Delivered July 13, 2008
by Pastor Eric Henderson
...God has devised a plan-a plan to come to our rescue, to heal our brokenness, to bring peace out of conflict, and to make things right, once and for all, with the world . Krabill p. 46-7
Introduction"I have a dream that one day..."
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and a plan for people to live together in peace and with justice for all. King's plan had its roots in God's master plan. King described that dream and helped people model it.
Micah the prophet also had a dream or vision of God's master plan for people. Over a period of several decades Micah proclaimed the message of God's master plan hoping that listeners would model God's master plan.
The first 3 chapters are messages of God's punishment because people followed their own plan-a plan contrary to God's master plan.
Therefore, the LORD says: "I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves..."
But God's master plan is not total lasting destruction. Micah describes God's master plan in Chapters 4&5. As you listen synthesize or summarize God's master plan for all people.
In days to come
the mountain of the Lord's house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it,
and many nations shall come and say:
Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
For all the peoples walk,
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
for ever and ever.
On that day, says the Lord,
I will assemble the lame
and gather those who have been driven away,
and those whom I have afflicted.
The lame I will make the remnant,
and those who were cast off, a strong nation;
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
now and for evermore.
And you, O tower of the flock,
hill of daughter Zion,
to you it shall come,
the former dominion shall come,
the sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem.
Now why do you cry aloud?
Is there no king in you?
Has your counsellor perished,
that pangs have seized you like a woman in labour?
Writhe and groan, O daughter Zion,
like a woman in labour;
for now you shall go forth from the city
and camp in the open country;
you shall go to Babylon.
There you shall be rescued,
there the Lord will redeem you
from the hands of your enemies.
Now many nations
are assembled against you,
saying, Let her be profaned,
and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.
But they do not know
the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,
that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing-floor.
Arise and thresh,
O daughter Zion,
for I will make your horn iron
and your hoofs bronze;
you shall beat in pieces many peoples,
and shall devote their gain to the Lord,
their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.
Now you are walled around with a wall;
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel
upon the cheek.
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
If the Assyrians come into our land
and tread upon our soil,
we will raise against them seven shepherds
and eight installed as rulers.
They shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword,
and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword;
they shall rescue us from the Assyrians
if they come into our land
or tread within our border.
Then the remnant of Jacob,
surrounded by many peoples,
shall be like dew from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,
which do not depend upon people
or wait for any mortal.
And among the nations the remnant of Jacob,
surrounded by many peoples,
shall be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
which, when it goes through, treads down
and tears in pieces, with no one to deliver.
Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,
and all your enemies shall be cut off.
On that day, says the Lord,
I will cut off your horses from among you
and will destroy your chariots;
and I will cut off the cities of your land
and throw down all your strongholds;
and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
and you shall have no more soothsayers;
and I will cut off your images
and your pillars from among you,
and you shall bow down no more
to the work of your hands;
and I will uproot your sacred poles from among you
and destroy your towns.
And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance
on the nations that did not obey.
My summary of God's Master plan according to Micah:
My one sentence summary of God's master plan as Micah imagined is this:
God plans that all people live as his people and continually overthrows powers that hinder that plan.
Micah proclaimed the message of God's Master plan intending that people would model the plan.
Many other prophets in other times proclaimed the message of God's plans including Isaiah. Isaiah proclaimed the message of God's Master plan when he described a leader as a servant filled with God's spirit that will bring justice and righteousness to the nations (42.1ff). A time of peace when usual enemies, like lions and lambs, children and cobra's lay down together and no one is afraid. A time when God will gather and forgive.
Some leaders modeled the message that God plans that all people worship him alone. Kings destroyed idols and restored the worship of the LORD.
Some leaders modeled the message that God plans total reliance on him for providing. Kings dealt with invading armies by having the best singers and musicians lead the way singing praise to God.
Some leaders modeled the message that God plans for leaders to serve people. Nehemiah left the comfortable position of an assistant to the Assyrian king to return to Jerusalem to help rebuild. Amos the prophet left his farm to speak God's word refusing to be hired by the leaders.
Some teachers and scribes faithfully recorded and taught the stories or message of God's plan to have a faithful people who followed his ways. Many ordinary people modeled the message.
