Address—Doug Buchanan
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Today we'd like to get into some more of the practical aspects of.
Mystery the results the corresponding.
Reaction. There ought to be in our hearts the exhortations that the Word of God would give us. We're in the New Testament. This is the general principle. In all, the New Testament is, first of all, God.
Gives us His blessings, pours it all out to us on the basis of grace, freely to everyone.
Equally.
Christian Every believer is equally blessed with all spiritual blessings.
But then in the latter part of the epistles, usually we have some words of exhortation, and we'd like to take up some of those verses, particularly perhaps in Colossians.
But before we do so, I'd like to briefly mention a few other scriptures where we have the mystery mentioned. Might just look 1St at First Corinthians 15.
Might just help to put it in perspective.
In First Corinthians 15.
Verse 51, This chapter deals with resurrection and the new bodies. This was a special part of the mystery, a special revelation that was given to Paul and it's called here a mystery.
It's a special part of it. The mystery in general, I believe, as we've seen it in the Scriptures, is that plan that God had to unfold, a blessing to Gentiles to bring them in, unite them to Christ by the Spirit, and to take them home to heaven to be with him. In order for that to be possible, possible, one of the things necessary is a new body.
Oh, it's been wonderful to have new bodies.
I think there's some here that can relate to that and this year, Lassen, that have suffered some accidents and there's others here that are aged and have infirmities and we all do. It's a part of this groaning creation and we haven't been given our new bodies yet. We have the new life, but the bodies are coming later and this.
Chapter explains that we'll just read verse 51 beginning with verse 51.
Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
And so forth. And incorruptibility and mortality are swallowed up. The Lord is going to finish what he's begun, and that includes the new body. And for those of us, and I like to think that the majority of us.
Are probably going to experience this change I don't expect.
That death will be the means of ushering us into the presence of the Lord. I expect it to be the rapture, the change of the new body. There's one of our older brethren here.
Amening that he's looking for it too. Oh, how wonderful. We ought to not to be pessimistic, dear believers. Optimistic.
What a glory, what a plan God has.
To take these bodies, change them, to make them suitable to His presence there in glory. We have the life now if we believe, but the body is waiting to change, and those that are in the graves will be caught up first, then we which are alive and remain also, it says in Thessalonians. So this is a special part included.
Another verse in Ephesians, just to briefly touch on that chapter 5.
We, I don't believe we read this verse in the course and so I'd like to read it.
Without too much comment, Ephesians chapter 5.
Verse 30.
For we are members of his body, that's Christ, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh.
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This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.
This is really a part of the mystery, the union with Christ that we have and I just wanted to call attention to this verse. One body with Christ. The one body is used in different ways to express our oneness together in Corinthians we have about.
When one member suffers, all members suffer, and that's another view of the oneness that is enjoyed and experienced by all believers. We are one body members, one with another, but here it's more particularly our oneness with Christ, the head in heaven and Mary. The marriage is an example to us in a practical way that we can learn to know it experimentally in a natural way.
So is the spiritual.
One body in Christ. Then we'll turn on to First Timothy.
Chapter 3, Something a little different, and this will introduce us into our subject this morning.
Paul is writing to a young man, Timothy, here, and he's speaking about the House of God. That is the church. That is the house aspect of the church. The house aspect of the church is where order and government authority is carried out in a house.
And so we'll read from.
Verse 15. Chapter 3. First Timothy 3. Verse 15.
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest 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, and without controversy. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit.
Scene of angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world.
Received up into glory.
The mystery of godliness, and I believe this brings in the practical part for us that we want to touch on today.
That mystery of godliness, here it is its source, its origin.
God manifests in the flesh. That's what starts it out. When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman.
God manifest in the flesh. The mystery of godliness is coming down to give us.
The demonstration of what it is, and it's in the Lord Jesus himself. He is that mystery of godliness impersonated here on earth. He came down to show it to us. And so we have it in the life of the Lord Jesus. He perfectly demonstrated to us what the mystery of godliness is. And that's the beauty of reading the Gospels.
And we see in there all these things.
Of godliness demonstrated for us, and it's given to us here as the example for us to imitate in the Church of the living God.
Christ is no longer here to demonstrate this, but His body is here, or as it's viewed here, the house. The church is the house, and it's in this house where this mystery of godliness is demonstrated and ought to be seen.
The church is to be that here on earth. We are the only Bible that a lot of people read.
We God's people are the House of God here.
