Considering His Inheritance...By Leah Ramirez

Resound Missions Base Podcast with Leah Ramirez

English - July 18, 2013 23:38 - 1 hour - 80.1 MB - ★★★★★ - 10 ratings
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Previous Episode: More Heavenly Minded, To Be Some Earthly Good... By Leah Ramirez

Next Episode: 1 - Matthew 24 - False Messengers

We spend a good amount of time considering what we get out of the Gospel. In other words, “what’s in it for us.” And I suppose this is normal, but it certainly isn’t complete. It’s not just about us... it’s about Him. What does He get out of it? What’s in it for Jesus, the Father and the Spirit? Have we considered the Gospel from His point of view? Why did He come for us and why does He stay, and why is He coming again? This is an invitation into the glorious heart of God. Brace yourself for unbridled love! It’s going to be unbearably good!

I’m reading this book by C.S. Lewis, called Out of the Silent Planet. It’s part of his Space Trilogy, and it’s rocking me. It’s a little weird, and there are some parts about light and darkness that are profound. I encourage you to read it. In fact, can I give you some advice? You really need to read more! Our minds are endlessly being dulled to the glory of the Gospel. We are being continually numbed, and we need time to meditate on the loftiness of reality. Read more! You are God-men. You’re more than dust. You’re life will go on and on forever. And eternity starts now. Turn the TV off, and let God fascinate you.

John 17
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Eternal life is a person. It’s found in relation...in relating to the Father and His son. It’s found in conversing, in the dialogue. It’s the sole purpose for the House of Prayer. It’s why we’ve come together. It’s for the conversation! Eternal life is now.

How much of your time do you spend in dialogue with the Lord? Church, prayer, reading your Bible are all good... and necessary, but they are only life-giving if we are doing these things with the Lord. Reading the word with The Word. Coming together as the body to join with the Head. Praying to engage into the Heavenly dialogue and not the dusty monologue. The disposition of the heart means everything.

I. YOU ARE HIS INHERITANCE

Ephesians 1
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

A. I know it’s most common to consider what we get out of the deal. Most of our sermons are centered around what benefit we derive from God. But my thoughts this week have led me to ponder what inheritance He has within us.

I’m it! You’re it! We’re the reason He came. The Father chose to love us. He chose to make us the objects of His supreme affections and desires. He wants us. He’s declared us valuable to Him and so we are important. Our worth is determined by His decision to love us.

You are the glorious inheritance of the Lord. Have you ever thought about this? Talk about an elevated status!

Psalm 2
7 I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

D. If I could only get you to spend an entire day meditating on this one thing...You are the inheritance of the Lord. Whom has He on earth but you?

Psalm 73
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

E. I know there is a glorious inheritance in us! There are treasures within. There is glory within. You are the object of the Lord’s affections!! Let’s come into the

II. LOVE MUST HAVE A RECIPIENT

A. It’s not enough to be loving. Love must find a recipient. Love is a river not a pond. It’s not stagnant. It was for love that the Word came, “Let there be light.” Love is a creative force. Love is not passive.

Romans 5
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

B. Love is like manna. It can’t be stored. It can be received, it can nourish... but it can’t be stored. I think many of us have grown frustrated because the manna has gone bad, and so we’ve questioned the goodness and provision of God for our lives. We’ve misunderstood how love works, and so what was intended to heal us had wounded us. It’s not meant to be stored. We can trust Him. There will be more in the morning!

Exodus 16
In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp.
14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’”
17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

C. It’s not meant to be stored. If you try and hoard it you will stink! You can take what you can, and use up the rest... Don’t hoard!!! Don’t be a love hoarder. Don’t try and contain it...either eat it or give it away!

My concern for the church is that we seem be producing callings with no recipients, missionaries with no mission fields, shepherds with no flocks. It’s not for love of shepherding that we pastor, it’s for the love of the sheep! Love must have a recipient! It’s must pour itself out onto someone.

Why is God chiseling away at you? Because you’re a pent up pool, but you were always made to be a river. He’s tearing down the walls that have made the love inside stagnant and stinky! You’re calling isn’t really about you... it’s really about the love of God through you (to Him and your neighbor). You’re not a pastor in a vacuum. You aren’t an evangelist apart from the harvest.

John 7
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Out of His heart... This is so good!!! We don’t operate from a limited source, but rather we have God’s love pouring through our hearts. We have the ocean on a spigot. You are a river! You have been baptized into unlimited love. This is reality. Think about it, meditate on it until your thoughts are renewed. Stop fretting over yesterday’s manna! There is a fresh move for today.

III. WITH HIM IN PARTNERSHIP

The object of His affection is now the object of mine! What and who He loves, I love. I’m not just the recipient of His love, I’m His partner in love.

There are so many scriptures that talk about being seated with Christ, that I am convinced we are to understand this presently. These are not for theology discussions, but are mainly given to us as invitations of His grace. Why settle for discussion when we can have the experience of the thing?

Ephesians 2
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raisedus up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

C. He is a river... so you will be a river. He is love, and so you will be love. He is free, and so you are free. He is boundless, and through His Spirit you are boundless!

IV. BE A RIVER

Isaiah 61
1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

A. We are in a wonderful season! It’s a season of partnership. The anointing of God operates only in river form.

I’m anointed ---- to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me ---- to bind up the breokenhearted.
I’m a proclaimer ---- of liberty to those who are captive.

B. This is the season of reconciling the missionaries to the mission fields! This is a season of reconciliation. Be like God. Find a recipient for His love flowing through your heart. Find someone who needs love and pour it out! Find someone who is brokenhearted and be sent! Find the captives and proclaim... Find your field.

John 17 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

I. YOU ARE HIS INHERITANCE

Ephesians 1 15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

You are the glorious inheritance of the Lord. Have you ever thought about this? Talk about an elevated status!

Psalm 2 7 I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

D. If I could only get you to spend an entire day meditating on this one thing...You are the inheritance of the Lord. Whom has He on earth but you?

Psalm 73 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

E. I know there is a glorious inheritance in us! There are treasures within. There is glory within. You are the object of the Lord’s affections!! Let’s come into the

II. LOVE MUST HAVE A RECIPIENT

Romans 5 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Exodus 16 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

John 7 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

III. WITH HIM IN PARTNERSHIP

The object of His affection is now the object of mine! What and who He loves, I love. I’m not just the recipient of His love, I’m His partner in love.

Ephesians 2 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raisedus up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.