Glorious Inheritance (All Saints)

Context

Last week in his second letter to Timothy, Paul was meditating on his immanent death. He was ready to face it, viewing it as “finishing well”. We were encouraged to live well so we can also die well.

This week, our theme is: what happens after we die?

Our reading is from the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In the opening verses of this letter, Paul has described how God, in great love, has chosen and destined us to be God’s adopted children through the saving work of Jesus Christ.

Then he continues…

Text

Ephesians 1:11–23 “In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory. I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Prayer for Illumination

Faithful God, how blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Sanctify us by your Word and Spirit so that we may glorify you in the company of the faithful; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Introduction

What happens after we die? Perhaps the greatest and most persistent questions posed by humanity.

Carl Jung, immanent psychologist, wrote in his book “Memories, Dreams, and Reflections” (1959, p.306) that when it comes to death, each of us should have a personal myth about death. Myth = Not a fairytale, but a notion about the afterlife that we truly believe. It is this belief — belief that reason alone cannot provide — that transforms the approach to death from a “march toward nothingness” into a following of the “track of life” and living right into death…

Today, because of the increasing neglect or outright rejection of religion, many people, perhaps more than at any other time in history, face death with uncertainty or despair. They have no firm belief of what awaits them afterward, perhaps nothing.

What about you? Do you have a strong belief about what happens to you after you die? As Christians we are invited to be have a clear and hopeful outlook on what happens after death.

Paul describes it as coming into our inheritance.

Exegesis 1

Paul begins chapter one by extolling God for the present blessings that his people enjoy —

they are made holy and blameless

they have been redeemed by his blood

forgiven of their trespasses

made aware of God’s great plan in Christ - to reconcile all things in heaven and earth to himself.

His joy leaps off the page - blessed be God! praise his glorious grace, praise his glory, to the praise of his glory!

One point stands out for praise to God: we have been adopted as his children….and this means we have an inheritance before us. An inheritance that will be ours after death.

A high profile adoption in recent history for Paul. We talk about Roman Emperors during the New Testament era. New during Paul’s time.

The Roman General (and then dictator) Julius Caesar had been assassinated in 44 BC. Yet he had left a will, through which he adopted his great nephew, Gaius Octavius. At 18 years old Octavius became Gaius Julius Caesar Octavius, eventually he became the first Roman Emperor (when Paul, was a young child) whom we all know today as Caesar Augustus.

Adoption could move someone into new position..

Paul’s point is that we have been adopted — not by an earthly ruler, who can give us an earthly kingdom — but by the King of Heaven.

Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God by eternal relationship with the Father. Yet through Christ God has drafted his will, sealed in the blood of Christ, to claim us as his adopted children.

All of us have an inheritance: the glorious realm of God. Julius gave Octavius Rome, Jesus gives us heaven.

What does Paul envision in the afterlife?

Entering into glorious realm of God. Seeing Jesus, the God the Father (at who right hand he sits), the Spirit (surroundng the throne), the saints, his heroes, Moses and Elijah, the Christian martyrs, such as Stephen, the Heavenly Jerusalem of gold and light, the angels and archangels.

No wonder he has such joy.

It is a joy he wants to impart to the Ephesians. He wants them to not be afraid of death, as many of their pagan contemporaries were. He wants them to be filled with belief about the afterlife:

Ephesians 1:13. You heard the gospel message and have believed. You have received the Holy Spirit.

THAT MEANS: You have been adopted and you have an inheritance. The same inheritance I, Paul, have.

When you close your eyes to this world. You will open them to the next.

He knows he needs to do more than just encourage them with words, more than just reason, he has to encourage them with prayer.

He had seen resurrection life with his own eyes. (2 Cor. 12)

But they must believed by faith.

So he prays for their faith. He prays for divine intervention, that God would help them to know.

to be filled with wisdom and revelation. (Ephesians 1:17)

eyes of your heart enlightened (Ephesians 1:18)

to know the hope among the saints (Ephesians 1:8)

Paul’s point: in Christ he and the Ephesians, and all who place their faith in Christ, are God’s adopted children, they have the inheritance of glory after life, and they can and must know this by God’s revealing it to them and assuring them of it.

Interpretation

We are the Ephesians today.

The word of the good news has come to us

If we place our faith and trust in Christ, we are made adopted children of God.

We receive the Holy Spirit. Like a seal, a new name, a pledge, a contract.

Therefore: We have an inheritance. The Kingdom of God.

What happens when we die?

We have a firm belief.

We believe that we immediately will open our eyes in glory.

Not a dark pit. Not simply nothing. Not soul-sleep. Immediate presence in glory.

We will be reunited with our bodies at the end of time, but our spirits never die, they go to be with God.

Remember: on the mount of transfiguration, Jesus was seen with Moses and Elijah (they were not asleep or temporarily dead, they were alive and talking!) Paul, saw heaven.

The gospel message is that when we close our eyes to this world and we next open them to the pearly gates, and to angels, and Jesus and God. Like a blink.

This is true for us and for all who belong to Christ. That means on All Saints, there are many saints we will see. Departed parents, siblings, friends, saints of ages gone by.

People I would like to see. CS Lewis, Tolkien, Dante, Augustine,

But what a joy to see forever those I love and know: My parents, children, old friends.

Wells joy in the heart! Glory to God!

Can we really believe it?!

Yes. But not because it is a scientific claim: The afterlife is not something we can prove or replicate in a laboratory. Though: there is plenty of anecdotal evidence for life after death.

A quick google search revealed that a 2019 study determined that about 10% of the general population has had a near death experience. The prevalence is higher among those who have experienced cardiac arrest, with estimates ranging from 10% to 23% for this group.

People who have died and come back report seeing loved ones, seeing Jesus, seeing light, feeling peace and joy…to the point that some of them were sorry to come back to this reality!

People in this room have had visions and experiences of the afterlife. Maybe 10 in this room.

But even so, belief in the after life is not based merely on reason. It is based on faith.

Faith in the Scriptures, yes..and even more, faith directly communicated to us by the Holy Spirit.

We believe and we receive the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit assures us that we are God’s adopted children and will inherit his kingdom.

Application

For this week.

Meditate on the promise of the afterlife.

last week, meditate on death to make this life purposeful.

This life meditate on eternity to make that desirable.

Visualize the good things that you will enjoy.

Reunion with loved ones

Seeing the angels

Seeing heaven

Meeting the saints

Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in your heart:

give me a spirit of wisdom and revelation

open the eyes of my heart

help me to know the hope to which you have called me

help me to desire the glorious inheritance to come.

Pray that others, our brothers and sisters would have it.

Pray that we as a community would have it, so we can share it with the world around us.

Conclusion

We happens when we die, the greatest question.

Many today, don’t have a strong belief. Dark spot.

Does not have to be our situation.

We are offered the greatest answer: inheritance of glory

The greatest invitation, to believe it whole heartedly.