This document provides a summary of a sermon given on 1 Timothy 3:1-16. The sermon discusses the qualifications for church leaders outlined in the passage, but notes that these qualifications can seem overwhelming. However, the "mystery of godliness" according to verse 16 is not a list of rules but a Person - Jesus Christ. The sermon then walks through each part of verse 16 about Jesus, from his incarnation to his resurrection and ascension. The key point is that godliness is found not through self-effort but by looking to Jesus, who intercedes for believers and lives within them by the Holy Spirit. Believers can be assured of salvation not by their own works but through faith in

1. 1 Timothy 3:1-16
Setting The Example
June 16, 2019
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
What’s the number one thing?
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1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.
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2. June Memory Verse
Matthew 6:6 NKJV
6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your
door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in
secret will reward you openly.”
1 Timothy 3:1-16 NKJV
Qualifications of Overseers
1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop (NIV/overseer,
NLT/church leader, ISV/ elder, Jubilee Bible 2000/ to be a pastor or elder in the
congregation) he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the
husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable,
able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle,
not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his
children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to
rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice,
lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest
he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Qualifications of Deacons
8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much
wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure
conscience. 10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons,
being found blameless. 11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers,
temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife,
ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For those who have served well
as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the
faith which is in Christ Jesus.
The Great Mystery
14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; 15 but if I am
delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the
house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the
truth. 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.

4. Jon Courson’s
Application Commentary New Testament
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The Mystery of Godliness
Sometimes life can seem overwhelming.
Perhaps Timothy felt that way when he received instructions from the apostle
Paul concerning those who were qualified to be involved in ministry, for who
could ever qualify?
Who can say, "I am vigilant in prayer, patient, hospitable, and blameless, and so
are my kids, yes, these qualifications fit me to a T?"

5. In reality, we say, "Oh, I see the validity of the list before me, but I could never
qualify because of the sins and mistakes and baggage that I carry with me."
As Jon Courson arrived at the Medford Airport one morning, he bumped into his
Mom and daughter who were waiting to board a plane to the Mission at Carmen
Serdan, Mexico. They decided to have breakfast together.
As they talked, a baggage cart being pulled by a tractor caught his daughter’s
eye and his Mom said to her, "I bet our bags are right there on that little cart."
"Wow!" gasped Mary. "That guy's going to drive all the way to Mexico?!"
That's a lot like us!
"My, oh, my!" we say, "the journey to godliness is so far, and our baggage is so
great, we'll never get there just putt-putt-putting along the road."
But the text before us reminds us that there's a better way than just plodding
away through item after item—trying to be blameless, trying to get our house in
order, trying to fulfill the requirements that would make it an arduous journey at
best.
Paul calls it the mystery of godliness and talks about it not as it relates to a
procedure, a process, or a program.
He talks about godliness as it relates to a Person!

6. Paul could have given us fifteen guidelines to godliness, or twenty tips about
holiness.
Instead, he just starts talking about Jesus.
1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifest in the flesh,
• God became a Man when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, when
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Therefore, concerning an answer to any question I have about the way life
should be lived, I don't have to wait for inner revelation or sign up for a seminar
to get instruction.
All I have to do is look at Emmanuel, God with us, Jesus!
Too many people are looking for a manual on how to raise kids, how to be a
better husband, how to live successfully. Forget the manuals. We have
Emmanuel!

7. 1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
Justified in the Spirit,
• Jesus was justified in the Spirit when, following His baptism in the Jordan
River, the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove.
Matthew 3:16 NKJV
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and
behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
When He was thus empowered for service, His public ministry began, and
miracles followed.
The same holds true for you.
Just as anything you want to know about godliness can be seen in the Person of
Jesus Christ, whatever you accomplish in ministry will be done solely through the
power of the Holy Spirit.

8. 1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
Seen by Angels,
• Following His baptism, Jesus was led to the wilderness, where He was
tempted by Satan with the same temptations that bug, plague, and
hassle you and me.
• At the end of forty days, Jesus was victorious and was ministered to by
angels.
Matthew 4:11 NKJV
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
Preached among the Gentiles,
• Jesus marveled at the faith of only two people and both were Gentiles.

9. Matthew 8:8, 10 NKJV
8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come
under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly,
I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
Matthew 15:25-27 NKJV
25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and
throw it to the little dogs.”
27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from
their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to
you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
At a time when Gentiles were considered by Jews to be nothing more than fuel
for the fires of Hell, Jesus not only talked to Gentiles, but commended them
uniquely.
So, too, you might feel like the least likely candidate to deserve a word from
Jesus.
Take heart! He marvels at the faith of people like us!

