The Greatest Secret in the World — Jim Cymbala

The Atomic Bomb and the Secret That Changed World War II

Listen to me now for 20 minutes. I have a lot to tell you. It's the greatest secret in the world. On September 1st, 1939, German army invaded Poland and my people were under attack. They put up a feudal resistance.

They didn't have the weaponry to stand up against the Nazi blitzkrieg and so started World War II. We stayed out of it, our country, until December 7th, 1941. When the Japanese, who were in alliance with Germany, attacked Pearl Harbor.

The war really began when Poland was invaded because Poland had an alliance with England and France and Russia and the dominoes began to fall and Italy and other countries sided with Germany and they were gonna now start the biggest, worst mass killing spree ever.

President Roosevelt and the Hidden Manhattan Project

So 1941, we entered the war. President Roosevelt was the president then, Franklin Delano and what's interesting about that, every time I see pictures of him, he was paralyzed and could not walk and was in a wheelchair the entire presidency, which was the longest of any person because they passed laws after him that you can only serve two terms.

He was into his fourth term, I believe, third or fourth. And no pictures were ever taken of him in that wheelchair. Even when he stood to deliver a speech, they hid that he was up on a raised platform so that the microphone, he could speak into it.

Not so today, there's no hiding anything from the press but back then, most Americans only got their news through the radio and newspapers, they never saw him. During the war, while he was president, they came to him with a secret.

It was the greatest secret in the world at that time and that was that through the work of people like Albert Einstein, who had fled Europe because of Hitler's march against the Jews, that they had been doing along with other genius scientists, they'd been doing work with the atom, splitting the atom and they were convinced that by splitting the atom, they could release energy, make a bomb that would make everything else everyone was using seem like a toy.

Roosevelt died in office but the work continued. It was done out in New Mexico. It was so secret that when they shipped thousands of people there to work on it, you weren't allowed to even write home and let anyone know where you were.

This was the secret of all secrets, the greatest secret in the world. And it was being worked on unbeknownst to anyone. Germany had tried their own attempt at an atomic device but they failed fortunately at it.

But Russia knew about it and saw the Cold War coming and already planted spies who would work out there where we were working on what was called the Manhattan Project, which was the making of this device.

The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Roosevelt died in office and while Truman was at one of his conferences with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin discussing what would happen at the end of the war, he got a notification handed to him that tests had been made, not by dropping it, no one knew what would happen if you tried to drop it, but they exploded the device in the desert and it was too fearful to discuss what they saw, the mushroom cloud.

So now he knew America was in possession of a game changer, hopefully a game ender. But as we started to push back the Japanese forces, we realized that they were never gonna surrender, the word surrender was not in their language, their kamikazes were wreathing havoc because they had an approach to war different than the Americans who were willing to fight but wanted to escape and live.

They were willing all too quickly to just die, take their airplane down onto a ship and crash the ship, die but blow up the ship while they were doing it. So estimates were made if they had to invade Japan, how many soldiers would die of the Australian, English, American forces and mostly other countries too and it was horrific number in the hundreds of thousands because we're gonna fight to the last man.

Truman made the decision which is still debated today, so we're gonna drop the bomb, we'll give a warning that we have a new device and that they should surrender, they didn't surrender although they were losing.

So then on that fateful day, a plane called the Enola Gay flew covered by other planes protecting it and carrying in it the big baby, something that they didn't even know what it was fully. They just knew that they had to get sight affirmation, couldn't do it by instruments, they had to know where they were dropping it.

The pilot was a guy named Tibbets and as he flew over Hiroshima, he got the okay and he dropped this device that no one ever dropped from a plane. As the bomb hit, everything was incinerated instantly in certain areas around the bomb, people just liquefied and a mushroom cloud began to rush upwards and a draft that the airplane could feel and they pulled away to try to escape but when they saw the size of the cloud, Tibbets uttered words along the lines of, oh God, what have we done?

Because no one had ever seen anything like that. Later we got pictures of the cloud of the bomb they detonated in the desert. Still Japan didn't surrender and thus in the next days or week or so, 10 days, they dropped another one on Nagasaki and then finally they pleaded with the emperor who they considered to be God, we have to do the unthinkable, we have to surrender.

Nuclear Deterrence and the Greater Power of Prayer

That was the greatest secret, greatest power in the world. Now imagine now ladies and gentlemen, they have devised bombs, now that was an atom bomb. That atom bomb is a peace shooter compared to what they have now.

Nuclear weapons that can be shot out of a submarine that have so many more, more, more, more, more time power, multiplied power that it's kept, from most people's thinking, the world from destroying itself because when the Cold War was at its height, the greatest power in the world known to people was these bombs and Russia had them and we had them, now other nations have them but the play out was this.