The place where that order and government of God himself is demonstrated. And so we ought to function in that way.
If you really want to get to know someone, the best way to do it is go and live with them in their house.
And you will see what people really are. That's good. We can really get acquainted that way. And so it is in the things of God, the House of God, that is the demonstration where this mystery of godliness is seen and demonstrated.
And so now it's not the counsels of God in coming out like in Ephesians, and showing us what He purposes and has done and is doing and what will do forever.
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But it's a practical thing that's shown out the mystery of godliness.
It started out with God manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, and so the Lord Jesus in all his actions, the Spirit of God could justify it is of God. There was no flaws, nothing there.
To contradict everyone who came to the Lord.
To find fault or to accuse was turned away in total.
What is the word total exposure to the reality of what they really their purposes really were. The light of God exposed it.
The Lord Jesus seen of angels, the angels for the first time saw their creation creator when he was born in Bethlehem. And you get them there singing or praising God rather in in that, in that, that humble scene there God come down here on earth. I can't help but think that if it were possible, the angels would be envious.
Humans, because God became a human being like us.
Scene of angels. Not likeness of angels, but seeing of angels. And so, as we had the other day, they behold in us the Church, the manifold wisdom of God.
Because God. Because God has expressed all this to us.
And so, like we said, when we come to this marriage, we're not the audience. No, we're the participants with God.
But they are there observing, seeing of angels.
I like what the John the Baptist said in John's Gospel chapter 3.
When it was, the Lord was brought before them and he said, well, let's turn just to read it to get it exact. I might misquote it. John's Gospel, chapter 3.
Verse 28 and 9:00.
Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. He that hath the bride is the Bridegroom. But the friend of the Bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly, because the of the Bridegrooms voice this. My joy therefore is fulfilled.
John the Baptist was not in the intelligence of the relationship with Christ.
That we are. He was the friend. He knew the relationship with Christ as the friend of the bride, of the bridegroom, and that was as close as he knew and had been revealed to him. And that's true. There are going to be those in heaven that enjoy that relationship, but he that hath the bride is the bridegroom.
Beautiful. We enjoy that at every wedding that we go to.
We can see the joy of the young man's heart there in getting his bride. Oh, Christ is going to get his bride too, and we are going to be there, young people.
Those that are of faith. And so there is a distinction here in these things.
Preached unto the Gentiles and we're back in First Timothy 3. And so that's the bride, where it's particularly God purposed to choose from the Gentiles. That was new at that time, only the Jews.
Had been those to receive blessing in such a favorable way believed on in the world the extension of it.
There's no limitations to that outpouring of God's grace today. No exclusion. It's to all.
Received up into glory the mystery of godliness.
Doesn't in here on earth the Lord Jesus was received up into glory and had those leaders of the Jews known, they would have done that to the Lord when they crucified him. It says as we had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But they did and he has been received up the Lord of glory. He's there waiting to receive his bride.
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That's the mystery of godliness.
That's what the Lord Jesus wants, to be seen practically demonstrated in our lives. And so if it involves being different, let's be different, dear young people.
Like Christ, that mystery, let it be seen in our lives. Now we'll turn to Colossians to look at some practical ways that I believe it really can be seen. Colossians chapter 3, verse one.
If he then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth, for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.
How beautifully this fits in with our subject of the mystery as revealed in Colossians 2. Christ ascended up in heaven, and that's our life. You see you as a Christian, you can't take out of your pocket some tangible demonstration of what your life is. We don't even have the practice of giving certificates of such and such, of even a baptism or or of entrance into.
Assembly. No, these things would give the wrong impression totally. Where is our life if with Christ and glory, He has ascended there, and it's not going to be made known publicly to the world, at least until He comes. But it's secure there. No one can destroy it and touch it.
We can lose the enjoyment of our real Christian position.
And we can become earthly minded and that is the great tendencies. And I speak here as one who has traveled to other countries where Satans world is hasn't been dressed up to the same extent as it is in this country. And I see, dear young people, how that Satan is dressing up a present world particularly to distract Christians.
That's what we're up against, young people.
And that's the tactic of Satan to keep us and to rob us of what is really ours in a practical way.
May his purposes be frustrated.
May we lay hold of our life. It's only young people. As we lay hold of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, what He has done for us, His calling us out of this world to be a special, unique people with Him in glory, it's only as we lay hold of that.
