The Blessings of Christmas pt 3

Introduction

Tonight we are going to conclude our mini-series on the gifts we have all received because of the work that Jesus did in coming to earth to die for our sins.

As we think about the gifts of Christmas, there are some gifts that we do not receive immediately. A perfect example of that is the gift of an inheritance which will be our main topic tonight. Parent’s who wish to leave something for their kids may choose to place money or assets in a trust. The child may not receive anything right now but the inheritance is guaranteed in the trust. Often their will be an trustee who protects those assets until the time when the child can inherit them.

As a believer there are some things that we will possess but do not currently now possess. Let me give you some examples:

glorified bodies- right now we age, get sick, break down; but there is coming a day when we will never experience that again.

unstained joy- the Bible says that in the future every tear will be wiped away. We experience joy now as believers; but our joy is often mixed with sorrow. There is pain and loss on this side of glory.

Perfect Knowledge- 1 Cor says that right now we know God but its like looking through a fogged up or stain piece of glass. We know Him in part, but there is coming a day when we will know Him perfectly.

Glorified character- God has called us to holiness as we saw last week, but there is no Christian who has reached perfection where they never sin again. 1 John tells us that when we see Christ face to face we will be like Him. That sin that you have been struggling with will finally lose its hold on you.

This is just a sample list of the things that await us in heaven. They are ours but we have not received them completely now. They are our inheritance. As we look at the final section of Paul’s sentence here, we are going to focus on our inheritance beginning in vs 11.

The Gift of an Inheritance

Ephesians 1:11–12 “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”

Verse 11-12 tell us the condition for receiving our inheritance and the purpose of our inheritance. First, it is based on the fact that we have been chosen in Christ. Our relationship with Jesus is the reason we receive this inheritance.

Imagine if I died and wrote a will. I decide I am going to leave my house, my goats, my chickens and my dogs to someone. I throw in my computer as well. Not much else of value that I own. Who would you expect to show up to that meeting? You would expect my wife, and kids to be there. Now if Josh decided to show up would you expect that he would be left anything in my will? Not normally.

This inheritance belongs to those who according to vs 13 have trusted in the gospel. These people heard the truth of how Jesus came to earth, died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again. They believed this message and they placed their dependence on what he did.

This inheritance is also as we have seen for the glory of God. God deserves glory for everything he has done in our behalf. As believers, we must be careful not to be ungrateful children who wake up on Christmas morning, open our presents and never say thankyou.

This theme of inheritance is scattered throughout the book of Ephesians. I wouldn’t say its they main theme but it is a major theme in the book of Ephesians. I have a hand out to give to everyone, but let’s just briefly trace the theme.

Theme of inheritance in Ephesians:

we receive an inheritance which includes communion now with the Holy Spirit as the downpayment 1:11,18

we were outside the realm of that inheritance before salvation 2:12

we have been made fellowheirs 2:13-19

The mystery is that Gentiles have been made fellowheirs 3:6- we possess a shared inheritance

Our shared inheritance undergirds unity in the body 4:4-6

Our inheritance includes the kingdom of God 5:5

Our faithful obedience now leads to future reward 6:8

Our inheritance is our divinely appointed share in Christ’s Kingdom and glory.

It includes being:

Co-heirs Romans 8:17 “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

Co-rulers 2 Timothy 2:12 “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:”

Heirs of Glory- Colossians 3:4 “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

This is our future. This is what awaits us as God’s children. It is our privilege as members of the family of God.

The Guarantee of that Inheritance

Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”

Sometimes, wills can be changed. If a kid decides he is going to go do something crazy and thumb his nose at his parents, they might remove him from the will. After all the inheritance is not something the parents owe the child.

But in Christ, our inheritance is not something we can be written out of. We can’t lose our inheritance. We have this inheritance because of what Christ did not because of what we did; so there is nothing we can do to lose it.

We were sealed in Christ, by the Spirit. I want you to notice the last phrase of vs 13. We are sealed in Christ. A seal in bible times was a piece of wax placed over the edge of a scroll to seal it shut. This would guarantee that it hadn’t been opened until it arrived for the intended recipient.

There is another illustration that may help. When you buy cream at the grocery story and you undo the cap, underneath there is a plastic seal. The seal preserves the contents of the container until it is ready to be used. You know the cream is still good because it is sealed.

I use this illustration because I think there is a dynamic that we miss out on in this passage often times when it is preached. The words to the letter are sealed up in a scroll; the cream is sealed up inside of the carton, but where is the Christian sealed up? The first two words of the verse tell us: in whom. The Christian at salvation has been placed in Christ and then a seal has been placed over us. This means we are staying in Christ until the redemption of the purchased possession of vs 14. So until we arrive safety in God’s possession, we are sealed. The seal that keeps us in Christ is the Holy Spirit. He is called the holy Spirit of promise because he is the evidence that we will receive what has been promised to us.

There are a couple implications for this truth:

Because I am sealed, I cannot lost my salvation. I am guaranteed to make it to heaven.

Because I am sealed, I will receive my inheritance. There is nothing that can take it away from me.

The Present Experience of that Inheritance

Ephesians 1:14 “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Verse 14, tells us that our inheritance is future, we wait for the redemption of the purchased possession. We wait for that final, full experience of our salvation. Salvation is experienced in stages. When we place our faith in Jesus we are saved, it is guaranteed, the penalty for sin is paid and we have been forgiven; but there is more to our salvation than just that. There is more that awaits us in heaven.

But what is the good of an inheritance to me right now when I need it. Who cares if I am promised a million dollar estate when my parents die, if I am living on the streets today. Our inheritance is not merely a future reality, it is also a present experience.

Like so many doctrines in the bible it is a now and not yet reality. We experience the seeds of it today, but the full experience of it is future. You see that in the text. Verse 14 says we wait for it, but vs 11 says we have obtained it. How is our inheritance something we experience now, but will experience more in the future.

Verse 14 tells us that the Holy Spirit is the earnest or the downpayment of our inheritance. Notice who the downpayment is? The Holy Spirit. There is an amazing truth here if you can grasp it. Our inheritance is God. It is God giving us Himself. So a future with all the riches of heaven, the blessings of eternal life are only experienced because we are with God. This is a consistent emphasis about our inheritance in the OT.

Psalm 16:5 “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot.”

Lamentations 3:24 “The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”

So how can I experience my inheritance today? God’s presence is experienced today in my life by my relationship with the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, God is already at work molding me into His image, Through the Holy Spirit, I am already enjoying the blessings of relationship with God. Through the Holy Spirit, I already have God’s authority in my life.

I am not sitting here writting love letters to God wishing I could be with Him. I can experience His presence in my life today through the Holy spirit.

Conclusion

I can’t think of a better way to end this entire series on the gifts of Christmas. The strength of this passage is that we have received an amazing gift for Christmas. We have received God Himself as our inheritance.

You want to experience some joy this Christmas, I plead with you to find that joy in a dynamic relationship with God. Spend some time this week truly seeking relationship with Him. There is no greater present you could receive because there is nothing greater in this world than God Himself.