SECRETS - NYOBS 77.31

         SECRETS

Secrets of God – Secrets kept FROM Make Believers – Confidential Secrets – Secret Sins

First Word

·         As I look back on my life, I shudder at things in my past that I would not want printed on the front page of the newspaper.  I would prefer that these things remain a secret forever and just die. – In the business world I had firsthand knowledge of things about a co-workers private life that would get them fired; I know confidential secrets about friends that if revealed their friendships would be terminated or their marriages disrupted. – We all have secrets which if revealed could cause grievous harm.

·         Today the news is full of many prominent men in business and politics with secrets being exposed about their sexual activity. - SEX is strong and is usually the first thing we think of when a SECRET is spoken about, but sometimes it’s about someone lining their pockets with secret favors that hurt others, which we see so often in the political area. – Sometimes there are secrets about a bad judgement call; a mistake that was made, or perhaps someone who just withheld a secret that could have helped someone else and have made peace.

·         There should be no secrets in a marriage, on the other hand there may be some things that would not be beneficial to the marriage; if revealed they could cause distrust, jealousy or anxiety and are just better off left unsaid. – We plant seeds in the garden of our life and occasionally, with some of our seeds, we need to pray for a crop failure.

·         The Book does not pronounce any moral judgments for or against the keeping of secrets.

·         Keeping a secret can be noble thing, but secrets kept to pervert the course of justice is wrong and are an abomination to God.

Proverbs 17:23 – It is wicked to accept a secret bribe
²³ The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice. (ESV)

Proverbs 11:12 – A understanding man keeps confidential secrets
¹² Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks sense, but a man with understanding keeps silent. (HCSB)

Proverbs 11:13 – Trustworthy person keeps a confidential secret
¹³ A gossip goes around revealing a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence. (HCSB)

Psalm 101:5 – God hates someone who secretly slanders
⁵ I will destroy anyone who secretly slanders his neighbor; I cannot tolerate anyone with haughty eyes or an arrogant heart.

Secret Sins

·         God is the revealer of secret sins. - When it comes to our secret sins, God wants us to confess them to Him and He promises full forgiveness.

·         Confessing our sins does not mean that we will avoid the consequences of sin. -  Confession gives us an umbrella to get out from under the thunder storm, but we are still wet and still need TIME to dry off. – Time is a healer – Repentance is to turn and go in the other direction, making every effort to not repeat the sin again.

Isaiah 1:18 – God says come and let us reason together
¹⁸ Come now, LET US REASON TOGETHER, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. (ESV)

Proverbs 28:13 – Confessing a secret sin to God brings mercy
¹³ People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. (NLT)

Daniel 2:47 – God is the revealer of secrets
⁴⁷ The king answered Daniel, and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret." (NKJV)

Psalm 90:8 – God sees and spreads out our secret sins
⁸ You spread out our sins before you— our secret sins—and you see them all. (NLT)

Luke 8:17 – Secret Sins will eventually be made known to all
¹⁷ For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all. (NLT)

Proverbs 28:13- You can’t cover up your sin and not be found out
¹³ You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them. (MSG)

Mark 4:22 - Every secret will be brought to light
²² For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. (NLT)

Matthew 10:26 - Everything that is covered will be revealed
²⁶ But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. (NLT)

Confidential Secrets

·         When someone tells you something in strict confidence, it is because of trust.  If you reveal their secret to others, it will separate you from their friendship.  If you or someone else you know doesn’t keep a secret that a friend shared, they are a gossip.

·         Love doesn’t repeat a private matter, an offense or a sin. -  Love doesn’t repeat matters to others. - Love respects their privacy. - Love never gossips about people.

·         Have you ever heard this one; I’m just telling you this about her so that you can PRAY about it. – What a ruse to gossip. - A whisperer or gossip separates the best of friends.

·         The Book says, as you wish that others would do to you, do so in love to them; we surely wouldn’t want someone to gossip about us. -  God holds us accountable for every idle word spoken against others. 

·         Today there are few secrets, because almost everybody is sharing “juicy tidbits” with others.  - The Book says this is clearly sin, stating that “whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure” 

·         The Book says I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. - The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.

Proverbs 16:28 – Telling secrets separates the best of friends
²⁸ A perverse man sows strife, and a WHISPERER separates the best of friends. (NKJV)

Romans 1:29-31 – Gossips, backstabbers, breaker of promises
²⁹ Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
³⁰ They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.
³¹ They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. (NLT)

Psalm 101:5 – God will destroy the one who slanders in secret
⁵ Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.

