PRIVY TO THE
MYSTERIES OF GOD
|
Matthew 4:23-24
23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
24. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were
afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics
and paralytics; and He healed them.
Matthew 13:11
He 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.’
Jesus demonstrated for us the will of God in His earthly life and ministry. All He did was obey what His Father told Him to
do, as we know. So what did He do? The verses above tell us what the earthly ministry of Jesus was all about: 1) He taught,
2) He preached, 3) He healed, and He delivered. That’s what He did.
From the time I first remember being taught about Jesus in Sunday school as a young boy, the focus seemed to be on the
miraculous things Jesus did. It is exciting to think about blind eyes opening, lepers being cleansed, and dead being raised
up. But more importantly, we must consider His words over His actions. His words ushered in the kingdom of God, of
which we who have believed in Jesus Christ are citizens of that
kingdom!
Notice what Jesus preached; He preached the gospel of the kingdom. We might say it this way: He preached the good
news about the kingdom in which His Father reigns. Apparently this new kingdom Jesus preached about is vastly different
than the world we know because Jesus declares at one point that His kingdom is not of this world. This is one reason why
His kingdom is often referred to in Scripture as the kingdom of heaven. What
Jesus ushered in is actually an extension of heaven where Father God is enthroned. It is safe to say that the kingdom of
God and the kingdom of heaven are interchangeable terms.
Read Matthew 13:11. We see that this kingdom Jesus is speaking about is veiled away from those in the kingdom of this
world, and that its truths and principles come in the form of mysteries or hidden secrets. This is the reason the things of
God are foolish to those who are not of His kingdom.(I Corinthians 1:18) The truth is this: only those who are citizens of this
glorious kingdom are privy to the understanding of the truths of God. That is why Jesus taught the crowds in the form of
parables and reserved the explanations and in-depth instruction for His inner circle. His disciples not only heard the
message, they were then privileged to the complete understanding of the message.
The entry-point into the kingdom of God is the new birth. (Matthew 7:21) In the instant a sinner hears the gospel of Jesus
Christ and responds to it in faith the angels of God usher him into the kingdom of God. That is what happened to you! At
that point the veil is removed from your eyes and mind; you are then able to see truth and to comprehend it by the Spirit
who now dwells within you. (I Corinthians 2:6-16) You begin a life-long journey of discovery in His Word, learning how to
operate within this new and higher kingdom in which you live. It is a glorious existence of intimacy with God. It is a life of
power, living a life above the world around you and buoyed up with Truth. It is what enables a fisherman to walk on water
and empowers everyday guys like you to heal the sick and raise the dead. It is an existence in which the promises of God
envelope His people and make available to them blessings beyond imagination. It is established by a covenant and is
therefore everlasting. Citizen of God’s kingdom, I encourage you to start enjoying fully the blessings God has promised to
you. They are all around you and they are set in place by your Father just for you. Keep in mind they are accessed only by
faith. So, use the faith God has put inside of you. Believe and receive.
Tune in to FOX News on the television and take a look at the world. It is not a pretty thing, is it? In fact it is a dangerous
and uncertain place to be. But wait a minute….you are privy to the mysteries of which the world has no concept. You can
unlock the promises of God found in Psalm 91 that declare you are safe from the enemy and from all danger or harm or
disaster. That is why you have no fear whatsoever. It really does not matter to you personally if Iran produces a nuclear
warhead or whether North Korea viciously attacks, you are surrounded by the promises of God. Your well-being does not
rise and fall with Wall Street, why? You live on a different plane and in a different (a better) economy – God’s economy. You
are privy to the mysteries of God in which are hidden the truths and principles that propel you forward and upward into the
realm of blessings. You may still be in this world, but you are not of this world.
Citizen of the kingdom of God, you have the supreme advantage living within you! He is the Holy Spirit. He is God. And He
is placed there to not only give you life, which He does, but to guide you and teach you and comfort you. He is the means
by which the mysteries of God are opened to you. This is how He works: as you read Scripture, He enlightens you by
opening your eyes to truths that you need for that day to achieve victory over the challenges you will face. He also speaks
to you through that still, small voice from within you and He says, “Go to the right or go to the left” directing you and
keeping you. He is your guarantee of victory in everything!
The kingdom of God is the place to be. But you must know that it takes effort on your part to fully enjoy the blessings of
your heavenly citizenship. For example, if that mountain in your life is to be removed it will take your voice to remove it.
(Mark 11:23) God will add His power to the equation of success but you are an important element in the equation. When you
speak to the mountain in faith, God acknowledges your faith and the mountain is removed. Another example of how
important you are in God’s equation of success in His kingdom is found in Luke 6:38. In this verse you are told to give.
Then the glorious promise of abundance happens for you. What happens to the citizen of God’s kingdom who does not
obey Him and refuses to give? He does not lose his citizenship but the promise associated with giving does not manifest
for him. This helps to explain why some Christians continue in lack or poverty and fail to enjoy the blessing of prosperity.
From these two examples, can you see the importance of your participation in the kingdom of God? It is a great place to
live and it takes you doing your part to really experience all the good your Father has in store for you.
The simple principle of participation discussed in the preceding paragraph is one of those mysteries of God. You see it
and grasp it because you are capable of doing so. An unbeliever cannot see this principle nor is he able to grasp it; that is
why it is impossible for him to enjoy the fruits of it. God hides such things from those who have not entered into His
kingdom. Such wonderful truths are meant only for His family. Aren’t you glad you’re a part of the family of God!
I have found that in some cases unlocking one of God’s mysteries takes some real work; the revelation I need seems hard
to retrieve. In such cases I have learned to pray in the Spirit, fervently and diligently seeking God until the mystery yields
its truth to me. This may take minutes or hours and in some cases even longer, but in each case it is always well worth the
time and effort once the revelation is received. I encourage you to never stop short of knowing, and that sometimes will
require some work on your part. But you can do it. The Holy Spirit is there to assist you and He will lead you into all truth.
(John 16:13)
Because you are in a spiritual kingdom the truths and principles that govern it are spiritual. The natural kingdom is
governed by natural laws like the law of centrifugal force. When you understand how to work with this natural law, things
go better for you when you are playing on a merry-go-round. You will hold on tightly and not go flying off when the ride
starts going really fast. Natural laws can be learned simply by experience in many cases; however, spiritual laws are not
that way. They are learned by the Holy Spirit who is your Teacher. He is assigned the task within the kingdom of God to
instruct its citizens. Only He can reveal what lay behind the veil that is a mystery. He is well-pleased to unveil all of the
mysteries of God to you just because of who you are.
So, rejoice child of God that His mysteries are yours to see and understand. My final word of encouragement to you is to
be sure to take adequate time in Bible study and prayer. Time is the key word here – take plenty of time so you can unveil
the mysteries of the kingdom of God and fully enjoy all that is promised to you by the Lord. Amen.