The Father's focus from before time, during time, and after time, is Jesus Christ. He has been the purpose of the Father all along.
What does this mean? The Father has poured everything He is into Christ. All that the Father ever had to say has been said in Christ. All He's ever wanted to do has already been done in Christ.
So what does that have to do with the people of God? To be a believer is to have Christ within us. So everything Christ is from the Father, is now living within us.
That's what it means when we are told He is working toward being all in all. He's accomplished that with the cooperation of Jesus Christ, now He's working on extending that into His people.
We've heard that Jesus is the pattern Son, and He is all that, but it's not referring to some outward systematic pattern, but an organic pattern coming forth from who the Father is in Christ.
Let's look for a moment at what it means for God to be all in all as the end passion of the Father's eternal purpose.
We know that God is everywhere, as He fills the created universe and heaven as well. But that's a very general presence, and doesn't have much meaning to His purpose. That's just part of the fact that nothing can contain God ... or so it seems.
But, when God indwells His people, His filling isn't like the way His general presence in the created realms is. His presence there is full of purpose, and that is that everything will gravitate toward and change into the image of His son, whom He's already accomplished His filling in.
What we're talking about here is transformation; a process throughout our lifetimes on the earth where He brings us through many crosses, pressures and situations where He is able to weaken our self-life in order that His life can be worked into us in a way that changes us into His image.
He wants to more than weaken our self life, He wants to obliterate it. But because it'a a process, that takes time. For Christ to be Lord, it means we are to set aside our wishes and desires and let Him fill us with His.
We can do nothing pleasing unto God if we're not doing things from Him. To do things from Him, we must be willing to lose our self-centeredness and become Christ-centered.
We can't be concerned with whether others are doing this, we must be accountable to Christ; it's our responsibility in that.
So the eternal purpose of God is completely worked within Christ, coming from the life of the Father Himself. Now Christ, through the Holy Spirit is doing the same thing, filling us with His life in order to have us be bearers of His image. This is why we're supposed to be lights to this world, as we are to live from the one true light: Jesus Christ.
This can only happen in those who are willing to come to Christ and say there are no holds barred (We give Him permission to do what is needed to be done to accomplish His purpose). In reality, if we have the right start to our lives in Christ, this is in essence what we're saying to Him.
The problem is once He starts working in our lives, we draw back and look more toward outward things because the inner way of Christ isn't an easy one, as our terrible selfishness and self-life comes forth when He works in us, and many fall by the wayside because of what they see.
Consequently they misinterpret what it is Christ is trying to do. They think He's beating them over the head with a big stick, rather than Christ drawing them more toward the center of His light where everything is exposed.
Understand that. God isn't trying to embarrass, humiliate or mock you, He's simply taking His rightful place on the throne of your spirit and soul, and to do that He must eliminate within you that which stands in His way. It's just that at times it's not a pretty process, and you can come to the place where you want to quit. Don't! You're getting close to what He's working on in your life when those times come, so don't give up when you reach the depths of despair. He's got you right where He wants you!
Just surrender to Him over and over again and trust His love for you. You won't make it if you don't. Everything comes from the hand of God, as He allows it all, being completely in control. Just ask the simple question of what He is doing in your life, not so you can understand in the early stages, but so you can cooperate with Him and not fight against the grace of God working in you. Understanding comes later when the process is over, so you can help others that will go through similar things.
Anyhow, that's a small sketch of what it is God had in His heart from before time and creation. He is one who wants to fill all things with Himself, so who He is is seen throughout all the created realms throughout eternity. That's what we're called to. That is to be our purpose as well.
Let me give you one more illustration to help you see this.
What if 10,000 years from now we were still here in the universe, and man started colonizing the planets?
Let's say 100 people are sent as the seed of a new planet to colonize, but none of them are believers. Would the presence of God be on that planet? Would it be part of the eternal purpose of God?
No. The eternal purpose of God through His presence can only happen when a people internalize Him in an intimate fellowship that results in them being changed into His image through a lifetime of transformation.
So while the general presence of God is already everywhere in the created physical universe, the kingdom and will of God isn't, which is what it is He is working toward in a people.
If the kingdom and will of God isn't in a people, then it isn't part of wherever man is, not matter how many bodies are present in a specific place.
That kingom and will of God are only present where His image bearers are. Where they are, there He is. If they aren't, His presence as dictated by His eternal purpose doesn't exist.
Meditate on that as it applies to His people and His church. Think of it in terms of "Christ in you, the hope of glory." He's talking very specific, not general as mentioned above.
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