"Planned"
Overview
The Plan Behind the Gift
Christmas comes with rhythms we know well: planning, preparing, purchasing, and personalizing the gifts we give. Scripture commends planning as a good and faithful work. Proverbs 14:22 promises that "those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness," and Paul speaks of his own plans not as the double-talk of "yes and no" but as ministry directed by God's grace (2 Corinthians 1:17; Romans 15:25). Yet our plans are fragile. Promises break, hopes fall through, and life happens while we are making other plans. God's plans do not.
The greatest gift God gives is redemption—a word that literally means "to buy back." It is slavery language, fitting for a people in bondage to sin who cannot free themselves. The first hint of this rescue appears in Eden. After our first parents fell, God spoke to the serpent: "He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel" Genesis 3:15. The Messiah would suffer (the bruised heel) and crush Satan (the fatal blow to the head) on the cross. This is the first prophecy of Christ.
But the plan goes further back than Genesis 3. Paul writes that God "chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love" Ephesians 1:4. Before "let there be," before there was anything at all, God had you in mind. From eternity, two great spiritual blessings were already secured for you in Christ: you were chosen, and you were redeemed—"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" Ephesians 1:7. Peter echoes this: we were ransomed "not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" 1 Peter 1:18-19. Through faith in Jesus, we who had lost the image of God in the fall are now adopted as His children Ephesians 1:5.
So when you wonder whether God's promises will hold, consider the source. Human plans waver; God's plan does not. If God plans it and promises it, take it to the bank. The gift of redemption you unwrap each Christmas is the unfolding of a very, very old plan—older than creation itself—made personal to you in the waters of Baptism and the blood of Christ. You are not only ready for Christmas; in Him, you are ready for eternity.
Transcript
Are you ready for Christmas? Are you ready for Christmas? We receive that question and we 0s
give that question, don't we? And when we do so, we certainly understand the meaning of it, 8s
right? At the heart of it is, do you have all your gifts? Do you have all your gifts? Or is 17s
the home decorated? Whatever the various traditions are, are you ready for Christmas? 25s
When it comes to the gifts, there really is a rhythm to it, isn't there? 36s
Why there's the planning for the gifts? There's the preparation for the gifts. There's the purchase 45s
of the gifts, and there's the personalizing of the gifts. The planning, preparation, 53s
purchase, and personalizing. In the next four sermons, want to explore with you this rhythm. 64s
This rhythm surrounding gifts, and specifically, we're going to look at God's gift to us 77s
of the gift of redemption. And what we'll see as we unpack the scriptures together, 86s
what we'll see is the plan, the preparation, the purchase, and the personalizing. 94s
It's really good to have a plan, isn't it? Scripture echoes that. Why in Proverbs the 14th chapter? 109s
It says this, those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness. 116s
Just saying the context of Proverbs 14 there, right before it, it's talking about those who do evil. 125s
And now the exact opposite, those who do good, and specifically those who plan to do good. 134s
Or what a blessing that is to others. When you take advantage, of course, of the 142s
happenstance occurrences that God brings about by His grace to do good to someone, 148s
but also the planning of it, the specific planning of how you can do good to someone. 155s
How you can encourage them and assist them and help them, however you want to fill in the blank. 165s
And what is the result? Scripture tells us, those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness. 171s
It's good to have a plan. Scripture tells us, second Corinthians, the first chapter, 182s
Paul says this, do I make plans according to ordinary human standards? Ready to say yes, yes, 187s
and no, no at the same time. I so often we can see that in plans, right? There's the double talk. 196s
There's the yes and the no and it's said at the same time, Paul says, that's not how I plan by the grace of God. 205s
We see the plan reflected in Romans the 15th chapter. Paul says this, at present, 215s
I am going to Jerusalem in a ministry to the saints. It's good to have a plan. 221s
And God had a plan. God had a plan. Specifically, a plan for redemption. 235s
That's a really important word to understand. We see that throughout the Scriptures. 247s
Redemption means to buy back to buy back. That's slavery language, isn't it? 254s
It's echoed in what we confess on Sunday morning. Here the buy back language. 262s
We confess that we have sinned against you and thought word indeed what we've done and what we've 269s
left undone and what's the preface to all that. We're in what bondage to sin and can't 277s
free ourselves. That slave language, that echoes the language of Scripture. That means for our freedom, 285s
we need to be purchased. We need to be bought back. We need to be redeemed. A ransom needs to be paid for us. 293s
The price and God's plan for redemption is revealed all the way back in the book 309s
of Genesis. Remember what Scripture tells us that God spoke and it came into being. The Latin phrase is 322s
