And when our Lord appeared on
this earth, when He came down to the world,
our Master came on heavenly business. He came to fulfill the will of
His Father. He came, John Newton said, to
perform a gracious task. And He was holy. unblameable
in his conduct. Even his enemies could find no
fault in him. Pilate's wife wrote to her husband
when our Lord was on trial and said, you better leave him alone.
I've suffered many things this night in a dream because of this
man. The centurion, after our Lord
died on the cross, said, surely this man was the Son of God. the prince of darkness could
find no fault with him. Our Lord was holy, unblameable
in his conduct. And then he performed innumerable
acts of kindness and love. He healed the sick, he caused
the lame to walk, blind eyes to see, and he even raised the
dead. But in spite of this, He was
despised. He was hated. Oh, how he was
hated. The Scripture says he was rejected
of men. Everybody who was anybody turned
thumbs down on the Son of God. He found many enemies and very
few friends. Many enemies. Marvel not, my
brethren, if the world hate you. It hated me before it ever hated
you." They despised him. Especially, now watch this, especially
was this hatred evident among those who were high in religious
circles. They especially hated him. Those
that were high in ecclesiastical circles, those that wore the
robes of religion. Those that lived in the synagogues
and the temples and the cathedrals, oh, how they hated him. They
tried to stir up the people against him. They called him a devil.
They called him insane. They called him a madman. He
said he was beside himself. They said he was in league with
Beelzebub. Those men who were theologians,
those men who were religious leaders, those men who were moral
leaders, They especially hated the Lord Jesus Christ. They lived
in the silk and satin and security of their religion, and they hated
him. And then especially those who were in great political and
national power, it said Herod with Pontius Pilate. Those two
boys didn't have much for one another, but they knew who they
hated. They had a common enemy. They hated Jesus Christ. Those
who were prominent in politics hated Jesus Christ. They hated
Him. They hated Him and they hated His principles. They hated
everything about Him. And then those who were wealthy,
wealthy and influential, they hated Christ. Our Lord said,
how hardly shall a rich man enter the kingdom of God. It's a whole
lot easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
And I know folks have tried to figure that out, said that The
city of Jerusalem, Joe, had gates shaped like the eye of a needle,
and they were low, and the camel had to get down low to get...
That ain't what he's talking about. He said it's impossible. He didn't say it was difficult.
Impossible with men. Impossible. Because, you see,
you can't live, you can't serve two masters, you can't serve
riches and God. They're on opposite ends. They're
enemies of one another. They're enemies. The world and
Christ are at enmity, and you can't serve two masters. You
can't bow to two masters. And those who were wealthy and
influential, and you can do what you want to with a rich young
ruler, but he was a rebel. He hated God. He hated God. I asked somebody one day, I said,
what if I was sitting here at my table just full of good things
and I had on fine clothes and the man next door to me didn't
have enough to eat? didn't have enough to wear, and
I didn't share it with him, you'd say, you mean as a snake. And
that's what Christ said to that rich young ruler, you mean as
a snake. These folks around you are doing without, and you're
just lavishing in the lap of luxury, and you don't know God. That's what he's saying to him.
And he was saying to that young man he needed to dispose of what
he had and take up his cross and follow Christ. And see, they
hated him for that. They hated him. He told them,
just like John the Baptist told the soldiers to be content with
their wages, and they didn't like that. He told old Herod
it wasn't right for him to have his brother's wife, and he didn't
like that, you see. When Christ crosses our will,
everybody's saying, I behold how I love Jesus. Yeah, you wait
until He crosses your will and reaches in and takes out something
that's dearer to you than He is and more precious to you than
He is and more comfortable right now more comfortable right now
than the hope of eternal riches. And then you'll find out whether
or not you owe how I love Jesus. You might not love him near as
much as you think you do. That's the reason he said if
any man loved mother, father, husband, wife, brother, sister,
his life more than me, he's not worthy of me. It all depends
on when these things come in conflict with the Lord Jesus
Christ. And that's when you find out who's first. And they hated
him, the wealthy and influential. They hated Christ. They hated
Christ. They walked on the necks of their
brethren and they hated Christ because he rebuked them for it.
And especially those with great goodness and morality. He called
them sinners. They said, we be not sinners.
