These are what mark this as God's book, the essential book about life. He hath many seekers of comfort, but few of tribulation. Let this be thy prayer, "Show me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths." A loud voice easily draws a crowd. “Shhh, I’m trying to listen.” The whisper of God is an invitation to the secret place. On the other hand, the Lord has revealed other things that are for us and our children forever (Deut. 9. A “mystery” in the New Testament is something that had at one time been hidden but is now revealed to God’s people. Nature does nothing. Why? Man is to be the dwelling place of God. And it does not requi… God has not only gone public with this secret, but he invites us and longs for us to know it. These secrets do not exempt us. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. I have been studying this Bible for more than thirty years, but I still often feel as though I have just opened the book and it is flashing its new insights, revelation, and knowledge into my mind which simply dazzle me and challenge me and make me pause in humility to give thanks to God for these marvelous, delivering truths. bring Thou me out of my distress.--Ps. Does a “secret Bible” discovered in a Turkish smuggling sting contain the real truth about the identity of Jesus Christ? Even he who is strong to suffer somewhat for God. Ps. This is the idea Paul conveys regarding Christians. That is what revolutionizes society. This is what explains what happens to us in our lives. The speaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he asked--"Who teacheth like him?" But sometimes he wants us to take an honest look at ourselves and see where we are, and to renew our commitment to allow him to change us and make us faithful stewards of his mysteries. But how do you know the Bible is the Word of God?" It is nothing but a cold, cosmic machine, cranking on its relentless way ... if you don't recognize the kingdom of God as Jesus revealed it -- the heavenly Father with his heart of concern for his own, his intimate knowledge of even the hairs of your head and every other part of your body and being. Many are astonished at His Miracles, few follow after the shame of His Cross. One of the best kept secrets of our faith is the blessedness and joy of cultivating a secret life with God. We haven't learned a thing more than they about how to solve them. 17. We don't want anyone else to influence us. No wonder Paul says, "The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men," (1 Corinthians 1:25). It is superseded by no other authority. And yet that is all you can see in this universe. It is the kingdom of God. There is no reason why we should fail; God has made ample provision against failure; we must not expect to fail; but in case we do fail, provision has been made. But to translate this into your daily experience is absolutely necessary. We are stewards of the mysteries of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. Its necessity and propriety. And, through the cross and the resurrection, God has set aside man's guilt and provided for his weakness and impotence, and has given him a way of handling life as it comes -- through the power and the activity of God himself, living in you. Darby Bible Translation The secret of Jehovah is with them that fear him, that he may make known his covenant to them. In preparation for a series of messages from Ephesians 1 through 3, it will be helpful to consider a subject which is always of prime interest to believers -- the authority of the Scriptures. God has not told us everything that He knows. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. All desire to rejoice with Him, few are willing to undergo anything for His sake. ” ‘ Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from … And it was he who was in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the "good, and upright Lord" who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in his ways. Psalms 91:1 Context. 8. We can't get away from that, although we might like to. God has a secret which, if you learn it, enables you to handle this mystery of lawlessness. Do you see the kingdom of God there? The {m} secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. This is what puts hope back into our discouraged lives. Of these three petitions the central one is that for guidance. How much we need to give ourselves to it, Lord. Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may follow all the words of this law.. RayStedman.org/permissions. If you read a road map or refer to the owner's manual of a new appliance or even read a newspaper, you are constantly accepting statements on the authority of others. How much can I impart it? For permission to use this content, please review Blind to good and evil, reckless to destruction, omnipotent matter rolls on its relentless way. Neither I, nor thou, nor any man upon the earth. Give “in secret…and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” ( Matt. Why art thou disquieted because it happeneth not to thee according to thy wishes and desires? for …John Ross Macduff—The Faithful Promiser, On the Contemplation of Human MiseryThou art miserable wheresoever thou art, and whithersoever thou turnest, unless thou turn thee to God. You will never solve the problem of the Communist threat to the world, or anything else, until you understand the mystery of lawlessness. It is these same things which later on in First Corinthians he refers to as the "mysteries" of God. The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Why do we accept the Scriptures as the Word of God and as the authority in our lives? Gnostics referred to this god as Yaltabaoth and thought he was an evil, subordinate god. There is nothing which approaches it, in the mind of a Christian. Perpetually reminds us of our duty, and leads to meditation on divine providence. bring Thou me out of my distress.