GOD’S MASTER PLAN

July 8th and 9th 2000

Review: We have been looking at the Book of Ephesians to see REALITY ACCORDING TO GOD. The first step was to see the truth about God. The next step is to see the truth about yourself. In His light we see light. The final step is to see WHY YOU ARE HERE. What is your purpose?

-In order to see our value and be what God wants us to be…we have to know WHY we are important to God.

-We are going to look at three things….

1-The Mystery of the Ages

2- The Miracle of Reconciliation

3- The Manifestation of God’s Glory

THE MYSTERY OF THE AGES

Ephesians 3

1 ¶ For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--

 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,

 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,

 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.

 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

 7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.

 8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

-One of the best ways to see the Bible unfold is to look at it from the devil’s perspective. He was always trying to figure out what God was up to.

Here is the story:

Before the Garden of Eden, satan rebelled against God. God, being smarter than me, chose to not simply vaporize His enemies and keep the universe in the dark about Him. He knew that He was difficult to understand so He chose to reveal Himself to the universe by His patience and His creation.

Romans 9

22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath-- prepared for destruction?

 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory--

 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

So God kicked His enemies out of heaven without destroying them. We say the same thing about evil…if God is God, why doesn’t He just destroy evil? We think short term..God thinks longer and bigger than we do…besides, He uses all things to work for good.

So man and woman are created. They are given the option to rebel against God...and they do. God lays out the first clue of the plan. He already knew what He was planning.

Re 13:8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

Ephesians 1

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

 5 he {Or sight in love. 5 He} predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--

Genesis 1

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring {Or seed} and hers; he will crush {Or strike} your head, and you

will strike his heel."

So we see a drama unfolding in Scripture. Satan attacked the seed of people..we see Cain kill Abel and evil spreads to the whole earth. God destroys the earth except for righteous Noah and his family. God choses Abraham and creates a nation:Israel, to be the protector and bearer of the promise. We see satan attack men…Moses and anyone who looks like he might be the answer. Satan believed in a coming messiah even if some people don’t.

We see the field narrowed…..

THE SEED OF ABRAHAM

THE TRIBE OF JUDAH

THE SON OF DAVID

BORN IN BETHLEHEM

BORN OF A VIRGIN

More and more information is given about the one who will be the one who bruises satan’s head. We know nobody knew because the New Testsament says the mystery was hidden in God. He wasn’t telling anyone what He had planned.

1Pe 1:10 ¶ Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,

(NIV)

Heb 1:4 ¶ So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

 Heb 1:5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? {Or have begotten you} {Psalm 2:7} Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? {2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13}

 Heb 1:6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

1Pe 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Acts 1

6 ¶ So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

So Jesus is born. The devil tries to kill Him through Herod. Jesus escapes even though little boys are killed while they try to find Him. He grows up and is baptized by John and finally the Father tells the universe who it is.

John 1

29 ¶ The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

 30 This is the one I meant when I said, `A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'

 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

Matthew 3

16 As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.

 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

(NIV)

For three years the fight is on. Jesus always wins. Then He gives Himself over to be crucified. Satan thought he was winning but he just didn’t understand God’s plan.

1 Corinthians 2

6 ¶ We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

 7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

 9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-- {Isaiah 64:4}

 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

That is the mystery…unveiled to us by the Spirit of God.

THE MIRACLE OF RECONCILIATION

Ephesians 1

9 And he {Or us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he} made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

 11 In him we were also chosen, {Or were made heirs} having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

-God’s purpose was to reconcile:

mankind

things in heaven and earth

Jews and Gentiles

-The result of the mystery is to provide a way back to God.

-The gospel is that Jesus paved the way to be right with God.

-We can come boldly into His presence and find help in our time of need.

-God doesn’t waste anything….while He was reconciling man He proved to the universe what He was like.

-He needed some VESSELS OF MERCY to be the object of His love.

Ephesians 2

4 ¶ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.

 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

-That leaves the question: WHY?

FOR THE MANIFESTATION OF HIS GLORY

Isaiah 60

1 ¶ "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Ephesians 3

9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

-The purpose of mankind is to say yes to Jesus and be an object of God’s mercy.

-The principalities and powers and angels and humans in the coming ages are going to look at us and know what God is like.

-Our job is to behold and reflect HIS GLORY.

Eph 1:12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

 Eph 1:14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

Colossians 1

25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fulness--

 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.

 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

 28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

T.L. Osborn poem?

THE MYSTERY OF THE AGES IS THE MIRACLE OF GOD’S RECONCILIATION SO HE COULD MANIFEST HIS GLORY FOREVER.

THAT IS YOUR ETERNAL PUIRPOSE.