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.