Series: The Believer's Bank 

The Plan Revealed-Part 2 

Ephesians 1:7-12 

PSBC 3/5/00 PM

In a nutshell: Paul reveals that three more of our blessings have to do with Jesus Christ and God's plan of salvation. Specifically, God's plan through Jesus gives us three things that people who are not "in Christ" don't have–Pardon, Perspective, and Purpose. This week we'll focus on the final two–Perspective and Purpose.

Introduction

A. Marcus' Patio

Two years ago, on a very wet day in April, my friend and neighbor in Missouri, Marcus, started a huge project in his back yard. He started to build a 14 x 28 foot patio using a concrete retaining wall made out of interlocking building blocks that went all around the perimeter of the patio; and interlocking paving stones that formed the walking surface of the patio.

Well, seven months later, he finally finished it. And it looked great. It is something that he and his family have been enjoying and will enjoy for many years to come.

When he called me over to view the finished project, right after he completed it, I can remember thinking back to that wet day in April when Marcus had a huge load of crushed rock and sand delivered and dumped on the street next to his house. He had hired a guy who owned a Bobcat tractor, and that guy scooped up this mountain of stone and sand–bucket by bucket, and hauled it around to the back, and dumped it into the area that Marcus had roped off as the approximate boundaries of the patio. And with each bucket load, the Bobcat driver built the foundation of the patio wider and higher. He later smoothed it out, rode over the surface of it and packed it down, until...finally, there was a solid surface of crushed rock and sand on which Marcus could eventually lay his interlocking paver blocks.

After the foundation was somewhat in place, I helped him lay out stakes and string lines that represented where the outside perimeter blocks would be laid, making sure there was the right pitch for drainage and the right level for the top to eventually be smooth.

Later, Marcus dug the trenches and poured the footings and laid and stacked the perimeter blocks. Finally, after back-filling to the edge of this new wall, he laid the patio pavers in a thin bed of sand–which was the whole reason for doing all this in the first place.

B. Transition

Well, I tell you all this because that process reminds me of the significance of the order of the three blessings that Paul talks about in Ephesians 1:7-12.

The three blessings I'm talking about are easy to remember because they all start with the letter "P". They are... PARDON, PERSPECTIVE AND PURPOSE. Last week we began looking at the first of these that is talked about in verses 7 and 8–PARDON.

Now, it's important that we began there, because if we use Marcus' patio as a visual picture of the case Paul is building in this section– Pardon is the foundation of our salvation.

Let me go back to Marcus' patio. Before Marcus could have an "interlocking-paver-patio", he had to have a foundation on which to place the pavers. If the foundation wasn't constructed properly, his patio would be washed away with the first good rain. But if it was solid, it would last for a life time.

And that's the way it is with our blessings that come from Jesus Christ's participation in our salvation. PARDON is foundational–without PARDON the entire process would fall apart.

C. Re-cap Pardon

So, let me review pardon very quickly...

Romans 3:23 tells us that... 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

then Romans 6:23 tells us the consequences that we all face because of the fact that we've all sinned...

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are in a pickle! But Jesus came along and willingly gave His life for us on the cross and became the payment that was acceptable to God to get us out of our sin condition...

Ephesians 1:7 7 In him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace

In other words, the sin that causes us to fall short of God's glory and produces the consequences of eternal death, has been forgiven and removed because of what Jesus did, in God's plan of salvation.

Illustration: God illustrated this concept to the Jewish people, thousands of years before Jesus came to earth, when he gave them instructions, in Leviticus 16, to celebrate the greatest of all holy days–The Jewish people call it Yom Kippur–It means The Day of Atonement.

The original instructions on what was to be done on this holy day, involved the high priest and two unblemished goats. The priest killed one goat, and that blood was sprinkled on the altar as a sacrifice. Then the high priest placed his hands on the head of the other goat, symbolically laying the sins of the people of Israel on the animal. Then the goat was taken out deep into the wilderness, so far that it could never find its way back . This symbolized the sins of the people being taken away, never to return to them again.

Now, this didn't really remove the people's sins, but it was a picture of what only God Himself, in Christ could do. That word "redemption" in verse 7, like I told you last week, is a legal term used in the slave trade that meant to cancel the debt that was owed by a slave, or grant a pardon from slavery.

So, before we can even look at perspective, and before we can consider our purpose, we must have a foundation of PARDON–pardon that comes to us through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. If you don't start with the PARDON, you have a foundation for your faith that will eventually collapse when the rains and storms of life come your way.

So, if you have that foundation, you're ready to build on that foundation. Turn with me to Ephesians 1:9-10...

