26-0906p Transcript

(1:00) Well, I wish more was here tonight. I was okay and just started talking and I know (1:15) if you noticed that I was taking some swallows of water because my throat was getting (1:23) scratchy.

I feel like in a way my voice may want to leave me, but we’ll continue with part 2 of the lesson, (1:44) the Christian’s inheritance. Now we’re going to get into what we would call the (1:57) Christian’s inheritance, the references that I will make that will speak (2:08) concerning the inheritance. And first, I want to go to Acts 20, beginning with verse 28 through 32.

(2:40) Now, Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders and he is talking to them at Meletus. He is speaking to them. Now, beginning with verse 28, he says, (3:11) Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

(3:31) For I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, (4:03) to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore, watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with terrors.

(4:25) So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (4:47) So, Paul here is mourning of the apostasy after his departure. And he is telling them that there will be savage wolves, even among themselves, (5:08) that they will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and they will speak perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves.

(5:29) He reminds them of warning for three years, with tears, that he warned them night and day, and then commends them to God. (5:52) Now this, in this verse 32, he is speaking to the elders and telling them how they can keep themselves from being those who would depart from the truth. (6:16) He says, so now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace.

We could do well to remember that, that it is to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up. (6:40) This is the word that can build us up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (6:56) And so, with that, he tells how they can keep straight and how they can keep themselves built up.

And they would also be given an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (7:20) Now how will the word give them an inheritance? It will do that when we obey his word, when we read it and we look at what God desires for us, and we will do what he desires for us to do. (7:48) And in that way, we can have this inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

(8:01) Now let’s go to Ephesians chapter 1. We’re going to say this is a wonderful chapter because it tells us a lot about God and his will. (8:42) First of all, he speaks in chapter 3, blessed be the God and father of the Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (9:00) And he says, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

(9:14) You see, God had this all planned out even before the foundation of the world were laid. And so, reading those verses, we can find out how God planned his will. (9:50) We find in verse 11, and I’m going to read verse 18, in him we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

(10:20) That we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of his glory. (10:28) In him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. (10:38) In whom, having believed, you are 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.

(11:02) Therefore I also, after I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. (11:20) That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. (11:33) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of his glory, of his inheritance in the saints.

(11:57) So in verse 11 it says that we have obtained an inheritance and this was predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. (12:25) And because they first trusted in Christ and should be to the praise of his glory, in him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. (12:43) In him 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.

(13:08) And so we have an inheritance in the kingdom of God, which is the church. (13:21) And there is that aspect of calling the kingdom of God, the church being the kingdom of God, and we see that the Holy Spirit of promise is the guarantee of our inheritance. (13:51) Which means that this will carry on until the redemption of the purchased possession.

(14:03) There is going to be a time when this will, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, that when Christ captures all of his enemies, and the last enemy that will be captured will be death. (14:31) He will turn over the kingdom to the Father. (14:38) That will be when the kingdom will be turned over to the Father.

(14:49) And this is a purchased possession as Acts 20 and verse 28 says that the elders were to take heed unto themselves and to the flock that they would feed the church of God, (15:18) which he purchased with his own blood. (15:23) It’s been purchased with Christ’s blood. (15:31) And then in verse 18 he says that he advised that they would know and understand the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him.

(15:59) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you know what is the hope of his calling and what are the riches of his glory of his inheritance in the saints. (16:21) So God we have inheritance in the kingdom of God, the church. (16:32) We have this inheritance and it is because of what Christ did.

(16:43) And because he came and he shed his blood and he purchased the church, that we have our admission into the church because we accepted the gospel as the Ephesians did. (17:08) And he is telling them that they have an inheritance, they have obtained an inheritance, which means that they have received an inheritance. (17:28) And that is with them the kingdom of God.

(17:33) And that is what we get that and obtain that when we follow the command to believe and to be baptized in order to be saved. (17:58) As Peter told the people on the day of Pentecost that you need to repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. (18:21) But there can be obstacles to the inheritance.

(18:28) Now you know we talked some about a person be the father, the mother or some close relative making out a will for special people. (18:56) They may put in some stipulations within the phases of the will. (19:10) Now there are some stipulations and there are some warnings that we have.

(19:19) And in Ephesians 5, 3 through 5, but I will begin with verse 1. (19:30) Therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ always has loved us and given himself for us and offering any sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. (19:53) By fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness let it not even be named among you as is fitting for saints, (20:09) neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving a thanks. (20:23) For this you know that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of God.

(20:44) So first off there are those that are outside of the realm of Christianity that cannot inherit the kingdom of God (21:07) with practicing the things that are mentioned in verses 3 through 5. (21:17) But then in the Christian life he is telling them that we need to be imitators of God as dear children. (21:33) Your children will imitate their parents in certain ways. (21:41) And we ought to imitate God and walk in love as Christ also loves us and given himself for us and offering any sacrifice for a sweet smelling aroma.

(21:59) But then he mentions things in here that will keep one from inheriting the kingdom of Christ and God. (22:21) Now in continuing to live the way the world lives, practicing these things can cause us to be disinherited. (22:39) You know there are those who when they speak of one saved, always saved, someone debates someone on this matter.

(23:04) We’ll be told by the one that holds to this one saved, always saved, well children will be children. (23:18) I mean they don’t cease to be children. (23:25) Well no they don’t.

(23:28) For verse 6 says, let no one deceive you with empty words. (23:35) For because of these things the wrath of God comes upon, listen to this, the sons of disobedience. (23:50) Now before salvation comes, these things are wrong, these things are sinful, these things are keeping people outside of the kingdom of God.

(24:13) But when one is really saved, has been saved, he can become disobedient. (24:28) That doesn’t take away his sonship or being a child of God. (24:39) But he’s a child of disobedience and that’s what will cause him to be disinherited.

(24:50) So we must live and imitate, be imitators of God. (24:58) On one occasion Paul said, be imitators of me as I imitate God or Jesus, whichever the case is. (25:17) We don’t imitate Paul because of what Paul does, but we imitate him as he is with God.

(25:34) And in that way we imitate God. (25:39) Now I’m going to give the invitation by going to 1 Peter verses 3 and 4, especially in verse 4. (26:10) Blessed be God, be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (26:18) who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope (26:26) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away. (26:54) Now you know this morning I was talking about inheritance of material nature.

(27:09) Of a nature that can be corrupted, can be stolen. (27:18) Inheritance that can be faded away because of different things. (27:32) But here there is an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away.

(27:45) Isn’t that wonderful? (27:47) That’s the kind of inheritance that is for the Christian. (27:55) And we should be willing, we should be waiting to receive that inheritance when the time comes. (28:09) This is a great inheritance.

(28:12) This is the kind of inheritance that we can receive from God. (28:21) This is then the Christian’s inheritance. (28:31) And this one really tells a lot.

(28:38) So let us hold fast to the word and let us respond to God in a way that is pleasing to him. (28:53) And then when the time comes that he comes and we come face to face with our Lord who gave his life for us. (29:09) That he will welcome us in to that place that is our inheritance.

(29:20) That would be our inheritance as long as we are faithful and we do it through faith. (29:30) So those of us who have become Christians, let us hang on, let us continue. (29:45) Because there is that inheritance that is incorruptible, that does not fade away.

(29:59) So if there is anyone who wishes to have something to say, to speak about, (30:13) you are invited to come forward and to speak and to let it be known what’s on your mind as we stand and as we sing. (30:24)