Title: Gospel of John [17:17-18]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 31. 2Ti 2; Passages of the

Title: Gospel of John [17:17-18]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 31. 2Ti 2; Passages of the "gospel," and the "mystery."

 

Announcements/opening prayer:

 

2TI 1:8-9

Therefore do not be ashamed [do not become ashamed] of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

 

2TI 1:10

but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

 

This position in Christ through the grace gifts that are in accordance with God's purpose was not existent in the OT but has now been revealed as verse 10 states. It has been revealed in the person of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He was the first to be and live in such a way and His way, truth, and life have now been graciously given to the Church, to every Church age believer. The NT calls this revelation the mystery.

 

"mystery" - musth,rion[musterion] = the content of that which had not been known before but is now revealed to the initiated. The initiated are those believers illumed by God the Holy Spirit.

 

Christian marriage under mystery doctrine would be even greater than the marriage of Adam and Ishshah before the fall. It is a semblance of the relationship of Christ and His church.

 

This is the mystery of the bride of Christ.

 

EPH 5:22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

 

EPH 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

 

EPH 5:24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

 

EPH 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her;

 

EPH 5:26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

 

EPH 5:27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.

 

EPH 5:28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;

 

EPH 5:29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,

 

EPH 5:30 because we are members of His body.

 

EPH 5:31 For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.

 

EPH 5:32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

 

EPH 6:19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

 

EPH 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

 

COL 1:25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,

 

Stewardship speaks of a house-steward, one to whom is given the responsibility of administering the laws regulating the proper conduct of affairs in the household. Paul was given the responsibility of preaching the Word of God and seeing to it that it was guided rightly in its initial impact upon the Roman Empire.

 

COL 1:26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints,

 

COL 1:27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

 

"God willed to make known" is the function of grace in revealing the riches of the glory. Hope - confidence in more of Christ's glory in the future; time and eternity.

 

Therefore, none of us can claim that we know anything about God or His plan because of our own brains or talent. In grace God willed to make it known to all and no one is excluded. God used Himself, God the Holy Spirit, to reveal it and so no one can take any credit for their wisdom of God, nor can they boast. Our spiritual I.Q. comes from God the Holy Spirit alone. Part of this mystery is the indwelling of Jesus Christ in every believer; an indwelling that cannot be lost.

 

The mystery of the indwelling Christ is great. Christ revealed this in the upper room.

 

JOH 14:20

"In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

 

More likely than not, this statement went right over their heads. Yet the HS would bring it to their remembrance and they would understand as we do. As a part of the introduction to the mystery doctrines of the church Christ intended to make clear that He and His church would be in the closest type of relationship imaginable, and in fact, greater than we could ever imagine, for we would be in Him and He would be in us. I could not be the same person if Christ is in me and I'm in Him and I could no longer live for anything or anyone else, for who else is as close to me?

 

Yet He revealed His victory over death, abolishing it, and His giving of divine life through His resurrection.

 

The impact of what He taught and especially His instruction to the disciples in the upper room was made more than evident in His resurrection. Did He indeed abolish death? He's standing in front of you, speaking to you. Did He indeed impart divine life? Death had no power over Him and He is indeed alive, scars and all. His resurrection proved that he made death of no effect and that He gave immortality and truth to mankind, to all who would accept it.

 

[our main passage]

2TI 1:9-10

who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

 

This indwelling brings a new life. If Christ is in me then how could I ever conclude that I am the same person that I was before regeneration? Paul states this in GAL 2:20.

 

GAL 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.

 

It is no longer a self-centered life that we live, but a Christ-centered one. Our new life is a Person, the Lord Jesus living in us.

 

And through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus is manifest in our lives, this is sanctification in the truth. The new life is no longer, like the former one, dependent upon the ineffectual efforts of a man attempting to draw near to God in his own righteousness, as Paul did as a Pharisee. The new life is a Person within a person, living out His life in that person. Instead of attempting to live our life in obedience to a set of rules in the form of the legal enactments of the Mosaic law or any form of religion, we now yield to the indwelling Holy Spirit and cooperate with Him in the production of a life pleasing to God, energized by the divine life resident in us through the regenerating work of the Spirit. Instead of a sinner with a totally depraved nature attempting to find acceptance with God by attempted obedience to a set of outward laws, it is now the saint living his life on a new principle, that of the indwelling Holy Spirit manifesting forth the Lord Jesus.

 

COL 1:28 And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.

 

COL 1:29 And for this purpose also I labor, striving [agonizomai] according to His power, which mightily works within me.

 

COL 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle [agon] I have on your behalf, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,

 

Paul strives and struggles. Though he certainly had many physical struggles, here the struggle is inward in his concern for the churches. False doctrine followed him everywhere and the churches were in constant danger from Gnostics, Judiazers, Stoics, Epicureans, and others who had mixtures of these false philosophies. Like the soldier, athlete, and farmer there is going to be struggle, persecution, and weariness.

 

COL 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,

 

All false teachings have a tendency of divisiveness. In Christianity, the mystery of the royal family of God is to be knit together in love. "That is" and "Himself" have been added to the translation.

 

There is a wealth resulting from the full assurance of understanding a true knowledge of God's mystery - Christ!

 

COL 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

 

COL 2:4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive argument.

 

The force of this passage then is that all, and not merely some of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are contained in Christ; therefore the search for them outside of Him is doomed to failure. But not only are they in Christ, but they are contained in a hidden way. Therefore they do not lie on the surface, but must be sought for earnestly, as men seek for hidden treasure. They are not matters of external observances, such as the false teachers attempted to persuade, but to be apprehended by deep and serious study and consideration.