(c): Heirs of a Rich Inheritance

The point: Recognize that your legal status as sons and daughters is a means to real, felt, intimate, familial communion with God.

The analogy of adoptive parents going through legal processes to adopt a child, not as an end in itself, but to achieve real, intimate communion, illustrates that our legal status as God's children is a means to intimate fellowship with Him.

Just as surely as a couple who desire to adopt a son or daughter goes through all of the legal process, all of the forms, all of the examination of their home and of their persons, all of the outlay of money. And then. The day comes when all the paperwork is done and in the family court, the judge declares that that child is fairs. They don't then just walk away and say, now we have a legal status of a child that's taken care of.

5:08 - 5:41 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains the ordinary and biblical meaning of an 'heir' as someone with a legal right to possessions or position at an appointed time, citing examples from Genesis 15, 2…

God's words to Abraham in Genesis 15 are quoted to show that God Himself is the ultimate reward and inheritance, foreshadowing the concept of being 'heirs of God'.

Now I turn there not because I believe that this so-called law of first mention is an accurate way to study the Bible, but often when something is first introduced it gives us a very helpful clue to its significance throughout the Scriptures. Genesis chapter 15. The Lord who's appeared to Abraham and told him to get out from his land to go to a place the Lord would show him. We read, After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying, Fear not, Abram.

20:41 - 21:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains the ordinary and biblical meaning of an 'heir' as someone with a legal right to possessions or position at an appointed time, citing examples from Genesis 15, 2…

The account of Jehoram inheriting the position of king from Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 21 illustrates how an heir can inherit a position, not just possessions.

And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehoshaphat, Baal, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel.

22:12 - 22:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that you are an heir by God's appointment and have a responsibility to embrace this truth.

The parable of the vineyard owner's son in Matthew 21 is used to demonstrate the common understanding of an 'heir' as the rightful possessor of an inheritance, even when others try to usurp it.

There was a man that was a householder who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, digged a winepress, built a tower, led it out to husbandmen and went into another country. And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen to receive his fruits. And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one and killed another and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, more than the first.

23:36 - 24:02 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that you are an heir by God's appointment and have a responsibility to embrace this truth.

The practice of Greco-Roman adoption, often involving adopting an adult male to secure a legitimate heir, provides cultural context for Paul's use of the term 'hweothesia' (placing of a son) and its connection to heirship.

They recognized that this son was the rightful heir of that vineyard. And they recognized that by getting him out of the vineyard, they would then be in some position to seek to take wrongfully his inheritance, heir inheritance. I've only turned to these passages to try to give you the sense of the flavor of the use of the word. And then I remind you that when Paul deals with the doctrine of adoption and uses that peculiarly nuanced word, hweothesia, the placing of a son, in the Greco-Roman world, adoption was often the means

24:23 - 25:08 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And if he did that, he would show that his mind was steeped in a number of Old Testament passages in which that is precisely what God says and what His people recognize in response to God. What did God say to Abraham? I …

The analogy of someone being an 'heir of Bill Gates' to describe wealth derived from Bill Gates's activity is used to explain one possible linguistic interpretation of 'heirs of God' as being heirs by God's activity and provision.

That is, we are heirs by God's activity, by God's decision, under God's provisions, in the same way we might say of an unusually wealthy man. Who is that man that has such wealth? And somebody said, Oh, he's an heir of Bill Gates. Bill Gates made him an heir.

30:08 - 30:29 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And if he did that, he would show that his mind was steeped in a number of Old Testament passages in which that is precisely what God says and what His people recognize in response to God. What did God say to Abraham? I …

A hypothetical story of a Levite boy learning that his tribe has no land inheritance but instead has God Himself as their portion illustrates the profound spiritual truth of God being the ultimate inheritance, superior to any material possession.

And they shall have no inheritance among their brethren. The Lord, Yahweh, the eternal God, God of the covenant, the Lord is their inheritance as He has spoken unto them. Can you imagine a little Levite boy beginning to understand the significance of his tribal identity? And as he interacts with his daddy and begins to understand more fully the peculiar function that was assigned to the Levites, in the worship of God.

33:55 - 34:35 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin then addresses the second aspect: being 'joint heirs with Christ.' He explains that Christ, appointed 'heir of all things' (Hebrews 1), desires to share His vast…

A quotation from a commentator on adoption is used to summarize and reinforce the sermon's main points about inheriting God Himself and inheriting the world as co-heirs with Christ.

believe it and I said to say Lord if this thing really gets in my gut and I believe it Dorothy's going to wonder what that noise is upstairs because I'm going to have a glory fit and I'm going to run around this study dancing for joy saying Lord it's too good to be true but I believe your word I believe your word listen to one commentator who's written a helpful little book on adoption who writes as heirs of God we await a glorious inheritance just as inquisitive children cannot wait for their father to tell them a delicious secret so we yearn to ask our father what will our inheritance be lik...

50:24 - 51:09 Read in full sermon