II. Perspective

Ephesians 1:9-10 9 And 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 fulfillment– to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

A. The new Perspective is a Mystery

Bob Buford was and probably still is a very wealthy Christian man. At one time he owned the third largest cable TV network in the United States, as well as one of the largest collection of radio stations in the U.S. He is a man who has influenced me quite a bit in the last five years, not because of his wealth, but through a book that he wrote called, Half Time. At age 45, he started to wrestle with some very important issues. This is what he writes ...

I started to wrestle with what I wanted out of the second half of my life. I was gripped with an unformed but very compelling idea that I should make my life truly productive, not merely profitable. I began to reckon with the implications of the seasons of my life and to listen for the sound of the gentle stillness that breaks forth, unexpectedly, after the fire. I began asking myself questions like these; Am I listening for the still, small voice? Is my work still the center of my life and identity? What is my truest purpose? My life work? My destiny? What does it really mean to "have it all"? What do I want to be remembered for? What would my life look like if it really turned out well? Do I have an eternal perspective as a prism through which I view my life?

Friends, verses 9&10 tell us a second blessing that Jesus gives us is an eternal perspective on life. This is the prism through which we can view life and evaluate the meaning and significance of our life. And Paul says that this new perspective is a mystery. Now were not talking about something that Colombo or Jessica Fletcher can solve. It's not that kind of mystery.

"A mystery is a secret which only God understands, and which men desperately need to know, but about which they can never find out except through the disclosure of God. Mysteries are the answers to the great questions which continually throb in the human heart. But you never can find them by any ordinary human enterprise. No course of instruction, no curriculum of a university, no scientific investigation, will ever reveal these secrets. You cannot find them out in any other way; God must tell us the answers." (Ray Stedman)

-So, do you want a right and proper perspective on life? -Do you want a consistent philosophical bent as you go through your daily existence? -Do you want something that can harness all the parts of your life and help them make sense? -Do you want to have a handle on why you have been placed on this planet, in the Palm Springs area, at this exact time in history?

You won't get those answers from a course at U.C. Riverside or College of the Desert. You won't get the answers to those very significant questions from your friends, neighbors or co-workers. Because it's a mystery. And only God can reveal the mystery. And He tells us here that the mystery has to do with His will, coupled with the person of Jesus Christ.

B. God's Will

So, it would be a good idea, if we are going to gain this eternal perspective to know what God's will is. Where does God reveal his will? Fortunately, He does it very plainly in the Gospel of John...

John 6:40a 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life..."

Friends, I don't think it can be any plainer than that. God's will is that everyone who looks to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and believes in His ability to give redemption and remove sin, will have eternal life with God.

That's what Paul means when he says that this mystery was something that "God purposed in Christ". In essence, he's saying that the foundational issue of PARDON, that already has been talked about in verses 7 and 8, is the way, or the conduit that God plans to use for His will to be accomplished.

And verse 10 tells us that God's Will is going to be completely accomplished when everyone who wants to look to the Son and believe in Him, does so. When that happens, time will have reached it's fulfillment–and that's when Jesus Christ will return to earth, and set up His Kingdom and defeat the enemy, Satan, once and for all, like it says in ...

Revelation 20:10 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

C. Practical Application of Proper Perspective

Let me give you a practical application to this blessing of having an eternal perspective as a prism through which to view your life. It comes from Henry Blackaby's book, Experiencing God...

For Jesus, doing God's will was more important than food. Doing God's will is important for you, too. When people seek to know and do the will of God, many ask the question, "What is God's will for my life?" Perhaps unconsciously, they focus on themselves, their lives, and what they are to do. A seminary professor of mine... used to say, "If you ask the wrong question, you are going to get the wrong answer." ...So, when you begin asking questions, always check to see if you have asked the right question before you pursue the answer.

"What is God's will for my life?" is not the best question to ask. I think the right question is simply, "What is God's will?" Once I know God's will, then I can adjust my life to Him and His purposes. In other words, what is it that God is purposing where I am? Once I know what God is doing, then I know what I need to do. The focus needs to be on God and His purposes, not my life!

Friends, there is the new perspective–the prism–that God has put into your spiritual bank account. You don't have to worry about knowing the future. You don't have to be concerned about unraveling the mystery of why things are happening to you or why you are in this place at this time.

You just have to know God's will–that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life–then adjust your life to fit the way He is already working in your circle of influence to move the people you know toward a redemptive relationship with Jesus Christ. And you will, by default, be smack-dab in the middle of God's will for your life.

III. Purpose

Now we come to the next spiritual blessing that is built on PARDON through Jesus Christ. We have been given a new PURPOSE.

Look at verses 11 and 12

Ephesians 1:11-12 11 In him we were also chosen, 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.

A. Basic meaning

Friends, let me tell you what this is saying. Remember, this is one big long sentence from verse three all the way to verse 14. The word chosen, that's used here in verse 11, the way this sentence is constructed in the Greek, refers to the phrase way up in verse 5 that says we are "adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ..."

