When Satan tempted Eve, he said to her that God
was withholding knowledge of good and evil from
her. And that if she would but eat the forbidden
fruit, her eyes would be opened and she would
have complete knowledge. Now, of course, Satan
was a liar in saying that to her. His words were
deceitful words that she bit. She took the temptation
and ate. The actual result was the opposite of
what Satan had promised. She did not receive
full knowledge and become like God, but actually
she inherited at that moment a certain kind of
spiritual ignorance that became worse, increasingly
worse, with the passing generations. You see
that reflected in the words of Romans 1. And
the Apostle speaks about those days and says,
even though they knew God, they did not honor
him as God or give thanks. But they became futile
in their speculations and their foolish heart
was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became
fools. Whereas Satan promised enlightenment and
knowledge. Even to become as God, what mankind
inherited by his sin was actually futility, speculation,
and foolishness. Instead of becoming wise, mankind
became foolish. The world of unregenerate mankind
is unenlightened as to the things of God. The
Apostle Paul, writing about the pagan Gentiles,
said that they walk in the futility of their
mind. being darkened in their understanding,
excluded from the light of God because of the
ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness
of their hearts. Notice those phrases from Ephesians
4. They walk in the futility of their minds.
They're darkened in their understanding. They
have ignorance that is in them. One of the blessings
of being a child of God who is saved from the
Lord Jesus Christ is having one's mind enlightened
as to the things of God and eternity. God has
done that for us. He has lavished upon us his
grace. And one of the things he has done in doing
that is that he has made known his will to us.
I'm looking today again at Ephesians chapter
1, and we begin with the last part of verse 8.
In all wisdom and insight, he made known to us
the mystery of his will, according to his kind
intention, which he purposed in him with a view
to an administration suitable to the fullness
of the time, that is, the summing up of all things
in Christ. things in the heavens and things upon
the earth. God has made known to us his will.
Now I'd like for you to look with me at the action
that is stated, first of all. God has made known
to us his will. God has endowed mankind in general
with amazing powers to reason, discover, and
learn. These gifts given to all men are for the
benefit of the human race. But there are some
things that cannot be discovered through these
natural means. Those are the things of God, spiritual
truths. They cannot be discovered through reason.
God has taken the initiative. to reveal these
things to us. Otherwise, we could never know
them. They would remain unknowable. They would
remain hidden. I'd like you to come back with
me to 1 Corinthians 2, where we see a longer
paragraph dealing with this same truth that is
briefly stated in our text. We're going to begin
in verse 6 of 1 Corinthians 2. Yet we do speak
wisdom among those who are mature, a wisdom,
however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of
this age who are passing away. Notice he says
that what they preach, the wisdom that Paul has
imparted, did not come from the age in which
he lived, nor did it come from the rulers of
that time. He says, but we speak God's wisdom.
God's wisdom in a mystery. Just for the moment
I want you to notice that word, mystery. The
hidden wisdom which God predestined before the
ages to our glory. The wisdom which none of the
rulers of this age have understood. For if they
had understood it, they would not have crucified
the Lord of glory. But just as it is written,
Now he's going to read a freely quote from Isaiah
64, verse 4. Things which eye has not seen and
ear has not heard, and which have not entered
the heart of man, all that God has prepared for
those who love him. Paul is pointing out here
in the first part of the quotation that not through
the eye gate or the ear gate has this mystery,
the hidden wisdom, come. We might say it today,
but it has not come to us through the scientific
method. The discoveries of science, as wonderful
as they are in the natural realm, cannot uncover
supernatural truths. Now he says, if I nor you
could perceive this wisdom that we've been seeking.
And he goes on to say, neither has entered into
the heart of man these things. In other words,
man could not imagine these on his own. He could
not rationalize them. He could not bring them
to his own mind. They could not enter into his
heart. But in verse 10 he says, to us God reveals
them. So that's how we seem to know these truths,
this hidden wisdom, the mystery that he's talking
about. He says to us, God revealed them through
the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things,
even the depths of God. For who among men knows
the thoughts of the man except the spirit of
the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts
of God knows no one except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received not the Spirit of the world,
but the Spirit who is from God, that we might
know the things clearly given to us by God. We
also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom,
but in those taught by the Spirit, combining
spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But
a natural man, that is, an unsaved person, an
unregenerate one, does not accept the things
of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness
to him, and he cannot understand them because
they are spiritually appraised. Paul could not
make it more clear that the spiritual truth that
he is writing by the Holy Spirit's inspiration
did not come from him or from anyone else, either
through philosophy or through science. He says
these things have been given to us to know by
God who has revealed them to us by his Spirit.
