03-01-2008, 04:05 AM
L E S S O N 6
The Third Indisputable Fact of God’s Purpose
If you will, turn in your Bible once more to Ephesians chapter one and look
again at verses nine, ten, and eleven. We are talking about the three
indisputable facts of God's purpose. Let's review them quickly. First, God
has a will. Second, God's will is “All Things in Christ”.
Now the third indisputable fact of God's purpose is found in verse eleven: “In Him
also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose
of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
What a powerful statement that is! Look at the last half of that last phrase: “...Who
works all things according to the counsel of His will.” In other words everything
which is spoken by God, revealed by God, or done by God is connected in some
way to this one thing, this one purpose. He is working all things after the counsel
of His own will, and we know that His will is “All things in Christ".
If we read and apply ourselves to the scriptures – the books of Moses, the Law, the
Prophets, the Gospels, the book of Acts, the Epistles, and the book of Revelation –
we will eventually see one thing taking shape and coming into being. It is this one
continuous unbroken thread of God's will which weaves it's way throughout all of
God's dealings with man for the past six thousand years; having it's beginning in
eternity past and reaching it's conclusion in eternity future towards one thing.
But more importantly we see that everything is moving in relationship towards
God's end. It's the reason why God created the world, the heaven, hell, the devil,
and man himself. It's the motive for sending the Word to become flesh and to live
as a man, to die on a cross, to be raised to life, to be exalted to God's right hand.
It is the impetus and the motivation which causes God to pour out His Spirit on all
flesh and establish the church that Jesus is building. It is His purpose in judging
the world and creating a new heavens and earth. Everything is being worked
together according to the counsel of His will, according to His purpose. It says in
Romans 8:28 He is working all things together for good: not according to your
purpose or my purpose, but according to His purpose.
And what is His purpose? What is His will? That all things would be gathered
together in Christ! And how is His will accomplished? By increasing Jesus and
decreasing everything else.
There are three expressions of God's purpose that, I think, will help us to better
understand how everything God is doing, everything God has done, and everything
God will do is pointing us and leading us to Jesus Christ.
And so in our next lesson we'll talk about The First Expression of God's Purpose.
QUIZ
Lesson 6 – The Third Indisputable Fact of God’s Purpose
1. According to Ephesians 1:11, God is working all things according to the counsel of
a) your will
b) His Will
c) whatever seems best at the moment
2. The Third Indisputable Fact of God’s Purpose is
a) all things are moving randomly according to fate
b) all things are moving according to their individual will
c) all things are working according to His Will
3. One reason the Bible is so important is
a) it’s good for judging the hearts of others
b) it helps us decide what church to join
c) it shows us how God works all things according to His Will
4. If God is truly working everything according to His Will, and His Will is “all things in
Christ”, then we can rest assured that
a) Jesus must increase
b) Jesus will increase
c) Jesus is increasing
d) all the above
5. Everything God has done, is doing, and will do is for the purpose of
a) increasing Jesus
b) decreasing everything else
c) both
The Third Indisputable Fact of God’s Purpose
If you will, turn in your Bible once more to Ephesians chapter one and look
again at verses nine, ten, and eleven. We are talking about the three
indisputable facts of God's purpose. Let's review them quickly. First, God
has a will. Second, God's will is “All Things in Christ”.
Now the third indisputable fact of God's purpose is found in verse eleven: “In Him
also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose
of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
What a powerful statement that is! Look at the last half of that last phrase: “...Who
works all things according to the counsel of His will.” In other words everything
which is spoken by God, revealed by God, or done by God is connected in some
way to this one thing, this one purpose. He is working all things after the counsel
of His own will, and we know that His will is “All things in Christ".
If we read and apply ourselves to the scriptures – the books of Moses, the Law, the
Prophets, the Gospels, the book of Acts, the Epistles, and the book of Revelation –
we will eventually see one thing taking shape and coming into being. It is this one
continuous unbroken thread of God's will which weaves it's way throughout all of
God's dealings with man for the past six thousand years; having it's beginning in
eternity past and reaching it's conclusion in eternity future towards one thing.
But more importantly we see that everything is moving in relationship towards
God's end. It's the reason why God created the world, the heaven, hell, the devil,
and man himself. It's the motive for sending the Word to become flesh and to live
as a man, to die on a cross, to be raised to life, to be exalted to God's right hand.
It is the impetus and the motivation which causes God to pour out His Spirit on all
flesh and establish the church that Jesus is building. It is His purpose in judging
the world and creating a new heavens and earth. Everything is being worked
together according to the counsel of His will, according to His purpose. It says in
Romans 8:28 He is working all things together for good: not according to your
purpose or my purpose, but according to His purpose.
And what is His purpose? What is His will? That all things would be gathered
together in Christ! And how is His will accomplished? By increasing Jesus and
decreasing everything else.
There are three expressions of God's purpose that, I think, will help us to better
understand how everything God is doing, everything God has done, and everything
God will do is pointing us and leading us to Jesus Christ.
And so in our next lesson we'll talk about The First Expression of God's Purpose.
QUIZ
Lesson 6 – The Third Indisputable Fact of God’s Purpose
1. According to Ephesians 1:11, God is working all things according to the counsel of
a) your will
b) His Will
c) whatever seems best at the moment
2. The Third Indisputable Fact of God’s Purpose is
a) all things are moving randomly according to fate
b) all things are moving according to their individual will
c) all things are working according to His Will
3. One reason the Bible is so important is
a) it’s good for judging the hearts of others
b) it helps us decide what church to join
c) it shows us how God works all things according to His Will
4. If God is truly working everything according to His Will, and His Will is “all things in
Christ”, then we can rest assured that
a) Jesus must increase
b) Jesus will increase
c) Jesus is increasing
d) all the above
5. Everything God has done, is doing, and will do is for the purpose of
a) increasing Jesus
b) decreasing everything else
c) both
