When Did Christ Learn the Secret? ...The Mystery?

Below is a transcribed grace message
with minor edits for readability
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I told you a couple weeks ago that this morning I wanted to talk to you about something that I personally find to be an awesome subject, a humbling subject, and, it’s almost a dangerous subject.  And yet, it is one that is so transforming when you understand it correctly, that the power and the influence of this information in your life can be totally transforming. And it has that power because we are going to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ—the unique person of the universe.  

The person who is the central issue in all of our faith; the one that is the reason we are gathered here together today, is because of Him.  And there are some wonderful things in the bible about Him.  There is something that is so awesome, at least to me, about the Lord Jesus Christ in relationship to the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began but now is made manifest (Romans 16:25). 

There are some things about who He is.  Paul says that it’s ‘that we preach Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.’  We don’t preach the mystery, we preach Christ, according to this unprophesied program that has been made known today.  Paul said, we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.  That’s the issue.  Paul said My little children, I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.  You see it's Christ in you that is the hope of glory [Col 1:27].  It isn’t me, it isn’t a church doctrine, it isn’t a system of thought, it isn’t some of your performance: it’s Christ!  And the thing that makes Christianity different from all the religions of the world is that it's not a performance-based system that you accomplish, it’s a life that God Himself, the Creator of heaven and earth wants to live out in you (Gal 2:20).  And that life is the life of His Son [2 Cor 4:11].  And there’s some things about the issue with regard to this unprophesied program, this mystery, this thing which was kept secret since the world began but now is made manifest through the ministry of the apostle Paul, that allows, when you see that and you understand it, allows you to appreciate what it is at the core of having Christ live in you.  Because His life is put on display in human form in His earthly life [1 Tim 3:16].  The word became flesh and dwelt among us.  And the perfect humanity that He lived is a demonstration of the life that we are designed and empowered to now live.

And so I want to talk to you...the question is “When Did Jesus Learn The Secret?”  When did He learn about the mystery?  And the answer to that goes to an understanding of who He is as the man Christ Jesus. 

I’m just going to start way back in eternity past and come up til now, and we’ve only got 35-40 minutes to do it, so we’re gonna go through all eternity in 40 minutes. Good luck.  I hope the roast isn’t gonna burn.

Ephesians Chapter one verse number eight [tells of] one of the spiritual blessing that God has given us in Christ…

Ephesians 1: 8-11

Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence having made known unto us the mystery of his will ['His will' is the will of God the Father.  It’s the Father that has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, His wisdom, His prudence has been given to us by the making known unto us of the mystery of His will] according to His good pleasure which he has purposed in Himself.  That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, which are on earth, even in Him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

In eternity past, the Godhead, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, had a council meeting.  In the bible all the council meetings in the bible are bad ones.  (All the "council meetings" throughout Church history have been bad ones.)  But this one was good. God convened it; and, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit were the only ones there.  It was planned and purposeful; it was according to his good pleasure which he purposed in Himself.  Before they ever made anything back in eternity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, planned something.  They purposed something in them, among themselves, and it was called for His “good pleasure.”  It’s something they delighted in. Something they found joy in.  Something they were excited about accomplishing. 

When Paul talks about this ministry that was committed to him, this mystery, this secret which was committed to his trust to make known to us, it always goes back before the world began, to when it was planned.

Titus 1:1-2 

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;   But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me...

The preaching Paul is doing in due time [1 Tim 2:6-7] here is something that is manifesting something that God planned before the world began.  And you notice, he also "promised." It’s the promise of eternal life, which was promised before the world began. 

Think about it, who was back there before the world began?  Well, you know who was back there: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Nobody else was back there before the world began. He creates heaven and earth, He creates angels, He creates man, but before all that, there is only the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  And they promised, they planned, and they purposed to do some things in time.  One of the things they planned to do is form "the church, the body of Christ," of which we’re members of today.  We’re a part of something that God before the foundation of the world planned to do.  Again, it was only the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit that counseled together and made up the Plan.  With purpose [Eph 3:11], they developed  Plan that they’re going to execute. 

