Inheritance
It is Your Father’s Good Pleasure to Give You the Kingdom
Luke 12:22-34
Eugene Clingman
Christ the King, Springfield, MO (July 31, 2011)
Preliminaries:
- Introduce yourself and how you came to Christ the King
- Tell about new church plant in Mtn. View
Read: Luke 12:22-34
Pray
Text: Luke 12:32 - “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
I want to speak to you today about inheritance. During the service some Scripture has been read that tells about inheritance.
- We read from Psalm 37:9 - “…evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.”
- In Philippians 2 we read about Jesus Christ humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross and because of it God gave Him a name above all names.
- And we read in 2 Kings 20 of good king Hezekiah who had no vision of inheritance for his children; his only concern being his own comfort and prosperity; “so long as there is peace and “truth” in my own days!”
An Inheritance so rich:
- Compared to a city of gold
- Gates of pearl
- Walls of Jasper
- Foundations of precious stones
Inheritance is no side issue!
- Inheritance encompasses the essence of life lived out.
- Faithful living produces a glad inheritance, and unfaithful living brings forth a rotten inheritance.
- The Bible always calls us to faithful living.
- A “once saved, always saved” theology is a broken theology (describe: walking isle, prayer, saved for life).
- The Bible’s theology is perseverance of the saints which teaches that God has not only ordained that His saints be saved; He also ordained that they continue in the faith, faithful!
- Do I believe in eternal election? Yes!
- Do I believe in the necessity of the saints continuing in the faith? Yes!
- Both are true. Inheritance comes to those who continue, to those who persevere.
- Psalm 37 says it this way - “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. (3-4).
- And Paul says it this way - God will “present you holy and unblamable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard…” Colossians 1:22-23 (KJV)
Inheritance began in the Garden.
- To Adam - “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth”. Inheritance!
- Adam sold his inheritance to satan.
- Adam was to be the king over creation but Adam gave his dominion to another, to satan, so that satan became the “prince of this world” as Jesus calls him.
- When Jesus was tempted by satan in the wilderness, Jesus did not deny that satan had the authority over the kingdoms of the world, able to give them to whom he wished.
- Jesus wanted dominion over all the kingdoms - but not that way.
- Jesus was going to get dominion through the promise God made to Adam and Eve as He pronounced satan’s coming destruction.
- The Protoevangelium! The First Good News! The Seed of the woman was going to crush the head of the serpent. Jesus did that at the Cross.
“Fear not little flock, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom!”
What is the Kingdom?
- The whole dominion that Adam was given before he rebelled.
- Dominion over the world and all things therein!
- God has destined His people to carry Christ’s dominion to every realm of life and living.
- Including all three realms of government: Family, Church, and State.
- Includes the realms of Law, Government (every Social/Political), Education (Colleges/Universities), Medicine, Psychology/Counseling, Science/Technology, Arts/Media, Economics, Business/Occupation, Poverty.
- Includes politics - “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” Proverbs 29:2
- Is there any groaning today?
The Kingdom includes every area.
Paul said it this way, “…let no one boast in men. For ALL things are YOURS: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come [the future]–all are yours. 23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”
1 Corinthians 3:21-23
Even decorations/aesthetics:
“In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 14:20-21
“It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”
The Father’s “good pleasure”
Gk. = eudokeô - “well pleased” (same as - “My beloved son in whom I am well pleased”)[1]
God is really glad to give you the Kingdom! It is His delight!
To GIVE
Not earned by good works, but by faith and obedience. What is the difference?
To give YOU
Who is this YOU? - “The promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:39
This calls to mind:
- The ancient blessing spoken to Abraham, “… your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.” Genesis 22:17
- And Isaiah’s prophecy that “…the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, And those nations shall be utterly ruined.” Isaiah 60:12
- And Habakkuk’s utterance, “Is it not indeed that the peoples toil for fire and nations grow weary for nothing? For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the earth.” Hab. 2:13, 14
- Zephaniah 2:9-10 - “Therefore, as I live,” Says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, And the people of Ammon like Gomorrah– Overrun with weeds and salt pits, And a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall plunder them, and the remnant of My people shall possess them.” This they shall have for their pride, because they have reproached and made arrogant threats against the people of the LORD of hosts.”
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Romans 16:20 (NASB)
Inheritance does not stop with you
First verbal command to Adam = “be fruitful and multiply”
First verbal command to Noah = same
Families having 7 kids:
5 generations = 117,649 descendants; 10 generations = 1,977,326,743
Families having 2 kids:
5 generations = 64 descendants; 10 generations = 2048
“The promise is to you and to your children…”
God wants us to have vision for our descendants.
Not be as Hezekiah:
“Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD. ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.“” Isaiah 39:5-8
Bumper sticker - “I am spending my child’s inheritance!”
Not as Hezekiah’s! God wants us to be among those whose hearts are turned toward our children; and the children’s hearts turned toward the father and mother.
Vision and preparation for our children.
Doug Philips of Vision Forum - 100 year plan.
“Fear not little flock! It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom!”
The Kingdom includes winning outsiders/the lost. Evangelism
- We are the children of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ.
- God promised to bless Abraham and make him a blessing to all the families of the earth.
- The Jews, (most of whom were) the physical descendants of Abraham, did not bring forth the fruit of the Kingdom.
- Kingdom given to others.
We need to be evangelizing the lost.
The Great Commission - Mat. 28:18-20 - Disciple the nations!
- Begins with Proclamation - verbal witness, tracts, inviting to church, church, functions, home
- Continues with teaching (church, Bible study)
- The end = Christianized nations
- I believe this will be accomplished
- “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.” Psalm 22:27 (NASB)
Calvinists accused of being non-evangelistic by our Armenian brothers.
True Calvinist:
- Men dead in sins, unable to receive the gospel
- God, before foundation of the world predestined and chose
- In time, they hear the Gospel and are made alive
- They become “…born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” 1 Peter 1:23
- Paul asks, “How shall they hear without a preacher?”
What is the message of the Gospel?
- “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is here!”
- John writes in Rev. 14, “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth–to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people– 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” Rev.14:6-7
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!”
“Have your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace!”
“Fear not little flock, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom!”
Winning the lost is part the Kingdom.
Summary:
“It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom!”
- He is well pleased to do so!
- To you and your descendants, both physical and spiritual
- The Kingdom is “all things”, including the future
Hope:
The Lord Jesus will help us. We are not required to do all in a day. But to daily take the cross, and follow Jesus. The Lord will work in you and make you inherit. He will give you the Kingdom. Those who are faithful DO receive the crown! (Rev. 2:13)
Let us pray!
May God bless you and yours! In Jesus name!
[1] “to be pleased with something or someone, with…resulting pleasure - ‘to be pleased with, to take pleasure in.(Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Symantic Domains.)
Tags: Inheritance, It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom, Luke 12:22-34