Christ Church Washington D.C.

Let’s pray together.

Our Father in God, we thank you for your great kindness to us in bringing us here this morning. We thank you for your word that you supply to us day after day. It is bread for us. It is life for us. It sustains us and keeps us. Lord, we ask that we would treat it as such this morning as we hear your word preached. Lord, I ask that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart would be pleasing in your sight, O God.

We ask all this in Jesus’ name, and amen. You may be seated. Well, greetings to you all in the Lord. As Justin noted earlier, my name is Zach Wilke. I’m an associate pastor of King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho. We’re actually sister churches. We were planted by Christ Church Moscow about three years ago by the elders of

Christ Church and our lead pastor Toby Sumter and so it is a great joy to be here with you all and to see what the Lord is doing among you and in Washington DC. Well can you imagine for a moment being the Apostle Paul as he’s writing this letter?

Recall that Paul is writing Ephesians from prison, this being only one of the many trials he endured over the course of his ministry. And he gives us a look into more of these trials that he endured throughout his ministry in 2 Corinthians 11, verses 25 to 27.

Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have been in the deep, in journeys often, in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness, often in hunger and thirst,

That’s Paul’s story after becoming a Christian. Not exactly the best life now version of Christianity that you might have signed up for.

Paul was a man well acquainted with trials and grief. Now I want you to imagine yourself in similar situations to the ones that Paul has just described. Imagine the anxiety, imagine the stress, the toil that such challenges would take on your soul and on your body. Imagine the sense of rootlessness and insecurity you’d be tempted to feel.

Now, what could give Paul such motivation, such conviction, such tenacity to keep moving forward for the cause of Christ, to ever live, as he puts it here, to the praise of his glory? And what is it that might give us the same motivation, the same tenacity to endure the various trials that we undergo in our lives, whether opposition or persecution, chronic pain, disease, heartbreak?

What hope do we have in the midst of such things? Well, biblically, we might answer this question in many different ways. But in our passage this morning, Paul teaches us to cling to the promises of God. What will become clear as we work through this passage is that in the midst of the many trials we face in this life, we can be confident and rest assured that God will keep his promises to us.

He’s promised us an inheritance. And Paul gives us four reasons here how we can have assurance that we will indeed receive that inheritance. They are as follows. One, because in Christ, God has predestined that we would receive it. Number two, because God works all things according to the counsel of his will.

Number three, because God has sealed us with his Holy Spirit. And number four, because God is fiercely committed to the praise of his own glory. Those are the four reasons that Paul gives on how we can be assured that we will receive this inheritance. Now we’re going to get to those four reasons, but first I want to focus in on what exactly Paul means when he says in this introduction, we have obtained an inheritance.

Now I’m working with the New King James Version, so if you have a Bible, feel free to open to the text. I’m working with the New King James, but some of your translations might say something like, “…we were apportioned,” or even, “…we were made an inheritance.”

Now that’s a perfectly good translation, and there’s a reason for that. The Greek is actually ambiguous. It’s not entirely clear in verse 11 who is the one receiving the inheritance, who’s receiving this apportionment.

Some translations emphasize here that we are the inheritance, highlighting the theme throughout the first part of the chapter that God chose us, that he’s separated us out, and we are now his gift to himself. We ourselves are his inheritance.

But another legitimate translation is what we see in the New King James or the ESV or the King James, that we are the ones receiving this inheritance. And this translation is seeking to be consistent with verse 14, where it’s clear that we are the ones receiving the inheritance. Okay, so I didn’t just build all of this up to say that we don’t actually have an inheritance. No, we do have an inheritance. That’s clear in verse 14.

And this translation of verse 11 seeks to be consistent with that idea. Both of these ideas are thoroughly biblical, that we ourselves are an inheritance to God, or to Christ specifically, and that we also receive an inheritance from God. Examples of the former, that we are the inheritance, are Psalm 33, 12.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own inheritance. Or Psalm 2, verses 7 and 8. The Lord has said to me, you are my son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. We are part of that inheritance. We are part of those nations that are given to the anointed one.

Or John 6, 37 and verse 39, all that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. Verse 39, this is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

So it’s clear in scripture that we ourselves are an inheritance, that God is receiving unto himself, that Christ is receiving unto himself. We are the bride of Christ in Revelation, right?

There’s also examples of the latter, that God gives us an inheritance. This is Psalm 111, verse 6. He has chosen his people, the power of his works, by giving them the inheritance of the nations. And we’re going to come back to that.

1 Peter 1.4, God gives us an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Or Romans 8.17, 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. So both these realities are true.

