‘WE HAVE OBTAINED AN INHERITANCE’
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on August 28, 2022 under 2022 |
Bethany Bible Church Sermon Message; August 28, 2022 from Ephesians 1:11-12
Theme: Because of our relationship with the Son of God by faith, we have obtained a share in His own rich inheritance.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
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Did you know that the Lord Jesus wrote a letter to a church? Actually, He wrote seven letters to seven churches. We have those letters contained for us in Chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Revelation.
One of those letters was to the church in the ancient city of Smyrna. It was a church of believers who were suffering deep hardship and poverty. They were going through a time of severe persecution for their faith. The Lord Jesus commanded the apostle John to write down his words to this church; and He told John to tell them—among other things—“I know your works, tribulation, and poverty …”
But then, almost as an aside, the Lord added this one surprising comment;
“but you are rich” (Revelation 2:9).
Now; imagine that you were in that poor, troubled, afflicted church family. Imagine that you felt the horrible oppression of persecution—persecution so severe that it seemed as if you had lost almost every earthly treasure; and were now in deep poverty. And then, imagine what it would be like for the Lord Jesus Himself to have declared to you that—in reality—you were actually very rich. You might have been tempted to look around, and wonder if the Lord had made a mistake. Where was this ‘wealth’ that He said you had?
Obviously, the Lord Jesus was speaking of a treasure that was not of this earth. You would eventually realize that you were being told—by the highest of all authority—that, even though you had appeared to lose everything, you were actually exceedingly rich in the glory of heaven. And if you had heard those words from the Lord, and wholeheartedly trusted that what He told you was true, wouldn’t it make your heart rejoice—even in the midst of your suffering? Wouldn’t it lift your spirit to know that—no matter what may happen to you on this earth—you had an immeasurably greater inheritance awaiting you? Wouldn’t you want to know more about it?
Well; that brings us to Ephesians 1. We have been studying together from the first few verses of this wonderful letter from the apostle Paul. And we come this morning to a passage—in Ephesians 1:11-12—that reveals to us just a little bit of what lies behind that surprising declaration from the Lord to His suffering church. The apostle Paul was writing about our eternal blessings in Christ by faith; and he said this:
In Him [that is, in Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:11-12).
These words from Paul declare to those of us who are believers in the Lord Jesus that, no matter what else may happen to us on this earth, we should be encouraged and joyful. We should spend the remainder of our time in this fallen world with a sense of holy confidence—and even with a willingness to suffer the loss of all temporal things for the sake of our Lord. Our true treasure is not here. It is safely kept for us in heaven.
We have obtained an inheritance. And we are very rich!
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Now; in order to be accurate in sharing God’s word with you, I need to tell you that the word “inheritance” doesn’t actually appear in the original language of verse 11.
The word that is used in the original language is one that means “to obtain”. It is simply telling us that, in Christ, we have “obtained”. It carries with it the implication that we have obtained something in Christ; but it leaves off telling us just exactly what it is that we have obtained. That’s why, if you’re reading from the New International Version, you’ll see that it tries to reflect this fact by simply saying, “In Him, we were also chosen …”; without going on to tell us what it is that we were chosen ‘to’.
But if you’ll look down to verses 13-14, you’ll see that the apostle Paul went on to write these words:
In Him [that is, in Jesus] you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory (vv. 13-14).
And it’s there that we’re told what it is that we have ‘obtained’ in Christ—what it is that we have been chosen ‘to’. It’s to an inheritance that is spiritual in nature—one that is not of this world. It’s one that we have not yet come into. We haven’t actually laid our hands on it yet. But it’s one that the Holy Spirit abides within us as a guarantee that we will, one day, fully receive. We do not yet have it in experience; but we have—by God’s grace—fully “obtained” it.
The reality of our experience in Christ, dear brothers and sisters, is something like this: We are like a people who appear to be walking around in this land as common, everyday folks—perhaps even seeming to live a little poorer and a little more humbly than the rest of the people around us. But meanwhile, in reality, we have been made into citizens of another, far distant, far more glorious land. As true citizens of this distant land, we have been adopted by its fabulously rich King—made brothers and sisters of His own beloved Son. And because of our union with Him, we are now wealthy beyond measure in that other kingdom’s treasure. For the time being, we may seem to live in poverty—far away from our true home. But we have a resident Helper—the Holy Spirit. He has taken up permanent residence in us as the guarantee that our inheritance will never be lost to us. That rich inheritance is already our possession at this present moment; and as soon as we arrive at our true homeland, it will become ours in the fullest experience.