That we'll be able to lead a separate heavenly life here on earth, heavenly minded. As you read the Book of Revelation, you notice how over and over in that book it speaks about them that dwell on the earth, the earth dwellers. I want to turn to another verse 2IN Luke chapter 22 to to show you how this is a particular Luke 21.
Sorry, a particular snare that Satan is using at our time.
Luke 21, verse 34.
Take heed to yourselves, lest at anytime your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life. And so that day, the coming day of judgment, come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come, all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. What she therefore, and pray always.
That you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.
The Lord tells us here in this verse that it is going to be a particular snare to entrap people to become earthly minded.
We see it all about us, we experience, we're in it. We can't remove ourselves from these circumstances.
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But we can become victorious, We can live separate lives. We can be heavenly minded Christians.
And that doesn't mean setting yourself up to be somebody better.
Oh, that to have that thought totally.
Is totally contrary without what we see that we were and how God picked us up when we were sinners and brought us into this favor.
Now where his special chosen people, he called us particularly for this purpose, to call us out to be that treasure, to be that bride of Christ with Him in glory.
Set your mind, our affections as it reads here on things above 1 Brother said we are what we think about, just as physically we are what we eat. You eat poorly and your work, your body becomes weaker, you eat good nourishment and you become strong and so forth. So in the spirit, spiritual things.
We need to occupy ourselves with our blessings.
You can't expect to have a life of a demonstration to the godliness.
And justice, a pity diet of a verse or two every day of the Scriptures to become heavenly minded. Oh, we need that at the minimum. But dear young people, we need to really get into the Scriptures in more depth if we're really going to lay hold of these things to get our minds focused on what is really our possession in Christ.
And that will change us. Our life is there.
And.
We are called to that.
A special people unto the Lord. Let's demonstrate it, dear young people, in a practical way in our lives.
You are dead, your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye appear with Him in glory. And it's only those pre trusters, as we were noticing in Ephesians that are going to enter in.
I believe you have a little picture of that in the Old Testament, in David, in his reign. You remember those mighty men and that and also his brides, they, the wives that David took as king. He got them mostly when he was in rejection, those mighty men that participated in the Kingdom. I believe that all that I could tell.
Became associated with Christ in the time of his rejection.
They didn't wait till David was on their throne and then aligned themselves publicly publicly with him. They trusted in him while he was still in rejection, and then when he, the throne became his, they reigned with him.
And so I believe it is in in the in this mystery.
Those who wait to believe.
Until Christ has come are not going to enjoy that portion that we have. They're not going to be the bride. There will be a place for those and it would be a terrible day, a terrible error to wait until that time because we were told in Thessalonians that all those that heard the gospel will be deceived by that deception, that mystery.
Of iniquity that works to believe a lie and they'll be deceived.
There will be no second chance to enter into the Kingdom if you reject God's offer now.
To become the bride of Christ.
You'll be deceived.
Don't play with God, young people, you once particularly that have been raised in Christian homes as most of you have and have heard these things.
Don't play with God on these things.
Now we'll go on in our chapter verse 5 Mortify. Therefore your members, which are upon the earth were in Colossians 3.
Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection.
Evil, concupiscence, covetousness, which is idolatry, for which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience, in the which ye also walked some time when ye lived in them, but now ye also put off all these things.
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I'll just stop right there to speak a little bit. Mortify or put to death.
Therefore, your members, it's true, we still have our old nature, our atom flesh that we were born with.
They haven't been taken away. There's no such thing as.
Getting rid of the old nature, we're going to have it along with us, but we put it to death. We do not obey its suggestions, its temptations, its desires.
Fornication. My brother was speaking about that the other day.
All these things are here with us in our bodies. These are things that come from within to try us and to test us. And it's in the measure that we do that that we will then practically young people.
Show forth.
The mystery of godliness in our lives.
It's those things that bring down the wrath of God on the unbelievers. But think how sad it is when a believer falls into these things. What a dishonor to the Lord.
What a disgrace to receive the blessing of God and then turn around and commit one of these sins.
In the light.
It's one thing for the unbelievers to do these things, but it's more serious for a believer in the light, in the blessing, in the favor of God having received all that he pours out to us to commit these things. Serious business, serious business.
The love of Christ, the blessings that He has outpoured, ought to be and is sufficient to keep us from all these things. But then we have another list.
Of what we might say are not so serious of things.
Verse 8 But now, but now ye also put off all these things, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communications out of your mouth lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds.
I believe that if we check ourselves up in these things.
