(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.) All right, thanks everybody for coming this morning. Please take your seats. Merry Christmas to everyone. If you would please turn with me to song 423. Song number 423, Joy to the World. Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room. Let heaven and nature sing. Let heaven and nature sing. Let heaven and heaven and nature sing. Joy to the world, the Savior means. Let men their songs employ. White fields and floods, rock tales and play. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy. Oh, for the sins and sorrows grow. For thorns infest the crown. He comes to make his blessings grow. Far as the curse is found. Far as the curse is found. Far as, far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace. And makes the nations prove. The glories of his righteousness show wonders of his love. And wonders of his love. And wonders, wonders of his love. Mr. Garrett, could you pray for us? Thank you, God. Thank you, God, for the opportunity to come to church on this special day, Lord. Let's pray for your blessings on all aspects of the morning service. Amen. Amen. Amen. Song number four, twenty-one. Song number four, twenty-one. The first knowing. Song number four, twenty-one. The words go well. The angels did say. One certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay. In fields where they lay. They leaving their sheep on a cold winter's night that was so deep. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel. Born is the King of Israel. And by the light of that same star. We wise men came from country far. To seek for a King was their intent. And to follow the star wherever it went. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel. Born is the King of Israel. This star tonight will run on Northwest. For Bethlehem it took its rest. And there it did. Oh, stop and stay right over the place where Jesus lay. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel. Born is the King of Israel. And it turned into those wise men free. Over with me upon their knee. And offered there in his presence. Careful and firm and frank in sense. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel. Born is the King of Israel. All right, this time we'll go through our announcements as the bulletins are being handed out. Show it and open them up to the inside. We have our service times listed. Sunday mornings at 10.30 is our briefing service. Sunday nights at 6.30 and then Wednesday nights at 7 is our Bible study. This week will be in Jeremiah chapter 37. We have the soul-winning times listed there below. As well as salvations, baptisms, and offering totals. And across the page there, Merry Christmas from Pastor Anderson and family. Our family has a special gift for everyone on the service day. Did we have that this morning, Tuesday, or is that tonight? All right, so I need several men to come up here and help me hand these out. We put together these little spice packets. So if you've ever had the spiced apple cider that my wife serves on the chili cook-off, this is basically all the spices and the recipe of how to make that spice cider. So we're just doing one per household. So gentlemen, just go ahead and hand those out to everybody. One per household. So that you can make your very own spiced apple cider. That's our Christmas gift to you from my family. And then below that we have the coffee and doughnuts before the service on January 8th. Normally we do it on the first Sunday, but because it's New Year's Day we're pushing that back to the 8th. And then below that we have the details on the cookie bake-off. So tonight after the service we're going to have cookies and hot cocoa. And we're asking everybody to bring their homemade Christmas cookies. And there's going to be a contest for the batch Christmas cookies after the service tonight. So don't miss that. And then on the back we've got the church yearbooks in. If you did not get a church yearbook, we ordered enough for everyone to have one per household. And I know we've already handed out a ton of them. But if you did not yet get one, be sure to see Brother Baker. Brother Baker, stand for those that are new. Be sure to see Brother Baker. He'll set you up with one of those yearbooks. And below that we have the Bible memory passage. We're just finishing up with the entire chapter of Psalm 46. So if you're working on this, you've got one more week to get it done. Who is already completely done with Psalm 46? Put up your hand nice and high. All right, great. Who's working on it? You're not done, but you're going to get it done. All right, lots more people. So we're getting down to the end of that. Try to crank that out by the end of the new year. Or the end of this year, that is. And then below that we have the announcement about the wedding for Caleb and Jenny that's going to be on Saturday, January 7th. So please think about RSVPing for that if you've not already. And if you don't know Caleb and Jenny or you don't know them well, if you're here this morning, you are invited to that wedding. So don't be shy about coming. It'll be a great time of fellowship and edification for the entire church. And that's about it for our announcement. Merry Christmas to everyone. Let's go ahead and sing our next song. Song number 430. Song number 430. Wash, shepherds, wash their flocks. Song number 430. And glory shone around. Dear God, send me for my deep breath that sees their trouble find. That tidings of great joy I bring to you and all mankind. To you and all mankind. To you and great this boundless thing is born of David's light. The Savior who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be the sign. And this shall be the sign. God and we bring you there shall find. To you and this plain all ye rapid and in a major lane. And in a major lane. All glory be to God our God and to the earth he needs. And we'll dance forth from head to head. We can and ever cease. We can and ever cease. Alright this time we'll pass our offering plate and as the plate goes around let's turn our Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter number 3 toward the end of the New Testament. 