Inheritance Sermon #2: The Covenant Origin of our Inheritance
Key Scripture: Hebrews 9:15-17:
“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.”
Intro:
The most commonly recognized way for a person to inherit something from another person is through instructions written in a last will and testament. The inheritance is bestowed only after the death of the testator. Our inheritance from God is no different, except that God, the writer of the will, is eternal and can never die. Therefore, our inheritance depends on promises made by one who continues to live after the will and testament is written. In scripture we find a series of covenants God made with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and others who chose to enter into relationship with Him. These Old Testament covenants are precursors to our full inheritance as Christians.
A study of the covenants underscores the fact that not all covenants are alike. Some of the covenants were conditional in nature. Their validity depended on one or both parties keeping their end of the covenant. For example, the covenant which gave us the Mosaic Law, was a conditional covenant. It required the obedience of the people who lived under its tenants. Consequences were imposed on people who disobeyed. This covenant was full of “if-then” statements. In essence it said, “If you obey me, then I will bless you. If you disobey me, then I will curse you.” Because it was conditional, it was also temporary. In fact, all conditional covenants are temporary in nature.
1. The Abrahamic Covenant
The story of Abraham is remarkable in many ways. Imagine leaving a place where you are settled and comfortable (Ur), to spend the remainder of your life living in tents as a nomad. Imagine doing this solely because a previously unknown deity promised to take you someplace he would show you later. Imagine being part of a childless couple getting up in age and yet having an ironic name that means “Father of Many” (Abram). Imagine God increasing the irony by changing your name to Abraham, which means “Father of a Multitude.” Then imagine waiting until you and your spouse are far past the age of childbearing. Imagine living as a stranger in a strange land with the promise that, someday in the distant future, your descendants would actually possess the land. Every part of Abraham’s adventure required faith, and Abraham proved himself to be a man of exemplary faith.
Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed God’s covenant promises, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness. Of all the Old Testament covenants, the covenant between God and Abraham could be considered the most pivotal. The promises of this covenant included two physical elements and a third element which was spiritual in nature. Abraham was promised a tract of land, numerous descendants, and a comprehensive blessing. This covenant was eternal and irrevocable.
If a covenant is to be permanent, it cannot be conditional. God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, 15:1-20) was an unconditional covenant. Therefore, the Abrahamic covenant is still in force today. In fact, our inheritance in Christ is based on God’s covenant with Abraham. We receive the part of the covenant where God promised, “…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). We are covered by this promise in a general, all-inclusive sense (“all peoples”), and we are also covered because, as members of God’s family, we are heirs to all that was promised to Abraham and his descendants. By faith we are children of Abraham and heirs to all that was promised to him (Romans 4:16, Galatians 3:6-14).
The unconditional quality of the Abrahamic covenant ensures that we cannot break the covenant through our own misdeeds. If we were living under the Levitical covenant we would be in constant danger of breaking some part of the law, and thereby falling under the curses of the law. Praise God, for he has provided a more permanent covenant than that which was given to Moses. The covenant under which we live came before the Mosaic Law, and will remain in force forever after.
Believers enjoy all the promises given to Abraham’s descendants without having to endure the restrictive commands of the Levitical system. I mention this here because there have always been false teachers who try to tie us back into the Levitical Law system. The letter to the Galatians warns against legalism that enslaves Christians to the Levitical Law. As Christians, we live under a better and more permanent covenant than that which was given at Mt. Horeb. Christ has set us free from the impossible conditions of the law. By faith, we inherit an unconditional and eternal covenant.
2. The Covenant ratified by Christ’s death
An inheritance is bestowed only after a death. However, our covenant is from an eternal God who cannot die. Therefore, our God willingly put on flesh (John 1:14) and submitted to death as a human. Then he rose again as executor of our glorious inheritance. “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.” Hebrews 9: 15-17
By Christ’s death on the cross, he ratified for us a new and better testament. In fact, Paul tells us that when Christ was crucified, the Levitical law died with him. “… having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14).
In Romans 7, Paul illustrates another way in which the new covenant is ratified. He describes the dilemma of a person who is stuck in an unhappy marriage that will last “until death does us part.” In this metaphor, we are irrevocably married to the law, and the only way to be set free is either the death of the law or our own death. Paul presents God’s solution to this problem. “So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God” (Romans 7:4).
When Christ died on the cross, we died with him. In so doing, we were released from a legal, but miserable marriage to the law. Old Husband Law was a harsh and demanding marriage partner, never satisfied with his bride. Because we died with Christ, we are legally released from that marriage, and become, instead, the bride of Christ.
We have inherited an eternal covenant that is unconditional and flowing over with grace! This new covenant was ratified by death three times over. As testator of the will, Jesus Christ died and rose again. The law covenant itself was put to death on the cross with Christ. By faith, we also have died and we are resurrected with Christ.
3. Marriage to a New Law
The marriage analogy that Paul gives in Romans is rich with meaning. Romans 7:1-14 describes the Levitical Law as a demanding husband. I picture the finicky and fussy husband giving the “white glove treatment” to every surface in the house. He reaches up to run his gloved fingers across top of the refrigerator. Then he shows his hapless wife the grime he has uncovered. Never mind that she is too short to reach that surface without a ladder. By the time Husband Law has finished revealing the many unclean surfaces, his wife is demoralized. Perfect Law has requirements that his all-too-human wife can never satisfy.
Of course, she could escape this miserable marriage and find a better husband if Husband Law ever died. Unfortunately for her, Perfect Law is in perfect health. The only hope left to the wife is if she, herself, could die and then come back to life as a new person. The marriage bond to the old husband would then be broken and she would be free to marry somebody else (Romans 7:4-6). This is precisely what Jesus Christ has provided for us.
Romans chapter 8 shouts the theme of our new status before God. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). We’ve been set free from fussy, finicky Husband Law, and his constant condemnation. Even better, we now have a new husband. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). We have been set free from one law and we are now married to another law. We have died to the law of sin and death and have been reborn under a new law: “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” This new law is not a law of condemnation, but a law of life in the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion:
Old Husband Law focused on our inadequacies. Our new husband loves us with unconditional love. He never demands anything from us that he won’t also perform within us. His law of the Spirit gives us new life. We find that when our minds are set on the Spirit we no longer fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Romans 8:4-11). Our life has been transformed from miserable to miraculous, for the presence of the Holy Spirit enables us to satisfy every requirement of our new and gracious husband.