That’s the real situation for us right now in Christ. We may have very little of this world’s riches. But we are richer than all the riches of this world could ever make us to be! And one day, we will see it all when we finally see Him.
If we let this sink into our hearts, just think of how differently it would make us live!
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So then; let’s first consider …
1. THE NATURE OF OUR INHERITANCE.
According to the translation I’m using, Paul says at the beginning of verse 11, “In Him [that is, in Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance …” We have been, by faith, placed “in” Christ. All that is true of Him has now been made to be true of us. And now, in addition to everything else we have in Him, we have “also” obtained an inheritance.
This inheritance that has been given to us is our Lord’s own inheritance from the Father. This is because He, through His atoning sacrifice for us, has made His Father to now be our Father. And because we have now been fully adopted as God’s own children through Him, and because we are now our Lord’s brothers and sisters by faith, He delights to share the fullness of His own rich inheritance with us.
Would you like proof of that—from Jesus’ own lips? Think of what He prayed for us in John 17. This was a prayer that He prayed just before He went to the cross for us. In verses 4-5, He spoke to His Father and said;
“I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:4-5).
He looked forward—after the cross, and after the resurrection—to returning to that glory. But now, He has ensured that He would not return to it alone. In verse 22, He prays for those of us who would hear the gospel and believe on Him; and He says,
“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one …” (v. 22).
He has already given it to us. It’s ours right now. We have already obtained it. And He looks forward to the day when we will enter into the fullness of it and enjoy it with Him forever. Look at what He goes on to pray in verse 24;
“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (v. 24).
For us to be where He is, and to “behold” His glory, is the same thing as our entering into the full enjoyment of the possession of it along with Him. Because we are in Him, His death is now our death, His resurrection is now our resurrection, His Father is now our Father, His inheritance is now our inheritance, and His eternal enjoyment of it will—one day—become our eternal enjoyment! As Paul wrote in Romans 8:16-17;
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans 8:16-17).
What is that inheritance like? What will our experience of it be? The Bible tells us very little about it; and that’s probably because, in our present state of being, our feeble minds couldn’t handle the information. But I love what the Holy Spirit led the apostle Peter to tell us in 1 Peter 1:3-9. He wrote to a group of suffering believers and said;
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:3-9).
Our glorious inheritance is wrapped up inseparably in the Lord Jesus Himself. We will not have it without Him. And if we have Him, we have both Him and everything that the Father has given Him.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ; we are rich indeed! We have great reason to rejoice!
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But how can we be sure of this inheritance? We would never even have been aware of it if it wasn’t for the fact that the Bible tells us about it. How can we then be sure that it’s truly ours and that—one day—we’ll enter into the fullness of it with the Lord Jesus?
Well; we can be grateful that Paul then went on, in verse 11, to tell us about …
2. OUR SECURITY IN THIS INHERITANCE.
He wrote that, in Christ, we have obtained an inheritance, “being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will …”
If your or my share in this rich inheritance depended—in any way—upon our being worthy of it, we’d never be secure in it. In fact, we’d never have even been be able to enter into it at all. How could such fallen, imperfect creatures as us ever expect to make ourselves into co-heirs with the Son of God? How could we, in our own power, ever ‘climb up the ladder’ and earn the right to such a thing?—let alone keep it? But these words from Paul assure us that, rather than having any basis in ourselves whatsoever, our share in this glorious inheritance is based solely upon the loving decree of the heavenly Father. He is the one who ‘predestined’ us to it.
When did He do that? Verse 4 tells us that the Father chose us in Christ “before the foundation of the world”; that is, before we were ever born, or before we ever sinned, or before we ever could have done anything to be worthy of it or lose it. It’s not something that is in any way dependent upon our earning it or keeping it. It’s only according to His decree—His gracious plan formed sovereignly, and brought about in love.
To assure us of how secure we are in this inheritance, Paul told us that we were predestined to it according to the purpose of the One who controls all things—that is, “who works all things according to the council of His will”. In other words, the God who created all things, and who orders all things according to His sovereign decree, has included us—as co-heirs with His Son—in that decree. As certain as the heavens and the earth exist right now by His command, we also are absolutely certain to enter into the fullness of this inheritance with Jesus Christ. Just think of what we’re told in Romans 8:28-30. Paul wrote;
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified (Romans 8:28-30).
It’s not that we will be predestined, or that we will be called, or that we will be justified, or that we will be glorified. In the sovereign purpose of God our Father—which can never fail—there’s no “will be” about it. We are these things right now—as sure and as certain for them as if they were already done! It’s all in the sovereign power of the One who has decreed all things.