1 Timothy chapter number 3 as we always do we'll read the entire chapter beginning in verse number 1 you can follow along silently with brother Garrett as he reads 1 Timothy 3 beginning in verse number 1 1 Timothy chapter 3 the Bible reads this is a true saying if a man desire the office of a bishop he desireth a good work a bishop they must be blameless the husband of one wife vigilant sober of good behavior given to hospitality apt to teach not given to wine no striker not greedy of filthy lucre but patient not a brawler not covetous one that ruleth well his own house having his children in subjection with all gravity for if a man know not how to rule his own house how shall he take care of the church of God not a novice lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil moreover he must have a good report of them which are without lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil likewise must the deacons be grave not double tongued not given to much wine not greedy of filthy lucre holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience let these also first be proved then let them use the office of a deacon being found blameless even so must their wives be grave not slanderers sober faithful in all things let the deacons be the husbands of one wife ruling their children in their own houses well for they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus these things write I unto thee hoping to come unto these shortly 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 seen of angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world received up into glory given an opportunity to come to the church probably another day and thank you for your service when you thank God for us and very long again we thank you for the sacrifice you gave us and we pray that you also feel passionate in the spirit and bold to preach your word today in the name of Jesus amen 1 Timothy chapter 3 the part that I want to focus on is verse 16 where the Bible reads 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 received up into glory and this morning I want to preach my whole sermon just on this one verse and go through the six statements in this verse that are made about the Lord Jesus Christ and explain them God was manifest in the flesh that's the title of the sermon this morning God was manifest in the flesh now obviously this is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ flip over if you would to John chapter 1 keep your finger in 1 Timothy because we'll be back here John chapter 1 1 Timothy 3 16 is a very important verse it's one that would be good to memorize there are a lot of great verses in the Bible that are numbered 3 16 and so it makes it easy to remember where these are for example obviously the best verse on salvation is John 3 16 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and then 2 Timothy 3 16 is a great scripture on the inspiration of the Bible all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness and then this verse 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 is a great verse on the deity of Jesus Christ because it says that God was manifest in the flesh now look at John chapter 1 of course the beginning of the chapter starts out in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God and then if we jump down to verse 14 it says and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld which means we saw his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth so the Bible says the word was in the beginning with God and was God and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us exactly like the Bible said in 1 Timothy 3 16 that God was manifest now if we just look up the word manifest in the dictionary it says readily perceived by the eye or understanding evident, obvious, apparent or plain so when something is made manifest it means that it's exposed it's in plain sight we can see it the Bible is saying here that God was manifest in the flesh you see no man has seen God at any time God the father we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth now back to 1 Timothy 3 16 it says without controversy great is the mystery of godliness without controversy means this is something that everyone could agree on no one could say that it's not a great mystery the fact that God was manifest in the flesh that's hard for us to understand fully to wrap our mind around such a powerful concept but notice it says God was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world received up into glory and the thing I want to point out is that the subject does not change here the subject is God God was manifest in the flesh and then there's no new subject it was God who was justified in the spirit it was God who was seen of angels God was preached unto the Gentiles God was believed on in the world and God was received up into glory and those statements can only refer to Jesus we know it was Jesus who was received up into glory and Jesus who fulfilled all of these things now if you would flip over to Romans chapter 3 I want to focus on the second point of this verse first of all the Bible says that God was manifest in the flesh Jesus Christ was God in the form of man God in the flesh, God born as a human being who dwelled among us but the second phrase I want to focus on is where it says justified in the spirit now what does it mean to be justified? well to be justified means to be declared to be righteous now when we think of the word justified we usually think of it in regard to salvation in fact salvation is often used interchangeably with justification if we talk about being saved by grace through faith if we talk about being justified by grace justified means declared righteous you see the Bible says as it is written there is none righteous no not one so we in our own flesh as human beings none of us is righteous ok but if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we are justified meaning that we are declared righteous in the sight of God and that's how we're able to get into heaven because the Bible says except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of your wives and Pharisees you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven and so Paul said not having my own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith so when we have faith in Christ when we believe in Christ we are justified meaning we are declared righteous in the sight of God and the word just is synonymous with the word righteous if you study the Bible none righteous are used interchangeably you say well how could God be justified in the spirit the Bible says God