When you read Genesis chapter number one and the Bible says ‘In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without from and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said," and God begins the execution there at that time. When He did that He had already planned what He was doing.  God didn’t step out on nothing and say ‘Let there be heaven and earth, let there be light, let there by dry land and sea.  He didn’t just say: “Wonder what I’m going to do today.  Oh, I got an idea!”  No, He didn’t do it that way.  He pre-planned everything He was doing. Before creation began, the Godhead had planned within themselves what they were going to do. And so when God steps out and says “Let there be...” He’s carrying out something He already planned to do. 

Turn to Proverbs 8.

Proverbs 8:12

I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

Notice how the writer personifies wisdom.  Wisdom is going to speak. 

Proverbs 3: 19-20

The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.  By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down dew.

Notice that God, when he founded the earth, laid the foundation of the earth, when he established the heavens, He did it on the basis of some wisdom and understanding that He had already developed.  He set up a Plan and He called that Plan “wisdom.”  God has this wise Plan.  Now in Proverbs eight this wise plan is personified. What Proverbs does is it allows that plan to speak as though it were a person.  Now, when you personify something, you want it to live. You remember Hebrews 4:12  ~The word of God is quick and powerful...and, you know that word quick means alive.  The word of God is living.  The word of God is the personification of God Himself.  And that’s why this Plan is allowed to speak for itself because it’s the living word of God, back here.  And that Plan begins to talk about what is going to happen.

Proverbs 8:22-27

The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.  I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.  When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.  Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:  While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.  When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth…

What wisdom is doing is he’s saying: I was there, before God ever made anything, I was there.  And then verse thirty:  ~Then [that is while He’s creating/making things] was I by him as one brought up with Him.  I was daily His delight rejoicing always before Him. [Picture this]There’s this Plan.  God’s got it sitting on the table there.  The "blue prints," if you will. And He goes out on day one and He executes the Plan for day one and He comes back and He looks at the blue print, He looks at that and He says “Hot Dog, I did it, it’s there.  There it is!” And you know what Genesis one said?  God saw what He made and He said, it was what? Good!  Daily!  Every day of creation was His delight! [Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31]  He didn’t just say, it’s ok.  He said “Hot diggity dog, I got it.  There it is, I nailed that thing.” God was excited about what He was doing.  All the angels watched and you know what, Job 38:7 says? It says they shouted for joy.  They saw God doing it.  They are  getting excited about what He’s doing. They got caught up in it, and they got happy too.  God was excited about the execution of the Plan that He has written down over here. 

Now, frankly, and I know it’s considered heresy in some places, but, if you were to take that Plan that He wrote down (Remember: the word of God is settled in heaven for how long?  [Psalms 119:89]) and looked on the back of it, it would have said: Word Of God.  If it had been in your language, it would have said, well....well you know what it would say: it would say “King James Bible” on it, if it been in your language.  Because that’s the Plan in your language.  And God goes back here and checks it, and executes it. And at each stage of the way He’s carrying out this Plan that He has.  And so when you think ‘did the Lord Jesus Christ know about the mystery?’ Absolutely!  He was at that Council table, He was at the table when the Plan was originated. We studied last time about Ephesians one, how God the Father, had the Plan and God the Son, goes out and purchases and provides the mechanism [Eph 1:14] whereby the Plan can be put into effect.  And God the Holy Spirit, comes along and secures and guarantees its successful accomplishment.  The whole of the Godhead works in common-union to accomplish the Plan. 

So did He know about it?  Absolutely He knew about it! As a member of the Godhead, as the second person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ knew, and agreed to the execution of the Plan, and particularly, His part in the Plan.  You with me?  That isn’t hard to understand.

Come with me to Philippians chapter two. Here’s when it gets thick. Because part of the Plan had to do with God the Son, stepping out of eternity into time as the Word becoming flesh, joining Himself with His creation and taking upon Himself, a body of flesh that God the Father prepared for Him [Hebrews 10:5].    

