The Mystery part 3
The thing that I want to make as clear as possible... is that the mystery has been revealed. It's not a mystery anymore. Look at Ephesians 1:7-9, "In whom we haev redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself." Add that to what we talked about yesterday about how it is God's glory to conceal a thing and our honor to search it out. In this context the way we "search it out" is to let Him reveal it to us. He has made it known according to his good pleasure. He wants us to know Him. He doesn't want to be distant and unknowable. He wants us to know Him. I always come back to Jesus saying, "If you've seen me, you've seen the Father." He wants to be seen. He wants to be understood. Every time anybody ever needed a sign from God... He gave it to them. He's not afraid to show who He is. He's not afraid to give us what we need. On the cross He gave us everything we need. Everything we will ever need. Everything we could ever need. We have it. It's at hand. It's available to us. The mystery is not, "How do I get what I need?" The mystery is more like, "I have what I need... how did I get it and what do I do with it?" Because until you can see the finished work... you'll always be trying to finish it yourself. And until you know what you've got... you'll never be able to experience and enjoy what you've got. So we need to change our view of things, I think is what I'm trying to say. Stop looking at it like we have to figure God out. He's not hard to figure out. The ultimate truth of the universe is not complicated. "God is love and He loves you." The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. Simple. But not always easy. And that's the trick. That's the key. It's not always easy to believe that God loves you. We get into our heads and we get into our own way. That's why faith is so important. Faith like a child. Fighting the good fight of faith. Which is laying hold of what we've been already been given. Not getting something we don't have. You don't "faith" your way into getting something. You have faith that you can do what you've been created to do because of who you already are and what you already have. You have faith... in God. You have faith... in love. Because God FIRST loved us. It's not a quest for love. It's a quest to USE the love we have. To give it away. Because that what love IS; love is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. Here's the real mystery: "That was really nice of you. Why did you do that?" And here's the mystery revealed, "Because I love you." I believe that that's why we should do everything we do. We should do it heartily. To the best of our ability, and because it's in our hearts to do it. Love should be our motivation. That's the revelation of the mystery. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Yes. But it's the hope of REVEALED glory. Christ IN you... coming OUT of you!