was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit you say well you know why would God need to be justified he's never sinned you know why would he need to be declared righteous well actually there are multiple verses in the Bible that talk about God being justified you're in Romans 3 but I'll read for you from Psalm 51 verse 4 it says against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judges this is David confessing his sin with Bathsheba unto the Lord and he's confessing that he was in the wrong and he said against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest so he is declaring righteous judgment in condemning the actions that he has done another scripture on God being justified is Luke 7 29 when the Bible says and all the people that heard him and the publicans justified God being baptized with the baptism of John so when it says that they justified God it's saying that they declared God's righteousness now look down if you would at Romans chapter 3 verse 20 Romans 3 20 says therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight so none of us could ever be declared righteous by following God's laws because all God's law does is show us all of our unrighteousness because we've all sinned and come short let's keep reading here it says therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all of them that believe for there is no difference so the Bible is saying that we can be justified or declared righteous in the sight of God by putting our faith in Jesus not by the deeds of the law not by works of righteousness which we have done but by putting our faith in Jesus we can be righteous we can be declared righteous we can be justified in the sight of God verse 23 for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God had set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood watch this to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God to declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus so the Bible said that Jesus Christ righteousness needed to be declared so that he could be considered just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus see it's Jesus Christ righteousness that is imputed unto us when we believe on him so he is just and he is the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus where is boasting then it says in verse 27 it's excluded by what law of works nay but by the law of faith therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law nothing could be clearer than this chapter that the works of the law the deeds of the law our own righteousness has nothing to do with getting us into heaven the thing that gets us justified or declared righteous in the sight of God is our faith in Jesus so when the Bible said in 1 Timothy 3 16 without controversy great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit that has to do with Jesus Christ being declared righteous and shown to be righteous he went about doing good he lived a perfect life he was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin and that declaration of Christ's righteousness or his perfect sinless life is essential to us being saved because he is just that he might be the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus so basically justified can really have two meanings in a sense it can either declare someone righteous who was unrighteous like us where we start out being unrighteous but then God declares us righteous he justifies us freely by his grace or justify can be used to just declare the righteousness of someone who's always been righteous always was righteous and always will be righteous but either way to justify means to declare the righteousness of someone so the Bible says that God was manifest in the flesh and justified in the spirit the next statement made of Jesus is that he was seen of angels now go to Luke chapter 2 this is the famous chapter that's usually known as the Christmas story or the Christmas passage this is the most popular scripture to read on Christmas Luke chapter 2 and this will show us part of the story of Jesus being seen of angels it says in Luke chapter 2 verse 8 there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and lo the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid and the angel said to them fear not behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord and this shall be a sign unto you you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will toward men and it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven the shepherd said one to another let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass which the Lord have made known unto us and they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger jump down to verse 21 and when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child his name was called Jesus which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb flip over to John chapter 1 John chapter number 1 Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh he was also justified in the spirit or declared his righteousness and then thirdly he was seen of angels Jesus Christ birth was announced by angels the angel even revealed unto Joseph that his name would be called Jesus and then angels witnessed of the event to the shepherds and praise and glorified God a heavenly host of angels also when Jesus Christ later would be tempted of the devil angels ministered unto Jesus the Bible says in Mark chapter 1 verse 13 and he was there in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan and was with the wild beasts and the angels ministered unto him look at John chapter 1 verse 49 Nathaniel answered and saith unto him rabbi thou art the son of God thou art the king of Israel Jesus answered and said unto him because I said unto thee I saw thee under the fig tree believeth thou thou shalt see greater things than these and he saith unto him verily verily I say unto you hereafter ye shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man angels also witnessed Jesus Christ agony in the garden of Gethsemane when he prayed to the father and said father if thou be willing remove this cup from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done the next verse says and there appeared an angel unto him from heaven strengthening him at the resurrection it was angels who witnessed the resurrection and rolled away the stone from the door and said he's not here for he has