GODLY INHERITANCE (3)

(Message by Tanny Keng)

1. Claiming our inheritance in Christ

a) The merits of Christ, his promises and accomplishment on the cross and the inheritance of our godly forefathers can be passed on to us. Though we are not physical descendants of Abraham or of Christ, but his inheritance is given to his true children, those born of the Spirit.

i) 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to son-ship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. (Romans 9:4-8)

b) We. are spiritual children of Abraham, are rightful heirs to all the blessings God promised to his people, we must diligently pursue and claim our rightful inheritances through Christ.

i) 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:17 NIV)

c) Just as God promised the Israelites to grant them the land flowing with milk and honey, yet they had to fight to conquer every inch of the promised land. It was a free gift from God, and yet so many did not receive their inheritance.

i) 1Korah, Datham and Abiram and their families were destroyed due to rebellion therefore they did not receive God's blessing.

@1. Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. (Numbers 16:1-2 NIV)

@2. 30 But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.” (Numbers 16:30 NIV)

ii) All those above the age of 20 were not able to enter into the promised land because of their unbelief.

@1. 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. (Numbers 14:29-30 NIV)

iii) Caleb at the age of 85, desired to claim the mountain land of Hebron; for further inheritance.

@1. 10 “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. 14 So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. (Numbers 14:10-14 NIV)

@2. 13 In accordance with the Lord’s command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah—Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) 14 From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites—Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, the sons of Anak. 15 From there he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). 16 And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” 17 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage.

18 One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”

19 She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, according to its clans. (Joshua 15:13-20 NIV)

d) Every promise of God calls for diligent work of obedience, we have to claim our promised land by physically fighting and laboring for it.

e) What can we claim from God for our family and our descendants?

i) Salvation
ii) Provision
iii) Protection
iv) Direction
v) Correction
vi) Spiritual harvest
vii) Lasting heritage
viii) Health and long life

2. Prayer focus

a) Pray that we will confess all our sins and ask the Lord Jesus to forgive us for all the wrong doings. In doing so, we can now claim our inheritance in Christ.


The End ...

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