I realized I preached on this text not too long ago, but I believe it is necessary to preach on this same text again. I believe there are many things in my life that I could have done, and could do if only I was more dedicated to the cause of Christ. I refer you to Ephesians 3:20, which states, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," God can and will do more than we could ever ask or think. The problem is not with God. It is with me. Like Israel, I have limited God. I limit God by not believing he can do the impossible. I limit God by thinking he can only do certain things. I limit God by acting like there are only certain avenues of actions he will take. I limit God by believing certain people can not be reached for Christ, and certain things simply cannot happen. Pray for me that I will be what God wants me to be – that I will simply believe that God can do the impossible, that I will not limit God.

It is not that the disciples had secret sins. They did not have the dedication necessary to accomplish some things for Christ.

1. Don't want to pay the price.

People are not our enemy, they are the victim of our enemy.

I John 3:22 - Keep the commandments of God so we can receive from God. "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."

Eccl. 5:4-6 - Keep your promises to God. "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?"

2. Pay the price.

3. Secret prayer - Matt. 6:1-18 – When these scriptures are read, the result of a personal relationship with God, not something that men see. The secret to real secret prayer is what we really are, not what we seem to be.

Prayer may not seem dynamic, but it works!

4. Abandonment to self for the gain of others, Acts 20:24 – "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Paul was so determined to be faithful to God that he would be faithful to him even if it called for him to lose his life. Often times, I want personal time to myself instead of totally and completely devoting myself to the cause of Christ. Phil 3:7,8 – "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,"

1. Things – Give all things up, because they all come from God, should be used for God, and will burn up one day anyway.

Self – Give up ourselves, because we have received our physical life from God, our mental capacities from God, our spiritual life from God, and will go to God one day with only those things we have done for God.

Remember the secret things Israel did that caused the wrath of God to come upon them?

Ezekiel 8:7 – Read from verse 1 to verse 18 – the entire chapter.

Verse 11 – 70 elders – the whole Sanhedrim. Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan – the leader of the entire group. This shows the absolute corruption of the entire system. The common people might want to be faithful, but it is exceedingly difficult when the leaders are corrupted. Example of the Clinton years – look at pastors today.

Verse 14 – Tammuz – (the celebration of Easter) A corruption of Dumuzi, the Accadian sun-god (the Adonis of the Greeks), the husband of the goddess Ishtar. In the Chaldean calendar there was a month set apart in honour of this god, the month of June to July, the beginning of the summer solstice. At this festival, which lasted six days, the worshippers, with loud lamentations, bewailed the funeral of the god, they sat "weeping for Tammuz". The name, also borrowed from Chaldea, of one of the months of the Hebrew calendar.

Is this us? Is this why God is not blessing us? Do we have secret sins abiding is us, when we come to the house of God? Are we hiding our wickedness from other church members, thinking if they do now know, we are getting away with our wickedness? Do we really believe we are hiding our sins from God?

Deuteronomy 12:8 "Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes."

Judges 17:6 "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

Judges 21:25 "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."