We will not fall into the first list of things. God is gracious to show us how these things get started. Such a thing as anger.
As a parent, that's one of the things that we must train our children to overcome our own anger, passions. Learn to to dominate that, not let it rule your life. You see, it's in the little things that the enemy begins working and gets a hold of us and later they become vices.
And then more serious still. And it's through those things that Satan drags down the unbelievers, and they cannot get free from them. But we as believers have the secret to be overcome to put off these things.
They're not of God.
Then we have what to put on.
Verse 10.
And have put on the Newman, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. That's Christ, that mystery of godliness that came down and has gone up, back up into glory.
How is it demonstrated it's true? The Newman in Christ, Everyone of us as a believer has a nature, a life and a nature that delights to please God and to walk in these things.
Sometimes we look at one another and we wonder.
But never, never.
Give up the truth that God has given us that. And sometimes, maybe because we become impatient with one another, it's because we forget that.
Every true believer does have a desire to please God.
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He has put that in US.
What are What a beautiful list here.
Verse will drop down to verse 12 put on. Therefore, as the elect of God, we're elect, the chosen of God, holy and beloved. We are a holy people. God has made us that way.
Beloved, the loved ones of God, bowels of mercies.
The inmost feelings of Mercy's, I think is the thought here.
Oh, you know, when you lookout in the world and you see the great needs that exist, the need of mercy, you know I.
Just as a way of an example, sometimes I when I walk down the street in Central America.
And it's hot down there, hotter than today. You walk down the street and it's not. It's very common to see a poor drunk man and occasionally even a drunk woman.
Dead drunk on the street, in rags.
And degradation. Totally unconscious.
Bowels of mercy.
What a pity, what a destruction, what an opportunity to show the kindness of God.
That's what we're here for.
And among ourselves.
I want to speak out one word against cutting up one another, making fun of each other. This may be more particularly some of the younger ones, something that we can easily fall into.
Don't degradate your brethren.
Your friends don't cut them up. Don't make fun of them.
Bowels of mercies.
In this way the mystery of godliness is made known. In this way people get a hold of it.
Kindness.
Humbleness of mind.
Oh, pride is such a destructive thing. The Lord has brought this particularly before me.
He showed me how, in a larger extent, how proud my heart is and how pride keeps me from so many things. I didn't realize it was there so much. As we grow older, I think it becomes aware, becomes aware, made known to us. Humbleness of mine.
We were just sinners, we were just the Gentile people without any hope.
Just because our parents were saved and our grandparents were saved many years before and we were sheltered from all those evil things and lice of degradation, doesn't mean that we are any better beloved. We can look back and see our own history told out.
Humbleness of mine. We didn't merit any of this. We didn't deserve it. We didn't get it because we're better. We never will be better in our nature, fleshly nature.
God has picked us up and made us what we are.
Humbleness of mine.
Meekness. long-suffering.
Sometimes we get tired, perhaps long-suffering, forbearance, forbearing one another and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
I think of the parable of the man who was forgiven the 10,000 talents in Matthew 18.
If if you're having any difficulty getting along with one of your brethren.
Forgiving or bearing a grudge, or if you find a bitterness growing up in your heart, read that chapter.
We are all those who owe that 10,000 talents a debt of way over $1,000,000 in today's terms, which none could ever pay because only Christ could pay that debt.
He paid that debt for us. He forgave us all our sins.
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Then we can forgive one another the petty little things that don't really amount to very much.
Oh, when we look back to Calvary, we find how forgiveness can come in when you look at Calvary and see what was forgiven you.
It makes it easy to forgive another.
Sets it in its proportion.
Forgiving one another.
Even as Christ forgave you.
It's not. The measure of forgiveness is not how they treat us. The measure of forgiveness is how Christ forgave us. And that's why we don't have rules and regulations today in Christianity, the measure of everything for us is Christ.
Above all these things, put on charity or love in demonstration, which is the bond of perfectness. Oh, love cinches it all together and makes it wonderful. You know, you can forgive kind of in a begrudging way, but love?
Takes care of it all, the bond of perfectness.
To read in First Corinthians 13 how that anything done without love.
It really has no real benefit.
You add love to it, and God is love. It is to be the motivating power and force of everything we do love.
And we do. We love because He first loved us.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which ye are also called in one body, and be thankful.
It's as we lose sight of what Christ has done for us that trouble and.
We get troubled and lose our peace. He has called us to peace.
How wonderful. The assembly is a place where.
