With Pastor Joseph Rodrigues
Introduction
Christianity
is not some blind alley that we flounder along in the hope that it leads
somewhere! God has a plan for all his creation. He has revealed it to us his
written word, and through the person of the incarnate word (Jesus).
In the last session, we had a look at the ways
in which God has revealed himself to mankind.
In particular we looked at his revelation to mankind in the written word (the Bible), and in the incarnate word (Jesus).
We also looked at how these two forms of
revelation are in total agreement
with each other. This therefore enables
us to go to God’s written word with confidence in his faithfulness to fulfill all that he has promised.
God’s promises are not haphazard or whimsical
but are in accordance with a plan for his
creation. To understand his
promises, and how we fit into them, we need to be in tune with GOD’S MASTER PLAN. (Note that God’s ‘promises’ may be for good or for bad; for example heaven and hell are equally promised for
appropriate classes of mankind. We need
to know that no one is excluded in
God’s plan!)
What was god’s intention when he created
man? What spoiled it? How did god deal with the problem?
These three seemingly simple
questions hold the key to the whole of God’s relationship with the ones he
created in ‘his own image’. To answer
these three questions is really to discover (or study) God’s master plan of
SALVATION and see its gradual unfolding over the centuries past and its
continual unfolding into the future.
This we intend to do from God’s written word, by first having a look at
the big picture and then zooming in
on the details as individual studies at a later stage.
Starting at the beginning: -
1. The creation and
fall
a. Man
created “in his image”; given authority and dominion over all the earth; given
access to the tree of life, but not given access to the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil upon punishment of death.
(Genesis 1: 26-31; 2: 15-17).
Consider why
access to one and not the other? What
were the vital aspects of relationship with God that were at stake here?
b. Man falls through disobedience; sin
is revealed (Genesis 3: 1-13)
(Consider why
this was wrong
. Isn’t it good to be able to discern
between good and evil? To be independent required rebellion).
c. God
does as he has forewarned; the man and the woman are both punished; their
punishment is
representative of the race. (Genesis
3:15-19)
Note that God shows grace to
both in the midst of judgment ; the human race would
continue (promise to Eve); though he would have to work hard, the man would be
able to produce food to live (promise to Adam).
Note also that Adam and Eve are
not cursed; but the ground is cursed! What does that tell us?
d.
God takes action
against sin. Satan is cursed. God reveals his intention to put away sin (Genesis 3: 14-15). The Bible reveals this plan of God taking
shape over thousands of years. In it,
we see how this sovereign creator god is concerned for people from the least
significant, to the greatest world leaders.
[An important point to keep in mind as we
continue studying the execution of God’s plan from the book of Genesis on, is
the fact that in each of the incidents where god punishes sinfulness, he has already picked out one man and his family for the
continuance of his plan!]
-God
introduces the characteristic constituents of ‘covenant’ with Noah:
(1) promise (Gen. 6:17); (2) sacrifice (Gen. 6:20; & 8:20; note, ‘clean
animals’ (3) law (Gen. 9: 1-8); and (4) sign (Gen. 9:8-17). [Covenant is the subject of a thrilling separate
study we will do later].
-When God sent the flood, his grace had already picked out one man
and his family for salvation -Noah (Genesis
6: 8). Then we see the development
of tribes (‘nations’) and God’s action in confusing them at
-But prior to the
2. God calls Abram
-“All people on earth will be blessed through
you’ (Genesis 12: 3).
Despite
Babel, God has not turned his back on the world; rather, this is how the world
will be yet recovered from the curse (Genesis
3: 14 – 20) and divisiveness (Genesis
11: 9) of sin; this is the line in which will be born the seed of the woman
who will crush the serpent’s head (Genesis
22: 18; compare Gen.3:15).
-God establishes a
covenant with Abram. Fifteen
years after his arrival in
- God gives him the
sign of the covenant in his flesh (circumcision) as a confirmation of
God’s promises to him. In other words, a
sign not of what Abraham is pledging to God but what God is pledging to Abraham. God
changes his name from ‘Abram’ to ‘Abraham’;
‘Sarai’ to ‘Sarah’.
(Genesis 17).
Abraham’s
descendants through Sarah’s line (fathers of the tribes of
Esau’s line (not considered here)
Isaac------ (sons)----------
Jacob’s line (
Wife Leah Zilpah Bilhah Rachel
Reuben Gad Dan Joseph**
Simeon Asher Napthali Benjamin
Levi***
Isaachar ( **Ephraim)
Zebulun (**Manasseh)
The book
of Genesis recounts the story of God’s people until they migrate to
3. God raises up his
servant Moses
-God remembers his covenant with
Abraham and is concerned about his people (Ex 2:24) He now raises up his servant Moses to
liberate them from bondage, to inaugurate his earthly kingdom with
them by bringing them into a special national
covenant with him and to erect within Israel his royal tent.
