Sovereignty part 2 - Jesus Christ is the Plan

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. ... And the Word became flesh.” John 1:1-4,14

From these verses God's sovereign plan comes into focus: Yahweh "making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him for an administration of the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth in Him" (Ephesians 1:9-10). Jesus Christ is central to all of life and is the expression and full revelation of Yahweh's plan: "This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:11).

The Plan

Any discussion of God's sovereignty must have it's focal point on Jesus. Why? Because Jesus Christ is God's plan, He is the culmination of that plan and that plan can be traced all the way back to the first book of the Bible. Jesus is the promise of God, that He will one day enter into His creation.

Jesus Christ "is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Colossians 1:15). Jesus is "choice and precious in the sight of God" (1 Peter 2:4). In other words, Jesus is God in the form of human flesh, who is "over all" and "blessed forever. Amen" (Romans 9:5). Through the millennia, Yahweh's sovereignty is revealed as He directs and carries out His plan down to the smallest of details.

Long Ago Told

The fullness of this plan must needs understand, that in Jesus Christ God speaks. "God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:1-3).

The road to Emmaus account, when Jesus walked and taught His disciples, He showed them from scripture that He is the plan long ago spoken of: "Beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He interpreted to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures" (Luke 24:27). And in Jesus, Yahweh has a message, rather a command, for all peoples: "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'" (Matthew 4:17).

Redemption

From the pages of Scripture covering all of human history, the need for such a message is seen time and time again - man's sin, his rebellion, his turning away from the Creator to a hopeless life ending in death and damnation. Jesus came to His creation and commands them to turn from their sin back to their Creator in faith and believe. In other words, Yahweh's plan executed down through history is one of redemption - all people sinned and are in need of saving. Saving from sure destruction. The only hope of rescue is Jesus, the redeemer that Yahweh promised so long ago.

Word Became Flesh

As stated in the previous post. The "purpose of His plan will come to pass exactly as He commands," and with those commands a promise, that Jesus Christ will come. This brings us back to John 1:1 "the Word was God." This is amazing to think about, God came into His creation and walked and lived among the people in His Son, Jesus Christ. "Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). He is the "blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).

It is astonishing to think on these things, from the act of creation down through the millennia, the promise of Yahweh, the plan of God, was carried along in history as foretold exactly as He intended.

Only the absolute rule of a sovereign God could possible accomplish such a plan. Every detail came to pass, not one step was missed, not a single delay, a plan utterly unstoppable because, Yahweh is sovereign! He would not be God otherwise.

Jesus Christ is the real life evidence of the sovereignty of God.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or understand, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21