Before the Foundation of the World
God’s plan of redemption was not thrown together due to an unforeseen event in Genesis chapter three when Adam and Eve sinned against God. Paul writes in Ephesians 1:3-4: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him. God determined before the foundation of the world that in Christ we would be holy and blameless before Him. God has always been and always will be working His sovereign plan.
What does it mean that God is Sovereign? The following quote from A.W. Pink sums it up. “What do we mean by the sovereignty of God? We mean the supremacy of God, the kinship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to his will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Daniel 4:35). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Psalms 115:3). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is “The Governor among the nations” (Psalms 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as Pleaseth Him best. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that “He is the only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.”
In visiting with some Christians, you may get the idea that the enemy is calling the shots and that God is scrambling around trying to come up with a new tactical defense plan. No, the exact opposite is true. The enemy is on the defensive. As we shall learn in the coming weeks, satan has already been disarmed by Christ, our conquering King. God is, has been, and always will be working to accomplish his plan that was set forth in Christ before the foundation of the world. No one will ever thwart his plan. This leads me to another one of my favorite passages from the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 46:9-11 ESV: Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My counsel will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’, Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My counsel from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have formed it, surely I will do it.
Only the all-powerful, all-knowing Sovereign God could declare the end from the beginning. God declares that he will accomplish all that he has purposed. Let me give you a few more passages from Scripture that speak of God’s plan set forth before the foundation of the world.
2 Timothy 1:9 ESV: (God) “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our
works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…”
1 Corinthians 2:6-9 LSB: Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a
wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”
I hope that these verses will encourage you as you serve Christ. Our God is on the throne, and he is sovereignly moving everything to His Day, the Day of the Lord!
In Christ,
Pastor John
What does it mean that God is Sovereign? The following quote from A.W. Pink sums it up. “What do we mean by the sovereignty of God? We mean the supremacy of God, the kinship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to his will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Daniel 4:35). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Psalms 115:3). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is “The Governor among the nations” (Psalms 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as Pleaseth Him best. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that “He is the only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.”
In visiting with some Christians, you may get the idea that the enemy is calling the shots and that God is scrambling around trying to come up with a new tactical defense plan. No, the exact opposite is true. The enemy is on the defensive. As we shall learn in the coming weeks, satan has already been disarmed by Christ, our conquering King. God is, has been, and always will be working to accomplish his plan that was set forth in Christ before the foundation of the world. No one will ever thwart his plan. This leads me to another one of my favorite passages from the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 46:9-11 ESV: Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My counsel will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’, Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My counsel from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have formed it, surely I will do it.
Only the all-powerful, all-knowing Sovereign God could declare the end from the beginning. God declares that he will accomplish all that he has purposed. Let me give you a few more passages from Scripture that speak of God’s plan set forth before the foundation of the world.
2 Timothy 1:9 ESV: (God) “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our
works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…”
1 Corinthians 2:6-9 LSB: Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a
wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”
I hope that these verses will encourage you as you serve Christ. Our God is on the throne, and he is sovereignly moving everything to His Day, the Day of the Lord!
In Christ,
Pastor John
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