I believe I brought a message
several years ago from the text that I'm going to use today.
But let's look at it again. It's in the book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy chapter 29, verse
29, we have these words. Now here's the topic. Here's
our topic. Those things which are revealed. Those things which are revealed.
Now listen to the text. Deuteronomy 29, 29. The secret
things belong unto the Lord our God. The secret things belong
to God. But those things which are revealed,
those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children
forever, that we may do all the words of this book. I hear the
complaint on every hand. In fact, I heard it just two
days ago. I hear people say, I read the
Bible, but I just cannot understand it. I just don't understand the
Bible, preacher. I read it, but I just can't understand
it, especially the King James Version. I just can't understand
it. The Bible is hard to understand. Now, that's the complaint. Well, let me address that complaint
in three ways. Now, it may surprise you a little
bit here, but you listen to me. I'm going to tell you the truth.
People say, I don't understand the Bible. I read the Bible,
but the Bible's hard to understand. Now, let me give you three things
about that. Number one, the Bible, my friend, is not only hard to
understand, it's impossible to understand apart from a knowledge
of its author. Now, don't you ever forget that.
The Bible is impossible to understand apart from a knowledge of its
author. and the teaching of the Holy
Spirit. I'm talking about understanding its mysteries, understanding
its message, understanding its redemptive glory. Now, where
do we find that? In 1 Corinthians 2.14, Paul wrote,
the natural man. Now, when he said this verse
of Scripture, he'd already said, I have not seen, ear hath not
heard, neither hath it entered the heart of the sons of men,
the things that God's prepared for them that love him, but he
hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. By the Spirit searcheth
the things of God, yea, the deep things of God." And then he said,
but the natural man, who is the natural man? That's folks that
are born of flesh. That's the common, ordinary person. That's the man without Christ.
That's the man who is not a believer. He's a natural man, the spiritual
man and natural man. He says, but the natural man
receiveth not the things of God. They're foolishness to him. They're
foolishness. The things of God are foolishness
to the natural man, neither can he know them, for they're spiritually
discerned. The word discerned is judged
or understood. So what I'm saying when you Approach
me with this with this statement. I don't understand the Bible.
Well, my friend you can't it's impossible if you do not know
its author if you're not taught by his spirit and Then secondly
the very fact that it is the Word of God limits my ability
to understand it. Whose word is it? It's not some
man's writing I can understand the writings of people who have
the same educational level as I have, or the same nationality,
or the same interest. I can understand about anything
that a man writes, a man of my educational background, or a
man of my own interest, or a nation. But this is the Word of God,
and that limits my understanding. In Romans 11, verse 33, it says,
Oh, the depth. of the riches, both of the wisdom
and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments, his ways past
finding out. Who can know the mind of God?
Who has been his counselor? The wise man said it's higher
than the heavens. What can you know? It's deeper than hell.
What can you know? So let's remember that. You say,
I don't, I can't understand the Bible. It is God's Word. It requires
a revelation. It requires being taught of the
Spirit of God. And then thirdly, even the redeemed,
even believers, even the disciples only know in part. I saw a book
on a bookshelf one time, just a little book, little pocket
book. The title of it was All About the Bible. Well, Peter
didn't have that information. Our Lord Jesus said to Peter
and the other apostles, I have many things to say to you. You're
not able to bear them yet. be it when he, the Spirit of
Truth, has come, he'll guide you into all truth. The Apostle
Paul didn't have that information. He said, I know in part, I prophesy
in part, I see through a glass dimly, for when that which is
perfect is come, I'm going to know even as also I am known. But I say that this excuse overworked
terribly overworked this is a flimsy excuse and it's a deceptive hiding
place let's be honest one old writer said years ago he said
my problem is not with the parts of the Bible I don't understand
my problem is with that part of the Bible I do understand
but I don't like he said that's my problem my problem let's be
honest my problem is not with those parts of the Bible that
I don't understand. Let's leave it that way. The
secret things belong to the Lord. The revealed things belong to
us and to our children. The very fact that it is the
Word of God limits my understanding. I only know in part. I don't
even know what percentage that is. It's just a part. I'll bet
it's a very small part that I know. He that thinketh he knoweth anything
knoweth not as he ought to." We're not sufficient, Paul said,
to think anything of ourselves. But there's some of it you and
I do understand. And our human, fallen, depraved,
wretched, degenerated nature doesn't like it. That's the problem.
