Revelation of the mystery
Romans
{16:25} Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began
{16:26} But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith
{16:27} To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
According to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began.
The mystery revealed.
The secret revealed.
The preaching of Jesus Christ.
Until the Messiah came, there was the looking for the Messiah. The mystery of His coming was unrevealed. The prophets spoke of His coming and men envisioned it as men do. We tend to add our own interpretation of things to the unknown, it's all we have to do right? Use our imaginations to envision situations presented to us. Sometimes the things we imagine come to pass just as we picture them, but most times they don't. We get things wrong, we skew them and then we either try to save face by changing our tune and calling our former beliefs still true and the actual facts wrong, or we accept them. It's harder to accept when we are wrong about something so vital to our future. It's hard to admit that we could have facts so confused. Yes, sometimes it's hard for us to break down our own self importance and we condemn ourselves because we can't admit we could be so amazingly wrong.
The future holds many things and the one thing we have to look to above all else, is Jesus. Without envisioning it all we have to cling to the hope in him. We have to cling to salvation through Him.
The mystery was revealed, the secret unfolded and Jesus Christ, the Son of God appeared, the Messiah came to bring salvation to all who would believe in him.
Jesus alone has the power to establish us according to His words.
The obedience of faith.
And yes... to God only wise be the glory through Jesus Christ forever.
By His grace and His mercy.
Amen.
4/5/10
Isa 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
Isa 29:14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
Isa 29:15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
Isa 29:16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?
How many of us talk of God? How many of us say things to honor God? A lot of us do. I know lots of people who would loudly profess Christ crucified, of God the Father glorified. It's easy to speak. It's easy to say things. Easy to spout off whatever we want to and whatever we think others might want to hear. We can fool others, we can possibly even try to fool ourselves but we can't fool God ever. God knows our hearts and He doesn't lie when He says there are people who draw near to Him with their mouths, people that honor Him with their lips, but their hearts are removed FAR from Him. They have no HEART connection, no real love for God. They are taught by other men, but they are not taught of God.
The wisdom of the wise men -- perish.
The understanding of thr prudent men -- is hidden.
Nothing is hid from God! Nothing we do is hidden from Him! We think we do things in secret but there is no such thing. All that we are, all that we do God knows. The worst of the worst isn't given freedom in their evil to go unnoticed, their acts are recorded. The best of the best, they too are an open book to God. Nothing is hid. We can sneak around on other people, friends, loved ones; we can hurt others in ways we believe are anonymous and we can get away with a lot of our evilness without a single person finding us out, but God knows. The deepest ways we take to hide our counsel from the Lord is ineffective. All the works we do in the dark believing no one sees, God sees. God knows us in and out.
We can twist things all we want and our fellow man may believe all our upside down and inside out deceptions are effective, but they're not.
When we create something does that creation tell us we didn't make it? Does it? No! It's absurd to even think such a thing. Does a child who knows their birth parents tell their birth parents they didn't create them, their mother that they didn't birth them? Their father that he had no hand in their conception? NO! Creations do not question their creator because truth is truth, it's ludicrous to think otherwise. The thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? The thing made question the maker? Yet we foolish people dare to question God over and over and over. We think in our small minded ways that we have a right to question the Creator, that somehow questioning our Maker makes us on equal or higher ground than He is. Fools. We are fools.
God knows us.
God knows our hearts.
Nothing is hidden from God.
Nothing.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior let us lay our hearts open to Him fully and stand before our God, our Creator with nothing hidden from Him. Lord, know us, see us, help us, save us. In Your love, Your righteousness, Your mercy, Your forgiveness now and forever. We believe, Lord, help our unbelief.
Amen.
4/5/11