The Big Reveal

“They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” (1Tim 3:9).

We live in an age of the Spoiler Alert. With smart phones and the interwebs, it’s hard to avoid finding out info too soon. Just try recording the big game while you’re out to dinner with friends and see if you can steer clear of the score before you get home. And everybody seems determined on tipping you off about the big twist at the end of the latest blockbuster when it comes to a theater near you.

But there’s one story that God’s been dying to spoil since before time began. It’s how He came to our rescue in the form of His Son Jesus. All throughout the Old Testament, He kept dropping divine hints about the One He promised to send. If you’re still in the dark about just who that is…SPOILER ALERT! It’s Jesus! We’re to read the Bible knowing how it ends. Christ is the Mystery revealed! 

Here in a letter to his protege Timothy, Paul gives very specific instructions about who to look for as new leaders in the local church. First of all, we need overseers (1Tim 3:1-7). These are men of spotless integrity who are not only scandal-free but scandal-proof in every aspect of their lives. We also need deacons (1Tim 3:8-13). These are literally servant/leaders who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty in the mess of ministry. 

After telling Tim how deacons “must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain” (1Tim 3:8), the apostle insists they must already know God’s Big Reveal in Christ. “They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” (v9). Deacons should model a personal and powerful relationship with Jesus. First of all, they understand who He is and what He’s done for us. They know the end of the story. Second, they do so with through continual confession and repentance. They keep their conscience clear through short accounts. 

Flip back a page or two and you’ll see Paul talking to Tim using these same two words “faith” and “conscience.” The apostle encourages the Ephesian pastor to be “holding faith and a good conscience” (1Tim 1:19). The man from Tarsus already kicked two false teachers named Hymenaeus and Alexander to the curb after they “made shipwreck of their faith” (1Tim 1:19-20). So be warned. It’s possible to take a vibrant trust in Jesus and crash it onto the rocks like the Exxon Valdez. 

The apostle describes deacons who “hold the mystery of the faith” (v9). So is there some bit of confidential intel the church is holding back? A secret handshake for insiders? Premium info behind a pay wall? Nope. Everything is on the table. You see, the word Paul uses here for “mystery” (Gr. musterion) means a secret once hidden that’s been revealed. It’s a revelation of something known only to God that we didn’t previously realize. Think of top secret government documents which the feds eventually declassify and release to the general public. It’s like watching “The Sixth Sense” or “The Usual Suspects” a second time knowing how it’s going to end. Relax, I’m not going to spoil the ending for you. At least not today. Don’t say you haven’t been warned. 

Jesus is the Big Reveal. He is the personal revelation of God’s grace. The Savior pulled His personal posse aside and told them how they had the privilege “to know the secrets (Gr. musterion) of the kingdom” (Mt 13:11). Paul tells his Roman friends how his message about Jesus and the Gospel is “the revelation of the mystery (Gr. musterion) that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed” (Rom 16:25-26). The apostle writes to the Ephesians about how God graciously gave him the assignment to tell non-Jews all about “the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone the mystery (Gr. musterion) hidden for ages in God” (Eph 3:9).

Jesus is THE Hero of THE Story. Christ is THE Big Idea of the entire Bible. He said Himself how the very words of Scripture “bear witness about Me” (Jn 5:39) and how Moses “wrote of Me” (Jn 5:46) when he was writing the first five books of the Old Testament. If you’re scoring at home, He’s talking about Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Chew on that for a second. Jesus says the Big Mo’s point in writing what scholars call the Book in Five Parts was as a divinely inspired press release prepping the world for the coming Messiah. 

After His resurrection, the undercover Christ walked with a couple of dudes back to their hometown of Emmaus. Dr. Luke tells us how “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Lk 24:27). Think about that. The long promised One personally explaining all of the promises God made about His coming throughout the Old Testament. Don’t you known that was one of the greatest Bible studies in history! The big idea is that Jesus is THE BIG IDEA! Mystery revealed!!

Paul is talking about the mystery of placing our faith in who Jesus is and what He has done. He came to live the perfect life that we failed to live. He died the death on a cross for our sin that we should have died. He rose to new life that we don’t deserve. The King of Kings became the Servant of Servants to save you and me (Mt 20:28; Phil 2:6-11). He takes our crime, does our time, and hands us His sinless perfection and spotless obedience (2Cor 5:21). It just doesn’t make any sense. It should be the other way around. That’s what makes it such a mystery and surprise twist in the eternal story. Nobody outside of God saw this coming!

The greatest Servant the universe has ever seen served you and me. And there’s the connection with the deacons. Their very name means “servant” in the original language. They serve and do the dirty work because Jesus has done just that for us. Deacons model sacrificial service in the local church. Don’t make the mistake of thinking they’re the only ones who can do it either. We’re ALL to serve because we’ve ALL been served by Christ. So get your serve on.

Deacons are to hang onto the revelation of Jesus “with a clear conscience” (v9). Again, this idea isn’t limited to the deacs. That happens when we continually pursue our personal relationship with Jesus. We readily confess our sins. We take full advantage of the gift of repentance and turn our backs on our ridiculous mistakes and head back to Jesus. Church folks back in previous generations called it “keeping short accounts.” 

Think of sin like credit card debt. Instead of allowing it to pile up and simply make the minimum monthly payments, we take care of it immediately. By the way, don’t wait until the end of the month. Keep the account with God short by making this a moment-by-moment transaction. Jesus’ best buddy John is famous for writing, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn 1:9). Actually, Jesus paid our sin account in full with His blood. We just need to take advantage of that purchase regularly! Deacons show us how it’s done.

You’re going to struggle to avoid finding out who wins the game before you fire up the DVR. The person in the next cube is probably going to spoil the ending of that series you’re watching. But there’s one mystery God has revealed He wants us all to know. SPOILER ALERT! Jesus is the Big Reveal! Just ask a deacon. He's happy to tell you all about it.