Dear Brethren,
It is such a great gift that God has blessed us with the knowledge of His eternal Plan. Less than one percent of the earth’s population knows that God has a Plan, let alone what the Plan of God is. Why are people so surprised to find out that God has a Plan? It is a mystery to them. From the beginning it was God’s Plan, not only to provide man with a temporary physical life, but to create man in a way that he might obtain glorious eternal life.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.
With the institution of God's Church, and with the guidance and intervention of God's Spirit, His Plan was revealed to the New Testament Church brethren. God has a Plan that will eventually impact everyone who has ever lived—some sooner and others later. God’s perfect Plan is to bring mankind into His Family—the Family of God (Ephesians 3:14-15). How did it begin, how will it come to fruition, and what is God’s intent? What is the purpose for which all things were created? God’s Plan and purpose is an eternal Plan (Ephesians 3:11). God’s Plan for mankind began before time began. It is one of the great mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Little by little, God revealed parts of His Plan to the prophets of old leading up to Jesus Christ who gave the greater meaning to His disciples:
Matthew 13:11 [Jesus] answered and said unto them, …It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven.
The first act of God, of which we are aware, is this: In their brilliant Godly wisdom and love, God the Father and Jesus Christ came up with a magnificent Plan – a perfect Plan. They did this prior to the Genesis creation in what we might call the pre-Adamic and pre-angelic ages. God the Father and Jesus Christ decided that they would invest themselves in the greatest venture imaginable. Before launching into their Plan, they made absolutely certain that it was perfect and infallible in every way. They took into account every possibility, and covered every contingency so that nothing what so ever would ever destroy their perfect Plan to bring mankind into their Family—the Family of God (Ephesians 3:14-15). They would create a mortal being with the ability to replicate itself, be capable of putting on Godly characteristics, and that would become spiritual relatives of God the Father and His Son. Their Plan was to open their close-knit God-Family to others! It was the most splendidly designed Plan conceivable! In what will remain forever the ultimate decision of God, they elected to include humankind in their God-Family. The Plan of God was not known until revealed at the coming of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
Romans 16:25-26 …kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God.
God has revealed His Plan to His saints by His Spirit: For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God (1Corinthians 2:9-10). The very Plan of God is for the Children of God to obtain glorious eternal life in the Family of God. But, in order to do so each individual’s character and image must be dramatically made over and greatly enhanced to conform to the image of God. God is sharpening and perfecting His character in those who believe Him and humbly yield to His will.
Paul told the Ephesian Church how he had been appointed by the Creator through a personal revelation, to shed light on God’s Plan for all mankind, and also for the angelic realm, enlightening them about this mysterious Plan that God had kept secret from the very beginning. It was God’s purpose in making His Plan known that, through the Church brethren, all the unseen rulers and powers in heavenly places would at last realize God’s plentiful wisdom in its rich variety. All of this is in accordance with His eternal Plan, which He is carrying out through Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul explained it this way:
Ephesians 3:3, 9-11 It was by a revelation that the secret mystery was made known to me … To make all men see what is the Plan of [God], the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; that because of the Church brethren the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose which He has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In today’s sermon we will be looking at the beginnings of the Plan of God.
Your brother in Christ,
