The Secret and the Revealed: How God Unfolded His Purpose in the Old Testament

In this sermon from That Which May Be Known — Section 3: God Hath Revealed, we trace how God progressively disclosed His eternal purpose from Abraham to the Psalms. The key principle is found in Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us…” God reveals what He chooses, when He chooses, and to whom He chooses. From Abraham forward, the picture grows while the mystery narrows. This sermon follows the unfolding of two great threads from Ephesians 1: redemption and God’s eternal purpose. In Abraham, God reveals the promise of the seed, the blessing of all nations, and righteousness by faith before the law. In the law, He reveals the blood principle, the Passover lamb, the Day of Atonement, the kingdom’s earthly shape, and the insufficiency of shadows to secure eternal redemption. In the Psalms, God gives a remarkable witness to the sufferings of Christ, the resurrection, and the Son reigning over all nations. Yet even with all this revealed, much remained secret. The identity of the suffering and reigning One was not fully known. The incarnation was not yet fully disclosed. The mystery of Jew and Gentile in one body remained hidden in God. The Old Testament was not disconnected history — it was the deliberate, patient unfolding of the one purpose God counseled in Christ before the world began. Key Texts: Deuteronomy 29:29; 1 Peter 1:10–11 Series: That Which May Be Known Section 3: God Hath Revealed Sermon Title: The Secret and the Revealed Chapters Chapter 1: Introduction: Secret Things and Revealed Things 0:00 - 7:41 We explore the balance between what God has kept secret and what He has progressively revealed throughout Scripture, focusing on two main threads: His eternal purpose in Christ and His plan of redemption. Chapter 2: From Babel to Abraham: God's Sovereign Choice 7:41 - 20:30 We examine how humanity's rebellion at Babel led to God's judgment and scattering, followed by His sovereign choice to work through one man, Abraham, to bless all nations. Chapter 3: The Law: Shadow of Good Things to Come 20:30 - 37:20 We discover how the Mosaic Law elaborates the redemption thread through types and shadows, discloses the shape of God's kingdom, yet demonstrates its own insufficiency to accomplish what it points toward. Chapter 4: The Psalms: Vivid Details of the Coming Redeemer 37:20 - 53:40 We explore how the Psalms provide remarkable prophetic detail about the Messiah's suffering, death, resurrection, and eternal dominion, revealing both the redemption and kingdom threads with increasing clarity. Chapter 5: The Fullness of Revelation and Our Response 53:40 - 65:17 We conclude by recognizing that we live in a time when God has revealed everything He intended to disclose, calling us to respond with gratitude, contentment, and setting our affections on things above. #thesecretandtherevealed #secretthingsbelongtotheLord #progressiverevelation