Understanding Your Inheritance
- Part 1

3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will...  -  Ephesians 1:3-5, 9, 11

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     There is an interesting passage of Scripture in First Timothy 2:4 which says that God "...will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth."  In other words, God not only wants you to get saved, He wants you to come to the knowledge of the truth.  Well, what does it mean "...to come to the knowledge of the truth"?  Let me put it to you another way.  The Bible says in John 8:31 and 32 "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  Jesus told the Jews that got saved by believing on Him that the knowledge of the truth would make them free.  How?  They had to continue in the Word.  As you continue in the Word, you will discover the truth and that truth will make you free.

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     Many people get saved (born again) and never find out the knowledge of the truth.  As a result, they remain in captivity to Satan and the curse of the law.  They're actually not captive, they just don't know it.  That's why the Bible says in Hosea 4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..."  Here's a truth that Jesus wanted us to know.  It says "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have LIFE, and that they may have it MORE ABUNDANTLY."  -  John 10:10 (NKJV)  There are plenty of Scriptures in the Bible to establish the fact that the "thief" Jesus is talking about in this verse is Satan.  Right on the other hand, it says that Jesus came to give life (eternal life) and that more abundantly.  In other words, Satan came to destroy life, but Jesus came to give it more abundantly.  That should answer a lot of questions for you about whose the author of death and destruction, and whose the author of life. Eternal life is a blessing or a benefit of the new birth (being born again), but that's not all there is to the Christian life.  Jesus said that He came to give that life more abundantly.  How do we know that is referring to benefits of the new birth? If you will go to Hebrews 6:9, you will readily see that there are "...things which accompany salvation."

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     In this teaching, we are dealing with the topic of "Understanding Your Inheritance".  As a Christian, you have been given an inheritance by God.  Most Christians that are living defeated lives under Satan's bondage have not come to the knowledge of that truth.  They are not appropriating the blessings of God for their lives and the reason for that is usually because Satan has lied to them.  Satan will do everything he can to keep you from receiving knowledge about your inheritance. In turn, that will create within you elements of doubt, unbelief, sin consciousness, and fear.  These things will immobilize you from receiving and experiencing God's blessings in your life. Let's break the cycle of that today!

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      There are several things you need to understand about your inheritance.  The first thing you need to know is that your inheritance was prepared by God before the foundation of the world.  Notice verse four of our opening text in Ephesians chapter one.  It says that God chose us before the foundation of the world. What was His purpose?  In verse five it says that He "...predestinated us..." to become His children "...according to the good pleasure of His will."  It was the good pleasure of God's will to adopt us as His children through His Son, Jesus Christ.  We were predestinated to become that before the world began.  Let's look at another Scripture:

                                    But as it is written,  Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,  neither have entered

                                   into the heart of man, THE THINGS WHICH GOD HATH PREPARED FOR THEM

                                  THAT LOVE HIM.  -  I Corinthians 2:9

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     If you are a Christian, (by that I mean a born again child of God)  then the Bible says that God has prepared things for you. When did He do this? Notice what the Bible says in Ephesians chapter one:

 

3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed

                                        us with ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS in heavenly places IN CHRIST.

                                    4  According as he hath chosen us in him BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE

                                        WORLD...  -  Ephesians 1:3-4

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      We were chosen by God in Christ before the foundation of the world to receive salvation, and were blessed with every spiritual blessing heaven has to offer.  Then why is it that so many Christians are living as though they are still under the curse?  The reason why is they have yet to appropriate what already belongs to them in Christ.  Again, that is a result of a lack of knowledge, which leads us to our next point: your inheritance must be received by revelation knowledge.  Let's go back to verse nine of our opening text:

 

                                     HAVING MADE KNOWN UNTO US THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL,  according to

                                    HIS GOOD PLEASURE which he has purposed in himself...  -  Ephesians 1:9

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      This verse didn't say that God's will is mysterious.  What it does say is that God's will needs to be revealed.  If you haven't figured it out by now, it is an important part of God's will for you to KNOW about your inheritance. So how does God reveal it to you?  Notice:

 

10  But God hath REVEALED them unto us by HIS SPIRIT; for the Spirit

                                                 searcheth ALL THINGS, yea, the deep THINGS OF GOD.

                                           12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which

                                                 is of God; THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THE THINGS WHICH ARE FREELY GIVEN

                                                TO US OF GOD.  -  I  Corinthians 2:10, 12

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     Notice that the Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to you.  What things?  Well, verse twelve says "...the things which are freely given to us of God."  Notice they are FREE!  Stop trying to earn them.  Stop trying to get on God's good side; your already there!  Christians that don't have a proper relationship with God think that they have to pray enough, give enough, or cry enough to get God to bless them.  No, a thousand times no!  The blessing already belongs to you by virtue of inheritance.  Again, Hebrews 6:9 says that they are the "...things that accompany salvation."  You just need to receive a revelation of that in your heart.

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      One of the main reasons certain Christians don't receive revelation knowledge from God pertaining to their inheritance is because they have never developed their level of spiritual discernment.  Spiritual discernment is not something that God gives only to a special select few. God doesn't have any favorites! We're all His favorites. He is no respecter of persons. Spiritual discernment is the ability to comprehend spiritually, and it has been given to every born again believer in the Body of Christ.  It is a blessing that enables anyone who is born again to SEE into the kingdom of God (John 3:3 / I Corinthians 2:14).