In Philippians chapter two verse five, Paul says “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Now it's not the Holy Spirit's intent for anyone to ‘go back and follow the Jewish program that Christ followed in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.’  That isn’t what Paul’s saying.  Because God the Holy Spirit is going to describe to you what the mind is that He wants you to have.  And He doesn’t say anything about going back and following the Jewish program that Christ was under.  Jesus was made of a woman, made under the law. He lived under the Mosaic Law system [Gal 4:4], and all of His earthly ministry is under the old testament covenant of the law given to Israel.  And He’s not talking about that [Jewish] economy which He lived under [in his earthly ministry in his flesh.]  He’s talking about the mind-set He had while in the flesh. 

[It is critical for you to rightly divide so as to be able to differentiate that God has had different programs through the ages, with different dispensational instructions.  But in every age, the basic function and the basic issue has been what?  Faith! Faith in what God told you [Romans 10:17].  The content of the [progressive] revelation would change but the issue of faith in God’s word has always been the same issue.  The issue of faith is believing what God said to you, and that would be what He had perfectly preserved, His words in the King James. 

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus
You’re gonna see the kind of attitude [mind-set] toward God’s word that He desires you to have. And Paul said, I want you as a member of the body of Christ to have the same attitude toward God’s word that Jesus Christ had. 

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:” 

Understand something.  Jesus Christ was God.  Is God.  There’s no robbery, there’s no diminishing of God the Father’s status to say that Jesus is God the Son.  In fact, God the Father, calls the Lord Jesus Christ God, in two or three places in your bible.  If God the Father, thinks God the Son, is God…if He would look at Him and say Thy throne O God, then it’s no problem for me to understand the Son is God, equal with the Father. That’s what the Father thinks.  I think the Father knows. Ok?  I’m going to agree with the Godhead about that one.  There’s no question about the deity of Christ!

But there’s something fixing to happen in this passage that allows you and me to come in contact with Deity, in a way that we couldn’t otherwise do.    

Who, being in the, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation...  

I love that. The first way you think like God thinks is that you don’t make yourself of any reputation. Jesus was right, He was never wrong. He never did anything to offend anyone, but when people were offensive to Him, He could stand and say “You’ve got no right” but He never did that.  He never defended Himself against evil accusations.  As a lamb is was dumb before the shearers, so He opened not His mouth.  He didn’t make Himself, He didn’t take His reputation and prove He was right.  He said I didn’t come for that. He made Himself of no reputation...but  took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Now I want you see the thing in Philippians 2:7.  Notice the verbs: He made himself of no reputation and took upon Him....nobody forced Him to do this.  Jesus Christ--now get this terminology in your mind--Jesus Christ voluntarily, of His own free will to lay aside His ability to independently exercise the use of all of His attributes as God.  He is God.  You can’t change the fact that He’s God, you cannot change His essence and His being.  But He made Himself, He took upon Himself, He made a choice, to lay aside the independent exercise of all of His deity attributes. In essence, He said, I won’t use my power, my ability as God.  He made Himself of no reputation.  

There’s a doctrine in theology known as the doctrine of the Kenosis and that comes from the Greek word that is translated ‘made Himself of no reputation’ and you will see translations that say ‘He emptied Himself.’  You cannot empty yourself of who you are.  I’m sorry. He can’t empty Himself of Deity.  I mean, you can’t quit being human can you? Well, the answer’s no.  If you look at your husband and you scratch your head and you say I don’t know about that at times. Well, no, he’s still human; he might be a flawed human but he’s still human. Plus, he married you.  He had pretty good judgment at one time in life.  Don’t look at me, don’t look at me... so...fellows that was a point you should have said “Amen.”  You know, I should have had a chorus of males saying ‘Amen’ to me this morning.  You are all mighty quiet. 