We be not sinners. And they hated him and despised
him. But he found some friends. Our Lord found some friends.
They were few, but he found some. And he found them among the publicans
and sinners and harlots. He found them among the fishermen
and the unlearned and the obscure persons, those who had no power,
no influence with men. They were about the only friends
he had. But he was the friend of sinners. He was the friend
of sinners. And when our Lord was lying there
eating in that rich fellow's house, that rich religious fellow,
the Simon, you know, He'd invited the Lord. When the Lord walked
in, he didn't have any esteem for him. He had nothing but contempt
for him. He just wanted to toy with him. Jesus Christ was a famous fellow
in town, and he entertained all the famous fellows. He didn't
care a thing about him. He despised him. And when our
Lord came through the door, it was a custom in that country
to have a servant there to watch you speak. But he didn't give
him any water to wash his feet, and it was a custom when they
came through the door out of that hot oriental sun to anoint
their brow and their head with precious ointment, something
cool and spicy and smelled good. He didn't anoint his head when
he walked in. It was a custom at that day when
a guest walked in your home to greet him at the door with a
kiss, to let him know he was welcome. But the Pharisee, he
hated Christ, held him in contempt. But he was lying there eating,
and there was a woman, obscure, despised herself, a woman of
the streets. And she came in and she washed
his feet. She washed them with tears. She
kissed him, but not on the cheeks. See, that's where Judas kissed
him. She kissed his feet. And she
anointed his feet. She had saved up for years. She
had that precious ointment, and she just broke the bottle and
poured it out on his feet. Oh, I tell you, he found some
friends, but they were not among the influential. They were not
among the wealthy. They were not among the powerful.
They were not among the religious. They were not among the political.
They were among the despised, like he was. He was one of them,
and they loved him. Our Lord was kind and merciful
to them, too. He was kind to those whom men
abhorred. He wept over the rebellion of
others. Our Lord looked at the rich young ruler when he walked
away, and Scripture said he loved him, as he taught us to love
our enemies and pray for them which despitefully use us. Our
Lord prayed for those who despite... He wept over Jerusalem. He said,
How oft would I have gathered you to myself, but you wouldn't." And yet when he considered all
this, he talked about it in Matthew 11. When he came down to verse
25, he lifted his eyes to heaven and he said, I thank you. Verse
25, at that time Jesus answered and said, I thank you. I thank
you. Someone said this, when he considered
the will of his Father in this matter, of hatred and rejection,
being despised of men. When he considered that matter,
he was not only content, but he rejoiced. He was not only
content, but he rejoiced. I thank you, he said, I thank
you, Father, Lord of heaven and Lord of earth, because thou hast
hid these things from the wise and the prudent, and thou hast
revealed them unto babes. even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight." Now, there's several facts that are clear
from this text that I want to look at tonight, the first of
which is this. What are these things? Our Lord
said you've hid these things. You've hid these things. What
are these things? And secondly, where and in what
sense are they hid? Where are they hid? Lord, you
are sovereign in heaven and earth. And you've hid these things.
What are these things and where are they hid? In what sense are
they hid? From whom are they hid? That's something else I
want to look at. Well, how is the knowledge of them obtained?
Say a fellow wants to know them, how can he learn them? And to
whom are they revealed? Now let's look at those five
facts. First of all, our Lord talks
about these things. These things. I thank you, he
said. He'd just been talking about,
he said, I come preaching. And you say I'm a wine-bibber
and a gluttonous man. John the Baptist came preaching.
You said he had a devil. Well, I say unto you, it'll be
easier in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon and Sodom and Gomorrah
than for the cities in which these mighty works were done.
You've rebelled, you've rejected, you've resisted, and then he
lifted his eyes and he said, thank you, Father. I thank you.
You've hid these things. You've hid these things. What
are these things? Well, there are two divisions.
There's in general and in particular. Now, these things in general,
what are these things that are hidden from the wise and prudent,
from the influential and powerful, from the materialistic, from
the political powers and from the religious? What's hid? What
are these things in general? These things are the things which
pertain to a relationship with God. That's what they are. They pertain to salvation. These things pertain to eternal
life. These things pertain to communion
with God. These things are what Job talked
about when he said, Behold the moon, it shineth not. The stars
are not pure in God's sight. How can man be just with God?
