Ephesians 1:1-14

Believers who feel frustrated by the Christian life lack two critical pieces of knowledge: an understanding of God's will and an awareness of the steps to discover His plan for our lives. Over the next couple of days, we will study the nature of God's intentions and how to access them.

Let's begin by taking a look at the "determined will" of God, which includes His unchangeable plans for the world. As the sovereign ruler, He is in total control- no government rises to power and no physical ailment occurs unless He allows it. He is determined to carry out the plan that He developed long before creation.

The Lord reveals very little of His determined will to mankind. We can anticipate only those events He has disclosed, such as Christ's return and the great white throne judgment. (Rev. 19:11; 20:11-15) Much of the knowledge we have comes from our experience and Bible reading. We know, for example, that the Lord has given us limited free will and that He has a plan for redeeming us from the sin in our life.

The Lord will have His way, whether we believe in His sovereignty or not. His plan is far bigger than we can grasp, and it was designed in a way that will glorify Him while revealing our need for Him.

God's purpose is His glory. Because our limited human perspective sees only the evil of crime, disease, and war, people wonder how He can allow these. But we know "God causes all things to work together for good" (Rom. 8:28). Just look at the cross-God's greatest expression of good and glory!

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