Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter
1. I'd like to consider verses 11 and 12 this
evening. Ephesians 1.11, in whom also
we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according
to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel
of His own will, that we should be to the praise of His glory
who first trusted in Christ. Let's pray together. Our Father, this evening we thank
you for this blessed time. Lord, would you bless these words
to our heart, cause us to remember, cause us
to hear, And Lord, forgive us. We pray for Christ's sake. Amen. There are passages of scripture
that are so wonderfully marvelous concerning the grace and mercy
of our God in the Lord Jesus Christ that truly we blush, we're
ashamed, because of our inability to understand, but especially
to appreciate. I can understand by not being
able to understand, but oh how I ought to appreciate And I know
I don't as I ought. These verses, these two verses
speak of the present and the future blessings that we have
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we read these passages of
scripture and admit how much we don't know. In whom? I know that everything
that we have from God Almighty is in Christ. I know that. He is the beloved Son in whom
God the Father is well pleased. In whom? We have obtained an
inheritance Now that obtained an inheritance is the same word. We've obtained an inheritance
and it means we've been allotted a portion. God has an allotted portion. Everything we have is in Christ. Everything we have is in Him.
And what I have, you have. What you have, you have. If you
be in Him. Because it's Him that we have
an allotted portion. Now this allotted portion was
prophesied, spoken of, set forth in the Old Testament when the
nation of Israel came out of Egypt and they walked in the
desert for 40 years and when God Almighty brought them in
to Canaan and God gave to each of the tribes of Israel their
land, their inheritance, their portion. What they had was their
allotment And each of those tribes received according to God's sovereign
will. And every one of those portions,
you go back and you know you read if you You start reading
some of those passages of Scripture, and it starts naming, and it
goes chapter, and chapter, and chapter, and chapter, and it
starts giving names, and it gives this one's name, and this one,
and this one begat this one, and this one begat this one,
and you think, you know, that I can't even pronounce these
names. But the truth that's being set
forth was God was specific and who he was giving this land to. He named them. Named them by
name and then set forth and their boundaries shall be from this
river to this portion and from the edge of this river to this
mountain right here and it was an allotment. Nothing was left
to chance. Almighty God set forth in the
Old Testament that we have obtained an inheritance. being predestinated
to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. Now children receive an inheritance
from the parents. Some parents have more, some
parents have less, but whatever they have is going to go to the
to the kids. It's an inheritance because they're
the children. We have an inheritance. Being adopted by the good pleasure
of Jehovah, by Jesus Christ, to himself, made meat, made fit,
by the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our
guilt, our sin, paid for. Sons of God, heirs of God, join
heirs with Christ. The nation of Israel that came
out of Egypt. Why? were they, why was the nation
of Israel chosen to be the objects of God's mercy? This is what
scripture says, Deuteronomy 7, 6 to 8, I'll read this for you. The preciousness of this, now
I'm talking about a people born just like you and I, born in
sin. fallen in Adam. Here's what scripture says about
God's people being found in Christ for thou art and holy people
unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen
thee to be a special people unto himself. above all people that
are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love
upon you, nor choose you because you were more in number than
any people, for ye were the fewest of all people, but because the
Lord loved you. And because he would keep the
oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought
you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house
of bondmen from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt." Why did God Almighty
predestinate His people under the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ? Why? because it pleased Him to
do so. That's the only answer that can
be given according to the good pleasure of His will. It is the Father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom. Everything that we have from
God Almighty, He gave us and gave us freely. You know what
that means? There was no cause in us. There
was nothing in us that Almighty God looked at and saw worthy
to be the recipients of His grace and mercy. Freely. History was led by God 40 years in the wilderness. before they entered Canaan. Just
as we, in that 40 years of wandering, there's a picture, there's a
type of our wandering as strangers and pilgrims in this world, led
by the Spirit of God. Remember the pillar of fire,
and the pillar of a cloud, and the pillar of a cloud at day,