But hearing about God's Master plan did not always result in modeling God's Master plan.
So in the fullness of time God visited people as Jesus. The message about God's Master plan from the lips of Jesus came from Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour. (Luke 4:18,19)
Jesus also spoke of God's master plan by saying:
I have come to seek and save the lost.
Follow me.
Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest.
Seek first the kingdom of God.
I have come that you might have life.
There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
And the bold statement, I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.
Not only did Jesus have a message about God's master plan, he modeled the plan. Matthew summarized Jesus life this way.(9.35) Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
Instead of the nations coming to one location to learn God's ways as Micah envisioned, now God had come to people in human form to show them how to live and to model the full extent of his love. Now God had come to be a servant leader who gave life itself for others. Now God had come to feed the hungry and heal the sick and broken hearted. Now God had come to gather people who followed and lived as Jesus lived.
Jesus spoke of God's Master plan when he commissioned the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them and I am with you always...(Mt. 28.18-19)
So the early church began to go, to tell people that it was possible to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. The early church was a messenger and model of God's master plan. God's spirit empowered the disciples to proclaim the message that Jesus was the son of God who came to forgive, to heal, to give a life of peace. The early church in Acts modeled justice by sharing their belongings so that everyone's needs were met. The early church modeled the gathering of people from various nations by baptizing Greeks and Gentiles. The early church modeled leaders who cared about the welfare of everyone by making certain both Greek and Jewish widows had enough food. The early church was commanded to stop proclaiming the message of Jesus. But they modeled total reliance on God by gathering to pray for the Spirit's power to witness rather more boldly rather than seek a lawyer to defend their freedom of speech (Acts 4).
The astounding missionary Paul described God's master plan in Col. 1.19- 21 as God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell I him (Jesus) and through Jesus to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, with out blemish and free from accusation.
God's master plan is that those once enemies, once alienated from God and each other are reconciled through Jesus. That's a critical part of God's Master plan, but who will be the messenger and the model? Paul goes on to say in 1.27 To them (the saints, us the church) God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you the hope of glory.
The Church past, present and future is to model and be a messenger of God's master plan. The church is to speak and live the message that those once enemies, are now reconciled and united under one Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. The church is to speak and live the message that God provides healing for all people and helps meet basic physical needs.
But most of us know some church history and are fully aware that the church has often distorted both the message and failed miserably to model God's master plan of reconciling all people.
The early church in Corinth was regularly attended by people loyal to one of three different leaders consequently there were divisions. The openly sexually immoral participated regularly and lawsuits started way before the US even existed and amongst church people. When they had communion, some came early and ate all the food and drank all the wine so that those who came later went hungry and thirsty.
Wednesday evening BBC interviewed a leader in the Anglican Church pointing out that it seems there will be a divorce of those that believe one thing and those that believe another.
Even though the church has distorted the message and the model of God's master plan for peace and reconciliation for all, God's master plan hasn't changed. God's master plan is that the church is the messenger and model that those once enemies, once alienated from God and each other are reconciled through Jesus. We live with faith and hope that God will somehow work his master plan in the world.
We are living the reality of some miraculous reversals in spite of a church that often forgets the message of reconciliation and peace and often modeled division and warring.
The average global Christian is a rural peasant woman of China, or an urban drummer in Santiago, Chile. The majority of Christians are poor and often experience opposition and persecution. England, France and Holland once countries that sent missionaries now are being declared urgent mission fields and are receiving thousands of missionaries from churches in the global south. (p. 127-8) Christians from the global south now make up 2/3 of the worldwide Christian family and their numbers are increasing rapidly. So if there's a vote in heaven as to what style of music will be sung in heaven, at present it wouldn't be a slow soft hymn.
John-Rev. describes God's eternal plan
As John envisioned, Jesus Christ has gathered and is being worshipped by people from a multitude of nations that speak a host of languages. Their song and message is that Jesus the slain lamb is worthy to be praised. They know that they were recreated to be a kingdom of priests who serve God.
One way to model God's plan is by participation in a small group. Within a small group, you can be reminded of God's invitation to be reconciled through Jesus to him and to others. Within a small group you can invite others to be reconciled to God. Within a small group you can join with others who desire to live justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.
Petitcodiac Mennonite Church