It Is God Who Reveals Mysteries
Jesus says,
“And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables.”
Mark 4:11
Many times as Jesus spoke, His disciples didn’t understand what He meant. Why was this so? Was not Jesus “God manifest in the flesh?” After all, the words that Jesus spoke are the very scriptures we have today, so why did they not understand them? One would think that if God personally spoke to you it would be easy to catch His meaning.
Understanding is given to us by the Holy Spirit
Jesus states that it was “given” to His disciples to understand while it was not given to others. It seems that, in order for even those closest to Jesus to comprehend His words, it had to be revealed to them. Even the twelve could not understand on their own. In their case, Jesus revealed the truth to them personally. Nowadays, because Jesus has gone to make a place for us, we rely upon the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into all truth.
Like the disciples, It is also possible for us to hear the words of Jesus but not understand them. Unless it is “given unto us to know the mystery of the kingdom of God” we cannot understand what He says. Here is a truth,
“Everything in the mind God is a mystery to our flesh. The only way we can truly hear God’s word (Rhema) is through revelation given to our spirits.”
The Jewish people constantly misunderstood what Jesus said because it was not given to them to understand. Even though they had natural ears which could hear, their hardened hearts could not receive what Jesus said. God says,
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.“
1 Corinthians 2:14
Revelation is not rare
I am beginning to see things clearly in respect to revelation. Whereas many people assume that revelation from God is rare, that is not the case at all. The truth is, we are supposed to live by revelation all the time. Conversely, the study of the word should be used to search the scriptures to see if these things are true. This is why Peter said, “this is that” after they spoke in other tongues. Pentecost came first and then Peter explained it from scripture as revealed to him by the Holy Spirit.
For example, I was talking with a minister the other day about a certain controversial biblical topic. I wondered why he spoke to me, of all people, about this subject. I asked him the obvious question about the dilemma this situation posed and he responded, “I don’t know, if you figure out an answer please share it with me”. We left off talking and I went about my business
If we refuse to speak, who will hear?
As I continued my day the Holy Spirit convicted me. You see, I had kept quiet because I knew the doctrinal stand of this minister due to his denominational affiliation. Therefore, I made a conscious decision to keep quiet because I reasoned that anything I said wouldn’t be received graciously. However, the Holy Spirit said that I was one of the few people who could give him an answer. I was cut to the heart, thinking, what good is the truth that God gives me if I hide it?
So, before I left for the day I said, “I have an answer to your question.” Surprised, he said, “what is it?” I proceeded to reveal to him a scripture that spoke directly to his question. He looked at me sideways saying, “I don’t see how that applies”. I then explained how it did and how it solved his dilemma. Admittedly, it was a different way of seeing things but it fit perfectly. I don’t think he really knew what to say.
Jesus says,
“And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?”
Mark 12:26
I said that, though that scripture proves the resurrection it also proves something else. It proves that these three saints are alive and with God at this very moment. It means that God accepts these men because they are with Him in Heaven.
The question that the pastor was wrestling with was how to deal with plural families (polygamists) that come to Christ. Should he council the man to separate from all except his first wife? I told him, based upon that scripture, that it was not necessary to break apart the families. God accepts men that are married to one woman as well as those who are married to more.
The scriptures are multifaceted
This was a revelation. No one, except it be revealed to them, would ever make the connection about that scripture and apply it to that type of situation. However, through the Spirit, we find more truth than we ever thought possible. People think that there is only one way to look at scripture but there are many ways. As we become one with God we find that His words are more multifaceted than we ever imagined.
In conclusion, only God gives us understanding of the mysteries of His kingdom. We cannot earn this knowledge through our own efforts. Only through having these mysteries revealed can we understand what God is truly saying.
Finally, God says,
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
Romans 8:14