What Is the Mystery of Christ?

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Why did God keep Christ the Messiah? Why did God keep it a mystery?

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Before the world began, this was a secret that was designed to be kept. He kept it from Satan. That's who he kept it from.

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Through what Christ has accomplished, God is going to declare his glory, this is verses nine and 10 of Ephesians 3, to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

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So Satan, of course, shows up in the Bible for the first time in Genesis chapter three, having tempted man and man falls, he takes his place as the

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God of this world, right? The great adversary. The fallen angels along with him, these entities, these beings reign as the gods of the nations.

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This has been happening, it happens still. But then fast forward a number of years, centuries and centuries,

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Satan shows up again, most pointedly, the early chapters of the Gospels. That's right. In the temptation of Jesus.

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And you wonder what is going through the mind of the evil one at this moment? He's smart, he's crafty, he's deceitful, but he is not omniscient.

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And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

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Now, this is fascinating. I mean, to me, this is just all kinds of cool. Satan believes

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Jesus and he's gonna come back and he's gonna come for him again at an opportune time. Okay. Three years later, then

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Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the 12th.

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He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad.

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So here is the opportune time, right? This is the end of Luke 22. Jesus says this, but this is your hour and the power of darkness.

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Of course, this leads to the cross. Yeah. And you wonder again, as Jesus hung there on the cross dying, what does

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Satan think? Does he think that he's won? Yeah. Yeah, there's no doubt that he has bruised

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Christ's heel, but he does not know that this is exactly how Jesus would crush his head.

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So Jesus gives up his spirit. He's buried in the tomb of a rich man. He then descends into hell, not to suffer more, but to conquer.

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And he binds the strong man and plunders his goods. He sets God's people free and he rises triumphantly from the grave, victorious over the evil one.

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I'm thinking right now of, you know, Acts 2 .23, when he says, Peter, you know, he says, this

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Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

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I'm gonna say, you know, your question is, what was Lucifer thinking? He's like, he won.

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But now he learns later, I was totally used as a tool by God.

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I was totally, which has to make him so angry. Ephesians 3 .9, and to bring to light for everyone, what is the plan of the mystery hidden for all ages in God who created all things?

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So that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known, pay attention to this, to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places.

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When the church preaches the gospel, the heavenly places learn about what

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God has done through dirt people. Yeah. Through people who are lower than the angels.

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Sober minded means don't let Satan, don't let this world intoxicate you with its lies.

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I love this, Justin, what are we to do then? Set your hope fully on the grace that will be revealed to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.