God’s Great Plan: Secured Before Time Began

I want to talk about this plan that God set in motion before time began. It was His great delight—He took immense pleasure in this plan. My observation has been that God did something in Christ that concerns you and me before He did anything else. He secured our destiny.

Listen to this: Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10 says,

"We have become His poetry, a recreated people that will fulfill the destiny He has given each of us. For we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it."

Now, let me continue. In Ephesians chapter 3, it says in verse 6:

"Here’s the secret..."

Wait a minute, let me back up. I can’t read all of this to you—you’re going to have to do some reading yourself if you want to find out. In verse 5, it says:

"There has never been a generation that has been given the detailed understanding of this glorious and divine mystery until now. He kept it a secret until this generation."

Paul is referring to his lifetime nearly 2,000 years ago. God revealed this mystery only then to His sacred apostles and prophets by the Holy Spirit.

Here’s the secret: This plan that Paul has been talking about from chapter 1 to chapter 2—the gospel of grace—has made non-Jewish believers co-heirs of His promise through their union with Him. They have now become members of His body, one with the Anointed One.

Let me read verse 9 to you:

"My passion is to enlighten every person to this divine mystery. It was hidden for ages past until now and kept a secret in the heart of God, the Creator of all."

In this Passion Translation, and in others, it says the gospel of grace has made non-Jewish believers co-heirs of His promise through their union with Him. Now, when did you get this union? That’s my question. Is it, as this translation seems to suggest, only for non-Jewish believers? Only for those who believe?

I’m telling you, every man was in the last Adam. What happened to the last Adam happened to every man, just like what happened to the first Adam happened to every man. It was a great mystery, but God has revealed it. He has revealed this great plan.

Through your union with Him, you have become co-heirs of His promise and members of His body. We are one with the Anointed One. This mystery, hidden for ages past, has now been revealed.