risen as he said come see the place where the Lord lay so in all phases of Jesus Christ ministry from his birth his temptations his ministry his uh agony his death burial and resurrection the angels witnessed these events Jesus Christ truly was seen of angels the third point is that he was preached unto the Gentiles go to Luke chapter 2 again Luke chapter number 2 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 preached unto the Gentiles now if you think about first Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 in this list of six points about Jesus it starts out with God was manifest in the flesh which would obviously be the birth of Christ when he was you know made flesh and dwelled among us and then it ends with him being received up into glory so obviously this is talking about the life and ministry of Jesus starting with him being manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit seen of angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on the world and then ultimately received up into glory to be seated at the right hand of the father therefore the phrase preached unto the Gentiles this is not referring to after Jesus rose again and after the apostle Paul is called and sent forth to the Gentiles this is obviously talking about Jesus earthly ministry because it wouldn't make any sense to transport that you know from way later and bring it into this verse no this verse is talking about Jesus being preached unto the Gentiles in his earthly ministry now let's see the fulfillment of that in scripture before we see the fulfillment of that look at the emphasis placed on Jesus preaching to the Gentiles even at his birth this is when Jesus is just a baby being dedicated at the temple a small baby look what it says in verse 29 of Luke 2 Lord now let us thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou has prepared before the face of all people watch this a light to lighten the Gentiles you see that was the intent of Jesus life and Jesus birth and Jesus ministry from the moment he was born even before this the angels said glad tidings of great joy which shall be to all people even in the old testament over and over again Isaiah and others prophesied about how Jesus would be a light to the Gentiles and that the gospel would be preached to the Gentiles even all the way back to Abraham being called to even be the progenitor of the nation of Israel he was told and these shall all families of the earth be blessed and these shall all nations be blessed it says in verse 32 a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel and Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him go to Matthew chapter 4 Matthew chapter number 4 see there's a false doctrine out there called dispensationalism and it teaches this idea that somehow the gospel going to the Gentiles was some kind of an afterthought or some kind of an accident of history like Jesus just really just cares about the Jews the Jews the Jews the Jews the Jews but you know because they rejected him we're kind of living in this little parenthetical sort of glitch period where the gospel goes to the Gentiles or something and that it was an afterthought like he's trying to only bring it to the Jews but then because they rejected him it's like well I guess we got to go to the Gentiles now we see that attitude with the apostle Paul in acts where the Jews are unreceptive he goes to the Gentiles he keeps wanting to preach to Jews but he keeps just kind of beating his head against the wall with that because they're not interested so he keeps turning to the Gentiles turning to the Gentiles but that doesn't change the fact that God's plan was always for the gospel to go to the Gentiles God's plan has always been for the whole world God so loved the world he didn't so love a certain nation or a certain family or a certain group and no one else no God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son Jesus Christ was sent to this earth not to just be the Messiah of the Jews and then because they rejected him the Gentiles get in on the action wrong he was sent to be a light to lighten the Gentiles even from his birth even from day one even before anybody had talked about him being killed or crucified because of the Jews rejection of him that's coming way later from the beginning this was the plan look at Matthew 4 and see how Jesus was preached unto the Gentiles in his earthly ministry not just later with the apostle Paul look at verse number 12 now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison he departed into Galilee and leaving Nazareth he came and dwelt in Capernaum which is upon the sea coast in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalem what does that mean in the borders basically he's right on the edge of what would be considered the tribes of Zabulon and Nephthalem he's right on the border between these tribes where they would live and the Gentiles he's right on a border town now if you've ever been to a border town you know that there are people from both sides of the border living in that town you know if you go down to Nogales Arizona or if you go down to Calexico Arizona or if you go to bordering towns in Texas like say for example McAllen Texas you'll notice that there's a lot of Spanish being spoken a lot of signs are in Spanish businesses are in Spanish I mean I remember walking into businesses and the cashiers are all speaking Spanish and McAllen Texas the everybody who's a customer speaking Spanish and I remember waiting in line wondering I wonder if this person is even going to be able to speak English to me you know when I get up to the counter but most people who work in businesses down there are bilingual because it's a border town well Jesus is in the border towns here and it says in verse 14 why was he there? that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets saying the land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthalem by the way of the sea beyond Jordan watch this Galilee of the Gentiles Galilee Jesus is preaching where? Jesus is ministering where? Galilee of the Gentiles the people which sat in darkness saw great light and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up from that time Jesus began to preach and to say repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand jump down to verse 23 and Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people