Sermon for 3/8/2009
Inheritance from Ephesians 1:7-12
Introduction:
A. After weeks of getting the cold shoulder from his wife, an unhappy husband finally confronted her. "Admit it The only reason you married me is because my grandfather left me $10 million." "Don’t be ridiculous!" she yelled. "I don’t care who left it to you."
B. It is amazing what an inheritance can do to a person. You might even be like the guy who met with his friend almost on the verge of tears. His friend said, "Hey, how come you look like the whole world caved in?" The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars." "That’s not bad." "Hold on, I’m just getting started. Two weeks ago, a cousin I never knew kicked the bucket, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear." "Sounds like you should be grateful." "Last week my great aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million." "Then how come you look so glum?" "This week . . . nothing!"
WBTU:
I want to talk about inheritances today, not the kind a grandfather, aunt, uncle or some forgotten relative might leave in their will, but the inheritance God has given which is described in the Scripture for believers. We talked about this briefly last week. I want to spend more time on it this week.
This is The kind of inheritance that will not leave us near tears but dancing and rejoicing every day of our lives as we begin to understand all God has in store for us.
Thesis: This morning we are going to talk about our inheritance, God’s inheritance and how we can be an heir to the inheritance.
For instances:
I. Our inheritance
A. Vs. 11 in the New International Version really doesn’t do justice to all that this verse is saying. From the Amplified Version of vs. 11 it says, “In Him we also were made God’s heritage and portion, and we obtained an inheritance, for we had been foreordained (meaning chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will.
B. Our inheritance is in heaven. (1 Pet 1:4 NIV) and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you
C. (Rev 21:4 NIV) He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
1. Wipe every tear- No tears? Not even tears of joy? Can we imagine tears flooding our eyes when we meet Christ or reunited with love ones? I can. These are the tears of suffering over sin and death, the tears of oppressed people, the cries of the poor, the widow, the orphaned, the unborn, and the persecuted.
2. No more death- The promise of no more death is a promise of no more sin. Sin causes mourning, crying, and pain. Any sorrows that plague us now will disappear on the New Earth as surely as darkness disappears when the light is turned on. No graves on the hillsides of glory.
D. (Rev 22:3 NIV) No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
1. No more curse- The curse came about because of Adam and Eve’s sin. The earth is cursed because our work is painful toil. The earth yields thorns and thistles. One day we will returned to the cursed ground from which we were taken. In heaven, work (heaven will not be boring) will be satisfying. In heaven, our work will not produce thorns and thistles. (Every job has some drawback, this will not be the case in heaven).
2. Servants will serve him. Serve is a verb. Servants are people who are active and occupied, carrying out tasks. We are not just hanging around playing harps. Work in heaven won’t be frustrating or fruitless; instead, it will involve lasting accomplishment, unhindered by decay and fatigue, enhanced by unlimited resources.
C. I haven’t been to heaven, but it is far beyond what I have just described. (1 Cor 2:9 NIV) "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"—
F. Sandi Patti- So, I’m waiting for another time and another place Where all my hope and dreams will be captured with one look at Jesus’ face Oh, my heart’s been burnin’, my soul keeps yearnin’ Sometimes I can’t hardly wait for that sweet, sweet someday When I’ll be swept away To another time and another place
II. God’s inheritance
A. From the Amplified Version of vs. 11 it says, “In Him we also were made God’s heritage or portion, and we obtained an inheritance, for we had been foreordained (meaning chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will.
B. Heritage- that which may be inherited. God has his own inheritance? yes, it is us! By His son we are his inheritance. Heaven will not be complete without you!
C. Steve Wonder- Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m yours!
1. Signed- Written in red vs. 7
2. Sealed- The Holy Spirit is seal vs. 13
3. Delivered- (Rom 4:25 NIV) He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
4. I’m yours- I am His and He is mine. New Living Translation of Psalm 139:17- "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable!" From this verse I imagine the illustration of the young lady who has just fallen in love with a young man. She thinks of this young man all of the time. She has his picture and she thinks positive and good thoughts about him. She thinks about him during the night, at work or school, at lunchtime, everywhere and at everytime. From this verse I can tell that God is crazy about you and me. He is like that illustration of the young lady in love who thinks about her “Bo” all of the time.
E. We get heaven and God gets us.
III. How can we be an heir to the inheritance?
A. Not everybody is an heir. (Mat 25:32 NIV) All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.(Mat 25:33 NIV) He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. We see that the sheep will go to eternal life, and the goats to eternal punishment.
B. Now there might be a terrible mistake made when looking at these verses. The first funeral I ever did was for a man who believed that one can do nothing for their salvation. Either you are predestined for heaven or you are predestined for hell. He felt like he was predestined for hell so while he was on the earth he lived it up in every sin imaginiable. Another person from this idea said before the Iraq war, "Let’s just go ahead and nuke Iraq and let God sort out the souls. He knows which ones are his and which ones are not." This is wrong on so many levels!
C. But isn’t that what this verse is saying. God chooses us, we don’t chose God (NIV). Predestined means that it was decided beforehand and we have no say in it. The Amplified doesn’t help us at all, “We have been foreordained- chosen and appointed beforehand.”
D. Maybe the end of the verse will give us some help- In accordance with His (God’s) purpose, who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will. Kenneth Boles gives us some help here- Lest we rush into the popular concept of predestination at this point, let us remember what the all-sovereign, all knowing, all seeing God has decreed: that men are given a choice whether or not to come to Jesus. Free will is part of God plan.
E. We must look at other verses to help us with this: (Rev 22:17) The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
F. “Whosoever will, whosoever will,” Send the proclamation over vale and hill;
’Tis a loving Father, calls the wanderer home: “Whosoever will, may come.”
G. But how can God’s complete control and man’s free will exist together? Let me say that people have been debating this for years. Bring this up at the Co-Op or the Beauty Salon and I am sure they can give some definite answers.
H. Commentator John Brown summarizes it for us: Since the Lord has no beginning and no end, God is able to let people be free to “chose” and yet go ahead and “decide beforehand” their future! Does that make sense to you. Good, it doesn’t make sense to me either.
I. Let’s ask an expert. Dr. John MacArthur is the President of a Seminary and has studied the things of the faith his whole life. Has more knowledge and insight than anyone I know. Here is what he said, “How can predestination and personal faith both exist at the same time? I don’t know.” That’s for your thorough explanation, Dr. MacArthur. At least he is being honest
J. Picture the God side vs. the human side of salvation this way: When we look up to heaven we see a sign that reads, “Whosoever will may come.” But as soon as we enter heaven and pass by the sign, the back of it reads, “Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.” We need not try to understand such truths, just thank and praise God for them. Our responsibility is to respond in faith!
K. One time I was discussing the Trinity, the Godhead. Summarized in the song, Holy, Holy, Holy- God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity. I asked the crowd if they could explain this in all of its fullness. Louise Webb stood up AND SAID "By Faith! AND then sat down. Isn’t that what it is all about, by faith!
L. These verses in Ephesians are giving us a glimpse of salvation from God’s perspective. Being this is God’s perspective and we are not God, we should just leave it there. We need to look at salvation from our perspective.
M. Give plan of salvation. (Mark 16:16 NIV) Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
