HopeLives365

Guest (Male): God's creatures are remarkable. The more I study nature, the more I sense of this incredible design of God.

Mark Finley: Pacific salmon are an amazing fish. If you haven't studied it at all about Pacific salmon, look it up. They're incredible. Pacific salmon spawn, and they swim from the place that they have spawned, often 100 miles, 500 miles, 1,000 miles. When it gets time for them to die, they come back to the place where they were born.

When their life is ebbing away, they want home. They navigate, many of them, 1,000 miles or beyond back to the place they were born. Scientists wondered how they do this. How does a fish that has left its spawning place and gone 1,000 miles know how to get back home? Well, they've come up with two very plausible reasons.

Number one, the fish has a sense of smell. As a result of that, it can imprinted in its brain is the smell of its home. As it begins to navigate down these rivers, it smells where it's going, and the brain is imprinted of the salmon with that smell, and it can navigate its way home.

The second thing that they've noticed is this. There was a 2005 study, and researchers discovered that there are single cells in the brain of a salmon that act like compass needles. They have a microscopic collection of magnetic crystals in their brain. These compass needles in the brain of the salmon lead that salmon back home.

Salmon have this incredible sense of timing. They know when it's about ready to die. They know that they're going to spawn, and Pacific salmon spawn once in their lifetime. They know it's time to spawn, they're going to die, and as a result of that, they long for home. When life is ebbing away, they long for home.

They have this sense that the fullness of time has come. Imprinted on their brains at birth is this longing for home. Every single one of us have imprinted on our brains by the divine creator a longing for home. We know that there must be something better in life than sickness and suffering and heartache and death.

We know deep within the fabric of our beings that this world is not our home. The purpose that Jesus came to earth was to take us to heaven. The purpose he came to our home in the cosmos is because he wanted to take us to his home in the universe. In one of the most magnificent verses in all the Bible, in Galatians chapter 4, verse 4, the Bible describes this magnificent desire of Christ to take us home.

If you have your Bible, I invite you to take it and turn to Galatians, the fourth chapter, the fourth verse, as the basis of our Bible study this morning. Galatians 4, verse 4, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law." Verse 5, "to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

There are three things in that passage to notice. First, there is a divine timetable. Second, there is a definite plan. Third, there is a determined purpose. If you look at the text in Galatians 4, verse 4, "when the fullness of time had come," that's a divine timetable. "God sent forth his Son," that's a definite plan. "To redeem those that were under the law," that's his determined purpose.

I pray as we study these things that the Holy Spirit will speak to our hearts. The Holy Spirit, the same that spoke to the prophets of old, will speak to us. Let's first look at this idea of divine timetable. Jesus didn't come at any time. He came when the fullness of time had come. This should not surprise us because throughout history, God has always orchestrated time.

Time is not some simply random event, but we can look at passages in the Old Testament particularly that point out that God has a divine timetable for prophetic events. For example, if you look at Genesis 6, verse 3, the timing of the coming of the flood was no random event. Genesis 6, verse 3, "The Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not always strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be 120 years.'"

God had a divine timetable. Noah would preach for 120 years, and then the flood would come. We find this concept that prophetic events happen on time. Remember, Israel was in captivity to Egyptian bondage. They did not come out of bondage simply at some random timing. If you look at Exodus chapter 12, verse 41, throughout history, God has had a prophetic timetable.

Exodus chapter 12, verse 41, "And it came to pass at the end of 430 years, on that very same day, it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt." Read verse 51 with me. Exodus chapter 12, verse 51. Let's do it together. "And it came to pass on that very same day that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies."

God had predicted that Israel would be in Egyptian captivity for 430 years. The Bible says in two places, on that very day, God has a prophetic timetable. All the power of Pharaoh could not keep Israel in Egypt. The armies of the Egyptians were no match for the might of the almighty God, and God is always on time. He is never late.

We look at the Babylonian captivity as well. Israel is in captivity to Babylon for 70 years. Nebuchadnezzar is overthrown by Darius and Cyrus, but at the end of that 70-year captivity, look at Jeremiah 29, verse 10. God is not a capricious God. God has a divine timetable of prophetic events. Jeremiah 29, verse 10.

All the powers of hell could not keep the rain from falling in Noah's day. All of the Egyptian armies could not keep Israel in captivity after that 430 years. All the might of Babylon could not keep the Babylonians and the Medo-Persians locking the Israelites in captivity.