Well, there are approximately six things in scripture that I’ve been able to identify. Six things that scripture, that God promises to us to be our inheritance. The first is land. In Genesis 15, 7, God promised Abraham that he would inherit a land reserved for his offspring.

Now this land was always meant to be understood as a type of the greater fulfillment found in the New Testament where we inherit, our second one, the whole earth.

That’s what’s being foretold in the promises to Abraham, that he would be a blessing to all the nations of the earth, right? And so in the new covenant, we inherit the earth, Matthew 5, 5. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

The third thing is that we inherit the kingdom of God. Hebrews 12, 28. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. The fourth is we receive eternal life from Titus 3, 7. Having been justified by his grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The fifth thing, we receive the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit as the guarantee of our inheritance is part of what we receive as this inheritance. And the sixth thing that we receive in this inheritance is God himself.

Ultimately, the most prized possession of the inheritance that awaits us is God himself. From Numbers 18.20, I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. Psalm 16.5, O Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup.

and so we can see that scripture regularly points us back to this promised reality that God will give a rich inheritance to those who are found in Christ and that’s the key point not just anyone receives this inheritance sons and daughters receive an inheritance strangers don’t receive an inheritance

Hebrews 1, 2 says, In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things. All things. For those who are in Christ as his co-heirs, we inherit all things. Just think of a thing that is yours in Christ. That’s what our inheritance entails.

Now in this age, this inheritance will not be fully realized. It is a promise that we cling to in faith. Now in a very real sense, we possess it now by faith, and one day when God restores all things, when He redeems all things, He will grant us our inheritance in full. And so if we do not possess it fully now,

What assurance are we given that we will receive this glorious inheritance in full? The first, assurance. We can be assured that we will receive this inheritance because in Christ, God has predestined that we would receive it. Verse 11. What does that mean? Predestined.

The Bible teaches that before any of us were born, before he made anything, God in eternity past determined beforehand the eternal destination of every man, woman, and child who has ever lived.

Entirely apart from anything we’ve ever done, any choices that we make, any sins that we commit, as verse 4 says, He chose us before the foundations of the world.

God says in Isaiah 46 10, I declare the end from the beginning. In Acts 13 48, Paul preaches the gospel to a crowd and it says, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the most famous passage regarding this is Romans 9 verses 10 to 13, speaking of God’s choice of Jacob over Esau.

And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac, for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls. It was said to her, the older shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.

Well, the reason the predestination of our inheritance is good news for you is because of that very first phrase in verse 11. In Him. Now, who’s that referring to? It’s Christ. It’s Christ. In other words, God’s predestination of us is not arbitrary or capricious.

It’s not haphazard, okay? He’s not just rolling the dice in heaven, deciding our eternal destinies. Let’s face it, all of us deserve hell. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3.23. The wages of sin is death, Romans 6.23. We are dead in our trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2.1.

We are all, apart from his grace, destined for damnation.

That’s the astonishing thing, that God would in his kindness choose to save rebellious and damnable sinners. So back to that question, how do I know where I’m going? How do I know if this inheritance is actually mine? And this is the good news for us. God didn’t choose you as a result of you believing in his son.

You believe in his son as a result of God choosing you.

Okay, God didn’t look down the corridor of time and see you off in the distance making a decision for him. And so he sort of preemptively destines you for heaven because he saw that choice that you would make. No, you made that choice because in eternity past, God in his infinite wisdom chose you. He separated you out. He called you to be part of his chosen people. Okay.

Which means that the question of how sure we can be that God will indeed give us this inheritance is as simple as the question, do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that he saved you from your sins? Then you can be absolutely certain that this inheritance is for you because you can only believe in his son and love his son if he’s predestined you.

So the doctrine of predestination teaches us that God ordains the end from the beginning. And here we see that God also ordains the means by which the beginning makes it to the end. In other words, God providentially orders and directs all things to bring about his own intended purposes.

Psalm two opens with a question of disbelief. Why do the nations rage? And why do the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed. As we look around us, there’s a lot of raging,

And oftentimes they do make things happen for themselves and we look around and we can so easily despair because oftentimes it sure looks like some wicked people are able to work all things according to the counsel of their will. But how does God respond to the schemes and plots of men?

Psalm 2, verse 4. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. He laughs at them. That’s cute. You think you’re actually going to accomplish something. You actually think you’re somehow going to win. That’s adorable.

This is exactly what Satan and the Romans and the Jews were doing when they crucified Jesus. They were scheming and plotting, taking counsel together. And how does God respond to that? Man, you actually think this is going to work. That’s hilarious. What does he do? God uses their own trap against them.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2.8 that if the rulers of that time knew what they were doing, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Why? Because in their great effort to commit the most heinous, vile, corrupt sin in the history of the world, killing God, they ended up fulfilling God’s own purposes to judge them and save his people.

