The goal of this lesson is to turn from relying on natural understandings to being one who seeks and receives revelation from God.

The Importance of Revelation

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in the heavens.

• The Father revealed who Jesus was to Peter.

In that hour He exulted in the Holy Spirit and said, I extol You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it has been well pleasing in Your sight.

• These things were hidden from the wise and intelligent.
• These things were revealed by the Father to babes.
• Babes are simple, pure, open and humble.

22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and he to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
23 And turning to the disciples, He said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see.
24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings have wanted to perceive the things that you see, and have not perceived them, and to hear the things that you hear, and have not heard them.

• It is a great privilege to be given to know the things of God.
• Not everyone can know them.
• You can only know them by revelation.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him,

• Revelation is a gift from our Father God.
• You can only know spiritual things through revelation.

That by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I have written previously in brief,

• The apostle Paul understood the divine mysteries because God had revealed them to him.

13 Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of Man is?
14 And they said, Some, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

• Those who did not get revelation were all confused.
• They did not have any revelation from God.

The Conditions for Receiving Revelation

21 And Jesus went from there and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried out, saying, Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter suffers terribly from demon possession.
23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, Send her away, for she is crying out after us.
24 But He answered and said, I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 But she came and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me!
26 But He answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.

• The Canaanite woman wanted something from the Lord.
• He did not give it to her right away because she was not one of God's people.
• She had no right to demand anything from the Lord.
• Eventually what did the Lord call her? - A little dog!
• If you were her and the Lord called you a dog, what would you do? (Get offended and leave.)
• You see, you would get nothing from the Lord.
• How did she respond?

27 And she said, Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you as you wish. And her daughter was healed from that hour.

• She was desperate and humble.
• The Lord was impressed with her answer.
• The Lord gave her what she desired.

10 And not only so, but Rebecca also, having conceived by one, Isaac our father,
11 Though the children had not yet been born nor had done anything good or bad (that the purpose of God according to selection might remain, not of works but of Him who calls),
12 It was said to her, ``The greater shall serve the less'';
13 As it is written, ``Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.''
14 What then shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with God? Absolutely not!
15 For to Moses He says, ``I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.''
16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ``For this very thing I have raised you up, that I might show in you My power, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.''
18 So then He has mercy on whom He wills, and He hardens whom He wills.
19 You will say to me then, Why does He still find fault? For who withstands His will?
20 But rather, O man, who are you who answer back to God? Shall the thing molded say to him who molded it, Why did you make me thus?
21 Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?
22 And what if God, wishing to demonstrate His wrath and make His power known, endured with much long-suffering vessels of wrath fitted for destruction,
23 In order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory,
24 Even us, whom He has also called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles?

• Did you choose the Lord or did He choose you?
• The Lord chose you. He even died for you.
• We need to be humble, appreciative, and thankful to Him.
• If we don't understand God's mercy then we will be indifferent to Him.

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