Thank God for My Inheritance!

I. Paul Praises God For What He Has Done ().

Blessed be God.

Blessing- A wish, expression, or gift for the wellbeing of another. In cases of divine blessing it becomes an act in favor of the one being blessed. Paul is blessing the God. Why? Why is Paul blessing God?

God has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.

God choose us and why did God choose us? God saw you even before the earth was founded, while the darkness covered the face of the deep, God saw you, foreknew that you would believe on Him, foreknew that you would serve Him, and because He knew this, he picked you out of the world, out of thousands and millions of people, down through the process of time, and picked you that you should be holy or rather that He would make you holy and He would make you without blame before Him in love. Now if that isn’t enough to lift your voice and say thank you then I don’t know what it’s going to take. We can shout, we can glorify God making ways, for healing bodies, for fighting battles, but this morning I just want to glorify God for chosen me! I want to thank Him for thinking of me before the world was even made.

We should praise God right along with Paul, this was Paul’s intention for the recipients of this letter. Before he dealt with anything else that was going on, Paul had to take a moment out to glorify God. That’s a good lesson for us to learn, that when you got issues going on at work, at home, at school, before you even address the issue, take time out to reflect back at what God has done for you. It’ll cause you to have the right perspective prior to dealing with different issues going on in your life. It’s good to take time out and just worship God and praise God, it’ll get your mind right.

God predestinated us unto adoption of children.

What does this mean? Predestine- proorizo- to decide beforehand, to limit and mark mark out before hand. He set boundaries for you ahead of time. Some of us can attest to the fact that God was merciful to us, he could’ve cut us off. But he had a boundary set for us. That’s why when God said enough, it was enough, because he had better things for us. A better way of living a better way of serving Him. That’s why you didn’t lose your life while you were out there. That’s why you didn’t lose your mind, that’s why God didn’t allow the drugs or the alcohol to consume you, because he had boundaries in place. That’s why that relationship didn’t work out, that’s why you didn’t get that particular job, because God had everything worked out for you! God predestinated, decided before the world was even created that you would be his adopted child.

You must understand God and His nature, you must understand and get it in your mind that when it comes to God the Father he created us, but he only had one Son and his name was Jesus. John said he was the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. But some kind of way, God was gracious enough to give us a chance to become adopted sons and daughters of Him by way of believing on Jesus Christ!

When we consider the fact that God adopted us it should cause a break-forth into praise to God. Paul as he writes this letter is overcome with emotion and a heart full of thanksgiving. He’s looking back over what God has done for Him and for those whom he is pastoring and I believe that Paul is playing the worship leader, leading his readers to a place of worship, adoration, and appreciation for what God has done for them!

II. Paul Further Explains What God Has Done ().

To the praise of the glory of his grace...

Paul once again explodes into praise unto God. Why? Because God has made us accepted in the beloved. (Explain)

In Whom we have redemption....

Paul is praising God because God redeemed us. At this point, he is petitioning his readers to join in with him in praise unto God for God redeeming us. How did God redeem us? Through his blood (Jesus) not so much as by the blood itself, but because of his death (figurative speech), he redeemed us when he died for us, he purchased salvation for you through His death. A price had to be paid, Jesus died to deal with our sin, there was no other way your sin could be effectively dealt with. In order for your sins to truly be forgiven you, Jesus had to die. When Jesus died he did it according to the riches of his (God’s) grace.

He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence

Meaning that God has showered us with kindness along with wisdom and understanding.

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will.

This mystery is hidden to those who don’t believe. But to every believer, when you receive and believe Jesus, when you receive the promise, this mystery His will will be revealed to you. This mystery of His will involves Christ and Christ is to fulfill the plan of God. What plan of God is to be fulfilled through Christ?

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth: even in him:

What this is saying is that at the right time (dispensation) Christ will bring all things together. Things in heaven; what is in heaven? God is in Heaven, the angels are in heaven, the true tabernacle is in heaven. Things on the earth, people, understand that things in Heaven and things on earth are separate to a certain extent, but there will come a day when all things will be brought together. God’s creation here on Earth, we as people we are separate, the church is in America is still one of the most segregated places you can find on earth. But there is coming a day where all that is going to be done away with......God’s gonna bring us together. One of the issues that plagued the church of Ephesus was division. The church comprised of Jews and Gentiles and one of the purposes for this epistle was to unify the church.