Jesus Christ can’t give up His deity.  He does not empty Himself.  He made the choice to lay aside the independent exercise of His deity in order to become a man, and to be made in the fashion as a servant.  Now that term servant is very important. Because there is something about the status of being a servant.  Mark thirteen and John chapter fifteen. 

The Lord Jesus Christ laid aside the free and independent exercise of His Deity attributes in order to be in made in the fashion as a man and be found as a servant. 

In Mark, Jesus is talking. It’s on the Mount of Olives and he’s giving the Olivet discourse... Heaven and earth...

Mark 13: 31-32

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Now how is it that Jesus Christ could say of the day and the hour of my second advent over there and my coming back, no man knows, the angels don’t know.  I don’t even know it.  Only my Father which is in heaven knows it?  How is it that the one who planned it, laid the schedule out back here in eternity past and worked all things according to this schedule, a minute time schedule? I mean, when He was born it was in the fullness of the time God sent forth His Son...right on a time schedule…Jesus Christ steps out of heaven and becomes a man.  How is it then that He who is God could say that I don’t know the time of my coming, only the Father knows it? 

He gave them up! He laid them aside, the free independent exercise of His attributes as God, of omniscience, of knowing all things, and laid aside that independent exercise of what He knew, and chose to know only what the Father told Him. Now that’s a choice that He made, but He made that choice.  [Jesus did not lie (remember He is still God, and God cannot lie) when He said neither the Son knoweth that day nor hour.]

Come with me to John chapter fifteen.  By the way, Mark presents the Lord Jesus Christ as what?  Matthew presents Him as King.  Luke presents Him as the Man.  John presents Him as God.  Mark presents Him as what? The Servant.  Right.  John fifteen.  By the way, that’s only quoted in Mark.  In Matthew it doesn’t say, ‘neither the son.’  It’s only in Mark that it’s recorded because in Mark He’s presented as the servant. 

John fifteen fifteen explains that:

Henceforth I call you not servants, talking to the apostles, for the servant knoweth not what his Master doeth.  But I’ve called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father, I’ve made known unto you.

Notice the characteristic of a servant.  A servant does not know all the things that his master does.  A servant has limited knowledge.  A servant only knows what his master tells him.  He doesn’t know everything.  Here is God the Son, [He] has all the infinite knowledge of God, [He] knows everything God the Father knows, […everything] God the Holy Spirit knows.  He knows everything they’ve planned; but, in order to be your Saviour—in order for that word, that expression of God to become flesh—He made a choice: He made Himself of no reputation.  In other words: “I’ll not use my personal attributes.”  And He took upon Himself willingly the role of a servant. 

He chose to become a servant and one of the characteristics of a servant is: he does not know everything there is to know about the Master’s plan.  … for the servant knoweth not what his Master doeth.

He’s going to live in total dependence upon what the Master tells Him.  Isn’t that what the rest of that verse said… for all things that I have heard of my Father, I’ve made known unto you. Where did Jesus get the things from?  He lived--listen to me now--Jesus Christ chose, willingly, purposely, to live as ‘the man, Christ Jesus’ in absolute, complete, total dependence on what His Father told Him: in absolute, complete, total dependence on the will, and the word of the Father to Him.  We too, along with the Little Flock in Israel in time past, before the "but now"  of this dispensation of God's grace,  and as the Believing Remnant after the catching away of the body of Christ are to do the same: be totally dependent on the word and will of the Father.

Now, when I say that, you know I keep repeating that because you get into the awe and the wonder of who He is.  I can’t explain that to you.  In church history there have been all kind of heresies.  The Nestorians and the Sabians and so forth.  And, I can’t work all that out for you.  I can just tell you what the verses say: that in order to become your Redeemer, the Word became flesh. 

God Himself has entered into human history in a way that you can’t even imagine.  In a way you would have never thought to have asked Him.  He stepped out of heaven into the events of human history by taking upon Himself our humanity, and fleshing Himself in our limitations.  Set apart, but in the likeness of sinful flesh, with your limitations.  And, laid aside all of the riches that He had as God. He didn’t quit being God, He just wasn’t going to exercise those deity attributes on His own [in his humanity].  He was going to put Himself in complete total dependence on the other members of the Godhead, [i.e., depending] on God the Father and on God the Holy Spirit. 