(ESV)

Proverbs 20:19 - A gossip betrays a confidence
¹⁹ A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much. (NIV2011)

Proverbs 26:20 – Stressful environment ends when gossip stops
²⁰ Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when GOSSIP stops. (NLT)

Proverbs 17:9 - Whoever conceals an offense promotes love
⁹ Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends.

(HCSB)

Exodus 23:1 – A malicious witness helps a guilty person get off
¹ Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. (NIV2011)

Luke 6:31 – Keep others secrets, if you want your secrets kept
³¹ Do to others as you would like them to do to you. (NLT)

Numbers 32:23 - Your sin will find you out
²³ But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

Secrets of God

·         God keeps secrets. There are some things that just belong to the LORD. -  Job said; God’s knowledge was of things too wonderful for him to know.

·         The Book records Jesus many times telling those that He had just healed to keep their miracle healing a secret. - Jesus had just healed some blind men and told them to keep their miracle of receiving their sight a secret; that no one was to know about it. – Good Grief; HOW COULD I POSSIBLY KEEP MY BEING BLIND AND NOW SEEING A SECRET? – It’s in the Book -

Deuteronomy 29:29 – God has secrets known to no one
²⁹ The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.

(NLT)

Proverbs 25:2 - It is God’s privilege to conceal things
² It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them. (NLT)

Job 42:3 – God’s secrets are too wonderful to know
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. (NLT)

Matthew 9:30 – Jesus asked their healing to be kept secret
³⁰ Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” (NLT)

Matthew 16:19-20 – Don’t tell anyone that I am the Messiah
¹⁹ And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
²⁰ then he sternly warned the disciples NOT TO TELL ANYONE that He was the Messiah. (NLT)

Secrets kept from Make Believers

·         When Jesus taught the twelve Disciples, He used parables to keep His teachings SECRET until the time was right and then His Disciples would reveal them.

·          The Word of Faith Movement uses the secret of “Positive Confession” in the story of the Shulamite Woman to demonstrate speaking positive things into your Spiritual life which speaks life into situations in your physical life. (loosing & binding on earth, loosed & bound in heaven)

·         The story is about a Shunammite Woman who was barren in her old age and the Prophet Elisha took notice and prophesied over her that she would have a child. -  In due season she had a child, but later when he was grown, he became sick and died on her lap. 

·         The woman had built a small chamber for the Prophet Elisha when he visited the small city of Shunem.  It included a bed, table, stool and candle stick and it was in this chamber that she placed her dead son on the Prophet’s bed. – She had heard of the raising of the Widows son in the city of Sarepta and knew that the spirit of the Prophet Elijah now rested on Elisha, therefore she made no preparations for her son’s burial, but for his resurrection.

·         The Shunammite Woman got on her donkey and took off in a hurry to find the prophet.  As she met her husband and others along the way, in apprehension they asked, if all was well.  Her faith was stronger than that of her husband and of those around her and she did not want DISBELIEF to hinder her pursuit to locate the Prophet.  

·         In the physical realm she kept the child’s death a SECRET, but in the Spiritual realm she spoke Words of Faith saying all is well; believing the miracle of life was on the way. - She found the Man of God and he sent his staff ahead of him with a speedy young man to be placed on the child to prevent a premature burial.  NYOBS 06.14 - DEATH

·         When Elisha arrived he stretched himself out upon her child as he had seen Elijah his mentor do. - When the child came into contact with the “Man of God”, he came back to life.

·         The principal demonstrated here is that when we are DEAD in our sins we need to come into contact with the Son of God to receive eternal life. – NYOBS 13.02- HEALING SCRIPTURES

·         The Shunammite Woman kept the secret so that she would not alarm her husband or get others involved.  She did not want anyone to discourage or detain her until she could find the “Man of God” who had prayed for her to be blessed with a child. 

·         In the Book we find many times, that unbelievers were kept “outside the loop” while the seriousness of prayer for the dead was underway. – When having hands laid on you in prayer for healing, see to it that there are no Make-Believers present.

·         Sometimes secrets exist so that that those who are weak in their faith will not have an opportunity to discourage you from your pursuit of things of God. - It’s in the Book -

Mark 4:34 – Jesus’ teachings were in SECRET
³⁴ In fact, in his public ministry He never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them. (NLT)

2 Kings 4:18-37 – SECRET – Physical he died – Spiritual he lived
¹⁸ When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers.
¹⁹ And he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”
²⁰ And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died.
²¹ And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him and went out.
²² Then she called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again.”
²³ And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “ALL IS WELL.”
²⁴ Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, “Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.”
²⁵ So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
²⁶ Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’” And she answered, “ALL IS WELL.”
²⁷ And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me?’”
²⁹ He said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not reply. And lay my staff on the face of the child.”
³⁰ Then the mother of the child said, “As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her.
³¹ Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. Therefore he returned to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.”
³² When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed.
³³ So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the LORD.
³⁴ Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm.
³⁵ Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed SEVEN times, and the child opened his eyes.
³⁶ Then he summoned Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.”
³⁷ She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.  