and his fame went throughout all where? Syria so is Jesus only being preached within the nation of Israel? no he's preaching in Galilee of the Gentiles his fame is going throughout all of Syria and they brought into him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments and those which were possessed with devils and those which were lunatic and those that had the palsy and he healed them and there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee and from Decapolis and from Jerusalem and from Judea and from beyond Jordan go to Matthew 12 Matthew chapter number 12 Matthew 12 the Bible's clear that Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry was preached unto the Gentiles and let me tell you something this was not by accident this was to fulfill prophecy God had decided way earlier that he's going to be a light to light in the Gentiles he's going to be preached unto the Gentiles and in fact it's so important it's put in this short list 1 Timothy 3 16 is not giving us a list of everything about Jesus it's hitting key points key highlights he was manifest in the flesh he was justified in the spirit he was seen of angels he was preached unto the Gentiles he was believed on in the world he was received up into glory that makes his preaching unto the Gentiles a very significant event to be in that short list Matthew 12 15 but when Jesus knew it he withdrew himself from thence and great multitudes followed him and he healed them all and charged them that they should not make him known that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by his eyes the prophet saying behold my servant whom I have chosen my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased I will put my spirit upon him and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles he shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets a bruised reed shall he not break and smoking flax shall he not quench his judgment unto victory and here's the final point the goal, what's the goal? and in his name shall the Gentiles trust that's the mission that's the goal that's the plan from the beginning that in his name the Gentiles would trust in him go to Romans chapter 15 Romans chapter 15 the false doctrine of dispensationalism further goes on they claim that the apostle Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles and that the other apostles are not the apostles to the Gentiles now let me say this they're right about Paul being an apostle to the Gentiles he said that I'm an apostle to the Gentiles I'm an apostle to the Gentiles amen but all other 11 of the apostles were supposed to be apostles to the Gentiles also that's where dispensationalism gets it wrong they say, well Paul's our apostle you know, Peter, James, John the 11th, you know they had the ministry of the circumcision you know what, just because that's what they did doesn't mean that's what they were supposed to do I seem to remember a key scripture in Matthew 28 where Jesus took those 11 men and the apostle Paul wasn't even there and he said to those 11 men he said, go ye therefore and teach all nations he didn't say, go ye therefore and teach Israel again even though we've already done that for three and a half years even though we've already gone to every town, every city every village in Israel because that's what they did even though we've already preached in all areas of Judea all areas of the lost sheep of the house even though we've already finished this country go ye therefore and keep doing that and I'm going to go find another guy that's going to do the whole rest of the world we're going to task 11 of you with one country that's already been canvassed that's already been preached to that's already been covered that's unreceptive that by and large has rejected me let's just keep witnessing to them and then one guy is going to do the whole rest of the world is that what he said? look, the fact that some of the apostles stayed in Jerusalem when they were commanded to go teach all nations doesn't change the fact that they were commanded to teach all nations they were in disobedience they did not obey the commandment to get out of Judea and that's why God even had to send persecution and scatter them so that they would go everywhere preaching the gospel but even then the apostles just kept wanting to stay in Jerusalem even Paul couldn't get this through his head and had to keep going go back to Jerusalem get over it! there's a whole world out there he's a light to lighten the Gentiles there are all these fish in the sea but the false doctrine of dispensationalism says well Paul is our apostle everybody in the whole world and then you know, the rest of the apostles are just sent to Israel that is a lie and a fraud and contradicts the Great Commission where they're told to go teach all nations look what the Bible says in Romans 15 verse 8 now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy as it is written for this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy name and again he saith and these are Old Testament quotes rejoice ye Gentiles with his people and again praise the Lord all ye Gentiles and laud him all ye people and again as I sayeth there shall be a root of Jesse and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost who was the book of Romans written to? the Gentiles who was the book of 1 Corinthians written to? the Gentiles who was the book of 2 Corinthians written to? the Gentiles who was the book of Galatians written to? the Gentiles the Gentiles but it was all originally written in Hebrew that's what these Judaizers and Hebrew roots types claim no it was written in Greek it was written to the Gentiles Ephesians, why would God write an epistle to Ephesians Galatians, Philippians, Colossians Thessalonians in Hebrew doesn't make any sense folks is written in Greek the language of those people who was the Gospel of Luke written to? Theophilus who was the book of Acts written to? a Gentile named Theophilus who was the book of Revelation written to? the seven churches in Judea? nope the seven churches in Asia and so we see that God's plan always was to preach the Gospel to the whole world to teach all nations that in all nations that the families of the earth would be blessed through Abraham and Jesus Christ the whole purpose of even having the chosen people of Israel in the Old Testament was to be a light to lighten the Gentiles