The longest running play in London's theater history is "The Mousetrap". In true Agatha Christie style, the audience is kept in suspense until the last scene when the detective puts all of the clues together and solves the mystery. Then what actually happened at the time of the crime, previously unseen and unsuspected by the theater-goer, is made known. They are told to keep the conclusion a secret lest they spoil the surprise of future audiences. They exit the theater with that special look of illumination. They have been let in on a secret. They know 'who dun it'. What they have seen on the inside of the theater affects them as they go outside. They are called to be stewards of the mystery.

The word 'mystery' is found some 22 times in the New Testament. In many ways the Bible lets us in on a mystery. What would not be otherwise known or suspected is made clear. As the Holy Spirit enlightens our hearts and minds with an understanding of the Scriptures (Ephesians 1:17), we are let in on what becomes an open secret, the mystery of Who God is and what He has done and said through His historical activity centered in the person of His Son, Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:2; Ephesians 1:9).

The knowledge of these mysteries change your life. Once these secrets are known, you are no longer the same. God does not want us to be clueless about the most important issues of life. He wants us to know:

1. The Mystery of the Godhead (the truth about who He is; Colossians 2:2).
2. The Mystery of the Gospel (the good news of what He has done and is doing in Christ; Romans 16:25, Ephesians 6:19).
3. The Mystery of His Will (the direction and purpose of history; Ephesians 1:9-10).
4. The Mystery of Christ (the centrality of His Son, the holiest of all; Ephesians 3:4; Colossians 4:3).
5. The Mystery of Faith (What it means for us to be 'in Christ' ; Ephesians 1:3-14; 1Timothy 3:9 KJV).
6. The Mystery of Christ in us (What it means for Christ indwell us as the certain hope of glory; Colossians 1:27).
7. The Mystery of our Inheritance (What is ours 'in Christ'; Ephesians 3:6; 1Corinthians 2:6-10).
8. The Mystery of Christ and the Church (His passion for the redeemed community of believers and His relationship with us as members of His corporate body, which is also His eternal bride; Ephesians 5:32).
9. The Mystery of Godliness (The manifestation of His wisdom and glory through the service of the church; 1Timothy 3:16; Ephesians 3:9, 21).
10. The Mystery of the Corporate Christ (The unity of the church, composed of both Jew and Gentile, Ephesians 3:4-6).
11. The Mystery of His chosen people (His ongoing covenant commitment to Israel; Romans 11:25).
12. The Mystery of our Transformation (Our ongoing sanctification and future glorification; 1Corinthians 15:51).

50 chapters in the Bible are devoted to the tabernacle of Moses in which the clues to these mysteries are concealed. It was God's mystery theater exhibiting God's plan of salvation by grace through faith in the provision of Christ's perfect sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9). It was the essential worship center for the children of Israel, made according to the pattern that God showed Moses on the mount. In the tabernacle God provides the answers to the question how He, a holy God, can make His dwelling place among sinful men.

No one who entered the Tabernacle was ever the same. The three sections of the tabernacle represented the three aspects to salvation- the altar in the outer court- the work of justification; the middle court (sanctification) and the inner court (glorification). What they was experienced on the inside, changed them as worshipers went outside. They were called to be stewards of the mystery, to walk in the light of what they had seen. Because they had experienced forgiveness, they were to forgive others. Because they knew they had experienced acceptance in spite of their imperfections, they were to accept their brothers and sisters in love. Because they had experienced being cleansed they were to treat others as being cleansed.

What wonderful truths we get of the gospel in the Old Testament (The Tanach). Remember it was the only Bible the apostle's had. These were the Scriptures for the very early church. (It's not that they didn't like the New Testament, it's just that it wasn't written yet). But these Scriptures clearly testify of Christ (John 5:39; Luke 24:27). When the apostles preached from them, people trusted Christ and lives were changed. The truths of the New Testament are found in the Old.

The new in the old concealed. The old in the new revealed.

Let us live as good stewards of God's open secret (see Ephesians 4:1),