My Position as an Heir
The next thing that we enjoy when Jesus comes into our hearts, as W. Herschel Ford points out in his sermon, is a new position as an heir of God. Again we find this in Titus 3, this time verse 7: “having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
The Instant Inheritance: Receiving God's Riches Through Jesus
An heir is one who inherits something from someone else. As Ford points out, when Henry Ford died he left millions for his family to inherit – but God’s inheritance is greater still than all that wealth. And when Mrs Maclean who owned the famous Hope Diamond died, she specified in her will that the diamond was not to be passed down to her daughter until twenty years had passed. But that is not how it works with our inheritance from God – we don’t have to wait for it, we receive his riches as soon as we invite Jesus into our hearts.
And oh what wonderful riches he has for us friends! We spoke about them yesterday, when we spoke of our portion in Christ – His love, His salvation, His Spirit. These are the things that enrich our lives more than anything else. More than all the money and possessions in the world, it is the spiritual riches that God pours into our hearts that truly make us wealthy.
Are you a child of God? Have you entered into the family of God by accepting Him as your Saviour, and placing your faith in Him alone? What riches you are missing out on, if you’ve never taken this step!
Of course, as heirs of God, we need to honour our family name. Ford says that every Christian should say to themselves “I am a Christian, a child of God, therefore I must live up to my high position”.
Living Out Our Faith: A Call to Authentic Christianity
Ford tells a story of a missionary preaching in India, and halfway through his message at a most interesting part, a lady got up and left. A few minutes later she returned, and after the service the missionary went to her and asked why she had left the building like that. She said “I was so interested in what you were saying that I wondered whether or not you lived out these teachings in your everyday life. I went out and asked your carriage driver about it. He said that you lived just as you talked, therefore I was glad to come back and listen to you again.”
We who have Jesus in our hearts have a high position. Let’s live up to our name as Christians, by living out the things we claim to believe in.
