|
Author
|
Topic: Co-Heirs With Jesus Christ
|
Found in Him
Advanced Member
Member # 7596
|
posted
1John 1:1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
--------------------
~To Him That is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy...to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~ Jude 24
Posts: 1503 | Registered: Jan 2009
| IP: Logged | 
|
|
Carol Swenson
Admin
Member # 6929
|
posted
Co-Heirs With Jesus Christ
What does the Bible say is our destiny? What is our great potential?
Paul says in Romans we are children of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:16-17) That’s incredible! “Heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus Christ.” What does God plan to give us as our inheritance?
What was Jesus to inherit and what are we to inherit with him? King David understood the inheritance Jesus was to be given and spoke of it. “For David says concerning Him…for You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption…therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne”. (Acts 2:25-30) Jesus also spoke of his inheritance, “Jesus answered and said to them, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up…He was speaking of the temple of his body.” (John 2:19-21) So we see Jesus’ inheritance of a resurrection from the dead and an everlasting kingdom was prophesied and known also to Christ.
The apostle Peter explained, “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it…this Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God…God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:22-36) He also testified, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate…” (Acts 3:13) “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus…Him, God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:30-31).
Stephen declared, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the son of man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:56) Paul exhorted, “From this man’s seed (David’s), according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus…now when he had fulfilled all that was written concerning him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead…that promise which was made to the fathers, God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus…he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption.” (Acts 13:23-34) Paul also speaks of the risen Christ in 1 Corinthians 15. Verse 20 says, “But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have died.” So we see Jesus has inherited everlasting life! He is glorified and exalted to the right hand of God. He is our Lord and Christ, Prince and Savior. He is the first fruits of the dead, the first to be resurrected and inherit life everlasting.
Other Testimonies of Heirship
The author of Hebrews tells us more of what Jesus has inherited. “God…has in these last days spoken to us by His son, whom He has appointed heir of all things…having become so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” (Hebrews 1:1-4) Hebrews 1 and 2 speaks of Jesus’ throne that is forever and ever, a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of his kingdom, and that he has been anointed by God and is crowned with glory and honor. What a great inheritance Jesus has been given as the resurrected, son of God.
The book of Revelation prophesies of His return and to this earth and His kingdom that will be established. “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords." (Rev. 19:6)
Just as exciting, is what the scripture has to say regarding our inheritance! Jesus said to his disciples, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:28-29). He also prophesied a time when he would judge the nations, “When the son of man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory…then the king will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:31-34) Hebrews 1:14 says the angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. Future prophesy speaks in this way, “And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years…but they shall be priests of God and Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Rev. 20:4-6) This is our inheritance-- salvation, everlasting life, a kingdom!
How are we Heirs
But how is it that we are heirs of such a tremendous inheritance? Paul explains that as children of God, we are “heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:16-17) This occurs when we have faith in God and his son, Jesus Christ and we are baptized and led by the Holy Spirit. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ… if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29) “Therefore brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:12-14)
John spoke of this glorious inheritance, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3)
Our challenge then is to truly believe what the scripture says, that we are co-heirs with Jesus Christ of everlasting life which the resurrected Son of God has already inherited. Jesus gave an example of a son who didn’t value his inheritance. “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me…and not many days after the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living…” (Luke 15:12-13) We should not take lightly the wonderful inheritance reserved for us.
Our inheritance is fantastic and we should constantly celebrate that we are co-heirs with Jesus Christ of all things that the Father has given Him! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will. In him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will…having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the down payment of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:3-5, 11-14)
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
| IP: Logged |
|
|
|
Printer-friendly view of this topic