If Russia would fire missiles at us, we would know before it landed, we would fire missiles at them, they would then fire back missiles and when all the nuclear arsenal had been used up, nobody could win because there'd be nothing left and that's the greatest power in the world that most people know about but I wanna tell you about a greater power than that.

Hezekiah's Prayer and God's Answer

It's found in many places in the Bible but here it is at the end of second Kings. About that time, Hezekiah became deathly ill and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amos, went to visit him. He gave the king this message.

This is what the Lord says. Set your affairs in order for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness and when Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and he prayed to the Lord.

Wait, now we're gonna have 22 words in English. How many it is in the Hebrew, I don't know but it starts, remember, oh Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.

Then he broke down and wept bitterly and that probably was the most powerful part of his prayer but he prayed a prayer in 22 words but tears are part of praying. God understands tears. Groans and tears that come from a sincere heart that trusts in God are part of the greatest power in the world.

Let me prove it to you. It goes on to say, but before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from the Lord. Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people and tell him this is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David says.

I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you and three days from now, you will get out of bed and go to the temple of the Lord. I will add 15 years to your life and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria.

I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant David. So just picture this. Hezekiah is over there and got a critical disease. It's gonna be fatal. And the prophet comes to him, Isaiah, as in Isaiah, Jeremiah.

Isaiah says to him, this is what the Lord says. You're not gonna be healed from this. You're gonna die. Get your house in order. Isaiah leaves. He just turns over to the wall and begins to cry to God and pray 22 words.

You don't have to scream. He's not deaf. 22 words. And then he wept and he cried. The Bible tells us that the deepest part of praying is not the words you say. It's the heart that it comes from. And the Bible says that as he groaned and cried and wept and said 22 words.

Isaiah has left him and is just leaving the courtyard, not even out of the courtyard yet, and God stops him and says, stop, go back. Delete. Go back and tell him another message. So Isaiah goes back. Hezekiah says, you again.

Isaiah says, yes, I have another word from the Lord. I have heard those 22 words and I have seen your tears. You're not gonna die. No, but God just said he was gonna die. I'm just telling you what the Bible says.

God said, now you're not gonna die. You got 15 more years and I'm gonna protect the city. Now, prayer has these mysteries in it because one thing we know from Scripture, God is sovereign, which means God rules and reigns, amen?

But here we have prayer intervening with God so that God, I don't explain this. I'm just telling you what the Scripture says, that God says, on second thought, I'm gonna give him 15 more years. So you think nuclear weapons are powerful?

How powerful is prayer when it can change the motions of God? It changes the action of God. In other words, listen, things happen in answer to prayer that ordinarily would not happen. You can't live in a que sera sera will be, what will be will be world.

That's not the world God gives us in Scripture. You have not because you ask not. There's a power in prayer that none of us, listen, the best of us, we're just scratching the surface of the power there is in going to God with a desperate heart in faith like a trusting child.

That's why this is the greatest power in the world and we don't use it the way God wants us to. Look at maybe one of the top most five important verses in the entire Bible for Christians. Gotta be in the top five.

Coming Boldly to the Throne of Grace

Look at it. It's found in Hebrews. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God or the throne of grace. There we will receive his mercy. Listen closely now. I'm gonna talk for just 10 minutes more and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

So let us come boldly with confidence to the throne of grace or of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. So let us come boldly to the throne of grace.

The word in the Greek there, the verb let us come is a word which is the continuous repeated action tense. It's not let us come once, but let's be continually coming. Let's come to God to receive mercy and grace because he has a throne of grace, which means love in action.

Grace is when God shows his love, makes it manifest. Not a throne of judgment. If he wanted to hurt all of us, he would have done it before now. And he could all wipe us off the face of the earth like with the dropping of the bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

But he's not like that. He's a loving father. He loves us. This was written to Christians. And God is saying to us, please take advantage of my love and my mercy towards you. But I only dispense it at the throne of grace, not by quoting verses, not by saying, well, it'll be what will be.

That is not anywhere taught in the scripture. And we cooperate with God in the working out of our destiny. I don't understand it, but there's many things in prayer you don't understand, but you only understand prayer by praying.

No sermon or symposium will help you, or a book. You learn prayer by praying like you learn to swim by swimming. And the Bible says that God has a throne of grace that has been provided for us, and he wants us to come boldly or with confidence.

Why? Because Jesus died on the cross, suffered for our sins, has washed them all away, and has opened up a way now to come to his throne, not of judgment, but a throne of grace where he wants to just give us presence and mercy and gifts of all kinds.