This is what we call revelation. It is truth
that could not be known except someone outside
of ourselves showed it to us. God showed this
truth to us. He has exposed it to us that we
might know it. Now let's go back to Ephesians
chapter 1. Just in one brief sentence here, Paul
summarizes all of that, and he simply says, He
made known to us the mystery of his will. The
tense of that verb is such that this is a completed
action. It's already done. Paul is not saying
here God is continuing to show us things because
God is not continuing to give revelation. That's
ceased with the writing of the 66th book. It's
not something that's taking place today. Those
who claim to speak and be receiving revelation
from God are not saying the truth. God has once
and for all delivered to us his revelation. Now
the apostle says here that this revelation of
the mystery, as he calls it, has already taken
place. Now when did it take place? Well, it began
to take place at the incarnation of the Lord
Jesus Christ when he came into the world. It
began then, but it was not fully exposed until
the ministry of Paul himself. What God desired
to reveal to man regarding the mystery began
to be known when the Lord Jesus Christ came into
the world incarnate. But it was not fully exposed
until the ministry of the Apostle Paul himself.
Now, in chapter 3, Paul gives us a little further
insight as to this mystery. He says, well, look
at verse 3. He says, By revelation there was
made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before
in brief. That's the verse we're looking at today.
And by referring to this, when you read, you
can understand my insight into the mystery of
Christ. which in other generations was not made
known to the sons of men, as it has now been
revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in
the spirit. To be specific, that the Gentiles
are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body
and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ
Jesus through the gospel. So the apostle here
begins to explain to the Ephesians and to us
what this mystery involves. It is the coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ and his incarnation.
It is his death and resurrection, the gospel.
And it is the calling out of a body of people
in this age, from Jew and Gentile alike, to become
old with Jesus Christ and co -regent with him
in his coming kingdom. So when Paul in chapter
1 now, in verse 9, says, God has made known to
us the mystery of his will, what he has in mind
here is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ,
his death and resurrection, and the calling out
of a people during this age to be the body and
the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the
mystery of his will. And all of this, he says,
Notice that this action of making known his will
is specifically said to be to us. I want to reiterate,
it has not been given to the world to discern
these things. Natural men cannot discern these
things. perceive them. They cannot understand
them. But the children of God can know them because
God has made them known to us. His grace has
provided for us what he calls in the last part
of verse 8, wisdom and insight. God in his grace
has in the first place given to us who are his
children wisdom. That wisdom is an objection
understanding of him and his purposes. We might
say it a different way. It's theological truth.
God has made known to us truth about himself.
That's what he has in mind here when he says
wisdom. God has given us wisdom. And coupled
with that wisdom is what he calls insight. Insight
refers to a subjective apprehension of it. In
other words, it is my ability to apply these
things to my life. For God has made known to
us the mystery of his will. He has given us wisdom,
and he has given to us insight so that we can
apply these things to our lives here and now.
Grace from God has provided the ability to grasp
God's purposes, and to see their relevance in
the present time. God has made known to us the
mystery of his will. The world cannot, does not,
will not receive these things. But by his grace,
God has made them known to you and to me, so
that we understand who the Lord Jesus Christ
is. We understand why he came into the world.
We understand the meaning of his death and his
resurrection. And we understand that God is now
at work in the world calling out a people for
himself from Jew and Gentile alike to be heirs
with the Lord Jesus Christ of all things and
to be co -regents with him, to reign with him
in his eternal kingdom. Now the Apostle Paul
gives us even further explanation here as to
the mystery of God's will. And he wants to tell
us something very specific about that mystery
that we have to look forward to. But first, just
some background information regarding God's will.
It seems to me that we can make four statements
regarding God's will based upon our text here.
