God’s Purpose
Gordon Crook, PastorGrace Assembly, Wichita, Kansas
I want to start this topic with a few concepts to level set our understanding.
1. God is eternal. He is not bound by time or space as we are. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” Isaiah 46:10
2. Unlike us, God does not think of something and then wonder if He can pull it off. He accomplishes everything He thinks of. “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:” Isa 14:24.
3. God always acts in a righteous and perfect way. “And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.” Psalm 9:8. “But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.” Isaiah 11:4-5
As I considered the topic of God’s purpose, I came to realize that God’s purpose is eternal, just as He is eternal. When we look at all that we have given to us in God’s Word, we must come to the conclusion that God’s purpose has always revolved around His Son Jesus. Not just after the creation and fall of humanity, but since before the creation of humanity. Jesus is and always will be at the center of God’s purpose.
We should start by understanding that God’s purpose is unchangeable and cannot be stopped. “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:” Isaiah 14:24. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” Isaiah 46:10.
God is not like us in needing to figure out if His plan is executable or not. He is not moved by things that happen that seem to undermine His plan. He knew them before they happened. He was not taken by surprise at the fall of Adam and Eve. It was already accounted for in His plan before He even created them. “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,” 1Peter 1:20. Nothing done by man is affecting God’s plan. To the contrary, it is working right in line with God’s purpose.
I started writing this before the war against Iran began, and I know some are very concerned about what will come of that. However, nothing that is happening today is outside of God’s purpose. He is putting everything into place where He needs it to finish His work with humanity.
I would not have enough room here to lay out every bit from the Old Testament, but I will point out that God chose Abraham to become His nation. He chose others throughout the OT to bring about the necessary people and conditions for Jesus to come. He chose and used imperfect people like Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, and many others to bring about His purpose in Christ Jesus. Paul tells us that Jesus came at just the right time. Galatians 4:4.
I cannot tell you exactly why that was the “right time”, but God has an exact plan that is being worked out. What I can tell you is that God’s purpose is wrapped up in Jesus, and that it includes you and me and anyone who will trust in Jesus. I can tell you God is choosing to work through people and nations to bring about His final purpose.
While we may not have every minute detail of God’s plan, He has revealed to us what He intends to do. “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” Ephesians 1:9-10.
God will gather all things together in Jesus. Jesus came and gave His life to make it possible for us to be a part of this plan. It was always God’s intent to bring humanity into His presence through the sacrifice of His Son. This is God’s work, and not one person can take any credit for it. “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” 2Timothy 1:9.
I find this revelation to be incredibly exciting. It is also very humbling to realize that God always intended for me to be able to spend eternity in His presence. I think sometimes we fail to comprehend the fulness of this plan. Maybe we have heard it before, and are keen to regurgitate the words, but do we really understand? Are we aware of the depth of God’s grace? Paul prayed for the saints to have a deep understanding.
To put a “cherry on top”, there is even more. God is taking from out of those who have believed and trusted in Jesus (the church), a group that will be the bride of Jesus. These will have a very close intimacy their Lord. It is still God’s work, so we still cannot take any credit for it, but we can be a part of that company. All God is expecting from us is a desire and a willingness to yield to His working.
When we study God’s Word with a true desire for a deeper revelation, God will honor that and reveal Himself more and more. As He does that, He is working in our life to change us from glory to glory. He is preparing us for a close intimate relation with Himself for eternity. Don’t let the world rob you of this great opportunity.