(ESV)

Acts 9:39-40 – Make Believers and the death of Dorcas

39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40 PETER SENT THEM ALL OUT OF THE ROOM; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. NIV

Mark 5:35-43 – Make Believers & the death of Jairus’ daughter

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher anymore?"

39 He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep."

40 But they laughed at him.  After HE PUT THEM ALL OUT, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.

41 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!").

42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.

43 He gave strict orders NOT TO LET ANYONE KNOW ABOUT THIS, and told them to give her something to eat.

NIV

1 Kings 17:17-23 – ELIJAH resurrects a Widow’s Son in Sarepta
¹⁷ After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.
¹⁸ And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!”
¹⁹ And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed.
²¹ Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child’s life come into him again.”
²² And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.
²³ And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother.

(ESV)

Secret of Mary & Joseph

• Engagements were for a year which was considered normal and constituted a part of the marriage.  Mary was an unknown peasant girl that lived in Nazareth located on the Southern plains of Lower Galilee who caught the eye of a Carpenter.  – In Old Testament times you did not marry the one you loved; you loved the one you married. – Love began at marriage.

• Mary and Joseph being engaged were considered married although not living together; sexual intercourse could not take place until after the marriage vows, but before they came together she was found to be pregnant.  Joseph, a loving and devout man who did not want to disgrace Mary publically, decided to SECRETLY divorce her.  – An angel appeared to Joseph and told him to not be afraid to marry Mary that the child was from God.

·         A few days after that, Mary hurriedly took a very long trip to visit her cousin Elizabeth and there, went into seclusion. - Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant with the cousin of Jesus; John the Baptist. – She stayed with Elizabeth three months till the Birth of John and then went home to be with Joseph. – NYOBS 10.02 – THE PLAYERS -- NYOBS 03.12 – THREE MARYS

• When the secret was revealed, there was certainly PUBLIC REACTION in Her hometown.  When Jesus starts his ministry Joseph has probably been dead for some time.  It must be remembered that Jesus did not continue in the carpentry trade of Joseph, but left His family. – This may have caused some family disappointment as well as lost honor in His community.  - This appears to show up later when Jesus returns home and is rejected probably with GOSSIP “questioning” was He really the son of Joseph accompanied with JOKES; “WHO’S YOUR DADDY?” – Jesus said; whoever does the will of God is My family.
• The Book indicates that Joseph’s name is omitted, stating only that Jesus was a carpenter’s son and Mary was His mother.

·         Some secrets should be kept for a time, then revealed even though it causes ridicule and hurt; both were endured by Mary and Joseph. – Telling your secret can be hurtful. -

Matthew 1:19 – Joseph wanted to divorce Mary Secretly
¹⁹ So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

(HCSB)

Luke 1:39-41 – Mary went in to seclusion with Elizabeth
³⁹ A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town
⁴⁰ where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.
⁴¹ At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

(NLT)

Luke 1:56 – Mary stayed three months, till John was born
⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home. (NLT)

Matthew 13:55 – They would not even mention Joseph’s name
⁵⁵ But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "We've known him since he was a kid; he's the carpenter's son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. (MSG)

Matthew 12:50 – My daddy is the one who does the will of God
⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." (NASB)

Esther’s Secret

·         The Story of Queen Esther is an example of someone keeping a secret as well as revealing a secret.  Ester made a decision to hide her nationality and it became a part of God’s plan to save the Jews. The story teaches the morality of a secret that if kept hidden, would have caused grievous harm. 

·         After the king had a run in with his Wife, he put her away and searched for a new Queen which lot fell to a Jewish beauty named Ester.  Her Uncle Mordecai asked her to keep her Jewish nationality a secret so she would not be rejected by the King.

·         She kept the secret until the entire nation of Jews were scheduled to be executed.  Mordecai told her she should now tell the secret to save their nation.  Ester revealed her secret understanding she might lose her own life by doing so. – The Jews were saved –  

·         There is a time for a secret to remain secret and a time that it should be revealed.