God laughs at the schemes of men. You see, it is God alone who works all things according to the counsel of his will. There are no rogue atoms in the universe. God orders and directs each one to its appointed end that he appointed for it.

What does this mean for you? Remember that it is this one, this God who has placed his affections on you.

He has predestined you. He has united you to his son. And he now calls you his son or daughter. And he’s promised you this inheritance. How can you be sure that he will keep his promise? Because his plans cannot be thwarted. Men may try to discourage you. They may try to persecute you. They may revile you and slander you and maybe even kill you.

So we can be assured that we will receive this inheritance because God works all things according to the counsel of his will. Our third assurance. We can be assured that we will receive this inheritance because God has sealed us with his Holy Spirit. This is verses 13 to 14. What does it mean to be sealed with the Holy Spirit?

In the ancient world, a seal really had three key functions. The first was ownership, you know, a king or a merchant that would mark his possession. You think of a herd of cattle branded to show that they belong to the owner. A seal was also a mark of authenticity, like a signature certifying that a document was legitimate, that it was the genuine article.

A seal also provided security, like sealing a letter or even a tomb, ensuring that what’s inside remains safe at least until an appointed time when the seal could be broken. And Paul says it was when the Ephesians heard the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation, and believed that they received this seal.

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, God brands us as his own. He marks us as his own possession. He also confirms the authenticity of our faith by giving us his spirit such that now we live out of the fruit of the spirit and no longer live out of the works of the flesh.

And in sealing us, he has also secured us despite the attempts of the world, the flesh, and the devil to break us open. God has locked us in place with himself.

Ezekiel prophesied this moment in chapter 36 verses 26 to 27. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them.

And Paul further identifies the Spirit as the Holy Spirit of promise. You want to know that God will keep his promise to you? He doesn’t just give you a certificate. He doesn’t just give you a stamp of his approval. No, he gives you himself.

We spoke earlier how God himself is the ultimate inheritance. It is only when we have God himself as our prized possession that we are also promised all things.

The fourth assurance of how we can be assured that we will receive this inheritance because God, it is because God is fiercely committed to the praise of his own glory. This is verses 12 to 14. Why does God give us an inheritance? If God works all things according to the counsel of his will, what is he working all things towards?

What is the purpose, what is His purpose in all things? The reason why God gives us an inheritance, why He predestines us, why He adopts us and redeems us and gives us His Holy Spirit, all of this is aimed at the praise of His own glory. Now we can hear that and we can be tempted to think that God is some kind of egotistical maniac.

right he wants his own glory that’s his main goal right how selfish can you be i i want to worship a god of love of selflessness not someone so self-absorbed but consider for a moment if god follow me here if god who is the most glorious being

This is the clear testimony of Scripture. Isaiah 42.8

Or 1 Samuel 12, 22, for the Lord will not forsake his people for his great namesake because it has pleased the Lord to make you his people. Or Psalm 106, 8, nevertheless, he saved them for his namesake that he might make his power known. All God does, he does for the sake of his own glory.

For the sake of his own name, he gives us an inheritance. Why? For the praise of his own glory. So that you would receive and delight in that inheritance and glorify him because of it for all of eternity. And so here’s why this is such a massive assurance for us that he will keep his promises to us.

This is why he made the world. This is why he chose us. This is why he redeemed us. God is fiercely committed to the pursuit of his own glory. And for this reason, we can be assured in the midst of life’s many trials that he will indeed keep his promises to us and grant us our inheritance in full. And so…

Are you feeling anxious in the midst of your circumstances? Are you worried about what the future holds? Are you just totally disenchanted and black-pilled living here in Washington DC? Remember, you have a promised inheritance coming your way.

And you can be assured of that because in Christ, God predestined that you would receive it. Because God works all things according to the counsel of His will. Because God has sealed you with His Holy Spirit. And because God is fiercely committed to the praise of His own glory.

Let’s pray together.

Our Father in God, we thank you for this great promise that you’ve given us in Christ.

We thank you that you are pursuing your own glory, that you’ve promised us an inheritance that you might be glorified for all eternity. Father, that’s why we’re here, to glorify you, to worship you, to praise you, to exalt you, to magnify your name here in Washington, D.C. And so, Lord, we ask that you do it. We ask that you would glorify yourself here in D.C., that you would turn sinners to you.

That the name of Jesus Christ would be recognized throughout this city and in the highest courts in our nation. Father, we ask that you would do this.

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