Two thousand years ago was a long time ago, but that was the right time for Christ to come to earth. Scripture says, "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship." Gal. 4:4-5.
The purpose of Jesus coming is clear. He made it possible for us to be adopted as sons of God. From start to finish, God has a plan for His family, and more of it unfolds as time passes by.
What prophetic time are we in now? It feels like we are close to the great tribulation. We read God's Word, and He gives us insight. If we see God's plan and know the time we are in, we can be in step with Him and participate with faith, purpose and excitement.
1) Looking at the Pattern
First of all, we should discover the ways God operates, because that will help us understand His plan. He is the sovereign God, the great designer, and the way maker. Many of us think He is just making the way for us to get through our trials. However, He has a larger plan put in place before the world was made. The planet was created for His Son, and people were made for Jesus to have a family. That is why we must become sons of God. Everything is in Christ and for Christ.
Whatever we are working through, the answer is always found in putting Jesus first. If we walk down paths that fail to do this, we will always miss the mark. Our motto is - "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Phil. 1:21
We are Christ's disciples in life, we follow Him and are blessed, and when we die we receive our reward.
2) In the Fullness of Time
Secondly, God is never late or early; He has a set time for everything to happen. For us, this requires patience. Children are often impatient. If not disciplined, they throw temper tantrums when they do not get what they want.
Part of being a mature believer is having faith and putting our trust in Him. We believe that He will work everything out for good on our behalf, no matter how long it takes. The condition for this result is that we trust Him and become called into His good purpose (see Romans 8:28). Those who trust in the Lord and move in unity with Him will never be ashamed.
3) A Godsend
We know that God sent his Son to us. He did not come from human action or effort. Therefore, we always look for the hand of God in what we do. We need the supernatural touch of God in our lives.
4) Born of a Woman
Perhaps the greatest dynamic of the Christian story is the humility of Christ. When Jesus came, He who was God became human. That was a huge act of humility, but it goes on much deeper than that; He did not come as a man, but as a seed placed in the womb of a young girl.
God looks for humility in us. He gives grace (help) to the humble. If we want to know the Lord, and be in step with Him, we must walk in humility; not weakness, but meekness.
5) Born Under the Law
We learn from Christ's story that we need to submit to others. As designed, Jesus was born under the law. This is difficult for some, but the law of the Lord is perfect, and at that time it was required for the Jewish people. It represents God's ways, precepts, instruction, counsel and commandments (see Psalm 119).
Jesus set an example of one who was totally submitted to the directives of His Father. It was not only the voice of Heaven that He learned to obey, but the guidance God gave through the spiritual leaders of the day.
Some folks want to be "freelance" believers. They say they are submitted only to God, Himself. This is not the example of Christ. Besides obeying His Heavenly Father, He submitted Himself to the directives of the Church. That is a much harder rule we must follow. We need to submit ourselves to God and one another; our success in Him depends on it.
6) To Redeem Those Under the Law
The authority of the ministry of Christ is our final point. Jesus redeemed us from the law of sin and death when He died for us on the cross. It was effective because of His obedience to His Heavenly Father's direction. Jesus had authority because He obeyed God and followed these precepts:
- We must learn the ways of the Lord so we can partner with Him.
- We must be patient and wait for God's timing.
- We must let God perform miracles; we need supernatural proof of God's hand in what we do.
- We must be humble in our work for the Lord.
- We must submit to others in the fear of God, and follow the rules God laid out for us.
- We will be effective as servants if we obey Him. Authority in ministry comes from submitting to Christ and being obedient to Him.
Paul made it clear that Christians must follow the rules. Some want the blessings of Christ without obeying the Lord's commandments.
Follow and believe in the ways of the Lord. It is time to serve Him.
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