Our Glorious Inheritance

What does the Bible teach about our future eternal inheritance? What can we know about heaven? Listen in and discover with us.

Teaching Notes:

Our Glorious Inheritance

1 Peter 1:3-5

Intro: What is our inheritance? What does Bible say about it? Our inheritance is the term for the blessedness & glory of the life to come with God! Thomas Manton: “Christians are the more cold and careless in the spiritual life because they do not oftener think of heaven.” Remember purpose of this letter: to encourage & strengthen believers in midst of suffering. To do this, Peter urges them to get eyes off trial and onto God and His eternal inheritance & begin to praise Him!

1. Our Inheritance Should Cause Us To Praise God:

A. Blessed: “eulogetos” – get our word eulogy from it. Eu = good; logos – word. Eulogy is when someone speaks good word for person who has died. Means “praise be” – we need to speak good word of praise to God. Why? Context? Great mercy, born again, living hope, glorious inheritance, God’s power & protection, full & final salvation! Greatness of His blessings evokes song of praise to God even amidst trials.

B. God and Father: He is God of Christ in His humanity; Father of Christ in His Deity. He is His God since incarnation; Father from all eternity. He is our God from first birth; our Father from 2nd birth.

C. Our Lord Jesus Christ: Lord = Sovereign King worthy of all obedience. Jesus = Savior (Jehovah saves). Christ = Anointed One or Messiah. Jesus is our Lord, Savior, and Messiah. Prophet, Priest & King.

2. Our Inheritance Is Granted Because of God’s Great Mercy:

A. Mercy: means compassion, pity toward those in misery. Ezek.16:1-14. All misery in world is from man’s sin; all good in world is from God’s mercy.

B. Great Mercy: why is His mercy great?

1) Think of Perfection of God who bestows mercy
2) Think of Glory of His blessings (forgiveness, new birth, justification, adoption, reconciliation, glorification)
3) Think of Depravity of Sinners
4) Think of Number of Those on whom His blessings bestowed
5) Think that Angels have no Portion in these Blessings
6) Think of Cost to God to bestow these blessings (condescension, suffering, death)

3) Our Inheritance Is Made Possible Through the New Birth:

A. Our Problem: children of Satan, not children of God. Have eternal inheritance from 1st birth – Hell! At 2nd birth receive inheritance as full of happiness as other full of misery. Inheritance given to sons, not strangers. God must make us His children before can bestow inheritance. Inheritance is gift – not reward of effort or works. Didn’t earn this inheritance. Came by His great Mercy – not our Great Merit!

B. Born Again: means to be quickened, made alive. Regenerated – give life to dead battery. Receiving new nature; recreation of soul; implanting of new heart, made new creation. It enables us to have spiritual sight and hearing. See kingdom, hear voice of Shepherd.

C. Caused Us To Be Born Again: who caused who to be born again? Did we cause God to regenerate us by exercising our faith? Or did He cause us to be born again so that we could exercise faith? How much did our will have to do w/ our first birth? How much did Lazarus have to do w/ coming back to life again? If God would have left us to our “free will” where would we end up? Anything wrong with this book title, “How to be Born Again”. Spinach: I hate spinach. Never choose to eat it if have choice. But if I died and came back to life as one of you who love spinach, I would choose it freely. That’s what happened! Sinner hates God (Rom.1:30). Never choose Him of own will. Must be made alive as new creatures w/ new nature and new hearts so that will choose Him freely.

4) Our Inheritance Is Linked To Our Future Resurrection:

A. Hope: we use this word to mean “wishful thinking”. I hope I win the lottery; I hope I have so many customers that we have to hire more employees. Biblical hope is a “firm conviction concerning the future; a confident expectation; joyful anticipation.” Faith looks back; hope looks forward. What is our hope? 1:4 – our inheritance – eternal life with Christ.

B. Living Hope: hope that never dies. All false hopes perish when we die. This hope lives even when we die. It remains unshaken by all calamities and trials in this life, and even through death and judgment. True believer will never lose this hope of glory. Time destroys most hopes, but the passing of time makes a Christian’s hope that much more glorious.

C. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ: this hope comes from Jesus’ resurrection. Our hope is unshakeable. Cuz Christ was raised, we will too. Jn.14:19. Christ’s resurrection is the ground and guarantee of our hope (1:21). Heb.6:19-20. Our forerunner has entered within the veil; we will too.

