The Gift to Believers
Ephesians 1:11-14
After weeks of getting the cold shoulder from his wife, an unhappy husband finally confronted her.
"Admit it, Linda," he said, "The only reason you married me is because my grandfather left me $10 million."
"Don’t be ridiculous!" she shot back. "I don’t care who left it to you."
It is amazing what an inheritance can do to a person. You might even be like the guy who met with his friend looking forlorn, and 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!"
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. The kind of inheritance that will not leave you near tears but dancing and rejoicing every day of your life as you begin to understand all God has in store for you.
I have one main point today and several sun points to help us focus on what God has given. The main point is this…
I. As a Believer, I have a God given inheritance. You might not be listed as a beneficiary in someone else’s will, your parents or grandparents might not have left you anything but listen to me today, God has given you an inheritance far greater than anything else you might ever receive, far greater than the inheritance someone like Bill Gates may will to his children, and you don’t have to wait until someone dies to access it, it is yours right now if you call Jesus your Lord and guide. He has already died so you can receive fully all that is intended for you, and fortunately he lives to show us how to use it to its fullest.
In Ephesians 1:11 Paul writes, also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.
Peter said in 1 Peter 1”3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
We have an inheritance which can never perish which is kept in heaven and as we continue to unfold the Scriptures we will find we have an inheritance at our disposal today which is used to shape our lives, to move into the vastness of the blessing or to squander it like the prodigal son allowing what could be to become what could have been.
There are some things that the inheritance does for us. First, our inheritance gives us a…
a. Destination.
Verse 11 says we have been predestined. Here is where things can get a little hairy depending if Armenism sways you or Calvinism. The Calvinists, and I am only lightly touching on this, believe that only those who have been predestined by God will be saved therefore there are some people who were born and not predestined so they will never have entrance to heaven no matter, and if they profess Christ, they were the ones predestined, and all those predestined, before they die, will accept Jesus Christ. It sure makes the work of evangelism easy however John 3:16-17 states, 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. The world is all-inclusive in the original language of all people. God predestined the entire world toward heaven but some people, even with the option open, chose regrettably to walk another path.
D.L. Moody use to pray, “Lord, save the elect---then elect some more.”
The ultimate destination God has for you is heaven and during your time on earth, there is a destination he has planned for you to walk which will optimize you life bringing blessing not only on yourself but on the world around you. Paul tells us in this passage not only do we have a destination, we also have a…
b. Purpose
Ephesians 1:11-12 reads, 11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. We have been predestinated according to God’s purpose. God said in Jeremiah 29:11-14 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
Although this has specific implications to the people of Israel, it also has implications for us for we have been banished as Christians in our own nation, treated as minorities in recent years by our laws but God is bring us back to that place of influence through the power of the Holy Spirit and He is clarifying the purpose of our life as His followers. We sing the song that it is better to be one day in the house of God than a thousand elsewhere. This is something we realize when we know our purpose and we desire to draw closer to Him.
Following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina John Fischer wrote in his Daily Devotional: I wonder if any purpose can be found in New Orleans right now. At first glance it looks like chaos and anarchy with loss and despair higher than the high water mark in town.
But there are bound to be a number of believers in that mass of homeless humanity, and by that I don’t mean good, regular churchgoers, I mean people who know Jesus, and because they know Jesus, they have strength of character, fortitude and purpose that nothing in this world can faze.
This is a time when truth is tested, and real character prevails. You either lose it or you stand solid like a well-rooted tree when all around is giving way. People who have a purpose in life beyond their possessions or their place – people who know that a relationship with God is their most valued possession and nothing can take that away – will rise to the occasion. These people will continue to worship God even when their church is under water. They will grow leaps and bounds in their faith because faith becomes tangible in moments like this. They will bond immediately with others who know Christ, and serve those around them because that’s all you can do – that or complain, and they will be too buoyed by the reality of their faith to complain about anything. And they will realize a mission to spread the love of Jesus like never before.
Pray for these people, and know they are there. They are all over the place, and their time has come. Like Ashley Smith’s time came alone with a killer in her apartment, the time for a calm, steady faith, and even suitable humor has come.
There’s a story already out about a man in the Superdome who managed to escape the youth hostel where he was staying with his violin, and surrounded by the stench of human waste and the press of crowded suffering, he took his instrument out and began to play the Adagio of Bach’s “Sonata No. 1 in G Minor.”
“These people have nothing,” he said. “I have a violin. And I should play for them. They should have something.”
God has given all of us a purpose and those who believe, those who have such a great inheritance in Christ, should be the ones who walk daily in that purpose no matter what the storms of life might bring.
Finally, we have a…
c. Guarantee
Ephesians 1:12-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
I read of someone who bought a set of Ginzu knives for only three easy payments of $29.95 and they came with a lifetime guarantee. When the handles fell off, he returned the knives with his lifetime guarantee asking for a refund. They wrote back saying, "The guarantee was for the lifetime of the knives. Obviously, the knives are dead, so the guarantee is no longer valid."
The Guarantee is only as good as the Guarantor. People who had had money invested in company pension plans have retired and found the solvency of the company was not what they thought, their pension, well, not much. If God fails, we are in trouble and it is good to know God never fails, he is the guarantor of our inheritance, sealed and marked with the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:9 states, You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
In the days of kings, when a king placed his seal upon a letter, the person who carried the letter carried the authority of the King. The Holy Spirit has sealed us when we profess Christ as King, and that seal delivers to us, through the Holy Spirit, the authority of Christ in all situations of our lives. We begin to exercise our divine inheritance on earth, as we will one day in heaven.
As we close and look forward to our community groups this week, I want to ask you, are you operating in the power of the Holy Spirit? Today is the day of salvation, today is the day to set things right with God.
Prayer
