THE SECRET

“Shhh! It’s a secret.” We like to be in on knowing a secret. What we know is not to be openly shared with just anyone. You can pass your secret on to some people, but others can’t be told because they just don’t know how to keep a secret. And of course some people should not be told about a secret because it concerns them.

Do you remember how you felt the last time you had a secret that wasn’t a secret anymore? Someone let the secret out of the bag and now the surprise is ruined, or worse someone has been hurt by hearing the secret from the wrong person.

We recently involved everyone at the church in the secret gift for Pastor George and his family. The excitement was building as the big day approached. Unfortunately when the day came a couple of little voices blurted out, “We’ve got a surprise for you today!” Ahhh! You’re not supposed to tell someone about their surprise—that’s part of the secret!

So can I let you in on a secret? It’s God’s secret wisdom.

• God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene.
  1 Corinthians 2:7 (MsgB)

God’s secret was His plan of salvation for all people. It was God’s idea right from the very beginning, so it’s not anything new. Salvation was the secret in God’s heart from day one. God did not want sin to separate us from Him, so in His love He planned for His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place. Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins makes it possible for us to be forgiven, to be friends of God.

God kept His secret well. Oh He dropped some hints about what His plan was through the prophets, but no one fully understood exactly what God had in mind. Paul goes on to say that if the rulers of this world had known what God was going to do they would never have nailed Jesus to the cross. They had no idea the cross was part of God’s plan (see verse 8).

Now the secret is out. When Jesus rose from the dead God’s secret of salvation was revealed. Surprise! Now, what will you do with God’s secret? Will you keep it to yourself, or will you tell somebody about it? What do you think?