Josh (01-25-09)A
Jan 25, 2009
“God is your Inheritance” Josh 13:33
As we read last week .. in v1 we saw that Joshua was very old / 90+ but still .. the Lord reminded him that
“very much of the land remains to be possessed”
God seems to be saying to Joshua your work is not over with at least / not until He says so
( you see ) our age & accomplishments are not the judge of whether we have finished our course or not
& I believe with all of my heart the same is true with us to this day
They had much land to be possessed that God still wanted to use & bless Joshua with
& we .. in the spiritual sense still have .. many blessings to be gained each & every day we are alive
( as God tells us in Eph 1:3 )
blessed be the God & Father of our Lord J.C. who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ
( you see ) God is not thru with us either not until He calls us home to be with Him
And in the chapters ahead / Ch 13-21 we see Joshua dividing up the land tribe to tribe .. as we observe “the inheritance” given out by God ( as we note )
that each tribe / family has a certain lot of land given to them by God
& it appears that God determines the precise area that each tribe would possess
( why note that )
I want to take a moment with those who are dissatisfied / discontented with their .. lot in life ( your “inheritance” so to speak ) possibly thinking that God gave you the short end of the stick / “rocky land”
( some of you are extra )
lonely / have unfulfilled dreams / ill health have become discontented / disillusioned have unhappy marriages / unruly kids unfulfilled futures / loss of job / or hope
If especially during these difficult times that we are experiencing … if this is happening within your life I believe that God wants to say something to you
I believe that God wishes for you to know this especially .. before any resentment towards Him .. over takes you & you become bitter towards others & especially towards Him ( over your .. lot in life / “your inheritance” )
And it all stems upon what Joshua told the tribe of Levi ( you see ) .. we need to be reminded of what Joshua told them concerning their portion of the inheritance
Josh 13:33
but to the tribe of Levi .. ( note ) Moses did not give an inheritance .. ( why ) because .. the Lord .. the God of Israel is .. ( what ) .. is their inheritance as He had promised to them
Do you understand .. that the Lord is your inheritance .. your portion of life
You see .. what has been given to you is no mistake .. your not a 2nd best but what you have has been given to you by God who loves you deeply
Let’s prove it .. do not forget that the book of Joshua is explained thru Ephesians / commentary
( read: Eph 1:7-23 )
( you see ) we have received an inheritance that has been predestined for us by our Lord ( for each & every one of us )
Do you see .. we have obtained an inheritance “a chosen inheritance” ordained / chosen for us by our God ( just as the tribes of Israel )
Look again at v18 & see
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened .. so that you will know what is the hope of His calling / his calling for you what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints
( may I give you a practical example of that thought )
One of our church members .. whom I love told me he asked his wife to marry him
( they gave me permission to tell you this )
in great love he said to her
“it is my destiny to make you happy” “will you marry me”
to which .. she responded to him
“yes I will marry you … but .. no man can make me happy only the Lord can do that”
( what did she mean by that )
you see .. she was in essence saying her inheritance isn’t in a person her blessings / contentment / her joy is in her Lord / Savior / God .. J.C. & that only comes thru .. her walk with Christ not her circumstances .. or even in a person whom she loved deeply
You see .. to the Levites great honor was allotted to them for they were called to a life of worship … “the God of Israel was their inheritance”
He & He alone was their portion they possessed Him / & He them
33) but to the tribe of Levi Moses did not give an inheritance the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance as He had promised to them
To the tribe of Levi all His resources / power / blessings were theirs .. & then as it was given to them they were to pass it along to others
They were called to be His hands / heart / joy / comfort to others
They brought folks to God … their’s was a life of worship an inheritance .. that was only to be found in their God .. & their blessings were given to them .. by Him
& you see / He is our inheritance too ( that He is yours & yours alone ) therefore .. should we be frustrated with that call of God upon our lives whatever it may be that He has given us …
· whether it be the terrible bite of loneliness
· or the heartache of dissatisfaction
· or any of the disillusionment
that might come our way
And to those of us who are more fortunate because God has blessed us with happy homes / Godly children / good health fulfilling jobs / enough of the world’s goods to keep us from poverty
I warn you as I do myself … do not allow your blessings to mar His inheritance that is in us & forget why we are living on this earth & that is .. to give our God a response which is unworthy of His grace & love that lives within us as believers
But to those of you who feel left out never forget .. Who is your inheritance it is your God
And it is your God who is waiting to hear from your heart that you are content with His inheritance in you
Verses:
Eph 1:3
Eph 1:7-23