THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL

Beloved, God has revealed to us His mysterious plan regarding Christ, which is a plan to fulfil His own good pleasure and purpose. However today's topic points up God's perfect timing, as a vehicle that brings all of His plans together in Christ.

Reference: Ephesians 1:9-10 English Standard Version (ESV) "making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."

Part of God's eternal purpose was to reveal or "make known" to us, the mystery of His will. This mystery was set forth by God in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time. What does this mean? A mystery God programmed in Christ was waiting to be unveiled through Christ's coming. That's the meaning of "which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time..." If you say that something was programmed to happen in the fullness of time, it means that it happened or will happen when the time is fully ripe. The Bible says, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law"(Galatians 4:4 ESV). The mysterious plan regarding Christ was divulged, and God brought everything together under Christ's authority - everything in heaven and on earth.

God's will was considered a mystery before Christ came but its now revealed. So anywhere Paul uses the word, "mystery", in the book of Ephesians or in other epistles, it is usually a concept that denotes something which had been unknown in the past but is now revealed to the saints. For instance, "Christ in you" is a mystery of the past ages that has now been revealed, with Gentiles coming to faith through His coming and resurrection. Colossians 1:26-27 (NIV) noted: '"that is, the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints," to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.'

So watch this: Ephesians 1:9 -10 reads, "Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time..." Simply put, there was a mystery of God's will, and it was according to His eternal purpose, but it was set out and presented through Christ. It found its expression through Christ's coming - at an "appointed" God's timing. However, it was decided on beforehand by God Himself. Only God could design and implement such a glorious, well-orchestrated plan to bring forth His purpose.

Now God is not withholding anything. You have the whole revealed mystery as a Spiritual blessing in you. In fact, 2 Peter 1:3 (NIV) said something similar: "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life…." This paints the picture of God having lavished every blessing on us by His divine power at work in us. These are the realities that define our Christian life. When He talks about the power of God residing in our inner man, that's a power we can experience first-hand as we engage it, not out of hearsay.

Sometimes some Christians spend too much time worrying about God's will for their lives, whereas they need to better understand the bigger picture of God's purpose which outlines the mystery of His will. Once we grasp that, it becomes so much easier to participate in His purpose, which will in turn, reveal to us what we should be doing day-to-day as His perfect will. So what is this revealed mystery? This mystery involves a lofty view of God's work in salvation through Christ, and it gives us greater insight into the power of God working mightily in us and through us as Christians, and into the nature of our identity in Christ. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Job 11:7; Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Romans 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:51.

Guided Prayer: Thank you Father for bringing to light, the administration of the mystery of your will, which for ages was hidden in you who created all things. Joyfully, I can clearly understand the insight into the mystery regarding Christ, according to your kind intention which you purposed in Him, and I have access to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of this understanding. Having been knitted together with this knowledge, my heart is strengthened and I enjoy the full benefits of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, in Jesus' Name, Amen.