When He lived His life [on earth in his humanity], day by day, He lived that life in absolute complete total dependence on the word of His Father, on the truth that He received from His Father. 

John 5:19

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 

Notice that the Lord Jesus Christ—in His life as the man, Christ Jesus—didn’t live in His identity as the one with all the creative attributes of the universe. Rather, He lived in perfect humanity.  He demonstrated what it is to live as God incarnate, in human flesh.  He lived in exactly the way God intends every man to live.  He lived in total dependence on the will and the word of His Father and He said, without what the father tells me, I can do nothing. 

John 5:30

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

John 7:16

Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

In other words, He said:  I’m telling you what the Father told me to tell you.

John 8:26-28

I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

You see what the Lord Jesus Christ does in His earthly life is He walks by faith, faith in what the Father taught Him...about who He was...and about what He was going to do. 

Come back to chapter five, I skipped a verse there that we should pick up. 

John 5:25

For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he [the Father] will shew him [the Son] greater works [yet to come] than these, that ye may marvel.

Notice that the Father communicates to the Son His plan and purpose.  Hold your hand there and come with me to Matthew chapter eleven.  And you see this all through the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 11:25-27

At that time [and that’s going to be the time of their rejection of Him] Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes [little, dependent ones].  Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Jesus Christ was educated by His father.  Go back over to Luke chapter two; Luke is such a wonderful book about the Lord Jesus Christ and His person—who He is as the man Christ Jesus.  Talking about Him as a child and as a youth, it says…

Luke 2:40

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Where do you get wisdom?  You get it out of God’s word.  You get wisdom from God.  This wise plan that the Lord Jesus Christ from just a youth is being educated by Mary and Joseph, teaching Him from the scriptures. 

Luke 2:52

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. 

He’s growing in an understanding of God’s word, and of His plan and [His] purpose in it. 

Luke 3:21

Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Now you can read over that and miss that.  But if you compare that with the account in Matthew three…

Matthew 3:16

… the heavens open and a voice from the Father said ‘this is my son in whom I well, in whom I’m well pleased. 

[In] Matthew presenting Him as the king, you hear the announcement of heaven to the world and to Israel, “this is my Son”.  But in Luke, looking at Him, at who He is [in his humanity], notice it doesn’t say “This is my Son.” In Luke the Father isn’t addressing the crowds, He’s addressing His Son.  And He says, “Thou art…”.  You see that?  You see how different that is then in Matthew, it’s Here He is...see Him everybody.  In Luke He puts His arm around Him and He says “You’re my Son.”  God the father is personally educating the Lord Jesus Christ as to His identity as to who He is.  He doesn’t come into the world saying “I’m the Creator....I’m the Messiah.”  He comes in having chosen to lay aside that knowledge and that capacity so that He could live in humanity's limitations—being made in the likeness of sinful flesh, being engulfed by the limitations of humanity.  And yet, in total dependence upon what God the Father teaches Him. 

And as the Father teaches Him, and as the Father speaks the word, and as the word of God begins to instruct Him, He comes to understand who He is and believe who He is because He is believing what God the Father told Him.  You know how He knew who He was?  As Israel’s Messiah, He knew because the Father said “Thou art my beloved Son” and He’s depending by faith upon the word of His Father. [note: i.e., His faith, aka, the ”faith of Christ”]  Can you grasp some of that in your mind...without becoming a heretic? Can you relax and just see how that Jesus Christ lived in complete and total dependence upon His Father’s word to Him?

Come over with me to John fourteen.  Phillip didn’t have such a great day, this day, and he asked a dumb question...

John 14:9-10

Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. He said the words that I speak, they are the Father’s words. 