I believe the rich young ruler understood what our Lord said
to him. Here was a man, his hands filled with diamonds, clothed
in satin and purple and fine linen. His bank accounts full,
his barns bursting, everything he had, everything he needed,
everything he wanted, his neighbors sick and poverty stricken and
without things. And our Lord said, you go sell
what you have and give it to the poor and come take up your
cross and follow me and you'll have riches and treasures in
heaven. That man knew what Christ was saying. There wasn't a doubt
in his mind what Christ said. He didn't like it, but he knew
what he said. And he walked off. I believe
Herod understood what John the Baptist said. Don't you think
he did? He kind of liked John the Baptist. Old Herod, King
Herod, he left his throne and castle and palace and went out
yonder in the wilderness to hear this preacher, John the Baptist,
a 32-year-old preacher. And he admired him, and he did
many things. But old John one day pointed
his finger in the face of that monarch, and he said, Herod,
Not lawful for you to have your brother Philip's wife. He'd stolen
his brother Philip's wife, and he said that's not right. You
better do something about it. I expect Herod knew exactly what
John was talking about, don't you? You reckon that was hard
for him to understand? And then the Pharisees, I believe
they understood what our Lord said when he looked at them and
said, on the outside you appear beautiful to men. You have all
these religious rules and regulations and duties and deeds that you
perform. You have all these do's and don'ts and all this legalism
and you appear beautiful to people who can only look at your flesh
But God doesn't look on the outward countenance God looks on the
heart and your heart is full of extortion and excess Christ
said you're like an old tombstone on the outside. You're white
on the inside You're full of dead men's bones. You reckon
those fellows knew what he was saying kind of believe the deal
I don't believe they needed anybody to explain to them what the Master
was saying. They understood it. They gnashed
their teeth and would have stoned people. And then the religionists,
they understood what Christ said when he said, I and my Father
are one. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, the Heavenly Father and
I are one. There's one God, Father, Son,
Holy Spirit. I'm equal with the Father. Before
Abraham was, I am. And those folks at Nazareth in
Luke chapter 4, our Lord was brought up in Nazareth. And he
came back to visit his hometown. And as his custom was, he went
to the synagogue. And here are all these nice religious
people sitting there on the Sabbath morning who had come to worship
God. And our Lord Jesus stood up to read. And he read something
to them. And they said, now do some miracles for us. Let's say
you do some miracles. Let your dad down in Capernaum
or somewhere else. And he said, no prophet is without
honor saving his own country and among his own people. But
I've got something to say to you, too. There were many widows. the land of Israel in the days
of God's prophet but he didn't heal a one of them he only healed
a widow that was a only fed a widow that was a Gentile he only fed
a widow that was a Gentile there were many widows in Israel among
the people who thought they were God's favored people the religious
people and our Lord fed not a one of them but he fed a widow who
was a Gentile and he went on he didn't stop he said there
were many lepers in the land of Israel, in the days of the
prophet, and God healed none of them. He only healed one,
a Gentile. They knew what he was saying.
And they rose up in anger, wrath filled their hearts, and they
took him outside the city walls and would have thrown him off
a cliff. Those nice religious folk left church on that Sabbath
morning to murder a man because he said God didn't owe them anything,
because of their nationality or their heritage or their tradition.
or their religious duties or their ceremony, that God would
be merciful to whom he will. That filled them with wrath.