In the first place, the will of God. It's what
he has purpose to do. Notice how he says this
in verse 9. He made known to us the mystery of
his will according to his kind intention which
he purposed in him, in Christ. The will of God
is what he has purpose to do. It is his true
desires. When did God purpose these things? When
eternity passed, before he even created, God
had set out certain purposes for his creation.
What he purposed to do is simply his will. The
purpose means to set before oneself. The idea
is that God, even before he created the world
and mankind, set before himself certain objectives,
certain goals. And he said, I will do this. That
becomes the sovereign will of God. And those
things will, without doubt and question, without
any diminishing whatsoever, those things will
be accomplished. God's will is what he has purposed
to do. Secondly, God's will is revealed to us
now, although it was previously hidden. We see
that again in this word mystery. God has been
pleased to reveal to us his thoughts, those goals
and purposes that he had in mind before anybody
even was. He has made them known to us, although
they were long hidden up until the time of the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the writing
of the New Testament. Third, God's will is all
focused upon the Lord Jesus Christ. His will
is that which he has purposed in Christ, in him.
In other words, all of it will be accomplished
through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the agent
or the means of which the will of God will all
fully be realized. We cannot extract the Lord
Jesus Christ from any of this because it is all
really based upon him and his work at the cross.
It's all focused upon him. Bevington Wood said,
From all eternity the Father cherished in his
own mind a plan that was to be carried out in
Christ. And then a fourth statement regarding
God's will. God's will is according to God's
kind intentions. You see that there in verse
9? It is according to his kind intentions. In
other words, the will of God is not something
that is cold and calculating. It is not cruel.
But rather, the will of God comes out of his
kindness. It comes out of his intentions, which
are all according to his kind thoughts and deeds.
It is all according to what we call his good
pleasure and cannot be improved upon. Now, with
that background information regarding the will
of God, let's look a little deeper here at what
Paul specifically says regarding the will of
God in this context. He tells us here the content
of the mystery of God's will in two clauses.
Do you see them in verse 10? He says with a view.
Learn what the mystery of God's will is with
a view to an administration suitable to the fullness
of the time. That's clause number one. That is
the summing up of all things in Christ. Things
in heaven, things upon the earth. And so the
content of God's will is exposed more fully here
to us in these two clauses. He fills out the
details. in just a brief summary. He says, in
the first place, that God's will involves an
administration suitable to the fullness of the
times. Now, does that seem like so many words
to you? It's a little tough to get your hands
on that, isn't it? Let's think about a couple
of the key words here. Administration, what does
that mean? Well, in that day, the word administration
here referred to the management of a household.
Those people who had slaves would often have
a chief steward who was the one responsible for
carrying out the details of administration within
the household. The slave owner didn't want to
bother with it, nor did his family. But there
was a slave who was highly trusted, and that
one was the administrator, the chief steward.
He was responsible for the administration, the
management of the household. Now this same word
is in our English language today. It's simply
the word economy. Same word. Except here it talks
about an administration of things, a management
of things. Now Paul says that God's will involves
a management suitable to the fullness of time.
What in the world is that? Well that is a phrase
that is found elsewhere in the New Testament.
identically or similarly, and refers to a period
or a moment. Now, follow me. The fullness of
time is a period or a moment when everything
and all of the preceding times and seasons have
been completed and come together. It's when all
of the strands come together at one time. One
place. That is the fullness of the time. It is
the appropriate time. In Galatians 4, it says,
When the fullness of time had come, God sent
forth his Son. Now, in that context, it means
that God had prepared for the coming of his Son.
He prepared for the coming of Christ, of course,
through the Jews. But he likewise did that through
the Greeks. and through the Romans, each of them
contributing certain things to their day. So
that when everything then was put together, when
the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth
his Son at exactly the right time, the appointed
time, the appropriate time. Similar phrase here.
He is saying that God's will involves a management
of things. which is suitable to the fullness
of the time, to an appropriate time. It is a
plan or administration of things to be put in
place at the right time. You say, well, when
is that? Well, we'll get to that in a moment.
Now there's a second clause here that kind of
fills in some of the details. He says that is...
The summing up of all things in Christ. Now that's
an interesting phrase. What does it mean? The
summing up of all things in Christ. Well, you
know what you do when you sum up a column of
figures. You draw a line and you add them all
together. That's something of the thought here.
