His Glorious Inheritance

Good morning, Church of the Advent. My name is Jeff. I'm one of the pastors here. If this is

your first time with us this morning, I just want to say welcome. I hope to meet you soon,

if I haven't had the privilege yet. I wanted to wish you a happy All Saints Day. I don't know if

you knew it or not, but Monday, actually, was All Saints Day, and this is the Sunday that we

celebrate and commemorate All Saints. And All Saints is the day in the church calendar

when we reflect together on our union together with the whole church, all saints, all believers,

across time and space, language, and culture. And we think back to the Christians across the ages who

have come before us and set an example in the faith. And we also look forward to the day when

we will be united with all believers in the new creation. So multiple times throughout the book

of Revelation, we get this vision of this great multitude from every tribe and tongue and nation

that no one could count. And that is what we are looking forward to, our communion with saints.

And so this movement across time and space gives us perspective for the present moment where we

experience the communion of saints in the church today. That's what All Saints is about, and it's kind

of captured in this prayer, this colic that we just prayed a few moments ago, which says,

Almighty God, you have knit us together in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body

of your Son. But I don't know if you're like me. I get kind of skeptical of stuff that sounds too

ethereal and overly spiritual. You know, is all this talk about communion with the saints across time

and space through Jesus' mystical body? Like, is that too, are we being too spiritual? Are we being

too ethereal when we talk about those things? You know, sometimes I think Christians can be critiqued

for being so heavenly minded that they are of what? Of no earthly good. That they are so focused on the

world to come that they ignore the earthly realities and the problems of this world. And some Christians and

churches throughout church history have probably been rightly deserving of this critique. But our New

Testament text this morning in Ephesians 1 shows us that if Christians are, in fact, overly unconcerned

with the earthly realities of this world, it's not because they have thought too much of heaven,

but too little. But too little. Our New Testament passage helps us to see that what unites us to the

saints across the ages as our common inheritance in Christ. Through our baptism into Jesus, we have

been adopted into God's family as his sons and daughters, and therefore we are recipients of a

gloriously rich inheritance awaiting us in the age to come. And far from making us too heavenly minded

on ethereal things, this inheritance is actually the only thing that makes us of any earthly good at all.

And that is because, and this is what we're going to look at this morning, that's because it makes us

radically secure, deeply loved, and greatly empowered. Radically secure, deeply loved, and greatly empowered.

First of all, Ephesians 1 shows us that our inheritance in Christ makes us radically secure.

The word that Paul here uses in Ephesians 1 for inheritance has a rich Old Testament background.

In the ancient world, in the Old Testament, inheritance most commonly, most often refers to land.

The land that you inherited from your parents, from your father, was everything. It was your income,

it was your savings, it was your retirement plan and 401k, it was your financial and social security.

And throughout the Old Testament, God promises Israel an inheritance of land from Genesis through

Deuteronomy. And then in Joshua, they actually enter that land. They enter the promised land.

All throughout the history of Israel, they dwell in the land. Israel grows into a kingdom.

And of course, after many generations of disobedience, they forfeit their right to this inheritance.

And so God takes them from their land and sends them into exile.

And so a live question in the first century in Paul's day was this.

When is God going to restore our land?

When is he going to restore our inheritance, our security?

And this is also a question for us today too.

We may not all be looking to purchase a piece of land, but all of us long for security.

All of us long to know that we're secure because we live in a world that is insecure,

that threatens to take things from us.

And so we look for security through financial security, through a stable job, through savings.

We look for security in relationships by finding emotional security.

And these are all good things, by the way, but they don't meet our deepest desires.

They don't meet our deepest longings for security.

Paul here in Ephesians 1 says that our deepest longings for security are fulfilled

in the inheritance that we have in Jesus Christ.

Verse 11.

Verse 11 says that in him we have obtained an inheritance.

This phrase in him is repeated like over a dozen times in Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

And it is a phrase that Paul repeats all throughout his letters.

In him is this language of union with Christ.

And the inheritance that we have in Christ is nothing less than the renewal of all creation

and the resurrection of our bodies.

Some of us may have grown up with something like a lifeboat theology.

That the world is kind of this sinking ship that's doomed to destruction.

And so therefore God's plan of salvation is to get as many souls off this ship and get them into heaven.

And so it's this view of heaven that's kind of disembodied and ethereal.

Somewhere where we are up in the sky floating on clouds and playing harps.

I don't know if this sounds familiar to you or not.

But in Revelation 21 we see something completely different than this.

We see Jesus sitting on the throne saying behold I am making all things new.

And all things means every square inch of the physical material world.

Plants, animals, rainforests, rivers, mountains, flowers, birds and trees and even our own bodies.

