Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 20. Proverbs, chapter
20. As a general rule, when I look
in the book of Proverbs, it's usually on a Sunday morning,
but I felt that tonight we would look in this continuation of
this precious book. Proverbs chapter 20, verse 21. And heritage may be gotten hastily
at the beginning, but the end thereof shall not be blessed. Let's pray. Thank you tonight that we can
call upon your holy and blessed name. We thank you for the privilege
to be able to assemble ourselves as your people, Lord, and hear
your word, being assured of your presence. We pray now that you
would bless, Lord, bless the service, bless the preaching,
bless the hearing, Lord, encourage us, comfort us, and we pray these
things for Christ's sake. Amen. When it comes to life eternal, eternal life, that's a promise
that we have from the Lord. And he gives his people life
eternal. And this life eternal is actually
the inheritance of the Lord. It's the inheritance of God.
Now, when it comes to this inheritance, this possession of life eternal,
All mankind, man by nature, is born having some hope of that
life eternal. Man, by nature, thinks that he's
got some assurance of glory, of the promised land, of heaven.
He's sure that somehow he's going to be
found in heaven. It's amazing how you go to a
funeral and let me ask you this now have you ever gone to a funeral
where someone that made actually no confession or profession of
faith in Christ, they maybe didn't even show any consistency of
even going to any kind of services. But because of something, something,
I don't know, maybe they showed up one time, years ago as a child
or something, but something. And because of some point Or
because of the mercy of God, or there's some reason. Have
you ever been to a funeral where someone was declared to be just
nothing but a reprobate? And in hell? No. Man wants to proclaim that
all men, somehow when they die, have an inheritance. They're
in glory. They're in a better place. They're
better off now. Not if they don't know the Lord.
Not if they didn't know Christ. They're not. All men have a consciousness
that there is a God. A God that must be appeased.
I've told you about going to Mexico and that pagan religion
of sacrificing warriors or maidens or something. They'd take these
captives or whatever and they'd cut their hearts out. And they
would take the heart and present it to their God. And they knew
that there had to be bloodshed. The issue was the heart. It was
going to have to be a death was demanded because of an offended
God, and there's a consciousness that man has to appease God,
a God before whom they're going to stand. But the natural man's
hope of appeasing God is not based on the Scriptures. As Paul
said concerning the Jews, they've got a zeal of God. but not according to
the Word, not according to the Scriptures. But man still thinks
that he's got some worth before God, and God's going to somehow
understand. It's going to be okay in the
end. I don't know how, but somehow. I was thinking about, in 2 Kings
chapter 5, a story about a man named Naaman. He was a leper.
And you remember the story how there was a maiden there that
told Naaman and all of the accolades behind his name. He was just
a warrior, a victorious warrior. By him the Lord, the scripture
says, had given victory to Syria. But he was a leper. And this
maiden told him, there's a prophet. Go see the prophet. And so Naaman
went to see the prophet. He went to see the prophet Elisha
to be healed of leprosy. And whenever Elisha failed to
give him an audience, Naaman expressed the thought of every
man that sees in himself some worth. Naaman said, I thought
he will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name
of the Lord his God and strike his hand over the place and recover
this leper. I thought that because of my
position, I made a long trip in the authority and my accomplishments
and my right of being healed. And that's how man by nature
is. He thinks that somehow he's got some worth to himself. But there is a heritage of God's
people. There's a heritage that is promised
of God to an everlastingly beloved people in Christ. And concerning
God's heritage, This is what it says, it's a heritage, an
inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled and fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for those who are kept by the power of
God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last
time. But concerning an inheritance, there is an inheritance for God's
people. But let's see what God has to
say about, not only I'll deal with that true inheritance in
a moment, but that false hope of an inheritance. This is man
by nature. This is what the scripture says.
An inheritance And I want you to look in your Bible there,
in mine, it's got maybe as in italics. That means the words
maybe was added. It was added by the writers to
make it easier to be understood. But often the case, it doesn't
really, just read it the way it would be written. An inheritance
gotten hastily at the beginning. An inheritance We've gotten hastily
at the beginning. Now, here's what Scripture has
to say, talking about an inheritance. And it's really, as we always
say, there's always a natural way of looking at this. You can
talk about a natural inheritance and about the parents and everything
like that. But let's just go straight to the spiritual, an
eternal inheritance. Here's the deception of a false
inheritance. It says, you know, inheritance
gotten hastily at the beginning. Proverbs 20, 21 is declaring that what a man
thinks or considers to be his inheritance. that if it's gotten
hastily, and here's the understanding of this scripture, that without
a regard, it's hastily, without regard to being right, or by speculation, that's not
in a fair way. That's what that word hastily
means. An inheritance that is gotten in a way that bypasses
justice and that which is right. Proverbs 28.20 says this, A faithful
man shall abound with blessings, but he that maketh haste to be
rich. He that makes haste, whatever
means necessary. That's what it is. You know,
you could go to the natural here. You start saying, you know, people
that just, it doesn't matter what they got to do to step on
somebody else. It doesn't matter. I'm going
to go to the top. Whatever I have to do that, that
a faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he that maketh
haste to be rich shall not be innocent. So Solomon is saying
this inheritance may be gotten or an inheritance gotten hastily
at the beginning. And here again to understand
what he's saying, at the beginning means this, according to the
beginning of a man's endeavors. An inheritance that is gotten
in a way that is not according to justice. It's not right. And it actually starts, that
inheritance, starts when a man begins to do his work. You know,
it probably could be read best like this. An inheritance gotten
in the beginning of a man's endeavors is an abominable thing. that
God Almighty declares that inheritance was gotten unjustly. Why would we always have to say
that inheritance that is gotten from the beginning of a man's
endeavors, whenever a man started to endeavor to build his inheritance. Why would it be condemned of
God? Well, here's the first thing.