Ex-Nilio out of nothing. There was God and there was nothing. And God created all that there is. God simply 332s
spoke it into existence. God said, let there be and there was. There's no hesitation or doubt 344s
when God speaks it is. And the crown of God's creation, that Scripture reveals. The crown 353s
of creation was humankind. That's what God delighted in the most. And God drew the distinction between 364s
himself and humankind. He was the creator we were the created. He said to our first parents, 376s
you can freely eat of any tree in the garden, save one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 386s
God says the day you eat of that, the day you determine for yourself that which is right and wrong, 390s
you die. You die. It is the death penalty. Every other tree including the tree of life. 397s
But one they couldn't eat from. And that's the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 406s
What do our first parents do? They eat from that tree. Sin enters into creation. God's judgment 412s
enters into creation. Death enters into creation. It is the fall of humankind. 419s
Into the perfect pristine creation of God created as He speaks it into existence. Now, 428s
sin has infiltrated and humankind has fallen. And the judgment has come. The judgment is death. 438s
For humankind that was to live forever on this earth. Now, there is the fixing. Each individual 448s
unique of the bounds of time we die as a reflection of our own sinfulness and a reflection of the 458s
chapter. After the fall, there are the curses that are communicated. That's where we pick up. 478s
Verse 14, please, of chapter 3 of Genesis. The Lord God said to the serpent, 488s
because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals. Remember Satan had taken the form of a 498s
wild creatures. Upon your belly, you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 508s
I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers. He will strike 516s
your head and you will strike his heel. If you're a Bible writer, I'd encourage you to circle 523s
verse 15 specifically. He will strike your head and you will strike his heel. 532s
So what is the effects now of sin? The effects now of sin is that there would be this continual 541s
enmity between the offspring of the woman. That's all of us and Satan and the demonic forces. 550s
That finds its culmination in the battle with Christ. This is the first prophecy of the coming Messiah. 562s
Look again at 15. I will put enmity between you and the woman between your offspring and hers. 577s
He will strike your head and you will strike his heel. 586s
Now if you had a choice between having your heel struck or your head struck, 597s
that's a simple answer. Is it not? What is the striking of the heel mean of the Messiah from Satan? 604s
That's the suffering that Jesus would undergo. What is the striking of the head to the evil one? 612s
That is what God Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. The fatal blow to Satan himself. 623s
All the way back then. All the way back to Genesis 3. You have revealed the plan of God 635s
for the gift. The gift being the buyback. The gift being redemption. All the way back 648s
to Genesis 3. But here's the thing. The plan. It goes even farther than Genesis 3. It goes even 661s
farther back than that. Okay, let's go to Ephesians 1 now please. That's page 169 678s
in the New Testament. We pick up here in verse 3. In the Apostle Paul writing 687s
into the inspiration of the Spirit writes this page 169 Ephesians 1 chapter verse 3. 698s
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every 709s
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 716s
To bless God is to praise God. To bless God is to call God good and what God does as good. So praise 727s
be to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who's blessed us in Christ with every spiritual 736s
blessing in the heavenly places. One of the reasons why we praise Him and called Him good is because 745s
we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing and every spiritual blessing is rooted in who? 754s
In Christ, right? That's echoed elsewhere by the Apostle Paul when Paul says 762s
that Christ is the guarantee of every single promise of God. What are the spiritual blessings? 768s
Verse 4. Just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world 779s
to be holy and blameless before Him in love. Just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of 788s
the world. So Genesis 3 gives us the first prophecy of the coming Messiah. But the plan of redemption 808s
doesn't start by some by our God who is reactive to that which has occurred the fall 819s
in the garden. No, the plan of redemption goes all the way back before God said let there be. 827s
What does that tell us? It tells us that God is omniscience knows that the fall what happened 837s
before He ever said let there be out of an Eve. The gift then the plan for the gift, the plan for 842s
the buyback goes back before anything in creation existed. It goes back to the time where you have 851s
God and you have nothing. But at that point is the plan of redemption. Verse 4 again, 862s
just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before 873s
Him in love. We are blameless because of the cross of Jesus Christ. We are blameless because 882s
our sin has been a tone for by the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we receive the righteousness 891s
