God’s Appointed Time Series

INTRODUCTION

God has put dreams and desires in our lives. We all have goals we want to accomplish and situations we believe to turn around but so often when things are taking a long time, when the going gets tough we tend to think negatively and get discouraged. Maybe you have started well, with great enthusiasm only to realize that you are hitting a dead end. Are you waiting indefinitely for something? Have you ever asked God for something very genuine, and you seem to get no answers for it? Is there still hope when the future seems dark? Do you realize that there is something called God’s appointed time?

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. This simply says, “God is in control. God has a perfect time for everything under the sun. So your life & mine are in the hands of God. God keeps the clock. And God has made everything beautiful in its time.”

Galatians 4:4-5

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

God has a set time for everything under the sun. In this passage, we find that Jesus was born not by accident, not in an ordinary way, but God timed it perfectly to suit his eternal purpose.

The Greek word for time here is “Kronos” from which comes our word “chronology” the orderly progression of events, when everything follows proper sequence, & is exactly right. The word here indicates that God just didn’t decide on the spur of the moment to take advantage of an opportune time; rather, God planned & orchestrated the sequence of events, & when the time was just right, He sent His only begotten Son into the world.

1. GOD’S APPOINTED TIME IN THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST

Galatians 4:4-5

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

ILLUSTRATION

Now, when you give a special gift to someone you want the timing to be just right. You usually don’t give a birthday gift before or after. We want everything to be just right and we carefully select and present our gifts to our loved ones at the right time.

Likewise, when God sent His Son into the world everything was perfectly right.

A. CULTURALLY

Alexander the Great had conquered the world. With him came Greek culture, Greek philosophy, and the Greek language, which was the most precise, the most descriptive, and the best of all ancient languages.

Greek was the language of the 1st Century, the language of the common people, the language that everyone could understand, a universal language, just right for the quick spread of the gospel which portrays the message and life of Jesus Christ.

B. POLITICALLY

Alexander the Great died at age 33 of venereal disease. He was able to conquer the world but he could not conquer his own lust. As he lay on his deathbed his generals gathered around waiting to find out who would inherit his vast domain.

History reports that Alexander said, “I bequeath all of my holdings to…” and everyone leaned forward and held their breath. Alexander said again, “I bequeath all of my holdings to…the strongest.” Immediately a Civil War broke out and the empire began to crumble.

Nearly 3 centuries later, a Roman by the name of Octavius came into power. So impressive was he that the Roman Senate decided to make him their ruler. But they didn’t like the title “king,” so they chose the word “Augustus,” the “August One,” Caesar Augustus.

Luke picks up his pen & writes

Luke 2:1

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

God worked through the history of the world and used Alexander for the influence of the right language. God then dismissed him and used a pagan dictator (Roman, Caesar Augustus), a pagan government, and a pagan decree to make sure that Mary and Joseph made the 130 km journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem so that Christ would be born in Bethlehem just as the prophets had foretold.

You can also see God’s timing in the life of Jesus. Have you ever noticed, as you read the Gospels, how often you read the words, “the time has come,” or “my time has not yet come”?

Mark 1:15

“The time has come,” he said. Whose time? Who is watching the clock? Who determined that this was the right time? God.