Psalm 39 5 says, Every man in his best state is altogether
vanity. Isaiah 1 6, From the sole of the foot even unto the
head there's no soundness in it but wounds and bruises and
putrefying sores. So, man's attempt to please God. Whenever he decided to start,
well I was saved when I was 17. I was saved when I was 28. Man
by nature thinks that his inheritance started then. That's where he
began his inheritance. I'm building an inheritance.
I actually heard a man actually say on television, he said, these
many years, he said, I've been banking, he said, my works in
heaven. And he said, when I die, he said,
I'm going to make the whole withdrawal at one time for my inheritance. That's man by nature. Man believes
that his inheritance started in time. That's what Solomon
is saying. He's saying an inheritance gotten
hastily in a way that is not according to justice, not according
to right, not according to God's standard, not according to God's
age. It's done hastily at the beginning. What's going to happen? The end thereof shall not be
blessed. Man's attempt to please God, that is to establish an
inheritance, is an abomination before God, but he still thinks
he can do it. Here's the amazing thing. Men
speak of an inheritance that they are building. Any kids that are in here, if
your parents are still here or your parents are somewhere else
or something, and there's an inheritance for you. Where did
the inheritance come from? The kids? Did the kids start
it? No. The very nature of inheritance
is from the parents, from the elder, thinking that it's something
that the children produce and is a distortion of the very nature
of an inheritance. Listen to the words of this Rich
young ruler, Matthew 19, he said, good master, what good thing
shall I do that I may have eternal life? And the Lord answers, if
thou will enter into life, keep the commandments. And the inquirer
says this, which? And Jesus says, thou shalt do
no murder. shall not commit adultery, shall not steal, shall not bear
false witness, honor thy father, thy mother, and thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself." And the young man's response was
this, these I've kept from my youth up. I've been building
my inheritance since I was a kid. He felt that he always kept the
law and then therefore had a right to the eternal life that he had
asked about. What shall I do that I might
have an inheritance with God? So in his mind, he thought that
he would have that inheritance based on his obedience to the
law. And it was not until the Lord
told him, he said, there's one thing that you lack, go and sell
that which you have, give to the poor, thou shalt have treasure
in heaven, and found out then that his possession was money. That was his inheritance, that
was his God. So if a man thinks, now listen,
if a man thinks that his inheritance started in time, that he didn't possess an inheritance
until he made the decision, then it's not the inheritance of God's
people. It's not the inheritance of God.
We talk about, well I got saved, that's why I started my walk
to heaven. That's when I started by inheritance. That's when my heritage started. So it's not the inheritance of
the Lord if it starts in time, in the beginning. The inheritance,
again, is not earned by the kids. One of the greatest verses of
an inheritance was given by the Lord And here's the inheritance
of every child of God. After these sayings, Genesis
15, verse 1, After these sayings, the word of the Lord came unto
Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram. Now listen. Here's
the inheritance of God. I am thy shield and thy exceeding
great reward. What is the reward of a child
of God? It's God. We're heirs of God,
and joint heirs with Christ. But the Lord had revealed the
end of those who thought that their inheritance had a beginning,
and that that beginning was based on their works. That's an inheritance
gotten hastily at the beginning. Many, the Lord said, will say
to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? In thy name we cast out devils. In thy name we've done
many wonderful works. Then shall I profess unto them,
I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. So, speaking of, and this is
the way, I'm telling you, this is the way that man by nature
thinks. Until I was saved, That's how
I got saved. Scripture never speaks that way. But when I got saved, they'll
say, that's when I started my inheritance. That's where my
heritage was built upon. Listen, the inheritance of God's
elect is from God. It never started. The inheritance
of God's elect, that inheritance from God, never started. The God who never changes has
always looked upon his people in mercy and compassion. and as being heirs of God and
joint heirs with Christ. If He never changes and He looks
upon them right now like that, what is the only conclusion that
you can come to? He never changes. What about in the fall? They're
heirs of God. What about coming up in their
rebellion life, their heirs of God? Saul of Tarsus, breathing
out threatenings, and I'm going to kill, I'm going to get those
who are of the way, and I'm going to take them. Saul, why persecutest
thou me? Take him into Damascus. And Ananias,
you go over here to this house of Simon, And there's one Saul
of Tarsus, he is a chosen vessel unto me. When did Saul of Tarsus
become one that had the possession of being an heir of God before
the foundation of the world? Listen to this, our inheritance
was given us in Him who is our life everlastingly. We never earned it in time. 2 Timothy 1.9, who has saved
us and called us with a holy calling. not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began." When did any child of promise
possess God's inheritance? Before the world began. And though the specifics of our
inheritance, we speak on the heritage of God's people, the
inheritance of God's people, being an heir of God, though
it's never fully disclosed to us now, we know this. It is fully
and completely summed up with this disclosure. That scripture
that I just quoted a minute ago. Life eternal. My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them
eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. What is the heritage of God's
people? Again, life eternal in Christ. Let me tell you something
I read just a few minutes ago. Hold your place right here if
you want to turn to Psalm 119. Psalm 119, verse 110 and 111. I just read this scripture and
I thought, my. Psalm 119, verse 110. The wicked have laid a snare
for me. Yet I erred not from thy precepts. Now listen to this next verse.
Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever, for they
are the rejoicing of my heart. You know what he just said? The
revelation of God's promises to his people. is a heritage, is a blessing,
is an inheritance of the saints. That Almighty God would teach
me what His Word has to say is the heritage from the Lord. That He would teach me that He
absolutely, everlastingly, loved me in Christ. That's an inheritance. That's
a blessing. You know, we always talk about,
you know, in this world, it's always, it's land or money or
something. Let's talk about something that's
eternal. God's Word. God's Word. Your testimony is
my blessing. I've loved you with an everlastingly
love. Therefore, have I drawn you. That's an inheritance. That's
mine. That's yours. Know Him. That's
yours. That's a promise from God. Predestinated
you to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. That's
an inheritance. That's a promise. That's yours. In the Lord Jesus Christ, It's
an inheritance that is given totally, completely, not because
of our works, not according to our works. I read a while ago,
how are we going to build an inheritance with God when we're
nothing but, you know, from the crown of our head, sole of our
foot, putrefying sores, there's none good, no not one, and we're
going to build an inheritance? God's inheritance that is given
to his people totally according to the mercy of God. Listen to
Micah 7.18. Who is a God like unto thee that
pardoneth iniquity? Who is a God like you that pardons
iniquity justly and passeth by the transgression of who? of the remnant of his heritage.
Those that he's been pleased to give an inheritance. That's
who he's going to pass by. He retaineth not his anger forever
because he delighteth in mercy. The inheritance of the Lord is
given according to God's will and purpose and compassion. And
lastly, closing, it's an inheritance that is prepared by God, read
a while ago, it's incorruptible, undefiled, fadeth not away because
of the one who gives it. He's incorruptible, undefiled.
He fades not away. And we being heirs of God and
joint heirs with Christ, listen, we have this promise written
in these scriptures. And they're given to us by the
Spirit of God, who teaches us, teaches us of Christ, and they're
ours. You hold on to that word. And
I, you know, I wouldn't, you know, an inheritance that was
left to me by my mom and dad, I wouldn't want to squander it.
I would, I'd want to, I'd want to preserve it and, you know,
I want to, treasure it as being a gift from my parents to me. I don't want to squander God's
Word. I want that to be. But one day,
I'm going to more, more than hear and believe by faith. One
day, and I want you to turn with this last verse right here, Matthew
25. Matthew 25. One day, Faith in God's Word is going
to give way to sight. He's telling us right now, you're
an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. Now listen, child
of promise, you're an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. Can you explain the depth of
that? No, I cannot. No, I cannot, but I can tell
you this is what God says. And we have it, and we believe
it by faith. And that testimony of the Lord right there is a
treasure. We hold on to that right now. But one day, Matthew
25, verse 31, faith is going to give way to sight. When the
Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels
with Him. Now listen, this is going to
happen. This is going to happen. Then shall He sit upon the throne
of His glory. Now here's what's going to happen.
The Son of Man one day is going to come back a second time to
receive His own unto Himself and to judge all the ungodly.
And before Him shall be gathered all nations. Every man, every
woman that's ever been born is going to stand before God. And
he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd divided
his sheep from the goats. Now this is the way it's going
to be. He's going to divide them. There's going to be two groups.
There's only two groups of people in this world, ever been in this
world. Sheep and goats. And he shall set the sheep on
his right hand, goats on his left. Then shall the king say
unto them on his right hand. Now here's what you're going
to hear. Right now, we're hearing this by faith. And it's a treasure. This is a treasure. We hold on
to these. We love these scriptures. We believe these scriptures.
We rest in these scriptures. They're a comfort to us. But
one day, he's going to say unto them on his right hand, Come,
you're blessed of my father. inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. One day, as Job says, with these
eyes, I'm going to see God. One day, very soon, very, very
soon. How soon? Very soon. We're going to hear him say, come, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you. Come Lord Jesus. May the Lord
bless these words to our heart.