God’s Undefeated Plan: Why You Can Face Tomorrow with Confidence
An abstract of TBC Lead Pastor Connor Kraus’ sermon on October 19, 2025, in the Book of Ephesians series. Watch the sermon video here.
Have you ever made a perfect plan? You blocked off time on your calendar, organized every detail, and felt that rush of excitement when everything fell into place exactly as you hoped. It feels amazing, right?
Now imagine having a plan that always works out—every single time. That's what God has. And here's the really incredible part: you're part of that plan.
The Mystery That Changed Everything
In Ephesians chapter 3, the Apostle Paul writes from a Roman prison to tell the church in Ephesus about something he calls a "mystery." When Paul uses that word, he's not talking about a puzzle that needs solving. He's talking about a secret—something God planned from the very beginning but only revealed at just the right time.
What was this big secret? That God's love and salvation weren't just for one group of people. Through Jesus, everyone—regardless of their background, ethnicity, or past—could become part of God's family. Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) would worship together as equals. People who had hated each other would become brothers and sisters.
Paul calls this group "co-heirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (Ephesians 3:6). That means if you've put your trust in Jesus, you have the same inheritance, the same standing, and the same promises as everyone else in God's family.
Why God Revealed His Plan This Way
You might wonder: If God planned this from the beginning, why keep it hidden for so long? Why reveal it piece by piece?
Paul explains that God revealed His plan gradually so that everyone watching—including angels and spiritual forces—would see His incredible wisdom. When the early church brought together people who had been enemies, when they loved each other across every dividing line, it displayed God's power in a way nothing else could.
Think about it: What would shock you more—someone telling you about love, or actually seeing bitter enemies become family? God chose to show His wisdom through real people living in real unity. That's where you come in.
Your Role in the Plan
Here's where this gets personal. You're not just watching God's plan unfold—you're participating in it. Paul understood this. Even though he was writing from prison, arrested for preaching about Jesus, he didn't see himself as a failure. He saw himself as exactly where God intended him to be.
Paul could have been discouraged. He could have thought, "If God's plan is so great, why am I in chains?" Instead, he told the church in Ephesus not to be discouraged about his suffering because it was part of their glory—part of how God was working out His perfect plan.
That same truth applies to you. Every moment of your life—the big decisions and the small ones, the triumphs and the struggles—is part of God's undefeated plan. He knew about the challenges you'd face before you were born. And He's never been surprised, never been outsmarted, and never had to come up with a Plan B.
From Worry to Worship
When you truly understand that God has an undefeated plan, it changes how you live. Instead of being controlled by anxiety about the future, you're drawn into worship. Instead of wondering if things will work out, you can trust the One who has never failed.
So much of our anxiety comes from not trusting God's plan. We worry that we'll mess things up with our choices, or we doubt that God can handle what's happening in the world. But confidence comes from watching a plan that has always hit its mark.
God knew you'd be five minutes late today. He knew about that difficult conversation you need to have. He knew about the struggles you're facing right now. None of it derails His plan—it's all part of it.
What Bold Confidence Looks Like
When Paul talks about having "boldness and confident access through faith" in Christ (Ephesians 3:12), he's not talking about being loud or aggressive. He's talking about something deeper.
Real boldness looks like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. When the soldiers came to arrest Him, Jesus didn't fight back or run away. He went to the cross willingly because He trusted His Father's plan completely. What looked like weakness to the world was actually the greatest act of strength in history.
For you, boldness might mean staying calm when everything feels chaotic. It might mean choosing kindness when others are cruel. It might mean continuing to follow Jesus even when it costs you something. True boldness is humble, yet fearless. It shines brightest when life is hardest.
Living in Light of God's Plan
So what does this mean for your everyday life? It means you can stop trying to control everything. You can release your grip on outcomes and trust that God is working all things together for good.
It means when you face criticism for your faith, you can respond with grace instead of defensiveness. When the world seems to be falling apart, you can have peace. When your own plans fail, you can trust that God's plans never do.
It means you can love people courageously, share your faith without fear, and face each day knowing that the God who started this plan will finish it perfectly.
Take Your Next Step
God's undefeated plan includes you—not by accident, but by design. You were chosen before the foundation of the world to be part of His family. That's not just a nice idea; it's the truth that can anchor your soul when everything else feels uncertain.
If you're exploring faith and want to learn more about God's plan for your life, we'd love to meet you. Join us this Sunday at 9:00 or 10:30 a.m. You don't need to have everything figured out. Just come as you are, and discover how God's undefeated plan includes you.