Esther 2:21-23 – Mordecai honored for saving the Kings life
²¹ One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him.
²² But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report.
²³ When an investigation was made and Mordecai’s story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. This was all recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes’ Reign. (NLT)

Esther 2:20 – Mordecai asked Ester to keep a Secret
²⁰ Esther continued to keep her family background and nationality a SECRET. She was still following Mordecai’s directions, just as she did when she lived in his home.

(NLT)

Esther 4:13 – Now was the time for Ester to reveal her secret
¹³ Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. (NLT)

Esther 7:3-5 – Queen Ester has a secret, kept from the King
³ Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared.
⁴ For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial a matter to warrant disturbing the king.”
⁵ Who would do such a thing?” King Xerxes demanded. “Who would be so presumptuous as to touch you?”

(NLT)

Esther 7:6 - Ester reveals secret at the peril of her own life
⁶ Esther replied, “This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy.” Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen. (NLT)

Sampson’s Secret

·         In the story of Samson and Delilah, Sampson was a Judge in Israel, but acted like a loose cannon, doing just whatever seemed right in his own eyes.  From Birth he had received the Nazarite vow which included never to cut his hair in which laid his great strength. 

·         He had an eye for the women and fell in love with a philistine lovely named Delilah.  The Philistines were the enemy of God and of Israel.  Delilah was offered a handsome sum of money to find out where Sampson’s strength came from. -  Samson revealed that the source of his strength was in his hair which was a secret he should have kept. – In the end it cost him his eyesight as well as his life. – Some secrets should NEVER be revealed.

Judges 16:4-21 – Sampson told his secret of strength
⁴ Sometime later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek.
⁵ The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely; each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
⁶ So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely.”
⁷ Samson replied, “If I were tied up with seven new bowstrings that have not yet been dried, I would become as weak as anyone else.”
⁸ So the Philistine rulers brought Delilah seven new bowstrings, and she tied Samson up with them.
⁹ She had hidden some men in one of the inner rooms of her house, and she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” Samson snapped the bowstrings as a piece of string snaps when it is burned by a fire; the secret of his strength was not discovered.
¹⁰ Afterward Delilah said to him, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now please tell me how you can be tied up securely.”
¹¹ Samson replied, “If I were tied up with brand-new ropes that had never been used, I would become as weak as anyone else.”
¹² So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them. The men were hiding in the inner room as before, and again Delilah cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But again Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thread.
¹³ Then Delilah said, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now tell me how you can be tied up securely.” Samson replied, “If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on your loom and tighten it with the loom shuttle, I would become as weak as anyone else.” So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric.
¹⁴ Then she tightened it with the loom shuttle. Again she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke up, pulled back the loom shuttle, and yanked his hair away from the loom and the fabric.
¹⁵ Then Delilah pouted, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong!”
¹⁶ She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it.
¹⁷ Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. “MY HAIR HAS NEVER BEEN CUT,” he confessed, “for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.”
¹⁹ Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down, and his strength left him.
²⁰ Then she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the LORD had left him.
²¹ So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison. (NLT)

Charity Secrets

·         Secrets happen in charities where sometimes very little percentage of what is given winds up where you think it is intended. – Dove Broadcasting, Christian Television where I was affiliated would shed administrate cost if it rose above 17%, the president took no salary; 83% was the target to beat for all projects; it was commendable. – Did you know that with Samaritans Purse 89.3% goes directly to projects of relief in the name of God; food, clothing, shelter, medical aid and case workers. - Salvation Army 82% of the money given not only continually presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but also feeds, clothes, shelters, provides medical care, job training and case workers for the needy. - Good Will on the other hand, gives 0% to feed, clothe and shelter the needy; they only provide training and absolutely nothing for the soul. – Steven Lufburrow, CEO of Houston’s Goodwill received $1.3 million in total compensation and they have many CEO’s. -  Food Banks and Children’s Hospitals are certainly a good thing and are needed, but they provide nothing for the Soul.

·         Jesus set the example in His compassion as He quieten the PHYSICAL NEEDS that their bodies were screaming out; after that He could address the SPIRITUAL NEEDS of their soul.

·         My charitable giving to organizations must include those TWO THINGS; - 1) Compassion and care for the physical body; food, clothing and shelter – 2) Food for their Soul; the Gospel presentation of the Kingdom of God – For what profit is it to a man if he gains everything he needs, and yet he himself is destroyed or lost. – It’s in the Book -

Matthew 14:14 – With Compassion, Jesus healed the sick
¹⁴ And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick. (KJV)

Matthew 15:30 – Jesus healed the lame, blind, mute, maimed
³⁰ Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. (NKJV)

Matthew 4:23 – 1) Healed 2) Preached the Kingdom Good News

²³ Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.

