The Plan

TITLE: The Plan
DATE: January 15, 2020
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Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed.

TEXT: Colossians 4:3-4 (ESV) 3  At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4  that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
The world is filled with mysteries. Forget about the Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch and the Bermuda Triangle. Forget about whether there were three or four shots fired at JFK. I’m talking about real mysteries.

• For example, why is it that good parking places always on the other side of the street? It's a mystery.
• Why is it after a raise, do you always have less money at the end of the month than you had before?
• Why is it that bare feet magnetize sharp metal objects so they always point upward from the floor?

We are surrounded by mysteries. Why do two children, both from the same parents, turn out different? Why is one angelic and the other a veritable devil, getting into a multitude of difficulties?

Why is it, at church, the shorter the agenda, the longer the meeting?.They are mysteries.
On a completely different, and far higher plain, is the great mystery of the Savior

I'm not talking about the little (but important) mysteries like: why the Son of God was born in a stable, rather than a palace. Or the little mystery of why God picked the town of Bethlehem rather than selecting the great cities of the ancient world.

I'm talking about the great mystery of a Savior at all: Why did God send His Son into this sinful world to give His life as a ransom for many? This is as great a mystery as we will ever see. The omnipotence of God moves through a Man’s hands; the great wisdom of God is cradled in a human mind; the love of God beats in a human heart, and the Divine grace of God is seen in a human eye.

What kind of God will try to save a world that has rejected Him, turned its back on Him, and will try to kill Him? This is the mystery of God.

Jesus is  born. It was a perfect plan. Complete and sufficient. This plan of God said: Believe on Jesus and you will be forgiven. Believe on Jesus as your Savior and you will not perish but have everlasting life.

Any rational person might think: "This plan is so perfect nobody will try to change it. But it didn't work that way. When Jesus began His ministry, His friends in Nazareth tried to change the plan. The Pharisees, tried to improve God's plan by substituting their laws for God's grace. Jesus' disciples tried to change the plan by talking Him out of dying. His church tried to stop the plan. The Romans didn’t understand the plan.

Wherever He went, whatever He said, Jesus ran into people who wanted to fold, spindle and mutilate God's perfect plan. It's a mystery! When Jesus rose from the dead, Jewish leaders tried to deny God's plan. When they failed, they tried to stomp out the plan by persecuting the followers of Jesus.

By the time Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, false prophets from within the ranks of the church were trying to change God's plan. We have their descendants today who say: "The Bible is filled with errors. All religions are alike. It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you believe something."

To all of these people, God says, "BEWARE! DON'T LET ANYONE CHANGE MY PLAN."

THE PRAYER: Lord, grant that *I may always clearly see and believe in Jesus Christ, Y our Son, our Savior who has rescued us.   In His holy Name I pray it. Amen.

The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html