and when the pillar moved? That pillar of fire, or pillar
of a cloud, Right over the mercy seat, they'd set that tabernacle
up in the wilderness. Right on top of that mercy seat,
there was the glory of God displayed. And when that pillar of a cloud
moved, packed it up. Priests, the appointed
ones, would start rolling it up. God's moving us, where we're
going, wherever God leads us, that's where we're going. were
in this world led by the Spirit of God. In 40 years, when it
pleased God, those that Almighty God, not all that came out of
Egypt, were entered into the Promised Land. Not all of them
did. Many of them died in the wilderness
because of rebellion. There was a lot of them that
was mingled, you know, in with some that went in. All of God's
sheep is going to enter into God's inheritance in heaven,
led by the Spirit of God. Now, concerning this inheritance,
the Word declares, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance. We speak of an inheritance, we
know it so, it's in the Lord Jesus Christ, but it's so far
above our understanding. I was trying to write out these
notes today, I write them out and I start weeks ago. And usually by the time I finally
preach it, I've already rewritten it probably two or three times,
but I was rewriting it again today. And I was thinking about
this inheritance. How much it's spoken of, but
how little do we know about it? If somebody were to ask you,
well, tell me, tell me, explain to me exactly what the inheritance
is. Tell me what it is. I'm going
to tell you everything that I know. about the inheritance that we
have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'll start with Isaiah 64,
4. Here's how much we know. Here's how much God's revealed.
For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard nor
perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside
Thee. What he hath prepared for him
that waiteth for him. Here's the first thing I know
about our inheritance. We've never perceived. We've never thought about. It's never entered our minds
concerning the depth of the inheritance that we have. in the person of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Though we know that we don't
perceive that which God Almighty has absolutely set forth that
we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, we know this. We know that our
inheritance is in him. I know it's in the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's what Ephesians 1 11 says.
Whom? Let me tell you what it didn't
say. It didn't say in what. It did not say in what. If it
would have said in what, that would have left some room there
for people to say, well, you know, it's like those that stood
before the Lord or shall stand before the Lord in Matthew 7,
you know, we prophesied in your name. We've done many mighty
works in your name. We cast out devils in your name.
Not in what? Not in that I walked down the
aisle, not that I got in a baptismal pool, not that I took the Lord's
Supper, not that I've been faithful, not that I've done... In whom? Oh, I know this. All that Almighty God has prepared. for those that wait on Him is
in Christ. God's elect are revealed to be the Father's
gift to the Son. Gave Him a bride, given to Him
before the foundation of the world, and Almighty God everlastingly
loved them. Christ eternally stood for him. And being his adopted children,
all the benefits that the Lord Jesus Christ receives as being
the obedient son, our Lord, our Redeemer, everything that Almighty
God has for Him, concerning His obedience, being God's Son, the Son of the Father, the apple
of His eye, all that the Father gives Him, which is everything, all things are given unto Me. Can you? Where would you start? Where would you even start? All
things, all power is given unto Son. All the honor, this is my
beloved Son. He that I glorify has glorified
me. And everything that the Father
hath For the Son, we have being in Him. I've said this before. I'll say it again right now.
I'm telling you. I know I'm way over my head.
But I can tell you this. We have God's Word that we have
obtained an inheritance in Christ. He has determined our destination
beforehand. And it's according to the purpose
of Him who is ever working, always working, now ever working, always
working, who worketh all things after the counsel of His own
will. So I know this concerning our inheritance. I know my eye
has not seen, my ear has not heard, it's never entered in
my mind the things that God has prepared for those that love
Him. But I know it's in Him. I know secondly that the Holy
Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance. Look at this, Lord
willing, next week. Verse 13, 14 says, in whom ye
also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation, in whom also after you believed, you were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession
under the praise of His glory. In whom we were sealed. Almighty God eternally purposed
to save a people. Now, He said that. He eternally
purposed. He works all things after His
purpose. All things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are according to God's
purpose. God has a purpose, but everything
that God Almighty has purposed is going to take place in time. It's going to happen in time.