There was a division in the earth, for a long time only the Jews were considered to be God’s people. But when Jesus died, he broke down that middle wall of petition so that it wouldn’t be just one ethnic class that could lay claim on being God’s people. Jesus made so that both Jew and Gentile could be as one people this new body would be called the ecclesia the church, the called out ones.

So now, Paul alludes to the fact that mankind has been united in Christ. And because we have been united with Christ verse 11 says:

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance....

You’ve been blessed to receive a portion, a lot, an assignment, a share. A portion, a lot, a share of what? God’s inheritance, an inheritance in Christ! Jesus as God’s heir I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou are my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

What did Jesus become an heir of? Many things, power, honor and glory, victory, resurrection, Godly riches.

Believer are co heirs with Christ

“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 (with Christ).

Believers inherit Salvation

Believers inherit eternal life.

“And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the

They have full right of sons.

But when the fulness of time was come. God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

They have the rights of the firstborn.

“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.”

They inhert the earth.

“But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

They inhert the kingdom of God.

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.”

They inhert all things.

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

Their inheritance is the word of God.

“Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.”

They inherit the Lord himself.

“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”

Our inheritance is guaranteed for eternity!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Because we have received this inheritance Paul states that we have been predestinated according to the purpose of God, God works all things after the counsel of his own will or God makes everything work out according to his divine plan......it’s working for my good! For the believer, for the one who puts his or hers faith in God, nothing is by chance and nothing is by accident, God has strategically ordered our steps. To you things might look like disorder, but when you look through the eyes of faith, it’s going exactly like how God planned it all along. That doesn’t mean that life will be easy, it’s going to be hard at times, your going to experience pain and even some disappointments, but my faith tells me, the word of God tells me that God is in control and if God is in control, all things WILL work out for my God!!!

That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Paul is talking about the Jews; they were the first to trust in Christ.

Paul is talking about the Jews; they were the first to trust in Christ. On Pentecost those who were in the upper-room were Jewish constituents.

In whom ye (Gentiles) 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 the

III. The Sealing of the Spirit and Our Inheritance ().

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 the holy Spirit of promise.

When we trusted, see you gotta trust in Jesus and the gospel. You can’t trust in your self, if you think you are saved because of how good you are you need to take another look. You’re saved because of God’s goodness, his grace towards you. That’s why some of you struggle with your salvation because you really think that you being saved is based upon you being good enough. You can never be good enough, because if you could Jesus wouldn’t came and died for your sins.

You must put your faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. You must believe that it is Jesus death, his blood that makes you worthy! You must believe that the only way I can be saved is that by Jesus’ action and my believing that he atoned for my sin, I gain salvation!

You must believe as Paul said that God chose you in Him before the foundation of the world that you should be holy and without blame before him in love! You can’t make yourself holy, you must believe that Jesus died for you so that you can be holy. You must believe that your sins are forgiven you by Jesus dying for your sins. When you truly believe, with all your heart, and confess the LORD Jesus with your mouth God will save you!

When I say saved, it not only means saved out of a world of sin, but saved from the wrath to come! God called you out, he predestinated you, God has a calling and a purpose for your life and when you believe this word of truth, the good-news of your salvation, God will seal you with the Holy Spirit of promise!

Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The earnest is the guarantee, it is a pledge, it is a down payment. It is the guarantee that God will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased you to be his own people. When you start self-evaluating and taking inventory through your flesh, you’ll say that I’m not ready or I’m not worth. However, if you just take another look, you can say I’m not there yet, but I believe God is going to work on me some more, I believe God will get me to the place I need to be, I believe I’m covered by the blood. If you don’t willfully sin, you must believe that the blood has you covered!

Now, you can praise God, you can thank God, because one day He’s coming back to redeem his purchase! I got an inheritance waiting for me! Thank God for my inheritance!

This message should bring us to a deeper appreciation of what God has done for us. It should bring us to a higher elevation of worship and praise. This passage of scripture should encourage us and motivate us in knowing we are accepted and loved by God and that we should comprehend the inheritance God has for us.