INTRODUCTION

1. The gospel of Christ was fully revealed to man nearly 2,000 years ago.  However, the gospel has existed from eternity in the unchangeable mind of God.

2. Let us now consider what God had planned before the foundation of the world, and let us notice that man has no right or power to change that eternal plan today.

    

GOD HAD A PLAN BEFORE HE MADE THE WORLD

1. Before the foundation of the world, there was God.

   1. In the psalm of Moses, he praised God, saying, "Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God" (Ps. 90:2).

   2. Indeed, before anything was created, whether "in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities" (Col. 1:16), there was only God.

2. Before the foundation of the world, the Word was with God and was God.

   1. Within God was a distinct individual who became the means of the world's creation.  This is stated plainly in John 1:1-3, which says,

      ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  ²He was in the beginning with God.  ³All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

   2. The Word later came into His creation, as stated in John 1:14:

      And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

   3. The Word who is God and became flesh is Jesus Christ. Truly, Jesus existed in glory before the foundation of the world, and He stated this in His prayer to God the Father in John 17.

      1. John 17:5 -- "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

      2. John 17:24 -- "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

3. Before the foundation of the world, God had a plan for man.

   1. The mind of God is vast and incomprehensible for man.  We can never grasp the full thoughts of God before creation or since, for His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isa. 55:8-9).

   2. However, we can understand the part of God's mind that He has revealed by His Spirit.  Notice 1Corinthians 2:6-13:

      ⁶Yet 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; ⁷but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; ⁸the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; ⁹but just as it is written, "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." ¹⁰For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.  ¹¹For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?  Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.  ¹²Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, ¹³which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

   3. Indeed, the Holy Spirit has revealed "the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory" and "all that God has prepared for those who love Him."  That revelation explains the plan God had for us before the foundation of the world.

   4. Those who received this revelation by the inspiration of the Spirit were the apostles and prophets, and they wrote what they received so that we may know God eternal plan.  Notice Paul's message in Ephesians 3:4-11:

      ⁴By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which 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; ⁶to 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, ⁷of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.  ⁸To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, ⁹and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; ¹⁰so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.  ¹¹This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

   5. Concerning this eternal plan, Paul also wrote in Ephesians 1:3-6:

      ³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love ⁵He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, ⁶to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

   6. Notice also this eternal plan concerning Christ in 1Peter 1:20-21:

      ²⁰For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

   7. In summary, God's plan since before the foundation of the world has been to make all men, both Jews and Gentiles, holy and blameless through faith in Christ, who died and was raised for all men.  God has now executed His plan through Christ, and He has reconciled all believers to Himself in the church, which is the body of the saved (Eph. 1:22-23; 2:11-22; 5:23).

       

MAN CANNOT CHANGE GOD'S PLAN

1. God does not seek or accept advice from man.

   1. This is well stated in Isaiah 40:13-14, which says,

      ³Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as His counselor has informed Him?  ¹⁴With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?  And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding?

   2. God did not need our advice when He created the world, and He does not need our advice now.

2. It is not man's prerogative to change the plan of God which has existed since before the foundation of the world.

   1. God's plan existed long before we came to life, and it will exist long after we depart from this world.  Nothing we do, say, or think will change God's mind, for He does not change (Jas. 1:17).  Consider Hebrews 6:17-18:

      ¹⁷In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, ¹⁸so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

   2. Our generation foolishly attempts to change God's eternal purpose, but His plan remains the same.

      1. His plan for salvation does not change, for man's only path to God and salvation is Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).  Man cannot devise another path.

      2. His plan for the church does not change, for from eternity He knew that He would build His church on Christ (Matt. 16:13-19).  Man cannot build another body for Christ or divide and denominate the church that Christ built.

      3. His plan for man's conduct does not change, for He has always intended for ("predestined") us be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).  Man cannot conduct himself in unrighteousness and inherit the kingdom of God (1Cor. 6:9-10).

          

CONCLUSION

1. Our time in this world is very brief.  We are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away (Jas. 4:14).

2. Therefore, let us use our brief time in the world to comply with the plan of God that existed before the foundation of the world so that we may enjoy eternal life with the Lord who made us.