A Perfect Inheritance

Introduction

Have you ever lost an item that bothered you terribly?

When I was twenty four year old, I spend more money one one thing than I had ever spent in my entire life. It was an engagement ring.

A few weeks after I proposed to Erin, my friend, his girlfriend, Erin, and I took his boat to the reservoir. We stopped for a little while, and we decided to jump into the water.

I said, “Wait a minute, Erin. Be careful with that ring, now.”

I thought about all of the money that I had spent on the bottom of the Ross Barnett Reservoir.

When we purchase something, we want to make sure that we do not lose it. We take out insurance so that we can replace it, we put it in a safe, we guard it, and we take care of it. But nothing can guarantee that it won’t be lost, stolen, or broken.

We all have an inheritance awaiting us in heaven. God guards and keeps our inheritance.

Explanation

English Standard Version Chapter 1

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

When we say the word, “blessed,” we mean that God has given us something good. When we say, “bless” the Lord, we are praising God.

God’s mercy is great. It is because of his mercy that we have this inheritance.

We have been born again into a living hope.

Every other hope in the universe is dead or temporary.

Christ is a living, breathing, eternal hope.

This hope has been given to us through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

What is the difference between these three words (imperishable, undefiled, and unfading), and why are they important in this passage?

“Imperishable” means that it will never be rendered useless.

1. Your inheritance does not have an expiration date.

2.

“Undefiled” means that no one can bother it or change it.

No one can tamper with your inheritance - not Satan, no demon, no human, and not even you.

Defiling means, “to make something unclean.” No one can do anything with your inheritance. God holds it.

“Unfading” means that it never loses its luster or sparkle.

Do you ever wonder if you will be as excited about your heavenly reward 10,000 years as you are right now?

We think about gold rings or car paint or gemstones fading over time, and we say that they lose their luster or sparkle or shine. I don’t really thing that those words compare.

For that which shines from the Lord is glory. And it will never be diminished.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Your faith is kept by God’s power. The word “who” does not modify the inheritance or it would read ,”which” or “that.”

“Who” refers to the us. God guards our faith.

Once you are Christ’s, he will not let you go.

Eternity will give way to the best that God has for us.

Application

Try to understand more of the mercy of God this week.

I heard Kobe Bryant say recently that his hard work in the gym compounded with each practice.

Grace has a compound effect that we really don’t see day to day, but it is working.

It is not a selfish thing to live for your eternal inheritance. Leverage your life so that it counts.

We have assurance that God is going to see us through until the end.

Conclusion