ALL THINGS IN CHRIST

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on August 7, 2022 under 2022 |

Bethany Bible Church Sermon Message; August 7, 2022 from Ephesians 1:9-10

Theme: It’s the Father’s plan—in the fullness of the times—to gather all things in one in Christ.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

Click HERE for the live-stream archive of this sermon.

Click HERE for the audio version of this sermon.

This morning, we come to a passage in Ephesians 1 that—in just two brief verses—answers one of the greatest questions of all time.

Some people ask it aloud in moments of frustration—to no one in particular—not even really expecting to hear anything in return. But others have asked it with deep philosophic seriousness—and with a desperate yearning—in the hopes that someone, somewhere, somehow, knows the answer. Some people ask it after watching the evening news. Other people ask it after a horrible event occurs in their lives. Perhaps people have been asking it for as long as people have been asking anything.

It’s the question, “What’s this world coming to?”

Now; before we look at what this morning’s passage says, let me first read to you from someone else who, in his own way, asked that question. We find his words in the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes. It was written by King Solomon—a man that God had gifted with great wisdom. He was a philosopher as well as a king. And he wrote that particular book as a kind of ‘diary’ of his philosophic journey. He begins by expressing deep frustration in his search for the answer. He called himself ‘the Preacher’ and wrote;

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?
One generation passes away, and another generation comes;
But the earth abides forever.

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,
And hastens to the place where it arose.
The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.
All the rivers run into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full;
To the place from which the rivers come,
There they return again.

All things are full of labor;
Man cannot express it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor the ear filled with hearing.
That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which it may be said,
“See, this is new”?

It has already been in ancient times before us.
There is no remembrance of former things,
Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come
By those who will come after (Ecclesiastes 1:2-11).

Solomon had carefully examined the various phenomena of life in this world. He studied the course of history—as best he knew it. And having only looked at it all through the limited viewpoint of human wisdom, he felt frustrated. His question didn’t appear to have an answer. “Is there a point to this endless whirl of activity?” he would ask. “Is history going in any kind of direction? Is there some meaning or purpose to it all? What really is this world coming to?”

But that brings us to our passage this morning. God the Father—in His merciful love—has revealed the answer to that question for the benefit of those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote about the rich, eternal spiritual blessings the Father has given us in Jesus; and he said in Ephesians 1:6-10;

In Him [that is, in Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He [that is, the heavenly Father] made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him (Ephesians 1:6-10).

And there it is; dear brothers and sisters in Christ. In verses 9-10, we’re given the answer to that great question. What is this world coming to? It’s our heavenly Father’s good plan to—in the fullness of the times—gather all things together in one in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters; our heavenly Father has not left you and me to wander around in hopeless bewilderment—like the rest of the people of this world. We can know that there really is a point to it all. As a part of His loving grace toward us, God has revealed to us the answer. It’s all summed up under a wonderful Person—Jesus Christ.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; this morning’s passage is not the only place in the Bible that we’re told about this. We’re told in several places in Scripture that this is the plan of God the Father for the ages.

Think of what we’re told at the end of Ephesians 1—in verses 21-23. Paul said that the heavenly Father has bodily raised Jesus from the dead, and has seated Him—glorified forever—at His right hand in heavenly places;

far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:21-23).

It’s certainly true that the Lord Jesus is the Head specifically of His church. But His rule extends far beyond His church alone. It extends to all things—both in heaven and on earth. Our Lord Jesus has been granted by the Father to be the Head of “all things” to His church. All that is will be gathered to the Father; and it will all be gathered to Him through Jesus Christ. As Paul said in Colossians 1:18-20;

And He [that is, Jesus] is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:18-20).

Now; only those who place their faith in Jesus Christ will be saved by Him. The Bible doesn’t teach that everyone—no matter what—will eventually be saved. But it is nevertheless the will of the Father that all—no matter what—will bow to Him! Jesus will be Head even over all those who will not place their faith in Him. As Paul puts it in Philippians 2:9-11;

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

All will be subjected to Jesus Christ. Every knee will bow to Him. Every tongue will confess Him as Lord. And it will all be to the glory of the Father. In one of the most remarkable passages in Scripture about this great plan, the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28;

Then comes the end, when He [that is, Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him [that is, to the Father], then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).

