"THE MYSTERY IN FAITH"

John 16:12

One of the fascinating moments in life is the MOMENT OF INSIGHT.

Such  a moment comes only occasionally. It consists of new understanding which changes the depth of one's perspective.. Nothing around you changes, but your perspective does. Consequently, everything is different. Your life is never the same.

This insight is ofttimes just a small moment of awareness; Not a great cateclyismic discovery.

Who was it who came up with the butterfly theory. Namely, that life and the earth are so fragile that the flapping of a butterfly's wing in Africa could have an affect on the air currents of America ...three thousand miles away.

In order to experience this moment of insight one will have to be willing to intertain a new idea, or change an attitude. Sometimes one must allow an old attitude to die, so that new knowledge can be born. Insight is synonymous with REVELATION!

... ie ... Two horse enthusiasts stood looking at a horse. The newest member to this fraternity ..speaks! Isn't it a beautiful animal? I love the four white stockings, and the deep red color. He's the most beautiful animal I've ever seen.

The other person did not show the same enthusiasm.

You don't like him, do you?

He does have a beautiful color was the answer. The beginner was somewhat perplexed ... Why wasn't he getting enthuesiastic agreement?  

The experienced person was also perplexed. DARE HE TELL THE NEW PERSON THE TRUTH?

  How did he know whether the person could handle it or not?   Dare he tell him that white to the knees was not desirable in a horse?   That the horse's head was narrow, and his eyes were small denoting ... He was not very smart! The eyes had white rings around them ...he was mean and could not be trusted.

The horse had little or no withers ..consequently, the saddle would have to be kept uncomfortably tight in order to stay on its back.

The ankles were short and heavy. The horses gait would knock your teeth out, and kill your back. The horse was badly cowhocked.  Probably, could not stand up to a great deal of work. The chest was narrow, meaning the horse would probably not have a great deal of stamina.

One saw color. The other saw the horse. Two people standing in the same place, see the same horse, but the comprehension is totally different.

At issue here are two sides of the same coin. One has knowledge to dispense, and the other has a need to receive. Can the exchange be made?

The answer resides in openness of the newcomer.  And whether the experienced person is willing to take the risk to share his understanding.  

All of life is this way!

1. To see a rainbow

2. To stand on the top of a mountain and look out over the vastness of a mountain range.

3. To sit on a bluff overlooking a marsh estuary, and river as it empties into the ocean.

4. To talk to a person for a few moments and to understand them in a new context.

5. To learn some spiritual truth from the scriptures.

All of these are human experiences. Some people come to them with awe and absorb them in depth, feeling, and beauty. Others see a rainbow, the mountain, the marsh, another human,and religious literature.

Some have allowed themselves to be taught, or have hungrily sought the answers. What does the Psalmist say ..."My heart thirsts for thee, O Lord, like a deer thirsts for water."

Some people long to understand all of life with this hunger.  They are always open to new INSIGHT (mystery)! ... New truth, new awareness breaking in upon their minds.

For some one of the most frightful moment in life is to discover their understanding is faulty.  These folks need not fear understanding the mysteries of life. 

Openness is essential to comprehending the myster of life.  Jesus referred to these people as those who upon seeing, and see; and upon hearing and hear.

The morning lesson deals with what I'm after. It occurred in Jesus' dealing with His disciples. Jesus was trying to explain to them who He was, and how his life was going to end. They really didn't know who he was!

Oh, they knew who his mother, and earthly father were. To this point they did not know he was the Messiah. This came on Pentecost. Simply put, they didn't know what he was talking about. They didn't know if he was speaking to them figuratively, or whether he was speaking with them factually. They possessed no body of knowledge upon which to relate what he was telling them. They did not understand. Even after he told them the second time they didn't know. They couldn't handle it. They weren't ready. It was only after they were hiding away in the Upper Room filled with fear for their lives that Insight could come.  They understood the mystery.  Jesus was the Christ ...messiah, son of God.  He was different from any other human who had lived.  The Holy Spirit opened their minds.  Those miracles were the work of God.  They now really knew who Jesus was. 

Understanding of Mystery breaks in upon us in many ways.

1. Peter's great insight which changed his life and the way the church went was in a dream. Saw a sheet being let down from Heaven and heard the words ...Eat. Responded ...but some is unclean. Nothing that God creates is unclean. From this came Peter's great insight that all people could be a part of the church.

2. Paul's insight was that a person need not become a Jew before becoming a Christian.

3. Luther ... Even though Salvation came through the church the church did not control the forgiveness of sins.

4. Wesley's insight that God was personal and that an individual could be forgiven and know it.  This new insight changed his life.

INTELLIGENT OPENNESS IS THE KEY TO ALL GROWTH, AND ALSO SPIRITUAL GROWTH.  God opens our minds to life, and to Him. This is the greatest mystery of all.

When the reality of it opens to us. A new life begins. Are you ready for mystery?