How can man be just with God? The things that David talked
about when he said, Lord, when I consider the heavens the work
of thy hands, what is man that thou art mindful of him? It's
what Job talked about when he said, how can man be clean that's
born of a woman? Nicodemus gave a hint. He said,
when our Lord Jesus talked about being born again, he said, how
can these things be? That's what we're talking about
in general. It's evident that most men know little of spiritual
matters. It's evident that most men know
little or nothing about spiritual matters. Oh, they've got a creed
and a catechism. They've got a denomination and
a doctrine, but they know little about God. Christ said to the
most religious people of His day, to the most orthodox theologians
of His day, He said, you don't know God. You don't know the
Father. They said, God is our Father.
He said, you don't even know God. They said, we have Moses. He said, you didn't even believe
Moses. We're Abraham's children. You don't know Abraham. He's
just a name to you. There's no fear of God in men's
hearts. There's no praise for God on
men's lips. There's no seeking of God in
men's souls. We live as if we're going to
live here forever. You know that, and I know that.
In general, there's a total ignorance of God and truth and salvation
and redemption. In general, there's an ignorance
of God. I even hear these preachers on
television pronounce God's name, and I know they don't know Him.
You say, that's going too far, preacher. No, it isn't going
too far either. I know what I'm talking about.
I know when a person uses his name whether or not they know
him, Joe. I can smell it. I can smell it. The way they refer to the Lord,
the way they say things about the Lord. That's in general what we're
talking about. These things are spiritual things, heavenly things. The things pertaining to salvation,
the things pertaining to eternal life, the things pertaining to
a relationship with God, a real, living, vital union with the
Son of God, like Enoch walked with God. I see these fellows sitting around
in a circle holding hands praying. If there's anything, I don't
like to see two men holding hands praying like that mean anything
to the God of glory, Joe. Think who God is. He's not the
sentimental, emotional, little old silly thing that we today
think that He is. He's an awesome, fearful, awful,
eternal, infinite, righteous, just and holy God that made Isaiah
not hold hands with people but say, Oh, what a wretched man
I am. Woe is me, I'm undone. I'm a
man of unclean lips. It made Job put his hand over
his mouth and say, I'm going to quit talking. It made John
fall as a dead man at his feet. But we hold hands and say all
these little old silly words. Praise the Lord. Don't even know
him. Don't even know him. Stranger
to God. In general, that's what I'm talking
about. I have heard these things. I have heard these things. that pertain to glory and grace
and God, to salvation, sanctification, and eternal life, a relationship
with God. That's what we're talking about.
But in particular, the chief doctrines that our Lord taught,
the chief doctrines which He taught, were the cause of their
hatred then and now. Our Lord Jesus Christ talked
in general of his Father and of his Kingdom. He talked in
general of a relationship with God. He talked in general of
a union with God. He talked in general of the task
and mission he came to perform. And they didn't understand what
he was talking about. But when he got down to particulars, they
understood and they got mad. Particulars. What are those particulars?
He said, I and my Father are one. I and my father are one. Philip said, show us the father.
He said, you're looking at him. You're looking at him. He that
has seen me has seen my father. He said, I and my father are
one. And that bunch of rascals picked up stones and we're going
to stone him. He said, now wait a minute. I've done many good
works among you. For which of these do you stone
me? They said, we stone you because you're a man and you say you're
God. And a man can't be God. And you're right about that.
A man can't be God. But God can become a man. God can become a man. He did.