Now we don't get a ton of detail about what exactly this looks like.

But what we do get is poetic imagery throughout scripture that stirs our hearts with hope.

So Isaiah talks about the wolf and the lamb who one day are going to lie down together and cuddle.

That in God's new creation animals will no longer experience the curse of the fall.

Isaiah also talks about swords being beaten to plowshares.

That there will no longer be any war or violence or conflict.

Amos talks about new wine dripping from the mountains and flowing from all the hills.

Revelation talks about it being a wedding feast.

This is God's good world being liberated, rescued and redeemed from the effects of sin and the fall.

And I don't know about you but this is a world that I really want to live in.

And friends if you're in Christ this is your inheritance.

And this is a hope.

The hope of this inheritance is radically secure.

It's radically guaranteed.

And that's what Paul tries to show us in verses 11 through 14.

That it is an inheritance that is guaranteed both by the eternal purposes of God and by the presence of the Spirit.

So in verse 11 he says,

In him we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

Paul says here that our inheritance was actually secure before time began.

Now I think that for some of us, maybe some people we know, this idea of predestination can be troubling or confusing.

But the Bible almost always talks about predestination as it does here to bring us deep comfort and assurance.

From time to time I think many of us may kind of doubt the assurance of our salvation.

I know that I have.

At times I've wondered, am I really a Christian?

Am I really saved?

Am I really eternally secure?

Am I really in Christ?

But often these doubts are usually based on my own feelings.

Like on my own subjective experience.

Because I don't feel close to God.

Or I don't feel like my faith is active or fruitful.

But verse 11 reminds us that the security of our inheritance isn't based in our subjective experience.

But in the objective sovereign plan of God.

Who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

And our inheritance is also guaranteed by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

This is what he says in verse 13.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him,

were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.

This language of being sealed by the Spirit is the language of baptism.

We're going to do some baptisms in a moment.

And Tommy is going to say these beautiful words to those being baptized.

You are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ's own forever.

That's what Paul is talking about here in Ephesians 1.

Through baptism the Holy Spirit says to each of us,

You are in Christ.

You're his.

You're his.

And there's a lot more where that came from.

That is what it means to have an inheritance in Christ.

It is the guarantee that though we taste the new creation now through the Holy Spirit,

one day we're going to feast on it.

Brian Chappell in his commentary on Ephesians says this,

The Holy Spirit who has already enabled you to taste the sweetness of God in the gospel is giving you a foretaste of the glory that awaits you.

He is the deposit of God, of the full redemption that is ahead,

given to assure you that what you face in this world is not without purpose.

And what you most cherish is not in jeopardy.

Even when you cannot do everything right, even when things seem all wrong, you are all right with God.

Because he who chose you is working out everything in conformity with a purpose of his will to the praise of his glory.

And in a world of insecurity, there is no greater assurance than this.

If you ever doubt the assurance of your own faith, of your own salvation, look not to your own feelings,

but to the eternal purposes of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

So our inheritance in Christ makes us radically secure.

And it also makes us deeply loved.

Deeply loved.

Paul continues on from talking about the guaranteed assurance of our inheritance to the glorious riches of our future.

Verse 15 says,

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

And then he tells us what he prays for.

He prays for, verse 17,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him,

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened.

So this is a prayer for spiritual insight, that the Holy Spirit would open our eyes and give us wisdom,

even though we have the Holy Spirit as a deposit of our inheritance.

We need the Holy Spirit to continually enlighten our eyes and our hearts to see.

To see what?

To see verse 18.

To see that you may know the hope to which he has called you.

What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints?

This riches here, riches, is inheritance language.

It is cash money.

That's what he's talking about.

And it's interesting because in verses 11 through 14,

Paul is clearly talking about the inheritance that we have obtained in Christ.

But here in verse 18, if you notice,

here in verse 18 he says,

I pray that you would know what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

Of God's inheritance in the saints.

So which is it?

Is it our inheritance?

Or is it God's inheritance?

Yes.

Yes, it's both.

Throughout scripture we see that God promises inheritance to his people

and that God's people are his inheritance.

Let me just give you a few examples.

Exodus 19, God says to Moses on Mount Sinai,

to the people of Israel,

if you obey my voice and keep my covenant,

you will be my treasured possession.

Psalm 78 says that he chose David his servant,

Israel his inheritance.

Jeremiah 10 says he is the one who formed all things

and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance.

The Old Testament reveals that God's purpose in redemption

is to form a people who he loves, treasures, and delights in.

That's your inheritance.

And then in the New Testament,

we see that this inheritance centers on Jesus,

who is the heir of all things.

Hebrews 1.1 says,

long ago, at many times and in many ways,

God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,

but in these last days,

he has spoken to us by his son,

who he appointed heir of all things.

