How do I get to this? Consider for a moment what Paul prayed for these believers according to Ephesians 1:18-20 “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” Yes, Paul is indeed saying that Jesus makes godliness possible. He is saying that if you want to pursue godliness, imitate Jesus; that if you want to live right, you have to live like Jesus. But I believe he says more. If we take the message of Ephesians 1:18-20 into account, Paul is saying that when Jesus is our godliness, He is sharpening our spiritual eyesight so that we can see God’s wonderful truth. And what is this truth? That the very same incredible power, that incomparably great power, that brought about Jesus’ miracle, that raised Jesus from the dead, is also working in us the ability to live godly lives. This power was at work in each of us when God raised us from spiritual death through faith in Christ. It is God’s power “for us who believe.” But in Ephesians 1 Paul is praying that even after we have been raised to life, our eyes may be opened to see what we would otherwise miss: God’s power at work in our service when we imitate Jesus. The most excellent demonstration of this dynamic power was the resurrection of Christ. Death had been the one force that men were unable to resist, but its strength yielded to the greater power exerted by God in Christ. When Paul finally finishes this prayer at the end of chapter three, he refers again to this incredible divine power. By the “power that is at work within us,” God can do more than all we ask or imagine—in the church, in all generations (Ephesians 3:20–21). Friends, for us, this might seem to be enough. But, when we listen to our text carefully and interpret in within the context of its original setting, Ephesus, we find that there is more to be said. In many of the prevalent religions in Paul’s world the idea of a ‘mystery’ was not just something you couldn’t understand; it was something that most people couldn’t and didn’t understand, but that some did—though they, of course, kept it secret so that everyone else would stay in the dark. What am I trying to say? Mystery religions were quite prevalent in Paul’s day. It provided stiff religious competition for Christianity. They were called mystery religions because their initiations and other rituals were kept secret. These religions included the cults of Eleusis, Dionysus, Isis and Osiris, Mithra, Cybele, and many local deities, all of which promised purification and immortality. And this is the key: ‘Mysteries’ of this sort were only revealed to the inner circle, to those initiated into the religion. They shared their hidden secrets employing secret rituals, through ceremonial washings, blood-sprinkling, drunkenness, sacramental meals, passion plays, and even sexual relations with a priest or priestess, where their selected followers could become one with their god and believed that they participated in the life of that god. They communicated in a kind of secret code that conveyed the secret to the meaning of life, the universe, God, everything to the selected few entrusted with the secrets. So, the hidden mystery would only make sense for those few who are allowed to know the truth. However, in our passage, Paul wanted Timothy and the believers in Ephesus to understand that the Christian faith is not the same as the mystery religions. He wants us to understand that the practice of godliness is an exercise or discipline that focuses on Jesus as God’s revelation of devotion, obedience, respect, and love. God-fearing Christian can truly appreciate God’s love because they have seen that in action in Jesus. To the unbeliever Christianity might seem to be just another mystery religion among many where only a small group of people know the secrets and keep it to themselves, if out pursuit of living like Jesus doesn’t reveal God in action to them. God didn’t plan for the Christin faith to be a secret only to be kept by a few. And this was for certain not the way Paul and the other apostles saw it. once they’ve met Jesus, they realised that there is nothing secret in Christianity. There is nothing reserved for a few enlightened people in Christianity. They come to understand that Christianity is for the masses. Christianity is for all to see, to know, and to follow. They knew this because Scripture reveals consistently that Christ Jesus came because God wants everyone to know the truth about salvation. Jesus came so that everyone can believe in the ministry of reconciliation that He unveiled. Jesus came so that everyone can live a life of godly service that pleases God. This is what Paul preached in verse 16. God’s redemptive work, which was not known in times past, has now been revealed in Jesus. John put it slightly different: "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10). Back to our text. This is Paul’s testimony of Jesus our role-model for godliness: He appeared in a body, He was vindicated by the Spirit, He was seen by angels, He was preached among the nations, He was believed on in the world, He was taken up in glory. Friends, Paul argued that what he revealed is the real thing. This isn’t just another secret zealously kept by a few enlightened followers. No, it’s THE story; not just any old story, but the TRUE story, the STORY of the God who became human and who now rules the whole world as its rightful Lord. Go and read John 1:1-18 again. Verse 14 reveals God’s mystery: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Friends, Paul’s argument in 1 Timothy 3 is that this ‘mystery’ (Jesus) doesn’t lead people into a secret, selective and private ‘religion’. No, He is the light of the world who gives everyone who comes to Him, who receives Him and who believes in Him the right to become children of God. Yes, God, mystery – Jesus – will change your life all right. And He is doing that by leading you out into a new way of life, a way of service and faith and discipleship and hope. He leads you to a life of openness, a life of sharing what you know so that everyone you know can have the knowledge you have. So, Paul’s reminding us that God’s ‘mystery’ is the story of Jesus Christ, Friends, with verse 16 Paul also tells us the story of Jesus is not fictitious. It is not a novel. It’s not a fairy tale. It is real. In this, Paul follows the testimony of the disciples who were with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. Today, I’m going to show you that Paul and Jesus’ beloved disciple John conveyed the same message. Look with me briefly at these statements. ‘He appeared in a body.’ Friends, Paul wants us to understand that Jesus wasn’t just an apparition. Like John in John 1:14, Paul highlights the fact that Jesus as God incarnated, roamed the earth in the flesh. Like John, Paul testifies here that God became a human being and lived for 33-years among us so that people could see His glory. He wants us to understand that Jesus is God and God’s highest revelation, not merely in spoken words or writings, but in His human person and actions. ‘He was vindicated by the Spirit’! The idea of any divine being making an appearance in human form would have been exciting enough for most people in the ancient world, but the Christians went further. The ONE they worshipped had actually become flesh, had become genuinely human. He was capable of experiencing and expressing happiness and sadness. He was capable of suffering and even dying – an unthinkable concept for the people of Paul’s time. John reminds us in John 1:32-34 of the Baptist’s testimony regarding the Spirit’s role at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry: John the Baptist testified: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” These verses give us the climax of John’s testimony regarding Jesus. Although Jesus was family, John didn’t know that Jesus was the Messiah. Then, John saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain on Jesus. In verse 33 the Baptist testified that he would not have recognised the Messiah if God didn’t tell him that the man on whom he would see the Spirit descend and remain would be the One who would baptise with the Holy Spirit. Then the Baptist added in verse 34, I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God. Yes, the Spirit vindicated Jesus. Spirit revealed that Jesus is God in the flesh. Paul looked at Jesus’ ministry for the other side – not the beginning but the end. The Spirit is for Paul the one who vindicates Jesus in His resurrection like he explained in Romans 8:11: “The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you”. Paul argues that after Jesus’ death God had vindicated Him [declared that He really is who He claimed to be], by the creator spirit through whose power Jesus was raised from the dead; that’s what ‘justified in the spirit’ means for Paul. The important thing that I’d like to highlight here is that Paul and John’s joint testimony reveals that the whole of Jesus’ life, from beginning to end, confirms that He is the mystery of God incarnated. To them the mystery opens with the central statements of Christian faith, putting the underlying gospel message into somewhat cryptic language: Jesus died for our sins and was raised so that we can live empowered to follow in His footsteps. ‘He was seen by angels.’ I think the angels refer to worship Jesus received from angels in heaven after His ascension. They represent the heavenly realm, while the nations represent the earthly realm. Again, Paul’s testimony is corroborated by John. Consider, for instance, John’s message in Revelation 5:11-15: “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!” 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, forever and ever!” 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshipped.” They acknowledge Jesus as the divine Messiah who shares God’s kingly authority. So, both John and Paul testify that Jesus went ahead of his followers like He promised He would in John 14 into God’s sphere, into heaven, until the time when He will be revealed once more with His return. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” There He is to this day, in the place where the angels live. But this doesn’t mean that Jesus is absent, just a distant memory that people hope will one day be refreshed. No, says Paul: He and the other apostles actively preached Jesus among the nations. This is what Jesus’ disciples did that caused them to experience the wrath of the Jewish leaders. This is what Paul tried to prevent when he persecuted Christians. And this is what he was called to do after his Damascus experience. Paul ‘preached’ Jesus to the nations, the pagan nations, the uncircumcised non-Jewish peoples. He made this the focus of his missionary efforts. Consider for a moment his testimony in Galatians 2:7-9: “I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. 8 For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9 James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognised the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do”. The word translated as “preached” here, suggests the “heralding” of a message. Tom Wright says that this is the word we would use, not so much of a new religion you were trying to spread, but of a new emperor you were summoning them to obey, and perhaps even to worship. This is the task of the faithful, as Paul explained to Timothy in his first letter: “Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:11-16 This is the reason why Paul urged Timothy on in his second letter: “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:1-2 ‘He was believed on in the world.’ The word ‘believe’ is a rich one for Paul and the early Christians; it involves trust and loyalty as well as what we call ‘religious’ faith or belief in particular doctrines. To Paul this was the result of the faithful preaching. Listen with me to what Paul said to the Roman Christians regarding this: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:8-15. Once again, John agrees with Paul. He too preached so that people could come to faith in Jesus. He even declared this to be the reason why he penned the Gospel. “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31 ‘He and was taken up in glory.’ Once more, we have the earthly and the heavenly stories sitting side by side. Whoever wrote this little ‘mystery’ was celebrating the fact that Jesus wasn’t just being announced to the broader world; people were giving him their believing allegiance. And rightly so. He was the one who, having been exalted to glory, was now already ruling the world as its genuine Lord. So, the point of it all is that people who base their lives on God’s strange but compelling ‘mystery’, people who allow their own story to be reshaped around the story of Jesus Himself, discover that they are ‘the people of the living God’. And as they find out who they really are, they may be startled to learn that they are themselves, as a community, to be the stabilising force that helps God’s truth to stand up and be seen in the world. If the church is founded solidly on God’s truth, what people see and know of God’s truth will be based on the life and witness of God’s people. That’s why this letter is being written, as verses 14 and 15 make clear: so that, in the apostle’s absence, the church may nevertheless learn what it means to share an everyday life, grounded in the mystery of Christ, through which the watching world can see who its rightful Lord really is. Friends here is a thought to contemplate: The Jesus of Paul’s impressive testimony makes the godly conduct that God so earnestly desires for His people possible. It didn’t only apply to the first believers. It applies to us too. For, we are the church. We are God’s adopted family, “God’s household.” God is our heavenly Father, and because of our faith in Jesus, we are brothers and sisters. Yes, we are “the church of the living God.” He lives in each of us. We together are “the pillar and foundation of the truth” who are called to imitate Jesus in godliness And because of this, what we believe and confess about Christ should be everything to us. We acknowledge that He was revealed by His incarnation and resurrection. We believe that He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit. We confess that He heaven and earth witnessed about Him. He was seen by angels, and He was preached among the nations. We confess that He was received on earth and in Heaven. He was believed on in the world and was taken up in glory. And because we believe all of this, we are forever in the process of changing: staying less and less who we were before we came to faith in Jesus and becoming more and more like the Jesus in whom we have placed our trust. When Peter, in looking forward to the, day of the Lord when the earth and everything in it will be destroyed, asks what kind of people we ought to be, he answers that we are to live holy and godly lives (2 Peter 3:10-12). Here Peter uses the most momentous event of all history to stir us up to our Christian duty—holy and godly living. Because we are now who we are in Jesus, and because we confess such a Saviour, we can and must conduct ourselves in a way that brings glory to Him and appeals to a lost world. This is Paul’s appeal to us today from our Scripture reading. So, how then will we live, if we follow the ONE who is known as godliness incarnated? Friends, every believer who takes this seriously will endeavour to bring honour to God. I’ve got no doubt about this. But it reaches further; it is especially important that we also provide a clear example of faith in action to those who still live in unbelief – a way of life that will excite them and entice them to get what we have. This is why Paul told another church, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Friends, I believe that when Christians have their sights set on the risen, ascended, vindicated, glorified Jesus, they are filled with a sense of purpose and fuelled by a passion to tell others about Him. Don’t you think that we should take this more seriously? When we become more like Jesus, it will make us godly people who enable those around us to have the right perspective of life – here and now and in the future. My prayer is that we will become the rising and new generation in whose hands the future and destiny of God’s Church lie for the decades and ages that are ahead before the second coming of Jesus. I pray that you will accept the challenge of godliness, searching Scripture deeply to learn the mysteries of godliness and let them become a focus in our lives, guideposts that direct our faith-walk and all that we do. It is my prayer that in doing so, we might enable a lost world to find its Saviour. This is the heartbeat of the godly person. As he contemplates God in the awesomeness of his infinite majesty, power, and holiness, and then as he dwells upon the riches of God’s mercy and grace poured out at Calvary, his heart is captivated by this One who could love him so. He is satisfied with God alone, but he is never satisfied with his present experience of God. He always yearns for more. True godliness engages our affections and awakens within us a desire to enjoy God’s presence and fellowship. It produces a longing for God himself. Friends, if this is the road we travel, we will surely have peace and joy and happiness in this life. But, even more importantly, we will be inheritors of eternal life in the world to come, for this is what God desires for all of us. Let’s pursue this road in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.