God says, please, would you come? You can come boldly. No, I'm not worthy. I know that. I took care of that. Jesus died. You have no sins now against your record. You're as clean as Jesus is. Yes, you're as clean as Jesus is.

So come boldly to my throne with confidence. Don't come shyly. I love you. I'm your father now. You used to be separated from me because of your sin, but now because of what my son Jesus did for you. You're part of my family.

I want my children to come and get the presence that I have for them. There's not one in maybe 1 ,000 Christians today taking advantage of the throne of grace like we should. We live without. We live frustrated.

We live nervous. We live anxious. How could that be God's will for us? It's not because what he wants us to have is only dispensed at the throne of grace. It never says in the Bible, therefore let us come boldly to church or to pastor Simbala's office.

No, come boldly to the throne of grace. I know we all want to clap. Let's do it. Come on, let's clap and say amen. Come with confidence. Come with boldness because that's our father. The devil hates what I'm saying now and hates the idea of us praying.

Why? Because he doesn't like us going to church. He doesn't like us reading the Bible. But trust me, what he likes the least is when we pray because when we pray, we bring God on the scene. The powers of God are released in our lives.

Mercy, Grace, and Persistent Prayer

Do you understand that? Do you believe that? If you believe this promise, lift your hand up with me. This is what God says about the wayward daughter or the problem on the job or the financial struggle or the spiritual battles you're fighting with Satan.

Come, continually come. Continually, keep coming. So God, I need mercy today. Why would Christians need mercy? Because we sin. And that breaks our fellowship with God. So God, I need mercy. What is mercy?

Mercy is God not giving you what you deserve. Mercy is God not giving you what you deserve. Treating you in a way different than your actions, merit. That's mercy. God, I need mercy today, I messed up.

Or God, I need grace, I need strength, I need patience with this coworker driving me nuts. God, please give me patience. Okay, fine, thank you, Lord. Oh, oh, wait a minute. Now, this happened, I'm coming back.

God, I need new mercy. I just got upset with that coworker. Instead of treating him right, God, would you forgive me? And now, God, I have to make this decision here about how we're gonna treat my son and his medical condition.

Oh, God, please, I need your strength and help. And then you go, and no, I got more. I just met some more. So, that's what God's saying, continually be coming. You know who the strongest Christian is here in this building?

The one who spends the most, listen, don't go by titles. The strongest believer is the one who spends the most time at the throne of grace. Continually coming, continually coming, continually coming, boldly coming.

Listen, continually coming, continually coming. For everything. Don't be anxious about anything, but pray about everything. And thank God for every blessing he's given you. That's all happens, not a church at the throne of grace.

In fact, what Satan wants to do with all of us, all right, I don't like them going to church. They're gonna talk about Jesus, sing about Jesus, but don't let them pray. And that's why God said, my house shall be called a house of what?

Not singing, not preaching, a house of prayer, why? Because that's the only place that he has chosen. I will dispense mercy and grace only at the throne of grace. When you pray is when it happens. It can be just a lifted eye in the number three train, like, oh God, help me.

That's praying, grace is gonna come. Mercy is gonna be shown. We gotta come boldly. This is the greatest power in the world because it brings God on the scene. I've done this. How many of us have fought battles on our own strength?

Wore ourselves out, got anxious, got depressed, never even brought God into the equation. Am I right? Come on, own up. I'm owning up with you. And then we feel all frustrated. We're biting our nails. You think God is happy about that?

Us being all uptight, nervous, anxiety ridden. When he says, no, I have every grace. What's grace? Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve. Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve. Grace is also God's love in action.

You wanna see God's love in action? Don't live by slogans. Don't just be going, God is good, boom, all the time. Don't do that. Say God is good, but get to the throne of grace. He did it in 22 words. Oh, I don't know how to pray.

He said 22 words. You can say 22 words. You can open your heart. What we've made prayer into is something not found in scripture. Much is said about waiting on the Lord, but sometimes prayers become sermons.

And by the multiplication of words, you can lose the feeling and the faith and the fervency. Sometimes the multiplied words gather it. People pray for long periods of time. However God leads you. But notice how powerful prayer is.

In 22 words, he got 15 more years. 22 words and some tears. But remember, tears are a language God understands. God's saying come with confidence. Some months ago, my grandson Levi, I was in the middle of a lot of stuff going on, but Levi bounced into my office.

Childlike Confidence Before God

And he had two or three friends. I didn't know who they were. And he just walks in. You know, everybody else knocks on the door. You know, may I come in? And all that. Not Levi, just the door goes open.