10. 1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
Believed on in the World,
• Believed on by the thief who hung beside Him and by the centurion
who stood below Him, Jesus was further believed on by the hundreds
who were eyewitnesses of His resurrection.
Matthew 27:54 NKJV
54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the
earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying,
“Truly this was the Son of God!”

11. Luke 23:39-43 NKJV
39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You
are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God,
seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we
receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your
kingdom.”
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in
Paradise.”
1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
Received up in glory.
• Jesus is in Heaven where He lives to make intercession for you and me.

12. Romans 8:34 NKJV
34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Hebrews 7:25 NKJV
25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God
through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
In other words, Jesus went to Heaven where He's talking to the Father nonstop
about you.
Luke 22:31-32 NKJV
31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he
may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail;
and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
In other words, "You're going to make it, Peter, because I'm praying for you."
That’s great news for us as well.
All those of us who know Jesus are going to make it!
You're going to be godly because Jesus is praying for you—and His prayers are
always heard and heeded by the Father.
Philippians 1:6 NKJV
6 being confident of this very thing, that He Who has begun a good work in you
will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

13. If we could understand baby talk, we would know what negative thoughts
babies have.
We might hear one say, "You know I'm just never going to get this walking thing
down. All I do is stumble around, fall down, and land on my bottom."
And another might say, "I don't think I'll ever figure out how to eat with a spoon."
Yet, as adults, if we could understand them and they us, we'd say, "It's all going
to work out, kids. You're going to walk, you'll see. You'll get that spoon thing down.
It will work."
That's what the Lord is saying to us.
Great is this mystery of godliness.
Jesus has walked where we walk.
He knows what we're going through, and now He's at the right hand of the
Father, praying for us. He sees you already seated in the heavenlies.
Ephesians 2:4-6 NKJV
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved
us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit
together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

14. Not only does Jesus pray for you, but He lives in you – right now!
Romans 8:11 NKJV
11 But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who
raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His
Spirit Who dwells in you.
John 14:15-18 NKJV
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He
will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of
truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows
Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not
leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
• Not only is Jesus praying for us, but by His Spirit, He lives in us!
Your co-workers are telling a dirty joke.
An opportunity is before you to cheat on your income tax.
Your friends are gossiping and expect you to join in.
But there is a voice in your ear saying, "Don't do it. It will hurt you."
That's the voice of God within you.
The mystery of godliness is so simple.
It's not a matter of working hard on this list in 1 Timothy 3.
It's a matter of saying, "Lord, whatever You say, that's what I'll do."
Yield to Him.

15. Finally, not only is Jesus praying for us and living within us, He's coming to get us!
John 14:1-3 NKJV
1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My
Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go
to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
When Jesus comes back, all those who opened their hearts to Him will go with
Him.
Compared to another, you might feel your faith is too small or too weak—but
everyone who bears Jesus' Name is going.
It's a fabulous hope!
What do you call the person who finishes last in their dental school class?
DOCTOR
Dear saint, please understand that we don't have to drive our baggage all the
way to Mexico—or to Heaven.
Because Jesus became a Man Who walked in our steps, died in our place, and
lives in our hearts, we can soar to the heavenlies in Him.
Ephesians 2:1-10 MSG
1-6 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You
let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live.
You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We
all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of
us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose His temper and do away with
the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, He
embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all
this on His own, with no help from us! Then He picked us up and set us down in
highest Heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

16. 7-10 Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in this world and the
next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all His idea,
and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it. It’s God’s gift from
start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around
bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save
ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by
Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready
for us (beforehand) to do, work we had better be doing.
Ephesians 2:1-10 MSG
And that is the great and glorious mystery of godliness!
The Plan of Hope & Salvation
John 3:16 NKJV
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 14:6 NKJV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NKJV
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life to
pay the penalty for our sins.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the second death explained in
Revelation 21:8.

17. Revelation 21:8 NKJV
8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
• Anyone who’s lifestyle is one or more of the sins listed in Revelation 21:8,
will experience the “second death” if they do not repent.
• To Repent means to turn around, to go in the opposite direction, to turn
away from sin and to come to Jesus.
Romans 6:23b NKJV
23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Revelation 21:7 NKJV
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be
My son.”
• Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to be overcomers.
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Have questions?
Would you like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or
http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/