Introduction: Several weeks ago…

Galatians 6:7 - “Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

What do we need to __________ about The Secret Garden?

I. It is a ___________ Garden

Here is the problem with _______ secrets. We keep their secret, and most of the time (not all the time, but most) they never _________ them.

Here is what the Bible tell us about the secrets we try to hide:

Ecclesiastes 12:14 - For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

Ephesians 5:12 - For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

Mark 4:22 - For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.

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Get this: There are _____ secrets with God. You might be able to keep secrets from your spouse, family, friends, and employer, but you _______ keep secrets from an Omniscience (All- knowing) God.

So, what we think is a “Secret Garden”, really ______.

II. It is __________- in Secret

How many of us have heard this statement before: What’s done in ________, stays in ____________”? There are a lot of believers today that are practicing some very ungodly behaviors behind closed doors, or in a place where they believe no one is watching them. What are you ___________?

I mentioned some secret practices several weeks ago, such as:

Here is the thing about behaviors practiced in _______, you usually have to do a lot of ________ – let’s call it what it is: The Great Cover Up. Examples:

Eve’s Secret – Genesis 3

What I am sharing with you is the Law of the Secret. If you have secrets you will use additional secrets to try and protect your original secret. Here are two examples:

Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky

King David and Bathsheba - I Samuel 11-12

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Do you think we will ever ______? What will it take for us to realize that what we think is a secret, will never fully remain a _______ Eventually, it will come to light, it will be revealed, and we will have to make a decision to confess it and forsake it, or to refuse to repent, and continue in willful disobedience.

III. It is a for ________-gratification

I think that I can safely say that almost every secret we have is practiced for the purpose of self-gratification.

Here is the word of the day: ____________.

The mantra says, “If it _______ so good, how can it be so wrong?”

Why do you practice your secret? Does it make you ______ so good?

Illustration -

Please hear this – NOT everything that is legal is helpful, or necessary. This is a biblical and totally Christian principle – See I Corinthians 6:12; 10:23.

______ smokers – It makes me feel good. __________ viewers – It makes me feel good.

Listen to what pornography does to the brain:

The secrets people do for the _______, or for self-gratification in the end makes them never fully ___________.

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Conclusion: So, what is your _______? What are you practicing in Secret? What are you doing over and over again for the feeling, for self-gratification?

Galatians 6:7 reminds us,

“Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

Here is what we need to ______ away with today:

1. We need to understand that our _______ may be a secret to those around us, but it’s ______ hidden from God.

2. What happens in ______, never stays in _______, and you will develop all kinds of additional _________ to try and COVER-UP your original Secret.

3. If you practice something because it ______ good, it’s not going to last, and you will eventually need something more _________ to get the same original good feeling.

What you _______, that you will reap.

_______ it – ______ it – Find Deliverance and Freedom in Christ.

Memory verse: “Be not _________, God is not ________; for whatever a man _____, that he will also _________.

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