God’s Eternal Plan

Introduction:

Author: Apostle Paul wrote this Epistle. In his writing of Ephesians, he points to the “Grace of God,” which saved him through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He writes this Epistle in prison along with what is called the prison Epistles of (Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). The letter was written around the end of his two-imprisonment in Rome in AD 62.

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Paul wanted the Church of Ephesus (saints) to know God’s plan for salvation through grace. This has always been His plan for believers.

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John MacArthur says, “As it is sometimes expressed, history is simply the outworking of “His Story,” which has already been planned and prewritten in eternity.”

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It has been said, “A company will make plans for the next hundred years, but the church does not make a plan for the next year.”

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Indeed, we would not say that, would we? How many of us make plans? How many of us don’t make plans? How many of us make plans for when the plan fails? How many already have your day planned out? I bet some here today planned their route to get here to avoid traffic lights and jams! Some here have their week planned out, especially if you have children and they are in sports.

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‌Could you imagine trying to build a building without blueprints? Would you try to make a fence without a plan? Plans have vital information that will help you succeed or fail. Plans are good; with a decent plan drawn out correctly, you can build your home, business, and life efficiently.

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Proverbs 19:21

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“Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the Lord will stand.”

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Proverbs 16:9

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“The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”

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Proverbs 20:5

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‌A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out.

Could you imagine if God had no plan for us? What if we were like other religions that required us to work without any guarantee of a future with God? What if there was no plan for salvation?

We see that Paul shows us God’s plan in four areas:

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1. God’s eternal plan had a past (Father) 3-6. Election

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2. God’s eternal plan has a present (Son) 7-10. Redemption

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3. God’s eternal plan will have a future (Son) 11-12. Inheritance

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4. God’s eternal plan is secured (Holy Spirit) 13-14. Sealed

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We, the believers, need to remain and remember these four areas when we are making plans. What does this look like in the believer’s life?

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God’s Eternal Plan had a past (3-6). Election

God’s master plan is for all who call on the Name of His Son and trust Him to be saved.

(3) Blessed: ευλογητος- eulogetos- which means praise, praiseworthy.

We see the root as “Lego,” which means to tell.

We get the word “eulogy,”

We are to praise God for His blessing in our lives.

‌Is our action praising God?

How does your praise look towards the Father, who planned before the foundation of the Earth to redeem us?

In verse (3), there are six aspects of divine blessing: The Blessed One (GOD); the blesser, also GOD; the blessed- believers; the blessing of all things spiritual; blessing location-heaven; and blessing Agent-Jesus.

In our salvation, we should be praising our Father.

(4) we see the past plan for our salvation: Chose us- eklegomai- select or chosen

John 13:18 ““I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’”

James 2:5 “Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”

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Before the world was formed, he planned to choose us to be “BLAMELESS and HOLY” in front of Him. That was always the plan, but Adam and Eve separated us from this.

But God, knowing all things, planned to adopt us through His Son.

Predestined-proorizo- foreordain- Root is ‘orizo’, which means designate, appoint, determine.

We can choose friends and those we want to love, but if they do not reciprocate, we usually will move on and end it. BUT GOD, in His agape, did not abandon us!

Acts 13:48 “When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.”

Romans 8:14 “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Praise God that before the foundations, He knew and determined to adopt us through His Son’s blood.

He did this for His purpose by His kind intentions.

Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Because of His favor on us, we have been accepted through Christ.

God’s Eternal Plan has a Present 7-10: Redemption.

Redemption “απολὐτρωσις” apolutrosis which denotes to be set free, deliverance, released. Redemption denotes liberation from bondage, being ransomed by payment. His Blood!

Jesus set us free, and who He sets free is free indeed

John 8:36 ““So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

Forgiveness “αφεσιν” aphesis- pardon

I've never experienced prison, but I can imagine the feeling of walking out and returning home to love and safety. We are in prison for our sins. It is a place of torment and anguish. But God, in His loving mercy, made a way for us to be pardoned from all our sins; Jesus Christ paid it all.