[In other words…] The works that I do, they’re done "in faith" on what I know, and what I do is what the Father told me to know and told me to do.  And Jesus Christ lived His life in absolute and complete dependence...trust...faith in the will of His Father. 

When Paul said ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.’[Gal 2:20]  The faith of the Son of God is what we are talking about here.  Jesus Christ was faithful to simply trust what His Father told Him.  Paul says that’s the way you and I should live our Christian life.  That’s how Christ lives in us--when we live in total belief and dependence on His word to us.  That’s why rightly dividing the word of truth is so critically important.  You can’t live by faith in the word of God to someone else.  You have to live by faith in God’s word to you as a member of the church, the body of Christ.  But once you know what that word is, then it’s just simply living day by day, moment by moment, in absolute complete belief, trust, and dependence on that word.  Because it’s when you depend on something, that’s when it controls your life.  And the ‘control of God’ comes into your life as the love and grace of God in Christ Jesus, and in His word to you, [it] begins to control you, your thoughts and actions, [as you] depend upon that to be your life, and to be your wisdom. 

Now, come with me to Romans chapter number one, because the question is, when did Jesus know the mystery? He knew it in eternity past, and then He chose not to know it in order to become a man, and to become a servant and [as such] not know everything that He knew but to just live in dependence on what the Father had revealed to Him.  So as a Servant His role had a time of limited understanding and limited knowledge because the Father had only revealed certain things to Him and He walked in dependence on what the Father’s revealed.  Then in Romans chapter one, talking about the Gospel of God…

Romans 1:3

Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness. [How?]  By the resurrection from the dead:

There came a point in time where this one who had taken upon Himself the form of a servant is now declared by God the Father to be the Son.  And that took place at and by the resurrection.

You know I told you, you have to think about this.  But boy when you think about it and the awesomeness of it gets a grip on your heart, all of a sudden, your Christian life takes on a whole new perspective.  Never again would it be: I’m going to strive in order to attain.  It’s just: I’m going to live in dependence on who I am.  Because the Father told me this.  I’ll let the life that I now live in the flesh be the life that Jesus Christ lives in and through me.  I’ll live like He lived.

Adoption
Now, this thing about being declared a son is called in the bible, adoption.  It’s the doctrine of adoption.  Now, we think of adoption a little differently than it is thought of in the bible.  You know, you take a child and maybe you’re not the biological parents but you adopt them and you’re going to treat them like they are your children.  And we’ll take infants and small children that way...[but] in the bible that isn’t the way it is. Galatians four explains it. 

Galatians 4:1-2

Now, I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; [Now, Jesus Christ was lord of all, was He not?  But because He took upon Himself the form of a servant, He doesn’t/isn’t functioning in the adult status of a son yet. So here is the illustration: The heir, as long as he is a child, he’s still a minor, differs nothing from a servant,] but is under tutors and governors [i.e., he’s told what to do and when to do it and when not to do, he’s instructed, as doesn’t know, he’s under the tutors and governors] until [and, circle that “until”] the time appointed of the father.

And at that point, when the time appointed of the father comes, He moves from the status of being a child—the servant status--to the status of being declared a full grown adult son. 

Verse six says…

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

You see that movement [shift] from servanthood to sonship?  That movement [shift in status] is called “adoption”—the placing as sons in the family.  Now that took place with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Hebrews chapter one describes it. 

Hebrews 1:1-3                            

God who at sundry times and divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things...

Well, that’s what Galatians four is talking about.  He’s the heir of all things.  But notice here, He appointed Him heir of all things.  That’s that thing over in Hebrews chapter one, the time appointed of the Father.  He’s the heir, but He’s still like a servant until the Father appoints him in the status of being the heir—the one who now knows everything that He needs to know to run the Father’s business.  That took place at the resurrection.  

Who being in the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when […and this is going to be the time of the appointment… when] he had by himself purged our sins, [did what?] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

God raised Him from the dead, brought Him up and sat Him at His right hand in heavenly places and put Him on public display.  And [in so many words] said…

Here, He’s no longer a servant. Now I want you to see my son; and He’s fully and completely educated in everything I ever wanted Him to know.  And He can do everything I planned to do because I completely taught Him. 