In other words, we've been chosen by God to be in His family–to be redeemed from the consequences of our sins, through faith in Jesus Christ. We entered into the family of God because God's will was that we shouldn't perish, and we responded to the pull of that loving will by putting our trust for our eternal future in the pardoning work of Jesus Christ.

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

In other words the purpose for God saving you... becomes your new life purpose– which is to bring glory to God. Or to say it another way, We've been pardoned and brought into God's family, so that we can bring glory to God through our new, redeemed lives.

Friends, that means God can take any past situation that haunts you, any circumstance you are presently in, or any mistakes that you have made or will make and turn those things into something meaningful and useful–something that has eternal significance, and will bring glory to Him.

B. How does that work out in practicality?

But, how does that work out in practicality. It is different in every individual. To show you the difference, let me tell you two true stories...

Story no. 1

Ten years ago, it wasn't Monica Lewinsky, it was Donna Rice. And it wasn't Bill Clinton, it was Senator Gary Hart. You probably remember the highly publicized sexual scandal that the tabloids reported between the Colorado senator who was running for President, and that young woman with whom he was suspected of having an extra-marital affair. The result of this affair was that Hart's bid for the 1988 Democratic nomination was trashed, and so was Donna Rice's reputation. She disappeared from the public eye. But about two years ago, she reappeared on the Today Show. But this time, she showed that she was passionately committed to God and to an organization called "Enough is Enough," which is a Christian organization fighting to keep pornography out of the hands of minors.

She said that through the support of her family, friends, and her Christian husband, Jack Hughes, she has been able to give thanks to God, even for her past. She said, "God loves us, but He doesn't grant us immunity from the consequences of our choices. However, when we mess up, if we ask His forgiveness, He'll redeem those choices, using our mistakes as a 'door of hope' for other people. I have great empathy for victims of sexual abuse and pornography. God has brought purpose to my pain." The result of a redeemed woman who had a past of major mistakes, illicit sex, adultery and ridicule, is now able to use that to bring glory to God.

Here's a totally different story. Story no. 2

Joseph Stowell, the president of Moody Bible Institute wrote about a conversation he had with a pastor in the former Soviet Union.

"Stalin's reign was the worst time," said the pastor. "I had two KGB agents come to me and say, 'We'll take care of you. You stay the pastor of that church, but once a week give us a report on every one of these Christians. Work for us.'

"I can't do that to God, and I can't do that to this flock," he replied.

So they sent him to a prison camp in Siberia. He endured the forced labor and the cold for ten years. But he did find other Christians in the camp, and God used these believers to fulfill his purposes.

"I was a carpenter building towns for Stalin," said the pastor. "We'd go out in sixty-mile radiuses, and there we would fellowship together. Today there are hundreds of churches in Siberia as a result of these small prisoner fellowship groups."

Then Joseph Stowell comments...When men refuse to compromise, they may lose much, but through them God will fulfill His higher eternal purpose. God gets the glory through the circumstances–even unjust and very difficult circumstances that happen to His redeemed.

IV. Conclusion

Paul has shown us some truly remarkable blessings that are in our spiritual bank account, because of the work of God's Son, Jesus Christ.

1. We have a PARDON that is so full and so complete that we not only have an eternal future in heaven, but an abundant and meaningful life, right now.

2. We have a PERSPECTIVE on life that let's us know in the simplest of terms what life is all about–why we're here and why we're in the circumstances we are in–which is.... God wants our friends, family, co-workers and neighbors to be pardoned from their sins. And God wants to use us to let them know of His love for them.

3. We don't have to search for a PURPOSE. We don't have to make our own up. We don't even have to make it happen. When we are "in Christ", our purpose is identified. We exist to bring glory to God. And God guarantees that we will bring glory to Him when we cooperate with His will–no matter what our past has been like, or our present is like, or our future will be like.

Barbara Johnson writes in her book, Living Somewhere Between Estrogen & Death

A grandmother took her three-year-old granddaughter into her lap and began reading to her from Genesis. After a while, noticing the little girl was unusually quiet, the grandmother asked, "Well, what do you think of it, dear?" "Oh, I love it!" answered the child. "You never know what God is going to do next!"

And that's so true–that's part of the blessings that are in our spiritual bank accounts–WE ARE ON AN ADVENTURE WITH GOD! Have you thanked God recently for whatever you are going through. Because if you're "in Christ", then it's going to bring glory to Him. Amen.

Closing Prayer: (ask people to look up in anticipation of talking to God.)

Lord, I understand that your will is that everyone who looks to Jesus and believes in Him will have eternal life. Here I am. How do you want to use me?

Amen