June 13, 2010
Sermon #840
The Mystery
I love to read. I have always loved to read. I especially like mysteries. However, one thing I learned early was that if I read the end of the book first, it no longer was a mystery. A mystery is not written so that you would understand it but to keep you from figuring it out. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is a mystery and that He did not tell them stories to make it simple and understandable, but to keep it a mystery.
Matthew 13:10 - 17 (NKJV) 10And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"
11He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
15For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'
16But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;
17for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Introduction: He told the disciples this after he had told the story, "the parable of the seeds." Jesus told them that it was not simple – it is a mystery.
It is about a miracle, and a miracle by its nature would not be a miracle if it could be understood.
It is not like man's ideas about religion or philosophy – it is different, unique.
1 Corinthians 2:6 - 16 (NKJV) 6However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
8which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9But as it is written:
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
10But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
16For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
B. It is not like a self-help message that one can teach: one, two, three.
ILL: Many pulpits in America are trying to make the message "relevant," "modern," and "agreeable to the scientific age."
C. Hindrances to understanding.
- Pride of intellect
Matthew 13:13 - 14 (NKJV) 13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
Matthew 11:25 - 26 (NKJV) 25At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.
26Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. - Prejudice
Matthew 13:15 (NKJV) 15For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'
ILL: People dismiss what the Bible says because they have heard something else – they have never even read the Scripture. One man told me that rich men could not get to heaven because a camel could not go through the eye of a "Cambridge" needle. I asked him to show it to me and he brought me a packages of needles made in Cambridge, Mass.
- They have "fat hearts" (v. 15)
Jesus, Himself, is the miracle.
Born of a virgin
Isaiah 7:13 - 14 (NKJV) 13Then he said, "Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?
14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
"Christian, awake! Salute the happy morn,
Whereon the Savior of mankind was born;
Rise to adore the mystery of love
Which hosts of angels chanted from above
With them the joyful tidings first begun
Of God Incarnate and the Virgin's Son"
John Byrom
God in the flesh
1 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV) 16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.C. God on a cross
1 Corinthians 1:20 - 25 (NKJV) 20Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
22For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
23but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
III. I agree, it just does not make natural sense
Luke 9:23 - 25 (NKJV) 23Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
He who has will have more? (Matt: 13:12)
Romans 14:17 (NKJV) 17for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
- Righteousness is added
2 Corinthians 5:17 - 21 (NKJV) 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
21For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
ILL: Religion can be the greatest enemy of Christianity.
- Peace is added:
- Joy in the Holy Spirit
Christianity that does not make you happy is not worthy of the name.
Acts 2:12 - 13 (NKJV) 12So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?" 13Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine."
Philippians 4:4 (NKJV) 4Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
He who does not have will lose? (Matt: 13:12)
Luke 16:15 (NKJV) 15And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
ILL: What good will all your good works do you? When you face your death, or the death of a loved one, what good will all of your modern knowledge do you?
ILL: Paul wanted to lose all to gain all:
Philippians 3:7 - 11 (NKJV) 7But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Conclusion: How do you come to know Him?
Matthew 18:2 - 5 (NKJV) 2Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,
3and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
4Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
That is it! Like a little child accepting the wonder and the mystery!