They knew exactly what he was saying. Here's what I'm saying,
my friend. Yes, sir, the secret things belong to God. There's
so much I do not know, cannot know, will never know until I
stand in God's presence. Those things belong to God, always
have and always will. But I do understand much of this
Word. And much of it does not agree
with my way and my nature and my desires. And same thing is
true of you. And you resist and reject and
rebel against certain parts of God's Word and you say, well,
I don't understand that. You don't want to. It crosses
your will. I never will forget several years
ago, I was teaching a Sunday school class in a certain Baptist
church. And I read a portion of God's
Word. It's found over in Romans chapter 9. I was standing before
a men's Bible class, and I opened the Bible to Romans chapter 9,
and I started reading. I said, For the children, being
not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of
work, but of him that calleth. It was said to Rebekah, The elder
shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
a love, but Esau have a hated. A man interrupted me. He said,
just a moment, preacher. I said, yes, sir, what is it?
He said, you're teaching that God chose men to salvation before
they were born. I said, no, sir, I'm not. He
said, I know good and well you are. That's exactly what you're
teaching. I said, no, sir, I'm not teaching that. I'm reading
the Word of God, and that's what God's Word is saying to you.
And instead of receiving what God's word says and believing
it and accepting it, you're turning your anger upon the teacher.
I didn't say it. God said it. His is the message.
I'm just the messenger. No need to get angry with me.
Paul said, have I become your enemy because I tell you the
truth? We understand these things. We do understand. It's not that
we don't understand. It's that we do not believe.
We reject the truth because it crosses our wills, because it
crosses, it's against the grain of our wills. We find something
we just don't like, and we say, I don't believe that. I don't
believe that. We read a scripture that says
God is love, and we believe that, but we read another that says
God's angry with the wicked every day, and we don't like that.
We don't like that. We read a scripture that says
choose you this day whom you will serve, and we like that.
We read another that Christ said you've not chosen me, but I've
chosen you. We don't like that. We read a scripture that says,
let your sons and daughters prophesy, and so forth. We read another
that says, let your women keep silence in the church. I suffer
them not to speak, nor to teach, nor the use of authority over
man. We don't like that. We know what it says. There's
not a doubt in our mind what it says. But because we don't
agree with it, we say, well, Paul meant something else. I
don't understand that. My friend, let God's word speak. Don't subject God's Word to your
thoughts or your traditions. Subject your thoughts to God's
Word. Let's look at several verses of Scripture. First of all, here
in John 19, verse 11, Our Lord stood before Pilate. And Pilate
was annoyed. The Lord Jesus wasn't cooperating
with him. He was a puppet dictator. sitting on a puppet throne, ruled
himself from Rome, but he wanted to demonstrate his authority,
men usually do, and he said, don't answerest thou me? Answerest
thou not me? Why, I have the power to crucify
you or let you go. And our Lord calmly looked at
him and said, John 19, 11, you could have no power against me
at all, except it be given thee from above. A man can receive
nothing except it be given him from above. Pilate understood
what he said. He may not have understood the
mysteries of it and the glory of it, but he understood the
working of it. You could have no authority or
power over me at all in any way except it were given you of my
Father. Now, I don't intend to preach divine sovereignty and
deny human responsibility. Man is not a dead log. Man is
not a robot, he's a responsible, accountable creature. If any
man perishes in sin, it'll be his own fault. There's nobody
in hell that'll lay his condemnation at the feet of God. There's nobody
under condemnation in hell that'll blame God for his judgment. True
and righteous are his judgments. Men perish because they will
not come to Christ. Not because they can't come,
because they won't come. You will not come to me, Christ
said, that you might have life. But my friend, if a man is saved,
it's by God's grace. If a man perishes, it's his own
fault. The door is there. The door is
open. The invitation is sent. The supper is spread. Come, he
says, for all things are ready. All you that labor and are heavy
laden, come unto me, and I'll give you rest. Oh, everyone that
thirsteth, come to the water. But men will not come. And if
they do come, it's because God called them, and God Almighty
chose them and God Almighty enabled them. Thy people shall be willing
in the day of thy power. But I'm telling you this, when
men begin to talk of what God can do and what God can't do,
when men begin to boast of their free will and talk about God's
weakness, God wants to do this but can't. Jesus Christ wants
to do this but can't. The Holy Spirit wills to do this
but can't. It's time to set the record straight
as forcefully and kindly as we can. Our God is in the heavens.