Peace can reign. It ought to be. Our homes ought to be that way too. There ought to be a place of peace.
Everybody needs that to grow the animals. No, when I was a boar, we had we had cows and I wasn't very good with those cows. I wasn't very patient with them. I never liked milking cows and I can remember when there were some stubborn cows that kicked.
And all the easiest thing to do was to haul off and hit them when they did that. And of course it didn't help, it just made it worse. Peace. Even the animals react to it. And our brethren too, they need peace. We need to give that, and we ought not to introduce things that disturb that.
There is a basis for peace among us.
The peace of God rule in your heart. Well, that's also as to circumstances too. Sometimes things look awful or out of whack, it looks like, and they are in a certain sense, but God is in control.
Knowing God is in control can bring peace. We have those lovely verses in Philippians about peace.
Maybe we ought to just read them.
Philippians 46 Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Committed to the Lord. Leave it with the Lord. We can't straighten out all the problems. It's probably some of our own pride that really makes us think we can be helpful. Oftentimes the Lord may choose to use us, but the Spirit of God is in control. Be at peace. Let it rain, let it rule in our lives.
Let and back in Colossians 3, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which ye are also called in one body, and be ye thankful.
Be ye thankful.
Oh, brethren, we are thankful.
I think it's nice to have. We have those things at the end of each day. And I appreciated what our brother said about singing last night, I really did.
We ought to be thankful. I remember hearing a brother down in South America speaking to a speaking.
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And I think in this country we tend to be unthankful more than in other countries.
And we. And yet we have so much.
We tend to spoil our children. We tend to give them too much as they grow up of material things. I guess it's because we think that happiness may come through those material things. But you go to a poverty stricken country and you will realize or you will see demonstrative practically that.
It's not in those things that happiness really comes, and those people, I believe in a general way, are more thankful than we are.
And yet we have so much thankfulness.
God has given us these things.
His grace, His love.
Let's appreciate it. The brother spoke about giving thanks here in prayer and, and it's mentioned there and what we read in Philippians to give thanks. Don't forget to give thanks to the Lord. So it really helps us to give the credit to where it's due. You know, when you ask, you have a prayer and you ask the Lord for something and then the Lord answers you. I know unconsciously, maybe in our minds, we say, Oh yes, the Lord gave that.
But when you audibly thank the Lord, it reinforces it in your own heart and mind, in your life and with others, and it gives the Lord credit. I wonder sometimes that if the Lord doesn't give us things simply because we forget to give Him thanks afterwards.
Be thankful.
Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching, admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace.
In your hearts to the Lord. And this is where the singing comes into teaching ourselves and monishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. And so we have great collections of psalms and hymns and these give expression to us and they teach us. And so it involves.
Singing involves, you know, our souls, and it's right that our souls are involved in it. Not that we let the souls just totally take control over us. No, it's in the spirit too. We sing it in the spirit and with the understanding. But it's right that our affections, our feelings get involved in these things. And it's not wrong to cry with joy.
Or cry with sadness. It's right on certain occasions.
And it is right to laugh and to praise and to sing. And God intended us to be that way. I know of a brother that was led to the Lord down in El Salvador simply by a little girl that was singing Jesus loves me with a happy voice.
And very young child happy in the Lord and singing. How many unbelievers in the world?
Notice that when they see a happy Christian expressing it. I appreciate our brother Bob Brimlow over. He has a gift to do it that way. And we're not all made the same. And we show our Thanksgiving and our praise in different ways. But let the Word of God dwell in your hearts and let it come out in singing.
Whatsoever you do in Word or deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him, well, it all goes up to Him, the God and the Father, the source of the doll, and then we become the compliment. The church is the fullness of Him that filleth all things, All in all. That's in Ephesians chapter one.
And so, brethren.
When we practice these things, we become a living demonstration of what God intended us for.
We give expression to it in our lives practically, and that's what God intended this for. The Lord died on the cross, and He didn't die there and with just the expectation that one or two would get to heaven, or maybe none at all. No, the Lord wants it to be effectual and it's going to be heaven is going to be filled. And so may our lives give a demonstration to it here.
And then that is the fullness.
The Church is the fullness of him that filleth All in all.
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May the Lord make it so practically to us. I'd like to sing to Him in closing here, where it was sung earlier. 46 in the appendix.
Have I an object, Lord, below verse three, be thou the object, bright and fair, to fill and satisfy the heart. We sing #46 in the back.