Would you turn back to Colossians
chapter one? I've entitled this message, knowing the mystery. Knowing the mystery. Now, in this passage of scripture,
I just read, Paul said he was made a minister, said that twice. Who made him a minister? The
Lord did. The only way a man will ever
be a true preacher of the gospel. is if the Lord makes him one.
He said, he made me a minister. He was a servant, a deacon of
the church. I think of what Paul said in
second Corinthians four, I love this. He said, for we preach
not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord and ourselves, your
servants for Jesus sake. He was made a minister according
to the dispensation or the stewardship which was given him by God for
the good of the church. Look with me for just a moment
in Ephesians chapter three. A few pages back. He says to the church of Ephesus,
verse one, for this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ. For you Gentiles, what's a good
thing to be a prisoner of Christ, isn't it? I want to be locked
up by him and not be able to get away. He said, if you've
heard of the dispensation, there's the word again, the stewardship
of the grace of God, which has given me to Eward, how that by
revelation, he made known unto me the mystery. As I wrote a
four and a few words, whereby when you read, you may understand
my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. which in other ages was
not made known unto the sons of men as it's now revealed unto
his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit that the Gentiles
should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of
his promise in Christ by the gospel. Whereof I was made a
minister according to the gift of the grace of God given unto
me by the effectual working of his power unto me who am less
than the least of all saints. is this grace given that I should
preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ
and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the world has not been hid, has been
hidden. God who created all things by
Jesus Christ to the intent that now under the principalities
and the powers in heavenly places might be known by the church,
the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose, which
he purposed in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Now, Paul tells us
that his responsibility was to fulfill or to fully preach the
word of God, this mystery that God had revealed to him. He was
to hold nothing back to preach the whole counsel of God. Now
in verse 26 of Colossians 1, he says, even the mystery, which
hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made
manifest to his saints. The saints know the mystery. Now, mystery is a very big word
in the New Testament. You've noticed that as I've read
these passages of scripture. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4,
verse 1, let a man account of us as ministers of Christ and
stewards of the mysteries of God. What does the Bible mean
by that word mystery? It doesn't really mean what we
mean when we use the word mystery. When we use the word mystery,
we say, well, it's a mystery to me. I don't know. Mystery
is not truth withheld or truth concealed. It's truth revealed
when God reveals it to your heart. That's what knowledge of the
mystery of the gospel is. Now, the word means literally
that which is made known to the initiated. Did you hear that? That which is made known, which
God makes known to the initiated. Let me show you another scripture
in Philippians chapter 4. Verse 12. Paul says, I know both
how to be abased. And I know how to abound. I know
to see what it means to see myself as nothing but sin. I know how
to be a base and I look to Christ only like we just heard in that
song. My sins go over my head. My plea is still only that Christ
died. That's the only plea I have, but also know how to abound.
And when I abound in his grace, it's, I know it's a grace. He
says, I know both how to be a based and I know how to abound everywhere. And in all things I am instructed. Now that word instructed is literally,
I've been initiated into the secret. That's strong language,
isn't it? I've been initiated into the
secret, both to be full and to be hungry at the same time. It's
a blessed thing to be full, to have all you need in Christ.
It's a blessed thing to be hungry and to hunger and thirst after
him. Both to abound and to suffer
need, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Now, believing the gospel, is being a part of a secret society. I want you to think about that. Believing the gospel is being
a part of a secret society that only the initiated, illuminated
by God the Holy Spirit, know anything about it. The Lord said
to his disciples, as a matter of fact, let me read this. I
want you to look at this with me so you'll see what the Lord
said, Matthew chapter 13. Verse nine, who hath ears to
hear, let him hear. And this is after he gave the
parable of the sower and the disciples came and said unto
him, why speakest thou unto them in parables? And he answered
and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know. the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven, but to them it is not given." Now you see that. If you're a believer, you know
things that this world, the unbeliever doesn't have a clue about. You've been initiated into the
mystery. Only the saints have this mystery
revealed. And let me repeat, mystery is
not truth concealed, and that's how we use the word in the English,
but truth revealed. That which is outside the range of unassisted
natural apprehension. Anything you truly know that
