Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Powerpoint PDF: The Mystery of Godliness
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Introduction:

Give me one good reason to not give up on the church.

It’s God’s household!

 

Give me one good reason to not give on becoming more godly.

God has revealed the secret!

 

I.  Why you shouldn’t give up on the Church.

 

One of my daughters

One of our nieces…

Friends in a former church…

 

1.         The church is God’s household.

~ We are family!

~ We have a place to belong!

~ We have responsibilities

 

2.         The church has the presence of the living God.

Called out from the pagan world!

 

Ephesians 2:11-12 “Therefore, remember that formerly…at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” NIV

 

Exodus 33:14-17 “The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” “Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. “How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” “And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”” NIV

 

Ephesians 2:13-14 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” NIV

Ephesians 2:19-22 “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. “In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” NIV

 

~ Master’s protection

~ Master’s provision

~ Master’s guidance

 

3.  The church exists to protect and promote the truth.

Pillar = load-bearing post!

Foundation = without which nothing is stable

 

Ephesians 2:19-22 “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

 

II. Why you shouldn’t give up on becoming more like Christ.

The mystery of godliness

Means: the revealed secret that produces godliness in people

 

Ephesians 3:4-5 “In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, “which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.” NIV

 

Ephesians 3:6 “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” NIV

 

A.        Notice the focus…

Christ is the key!

Christ is the content!

Christ is the secret!

 

New Christians have a desire to read the Bible. 

New Christians don’t know much when they come to Christ.

True believers know they are sinners and believe that Jesus Christ died for them.  Christ makes sense to them.  But as they read the Bible they find it difficult to understand.  And as they hear more teaching from the Bible, sometimes, the more confused they get.

Little do they know that Christ is, indeed, the key to understanding the Bible and understanding salvation!

 

God didn’t keep the secret either!

Christ is the interpretive center of salvation!

Christ and the gospel at the interpretive and unifying core of Scripture. 

 

Goldsworthy, in his book, According to Plan  says, “Jesus Christ in his life, death and resurrection is the fixed point of reference for the understanding of the whole of reality…The gospel is the fixed point of reference for understanding the meaning of the whole range of biblical revelation”(p.60).  He believes that every part of the Bible points to Christ and his saving work. 

 

Story: Been in conversation with Carl Traeger about our relationship

Walked the construction sight with Chris Baudhuin

“Know what that stick it?”  No.  “We call it ‘god’”. 

Without that central reference everything else is unsure and unstable. 

 

Christ is the central reference point that helps make sense out of life.

 

Colossians 1:25-27 “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— “the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” NIV

 

B.        The ‘Song’ Worth Singing

Paul ends this summary by reciting part of a hymn.

Songs were one of the basic elements of worship.

 

1 Corinthians 14:26 “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.” NIV

Ephesians 5:18-20 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” NIV

 

Colossians 3:16-17 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” NIV

 

C.        Christ is the song worth singing

 

Mystery of Godliness

 

Godliness: Expansive and not static – expanding way of life

            Personal / interpersonal – beliefs tied to way of living

 

The spiritual disciplines of Christ

 

3, 2-line couplets

 

1.         The conception of the mystery

Appeared – God in the flesh

Vindicated = 1) works done in his ministry

                                    2) resurrection  1 Peter 12

 

2.         The communication of the mystery

Communication of the good news about Christ

~ Was seen by angels – appearance to good angels announcing victory

~ Proclaimed in the world

Acknowledgement of the church’s responsibility to reach the world for Christ

 

3.         The conclusion of the mystery

The result of communicating the gospel

~ believed on  in the world

~ ascension into heaven