He hath done whatsoever he pleased. Whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that did he in the heavens, the earth, and the seas, and all
deep places. Nebuchadnezzar said, I got my sense back. My reason
returned to me, and I know now that God ruleth in the armies
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and giveth it to
whomsoever he will. God said, Can I not do with my
own what I will? Hath not the potter power over
the clay? We love him, yes we do, because
he first loved us. We seek God because he sought
us. And I'll tell you this, your
birth is by the will of God. He said to Jeremiah, before I
formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. Before you came out of
your mother's womb, I knew you, I sanctified you. Your salivations
of the Lord, Jonah said that, salivations of the Lord. David
said the salivation of the righteous is of God. are determined by
the sovereign pleasure of Almighty God. Man's days are determined. The number of his months are
with the Lord. He cannot pass. He cannot pass. Heard a man say
recently, a fellow died in an accident. He didn't die by accident. He might have died in one, but
he didn't die by accident. It's according to the good pleasure
of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own
will. Our Lord taught us to pray that way. He said, pray, thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Then John 6, 44, listen
to this, no man can come to me except my Father which sent me
draw him. Our Lord Jesus Christ is saying that the drawing, the
wooing by which men come to God in repentance and faith is by
the power of God. What is it to come to Christ?
Just exactly what is it to come to Christ? We hear this all the
way through the scripture. Come unto me. Him that cometh
to me, I'll in no wise cast out. Come unto me all ye that labor
and are heavy laden. Well, it's not a physical coming because
many people came physically and walked away empty. Rich young
ruler, Nicodemus. It's not a physical move. It's
not coming to those things that represent Christ. Simon Magus
came to baptism and departed in the gall of bitterness. Ananias
and Sapphira came to the altar and they carried him out dead.
The Pharisee came into the temple and went home unjustified. So
it's not coming to the things that represent Christ. It's not
even a moral reformation. What is it to come to Christ?
It's to believe on him. It's to believe the record that
God has given concerning his son. It's to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ. To believe who he is and what
he did and why he did it and where he is now. All things in
reference to Christ. that are revealed in the Word.
It's to trust Him. In whom you trusted after you heard the Word,
it's to trust Him. Trust Him, like I'm trusting
my weight on this platform. Like you trust your weight in
a chair. Like you trust yourself to a bridge, or an automobile,
or an airplane. Trust Him. Leaning on nothing but Christ.
And then it's to receive Him. To receive Christ in His office,
all of them, prophet, priest, and king. It's to receive the
scepter of His kingdom. is to receive His grace and mercy.
And this man will not do, they're not able to do by nature, except
the Holy Spirit enable them. Ephesians 2.1 says, and this
is clear, it's easy to understand, you have be quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sin. In times past, you walked according
to the course of this world, fulfilling the lust of the flesh,
the desires of the mind, And we're by nature the children
of wrath, just like everybody else, but God, but God, who is
rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when
we were dead, and our sin had quickened us together with Christ.
By grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it's the gift of God. Paul said this in Timothy, 2
Timothy 1, 9, he had saved us and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works. according to his mercy and grace
which was given to us before the world began." That's not
hard to understand. That's not hard at all to understand.
That's giving God all the glory. That's saying I was unable, he
made me able. I was unwilling, he made me willing.
I was unworthy by Christ's righteousness, he made me worthy. I was in bondage,
captivity set me free. I was blind, he gave me sight.
