The Master's Plan
Part 4
Sons of God
Printable VersionSo far in our journey of “The Master’s Plan”, we’ve discovered that Jesus was the created Son of God who was not at all equal to the Father, yet He was put in charge of all things, including the creation of the World. We saw how it was Jesus throughout the Old Testament who spoke and appeared as Jehovah or the LORD GOD while His Father was seated on His throne in heaven. We also discovered that God created Satan for His purposes of testing and refining His children. But what’s the end of it all; what is it that God has set forth in His plan for humanity? That’s what we’ll discover today in the Scriptures so let’s begin.
What if in God’s infinite wisdom and plan, Jesus was created not just to be the only Son begotten of God, but to be our example of what you and I will become at the conclusion of our life? Yes, that would make us sons of God too, and what if we said that Jesus was not the only begotten son in the Father's plan but you and I have the opportunity to be sons and daughters of God? Would you say that’s blasphemy or would you be patient and look at the Scriptures as we present them? (Romans 8:29) For those whom he fore knew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. How can we explain this passage except there seems to be those whom God foreknew; in other words God knew you before you were born! Those He foreknew, God Predestined (Greek - predetermine: - determine before, ordain, predestinate) to be conformed to the image of His Son! What does it mean if we’re ordained to be conformed to the image of Jesus? What does it mean if the Scriptures say that Jesus is the FIRSTBORN AMONG MANY BROTHERS? If we’re conformed to His image and Jesus is the firstborn of many brothers, doesn’t that mean that we too will be like Jesus? If we are brothers to Jesus, that makes us sons of God too. Let’s read this verse in context and you’ll see that indeed this is what it’s speaking of. (Romans 8:18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. What is the glory that will be revealed in us? Becoming sons of God, just read the next verse. (19) For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Yes, creation is eagerly waiting for the revealing of the “sons of God”. It has not been revealed yet, but it’s coming and creation is eagerly awaiting its fulfillment. (20) For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; (21) because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (23) Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body... No, we are not sons of God now in the flesh; it's only by faith that we are sons of God. We are waiting for our adoption and glorified bodies to come. (29) For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Yes, Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers and you and I have the opportunity to be in the likeness of Jesus Christ when we get to heaven. This was why it was important in parts one and two of the Master’s Plan to fully understand that Jesus was not God, because if we were to say that we could be equal to the Father, indeed that would be very blasphemous. Even with that said, you may still feel that it’s blasphemy to say that we will be like Jesus and be sons of God. You’re in good company as the “religious” people with Jesus felt the same way.
(John 10:33) The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” (34) Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? (35) If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), (36) do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? Yes, the religious unbelievers in His day couldn’t understand how Jesus could make himself out to be a “God” or a “son of God” and today it’s the same; instead of reading the Word of God and believing what it says, many don’t want to take the time to read it in the Word for themselves or they just don’t understand so they simply don’t believe our calling in Christ. Let’s look at the Old Testament Scripture in which Jesus was speaking about. (Psalm 82:6) I said, Ye are gods, And all of you sons of the Most High. If all of us are the “sons of the Most High” what does that make you and I?
(Matthew 5:9) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”. Jesus Himself says we will be sons of God. (Romans 8:14) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. If you’re the offspring or the son of a dog what does that make you? A dog; if you’re a son of a monkey, then you’re a monkey. If you’re a “son of God” like the Scriptures say, then you’re a “god”. Not the Almighty God and Father but you are gods (ELohiym) and like we learned in parts one and two of “The Masters Plan”, god is merely a title for power, strength and Royalty. You may feel that’s way to bold of a statement but we must understand that we must profess this by faith and not by manifestation; “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Galatians 3:26). In other words, just like you profess that you’re saved, it’s by faith only that you’re saved, you still have your flesh, you don’t have your glorified bodies and you haven’t entered into eternity. You’re saved by faith until it’s manifested in eternity. That’s the same faith we have that were “sons of God”, the Bible says it so we must believe it.