Now here's what I just read in Ephesians 1, 13, 14. You may have to hear me say this
again next week. That's okay. I'll need to hear
it too. After that you believed, you were sealed. with that Holy
Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance. The first thing that is concerning
the fulfillment of God's purpose to save His people, first thing
they're going to do is they're going to hear the gospel. That
you believe, you must hear the gospel. To believe, you've got to hear
the gospel. After that, you believed. Faith
cometh by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. Without the
hearing of the gospel, that glorious message of God's redemption in
Christ, salvation in Christ, apart from anything that man
does, God saves men without their part. Aren't you glad? After
that you believe you heard the gospel. But you got to hear the
gospel with the spirit of God giving you a heart to hear the
gospel. Just the hearing of the gospel
without the spirit of God giving you faith to believe. You just
heard words. First Thessalonians 1.5 says,
for our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in
power. I know many of you came up unto
brother Scott. Children up. And I'll guarantee
you, every one of you that came up unto brother Scott, there's
children coming up. He would say this, you'd heard
him preach for years. You heard him saying, preaching
the gospel for years. But one day God gave you a heart
for it. A love for it. Before it was
just words. And it was words that you could
give a pretty good argument for. You knew the difference in your
head between Arminianism and Grace, Calvinism we refer to. Doctrines of grace or man's free
will. You could give, but you didn't
care. After you heard, you heard the
gospel, and when the Spirit of God was pleased, you believed
the gospel. You believed it. After that you
believed, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that
not of yourselves, it's the gift of God. You heard the gospel,
you believed the gospel, and the scripture says, after that
ye believed, after you believed, you were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance. Now
this sealing of the Holy Spirit, the word there, it's a seal,
it means the signet, the emblem of ownership. It was like if
you had in the old days, I've seen them where they'd take a
letter and they'd seal it, the king would write a letter and
he'd put it in an envelope and he'd put a little wax on there
and he'd And there's the king's seal. That's what that seal right
there says is. That's the king's letter. King
wrote that in the king's authority. This is the king's word. That's
the seal. That's what the word is. You
were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. You heard, you believed, you
were sealed. You were sealed after you believed.
See, here's the security of God's people. The Lord knows those
that are His. And He was not going to let you
perish. He was not going to let you die in rebellion. Almighty God has given all power
unto the Son. All power is given unto the Son
over all flesh. Why? That He should give eternal
life to as many as the Father has given Him. You think the
Lord Jesus Christ can preserve His own even in their deadness
and rebellion against Him? He has all power. He worketh
all things after the counsel of His own will. In whom also
we have obtained an inheritance Redestinate it. Almighty God
has determined the destination beforehand according to the purpose
of Him, who worketh all things after the counsel of His own
will. And I'll tell you this, we know that our inheritance,
we know it's in Christ. We know it's according to God's
will. We hear the gospel, believe the gospel, sealed with the Spirit
of God. And this inheritance that we possess is forever. Forever. 1 Peter 1, verses 4
and 5 says this inheritance is incorruptible. If it could be
corrupted, I can corrupt it. If it could be corrupted, you
could too. But this inheritance is incorruptible. It can know
no corruption. Why? Because it's in Christ.
incorruptible, undefiled, listen, and it fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last time. So our inheritance, our
sonship, is all according to God's grace. I can't enter into
the depth of it. I can't tell you the particulars
of it because it's never entered my mind and it hadn't entered
in yours either. What the Lord has prepared. But I know this
concerning God's inheritance. I know that God said to Moses,
I'm going to have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. I'm going to
have compassion on whom I'll have compassion. I know this.
His counsel is going to stand. He predestinated us to the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ. And the counsel of the Lord standeth
forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. I know that he's working everything
out right now. I know that he's going to do
that which pleases him. See, this is what gives me hope
in preaching. If I believe that salvation was
up to you, And your will, your ability, and your faithfulness
had given me no hope, no hope for preaching. But I know this,
God's got a people. And I know this, he's going to
save his people. And I'm convinced there's some
of God's people here. And there may be some here that
God's never called out of darkness, but I know this. I know this
is a message He's gonna do. He's gonna bless. I know this.