God has taught you, it's outside of the range of natural, unassisted
apprehension. It's only that which can be known
by divine revelation to those who are illuminated by the Holy
Spirit. Hence, it's given to you to know
the mysteries of the kingdom. What a blessed privilege, what
a blessed honor for God to initiate us into the mysteries of his
kingdom. If you believe the gospel, it's
because God has done something for you that he hadn't done for
everybody. 1 Corinthians 4, 7 says, who
maketh thee to differ from another? And what do you have? that you
didn't receive. Do you have some understanding
of these mysteries? It's because God Himself by the
illuminating, invincible, glorious work of the Holy Spirit revealed
Himself to you. You know, Paul was given this
special stewardship to make known to the church the mysteries of
God. That's what he's talking about
when he said in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, he said, I was taken
into the third heavens and I heard things there that are not lawful
for a man to utter. But God taught him the gospel
directly and he caused him to put it in these letters he wrote,
these epistles that become a part of the scriptures. He wrote down
the mysteries of the Bible. Now, anybody You can get a copy
of the Bible and read it and maybe have some intellectual
comprehension of it. Well, I see it says this, or
I see it says that. Anybody can do that, but you can't understand
any of these mysteries unless God is pleased to reveal them. Turn to 1 Corinthians 2. Isn't it a humbling thing to
think that the Lord has made known to you the mysteries of
the gospel? 1 Corinthians 2, beginning in verse
7. But we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, who I do, God does. Remember the way he said, thou,
I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
you have hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed
them unto babes. We speak the wisdom of God in
a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the
world into our glory, which none of the princes of this world
knew, for had they known They would not have crucified the
Lord of Glory, but as it's written, I hath not seen nor ear heard,
neither hath entered into the heart of man the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed
them unto us. These things that nobody can
see, God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. For the spirit searches all things,
yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things
of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? The only person
who knows what's going on in my mind right now is me. I'm
the only one. You can guess, you can make predictions,
but I'm the only one who really knows. The spirit which is in
me. Even so, the things of God knows
no man. the Spirit of God. Now, we have
received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is
of God, that we might know the things that are freely given
to us of God. Which things also we speak? Not
in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost
teaches. comparing spiritual things with
spiritual, but the natural man receives not the things of the
Spirit of God for their foolishness unto him, neither indeed can
he know them. He's unable to know them because
they're spiritually discerned. You have to have the Holy Spirit.
You have to have a spiritual nature, a new man to even discern
what's being said. But he that's spiritual, which
is every believer, He judges, discerns all things, yet he himself
is judged of no man. No man understands him. For who
have known the mind of the Lord, that it may instruct him? But
we have the mind of Christ." Now, everything in this book
is a mystery. It's mysterious, and it's a mystery. It's something we would have
never known, wouldn't have even had a clue about, unless God
was pleased to make it known. Like every truth of the scripture.
The Trinity, God is one God in three distinct separate persons. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. Would you have ever guessed that?
Would you have ever searched and found out, well, that's the
way God is? No. The only way you know that is because God
has revealed it. The fall of man. Adam falling
and our entire race being destroyed in Him. How would we know that
apart from the Scriptures? We wouldn't. This is a mystery.
The mystery of election that God chose who would be saved
before time began. The mystery of justification.
How that God takes ungodly sinners and justifies them and makes
them without guilt before Him. The mystery of redemption. How
my sins, the sins of all God's elect are washed away. The mystery
of regeneration, how God the Holy Spirit births us and gives
us life, spiritual life. How would you know any of these
glorious, high and holy truths without God making these mysteries
known in his book? And one of the things that I
think is so glorious is that even though these things are
stated plainly in his book, you can't know them and I can't know
them unless God himself teaches us. You can't figure it out. I don't care how smart you are.
I don't care how intellectual you are. You can't figure out
anything unless God is pleased to make it known. Only those who have been born
again and have been initiated are the ones who receive the
love of the truth. Oh, it's one thing to see in
the Bible. Yeah, I see the Bible teaches that. It's another thing
to receive the love of the truth. I love the mystery of scripture. It's so glorious. The gospel keeps getting bigger
and bigger, more mysterious, more staggering, more incomprehensible,
something that's not so much intellectually grasped, but believed. That's the way gospel truth is.
