A dispensation of time is a period that God sets apart to fulfill His plans. In the garden of Eden God gave Adam and Eve one direction they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In Mt. Sinai God gave Moses many directions for the Israelites on how to live righteously beginning with the 10 Commandments. They failed to keep them. We still continually fail Him. Knowing from the beginning that we could not accomplish it on our own He provided the gift of salvation. God’s plan to send the precious Lamb of God, the Word made flesh, who could take away the sins of the world allowed Jesus, all man-all God, to live and die for us. He could do what we could not and He died in our place. We live in His righteousness and not our own. All of creation waits for His return.
1 Corinthians 9:17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
The Apostle Paul suffered much to spread the Gospel of Grace. No one chooses to suffer without knowing without a doubt that it was the truth of God. Paul was given this knowledge to share with the world. he will hear the words “well done my good and faithful servant”.
Ephesians 1:10-14 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 3:2-7 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
Colossians 1:24-29 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers,
Jesus came to His own and His own knew Him not. He came to fulfill the promises to His chosen people, and the promises God made with the forefathers. In their rejection of Him the rest of the world is offered salvation. It was too great a sacrifice for only the Jew. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus we come in as the adopted sons of our most high God.
To Paul, the apostle out of time and his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, was given the message, hidden from the beginning, that in Christ the world could be saved. (John 3:16). Now there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free that the gift of God is not offered. We just need to accept His free gift that cost Him the life of His only begotten son. In Jesus alone true freedom reigns!
Matthew 16:1-4 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
Although they should have been able to know their King they did not. We also should be able to recognize the signs of His return, beginning with Israel as it became a nation, it draws closer every day. Only God in His sovereignty could have brought this to fruition. God has provided a final plan for humanity and it is under His control. We need to discern the times. Holy Spirit will guide us! We just need to listen to His still, small voice above the noise of the world.
Genesis 12:1-3 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
God gave Abraham and Sarah this land and no one will take it from him and his descendants. They will accept Jesus as their Messiah King. God revealed the hidden mystery of salvation that through faith alone in Jesus Christ the world could be saved. The promises of God will always come to pass…always. Carla
A means of authentication. Prophets who claimed to speak on God’s behalf often had to prove their assertions. “Heaven” is likely a figurative reference to God, although the Jewish leaders may have wanted to see a celestial sign (Matthew 24:27, 30). Jesus’ point is that the Jews could predict the weather based on simple observations, but they could not discern the presence of the kingdom of heaven through His miracles. Faithlife Study Bible
Perhaps the scribes and Pharisees were thinking of signs such as the fire from heaven that answered Elijah’s prayer (1 Kings 18:36–38), the plagues on Egypt (Exodus 7–12), or the sun standing still (Joshua 10:12–14). Previously Jesus had withdrawn in the face of opposition (12:15; 14:13; 15:21); here He left the Pharisees and Sadducees, meaning that He abandoned or forsook them. Jesus deserted these religious leaders as reprobates. The NKJV Study Bible
Galatians 6:7-8 “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."
What a stark reminder that putting our hope and trust in anything other than our one true Provider and King will produce destruction. The world leaves us with false hope and empty promises. But putting our faith in God plants seeds of joy and restoration that bear fruit for eternity (Psalm 126:6).
Thankfully, for all who believe in Jesus, His redemptive work on the cross has now fulfilled God's judgment of our sin and justified us through His grace (Romans 3:23-25). While we are still called to turn from our sin as believers, God's wrath is satisfied by Jesus' sacrifice. God assures all who trust in Christ, "I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more" (Hebrews 8:12). In Christ, our sins are not eternally held against us because He has paid for them all. God justly calls us to repentance, and He justly accepts Christ's sacrifice that covers us with His righteousness. His mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). First5
I can tell you that I don’t often think of myself as a spectrum of light, or a gift of hope. And yet. I take heart in this, from Rev. Steven Charleston, Choctaw elder and retired Episcopal bishop. "It is not for me to tell you who you are, but please let me share this small insight. The beauty of your life is contained in its simplicity. You were born to be an agent of grace, sharing kindness into the world. You are an unconscious healer, restoring hope into the world. These two simple definitions are a spiritual job description. They represent the core of your calling. I believe they describe all of us, uniting us into a shared purpose. Beyond all of the differences we construct among ourselves, we have a common task. Agents of grace. Sources of hope. If we see ourselves in this way, the complexity we imagine becomes the simplicity we are." Sabbath Moments
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