Jeremiah 29, verse 10, "For thus says the Lord. Who says that everybody? For thus says the Lord. After 70 years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good work toward you and cause you to return to this place." After 70 years, all the powers of Babylon, all the powers of Medo-Persia cannot keep you in captivity because I'm coming to take you home.

Does God have a divine prophetic timetable of events? Indeed he does. The prophet Daniel predicted the exact time the Messiah would begin his ministry of sacrificial service. When Jesus came, he came on time. Back to Galatians chapter 4, verse 4. The Bible says, "When the fullness of time was come." What time is it? It's the fullness of time was come.

Now, all the powers of Rome, all the powers of the Roman emperors could not keep Jesus from coming to be born. When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son. Isn't it amazing that Augustus Caesar, a pagan Roman ruler, passes this decree that all the world be taxed? Mary and Joseph leave their home in Nazareth and travel that 90 miles down to Bethlehem for Christ to be born.

As the result of a decree of a pagan Roman ruler, Jesus is born in the right place, in Bethlehem, that Micah predicted hundreds of years in advance. And at the right time, the fullness of time has come. There's a remarkable statement. It says, "But like the stars in their vast circuit of their appointed path, God's purposes know no haste or delay."

What did Galatians 4:4 say? "In the fullness of time." In the fullness of time, God brought forth his Son. God's purposes know no haste or delay. Think about that. When was the first promise of the Messiah given? When was that? The book of Genesis, right? Genesis 3:15. A serpent had tempted Eve, Satan through that serpent, and God said the Messiah would come and bruise the head of the serpent, a deadly wound on the serpent, and that Christ's heel would be wounded.

The promise of the Messiah was given in Genesis. Every passing generation and century thought that the Messiah might come then. Centuries passed. Each generation longed for the Messiah to come, but the promise tarried. From the days of Adam and Eve, the promise was repeated. Fathers told it to their children. The Messiah is going to come.

Mothers sang little songs to their little ones on their knee. The Messiah is going to come. Patriarchs and prophets kept the hope alive, but he did not come. 40 long centuries, 4,000 years passed, but exactly on time as Daniel predicted, in the town of Bethlehem as Micah predicted, born of a virgin as Isaiah forecast, Jesus was born on time because the purposes of God know no haste or delay.

Just as there was a delay in the first advent, there has been a delay in the second advent. But God is always on time. God is never late. We say, "God, why haven't you come? God, we long for your coming." But the purposes of God know no haste or delay, and God has a divine timetable.

There are two striking lessons for an end-time people of God. First, because God's promises are not immediately fulfilled does not mean they will not be fulfilled. There are times we become impatient with God. Times we say, "God, why haven't you come?" And at times, we become impatient with God in our own lives too.

We say, "God, I believe in faith, but it didn't happen." We say, "God, what's going on here? I've been praying and praying and I don't see any answers, God." But God's timetable is not always our timetable. The promises of God for you will be fulfilled in your life even if you do not see them immediately fulfilled.

There's a second lesson. Waiting develops patience. Waiting strengthens our faith. Waiting teaches us perseverance. There's a danger that in the light of the delay of the advent, we lose the expectation. We lose the anticipation. We lose the excitement. Did the Jews face that problem during the 4,000 years from the time of Genesis to the time Christ was born? They did.

The Jews lost that sense of wonder. They lost that sense of excitement. They thought Christ would come the first time as a conquering king. They failed to understand the messianic promises that he would come to redeem the human race. When the fullness of time was come, what do you think Paul meant by the fullness of time?

There were at least five characteristics that had taken place in the New Testament to create that fullness of time. First, we read about the Pax Romana, that is the Roman peace. There was peace throughout the Roman Empire during the time of Christ's birth particularly, and during this time of peace, travel was very easy.

This time of peace was a good time for the Messiah to come because the gospel could be spread very quickly at a time of peace where it couldn't be spread at a time of war. Secondly, the Roman Empire had linked the empire together with the Roman roads, so travel was much easier and much quicker.

Thirdly, the Romans had spoken the language of Greek, and the Greek language was throughout the empire. God had a providential design. When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son. You have this time of Roman roads, rapid transportation. You have the time of the quickness of the spread of the gospel. You have one common language, and that common language is the Greek language.

A couple of other things were going on during this particular period of time as well. You have the heathen religions that are failing, and the heathen religions are desperately failing the people. As the result of that, there's an openness, there's a receptivity that hadn't taken place before.