That’s why Hebrews five says that Jesus learned obedience. 

Hebrews 5:8

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

You see, as a servant He learned some things, and then there came the time when the Father declared: You’re my Son.  Now you are fully educated.  Now you’ve got it all […being made perfect]. 

But [do] you know why He had it all? …why He was fully educated?  Not because He’s depending on what He knew Himself as God, but because He’s still depending on what the Father gave Him.   I want you to see that at the adoption, when Christ is declared to be the Son--fully educated--it’s because now God the Father has revealed everything to Him.  God the Father has taken that original information back here and now completely imparted it to the Lord Jesus Christ.  He’s completely educated by it, He’s completely dependent upon it, and now He’s declared to be a son, “My Son” …because He’s got all the information now.

The key that I am trying to get across to you is that Christ has that status today, because He gave up ever having that status on His own.  He had a right to it but for you He made Himself of no reputation.  He took upon Himself the form of a servant and therefore God the Father has exalted Him and given Him the sonship status because, [and] that’s why Philippians 2:9 goes on and says…

Wherefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. 

He’s made Him the, the supreme hero of the universe, the Son because He has depended upon the education that the Father gave Him, He’s living in total dependence even today. Even now, in what God the Father communicated to him. 

People ask me, sometimes, Brother Rick, what should we pray for one another?  Here’s something God the Holy Spirit [is] praying for you.  I think if you pray like the Holy Spirit prays, you’ll probably be right. (You know, I don’t know a whole lot about it, but I figure God does.)  Now, Paul prays for the Ephesians. 

Ephesians 1:17

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. 

I want you to notice how often it’s [about] Him.  Our prayers are full of us:  my problems, my difficulties, my wants, my desires.  This prayer is all full of Him—that I/you might be filled with the knowledge of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. [Paul’s prayer for us is] I want you to know God’s will, i.e., the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of [there it is again] His calling.  What is the riches and the glory of His inheritance in the saints.  [v18]

See, God’s interested in what He’s doing in your life.  Paul said, I want you to know what God’s doing in your life.  Quit worrying about what you are going to do this afternoon. Figure out—find out—what God’s doing and let that be what’s going on in your life.  Focus on what He’s doing...

And what is the excellency of the greatness of His power in usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.  Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him for the dead, and set Him on His own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come, And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things... [vs 19-22]

He’s the heir of all! He’s appointed of the Father! He’s the Son, declared; put there, fully educated and capable of running all the universe according to the Father’s will—the head of all things!  Again, back in Colossians two, he says, In whom dwelled all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all things.

You’re complete in this one who has been made the head of all things.  He has the full knowledge of everything the Father knows and He got that (by the way) when He was exalted. 

Maybe it happened this way...
You know when He learned about the mystery?  He learned it when He was set at the Father’s right hand in the third heaven, far above all heavens, right there when He ascended up into the heavens and sat at the Father’s right hand, educated in the prophetic program.  There came a time when the fall of Israel took place and the wrath of God is ready to be poured out and the Father says ‘Wait Son, there is something else for you to know about’ ...and He took Him up above all heavens and revealed to Him the wonderful finality of the revelation of all that God accomplished at Calvary:  In the extending of His grace; the withholding of His wrath; the pouring out of His grace; and the forming of the church, the body of Christ, into a trophy of the richness of His kindness and His grace toward us throughout all the ages to come.  And, the Lord Jesus Christ knew the mystery.

He willingly chose to give up that independent knowledge and live in total dependence of the Father and the Father re-educated His Son to the place where now the Son knows everything that the Father ever planned.  And Jesus Christ lived in total dependence upon that.  And even the exercising of His power and His deity attributes in the ages to come will be in response to a faith application of what God the Father told Him about their Plan. 

…

Transcribed message given by Pastor Richard Jordan

Formatted and edited for readability.