Does your gender keep you from becoming a “son of God”? (2 Cor 6:18) “ I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” No, I believe it doesn’t, in the flesh we are male and female but in the spirit we are all one in Christ. (Galatians 3:28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Jesus was asked about the resurrection and here’s what He had to say. (Matthew 22:29) “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. (30) For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. So as we study about our position of “Son-ship” and us being “sons of God”, please know that it’s for ALL those who have been chosen by God to obey and follow Him and not just males.
Did you know that the Scriptures say that we’re both slaves and heirs of God in our journey to be sons of God? First the promise to be an heir. (Titus 3:7) … Having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. As an heir of God we’ve been given every spiritual blessing in Heaven! (Ephesians 1:3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Not only have you been blessed with every spiritual blessing but God’s power has granted to us ALL that we need to for godliness and to partake of the nature of God. (2 Peter 1:3) Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness (4) so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature. Through the power of the Lord’s Spirit we’ve already been given what it takes to be heirs and sons of God, He “raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places” (Eph 2:6). Physically our bodies are on this earth but spiritually we have a new home, “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). Those who have that born again spirit of Christ “who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son” (Col 1:13) are now by faith seated in heavenly places with Christ! We have been given all of this by faith and we have been adopted from slave to son. (Galatians 4:5)…That we might receive the adoption as sons. (6) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (7) Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Believe what this says, that you have been adopted as a son and an heir of God through Christ! That adoption becomes complete when we receive our glorified bodies. “We ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body...” (Romans 8:23).
What will our new bodies look like when we receive our redemption? (Phil 3:20) But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (21) who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body. You and I will have a body like Jesus and we’ll be sons of God. To understand what our bodies will look at when our Son-ship is manifested, let’s look at the Scriptures to see what our Lord’s glorious body looks like. "There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light" (Matthew 17:2). The transfiguration appears to have given us a preview of Christ's glorified body and here’s another. (Revelation 1:12-18) I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." It’s hard to grasp but the Scriptures clearly say that we will bear the image of Jesus and have the same glorified body as Him. Let’s look at the apostle Paul's report of encountering the glorified Christ on the road to Damascus: "A great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.' Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me....I could not see because of the brightness of that light" (Acts 22:6-11). Scripture speaks of the likeness of Adam and the likeness of Christ, making some distinction between them: "And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven" (1 Corinthians 15:49). Yes, when we have our manifested adoption into “sons of God” the Scriptures clearly say that we’ll be just like Christ.
Many Christians error in their understanding of Christ and who He was; if it’s your understanding that Jesus was God, then it’s very hard for you to grasp how you and I could ever bare the likeness of God the Father. Now if you understand that Jesus is not God and that He was created by the Father to do His will (Please see Part 1 for this) and to be His servant, you’ll start to understand that Jesus was not only our savior but our perfect example in every way. Many people understand Jesus to be the prize jewel of God’s work; that Jesus was the completion of all the prophecies of the Messiah. What if that’s not true and Jesus was just a sign of the start of something much bigger? (Isaiah 7:14) Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Jesus’ birth by Mary was a sign (Hebrew: oth, which means an omen, a signal or a sign of something to come). Jesus was an omen or a sign of something to come and that’s what creation has been waiting for, “the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom 8:19). The Father sent His Son into the world to reveal the Sons of God. Jesus was called the last Adam to show humanity the way to become Sons of God. (1 Cor 15:45) So also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit… (47) The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is of heaven… (49) And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Jesus was the first spiritual man and we are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. We will bear the image of Christ in the eternal but first we must bear His image on earth and follow His example when He walked in this world. (Mark 10:43) … Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, (44) and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. (45) For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve. Jesus was described by the Apostles not just as the Messiah or the Son of God; He was described as a servant of God. (Acts 