PRIVY TO THE MYSTERIES
OF GOD
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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.