On that glorious day—at the fullness of the times—all will be made to bow in subjection to King Jesus. Then, when all things are subjected to Him, He will subject Himself as Head of all things to the Father. And thus God the Father will be ‘all in all’ in Christ Jesus.

This, then, is what this world is coming to. What a glorious plan this is! It is as sure and certain as Creation itself. And dear brothers and sisters in Christ; please understand why we’re being told this. In love—as a part of His blessings to us in Christ—the heavenly Father has let us in on it all so that we will live for Christ in a prevailing attitude of victorious hope!

* * * * * * * * * *

So then; let’s look at Ephesians 1:9-10 in greater detail. Let’s look again at what it tells us about this glorious plan.

The first thing that we see is that …

1. IT’S A MYSTERY THAT IS NOW REVEALED TO US.

The apostle Paul wrote, “having made known to us the mystery of His will …” And when Paul uses that word ‘mystery’, he isn’t talking about a ‘who-done-it’ kind of story. He’s talking about something that has been hidden by God from the normal understanding of people—something that no amount of human thought or investigation could possibly discover—something that can only be known when God, in love, reveals it to His people.

Paul used this same word, later on in this letter, when he talked about the ministry of apostleship he received from God …

how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets … (Ephesians 3:3-5).

In that case, the “mystery” that Paul was speaking of was specifically about how God was making the Gentiles to be partakers of His promises, along with the Jewish people, through Christ. But do you see the idea? A “mystery” is something that, in other ages, was not made known to humanity; but that God is now making known by the Holy Spirit. It’s a mystery ‘revealed’.

Now; what Paul is speaking of in our passage this morning is the revealing of ‘the mystery’ of God’s will for the ages. He doesn’t reveal this mystery for the benefit of everyone. He does it—as we’re told in verses 7-8—specifically for the benefit of those that He redeems by the blood of His Son Jesus. And just think of what a great act of love it is that our heavenly Father would reveal such a thing to us—that He would bring us into the intimacy of knowing what He is going to do.

There was a time once when Jesus’ disciples heard Him teaching the crowds in parables. He seemed to be intentionally teaching in ways that were unclear to the crowds who were listening to Him. His disciples asked Him why He did this; and He told them;

“Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (Matthew 13:11-13).

And then He told those disciples;

But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it (vv. 16-17).

It’s a great expression of God’s love for us—as His redeemed people—that He would reveal the mystery of His will to us. It’s a great privilege. It’s one way that He brings us into close intimacy with Himself. Jesus once told His disciples—just before going to the cross for us;

“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

And so, dear brothers and sisters; if you ever wonder how much God loves you, just remember that He loves you so much that He has shared the mystery of His own will with you—the mystery of His plan for the ages. He has let you in on ‘what this world is coming to’—the plan to gather all things to Himself in Christ—so that you can live in the joyful expectation of it!

* * * * * * * * * *

And notice something else about this plan;

2. IT’S THE EXPRESSION OF THE FATHER’S OWN WILL.

Paul wrote that the ‘mystery of God’s will’ that has been made known to us is “according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself”.

There are a couple of ways that we can understand these words—and they both seem equally valid. On the one hand, we can understand Paul to be saying that it was according to our Father’s good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, to establish this great plan to gather all things in one in Christ. I believe we can see a hint of this in Romans 8:18-21. Paul wrote;

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Romans 8:18-21).

All of Creation was made to fall when Adam sinned. And now, all of Creation looks forward to the day when all things will be brought under Christ. And it was all because of Him—that is, God the Father—who, as an act of His will, “subjected” Creation “in hope”. It was all according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself from before the creation of the world; so that Jesus Christ alone would be glorified above all.

But I think we can also understand Paul to be saying that it was according to our Father’s good pleasure—which He purposed in Himself—to have graciously revealed this great plan to us. He was under no compulsion or obligation to share it with us. It wasn’t that we somehow found out about it; and now He has to tell the whole thing to us. He revealed this plan to us willingly, as to His own dear children, because He loves us.

* * * * * * * * * *

A third thing we see about this great plan is that …

3. IT IS THE CULMINATING EVENT OF ALL HISTORY.

It’s something that Paul says happens “in the dispensation of the fullness of the times”.