This account of redemption from bondage, leading to consecration in
covenant and the pitching of God’s royal tent in the earth, all through the
ministry of a chosen mediator, discloses God’s purposes in history- the purpose he would fulfill through Israel
and ultimately through Jesus Christ, the supreme mediator!
-God introduces a foundational
theology where he reveals his name, his attributes, his redemption, his law,
and how he is to be worshipped. God
introduces the concept of a covenant mediator, the concepts of priesthood
and sacrifice, and the roles of prophets and priests in a new covenant
relationship- the Sinai Covenant (the Law).
(Important: Consider why the law was given –see Paul’s account
in Romans).
4. God speaks through his prophets (NB. ‘Prophecy’ =‘foretelling’ and
‘forth-telling’)
There are
two branches in the stream of messianic prophecy-Kingly Messiah & Suffering
Messiah.
For example, Isaiah, looking forward to a new king
seated on David’s throne, spoke prophetically of ‘a shoot coming up
from the root of Jesse’ (Is. 11:1,
10). This prophecy was taken up and
applied to Jesus by Paul in Rom. 15:12. Because he was the father of King David,
Jesse is also mentioned in the genealogies of Christ in Matt.1: 5 and Luke 3:32.
-Isaiah also prophesies about the coming of the
suffering servant (Isaiah 52:13 to
53:12). The combination of this motif with that of the
Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 11 presents us with the basis of the apostolic
teaching that the Messiah of David had to suffer first and then be seated in
glory. The prophetic message anticipates the future unfolding of God’s
plan in the ministry of the Lord Jesus and of the message of the apostles.
-Prophecies in these two specific streams come
from Genesis, Numbers, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Hosea, Deuteronomy, Psalms & Zechariah.
We will examine these and their
fulfillment in another session.
-In addition, there were other general
prophecies of Christ.
-Some prophecies are yet to be fulfilled (e.g.,
Christ’s Second Coming, judgment etc.).
Consider the role and importance of prophecy in God’s master plan!
5. God sends His Son (Christ fulfills “THE LAW”. Now the covenant is in
Christ’s blood).
-The gospels record his birth, life, death and
resurrection “in fulfillment of Scripture”.
-Jesus had proclaimed that ‘the
-However, Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom has
two aspects.
Through his proclamation and ministry, climaxed
in his death and resurrection, the reign of God is now a reality in human
history. As men and women trust in him,
they enter the promised kingdom (Lk. 17:20 ff; 18: 28-30). But there is also the aspect of the ‘kingdom
to come’. We are living in the tension between these two aspects the ‘already’ and the ‘not yet’. This period
between Christ’s first advent and his second advent is called ‘the end times’.
-With time, the gospel spread to the gentiles
(note, this was god’s plan!), where the whole notion of kingship was likely to
be misunderstood, as Jesus himself acknowledged (Mk 10: 42 ff). Other
concepts were used to convey the Christian claim about Jesus. The central focus
of the ‘good news of the gospel’ was no longer the ‘kingdom of god’. Now the
good news was about ‘salvation’ (Acts 16:30 ff; Rom. 1:16 ff)
and incorporation ‘In Christ’ (Rom. 8:1;
Phil. 3:9 ff).
-God’s redemptive plan is revealed in the
church, the reconciling of Jew and Gentile. Paul describes this as a “mystery” revealed to him . In it God displays his “manifold wisdom” in
the heavenly realms so that, ultimately, all things will be brought together
under Christ “when the times will have reached their fulfillment” (Eph. 1:10).
(Read the first three chapters of Ephesians
to understand this revelation; note particularly Eph.3: 6.)
Consider:
where do we fit in God’s master plan?. See also Romans 11. Does this comfort you? Are you special?)
6. God sends his Spirit.
-Jesus promises the Holy Spirit (see John
14: 13ff))
-The promised Holy Spirit comes
(see Acts 2) on the Fast of Pentecost
Important
Note: The Holy Spirit has always been around, from the very beginning of time.
However in the OT we see his influence in the coming upon people to do his work.
Since Christ’s ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit has come to dwell,
that is, take up residence, in each believer.
7. Essential aspects of God’s redemptive plan
yet to be fulfilled.
Consider: what might they be? (Clue: Remember how man was created? God’s original plan?)
-Second coming of Christ
-Resurrection from the dead
-Eternal judgment [
punishment and rewards]
-Sin and Death permanently put away.
All of
these are dealt with as individual studies.
Conclusion