God's Plan Series

God’s Plan

Introduction

1. Illustration: Pastor and author Max Lucado said, “The purpose of the Bible? Salvation. God’s highest passion is to get his children home. His book, the Bible, describes his plan of salvation. The purpose of the Bible is to proclaim God’s plan and passion to save his children.”

2. Great leaders have a plan. They have a plan to make things grow, and they have a plan when things go horribly wrong.

3. God had a plan for humankind, but we messed it up. But God had a plan to fix it, and from Genesis 4 through the end of Revelation shows that plan revealed and developed.

4. Today we are going to look at God’s plan for us. We are going to talk about:

a. God’s plan revealed.

b. God’s promise delivered.

5. Read Eph. 1:9-14

Proposition: When we messed up God’s plan by sinning, God set up a plan to make us right with him again.

Transition: First, let’s look at…

I. God’s Plan Revealed (9-10).

A. Revealed to Us His Mysterious Will

1. Paul had been praising God for his wonderful kindness. Now he changes gears and praises God for his plan of salvation.

2. In v. 9 he says, “God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan.”

a. God’s plan is referred to by Paul as being revealed, which means to make visible that which had been hidden, and it was made clear at the death and resurrection of Christ.

b. His plan was to bring people back into a right relationship with himself. Ever since Adam and Eve fell in the Garden God had a plan to fix it.

c. Paul calls this secret plan “mysterious,” and Paul wants us to know that this mystery has now become plain for all to see. And this was all to God’s good pleasure.

d. You can almost see God fist pumping someone and saying, “Yes!”

3. Then Paul describes what this plan entailed. In v. 10 he says, “And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.”

a. He says that God revealed his plan at the right time. We think that God’s a little slow in bringing his plan about, but God’s timing is always perfect.

b. So, what way his plan? Paul says it was to bring everything together...The phrase “bring everything together “refers to the management of a household or an estate.”

c. In this context, it’s talking about the running of a large company. So, God’s plan was not something that was done willy nilly, but God had a detailed plan to make us right with him again.

d. That plan was to bring everything together under the authority of Christ. What Adam and Eve had done with their disobedience, making creation fragmented and chaotic, Christ was now going to restore and bring together.

e. What Adam and Eve broke, God was now going to fix in the person of Jesus Christ.

f. This does not mean that God is going to save everybody, but rather only those who choose to accept and believe in Christ.

g. In the end, every knee will bow to Christ, but for some it will be too late. They will be doing so because they have to and not because they choose to.

4. In v. 11 Paul says, “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”

a. Up until now, Paul had been speaking to Jews and Gentiles, but now he is differentiating between the two groups.

b. When he used the pronoun “we” he is referring to Jewish believers, and when he uses the pronoun “you” he is referring to Gentiles.

c. While all believers are united in Christ, the Jews were still God’s chosen people, and he wanted them to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah.

d. They had received an inheritance from God that would ultimately be accomplished in Jesus Christ and brought to completion at the end of time.

e. It was God’s plan for the entire world to have salvation made available to them through the Jews.

f. But, again, this does not mean that all Jews would be saved, but rather only those who accepted Jesus.

g. Because God controls everything, he carries out his plan according to his purpose and will, bringing it to completion in his time.

B. When the Right Time Came

1. Illustration: There is a new pastor in Atlanta named Mason Betha. He recently celebrated his one-year anniversary pasturing a church of about 100. But Reverend Mason hasn’t always been a pastor. He was formerly known as the rapper Ma$e, “the flashiest and most pleasure driven performer on… the Bad Boy record label.” His transition from bad to good was rather abrupt. He didn’t switch to gospel music or gospel rap—he left the music industry. He broke with friends and associates and gave away lots of the possessions that shaped his persona: a Range Rover, a BMW, a Mercedes convertible, and a diamond encrusted Rolex worth more than most American homes. He also left a huge contract with Bad Boy Entertainment and Arista Records. There was no great “emotional experience.” Mason says of his turn around: “I was just sitting in a hotel and decided I can’t do this no more. People be looking for this big explanation. But when it’s God’s time, it’s God’s time.” Are you looking for some rock bottom experience or emotional high before you make your turn around. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Psalm 95:8). When it’s God’s time, it’s God’s time.