Deuteronomy 29:29
“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
What’s the verse telling us? That God keeps things secret until He reveals it. And He’s not going to reveal it all at once. He’s going to reveal it little by little. For this is the meaning of one of His titles. And so all the way up through Scripture God is revealing things that He has kept secret. And that’s why a lot of the prophecies back in the Old Testament were hard even for Bible scholars to comprehend. God didn’t expect them to. There was no need for it. What good would it have done to have started preaching prophecy back there in 1000 AD. There was no need for it. Even at 1500 AD there was still no need for it. But as we approached the 1900’s, all of a sudden Bible scholars began to see the picture of the end-time coming together. Well, that’s the way God works. You see, the Apostle Paul, over and over, is making mention of that. For his view of the Gospel is nothing short of being Christocentric [if I can use that word] in scope and nature. For this of the meaning and purpose of God in Christ to which the Bible testifies throughout and especially within the Epistles of Paul's revelation.
Now let me take you back to what Paul says. Let’s go to Romans, chapter 16. Now don’t forget what we just read in Deuteronomy. God keeps things secret. Until He reveals it, that’s what they are. But once He reveals it, He expects mankind to accept and believe it through what can be called a receptive heart or a child likeness of trust. Here in Romans 16 verse 25, this is one of my favorite verses. You know, how many of you have ever heard a sermon preached on Romans 16:25? People don’t hear this. They don’t want to touch it with a ten-foot pole. Look what it says,
Romans 16:25
"Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, (of John12:24, 1 Corinthians 11:23-32, 15:1-4, Romans 6:1-14, Galatians 2:20) and the preaching of Jesus Christ. according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept (what?) secret since the world began."
Its as plain as the nose on our faces. What was secret about it? CHRIST! In Christ’s earthly ministry, Peter, James and John and the rest had no idea that God would turn to the Gentile world with this Gospel of Grace. They had no concept of such a thing. The only mindset they had was that once the Hebrews were converted, yes, then the Hebrews could move out and bring the Gentiles in. But you see I’m always emphasizing back there in that earthly ministry, what did Jesus tell the Twelve when they began their ministry?
Matthew 10:5-6
"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
And what was that? That was something that was still kept secret from the Gentile world. They weren’t to go and reveal anything to the Gentiles, because it wasn’t time for it. Paul’s Christ centered Gospel of receiving and then believing in the death, burial, resurrection and first ascension for both our redemption and then the working of our salvation hadn’t happened yet. And so Peter, James and John and the rest, they know nothing of going to Gentiles. Besides that was against all Jewish doctrines as they considered themselves above the pagan dogs and set apart onto the Law and God. You know, I always like to come back to Peter and the house of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. Now you see, that was probably seven, eight, nine years after Pentecost and they’d been situated only in Jerusalem all those years. If you don’t believe me, read Acts 8 verse 1. ‘They were all scattered abroad everywhere, except the apostles.’ They weren’t about to leave.
But, after Saul’s conversion in chapter 9 – and then in chapter 10, God providentially forced Peter to go to this Gentile house of Cornelius – "heel prints in the sand!" Peter didn’t want to go to those pagan Gentiles any more than Jonah did. But he got there and God did something that those Jews could not comprehend. What did He do? Saved that house full of Romans, pagans. Now we don’t know how many there were. Couldn’t have been hundreds as they were all living in a house. But anyway, the point I want to make is, wouldn’t you think that after seeing the miraculous salvation of a bunch of Roman military men, that Peter would have just sent a messenger back to Jerusalem and said, "Fellows, I’m out of here. God is going to take the Gospel to the Gentiles, I’ll see you later!"
Is that what happened? No. He trekked right back to Jerusalem as though nothing had ever happened and when he got there they chewed him out royally. "What business did you have going to the Gentiles?" Isn’t that funny that those people couldn’t understand that? Why? Because this whole concept of going to the Gentiles with the Gospel of Grace was still kept secret, it was hidden from them still. Now along comes Saul of Tarsus who will become the Apostle Paul and what’s the first thing God tells him? "I’m going to send you far hence to the Gentiles." Unheard of! Those pagan Gentiles? All right, now look what Paul writes in Galatians chapter 1 verse 11, and this is such simple language. Look what the Apostle writes, by inspiration of the Spirit. I must make a point here that Paul as an attorney uses some very pointed wording and persuasive argumentation from a purely Jewish perspective. Which most commentators gloss over in an attempt to water down his meaning and the Gospel of God's Grace as found in the person of Christ.
Galatians 1:11-12
"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which is preached of me (or what he called in Romans ‘my gospel’ and we can call this Gospel) is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, (that is by other men or that he's trying to please men) but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."
Now when you let go of a secret what are you doing? You expose or reveal it. So this secret that’s been in the mind of God was not revealed until the Apostle Paul. Not all at once – little by little. As that as said earlier is what one of His titles means, and what Jeremiah eludes to in chapter 6 and verse 16 as an ancient path.
All right, so he said, "I got it by revelation of Jesus Christ." I just pointed out to someone who called on the phone (as to where I stand concerning Christ’s earthly ministry), "Look, Christ’s earthly ministry was under the Covenant and the Ten Commandments and the Levitical Law as He was the promised end of days spoken of within their framework. They all pointed toward Him in a pictograph form. It was directed to the children of the Hebrews, and I quoted him to Romans 15 verse 8. ‘Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to fulfill the promises made to the fathers.’ Plain English, isn’t it? All right, so He came to the Nation of Israel under the Law leading up to the crucifixion as the one to remove or take away the curse through death.
But this man Saul of Tarsus who becomes to us Paul, now, has things revealed from the ascended Lord. What does that mean? Well, a whole new ball game. Now He's ready to reveal some secrets – read on.
Galatians 1:13
"For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:"
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