Through his death, resurrection, and ascension,

Jesus has rightfully become the king

and appointed heir of all things.

And as we become united to Jesus by faith through the gospel,

the New Testament teaches that we become co-heirs with Christ.

Romans 8.16-17 says,

the Holy Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit

that we are children of God.

And if children, then heirs,

heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.

What are the riches of God's glorious inheritance?

It's all the saints.

It's all of us.

It's the church.

It's the whole church united across time and space,

ethnicity, language, and culture.

And this is one of the richest ways

to think about God's love towards us.

If I'm being honest,

probably my greatest spiritual struggle

is believing that God loves me

as much as he says he does in his word.

There are probably a thousand reasons

why I doubt, underestimate, and trivialize

the depth of God's love for me.

And 999 of them have to do with me.

But this right here shows us

that not only do we have a glorious inheritance

to look forward to,

but also that we are reminded of the depths of God's love,

that we ourselves are the glorious inheritance

that God looks forward to.

The communion of saints is what fills God with delight

as he thinks about his future.

He is like a kid on the night before Christmas.

who can't sleep

because he is so excited about Christmas morning.

That is how he feels about the church.

That is how he feels about you.

He cannot wait to spend all of eternity with us.

You are his treasured possession.

You are deeply, deeply loved by God

because you are a co-heir with Christ.

Baptism means adoption.

And adoption means inheritance.

And inheritance means that God says to you,

you are my beloved son.

You are my beloved daughter,

and in you I am well pleased.

And it is knowing that we are deeply loved

that actually empowers us

to live out the communion of saints.

It actually empowers us to treat one another

as co-heirs with Christ.

But sometimes loving one another in the church is hard.

Sometimes we treat one another as less than this,

as less than co-heirs.

And I think sometimes we treat Christian community

as kind of this zero-sum game

that I can only gain if you lose.

And therefore, I have to make sure

that I look better than you.

It might motivate me to criticize you before others.

But sins like gossip and slander

aren't just morally wrong.

They are out of step with our identity

as co-heirs with Christ of the new creation.

I know this is gonna be cheesy,

but look to the person on your left.

Look to the person on your right.

I know this is a cheesy, awkward moment,

but just do it.

That person is God's own inheritance.

That person is God's treasured possession.

Do we treat one another as if that's true?

Like, do we actually treat one another

as if our brothers and sisters of Christ

are gonna inherit the new creation along with us?

The basis of our relationship with others in the church

is that we are fellow heirs

of the same glorious promises,

that we are deeply loved by God,

and therefore, we must love one another.

So our inheritance in Christ makes us radically secure.

It makes us deeply loved,

and it also makes us greatly empowered.

Greatly empowered.

Paul continues praying for the Ephesians

in verses 19 through 23.

So he says,

I pray that you would know

the glorious riches of God's inheritance in the saints.

And then he says,

and I pray that you would know,

verse 19,

what is the immeasurable greatness of his power

toward us who believe.

According to the working of his great might

that he worked in Christ

when he raised him from the dead

and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

far above all rule and authority

and power and dominion

and above every name that is named,

not only in this age,

but also in the one to come.

And he put all things under his feet

and gave him as head over all things to the church,

which is his body,

the fullness of him who fills all in all.

What in the world is Paul talking about here?

He's talking about the ascension.

He's talking about the ascension of Christ,

the exaltation of Jesus

after his resurrection at the Father's right hand

where he reigns as king over all creation

and intercedes for us as our great high priest

and empowers the church by his spirit.

I don't think we think often enough

about the implications of the ascension

for the Christian life.

There are many,

but one of the things is that the ascension

is the objective evidence

that to be heavenly minded

is to be, by definition,

to be of great earthly good.

The ascension helps us see

that in heaven

is one who is fully divine

and yet fully human.

Jesus Christ stands

in the throne room of heaven,

fully God,

but with a fully human physical body

with ears

and eyes

and toes

and a belly button.

That's what the ascension means.

This is the greatest affirmation

of what it means

to be human,

that the ascended humanity

of Jesus

in a physical body

means that the goal

of the Christian life

is not somehow

to transcend

our bodily,

earthly existence

for a more spiritual,

ethereal one,

but that we are to live

our earthly,

physical life

empowered by the spirit,

lived

with the incredible power

of God

toward us

who believe.

In the midst

of this world,

God's power,

his immeasurable power

towards us

is for us

in embodied life

in this world,

in this world

of diapers

and email

and soccer games

and tacos

and also

sickness

and suffering

and pain.

In every part of life,

we have access

to the power of him

who is seated

at the Father's right hand

in heaven

far above all

authority

and power

and dominion.