didn't work but that was the plan see just because man messes up God's plan that doesn't change God's original intent God's intent has always been love and redemption for all peoples of the earth and God shows throughout the Bible over and over and over again that he is not a respecter of persons and that there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek I mean even in the Old Testament God's lifting up and praising Ethiopians and other foreigners for great works that they did for God even in the New Testament we see people being called even Simon the Canaanite as one of his disciples and we see people of all nations being reached even when Jesus healed the man's servant he said many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven but the children of the kingdom meaning the earthly kingdom of Israel shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth it's quite significant that Jesus Christ was preached unto the Gentiles even while he was on this earth not after he ascended to glory get the order right he was preached unto the Gentiles he was believed on in the world he was received up into glory go to John chapter 2 let's look at the fifth point the fifth point of this verse this is a powerful verse packed with truth 1 Timothy 3.16 memorize it it's a great verse why is it such a great verse? because number one, it proves that Jesus is God because it calls him God it says God was manifest in the flesh why is it such a great verse? because secondly, it says that he was justified in the spirit he was declared to be righteous he was totally without sin he was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin he was seen of angels he was witnessed and declared and proclaimed to be the son of God with power even by the angels of heaven fourthly, it shows that he was preached unto the Gentiles just because he sent them out in Matthew 10 there's a certain time and a certain mission where he says, go not into the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans and unto ye not, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel it doesn't change the fact that his plan was ultimately to reach the whole world he wanted to start with them, that's why Paul said it was necessary that the gospel first be spoken unto you to the Jews, but then he said, now we're going to the Gentiles but even while Jesus was on this earth his fame went throughout all Syria he preached in Galilee of the Gentiles many Gentiles were saved through his preaching fifthly, this, from this powerful verse he was believed on in the world look at some scriptures to back that up I'm just showing you, basically how all of these things were fulfilled in the life of Christ how he truly was preached unto the Gentiles and believed on in the world look at John chapter 2, verse 11 as we turn through these verses this beginning of miracles did Jesus and Cana of Galilee and manifested forth his glory and his disciples believed on him go to John chapter 4, verse 39 and many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman which testified, he told me all that ever I did go to chapter 7, verse 31 and many of the people believed on him and said, when Christ cometh will he do more miracles than these which this man had done? look at John chapter 8, verse 30 these are just all the numerous examples where the Bible talks about people believing on Jesus Christ while he was in this world John chapter 8, verse 30 as he spake these words many believed on him look at chapter 10, verse 42 John chapter 10, verse 42 by the way, the book of John is the only book in the Bible that claims to be written to tell someone how to get saved and it used the word believe over 90 times where did I return? chapter 10? verse 42 and many believed on him there look at John chapter 11, verse 45 John 11, 45 then many of the Jews which came to Mary and had seen the things which Jesus did believed on him and then lastly turn to John chapter 12 we're going to look at verse 11 and verse 42 John chapter 12, 11 and 42 because by reason of him many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus verse 42 nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on him but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the synagogue last place we're going to turn Acts chapter 1 and then we'll come back full circle to 1 Timothy 3 look at Acts chapter 1 the final point is this Jesus was received up into glory God was manifest in the flesh God was justified in the spirit God was seen of angels God was preached unto the Gentiles God was believed on in the world and God was received up into glory God was received up into glory someone could say well, when the Bible says God was manifest in the flesh you know that just means that God kind of showed forth his glory through the man Jesus, you know and that Jesus was just kind of a reflection of who God was ok, but what about when it says that God was received up into glory I mean, you know what I mean what about when it says that God was preached unto the Gentiles God was believed on in the world and God was received up into glory that stuff can only be referring to Jesus not the father in heaven he's already there you don't have to be received the one who was received up into glory is Jesus so that's why when you take this verse as a whole, it's a powerful declaration of the deity of Jesus Christ, one of many Acts chapter 1 verse 8 but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and in the uttermost part of the earth and when he had spoken these things while they beheld, he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight and while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up behold, two men stood by them in white apparel which also said, ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you've seen him go into heaven so there Jesus is received up into glory just as 1 Timothy 3.16 said go back to 1 Timothy 3.16 the reason I preach this sermon today is because today being Christmas, people are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ which is the event where, you know God basically became flesh and dwelled among us and was born as a baby and it's important that we realize and stay focused on the fact that Jesus Christ should have the preeminence in all areas of our life. In all things he must have the preeminence. So today we need to make sure that we keep the focus on