5. Our Inheritance Is Perfect and Eternal:

A. Imperishable: perishing is change from better to worse. Perishable foods – over time food spoils. Heaven never gets worse over time. Never spoils, never corrupts! C.S. Lewis at end of Chronicles of Narnia: “For them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and title page. Now at last they were beginning chapter 1 of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever and ever, in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

B. Undefiled: unpolluted, unstained by evil, beyond reach of evil & can’t be contaminated by it. Sin taints and pollutes everything here. But not so in heaven! Rev.21:27. Nothing unclean. No devil, demons, sinners, sin, flesh or world. Only immaculate holiness.

C. Will Not Fade Away: root to this word used of withering of flower, or wasting of one’s beauty by age. Speaks of beauty that time doesn’t impair or cause to wither away. Unchanging. Beauty of our inheritance will never diminish or lose its charm. Sometimes think of heaven being monotonous. Even our favorite song can become monotonous if played over and over. Not so in heaven. Not just that heaven doesn’t diminish in beauty, but always increases in glory and joy. Why? Because God is infinite being. He is the portion of our inheritance – Ps.16:5. If He is our inheritance and He is infinite, means always more of Him to know and enjoy! He is our reward. Don’t believe everyone gets exactly the same thing in heaven. What experience there based on what you do with Christ now! Your capacity to enjoy God there based on faithfulness to Him now. Thimble or 5 gallon drum – all will be full, but 1 able to contain more than another! Here Paul’s prayer answered in Eph.3:14-19.

D. Has to Describe in the Negative: only way to describe heaven is to tell what not like. Like trying to describe holiness of God. Absence of sin. Can’t perish, can’t be tainted by sin, can’t fade in its glory. But still don’t really now what will be like. Ready to be revealed, but veiled now. Have to wait to really know!

6. Our Inheritance is Secured by God’s Power:

A. Reserved in Heaven for You: the inheritance is secure. Gr. Word means “to watch over or guard.” Kept under God’s careful watch. Though go through suffering can be sure inheritance secure cuz in custody of God. His eye ever upon it. Placed under safekeeping. Inheritances on earth often destroyed – banks go bankrupt, fire, earthquake, flood, thieves. But nothing can destroy this inheritance. Sometimes make hotel reservations, but when arrive mistake made, confused or cancelled. Never happen with this inheritance.

B. Protected: our future salv. laid up safely in heaven. But what good is it if we on earth surrounded by dangers and temptations. Not only is inheritance secure, the heirs are secure. Not only is inheritance kept for us in heaven – we are kept for it on earth. It is reserved for us; we are preserved for it. Inheritance reserved – heirs guarded. Protected = shielded or guarded. Military term. Lost In Space: invisible force field. As long as force field up, nothing can harm. Satan is ever attacking. But God is our protection. Present tense = continuous protection.

C. Power of God: Omnipotence! Who can successfully triumph over Almighty Power? When think of how weak we are in ourselves, and how greatly attacked, wonder how any person could continue 1 day as believer. But Omnipotence supports us, and everlasting arms under us. Thousand snares, traps, enemies till arrive safely at celestial city. Not protected in ourselves, or hands of angels, but hands of Christ. Kept in love of Christ – Jn.6:39. All enemy’s attacks work for our good. Drive us back to Christ, increase faith. His power is our shield.

D. Through Faith: even this gift of God! Heb.12:2. Lu.22:31-32. We are never saved apart from faith; always through faith. If possess saving faith, it will endure. Thus, are secure! Like Kite: soaring on high in element foreign to its nature. Person watching can’t understand how can be kept in air. Doesn’t see wind or string. Both necessary to keep in air. If wind sinks or string snaps will fall to earth. Has nothing in itself to hold up. True of us. If wind of God’s Spirit or string of faith fail, we would fall away and be lost. But neither shall fail, if we are His elect.

7. Our Inheritance is Ready to be Revealed in the Last Time:

A. Salvation: this is definition of our inheritance. Sometimes salv. described in past (have been saved – Eph.2:8); sometimes in present (am being saved – 1Cor.1:18); sometimes in future (will be saved – Rom.13:11). Past – Penalty; Present – Power; Future – Presence. This is our full, final and consummate salvation.

B. Ready to be Revealed: all ready and prepared. God doesn’t need more time to put few final touches on our final salvation. It’s all ready, but appropriate time in eternal counsels of God not yet come – Mt.25:34.

C. In the Last Time: Return of Christ. 4:13; 5:1. God’s glory will be revealed in our final salvation.

Application: Oh how we should bless God. Had great mercy on us. Caused to be born again. Put Spirit in us, changed nature, gave us firm and unconquerable hope that will be raised to spend eternity in heaven with Christ. This inheritance is perfect, safe, reserved. We are kept by Omnipotence to enjoy it. Worship Him! Praise Him! Glorify Him all your days! Live to His praise and glorify Him in your life! Learn to enjoy Him now – that’s what will be doing for eternity!

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