The Inheritance

When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who were God’s possession – to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13b-14

I remember watching a movie once, where the beneficiaries of somebody’s estate were all called into a room together for the reading of the will. Some of the people were mourning and crying, and some were fidgeting, unsure of what was to come. All were curious as to what their inheritance would be.

In Ephesians, we read the letter from Paul to the church at Ephesus, and the opening part reads like a will. Imagine being called into the heavenly realms of the Holiest of Holies to learn what your inheritance will be. Are you curious? Nervous? Expectant?

As Christians, we already received this great inheritance; God has revealed Himself to us through the gift of faith. When we receive Christ, we become the beneficiaries of His love.

So, gather your hankies, grab a seat, and join me as we read Ephesians 1:3-14 to see the inheritance we have already received from God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 The Reading of the Will

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

Wow, what an opening line! Do you understand the impact of the three words breathed here as what your inheritance includes? Every spiritual blessing is your inheritance! This includes:

• Salvation
• Forgiveness
• Power to do God’s will
• The gifts of the spirit
• Hope for living forever
• And much more

We are the Black Sheep of the family.

For he chose us in him, before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4

Every family seems to have a black sheep, the relative who doesn’t meet our standards. If you have ever seen the movie Christmas Vacation, this would be the Cousin Eddie of the family.

But in the story of creation, God chooses us, the ones who ushered sin into the world, to redeem and to make holy and blameless in His sight.

 We are the heirs.

In love he predestined us for adoption to Sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:5

It was in love that God made our salvation possible and chose to adopt us, making us heirs, along with Jesus. We have the same rights and privileges as biological children have in a family.

Glorious grace.

To the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:6

Because of Jesus, the One God loves, we can give praise for His glorious grace!

Someone had to die.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace… Ephesians 1:7

This is how it works; someone has to die before we can have an inheritance. We receive redemption and forgiveness because of the death of Jesus on the cross. In the Old Testament, an animal’s blood had to be shed to receive forgiveness. Today, we have access, because of the riches of God’s grace, because of the bloodshed on the cross, to be redeemed and live forgiven.

The inside scoop.

…that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment to bring unity to all the things in heaven and on earth under Christ. Ephesians 1: 8-10

Now that we are part of the Family, we have knowledge of the before and after. We know we have been redeemed, saved, forgiven, and someday the Lord will come again. We already know Jesus and will rejoice upon His return. However, we also know only family members get the inheritance. The Bible is clear that inheriting eternal life is for those who choose to believe. But the wicked will be eternally tormented. This is why we are to spread the good news of the gospel!

Unamendable and Irrevocable

In 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. Ephesians 1:11

God is sovereign, in charge, and unchanging. We are the chosen heirs, as predestined according to his will, there are no surprises ahead for you. The Will cannot be amended or revoked. The evil one cannot steal your inheritance.

Signature Guaranteed

In order that we, who were first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked with a seal, the promise of the Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who were God’s possession. Ephesians 1:12-14a

There are several aspects of your legacy packed into these two verses; I want to list them for you:

1. When you believed you were made part of the family.
2. You were marked with a seal.
3. You were given the Holy Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing your inheritance

Summary of the will.

We can now see how our inheritance was given to us by the Triune God — starting with God the Father giving to us every spiritual blessing, sending us His Son to pay the price for our redemption, and leaving us with the Holy Spirit to transform us and give us a taste of what is to come in eternity.

 The concept of the believer’s inheritance highlights the dignity of the family relationship of the believer in Christ. No higher position or greater wealth can an individual acquire than to become an heir of God through faith in Christ – William Brown

Remember at the beginning when I said to grab a hankie? Well, if the reality of your inheritance has not fully affected you yet, take a pause and go back and read over the “Will” again. You can skip all my words; I know I do not write with the lulling melody of Ann Voskamp or the power to bring fear to its knees like Beth Moore. But if you just read back over the Word of the Lord—His legacy spoken over you, as predestined before creation—you might experience a moment of vulnerable grace as the reality of your inheritance settles upon your heart and into your soul. Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for providing us with an inheritance greater than any amount of wealth we could acquire. For accepting us into the family of God, for choosing us, the sinners, to spend eternity with you. Praise be to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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