The word that Paul uses—”dispensation”—is a word that refers to an administration of a stewardship. If someone owned a big estate, they might hire a ‘household administrator’ or ‘manager’ or a ‘steward’ to take care of things, and to fulfill the owner’s wishes and desires. It would describe a period under which a certain kind of ‘administration’ was put into effect.

In the redemptive plan of God for the ages, He had put several different “dispensations” into effect—that is, several different “administrations” of His plan. Each dispensation had different requirements for people in the outworking of His plan. At first, Adam and Eve lived in innocence before God. His only prohibition to them was that they not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But they disobeyed. The devil—in the form of a serpent—tempted them and they ate. After that, God then administered His redemptive plan through human conscience. People lived before God on the basis of the inner sense of right and wrong that He placed in them. But they failed in that too; and as a result, God sent the flood. After Noah and his family left the ark—the only people left alive on earth—God administered His redemptive plan through civil government. But that failed too, and the people that grew and spread out from Noah’s family began to oppress one another. Then there came a time when God called a man named Abram to Himself. He changed His name to Abraham, and promised to make a great nation of Him—the Jewish nation. He promised to provide a Redeemer through Abraham’s family line. That’s when God administered His plan through a great promise—and the people of the earth related to His grace through faith in that promise. And in time—without ever setting aside His promise to Abraham—God then administered His plan through the law that He gave to the Jewish people through Moses. But the law only made sin more obvious—and people more guilty and in need of a Savior.

All of these different administrations—these different “dispensations”—were pointing ahead to the time when Jesus would be born into the world. In due time, He came; and He lived a sinless life and died on the cross for the sins of all humanity. And now—ever since Jesus rose from the dead—God has been administering His redemptive plan through grace. People are saved by God as a free gift, through faith in Jesus His Son, through the enabling ministry of the Holy Spirit.

But there’s one more ‘administration’ of God’s redemptive plan—one more ‘dispensation—that is yet to come. It will be the ‘dispensation’ that Paul is speaking of in our passage. It will be the time when Jesus Christ will return bodily to this earth—in awesome power and glory—and will reign over the nations as King of kings and Lord of lords for a thousand years. That’s the final administration of God’s redemptive plan for humanity on earth—“the dispensation of the fullness of the times”.

And by the way; do you notice that it’s one “dispensation” (singular) of the fullness of the “times” (plural)? That’s because, in the sovereignty of God our Father, He had one plan throughout the various ages of human history—one plan throughout the various ‘dispensations’. It was expressed long ago in the Garden of Eden; when He told the serpent;

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel (Genesis 3:15).

That’s speaking to us of Jesus. At the right time of history, He was conceived in the womb of Mary and was born into the human family to redeem us. He struck a crushing blow to Satan. And at the right time of history, in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, our Lord will come again to reign over this earth, to cast the devil into prison, and to bring all things into subjection under Himself—all things, including things in heaven and on earth.

God the Father very lovingly tells us this, dear brothers and sisters, so that we will have our faith in Him, and live in victorious hope in this dark and fallen world, and be ready for Him when He comes.

* * * * * * * * * *

And let me point to one more thing that we see about this plan; and that’s that …

4. IT BRINGS TOGETHER ALL THINGS IN CHRIST TO THE GLORY OF THE FATHER.

Paul writes of the Father and says, “that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.” This will be done in Christ to the glory of the Father—when, after He who will have subjected all things to Himself then subjects Himself to the Father.

Look with me at Ephesians 1, where we’re told of all that is done by the Father with respect to our salvation. Verse 6 tells us that it is “to the praise of the glory of His grace”. Verse 12 tells us that we, who receive this great salvation through Christ, “should be to the praise of His glory.” And verse 14 tells us that it’s “to the praise of His glory”.

It’s the Father’s plan—in the fullness of the times—to gather all things in one in Christ to the praise of His glory. And in love, dear brothers and sisters, He lets us know about it now—before it happens.

* * * * * * * * * *

Do you remember how we began our time together? I shared with you, from the beginning of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the frustration that King Solomon felt in trying to find the answer to the question, “What is this world coming to?” And by the end of that book, I believe that God—by grace—let him in on the answer.

Solomon put it in words that would have been appropriate to the dispensation under which he lived. He said;

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

We can live in joyful and victorious hope—with reverence to our heavenly Father—because it has now been made known to us what the plan of God is. He is going to bring all things into one in Christ.

That’s what this world is coming to! Praise Him!

AE