I don't understand how God became flesh, but I believe he did. I don't understand how the God-man
could die, but he did. I don't understand how God can
be one God and three distinct persons, all equal, but I believe. I don't understand how God can
be absolutely sovereign in control of my thoughts, and yet I can
be free. I don't understand how both those
things are, but they are. We believe. Now, quite often
the word mystery is used in a general way for the gospel. Look at Ephesians
chapter six. Paul says in verse 18, he's asking
the Ephesians to pray for him. And I ask you to pray for me
the same way he asked the Ephesians to pray for him. He said, praying
always with all prayer and supplication, the spirit watching there and
do with all perseverance and supplication for all saints and
for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open
my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. Turn to Romans 16. Verse 25, now to him that is
of power to establish 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, 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. Now we see that this word mystery
is quite often used in kind of a general way just to describe
the gospel. But in the New Testament, there
are seven things which are specifically called the mysteries of the gospel. Seven things. And I want to give
these to you. Each one deserves a lifetime
of thinking about. A lifetime of preaching, a lifetime
of study, and obviously we're not going to be able to do that
tonight, but I just want to give these to you and we'll think
about them. First, Ephesians chapter one. Ephesians chapter one. Verse nine, having made known
unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure,
which he had purposed in himself. Now, you and I could not possibly
know what the will of God is unless he is pleased to make
it known. Now, when I'm talking about the
will of God, I'm not so much talking about knowing what his
will for me to do is tomorrow. Because I don't. I don't. I know
it's his will for me to be obedient. I know that. But as far as, is
God's will for me to do this or that? I don't know. People
say, I know God's going to have me do this. Well, I never feel
that confident. I don't know. I hope it's God's will, and we
find out afterwards the way it generally works. But do you know,
Paul's not just talking about knowing what his will is for
tomorrow, what I need to do. He's talking about his will of
redemption. You remember when Ananias came
to Paul and said, the God of our fathers had chosen thee that
thou should know his will. And if you know, what is God's
will? He lets us know in his word.
I came down from heaven not to do my own will. But the will
of Him that sent me, and this is the Father's will which had
sent me, that of all which He hath given me, I should lose
nothing, but raise it up again at the last day. And this is
the will of Him that sent me, that everyone would seeth the
Son and believeth on Him. should have everlasting life,
and I'll raise him up at the last day." Now, there's God's
will. I know it's God's will for everybody that Christ represented
and died for to be saved. I know that. And I know it's
His will for everyone who sees the Son. That doesn't just mean
you see Him physically, because I've never seen Him physically,
but I believe on Him. I believe he's the son of God
and I believe he's all in salvation and it's God's will for everyone
who sees the son and believes on him to be saved. To know his will, not only to
know his will. to have a love for His will. Do you love what I just said?
Do you love the fact that everybody, God elected, is going to be saved?
Everybody Christ died for is going to be saved. Do you love
that? Do you love seeing the Son and believing on Him? And
we pray from our hearts, truly, Thy will be done. We love His will being done.
the mystery of His will. Now, if you have some understanding
of His will, some love for His will, not just seeing and acknowledging
that's what the scripture teaches, but I mean a heart love for His
will, then God has made known to you the mystery. You've been
initiated into the secret things of the kingdom of heaven. Now,
I realize anybody can just open up the Bible and see them and
have some kind of intellectual comprehension of it, but that's
not what it's talking about. He's talking about a love for
his will. First Timothy chapter three,
here's the second one. Verse 15. But if I tarry long, that you
may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God,
which is what This is right here, not this building, not this building,
but this gathering of saints. That is the house of God. That
is the dwelling place of God. What a glorious thing. And he
says that you might know how to behave yourself in the house
of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
the ground of the truth. And here is the truth for which
the church is the pillar and ground. Great is the mystery
of God. God was manifest in the flesh. Do you believe that? Why, you've
had the mystery revealed to you. He was justified in the Spirit. He came for the great work of
justification, and God the Spirit justified Him in all He did,
and He accomplished justification. He was seen of angels. I love
thinking of angels, watching the Lord while he was, while
he walked upon this earth. You know, there's some exciting stuff going
on right now. I mean, six game of the world series, all like
that. Tomorrow night, the Bengals are,
you know, exciting stuff. You think angels are interested
in that? No, no. Oh, but with what interest? They
watched when our Lord was made flesh. They were amazed by this.
Oh, how they watched every move. How do you think that they reacted
when they saw their Creator nailed to a cross? They were waiting
to smite, waiting for a word. How do you think they felt when
they saw Him die? And then when He was raised from
the dead, oh, He was seen of angels and how they looked in
wonder at their Creator. He was seen of angels and next
it says he was preached unto the Gentiles. This is a part
of the great mystery of godliness that somebody like me even gets
to hear the gospel. He's preached to the Gentiles.
What a great mystery. And here's the fifth thing he
mentions, he's believed on. You know, everything I'm preaching,
I believe. He's believed on in the world. That's a great mystery
and received up into glory. And when he was received up into
glory, so was I. Every one of his people. Great
is the mystery of godliness. Turn to the second Thessalonians
chapter two, back a few pages. Verse seven, for the mystery
of iniquity doth already work. Only he who now letteth, who
permits it, will let until he be taken out of the way. And
then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with
the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of
his coming. Even him whose coming is after
the working of Satan with all power. and signs and lying wonders."