The verb literally means together, together again.
under one head to gather everything up into one.
The implication, of course, is that it was once
that way and it has to be done again. The implication
is that it was once under one head, but something
happened to cause things to be scattered. Now,
God's purpose involves bringing all those things
back together again under one head. The summing
up of all things in Christ. You say, what's it
describing here? I believe it is undoubtedly
describing the impact of sin's entrance into
God's world. Sin brought separation and disorder
to God's creation. Think of the way that sin
has caused separation. In Genesis chapter 3,
it caused separation between God and man. Right?
In Genesis chapter 4, it caused separation between
man and man when Cain killed his brother Abel.
In Genesis chapter 11, sin brought separation
among the nations, one nation from another, for
God scattered them throughout the whole earth
in judgment. Sin has caused tremendous separation
in God's creation. It has brought... disorder
and disharmony to God's universe. The usurper,
who is Satan, claimed man's allegiance back there
in the garden and thus took for himself the right
to reign. God had given that to Adam and Eve,
but they gave over that right to reign to Satan
and became slaves of his. God's harmony was shattered
there in the garden. Now, my friend, God's gracious
purpose, and by the way, it was shattered, but
not outside of God's oversight. God allowed all
of that to take place. It was not something that
got out of hand and God had to have plan B. But
the fact is that when Adam and Eve were tested,
they failed. They sinned. They brought separation.
in God's universe. So God's gracious purpose
is that through the Lord Jesus Christ, he would
restore the harmony that was lost. He would gather
again under Christ's lordship as the last Adam,
but the first Adam lost through his disobedience.
It is the purpose of God, now follow me, it is
the purpose of God that through the Lord Jesus
Christ, He would give redeemed mankind rule once
again. That is God's purpose. So you see, the
mystery of God's will involves an appropriate
time in the future when God is going to change
the management of things. He's going to gather
all things together. They've been scattered by
sin. But he's going to sum them all up. He's
going to bring them all back together under one
head, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. And
redeemed mankind will reign with the Lord Jesus
Christ over that creation. At the cross of Calvary,
Christ Jesus fully dealt with sin and with Satan.
In his resurrection from the grave, he guaranteed
the future administration of his kingdom. I'd
like you to turn now, in closing, with me to
the book of the Revelation at the end of the
New Testament. We're going to have to move quickly
through several chapters here so that you can
see the flow of how this book is laid out. Chapters
4 and 5 are you seeing? in heaven, which John
records for us. And he says in verse 1 of chapter
5, And I saw in the right hand of him who sat
on the throne a book, or a scroll, written inside
and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud
voice, Who is worthy? to open the book and to
break its seals. Now you say, what in the world
is that book? What is that scroll that the one
who sits on the throne has in his hands? Well,
it has been identified a number of different
ways, but I think that the clearest understanding
of it is this, that that scroll represents the
title deed to the earth. It represents the right
to rule. over the earth. And so the question
is asked, who can take this scroll and claim
the right to rule upon the earth? He says in
verse 3, no one in heaven or on the earth or
under the earth was able to open the book or
to look into it. And thou began to weep greatly,
says John, because no one was found worthy to
open the book or to look in it. And one of the
elders said to me, Stop eating. Behold, the lion
that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of
David, hath overcome so as to open the book and
its seven seals. And I saw between the throne
with the four living creatures and the elders
a lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns
and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of
God sent out into all the earth. And he came
and he took it out of the right hand of him who
sat on the throne. You say, who is this lamb
that is rather strangely described? John is here
describing as best he can in human language what
he sees. Obviously there is some symbolism here.
But there can be no mistake about it that this
lamb... who is standing there as if he had been
slain and sacrificed, in other words, he has
wounds, can be none other than the Lord Jesus
Christ. And when the search is made as to who
has the right to rule, who has the right to come
down to earth and to gather things together again,
when the search is made, no one was found who
was worthy except the Lamb, who is also described
as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. And it says
that he steps forward and he took from the hand
of God that book, that scroll, and he opens it.
And now through the next several chapters of
Revelation, you find the pouring out of judgment
from the earth. In chapter 6, verse 1, I saw
when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals. And
as he begins to break these seals, judgment is
poured out upon the earth and its present administration.