We may stumble and fall along the way. We may feel at times as if we have made ourselves unworthy of this glorious inheritance. I know that I do … and it frustrates me greatly! But if we are in Christ, we cannot and will not fail to enter into that inheritance. God Himself is able to preserve us for it. As it says in Jude 24-25;
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen (Jude 24-25).
Trust wholeheartedly in it, dear brothers and sisters. We are right now—and always will be—and cannot be anything us but—truly rich in Christ! Our almighty Father has decreed it!
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Now; why would God the Father choose us for this glorious future—a future for which we are so utterly unworthy? Why would He secure us in it? Paul goes on in verse 12 to tell us …
3. THE REASON WE WERE GIVEN THIS INHERITANCE.
And what an amazing reason it is! It’s “that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” That’s why God the Father has given us all of the rich blessings we enjoy in Christ. As verse 6 tells us, He chose us in Christ and adopted us as His own “to the praise of the glory of His grace”. As verse 14 tells us, He sealed us in the Holy Spirit and guarantees that we will enter into this inheritance “to the praise of His glory”. And as verse 12 also tells us, the Father secures us in all of this that we should be “to the praise of His glory”. That’s the reason we are given this great inheritance. It’s to the praise of His glory.
Who will be doing the praising? Certainly, we will be. Just one heavenly glimpse of the unspeakable, inexpressible, immeasurable inheritance that is ours in Christ will be reason enough for us to praise the Father and adore His Son forever and ever. But we won’t be the only ones doing the praising. Look carefully at what we’re told in Ephesians 3:8-11. The apostle Paul wrote about how humbled he was to be given the privilege of declaring these things; and he said,
To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord … (Ephesians 3:8-11).
‘The principalities and powers in the heavenly places …” Do you know who that is? That’s the various ranks and orders of the heavenly angels. Right now, they exceed us in glory and power. But when we are glorified with the Lord Jesus, we will vastly exceed them in power and glory; because we will then be like the Lord Himself. We will be made full sharers in the eternal inheritance that God the Father has given to His only begotten Son. And when those principalities and powers behold us—and see the exceedingly great glory into which God the Father will have brought us—then they will fall down in worship of Him and say, “O mighty God our Creator! How wise and how glorious and how great You are! How wonderful is Your manifold wisdom! For you have graciously brought these formerly frail and fallen creatures to such majesty! You have made them to be sharers forever in the majesty of Your only begotten Son! How we praise You forever for what You have done to Your redeemed church!” No credit will go to us. All will go to Him.
Dear brothers and sisters; we are—right now—rich beyond human expression! And the Bible tells us that one day—when they themselves finally behold it—even the angels of heaven will be astonished and will begin praising God forever that it is so!
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Now; there’s one more thing that the apostle Paul told us about all this. And in light of all that we have said so far, it’s very important. In verse 12, Paul tells us …
4. WHO MAY HAVE A SHARE IN THIS INHERITANCE.
You see; this glorious inheritance isn’t the possession of all people everywhere. Paul tells us that this is all so “that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” God gives the inheritance of His Son as a free gift of His grace … but only to those who had first placed their faith in Jesus and trusted in what He did for us on the cross.
A free gift that is conditional? Is there a conflict in this? No; not at all. It’s true that we must first trust in Jesus and become united to Him by faith. But even the ability to have that trust—even the saving faith itself—is the free gift of God’s grace. The God who decrees all things, and decrees our share in this rich inheritance, even decrees the very faith in Jesus that brings us into it. As Paul puts it in Ephesians 2:8-9;
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
If you wish to have a share in the inheritance of Christ, you may. God the Father welcomes you into it; and Jesus died on the cross to make you a partaker of it. Place your full trust in what Jesus did on the cross for you—dying in your place to pay the price for your sins—and you will be “in Christ”. And then, you will be a sharer in the eternal inheritance of Christ.
And know that you are eternally secure in that inheritance; because even the faith to believe is the gracious gift of God.
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So then; our Lord’s words to those ancient believers in that ancient church also applies to us. We are—right now, at this very moment—rich in the eternal inheritance of Jesus! That’s true no matter what our condition may be on this earth. The apostle John once wrote;
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1 John 3:2-3).
Dear brothers in sisters in Christ, we are co-heirs by faith with Jesus Christ. We are—right now—immeasurably rich. We are heirs with Christ—destined for immeasurably great glory.
Let’s start living like what we are!
AE