of Christ. That's what's called the imputed righteousness of Christ. Christ takes our sinfulness 898s
on the cross and we are given. We are imputed His perfect life. So the world then is reconciled 904s
unto God, received then by faith that God gives. So you then beloved were chosen before God ever 913s
said let there be. You were chosen to be His, to be holy and blameless. Now ponder that for a moment. 923s
Before there ever was anything when there is God and nothing God had you in mind and God 935s
chose you that when you would come upon the sea, His gracious gift was for you personally, 950s
as you are claimed in the waters of baptism. What's the motivation? 967s
The last two words in verse 4 in love. In love. Verse 5, He destined us for adoption as 974s
his children through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will. We were not part of 984s
His family because we had fallen away and now we have been made part of His family. Okay, 991s
here this and it says, everyone is a child of God. Now I'm going to ask for a show of hands here 1003s
or a verbal response but think your response here. Everyone is a child of God's, that true false. 1013s
It's false. Scripture tells us that people are children of God when they are in faith in the 1021s
image of God. We lost the image of God in the fall of sin. Adam and Eve were created in the 1033s
image of God and then it says they had a son, Seth and the Scripture says of Seth that he was 1044s
created in the image of his parents. So that's a reflection that we're not created in the image 1049s
of God. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. We've lost the image of God. We are not 1057s
children of God. Not everyone is a child of God. The only people that are children of God are those in 1062s
the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why it says in verse 5, He destined us for adoption as his 1067s
children. We weren't children before of Him and now we are of Him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1078s
Go on. Verse 5 again. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, 1089s
according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that He freely 1095s
bestowed on us in the beloved. So here's the first of the spiritual blessing. 1101s
They were chosen by God from all eternity. That God had us in mind. 1109s
He went to the cross. He died for the sins of the entire world. 1119s
And indeed, having been forgiven through the cross of Jesus Christ, He's claimed us as his own 1126s
in the waters of baptism. The first spiritual blessing. Here's the second. 1133s
Go on into verse 7. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses 1141s
according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us. We have redemption. 1150s
The byback. So the first spiritual blessing is for chosen. The second spiritual blessing 1159s
is we have been redeemed. Scripture tells us in first Peter, the first chapter. It says this, 1165s
you know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, 1173s
not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, 1179s
like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. Spiritual blessing one, we're chosen. 1185s
Spiritual blessing two, we have been redeemed. And the plan for the gift of redemption 1193s
goes all the way back to Genesis 3, right? Yes, it goes all the way. Father back in that, right? 1201s
It goes all the way back before God ever said, let there be. We can doubt the plan, however, 1212s
can't we? We can doubt the plan. You know, I think of phrases that are associated with planning. 1229s
They're good phrases. Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do 1244s
something about it now. That's good, right? A goal without a plan is just a wish. 1251s
That's good. Failing the plan is planning to fail. Right? It's good. It's good. 1263s
But what's also true? It's also true. A phrase like this. Life is what happens to us 1275s
while we're making other plans. That's true, isn't it? There's this phrase, plan on it, plan on it. 1287s
Who of us here have never had multiple experiences when the person promising plan on it didn't 1301s
come through with it? Right? Or this? I've got great plans for you. I've got great plans for you. 1308s
Are there people here that have heard that? But those great plans? 1323s
They just didn't pan out. Plans are good. Yes. But plans are no guarantee 1328s
of that which will come into reality. But with God, 1343s
look at the text, please, verse 8. With all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us 1354s
the mystery of his will. According to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 1372s
your comes. As a plan for the fullness of time together up all things in him, things in heaven, 1383s
and things on earth. In Genesis, we see the perfect unified creation on 1399s
level and in Ephesians, the theme is restoring of unity and how is the unity restored? 1411s
The unity is restored by God working God's plan. See beloved, 1425s
if God plans it and if God promises it, 1442s
take it to the bank, take it to the bank because the one that stands behind those words 1449s
is God and his plan of redemption, because all the way back, not only the Genesis 3, 1463s
it goes all the way back before there was anything. Are you ready for Christmas? 1481s
God the gifts? God has made you ready for eternity through the gift of redemption. 1498s
And that gift of redemption is just a living out of a really, really, really old plan. 1513s