(NLT)

Luke 9:25 – What good is food and clothes if you lose your life
²⁵ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? (NKJV)

Last Thoughts

·         In the Book, God keeps secrets. - There are just some things that belong to the LORD alone. He has not revealed all the secrets that we might want to know about life, but He has revealed everything that we need to know about finding our way back to the “Tree of Life” and gaining salvation. – (If you don’t have a Bible yet, I encourage you to get the NLT New Living Translation Bible for easy reading, it’s a translation, not just paraphrased.)

·         We all have secret sins that need to be confessed, not necessarily to others, but to God to receive His forgiveness, His grace. - But chances are good, whether your sins are confessed or not; the sin seed you have planted, will produce a harvest, bigger and sooner than you expect. – This would be a good time to pray for a crop failure.

·         Sampson had a secret that should never have been revealed and in the finality of things, it cost him, his eyes and his life.

·         Ester had a secret that was to be been kept for a season of time and then revealed allowing good to come to the Jewish Nation.

·         The Shunammite Woman kept her secret so that those WITH LESS FAITH would not deter her and discourage her from finding the prophet Elisha to resurrect her child.

·         Jesus had secrets and asked the disciples as well as others to keep His miracles of healings a secret and especially Him being the Messiah. - They were to be kept secret for a season and then revealed when His time had come.

·         If you become aware of a child telling you he is being abused, hurt or starved daily by his parents, that secret should be revealed through proper channels for the well-being of that child. – There is a cost to being a peace maker; you will probably be rejected. 

·         The Book says Peacemaking is a characteristic of God; blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. – It’s in the Book –

·         Keeping a secret can be noble thing, but secrets kept to pervert the course of justice is wrong and are an abomination to God.

·         We can conclude that keeping secrets are not sinful in and of itself. - There are some things that should be revealed and some things that are just better off kept secret.

·         The Book does not pronounce any moral judgments for or against the keeping of secrets, The Book’s concern is how secrets are used; do they help or hurt. - There are some things that people shouldn’t know and vice versa. - There are confidential secrets that have been entrusted to us - IF THE STORY IS NOT OURS TO TELL, THEN WE SHOULD NOT TELL IT. 

Ecclesiastes 3:7 – There is a time to be quiet & a time to speak
⁷ A time to tear and a time to mend.

A time to be quiet and a time to speak. (NLT)

Proverbs 18:21 - The tongue can bring death or life
²¹ The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. (NLT)

Psalm 141:3 – Ask God to guard what you say
³ Take control of what I say, O LORD, and guard my lips. (NLT)

Matthew 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Mark 9:23-24 – Lord I Believe - Help me in my unbelief.

23 …” Jesus said. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed,

"I DO BELIEVE; HELP ME OVERCOME MY UNBELIEF"     

In the multitude of counselors,

there is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:14

I am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical

information, and scripture verses.  Because of them I can stand on their shoulders

                         and see further that I otherwise ever could have.              

                                                                                                                                     

A Commentary; Critical, Experimental and Practical - Eerdmans

All the Women of the Bible – Edith Deen

Antiquity of the Jews – Flavius Josephus Matthias

Apocrypha – Goodspeed

Baker Commentary on the Bible – Elwell

Bible Almanac; The – Packer-Tenney-White

Bible Commentary – F.B. Meyer

Bible Dictionary – Harper and Row

Bible Dictionary – Nelson’s

Dake’s Annotated Bible – Dake

English Standard Version Bible – ESV

Expositor’s Bible Commentary – Frank E. Gaebelein

Forgotten Books of Eden; The – World

Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The – Tyndale

Interlinear Greek-English New Testament - Baker

King James Version Bible – KJV

Lost Books of the Bible; The - World

Lost Books of the Bible; The - Bell

Matthew Henry’s Commentary - Zondervan

Missing Books of the Bible; The – Halo Press

Mysteries of the Bible – Readers Digest

Nag Hammadi Library; The – James M. Robinson

Nave’s Topical Bible - Zondervan

New International Dictionary of the Bible; The – Douglas - Tenney

New International Version Bible (2011) – NIV

NOTE: The “new” NIV has been corrupted & made gender neutral.  AVOID IT.

New Living Translation Bible - NLT

Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls – Hugh J. Schonfield

Thru the Bible – J. Vernon McGee

Vincent’s Word Studies of the New Testament – Mac Donald

Who’s Who in the Bible – Paul D. Gardner

Wycliffe Bible Commentary; The – Pfeiffer & Harrison

Wikipedia –

Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; The – Tenney