That is our inheritance,

that in the ascended Jesus,

we are radically secure,

we are deeply loved

and we are greatly empowered

and this is a reality

that shapes

our everyday life.

There's so many implications

that we could talk about

but I wanna just talk about one

as we close.

You know what I've noticed

about young kids,

especially those

who can't talk yet?

What I've noticed

about young kids,

those who know

that they are deeply secure

and deeply loved.

You ever seen a kid like that?

What I've noticed

is that those kids

take risks.

They try stuff

they're not good at yet.

They learn how to walk.

And they fall a lot.

They're terrible

at speaking English

but they like

keep trying to talk to people

because they know

dad's got me,

mom's got me

and I am deeply secure

in their love

even though I can't

fully articulate that yet.

How would you live your life

if you knew

that you were radically secure

and deeply loved?

How would you live

your life

if you knew

that the ascended power

of Jesus

was available

to you

by the Holy Spirit

right in the midst

of your ordinary life?

I think it would lead us

to live lives

of redemptive risk.

To live lives

of redemptive risk.

This past week

several of us

traveled to Greensboro,

North Carolina

to attend the

convocation and synod

for our diocese.

It's the annual gathering

of the group of churches

or regional group of churches.

And we were at this church

in Greensboro,

North Carolina.

And it's an all-day conference

so they got us

squeezing some coffee

and bathroom breaks.

And during one of the coffee breaks

outside the church,

I noticed that

the cardboard sleeves

for the coffee

had been colored

by hand

with markers

and pencils.

And I asked a woman

behind the counter

and I said,

what's the story

behind these coffee sleeves?

And she said,

actually,

those are colored

by our employees.

I'm the founder

and the president

of this coffee shop

and we employ adults

with physical

and mental disabilities.

And I asked her,

I said,

wow,

I want to hear more.

So I asked her more

of her story

and how it got started

and she said that

her teenage son

has a disability

and couldn't find a job.

It's hard for adults

with disabilities

to find jobs

and he was sitting

at home all day

watching TV

but yet she knew

that her son

could still

contribute meaningfully

in the world

and so she just said

from the Lord,

she sensed the Lord

was calling her

to start a business

to give adults

with disabilities

a place to have

meaningful work.

And so she started

a coffee shop

even though she knew

nothing about coffee.

She was a counselor

by training

but she thought,

all right,

I'm going to learn

about coffee

and we're going to

make a coffee,

we're going to

grow a coffee shop.

And the business

grew and grew

and now they're

actually the number

one coffee shop

in Greensboro

because they make

good coffee

and because people

love what they do.

She said,

we have over 40 employees

over 90% of which

are adults

with disabilities.

And what struck me

about this woman's story

is the incredible

amount of risk

this must have taken.

To know nothing

about coffee

and yet to say,

I'm going to

start a coffee shop.

to employ

people who

aren't often employed.

But what I couldn't

help sense

in her voice

and her story

is that this risk

was rooted

in her faith

in Christ

and her knowledge

of her inheritance

and inheritance

where she was

radically secure

and deeply loved.

And so she was free

to take a risk

in this world,

a redemptive risk.

How would your life

look if you knew

at the core

of your being

that you were

radically secure

and deeply loved?

What kinds of

creative work

and redemptive

projects

might God

call you to do?

The great witness

of all the saints

who have gone

before us

is all the risk

they took

to carry on

the mission

of the church

and to love

the poor

and the marginalized

and their generation.

To take the gospel

to unreached places,

to plant new churches,

to seek out

and love

those who are

on the fringes

of society,

to face suffering

and imprisonment

and martyrdom.

But they did it

because they knew

that they had

a secure inheritance

in Christ

and that that inheritance

empowered them

by the power

of the Holy Spirit

because of the ascended

Lord who reigns

in heaven.

And now

it's our turn.

It's us

as the communion

of saints

right now

to live into

our inheritance

today

which starts

in our baptism

and is fulfilled

in the age to come

and that plays out

in the midst

of our ordinary

earthly lives.

And one day

we will experience

the glorious riches

of our inheritance

in Christ

that are promised

to us

and God

himself

will experience

the glorious riches

of his inheritance

in us,

the church.

Let's pray.

Father in heaven,

thank you for this

vision

of what it means

to be

radically secure

and deeply loved

by you.

Thank you

for the inheritance

that we have

in Christ.

Thank you

for the saints

who've gone before us.

Lord empower us

by your spirit

to live lives

of love

towards our brothers

and sisters in Christ

to treat them

as co-heirs

and to live lives

of redemptive risk

on behalf

of our neighbors

that we might

see your church

grow

and your kingdom

advance in this world.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.