I know this is a message that the Spirit of God's gonna use
to quicken dead hearts according to God's will and purpose. I
know this. The Lord's gonna do that which
is right. And in closing, that we should be to the praise of
His glory who first trusted in Christ. The glory of God's grace and
goodness is going to be made known in His electing and redeeming
and regenerating and preserving grace in Christ. It's going to be made known.
And here's why. Ephesians 2, verses 5 to 7. even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ by grace you're saved,
and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might
show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward
us through Christ Jesus. Almighty God is bringing honor
to Himself. It has pleased Him to save a
people. It has pleased Him to have some
out of every nation, kindred, tribe and tongue redeemed by
the blood of Christ to eternally be with Him. that He might show
the riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus. It pleased God to show His kindness
to us. Undeserving as we are, that we should be to the praise
of His glory who first trusted in Christ. Now, I've mentioned
this a few times. This is talking about the Father
who first trusted in Christ. We trust in Him, but the Father
was the first one. And the beautiful, the beautifulness
of this wording, that word right there, who first trusted, same
word, one word, first trusted, who first hoped, who first had
confidence in, hoped before, first trusted. I'm just reading you the definition
of the word. The father foretrusted, who first
trusted, who hoped in advance, and listen to this, who hoped
in advance from any other confirmation. There was nothing else, there
was nothing else to show any reason of the Father's hope in
Christ but that the Father saw it. ever saw it. He ever knew it. The word first trusted is from
a root word that means ever. Who ever trusted in Christ. The Father who looked upon our
Redeemer The One who in time would be made flesh. The Father
looked upon Him for He was ever with the Father. I was raised
up with Him. And the Father who had given
Him a people and He who ever stood as the surety who would
redeem them. And the Father justified them
freely. Eternally justified them. And
His will and purpose laid no guilt to their charge before
there was ever a sinner. Before we were ever born, before
we ever rebelled in Adam, God Almighty justified us in the
one that He foretrusted in, who first trusted in Christ, The
Father justified us freely by His grace before we were ever
born. Whoever saw the fall justified,
because I trust Him. The Father trusted the Lord Jesus
for these reasons, and I'll quit. He will not fail. Isaiah 42, 4. He shall not fail
nor be discouraged, that is broken, till he hath set judgment in
the earth and the isles shall wait for his law. He's not going
to fail. The Father trusted him. Trusted
all of his elect in his hand. It was the Father's will to have
us In glory, he trusted in Christ. Secondly, he ever trusted the
Son because the Father would ever sustain him. I'm going to
keep him. I'll read this one, Psalm 41.
Psalm 41, 9-13. Here's why he knows he's not
going to fail. Yea, mine own familiar friend,
here's the Lord, this is in the book of Psalms, and here's the
Lord prophesying his betrayal by Judas. Yea, my own familiar
friend, and whom I trusted, which did eat my bread, hath lifted
up his heel against me. But thou, O Lord, be merciful
unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them By this I
know that thou favourest me, because my enemy does not triumph
over me. Listen to the words of our Lord.
Lord, I know that you favour me, because the enemy doesn't
triumph over me. And as for me, thou upholdest
me in mine integrity and settest me before thy face forever. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
from everlasting to everlasting. Amen, amen. He ever trusted him. First of all, because he knew
he wasn't going to fail. Why is he not going to fail?
Because the Father is going to uphold him. Thine arm upholds
me. And lastly, The Father ever trusted
Him because the Father ever saw the end. He ever saw the finished work. Revelation 13, 8. And all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship Him. That is the beast. And all
that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him. That beast of false
religion. whose names are not written in
the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. We have obtained an inheritance. Tell me everything you know about
the inheritance. It's in Christ. It's according
to God's purpose. And it's never crossed my mind
what it is. I've told you everything I know
about it. But I know this. It's sure. It's sure because
he's sure. And the father who ever trusted
in him, by grace, has given me a heart to trust him to. But
it's not my faith that opposes me. It's God's power. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. Lord, help us to enter in to some of these precious truths
that you've set forth. And do so, we ask, for Christ's
sake.