Romans 2:4 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

Purpose-“πορτἰθημι” ‘protithemi’ plan, propose, intend. This Greek word is used three times in the New Testament and thirteen times in the Septuagint.

History is going somewhere. He has revealed His eternal plan to us, which centers on the Redeemer (Tony Merida).

Because of our redemption, the Redeemer has given us something else: inheritance!

God’s Eternal Plan has a Future (11-12). Inheritance

Some of us have been fortunate enough to inherit something from a loved one, whether money or possessions. We did not earn but received it simply because of our relationship with that person. This could be a relative or a close friend. While we may still have or sell what we inherited, it is temporary and will eventually run out. In contrast, God's inheritance is eternal and never-ending. It is a gift that lasts forever. Amen!

Listen to what Moses said to the Israelites, "But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today." (Deuteronomy 4:20). In His loving kindness, He has saved us from death and granted us an eternal inheritance as His sons and daughters.

The phrase “we have obtained an inheritance” in Greek is one compound word in Greek; the word is “εκληρὠθεμεν” ‘eklerothemen’ with the root being ‘kleroo’ which means obtained by lot or appointed by lot.

This was His purpose. His plan has always been to make a way for us to be reconciled back to Him through His Son’s blood.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

What does our inheritance look like? Paul tells us, “Having been predestined according to His purpose….” Here, we have Paul mentioning that this was the plan for His purpose in the past, which has come to us in the present through Jesus Christ.

That we would be the praise of His glory. That we are his possession, wow. We are a possession, yes. He is our Lord and Savior. We have been bought with His blood, the ransom has been paid, and we are His possession.

Here is a cavoite: we are a possession of sin (PRIDE) or have been bought by Christ to be redeemed back to Him and now are a possession of His. But we belong to one or the other! Now, our inheritance is Him forever. Listen to the Psalmist, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12).

Because we are His possession, we now have His inheritance, which is glorious!

1 Peter 1:3–4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”

God’s Eternal Plan is Secured (13-14). Sealed: Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is crucial in guaranteeing our eternal destiny in Christ. He acts as our Seal and Depositor for our inheritance. According to two verses, we receive this seal after two specific actions: Hearing (Listening) and Believing. These actions must be done before we can experience election, redemption, inheritance, and being sealed by the Holy Spirit.

The Gentiles had come into the purpose of God because they had come to know Jesus as Christ, and this transforming knowledge is described in two ways.

Firstly, they had heard the word of truth, i.e., the word that brought them the knowledge of ultimate reality, the revelation of God in his Son.(Foulkes, Francis. 1989. Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 10)

To listen is different than to hear. I hear my wife, but am I listening to what she is saying? The problem with today’s society of Christ is they hear something and, without fully grasping what they hear, spout it out as truth. Listening is a skill that needs to be sharpened. When we listen to someone without doing so to formulating a response but listening to them, we will start verifying whether the information is true or false.

The truth is Christ alone can give us salvation. We start to respond to Him when we listen to Him talking to us. It is trusting what He is saying and implementing it in our lives. Hearers take no action, but listeners respond to what they hear.

James 1:22 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Colossians 1:5 “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel”

Secondly, that truth was the gospel or good news because it was a revelation and the message of God's love, mercy, and salvation for sinful humanity. (Foulkes, Francis. 1989. Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 10)

The Gospel is Christ Jesus being born of a virgin, living a sinless life, being brutally crucified for our sins, buried for three days, rising from the tomb on the third day, ascending to His Throne in all of His glory and splendor, and will come back for His bride. This alone is salvation which comes from hearing the Word of God.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Application

How do we apply this in our lives? Knowing about God’s eternal plan helps us.

1. Because of God’s eternal plan in the past, we have hope for all the lost.

2. Because of God’s eternal plan in the present, we have a future.

3. Because of God’s eternal plan for the future, we have an inheritance.

4. Because of God’s eternal plan for securement, we are sealed.