I have proof of it. And they hated that. Oh, they
hated that. But I'll tell you this. Isaiah
said he was going to become a man. Isaiah said, unto us a child
is born, unto us a son is given, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. No man can call him Lord but
by the Holy Ghost. And then he said something else
that made him mad. He went down there to the synagogue in Nazareth
and preached in Luke chapter 4. And all those Jews were sitting
out there, you know, with the prophets in their background,
their heritage and their ancestry. And there were Hebrews of Hebrews
and Pharisees and all these religious folks, you know. And our Lord
looked at them and He said, They thought they had a claim on God
because of their background. And he said there were many widows
in Israel in the days of the prophet, but God didn't feed
one of them. But he fed a Gentile, a widow
who was a Gentile. And he said there were many lepers
in Israel, many of them, a whole lot of them. But he said God
didn't heal one of them, but he healed a Gentile. That's distinguishing
grace. They got mad. They believed in
grace, but not distinguishing grace. They believed in grace,
but not sovereign grace. They believed in grace that was
owed and grace that was earned. But they didn't believe in grace
bestowed upon whom he will. And they threw him out of the
synagogue, and John would have killed him if it had been his
time, but it wasn't his time. See, in particular, I'll tell
you something else, the new birth. Our Lord talked to Nicodemus
about being born again, about being born again, and he's totally
confused, totally confused. And our Lord said, but now wait
a minute, you're a master in Israel, and you don't understand
these things? If I told you earthly things
and you don't understand them, how could you understand if I
told you heavenly things? And then our Lord talked about
the nature of faith, to eat his flesh and drink his blood. The
nature of faith is not to subscribe to a few religious facts. That's not the nature of faith.
The nature of faith is not to leave Jehovah Witness and go
to the Baptist. That's not the nature of faith.
The nature of faith is not to leave Catholicism and go to Protestantism. The nature of faith is to see
the glory of Christ, and the beauty of Christ, and your need
of Christ, and the hunger and thirst for Christ, and to commit
yourself to Christ, and to receive Christ by eating and drinking
Christ into yourself. He permeates your being. Cut
into a man's heart who has fed on Christ, and you'll find love
for him. Cut into a person's mind who
has fed upon Christ, and you'll find thoughts of him. Cut into
a man's soul who has fed upon Christ, and you'll find submission
to him. And it says, when they heard
that, they turned around and walked away. They were interested
in the Lord feeding them, and healing them and giving them
the kingdom, restoring the old glories of the kingdom. But they
weren't interested in partaking of his flesh and his blood. They weren't interested in substitution.
They weren't interested in satisfaction. They weren't interested in just
and justified. They weren't interested in redemption.
They were just interested in the benefits of it. And that's
what 95% of religion in 1981 is. They're interested in the
benefits and blessings of God and not the person of God. They
don't love Him for who He is and what He is. They love Him
for what they can get out of Him. And another thing they didn't
understand was the inability and depravity of the flesh. In
particular, they hated that doctrine. Our Lord told them they were
of their father, the devil. And they got angry and they picked
up stones to stone him. They said, God's our father.
He said, you don't know God. The devil's your father. He was
a liar from the beginning and he's the father of liars. These are the things. In general,
I thank you, Father. You've hid these things. You've
hid them. Who do you hide them from? Well,
let's answer this question first. Where are they hid? Where are
they hid? Turn to Colossians chapter 2.
And we're talking about man's need and God's wisdom and redemption
and salvation, eternal life. Where are these things hid? Where are they hid? Colossians
2 verse 3. Talking about the Lord Jesus
Christ. It says, "...in whom are hid all the treasures." of wisdom and knowledge. Where
are they? In Christ. That's where they're
hid. Turn to Colossians 1.19. When
I cross the page, just look across the page. It pleased the Father
that in Him, in Christ, should all fullness dwell. That's where
it is. It's hid in Christ. In Christ. He said, this is my Son. Listen
to Him. You can attain to no saving truth. but in and by knowledge
of Christ. It's lost effort to seek saving
truth anywhere but where it is. That make sense? Somebody said
one time that there was a fellow lost a gold coin that was worth
a lot of money. And he was over here, it was
dark, he was over here under the street light, and he was
looking around. And the fellow said, what you
looking for? He said, I'm looking for a gold coin. Well, he said, when did
you lose it? He said, a few minutes ago. Well,
he said, where did you lose it? He said, over there. Well, he
said, what are you looking over here for? He said, more light
over here. Well, now wait a minute, that's a foolish man, but no
more foolish than the man who doesn't seek for righteousness
and truth where it is. It's in Christ. That's what the
Scripture says, in whom are hid the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
It pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.
In Him dwelleth the fullness of God. And we're looking for
it somewhere else. That's foolish. Whatever knowledge
you have, if it does not endear you to Christ, it's of no avail.
Let me show you 2 Timothy 3. Let's turn over there. Where
is it here? Our Lord said, Thank you, Father. You've hid these
things. You've hid these things. Where
are they hid? in Christ. These things, all truth and light
that pertains to God, in Christ. That's where they are. And then
2 Timothy 3, verse 15, "...that from a child," 2 Timothy 3, verse
15, "...thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ
Jesus." Where are they hid? In the Scriptures. It's twofold. It's in Christ and in the Scriptures.