That's my papa. He loves me. I walk right in. Other people I've heard said it hurts me. Oh, Pastor Simba wants to see me. It's like going to the principal's office. What's gonna happen now? Not Levi. Boom.

Sat down right in my chair, my main chair. Where I, behind my desk. Just sat down right there like he was in charge of everything. Had some friends. He kinda liked to wanna show off that he had the run of the place, right?

So he says, yeah, he has things over here. This is his fireplace. And he's showing them around. Papa, can I give him some of these vitamins, these chewy vitamins? Can I give him some of that? Yeah, Levi.

He's handing out like he's in charge of the entire operation. Why is he so relaxed? Because he knows. That's my Papa. He loves me. He won't judge me. He might correct me if I'm wrong, but he won't judge me.

He's never mad at me. He loves me. Whatever I need, I can go to him. He won't give me everything I want, but he's always there to help me. Just think, I'm that way to Levi. And we don't have faith in our God, our Heavenly Father.

How many are happy we have a Heavenly Father? Come on, lift your hand up high. We have a Heavenly Father. Who says, why are you shirking? Why are you holding back? Because I'm not worthy. I know that.

That's why I sent my son. He makes access. Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace. Everything happens at the throne of grace. My life has been changed so many times at the throne of grace.

Prayer in Crisis and a Life of Dependence

I've been delivered out of so many situations at the throne of grace. And one time flying off the highway at Ruta Dos in Argentina between Mar del Plata and Buenos Aires. Two trucks coming at us going 70 miles an hour, only two lane road.

The driver, God bless him, Brother Palma, just averted the head on, and we went flying off into what's called a ditch or a banquina. Car totaled, hit a wall in the ditch. Everyone maimed and hurt. I was knocked unconscious.

As we were flying off in the air, maybe what the last few moments, the pastor's wife, as we were flying off, she had the wisdom to just say, Jesus, Jesus. Sometimes that's all you can say. How many know what I'm talking about?

All you can say is, Jesus, help me. So I wanna encourage us all as a church and as individuals, how many wanna spend more time at the throne of grace? Come on, lift your hand high. More time there, every day.

In other words, keep going. No, I prayed about it, might wanna make another stop. If you have to make 20 stops a day, short prayers, long prayers, alone prayers, prayers in the subway, prayer in the shower, pray at all times, the Bible says, in all kinds of seasons.

Some are longer, some are seasons of prayer. Some are called ejaculatory prayers where you just say, oh God, Father, help me. You don't have to say, Hail Mary, full of grace. You can go right to God through Jesus.

You can go right to the Father and say, Lord, this is what I need. This is the mercy I need. Come on, let's say amen to that. We can say amen to that. I would say that respectfully that Mary would prefer that.

She's in heaven, we're gonna meet her one day. She doesn't like people directing prayers to her because she knows that she bore the son of the most high, Jesus. And he made a way, not just for sins to be forgiven, but that we could live every day with God's help.

Closing Prayer for Mercy, Grace, and Faith

Let's close our eyes. Join hands with the person next to you. Father, we wanna ask you three things at the throne of grace today. Grant us mercy today. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.

Whether it happened today or yesterday, if we haven't confessed it yet, we do it now. God, have mercy on us. Number two, we wanna ask you for grace. You know what we're all facing. Up in the balcony, we put faces on, we dress up in clothes, we smile when inside so much else is going on.

Would you give grace to my brothers and sisters and to me today? Give us what we need just at the right time. Give us love in action. That's what your grace means to us. Give us the gifts. You're not paying anybody anything.

You don't give out salary checks. You only give out gifts. And they can only be received at the throne of grace. Thirdly, God, would you stir it up in our heart that we draw near to you more, that we come more often to where our strength is?

Sometimes we quote that verse, God is my strength, God is my strength, and Lord, you are our strength. But the question is, do we draw your strength? Do we ask for your strength? So make us like Levi, Lord.

Just coming into my office, totally confident. My papa loves me, he's gonna take care of me, he'll protect me in any kind of trouble. Beside my parents, I know I could run to him. Make us a praying church, make us a praying people so that we can experience all the good things you have for us.

We confess our prayerlessness, which only hurts us, so God, increase our faith and teach us the meaning of men ought always to pray and not give up. You are a rewarder of all of those who diligently seek you.

Thank you for your love and your promise. We thank you for your goodness and mercy all the days of our life. Dismiss us now with your good pleasure. Shine your face upon us in Jesus' name. And everyone said, amen.

Stand up and give someone a hug or a handshake. Come on, give someone a hug or a handshake. See you Tuesday.