“The Mysteries of Life Can Be Solved” (Part 1)

There are many mysteries in life – “mysteries” as defined in the Scriptures, being those truths that we cannot figure out ourselves.  They are hidden.  They are under a blanket, because of our inability to understand.  They are beyond us.

“Things too wonderful for me,” as Job said (42:3).

But it’s healthy to know that many important ones have been revealed by God, who loves to help us discover truth.

Let’s list them:

Mystery # 1:  The Mystery of God – see Colossians 2:3.

This is the mystery about what God is really like. You hear a lot of speculation about that on the street, at the water cooler, in the coffee shop.

• “To me, God is someone who always shows his love…”
• “My Daddy told me that God would never judge sin, and that He always…”
• “God is an impersonal force in the sky…”

There are many theories floating out there. People speculate on the mystery of God.

And there’s no question that God is mysterious, far beyond us, transcendent, not in our backyard in one sense, not in our dictionary. And beyond our understanding. But…

The verse is clear – the mystery of God is Christ.

Read it!  “The mystery of God, that is, Jesus Christ.”

• He is the one who said, “He who has seen me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9)
• He is the one who was clear: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30)
• His best friend, John, said of him, “And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Instead of speculating about who God is or what He’s like, let us look at Jesus Christ and the gospels.  Let us see how He walked these dusty roads and treated little children and lepers too.  Instead of saying that God never gets angry, let us watch Jesus Christ in the temple when they are sinning against his Father’s will. Instead of believing that God could never forgive us, let’s watch him go to the house of Zacchaeus Fortea and end up at mine.

He is the way we understand God.  The mystery has been solved. What is God like?  He is like Jesus Christ. We can do no better than that. And that should be central in our preaching.

Other things we might say about God should be prefaced with, “I think…”  But when we see characteristics and virtues in Jesus Christ, we know this is exactly what God is like.

Mystery #2:  What Salvation Is – this mystery, also, has been revealed.

Check Colossians 2:3 for this one – “the mystery of salvation, which is, Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

I know, not many people go around using the term “salvation” or wishing they knew.  But millions seek the meaning of life, or realize that they are sinful people or at least weak people who cannot make their way through the grave after death and, in a very real sense, cannot live life the way they know it should be lived. By the standards of God. Or even by the standards of their own conscience!

• We need good health, spiritually.  We need salvation.  We need a rescue.
• We are drowning in the ocean and we cannot make our own way by swimming.
• We have the worst of diseases, and we do not know where to go for the cure.
• We are falling off a cliff and we need someone to catch us before we hit the bottom.

And salvation is clear – Jesus Christ can come into our lives.  As He once came into the world, He comes into our spirits, by His Holy Spirit.

Salvation is clear – “Christ in you.”  Christ in me.

These are two of the mysteries revealed by God so that we can have meaning in our lives.  They are the two most giant ones – what God is like, and how we get to know God, or stand in front of Him forgiven and with His righteousness. And to think so many are not sure about these two most giant of all truths!  Some never think about them, or at least pretend that.  Others avoid the search or discussion by staying busy or even selfish.

And as pastors we have the highest privilege of helping people who are willing to listen to understand these mysteries.  God wants all to know. We’ll see more tomorrow.