That's where these things are here. Now, in what sense are
they here? Now listen to me, this will help you. Go back to
the text. And I struggled with this a little bit, and I wasn't
satisfied with a whole lot of fellas I read. I believe God
speaks in 1981 just as much as he did in 1776. I don't think
just because something's old, it's subtle. The devil's old,
he's not so. So I'm going to give you what
I believe the Lord showed me in this thing. Our Lord said,
Father, I thank you. You've heard these things. These
things. I know what these things are. They're the things that
pertain, no question about this, Joe, to a relationship with God.
That's what we're talking about. We're talking about knowing God.
We're talking about believing God. We're talking about being
redeemed. Redeemed. Walking with God. Where are they
hid? As plain as day, they are hid
in Christ. Everything is in Christ. I know
that. I can cut off every other rationalization or reasoning.
They are in Christ. And Timothy, Paul said to young
Timothy, you've known the Holy Scriptures from your youth, and
the Scriptures are able to make you wise unto salvation. So it's
hid in the Scriptures, these things. And what sense are they
hid? It says they're hid. If our gospel
be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. I thank you you've
hid these things. In what sense are they hid? Well,
I know this is so. They're not hid on purpose that
those who sincerely seek them can't find them. God's not playing
hide-and-seek with anybody. In other words, God didn't take
the good news of Christ and say, I'll fix it so none of them can
find it and hide it somewhere. That's not what we're talking
about there. That's not the character of our God nor the glory of our
God. He has put everything in Christ. All redemption, righteousness,
sanctification, holiness, eternal life, everything's in Christ. It's right there. And it's what
sense are they hid? Well, this is the sense in which
they're hid. If you seek a certain treasure in a place where it's
not, it'll remain hidden. Now, if I put everything I have
in this Bible, all my stocks and bonds and riches and treasures
and everything right there, and you go looking through all the
song books and go through looking through all the hymn books and
go through looking through all of the books in the study, it's
all right here. It'll remain hidden. You're not
going to find it. It's going to be hidden to you.
Because you ain't looking where it is. And that's the sense in
which he's hid these things. They're in Christ. And they're
hidden to the man who doesn't look to Christ. They remain hidden. For example, here are three examples.
In Romans 10, don't turn, it says this. They're going about
to establish for themselves a righteousness, and have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God which is in Christ. These people
couldn't find a suitable righteousness. They couldn't find an acceptable
righteousness before God because they were looking for it in the
works of religion. And they'll never find it. The righteousness of God will
remain hidden to them because it's in Christ and they're not
looking to Christ. Here's another example. Our Lord
said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to
the Father but by Me. That way remains hidden to you
as long as you look for it somewhere else. Here's a path that leads
down to the river. Now, if I continue to look for
another way, this way is going to remain hidden. When I look
to Christ, I'll find the way. And then in Ephesians 1, 7, it
says, In Him, in Him, we have redemption. Through his blood,
the forgiveness of sin, the forgiveness of sins in Christ. And if you
look somewhere else, it's going to still remain a mystery to
you, still remain hidden to you, still remain unknown to you,
still remain unpertaining to you. Now that's what he's saying. He says, Father, you hid these
things. But they're not hidden so as
to play hide and seek. They're not hidden so as to discourage
men. They're not hidden so as to discourage
those who willingly and sincerely seek. He said, you seek. Search
for me with all your heart and you'll find me. You look where
it is, you'll find it. I guarantee you. I guarantee
you. I don't guarantee him anything,
but I guarantee that. And if you look where it is,
you'll find it. You look to Christ. That's where righteousness is,
that in Him is all holiness and fullness and righteousness and
union with God and the way to God is in Christ. And you keep
on looking to the preacher and the church and your old profession
back yonder and your baptism and your sacraments and all this
silly stuff that's going on in the name of religion, it will
still be a mystery until you look where it is. But brother,
when you turn your eyes toward Christ, God will one by one reveal
to you the mysteries and glory of his grace, because you're
looking in the right direction. You're looking in the right direction.