I don't mean from Washington. or from Moscow.
I mean the administration of Satan over the earth,
the world system. Judgment is poured out upon
it through chapter 6, chapter 7, and gone the
rest of the way through Revelation. The judgments
from the seals become the judgments of the seven
trumpets, and the judgment of the seven trumpets
open to the judgments of the seven bowls of God's
wrath. And time is passing now, a period of time.
Upwards towards seven years of time. Past, as
all these judgments come out upon the earth.
Now chapter 19. I told you it was going to go
quick. Though the shout in heaven of hallelujah,
salvation and glory and power belong to God.
Verse 11. And I saw heaven open. And behold his
white horse, and he who sat upon it, called faithful
and true. In righteousness he judges and wages
war. Verse 16. And on his robe and his thigh
he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord
of Lords. This is the Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter
20, verse 1. And I saw an angel coming down from
heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great
chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon,
the serpent of old. He is the devil and Satan.
and bound him for a thousand years, and threw
him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it
over him, so that he should not deceive the nations
any longer until the thousand years were completed.
So you see, there is judgment in force at the
second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
usurper, Satan, is dealt with. Not yet eternally.
But he's taken off the earth for a thousand years
and sealed in the abyss. And it says in verse
4, And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them,
and judgment was given to them. The last part
of the verse, And they came to life and reigned
with Christ for a thousand years. Here's my point.
The mystery of God's will involves a time in
the future when he is going to gather together
under one king, All that sin and Satan have scattered.
And that time is the millennial reign of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Before eternity, God purposed
that this time would come. The kingdom would
come. And everything that sin would do, undo,
the Lord Jesus Christ would put back together
and he would reign. In just a couple of words
of application, we'll be on our way. My friend,
you can see from this that it is the purpose
of God to bring together what sin has separated.
He provided to do that at the cross. But as long
as sin remains an issue in the heart of an individual,
there can be no peace with God. There can be
no restoration with God, no reconciliation. God
has provided for it. through the death of his
son, that each of us as individuals must believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and through that act
of faith, receiving the gift of salvation and
be made at peace with God. Are you at peace with
God today? God is the great peacemaker, eternal
peacemaker, and he would make peace with you.
You say, well, I'm not at war. Yes, you are,
if you've never trusted the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because you see, if you haven't trusted the Lord
Jesus Christ, you're still in sin. And God is
at war with sin. Would you today receive the
Lord Jesus Christ? Say that sin issue is taken
out of the way, and you can be reconciled to
God. You can do that before you leave the auditorium.
But a second application, because many of us
have done that, and there's a great application
for us. It is this, that since God is in the
business of bringing healing, restoration, and
reconciliation, so should we be. We should be
the sons of God who are the peacemakers. Whether
it be in our office, the school campus where
we go, in our families and homes, in our church,
on a national scene. We should be peacemakers,
not by compromising with sin, but rather by dealing
with it in the right manner. Let me bring it
down to a personal level. Are you today at odds
with another person? Are you at war with another
person? Are you a Christian? Then what are you
going to do to bring that war to an end? Because
you see, God is in the business of bringing peace.
Are you promoting unity, wholeness in your family?
Or are you creating dissension and causing conflict
there? In your office, are you known as one who
encourages unity? Or are you one of those people
that shows discord? God is in the business of
bringing together what sin has separated. So
ought we to be. And as ambassadors of the Lord
Jesus Christ, we have a wonderful message of
reconciliation. We can call men and women to
be reconciled to God, to be at peace with God
through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. What
a great message God has given us to declare.
What a great purpose God has given us in the
world. That we might reflect the mystery of his
will in our own lives this week as my friends.
Let's bow together. Father, we have only touched
upon a subject that is far deeper than this mind
can probe. Thank you for revealing to us what
we could not know apart from that ask of yours
in making it known to us. And I pray that as
we see the practical fallout of what this means,
what you purpose to do in Christ, that this week
you will make each one of us peacemakers, unifiers,
encouragers, and strengtheners. And I pray, Father,
that you will put upon our lips faithfully the
message of reconciliation through the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we might call
people to be reconciled to you by faith and pride.
Lord, to that end, I pray that you will energize
this message in our lives this week by the power
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.