I was deaf, and he gave me ears. I was lame, and he made me wall.
To God be the glory. Of him are you in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption." David said the salvation of the righteous is
of God. Then that we understand some of these things in Matthew
chapter 15 verse 11 our Lord was speaking one day to a whole
host of religious people and Religious people have so many
rules and regulations and so on essential and they're so bad
about neglecting the essential thing Important thing and our
Lord said to them his disciples had eaten something and they
hadn't washed their hands before they ate And the Pharisees got
all upset because the disciples had eaten without washing their
hands, an old tradition, a custom. And our Lord looked at them and
he said, it's not that which goeth into the mouth that defileth
a man. It's that which cometh forth
from the heart. It's not that which goeth into the mouth, for
he said you put something in your mouth, food or drink or
whatever, and it's digested and it's cast out into the draft
and it leaves no effect unless you overindulge intemperately
or something like that. But that particular thing you
put in your mouth does not defile you. But it's that which comes
out of the heart. And boy, these Pharisees, these
religious people got antagonistic. They got angry as they possibly
could. And his disciples came to the
Lord and they said, Lord, the Pharisees were angry by what
you said. And our Lord said, leave them
alone. They're blind leaders of the blind. They're married
to a system. They're married to a standard. They do not know
a gospel nor a person. They're married to dos and don'ts.
They're trying to confine sin to eating or drinking or food
or some kind of ceremony or something like that. They're forgetting
that sin is a nature, a principle of the heart. Christ said, that
which goes into the mouth is cast out into the draft. It can't
defile you. But those things that come from
the heart, that proceed out of the mouth, that's what defiles
you. For out of the heart comes evil
thoughts, fornications, blasphemy, envy, jealousy, pride, lust,
all of these things. I picked up a newspaper in Fairmont,
West Virginia a few weeks ago, and it told the story of a woman
kind of up in years who had had an automobile wreck. And she
was trapped in the wreckage, trapped in the wreckage. She
was there several days. And they finally found her and
got her out of the wreck, took her to the hospital, and she
got along fine. And they said, what'd you do while you were
in the wreck? She said, I prayed. I talked with the Lord. They
said, what'd you say? She said, this is what she said,
Lord, I never did drink. I never did smoke. And all I
ever chewed was food. And the only bad thing I ever
did was play bingo. And you know what the paper said?
She was lucky at both. She won $30 at bingo and she
got rescued from the wreck. That's atrocious. But that's
what the ordinary person thinks sin is. I don't drink, I don't
smoke, and I don't chew. And I don't hang around with
folks that do. My friends, sin is a principle. That's what our
Lord is saying. You understand what I'm saying. It's not that
which goes into the mouth. And you can make all the rules
and regulations you want to about food and eats and drinks and
all these lints and seasons and everything else. Sin is a transgression
of God's law and not the church's rules. Sin is a transgression
of God's law and not man's law. And it's a heart problem. It's
a heart problem. And you've totally followed the
deceptive subtlety of Satan in departing from an understanding
of what my Lord and your Lord And this earth, Lord, has declared
sin to be. That's what it is. It's a nature.
Until God gives you a new heart, you can quit every sin you know
and go to hell. Until God gives you a new heart,
you can quit every outward deed and every outward so-called bad
thing and carry the very cesspool of iniquity around in your unregenerated
heart, because that's your trouble. But our Lord said, if you cleanse
first that which is within, then the outside will be clean also. Except your righteousness exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no
wise enter into the kingdom of God. I don't understand the Bible. Now let's set the record straight.
I understand what he's saying. I can read words. I can read
nursery rhymes and I can read first grade material and high
school material. I understand words. I may not understand the
principle of a The atomic energy and the principle of all these
other things, but I know what the words are saying You know
what God say and what we need to do is say Lord be my teacher
Bring my will in conformity to yours. I bow speak Lord thy servant
here