You also have the fact that the Jews at this time were coming from throughout the empire, and the Jews were gathering at Jerusalem. If Christ comes and he's born, since you have the Roman roads that unite the empire, since you have the Greek language that can rapidly spread the gospel, since you have people from every land gathering, the message of the Messiah is going to go forward.

Also, if you have moral decadence, also if you have moral decay, also if there's a longing. When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son. What were the conditions? Providence had directed the movements of nations, the tide of human impulse and influence until the world was ripe for the coming of the deliverer.

The nations were united under one government. One language was widely spoken and was everywhere recognized as the language of literature. From all the lands, the Jews of the dispersion gathered to Jerusalem to the annual feasts. As they returned to the places of their sojourn, they could spread throughout the world the tidings of the Messiah's coming.

At this time, the systems of heathenism were losing their hold upon the people. Men were weary of pageant and fable. They longed for a religion that could satisfy the heart. While the light of truth seemed to have departed from among men, there were souls who were looking for light and who were filled with perplexity and sorrow. They were thirsting for a knowledge of the living God, for some assurance of life beyond the grave.

As you look at that statement, think of where we are in the world today. Time has passed between the first coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus, but again today, we have the super information highway where the gospel can be spread quickly by internet, by social media, by printed page, by radio, by television around the world.

Think about it today. God has designed today that language is no longer a barrier. I can stand here and through varied translation techniques, this message can go to more than 100 countries at the same time. Think of it today. Men and women's hearts are longing for something better. They recognize that this world is on the verge of stupendous crisis.

Nations are weary. Think about it. Pandemics spreading all over the world. North Korea, China, Iraq, the potential of nuclear weapons. We've never had weapons that have not been used that have been created before. For the first time in history, we can blot life off planet earth. Think about it. Global warming and the concern of science about the future of our planet. Earthquake, famine, fire, flood.

School shootings where kids go to school that should be safe and they're gunned down. When the fullness of time is come, God brought forth his Son. Jesus came the first time when the fullness of time is come. Am I stretching it at all to say that we're living at another time of earth's history when the fullness of time is come? God had a definite timetable. God also had a definite plan.

Galatians 4, verse 4. God's purposes know no haste or delay. God has a prophetic timetable. Did God have a prophetic timetable down through history? Did he make Egypt powerless and bring Israel out of Egypt bondage after 430 years? Did he bring them out of Babylonian captivity after 70 years? Did Jesus come on time? He came on time.

God's promises know no haste or delay. God had a divine timetable, but God had a definite plan. Galatians 4, verse 4, here's his plan. "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under law." He has a definite time, the fullness of time has come, and he also has a definite plan. God sent forth his Son.

The coming of Christ to this world was not some afterthought. It was not something that simply took place because of some rushed decision by some emergency council in heaven when Christ came the first time. It wasn't that Adam and Eve have sinned and so the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are just so confused they don't know what to do, and they have to develop this kind of a plan.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit consulted before the creation of human beings and made provision for the potentiality of sin. The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of the mystery which had been kept in silence through times eternal. It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God's throne.

In his all-seeing wisdom, in his omniscience, God foresaw the existence of sin before it happened, and he planned for Jesus to come and redeem the human race. God was not caught off guard with the rebellion of our first parents. Free will has inherent risks, but God was not only prepared to take the risk, but he had a plan to atone for the damage from the sinful choices.

God had a divine plan to redeem this world. For the child of God, don't miss this, life is not some cosmic accident. We're not left alone. God has a divine plan for our lives. When our first parents sinned, God announced the plan that Jesus was going to come before the angels.

We have in the Bible what Jesus responded to the Father when the plan of salvation was announced in heaven. This is remarkable. Hebrews chapter 10. These are the words of Christ to the Father before Jesus is coming to earth. Christ speaks to the Father before he is incarnated as the Father and the Son are ready to announce the fact before the angels that Christ is coming to earth.

Jesus speaks, and this is what he says in verse 5, "Therefore when he came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifice and offering you did not desire.'" So all those centuries from the days of Adam to the days Christ came, they were sacrificing, sacrificing bulls and goats and lambs. "But a body you've prepared for me."

Jesus there in heaven says to the Father, "A body you've prepared for me." Here the divine Son of God, the commander of all the angels, the one who existed from the Father with the Father from all eternity, the one who had never had a beginning and will never have an end, the eternal Christ will come and dwell in a human body. He'll face the challenges of living in a fallen world. He'll be subject to the fiercest temptations of Satan. A dazzling angel steps forward. "Jesus, you're the one that never had a beginning, never had an end. Jesus, you cannot go." But only the creator can redeem his creation.