Quit looking in here and look to him. Now, from whom are these
things hidden? He says the wise and the prudent.
Let's work on that a little bit, just a few minutes. Now, this
expression does not mean that these people are wise, not at
all. That's just like our Lord said,
He said this, He said, there's joy in heaven over one sinner
that repenteth than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no...
Does He really mean they're righteous and don't need... No. They think
they are. They think they are. And then
He said this, does He not leave the ninety-nine and go seek the
one that is lost? Does that mean they're all right?
No. No, it doesn't mean they're all right. They say they're all
right. And so just like he's saying here, Father, you've hid
these things from the wise. They are not wise. Now, they're
wise in this world, but they're not wise in those things that
count. Listen to this. Wise and prudent. What does the
word prudent mean? It means good judgment. Man's got good judgment. He's a wise man, and he's got
good judgment. Well, who is a wise man with
good judgment? Well, the Scripture says the
beginning of wisdom is the what? Fear of the Lord. I'll tell you
who the wise man is, he's the man who fears God. He fears God. And listen to this, the secret
of the Lord, here's the man of good judgment, good understanding,
prudent man, is the secret of the Lord is with them that fear
him. The secret of God is with them
that fear him. So our Lord's not saying that
these men are truly wise and of good judgment and of understanding
but that they're wise in the wrong things. The world calls
them wise. The world calls them wise. I'll
tell you how bad the judgment of this world is. The judgment
of this world will take you to a party. Here's a party by the
side of a pool at a very wealthy estate. And the people are standing
around with their glasses, you know, and they're laughing and
talking and drinking and swapping yarns and have no love. I'm not
saying that everybody whose wealth is doesn't know God. I'm just
saying this is what the world calls happiness. This is what
the world calls success. They're taking these people,
have their influence and power, you know, there's somebody to
have great entertainers and everything, the happiness and glee and all
these things are flowing and everybody says, now that's happiness,
that's success, that's it. That's it, that's blessing. But
I'll tell you, our Lord will take you into a dark room where
a child of God, faithful through the years, and if there's no
rug on the floor, maybe a cold linoleum that's been, you ever
seen those old linoleums that were worn where we used to walk
so much, you know? There's all right other places,
but it's worn right down through there. And bare walls and a picture
on the wall, maybe a candle burning or an old lamp. And there was
a child of God who served and loved the Redeemer all his life,
surrounded by his loved ones and friends, and is about to
slip out and meet God. And the old clock on the wall
is pronounced the time, so many years, and it's ticking loud.
And the old man breathes the last time and closes his eyes. And we say, I won't get out of
here. This is so depressing. But our Lord said, blessed are
the dead that die in the Lord. There's the blessing. And you
can't bless what God's cursed, and you can't curse what God's
blessed. Now, the wise man of this world, the man of prudence
and good judgment, he takes that. But that's not
wisdom. Because that's all going to fade
away, that's going to pass away. But listen, turn to 1 Corinthians
1. Let's see what he's talking about
here, the wise and the prudent. I'll tell you what he's talking
about. Now listen to this, 1 John 1, 19, you've hid these things,
they're hidden in Christ. And the wise and the prudent.
Listen to 1 Corinthians 1, verse 19. It's written, I'll destroy
the wisdom of the wise. I'll bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Have not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For
after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew
not God, pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe." That's who he's talking about. Folks that are wise in
this world and smart and so-called good judgment, they know where
to put this to make it double, they know where to put this to
make it triple, and they know all the wows and ways of the
world, and they're looked up to and they're extolled and exalted
and praised by men. Well, the gospel's hidden to
them. Well, turn back to the text. Here's the fourth question
I ask. Well, then how is this knowledge obtained? It says in
Matthew 11, our Lord said, Thou hast hid these things from the
wise of the world and the so-called good folks with good judgment,
the prudent of this world. But watch this, Thou hast revealed
them. You want to know where these
things, and we're talking about that which pertains to life and
salvation, eternal life, fellowship and communion with God. How is
it obtained? It's revealed. God reveals it. One day he asked the disciples,
he said, whom do men say that I am? The men, the wise and the
prudent, who do they say I am? Well, the disciples said, some
say you're John the Baptist, and some say you're Elijah, and
some say you're one of the prophets. He said, whom do you say that
I am? And Peter said, thou art the Christ, thou art the one
for whom we have looked, thou art the consolation of Israel,
thou art the Messiah, thou art the Redeemer. And he said, Peter,
you're blessed. You're blessed. Let me tell you
this, flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you. My Father
revealed that to you. He said, that crowd has eyes
but they can't see, and they have ears but they can't hear,
and they have hearts but they can't understand. But God gave
you. Blessed are your eyes, they say.