--Ps. A transition to the doctrine of prayer. Its connection with the subject of faith. Psalm 31:20 says, “You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.” The paths of the Lord? A general summary of what is contained in the previous part of the work. Christians are said to be stewards of the mysteries of God. There is no way by which we could possibly spend the time necessary to think and study through everything ourselves. Oh! It doesn't mean a thing. World English Bible The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him. The sorrows of my heart are enlarged: Oh! The Bible says: For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. There is no man in the world free from trouble or anguish, though he were King or Pope. There is a malevolent being called Satan, prince of a great kingdom of darkness and evil, a kingdom of millions of beings like himself who are in headlong stampede against the government of God, in revolt and rebellion against him, and who are intent on wrecking and smashing and mangling all the love-born plans of God for the human race. Many love Jesus so long as no, The question trembles from many a lip--If I get the blessing, may I lose it? This is what makes me know the Scriptures are the Word of God. lxix. 1. He is talking about the leaders of human thought -- the philosophers, the statesmen, the molders and fashioners of world opinion, the poets, the politicians -- those who lead people in every realm of life. That is where these secrets become available to the world around. 1, 2. This is what you have put us here for in this brief span of earthly life -- that we might learn these eternal truths which will flash in glory forever through the endless reaches of eternity. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 16"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. Yea, he may be under such a decay, that little or no difference will be observed betwixt him and others that are yet in nature; and be not only unable to go actively and lively about commanded duties, yea, or to wrestle from under that deadness; but also be so dead, that he shall scarce, Jesus hath many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of His Cross. Therefore it is essential that we understand these mysteries. How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. You will never be able to demonstrate these secrets in your own life until you personally begin to dig deeper into the Scriptures yourself, and find them out for yourself. But they are constantly falling apart at the seams because they have no meaning, no purpose, no reason to exist. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. We want to be strong and genuine and healthy and whole and wholesome, imparting health and strength to others as well. The first is Joseph. Then there is what Paul calls, in Second Thessalonians, "the mystery of lawlessness," (2 Thessalonians 2:7 RSV). Neither I, nor thou, nor any man upon the earth. He has made ample provision for failure. lxix. Subject to permissions policy, all rights reserved. Then things will begin to fall into place and make sense. Confirmation by example. The God that he interacted with in the Old Testament was a lesser god. So if you say this, what you are really saying is that nature made nature, that nature produced what you call "nature." 6. That is why I have chosen to bring this message -- in order that we might understand these secrets, and give ourselves to this matter of becoming faithful stewards of the mysteries, the secrets, the hidden wisdom, of God. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. The sorrows of my heart are enlarged: Oh! The Bible is filled with promises, encouragements and illustrations which emphasise the secret of effective prayer. Perpetually reminds us of our duty, and leads to meditation on divine providence. There are many foolish …Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ, How to Make Use of Christ as the Life, when the Believer is So Sitten-Up in the Ways of God, that He Can do Nothing. In this chapter God is reminding the people that they are in covenant with him. Prayer a most useful exercise. We must submit to some master. The great secret of the Bible is God the Mother’ existence. In First Timothy he says, "Great is the mystery of godliness," (1 Timothy 3:16 KJV). And we have a responsibility to our own generation to be stewards of the mysteries of God. The most prolific cause of loss is disobedience--disobedience either to one of God's written commands, or to the inward promptings of His Holy Spirit. It is only as you take these guidelines and begin to translate them into your own terms, into your situation, into your home, where you live, that these truths begin to come alive, and the community starts sitting up and taking notice that here indeed are people who have learned to live in a wholly different way. All our attempts after full obedience will be failures until we get access to His abiding fellowship. But we have the mind of Christ. The speaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he asked--"Who teacheth like him?" I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief. 6. Many of us cherish the fond illusion that, if we only had the opportunity, we could set aside everybody else's thinking and do our own. He is behind creation. Why is it that we are still grappling with the problems the Romans struggled with in the days of Julius Caesar? But, glory be to God! Therefore, what it says is final. There is no more encouraging secret in all the world than to understand this mystery of God's working in the future. Lastly; they who Will Not, by the Arguments and Proofs Before Mentioned. There are many passages in Scripture which speak of that change, of what God is going to do in the future, what he is preparing us for. This feeling is perhaps best described by the high priest of humanism, Bertrand Russell, who recently died. My soul! But there are some good politicians, too, who make promises they fully intend to keep. If so, we have the testimony of a man who had proved the secret of effective prayer in his life and practised what he preached. A general summary of what is contained in the previous part of the work. But many are only coming and drinking it all in, but never going beyond that -- merely listening -- perhaps a few changes apparent here and there, but nothing very much. But we are kidding ourselves when we talk that way, because, of course, we can't do that. 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