3:26) To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you… (Acts 4:30) by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. Yes, Jesus was God’s servant sent into this world born in the flesh like you and I to do the Father's will. (John 6:38) For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. The Son of God was the Father’s servant and the Scriptures say that Jesus had to learn just like you and I. (Luke 2:52) And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. God’s plan was not to drop His son into a body with complete wisdom, instead Jesus had to grow in wisdom, stature and favor with God. In other words there was a time when He didn’t have much wisdom or favor with God, but He grew in both wisdom and favor. (Hebrews 5:7) In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. (8) Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. (9) And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. What we see here is that the Father heard Jesus because of His reverence and that He learned obedience through suffering! Jesus had to learn obedience? Yes, Jesus is our example and He had to learn obedience through suffering. In verse nine it says that Jesus was “being made perfect” the Greek word for perfect is teleioo, which means: to complete, accomplish, finish, fulfill, (make) perfect. Jesus was eventually made perfect, it was a process! In other words, He didn’t start out perfect; but by what Jesus endured, He accomplished perfection. That’s our example, that’s what we’re supposed to be striving for. Next we see Jesus becoming obedient; “Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:5-8). Did you realize that Jesus suffered by being tempted just like us? (Hebrews 2:17) Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren… (18) For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. Whatever you’re tempted with; Jesus has also been tempted with that too! (Hebrews 4:15) For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. God’s plan is that Jesus has shown us the way. He has gone through every struggle that you and I have been through yet without sin. The Scripture says that we have to go through what Jesus went through but when we’re finished we’ll be like Jesus. (Luke 6:40) The disciple is not above his teacher: but everyone when he is perfected shall be as his teacher. Do you believe when you’re perfected that you’ll be as Jesus, or a son of God? “According to your faith be it done unto you”. Are you led by the spirit of God or by your fleshly desires? (Romans 8:14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Yes, the real sons of God will be lead by the Spirit of God and not their fleshly desires. (15) For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. There’s a condition to being a joint heir with Christ and that’s suffering with Him. Remember part three of The Master's Plan when we talked about Satan and how God uses him to discipline, test and purify the saints? That’s what the Lord uses to train and cleanse the sons of God. “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10). God’s Master Plan is to make us perfect through sufferings so that we can share in Christ’s Glory and be joint heirs with Him.
What would it look like to be a joint heir with Christ? Remember the word “God” is a title for strength or Deity and if we are sons of God then we too are Deity. We already looked at what our glorified bodies might look like but what about ruling and reigning with Christ, can we find any scripture that confirms this? Certainly if one is a “son of God” you would expect to see some ruling and reigning for the saints. (1 Cor 6:2) Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (3) Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? The saints/sons of God will judge both the world and the angels! Do you believe it? You should because it is written. (Rev 2:26) And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations: (27) and he shall rule them with a rod of iron…as I also have received of my Father. Jesus here promises that those who overcome will rule the nations with a rod of iron just like He received from the Father. We see again the likeness and authority we have in Christ; just as the Father has given Him, Jesus gives to the “overcomers”. (Rev 5:9) You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; for You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, (10) And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth”. Again we see that the Lord has made the saints/sons of God to be kings and priests to reign on the earth. (Rev 20:4,6) Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years… but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. Do you want to be a “son of God” and rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years? If so these are our instructions. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). If we are not willing live as peacemakers and to be holy like Jesus was, then we will not receive that opportunity to be “sons of God”. “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. (6) He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1John 2:5,6).
I pray this has been a blessing to you in understanding God’s “Master Plan” and what He has planned for His sons and daughter who follow Him. (Rev 21:6) And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. (7) He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Please join us soon in part 5 of the Master’s Plan when we discuss predestination, the “sons of God” and the “sons of the devil”, as both are still with us in the world today and a both are predestined by God.
God bless,
Mark, a servant of the Lord, www.HeavensHelpers.org
Questions/Feedback - email me: mark@heavenshelpers.org