God gave them to you. Don't be puffed up. Don't be
puffed up. What hast thou that thou didst
not receive? God taught it to you. God revealed it to you.
And let me tell you this. This is important here. Revelation. Revelation is not the creation
or the invention of something new. It's the manifestation of
that which was already true, but up until then was unknown.
See what I'm saying? It's right there. I tell you
this, I remember back in my early days of church going and trying
to preach. It was all right there, but I
couldn't see it. I couldn't see it. And one day the Lord God
was pleased to give me eyes to see. And now I see. But He didn't
create something new. He didn't invent something new.
It was there all the time. I was looking in the wrong place.
I was looking in the wrong place. And this is what I'm saying is,
revelation is not the creation or invention of something new,
it's the manifestation of what until then was unknown, but already
there. Now, last of all, to whom is
it revealed? He said, Thou hast revealed this
unto babes. Babes. What is a babe? It's a child.
You have three characteristics of a child. I mean a little child. A child has little knowledge.
He'll confess his ignorance, as he will. This is what our
Lord was sitting down one day, and they asked him about the
kingdom of God, and he said, bring me a little child. They
sent a little child in the midst. He said, I say unto you, unless
you're converted and become as little children, you're not going
to enter the kingdom of God. Now, what about little children?
They have little knowledge. They know they have little knowledge.
They admit they have little knowledge. God's not going to fill a cup
that's already half full. He fills empty cups, empty vessels. And we're going to come to him
empty and ignorant, without knowledge. If anybody thinks he knows, he
doesn't know anything he ought to. And secondly, about a child,
a child's teachable. A child will listen. He'll listen. Grown folks won't listen. They've
got prejudices and traditions and preconceived notions and
ideas. They're not teachable. But a
child's teachable. And thirdly, a child is dependent.
He doesn't reason with you, he receives. I remember today, Cary
Grace went home with me. We went by the house and we started
in the back door. And I put her down to do something.
And I said, now you walk up the stairs. She said, you could hold
my hand. You could hold my hand. And that's a child, you see?
She's dependent. You could hold my hand. And that's
what our Lord's saying here. We're such smart alecks. And
He's hid these things. They're just hidden. A fellow thinks because he's
had a little success in life, That he's got the answers where
God's concerned, but there's a good possibility he's the most
ignorant guy in the world. That's right. Because our God
hides these things from the wise and prudent who reveals them
to the babe. And the fellow thinks because he's got a college degree,
you know, he's got a degree. Well, that doesn't mean a thing.
You don't get degrees in grace. You don't get degrees in grace.
No, you don't. And if God is pleased, I don't
know, among us, if the Lord is pleased to shut our mouths and
open our hearts and whittle us down and strip us and bring us
down to his feet as a little ignorant, teachable, dependent
child, he just might, in his grace, point to Christ and say,
there it is, Richard, there it is. It's all in him. And then
you start learning and growing in all of his mercies. Our Father in Heaven, we're just so unhappy with ourselves
and so dissatisfied with such rebellious, independent, proud
creatures. We're just tossed about here
and there with every lust and passion and desire and yearning
and there's no quietness and rest and peace in finding the
great pearl and parting with everything else. Enable us, O Lord, by Thy grace
to look upon Christ and find in Him all we need. If our hearts
and our spiritual eyes can ever, by your grace, ever see Christ,
he that seeth the Son, and not see him and hate him and reject
him and despise him, but see him and love him and believe
on him, he'll have everlasting life. That's what you said. He'll
have everlasting life. But we can't see him. We're looking
at too many other things. If you take some of these things
away, maybe we'll see the Lord. Maybe like the Zion, like Like
Isaiah of old, when King Uzziah died, he saw the Lord. Maybe
you take our Uzziahs away, we'll see Christ, but Lord, it'll be
worth it all, whatever you do. Whatever you do to enable us.