Today’s Scripture: 1Corinthians 2:7-8, :9; Isaiah 64:4; Deuteronomy 29:29; Luke 18:34; Acts 9:3, :15, 13:9; 2Peter 3:15-16; 2Timothy 2:15.
1Corinthians 2
vs7 ‘…But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory…’
vs8 ‘…which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory…’ NKJV
We are treading on ground not covered in our man-made religions on Sunday mornings in their Bible studies.
Every individual should be able to conclude there are many things that us human beings do not fully, 100%, understand about what God has told us or how certain things were done … it has to be obvious.
This I would conclude is that MYSTERY that Paul is talking about in vs7.
This hidden wisdom can be seen in earlier writings.
We can find this in the next verse, verse 9.
1Corinthians 2:9 ‘…But 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…’ NKJV
And we can show a comparable verse found in Isaiah.
Isaiah 64:4 ‘…For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him…’ NKJV
Now the apostle Paul was a Pharisee … he would have known the writings on the scrolls of Isaiah that the Jewish people had for generations … but then I MUST ask, why didn’t those earlier generations read of the promise of the coming Lord … why didn’t they read of His death on the cross?
This again, is part of that MYSTERY that God, in His wisdom, in His Omniscience, in His ALL-KNOWING of everything, that us simple human beings, we will never understand until that day when God reveals His MYSTERY to us all so we all will be able to understand.
The way the early Jewish leaders and the people were blinded by the truth, I think is the same way that the apostles were blinded from understanding what Jesus meant when He spoke to them.
I think there are many in this world that have been blinded in this same way from seeing the truth that is found in God’s Word that He has given us.
God has told us, it’s written in His Word, but many times, by many people, it’s not been revealed until the time is right, RIGHT FOR GOD.
This MYSTERY is similar to a SECRET … I believe like the secret that God told us that He kept from all of us.
Deuteronomy 29:29 ‘…The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law…’ AKJV
There is a version of the English Bible that I use often to help me understand what has been written in the KJV. It is the EASY version.
Deuteronomy 29:29 ‘…Some secret things belong to the Lord our God. He does not let us understand everything. But he has shown us many things clearly. Those things belong to us and to our descendants for all time. They are the words of his Law that we need to obey…’ EASY
God is allowing us to know that He DOES keep secrets from us, mankind.
We should thank God for allowing us to know this.
So, the reason we ALL don’t understand what has been written is because some of us have been blinded from what has been said.
Here is just one example found in the Word:
Luke 18:34 ‘…The disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said…’ NASB
Jesus had just got done telling His disciples that He was going to be killed and in three (3) days He would be resurrected and brought back to life.
Jesus told His disciples this on three (3) different occasions, it’s written about in three (3) different synoptic gospels … and they did not understand what Jesus was telling them.
It was never meant for them to understand, in vs34 we read where it was ‘hidden from them.’
How many things has God told us in His Word that we have been hidden from the real, true meaning?
I think this is why God gave us His Word.
I think He gave us His Word so we could STUDY it … so we could pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand what He means.
So, we could ask what God means when He tells us there is a MYSTERY.
His Word has been meant for each one of us … not for others to read the Word to us but for each one of us to OPEN our Bibles and READ the Word for ourselves.
In just these past few weeks, there have been many difficulties in this 21st century world that we live in … just focus on what we have seen here in America.
In just the past week, thousands of individuals have purchased a Bible for the first time, thousands of younger generations went to a man-made church this past Sunday seeking God … but the Message we ALL need to listen to is the REAL, TRUE MESSAGE of God and it is ONLY found in His Word.
Stay home this next Sunday and spend an hour or two and read your Bible … READ THE WORD OF GOD.
Jesus gave up His life and was crucified on a cross for the forgiveness of every sin throughout the entire world.
Every sin that was, is and ever will be committed by mankind … WE ARE ALL FORGIVEN ALREADY.
Now we must FOLLOW in Jesus’ footsteps … we are to walk in the trail that He has made for us, we’re not told we are to break a new trail, and we certainly aren’t supposed to go back to before He forgave us of our sins before He died on the cross for each one of us.
We are to FOLLOW His lead.
In the book of Acts, after the crucifixion and after the ascension of Jesus Christ, Jesus came back to this earth and confronted a man, Saul of Tarsus.
Acts 9:3 ‘…And as he (Saul) journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven…’ AKJV
That light spoken about is Jesus.
OPEN your Bibles and READ it for yourselves.
Jesus confronted Saul and sent him into town and told him to wait for His sign … Jesus then went to Ananias and told him to go to Saul.
Acts 9:15 ‘…But the Lord said unto him (Ananias), Go thy way: for he (Saul) is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel…’ AKJV
Jesus is telling Ananias that Saul of Tarsus is His CHOSEN VESSEL to teach the entire population, ALL mankind about Himself.
Throughout the entire Bible, after Genesis 1 through 11, there were only two divisions of people, Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews).
There were many different groups of Gentiles, but they were still Gentiles none the less.
There is another verse we should see that’s found in the book of Acts.
Acts 13:9 ‘…But [a]Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit and led by Him, looked steadily at Elymas…’ AMP
FOOTNOTE:
[a] Saul was the apostle Paul’s Jewish (Hebrew) name. As his ministry to Gentiles began he became known by his Roman (Latin) name, Paul.
The Book of Acts was written by Luke, the same Luke that wrote the gospel of Luke.
There are thousands of individuals that will not read the writings of Paul, they claim they are too different than the teachings of Jesus Christ.
But in the Word, Luke writes that Jesus CHOSE Paul to teach ALL of us about God.
There are people that say Paul’s writings should be ripped from our Bibles and thrown away.
Should we then rip out the book of Acts also because Luke claims that Jesus CHOSE Paul?
How about 2 Peter, Jesus’ most popular apostle.
2Peter 3
vs15 ‘…And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you…’
vs16 ‘…as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction…’ AKJV
Should we rip the books of Peter from our Bibles and throw them away also?
To you young, new believers, OPEN your own Bible and READ the words that God has given us in His Word.
TRUST in what He tells you … forget about what other men try and teach you (and I am including myself in that group also), OPEN your Bible and say a prayer to the Holy Spirit and ask that He would guide you in His footsteps. Allow Him to take you in the path He wants for you to FOLLOW.
Maybe one of the stronger and more powerful verses found in the Word that teaches us to STUDY His Word, is found in 2Timothy.
2Timothy 2:15 ‘…Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth…’ AKJV
Here is an easier version you might be able to speak:
2Timothy 2:15 ‘…Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth…’ NKJV
In both version we are told of the importance in our knowledge of ‘RIGHTLY DIVIDING’ His Word.
Not DIVIDING the Bible the way, we want to, but rather DIVIDE the Word that God has intended for us to HEAR.
Put your TRUST in Him and allow Him to walk you through this life we are living in. Pray without ceasing as we we’re told in 1Thessalonians 5:17.
FOLLOW in Jesus’ footsteps and seek Him.
I love ALL of y’all.
I am InHIM. ><)))o>
Versions used:
NKJV (New King James Version)
AKJV (Authorized King James Version)
EASY (Easy English Bible)
NASB (New American Standard Bible)
AMP (Amplified Bible)