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      You cannot do that with your natural eyes. Nor can your hear from God with your natural ears.  And that's what the Church has been trying to do. But the Bible says in John 4:24 that "God is a SPIRIT: and they that worship Him must worship him IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH."  In other words, we must communicate with God out of our spirits by the Word. In doing so, God will be able to communicate to us what He wants to give us in His Word. You must receive the truth of your covenant inheritance by revelation of the Spirit of God. It must become embedded in your heart. Only then can you believe God for it. That takes us to our next point: your inheritance must be received by faith.  Let's look at our opening text again and see what else the Bible is teaching us out of that Scripture:

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                                  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, WHO HATH BLESSED

                                 US with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ...  -  Ephesians 1:3

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     The passage didn't say "...WHO MIGHT BLESS US...".  It says "WHO HATH BLESSED US..."  My friend, that's past tense language.  The problem we find ourselves in is the same problem many of God's children face when they hear this.  They say "Well, if I'm already blessed, then why don't I already have it"?  But you do! If He has already blessed us, then the blessing is already ours!  IT MUST BE RECEIVED BY FAITH.  Remember, they are spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Spiritual blessings are invisible to the natural eye. But when you see them through the eye of faith, you can believe for them and then receive them.

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      If a wealthy individual came up to you and said he wanted to give you one thousand dollars as a gift, would you sit there and question him about it, tell him you don't believe him, and turn around and walk in the opposite direction?  Of course not!  You'd stick your hand out and say "Thank you very much, I appreciate it!" You know good and well I'm telling the truth.  Well, why is it that we do God that way?  God wants to bless us, but He can't because our doubt and unbelief is keeping Him from doing so!  We have to get to the place where we stop questioning the ability and the willingness of God.  God is not only able, He's also willing to do it. Notice what the Bible says about it:

 

11  And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to

                                                the full assurance of hope unto the end:

                                           12  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith

                                                 and patience inherit the promises.  -  Hebrews 6:11-12

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      How do we inherit the promises?  Through faith and patience!  First of all, you have to KNOW that it belongs to you, and secondly, you have to RECEIVE it by faith.  You have to believe it before you can receive it. That's what it means to "...shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end."  You can't believe God without being diligent to the full assurance of hope to the end!  Most Christians give up by thinking "Well, God must not have healed me because I'm still sick."  No, you're just impatient.  When you believe you receive, then stand on the promise of God!  Why?  God not only promised you your healing, He already gave it to you. Let's look at an example of this:

 

                                  BY FAITH Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should

                                  after  RECEIVE  FOR  AN  INHERITANCE,  obeyed;  and he went out not knowing

                                  whither he went.  -  Hebrews 11:8

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      Abraham was told by God to leave his kinfolk and his country to go to a place where He would bless him and make him great. God spoke to Abraham about his inheritance before he could even see it with his physical eyes. Then to make sure Abraham was going to believe God for it, He sends Abraham to a land that was in famine.  When Abraham arrived, he didn't stay for long before going to Egypt where there was plenty. However, Abraham encountered all kinds of problems there and ended up returning to the land where God had sent him in the first place.  It was there in the land of famine where God made Abraham very rich (Genesis 13:1-6).

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      How many of us have made that mistake before?  Or how many of us know of people that have made that mistake before?  It's funny how people will say "Yeah, I'm gonna move down south because the cost of living is cheaper!"  My friend, if you're not going to live by faith up north, you're not going to live by faith down south! Faith is not just a doctrine of the Word of God.  It is supposed to be the lifestyle of every one who calls himself a believer.  Everyone who says they are a Christian does not make them a believer. The word "believer" has become more of a Christian cliche' than it is an identity you have in Christ.

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                                  Whereby are given unto us EXCEEDING GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES:  that

                                 by THESE ye might become PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE...  -  II Peter 1:4

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      Listen my friend, cows moo, dogs bark, and birds chirp.  Why?  It's their nature to do so. Well, a believer is suppose to believe!  It's in his spiritual DNA to do so.  The reason why we have not been acting like believers is because we have allowed Satan to lie to us about our identity.  Our identity is in the Word of God. We must receive it by the faith of God.  The more knowledgeable you are about your identity through the Word, the more confidence you will have to believe God's Word, and the stronger you will become in your relationship with Him.  In closing, I want to share a passage of Scripture that I believe sums it all up.  I want you to meditate on each verse because it speaks of developing your relationship with God, and experiencing the benefits that come as a result of that relationship.

 

21  ACQUAINT NOW THYSELF and, be at PEACE: thereby GOOD shall come unto thee.

22  Receive, I pray thee, THE LAW FROM HIS MOUTH, and lay up HIS WORDS in thine heart.

23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be BUILT UP, thou shalt PUT AWAY INIQUITY far from thy tabernacles.

24  Then shalt thou LAY UP GOLD AS DUST, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

25  Yea, the Almighty shall be thy DEFENSE, and thou shalt have PLENTY OF SILVER.

26  For then thou shalt have THY DELIGHT in the Almighty, and SHALT LIFT UP THY FACE UNTO GOD.

27  Thou shalt make thy PRAYER UNTO HIM, and he shall HEAR THEE, and thou shalt PAY THY VOWS.

28 Thou shalt also DECREE A THING, and it shall be ESTABLISHED UNTO THEE: and THE LIGHT shall shine upon THY WAYS.  -  Job 22:21-28

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CONFESSION OF FAITH:

I am a child of God, and therefore, an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. As an heir of God I have a covenant with Him that's been ratified by the blood of Jesus Christ and established on the promises of God's Word. My inheritance declares that I have been redeemed from the curse of the law. The curse of the law includes poverty, sickness, and death. Therefore, I decree that I will not be broke or sick another day in my life. I will fulfill the number of my days because I have set my love upon God and He satisfies me with long life. As I meditate in the Word of God day and night, my mind is being renewed to the will of God, and as a result I make my way prosperous and have good success in every area of my life.