Now, this is exactly what John is talking about in Revelation
chapter 17. Would you turn with me there
real quick? The mystery of iniquity. It's
a man of religion. Verse five, Revelation chapter
17. Let's start in verse 3. So he
carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness and I saw
a woman set upon a scarlet-collared beast full of names of blasphemy,
having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in
purple and scarlet collar and decked with gold and precious
stones and pearls and having a golden cup in her hand full
of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And upon
her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the
mother of harlots, and the abominations of the earth. Now, this man of
sin revealed is also this harlot. This represents man's religion,
personified in Proverbs as the enticing woman And you see her
for what she is, a harlot. You know, there are many people
who don't see that. They're enticed by her and they
go the way of this woman. But you see her for what she
is, a harlot. And the abhorred of the Lord
go in unto her. And if you see this mystery,
oh, how blessed you are. The Lord has taught you this. Turn to Ephesians chapter five. This is one of the two that Paul
calls great is the mystery. He says, great is the mystery
of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh.
They're all great, but these two are the ones he calls great
is the mystery of godliness. Now look what he says in verse
32. This is a great mystery, but
I speak concerning Christ and the church. Now he'd been speaking
of marriage. institution of marriage. God invented marriage and he
invented marriage for this purpose to show forth the relationship
between Christ and his blessed church. Look in verse 25, husbands
love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with
the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself,
a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men
to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his
wife loveth himself. When Christ loved his wife, he
loved himself. You see, every believer is so
united to him that he is himself. Whoever Christ is, I am. Now that's a great mystery, isn't
it? Let's go on reading. For no man ever yet hated his
own flesh. but nourisheth and cherisheth
it, even as the Lord the church, for we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and
the two shall be one flesh. Now, this is a great mystery,
but what I'm talking about, I'm just not talking about the marriage
between a man and woman. What I'm speaking of is Christ and
his church. Now what a glorious mystery this
is. You know, really no truth of
scriptures is understood apart from some understanding of this
mystery. Union with Christ. One with Christ. Both he that
sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are all of one. For the which cause? He's not
ashamed to owe me and all of his people. That's my brother.
That's my brother. He's not ashamed of me. He's
one with me. What a great mystery, the mystery
of union with the Lord Jesus Christ. As He is, the scripture
says, so are we in this world. Now this is where my confidence
comes from. I have boldness to come into
the presence of God for this one reason. I'm united to the
Lord Jesus Christ. I'm one with Him. When God sees
me, He sees one who is perfectly conformed to the image of His
Son. Union with the Lord Jesus Christ, chosen in Him, redeemed
in Him, called in Him. Oh, what a glorious mystery. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. I love that scripture in 2nd
Timothy chapter 2 verse 13. If we believe not, he abideth
faithful. He cannot. Did you get that language? He cannot deny himself. For him to deny me, would be
for him to deny himself. And that cannot be. Isn't that
glorious? Oh, the mystery of union with
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we're going to spend, Lord
willing, next Wednesday on this one, but turn back to Colossians
1 in our text. Here's the next great mystery. Verse 26, he's speaking of this
specific mystery, even the mystery which hath been hid from ages
and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints
to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ. He is. the hope of glory. You want to talk about mysterious?
You want to talk about mystery? He who spake the universe into
existence by an act of his will, he whom the heavens cannot contain,
dwells in the heart of every believer. Christ in you. hope of glory. Paul said in Galatians
2 20, I live. I really do. I live. I have life
before God. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. In the life that I now live in
the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. You see, I love. Nobody loves
for me. I love the Lord, but it's because
Christ liveth in me. That's why. I believe the gospel. I do it myself. Nobody believes
proxy for me. I'm the one that's doing it.
