The Christian's Inheritance
Notes
Transcript
I. God’s Inheritance in Us
I. God’s Inheritance in Us
1. Who inherits what?
1. Who inherits what?
the verb κληρόω is used only here, rather than the more common κληρονομέω. It has two possible meanings reflected in the NIV and NKJV translations. Eph 1:11
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,
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
Both meanings are inherently true.
Verse 14 declares that we have an inheritance in God’s Kingdom
Verse 18 declares that God has an inheritance in us
Having said that, Paul has to mean one or the other. First of all, the passive lends itself to “we were chosen by lot”. Second, the thrust of v.11 is on God’s choice of us rather than our possession of God. This way, Paul is talking about our inheritance in two different sides - from God’s perspective, then from our perspective.
So, v.11-12 is from God’s perspective. The Scriptures deal with this theme extensively in reference to Israel Deut 32:8-9; Ps 33:12; 1 Kings 8:51
When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel.
For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
(for they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, out of the iron furnace),
But Israel and the church are different. Israel is God’s inheritance, sure, but what does that have to do with the church? It turns out more than you might expect from this observation. Jesus shall reign where ever the sun doth his successive journey’s run Ps 2:8; Dan 7:14.
Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
God has himself an inheritance in us. He has determined that he wants us for his special people.
2. How has God inherited us?
2. How has God inherited us?
The theme of God’s sovereign choice has repeatedly come up already - “he chose us before the foundation of the world”, “He predestined us to the adoption as sons”, “According to the good pleasure of his will” “According to his good pleasure which he purposes in himself”
God’s choice of us is not unusual, however. God’s choice of us to salvation is a subset of God’s choices in general. God chooses solely on his own counsel for his own purposes. Isa 46:9-11; Ps 33:11.
3. Why did God choose us?
3. Why did God choose us?
This is another repeated theme - “to the praise of the glory of his grace” V.6; “V.12”, V.14 “to the praise of his glory.”
“we who first trusted in Christ” could refer to Jewish Christians, but it’s difficult to see how Jewish Christians have greater glory to God by Gentiles being saved. A better idea is that it’s saying that Christians in general are the first to believe of a greater harvest. The same idea is taught in James 1:18, where Christians are God’s firstfruits of a greater harvest to come. Since people were also saved in the Old Testament before Christianity was a thing, the idea is that we are the first Kingdom Citizens, that we are brought into a relationship with God already knowing that we are members in that future Kingdom. We have the “prepurchased tickets” to the “game,” before it begins. Col 1:12-13.
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
II. Our Inheritance in God’s Kingdom
II. Our Inheritance in God’s Kingdom
1. How did we inherit it?
1. How did we inherit it?
First you heard the true Word, the Gospel that saves you.
the Gospel message must be true to be worth anything
The Good news is that we can be saved from God’s coming wrath.
Then you believed the word - this separates you from those who heard and did not believe.
the moment you believed you gained your inheritance, though most of it is still in probate, so to speak.
2. How can be be sure we will receive our inheritance?
2. How can be be sure we will receive our inheritance?
To “seal” is to mark a document as authentic. Letters were rolled up and sealed with wax, then the signet ring was pressed into the hot wax to leave an imprint. Thus, when the official document got to its destination, the audience could be confident that it came from the person it claimed to come from.
Thus, to metaphorically “seal” a Christian means to mark him as God’s, to leave some sign that this one will be carried safe into the Kingdom of God. The seal is our guarantee that we are truly God’s, just as a wax seal on a document guarantees it really comes from the person whose signet ring is printed on the seal.
The “seal” of the Christian is the Holy Spirit. All Christians have the Holy Spirit. Now the Spirit of God cannot be seen directly - just like you cannot see the wind, you cannot see or feel the Spirit directly. But just like the wind, you can see what the Spirit does. When people become a Christian, they change. Where does this change come from? It is the work of God for someone’s life to turn radically around. That’s the evidence that they have the Spirit, and therefore the guarantee that we will be carried safe into the Kingdom of God.
the Spirit is also our “down payment.” ἀρραβών is a technical term in the realm of finance meaning “down-payment” or “pledge” or “first installment.” It is part of the purchase price, given to guarantee that the one paying it will also provide the rest of the promised payment. Fail to finish the job and you lose your down-payment. We are waiting for the “redemption of the purchased possession,” for the rest of our inheritance. But in the meantime, we have the Spirit of God who aids us in living the Christian life, who confirms for us the authenticity of the Scriptures, who unifies the church into one body, providing us with the unity of the Spirit. We see the evidence of this down-payment not only in individually changed lives, but in the creation of a third race of mankind, neither jew nor Gentile, composed of every ethnic group on the globe, yet somehow all one.
3. What exactly is this promised inheritance? What are we still waiting for?
3. What exactly is this promised inheritance? What are we still waiting for?
We are waiting to reign with Christ 1 Cor 4:8; 6:3
You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!
Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
We are waiting to share in Christ’s dominion over the nations Rev 2:26-27
And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—
‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father;
We are waiting for empowerment from the Spirit on a scale never before seen Acts 2:17-18
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
We are waiting for the redemption of our physical bodies Rom 8:23
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.
We are waiting for the restoration of all creation Rom 8:18-22; 2 Peter 3:13
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.
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;
because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.