Our Inheritance

(Verse by verse study.)

 

By Pastor Nick Bibile

 

 

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

 

Last time we stopped at sealing of the Holy Spirit and today we begin where we stopped which is the earnest our inheritance, which means? The Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance. I want you to look at the word earnest, what does it mean by earnest?

 

Did you know the word earnest can be an adjective and also a noun with two different meanings? Adjective is used with the noun to express something more precisely. As an adjective as an example we say he is an earnest student. Which means he is a serious student. It gives the meaning of seriousness and zealousness.

 

The word earnest as a noun means a pledge, a down payment, a guarantee, a promise, and a surety.  The Greek word arrhabon comes from the Hebrew word erabon.  Here we see a Hebrew word has been passed into Greek.

 

We see the clear meaning of this word in Genesis 38:17-18 Here we see the story of Judah who went to Tamar his daughter in law who was a widow, but Tamar disguised herself as a harlot and Judah did not know that she was his daughter in law. Let’s start from verse 15.

 

Ge 38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; because she had covered her face.

 16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, what wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

 17 And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?

 18 And he said, what pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

 

In today’s language Judah basically gave his credit card with identity as a pledge, a down payment till the full amount was paid. The meaning pledge is a guarantee, a promise, a surety, where first a down payment is paid to show the surety.

 

Here we see in scripture that the Lord Jesus redeemed us or purchased us from his precious blood. Then we have the unshakable confidence the Holy Spirit that sealed the believer is also the earnest of our inheritance, the down payment, and guarantee of our inheritance until the day of complete redemption comes.

 

 As for now we are redeemed but not completely as we are still locked up in this body of flesh and occupied in this world till Jesus comes in his second coming and totally redeem us.  Until then we are sealed by the Holy Spirit for that great day of redemption.

 

Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

 

2Co 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

 

If you have something very precious and important you will seal them for security reasons others that are not important you trash them. We are the property of God. We do not belong to ourselves anymore.

 

When you seal something you distinguish them from the others. Here we see the grace of God to the believer as the believers are sealed and God claims us as his property and distinguishes us from the rest of the world by setting his affection on his people by protecting them.

 

Down payment is being paid for what?

 

Our inheritance. What is the inheritance? An inheritance is a property or a possession that someone receives without a purchase/ a gift from an ancestor.  For the believer it is not an earthly inheritance that will perish but the heavenly inheritance, which will never perish.

 

This inheritance is the our Father’s gift for the believer. It is the incorruptible heavenly kingdom. Heaven is our inheritance. 

 

Lu 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me.

 

Jas 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

 

So the Holy Spirit of God made the pledge is the guarantee the down payment that is prepared and promised to us. Spirit of God certifies the believer the right to the heavenly inheritance by his pledge.

 

We are pilgrims journeying through the wilderness of this world to our eternal inheritance and home – heaven.

 

Can we partake of this inheritance now?

 

Col 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

 

One thing for sure the unbeliever cannot partake of this inheritance as they are in the darkness. But the true Christians are called from darkness of sin to the light of Christ, the Holy Spirit infused the light into the believers heart and they are in the light as he is in the light.

 

As pilgrims we are in wilderness of this world and the light of Christ, which is word, guides us to the eternal inheritance yet we are partakers of that inheritance now by being in the light.

 

We are partakers by having communion with God as God blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, have justified, sanctified and adopted us to be heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

 

We are "partakers" of it now, in Christ our Head. In consequence of our union to Christ, the exalted Head of the Church, we are at present "partakers" of this inheritance. Yes, the unbelievers are partakers of this world, they are partakers of sin, they are partakers of darkness, they are partakers of the pleasures of this world, partakers with Satan and the demons, which they are ignorant and they are on their way to eternal destruction of hell. Sad to say many who think they are saved who have a form of religion and but not the righteousness of Christ are also heading to hell.

 

Yet for the true Christians, when we get into the word and worship and service we already taste heaven and partakers of the inheritance as we are in the light.

 

Let me tell you something, in this world a parent will leave an inheritance for children who are good. They will not leave an inheritance for those who are wild and disobedient. But God who is rich in mercy, when we are totally in the pleasure of sin and in darkness God called us and made us saints then promised us this inheritance.

 

Let us look something important. Even the word inheritance has a double meaning for the true believer.

 

The first one is that the true believers inheritance is heaven. Secondly God has an inheritance. God’s inheritance are the true believers.

 

De 32:9 For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

 

God’s inheritance is not the beauty of this world not even the angels in heaven but his people!

 

Ps 135:4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

 

It is amazing how God can make a wretched pitiful miserable wicked sinners into a saints and then call them his inheritance. This is unbelievable to the human mind. This is just a foretaste of what we are going to study on Ephesians 1:18 so I do not want to jump the gun now.

 

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his

glory.

 

What is the purchased possession here? This is not heaven, which we can never purchase. The possession here are the true believers, the true church of God which he purchased from his blood. The word purchased possession the context in Greek are his peculiar people.

 

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

 

Christians are God’s peculiar people with respect to the value, which he sets upon them. He values one true Christian more than all the wicked in the world. God puts a high value upon his saints: they are his jewels. They are the apple of his eye.

 

God shown how great a value he sets upon his saints, by the great price, which he has paid for them, the blood of his own Son. God values every saint so highly that he bought him with the blood of his own dear Son. There is no price of gold or silver that can be compared with the price of the blood of Christ.

 

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his

glory.

 

Not to us but to the Father’s glory. We read in the word previously that we are chosen and predestined before the foundation of the world and to the glory of his Son. Atonement or the cross of Christ has no merit in us but all to the glory of God. Salvation is of God and to the glory of God. Preservation is of God and to the glory of God. Providence is of God and to the Glory of God. He sealed us for the glory of God, the inheritance we receive is not because we deserved it, oh no! It is because what Christ did on the cross.

 

Let me encourage you who are going through a difficult time in this world as we all undergo temptations and hardships, lift your head on high when you are low, have your heart not set on the beauty and the wealth of this world but on the heavenly inheritance. Run as a man running to gain that heavenly reward, be strong in the Lord, meditate his word and be consistent in your walk in the Lord.

 

There are so many who are trying to make a heaven on earth because they do not realize for them the only heaven is this earth. There are even churches that they are consumed with great beautiful buildings that they make and people who enter these physical buildings have a concept of heaven in church appearances.

 

Lu 6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

 

Lu 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

 

Mr 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

 

If the Lord has provided you a good job with a fat salary do not be proud, be like Zacchaeus when he realized he had sinned against the Lord he gave the money to the poor. What God had blessed you; bless the others who do not have.

 

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4

 

There is no Satan, no more sin, and no more burdens to bear. No more problems, no hardships, the chains that bind us to this fleshly body is broken and set free, absence of evil and presence of all good, the blessedness beyond our human mind can understand is there.

 

No more sicknesses, no more pain, no more death, no more disappointments, let the Spirit bear His witness with my spirit, that I am a child of God, and a door is open to you who are believers in heaven, this is  “joy unspeakable and full of glory” you can comfort your weary souls. And this is heaven.

 

Heaven is not a negative place but a positive place of joy. Forever with the Lord.” But we cannot understand and put in words, the glorious inheritance for the believers;

 

1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things, which God hath prepared for them that, love him.

 

 We shall soon go home, and experience it all. Then the eye will have seen, and the ear will have heard, and the heart will have realized, the things, which from eternity God has laid up in Jesus, and prepared in the everlasting covenant for the sinners like us saved by grace of God.

 

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