him, his birth, his life, his ministry his death, burial and resurrection and not to just get caught up in a lot of just, you know, material things or partying or, you know, some kind of fables about Santa and his reindeer or something you know, we have something actually worth celebrating about today when God was manifest in the flesh this is a powerful verse you look down at your King James Bible but let me read for you how the modern versions just butcher this verse. Now you say, oh man, you're really beating that dead horse again. Well you know what I'm just going to keep beating that dead horse until until these bunch of modern versions go in the trash can where they belong and where we get back as a nation to the King James Bible and when even people in independent fundamental Baptist churches stop thinking that the new King James and the NIV are okay to read, I'm just going to keep on just ringing that bell I'm going to kick that dog every time I walk by it you know, we need to be grounded and rooted and firm on what we believe we've spent the last however long preaching on a powerful verse, we've been studying powerful verse together, we looked at each phrase and saw the significance, the importance, the power, the fulfillment in the life of Christ watch how all of this great doctrine and all this great truth about our Lord just goes up in smoke when we pull out one of these messed up modern perversions of the Bible, here's the NIV you're looking down in your Bible at the King James beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great he appeared in the flesh so instead of God was manifest in the flesh, it's just he appeared in the flesh, who? the spring? beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great, he appeared in the flesh, so the mystery appeared in the flesh, who? there's no mention that it's God that was manifest in the flesh and thereafter it no longer is it God who was preached to the Gentiles believed on in the world or received up in the glory here's the NIV, beyond all question the mystery from which true godliness springs is great, he appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the spirit which again, vindication is a stupid word because that implies that you have done something wrong or are being accused of doing something wrong okay, was seen by angels was preached among the nations not Gentiles, the nations was believed on in the world and was taken up in the glory here's the RSV which I thought was a childhood illness, but great indeed we confess is the mystery of our religion, he was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, again it's just he not God, just he seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world taken up in the glory, here's the NET, which is what James White uses, and we all agree our religion contains amazing revelation he was revealed in the flesh what, our religion was revealed in the flesh? he? he was revealed in the flesh vindicated by the spirit, seen by angels proclaimed among the Gentiles, believed on in the world taken up in the glory, here's the ESV great indeed, we confess is the mystery of godliness he was manifested in the flesh, just he vindicated by the spirit seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations believed on in the world, taken up in glory, here's the good news translation, good news for modern man, no one can deny how great is the secret of our religion, he appeared in human form, was shown to be right by the spirit and was seen by angels, blah blah blah here's the living Bible the living Bible it is quite true that the way to live a godly life is not an easy matter but the answer lies in Christ, who came to earth as a man, was proved spotless and pure in his spirit, was served by angels which preached among the nations was accepted by men everywhere I mean, he was just accepted by men everywhere and was received up again to his glory in heaven here's the message here's another version known as the message we're getting to the weirder versions now this Christian life is a great mystery far exceeding our understanding but some things are clear enough he appeared in a human body yeah, that's real clear when you don't tell us who he is some things are clear enough yeah, it was clear enough in the King James that was clear enough for you ruined it he appeared in a human body was proved right by the invisible spirit, was seen by angels he was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples believed in all over the world taken up into heavenly glory so we see that this verse has been totally butchered so much of the doctrine, so much of the teaching has been removed and ruined and you say, well it's just these new versions are a little easier to understand really? because I don't have any trouble understanding that 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 received up into glory that's a powerful verse that's a powerful teaching that's a powerful truth that's powerful doctrine that's god's word accept no imitations Father we thank you so much for this powerful verse in your word Lord and we thank you for this beautiful day that you've given us to be in your house, gathered with your people to read your word and to worship you, Lord thank you so much for the fact that you were manifest in the flesh and that you performed all of these great acts Lord, that we might be saved thank you for that salvation and justification through the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and it isn't in his name that we pray Amen Song number 259 I'm sorry, 301 Song number 301 sweet hour of prayer Song number 301 Song number 301 sweet hour of prayer Song number 301 Song number 301 Song number 301 Song number 301 sweet hour of prayer sweet hour of prayer that calls me from the world of care and beats me at my father's throne make all my wants and wishes known to him who's true in faithfulness, engage the way he sold to bless. And since he missed, he's seen his face, believe his word and trust his grace. I'll cast a hand by every care and wait for the sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer. May I not cause a relationship till from a vicious rocky height I view my home and take my flight. This robe of flesh I'll drop and rise to seize the everlasting prize and shout while passing through the air. Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer. Amen. Amen.