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The Mystery Revealed
August 19, 2012
The gospel of Jesus Christ is rooted in the ancient promise that God made to Abraham that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. The prophets spoke of it, and Jesus was the fulfilling of the promise. This was a mystery that went back to ancient times, and the revelation was hidden, even from the prophets who spoke of it. Jesus is the promise kept, the mystery revealed.
Bernie Parsons
The
Mystery Revealed
by
Bernie Parsons
Presented to Globe church of Christ on 08-19-2012
Presented to Load church of Christ on 08-26-2012
Last time we studied about the simplicity of the gospel. Since so many feel
inclined to abuse the gospel and misrepresent it, I thought it good to delve
a bit deeper into what it is.
The
gospel has ancient roots.
Galatians 3:8 "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the
heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In
thee shall all nations be blessed."
Galatians 3:"13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being
made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on
a tree:
14
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus
Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
Galatians 3:16 "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith
not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is
Christ.
17
And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in
Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot
disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
18
For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave
it to Abraham by promise."
This is, of course, taken from the following passage of scripture:
Genesis 22:15 "And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven
the second time,
16
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done
this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy
seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea
shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou
hast obeyed my voice."
This is the gospel given to Abraham, of which the apostle Paul spoke: that
through the lineage of Abraham, one would be born who would bless all the
nations – families, peoples – of the world.
The
English word gospel comes from
god spell, or good story, tale,
or talk. It is translated from the Greek word,
euangelion (yoo-an-ghel-ee-on), a
compound word that literally means “good message”.
It was a good message when given to
Abraham, and it was a good message when preached to first the Jews, and
later, the Gentiles.
Matthew 3:1 "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the
wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand."
Matthew 4:17 "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Luke 16:16 "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the
kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."
A
shift of ages was about to take place, a thing that was planned before the
beginning of the world, and coming to fruition in Jesus Christ.
Romans 16:25 "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my
gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of
the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
26
But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according
to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the
obedience of faith:"
1
Corinthians 2:7 "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the
hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him.
10
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea, the deep things of God."
Some think that the things that God had prepared lie in our future, but the
apostle Paul made it plain that he was talking about Jesus Christ, as
revealed to the apostles and disciples. Jesus verified this truth.
Mark 4:11 "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:"
We
are talking of nothing less than a seismic shift in God’s relationship with
humankind.
Hebrews 12:22 "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in
heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made
perfect,
24
And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
25
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who
refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn
away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26
Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once
more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that
are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be
shaken may remain.
28
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace,
whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29
For our God is a consuming fire."
Galatians 3:22 "But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the
promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith
which should afterwards be revealed.
24
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we
might be justified by faith.
25
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is
neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to
the promise."
Ephesians 2:13 "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are
made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle
wall of partition between us;
15
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so
making peace;
16
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having
slain the enmity thereby:
17
And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that
were nigh.
18
For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."
Luke 1:73 "The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74
That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our
enemies might serve him without fear,
75
In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt
go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their
sins,
78
Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath
visited us,
79
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to
guide our feet into the way of peace."
The
birth of Jesus ushered in the daylight, dispelling ignorance and
indifference. He was our sunrise, who drove out the darkness, replacing it
with the light of God’s word.