I believe. but it's because Christ liveth
in me. I know that. I know the only
reason I love, the only reason I believe, the only reason I
repent, the only reason I persevere in the faith is because Christ
liveth in me. I love that scripture where Paul
said, when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by his grace to reveal his son in me. You know, he won't do me any
good if he simply reveals himself to me because I'll lose it. I'll
lose it. I know I will. But thank God
he revealed his son in me. Christ in you, the hope of glory. This is so mysterious that he
who is seated at the right hand of God by his spirit dwells in
my heart. The new heart. which he has given
me and he has promised to never leave me and never forsake me. He's in me forever. What a mystery. What a privilege. First Corinthians 15. Here's
the sixth mystery spoken of in scripture. Verse 51. Verse 51, behold, I show you
a mystery. We shall not all sleep. We're
not going to stay dead, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death
is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. That's the cause of death. And
the strength of sin is the law. The law exposes sin to be what
it is, and all it does is stir up. But thanks be to God, which
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. What a glorious mystery. This
is the mystery of final resurrection, being raised perfectly conformable
to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. I love what John said
in 1st John 3. He said, Beloved, it does not
yet appear what we shall be. When John is speaking under the
direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he still says, we have
no idea what we're going to be. It does not yet appear what we
shall be. Don't have a clue. But we know when he shall appear
we'll be like him for we shall see him as he is and that vision
will perfectly conform us to his image the mystery of the
resurrection and the last one is found in Romans chapter 11 Verse 25. For I would not, brethren, that
you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise
in your own conceits. I think that's interesting. I
think it's very important. Any kind of knowledge I have
that makes me wise in my own conceits didn't come from God. Anything that makes me proud
or arrogant. That's not the knowledge that
comes from God. He says, I want you to understand and know this
mystery lest you be wise in your own conceits. I would just almost
bet somebody was thinking when we were talking about the gospel
being a mystery that you're initiated into and it's something They're
thinking, well, but he must think he's really special. He must
think he's got something that other people do. No, I don't
think anything like that. I'm really not. I'm amazed that
God has given me this understanding. I'm amazed. And it doesn't make
me conceited, it makes me, why? Why me? Like Paul said, to me
who am less than the least of all the saints is this grace
given. that I should preach among the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Now, any kind of knowledge
in the mystery will not make you conceited if God's taught
you. It won't happen. It'll humble
you into the dust, and you'll wonder, why me? And you want
everybody to know this mystery. It's not like, oh, I'm in this
secret society, and I don't have good. Keep everybody out. No,
we want everybody to know this mystery, don't we? We want to
preach this mystery to everybody and pray that God reveals it
to them. We this is not like we stay out. You know, you haven't
been taught. No, it's not like some kind of
secret society like that, like the secret. No, it's it is mystery. We've been initiated into the
mystery by God himself. It's given to you to know the
mystery to the kingdom of God. But to them, it's not given.
I mean, that's that's a blessed thing. It's not some kind of
knowledge that makes us wise in our own conceits. That's offensive. That's contrary to the gospel.
Now let's go and read. For I would not brethren that
you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise
in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel
until the fullness of the Gentile become in. God's turn the lights
off for them. until this fullness takes place.
And so all Israel shall be saved as it's written. There shall
come out of Zion the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness
for Jacob. For this is my covenant unto
them when I shall take away their sins. What a glorious covenant.
This is what I'm going to do. Here's what I'm agreeing to do
in my covenant. I'm going to take away your sins.
Isn't that a wonderful aspect of the covenant? God just says,
this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to take away your sins.
That's exactly what the Lord did. He was manifested to take
away our sins and in him is no sin. Verse 28, as concerning
the gospel, they're enemies for your sake. They want to kill
you. They want to put you out of business, but as touching
the election, The elect, they are beloved for the Father's
sakes, for the gifts and callings of God are without repentance.
For as you in times past have not believed God, yet now have
obtained mercy through their unbelief, even so have these
also now not believed that through your mercy they may also obtain
mercy. For God, this is the way of God,
for God hath concluded, shut them up all in unbelief. Why? That he might have mercy on all. We think, well, no, it's to send
him to hell. No, he'd shut up all of his people in unbelief
that he could give mercy to them. See, salvation is not by works,
it's mercy. Now, this is the way of God. No man would ever
think of anything like this. Look what Paul says after this.
He says, oh, the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways
past finding out for who has known the mind of the Lord or
who has been his counselor or who has first given to him and
it should be recompensed unto him again for of him and through
him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen. Now our purpose in this generation
is to declare the mysteries of God. To declare them and look
to the Lord God to make them known. I can't make anybody know
the mysteries, nor can you, but you know I want Everybody knows
the mysteries. Yes, this is a secret society,
but it's a secret society I'd like everybody to be a member
of, if that's the Lord's will. And I want to spread these mysteries
abroad, calling upon men to believe the gospel. May the Lord enable
us to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the revelation of the mystery. And Lord, we stand amazed at
your grace that you would be pleased in your infinite mercy to cause it to be given to us
to know, to love the mysteries of the kingdom. Lord, give us
such a love for you and a love for men that causes us to where
we must show forth these mysteries to all, yet knowing that the
only way anyone will ever receive them is if you reveal them to
their hearts. Lord, how we thank you for the
mystery of the gospel. I bless this message for your
glory and for our good. In Christ's name we pray.