Heirs of God
God’s Heart
Opening your heart to God’s Word is a beautiful, life-altering experience. God’s Word is His heart. As we read it and reflect upon it, the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts and guides us according to His perfect will for our lives.
Anyone who is involved in the sale or purchase of real estate personally or for business knows the great effort - time, energy and money - that goes into the quest for land ownership in America. Most young couples hope to one day own a home and work hard to reach this milestone in life. It is, after all, the American dream. There is something about setting one’s stake in the ground and settling onto a piece of property that will be called home for the duration of a lifetime - a place where children will be raised and community established.
In a much larger but very similar sense, God promised the same to Abraham and all of his offspring - a land that would be home to them forever. Like the promise of offspring, God’s promise of land - a homeland and an inheritance - for Abraham’s descendants, is ultimately fulfilled in the person of Jesus.
Rightfully so, the possession of the land promised to Abraham meant a lot to Israel and still does. After the wilderness wandering years, Joshua led the conquest of the land and much blood was shed to take possession of the Promised Land. To this day, blood is shed over the acquisition of land and the establishment of boundaries all over the world. Pride is taken in land ownership and land possession, not just for nations but for individuals as well.
For Israel, there was great expectation involved in the possession of land, as God promised to make Abraham a great nation upon that Promised Land. It was not only the Israelites’ treasured possession, but it was a large part of their relationship with the Lord - of His covenant with them and their future as His Chosen People.
After all, it was this land, Israel, that would welcome the Messiah.
Once Jesus comes, however, everything changes - the inheritance expands far beyond Israel - regarding both the acquisition of land itself and the recipients of the promise. We see in Romans 4:13-16, Paul awards the inheritance promised to Abraham and his seed to all who have faith in Christ. As Galatians 3 teaches us, Christ is the offspring or seed of Abraham and is heir to all that was promised to him. Those who are in Christ, therefore, also become the seed and heirs of the promise.
Romans 4:13-16:
13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
Of course, the apostle Paul’s explanation of the promise comes in light of the gospel of Christ. Yet, it also succinctly summarizes the three key provisions seen in God’s promise to Abraham in the Genesis account - that Abraham would have many descendants of many nations, would possess the land, and would be the conduit through whom all the people of the earth would be blessed. God’s promise to Abraham is by no means negated by the New Covenant but rather is perfectly fulfilled in Christ.
Certainly, heir of the world, is the language of the New Covenant. Jesus Himself says, “the meek…shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). There is a distinct shift that occurs between the Old Covenant inheritance which designates a defined territory and the New Covenant inheritance, which includes the entire world, but not this entire world - a new world - a new heavens and a new earth, one in which Jesus Himself will sit upon the throne.
Revelation 21:3-5:
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
This new heavens and this new earth is our inheritance.
But it gets even better! Because of our adoption as sons - children who share in the rights and privileges of Christ’s Sonship - we are not just heirs, but heirs of God!
Romans 8:15-17:
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
In Douglas Moo’s commentary on the book of Romans, he asserts that as heirs of God, Christians actually inherit God Himself. He is our inheritance. Jesus is our true home even today, and a day awaits us when He will become our dwelling place. On that day, we will secure permanent residency in Him and dwell in His presence forever.
Thus, we see that God’s promise of a homeland to Abraham is truly fulfilled in Jesus. And as much as this story - this history - this legacy - is Abraham’s, it is ours. We are his offspring, and Jesus is our destination.
Share Your Heart
Consider the following discussion starters as you share your hearts with one another:
After reading Revelation 21:3-5, what insight do you get regarding your inheritance of the world (Romans 4:13) as a Christ follower? What words jump out to you? (For further insight and study, see Revelation 21-22.)
Abraham would not see the threefold promise God made to him - for offspring, a homeland, and blessings to the nations - come to fruition in his lifetime. However, each component of the promise is completely fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
Discuss with one another how Jesus fulfills each of the three components of the promise. Talk about the ways in which the promise has already been fulfilled by Jesus’ coming to earth and how it has not yet but will be completely fulfilled upon His second coming.
Read Romans 8:15-17 again. What promises do you find in these verses for Christ followers? What role does the Holy Spirit play in our identity as children and as heirs?
The Cries of Your Heart
At Hearts Together Women, we believe that the Lord hears the cries of our hearts.
We also believe in prayer partnership because God’s Word teaches us that partnering with one another in prayer is powerful.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore…pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
And Jesus encourages us, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there” (Matthew 18:19-20, The Message).
What amazing promises!
Here is how prayer partnership works at a Hearts Together Gathering:
After we share in the Word and discussion, your facilitator will ask each woman for her prayer requests. All you need to do is share your requests - the cries of your heart - because we all have them.
We encourage you to request prayer for 1) your own needs; 2) the needs of your family and loved ones; and 3) the needs you see around you - in the workplace, the school, the neighborhood or even the nation.
After the requests are shared, your gathering facilitator will lead in a prayer for the needs that were put forth.
In the following days, we encourage you to pray for the requests of the other women in your gathering. They will do the same for you. That’s what prayer partnership is all about!
As we partner with one another in prayer, we trust the Lord will meet with us and answer us in accordance with His perfect will.
Your Heart to His
Maybe you felt the Holy Spirit stirring something in your heart during this gathering. It doesn’t have to end here. Take it home. In the followings days, continue to pursue Him. Spend some time alone and quiet, away from the noise of life - just you and Jesus.
Tell Him the cries of your heart. He is listening; He cares, and He does answer. Praying is kind of like having a conversation with your best friend. He created you, so He already knows everything about you. He just wants to be with you.
After you pray, reread the Scriptures and thoughts under God’s Heart. Reflect upon the verses and how they speak to you and your life.
Here are some things you might contemplate and pray about:
Jesus is Abraham’s offspring and as a Christ follower, you are Abraham’s offspring in Him. Through Jesus, you will inherit not only the new heavens and the new earth, but you will inherit Him. As heirs of God, we inherit permanent residency in the presence of Jesus. This blessing belongs to all people who have faith in Jesus - the same faith Abraham had. As Jesus said Himself, Abraham looked forward to His day and was glad in it. Those who share that faith, share this blessing as well. The blessing is for all offspring and comes through the one offspring - Jesus - who changes everything. Jesus blesses all people of all time and of all nations, if only we have faith in Him.
Contemplate this promise today. You are His. You are a woman of promise. Ask the Lord to reveal this hope to you, not only today but every day, as you sojourn upon this earth.
This is just between you and Jesus - your heart to His. Make space in your busy days to spend some time with Him.
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Do you have a Bible? If not, there are many digital options - Bible apps, etc. We suggest starting with John’s Gospel.
