Thrive: In Your Inheritance
Lead Pastor: Rollan Fisher
Focus: You will thrive through each season of your life when you look to God for your inheritance.
An Inheritance From the Father
Don’t Sell Your Birthright
The Inheritance of Christ
An Inheritance From the Father
You have to know that God the Father wants you to thrive and has an Inheritance for you in which you will do so as you remain in him.
Genesis 25:1-11
Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country. These are the days of the years of Abraham's life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.
We need to stay near to God to get the heavenly goods he desires to bestow (including the promise, fellowship and gifts of the Holy Spirit).
Luke 12:32
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. -Jesus
Intimacy with God leads to a sure inheritance in him.
God entrusts his Kingdom to those who will steward their inheritance well and continue his purposes based on his promises.
Genesis 25:19-28
These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Starting later in life does not mean that you missed your inheritance, whether it be with the grace or gifts of God.
Have faith to pray for the promises of God spoken to you by the Holy Spirit.
Like Abraham and Isaac, I can look to God to fulfill whatever promise he has made to me, whether in his written Word or by the spoken word of the Holy Spirit.
This gives me the confidence to not only wait on my inheritance from God, but to guard against that which would look to steal it.
Don’t Sell Your Birthright
To thrive we must know that which threatens our birthright, and then protect it.
So what is it that the devil uses to try to steal my birthright?
*The desire for momentary pleasures outside of the will of God come to steal your inheritance.
You don’t want to forsake your eternal reward for your short-term desires being temporarily satisfied.
Carnal needs come and go.
The inheritance of Christ is eternal.
I need to learn to trust the Lord to thrive while suffering in a godly manner when I am in the in-between place.
*Remember - thriving in God and suffering are not two mutually exclusive conditions.
(Our greatest example is Christ on the cross - Isaiah 53).
Genesis 25:29-34
Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom. ) Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
What was the birthright in that culture?
Esau despised his birthright from Isaac and ultimately God by trading it for temporary relief from his hunger.
We will all face times of hunger or want, when we feel like we will die if we do not have some natural need met - whether it be for provision, companionship, a sense of purpose or pleasure.
Again, Esau sold his birthright to experience relief from his hunger.
Will you?
Have you?
“The world is not composed of religious and non-religious people. It is composed rather of religious people who have differing ultimate concerns, different gods, and who respond to the Living God in different ways.”
“When any individual or collection of individuals acts in disobedience to the moral order, short-term gratification may be experienced; but such behavior produces an inevitable deterioration of the personality and leads to a long term loss of what is truly worthy.”
-Ronald H. Nash
What you give up for short-term pleasure can not be regained nor can the misplaced hunger truly ever be satisfied.
For what have you been willing to sell your birthright?
A relationship?
A one-night stand?
Selling out holiness for a sense of gratification on Instagram or a few extra likes on Tik-tok?
Do not let the temptation to live for immediate gratification have you forsake the inheritance of God.
Hebrews 12:14-17
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
You will never be able to do what God requires of you in the secret place because you live for the fickle and anemic accolades of men - whether in the workplace, in relationships or on social media.
You will thrive when your heart learns to truly look to God for its reward.
Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18
6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
What has your walk with God been like this year when people have been separated and no one has been watching you?
Has it been something that God would look to reward?
Or have you been willing to sell your birthright for momentary pleasures in the name of relief?
If you have sold your birthright, what do you do?
Repent and turn to Christ for redemption and his eternal inheritance.
“Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged.”
-J.I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit: Finding Fullness in Our Walk with God
The Inheritance of Christ
Christ gives an Inheritance that is both satisfying and eternal.
Hebrews 12:28-29
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
When God is a consuming fire to us, he causes us to thrive in life despite challenge, loss or hunger.
“God doesn’t want something from us. He simply wants us.”
-C.S. Lewis
I must remember that truly thriving means entering into the resurrection life of Jesus Christ.
Because of his sinless life, I have a model to follow that will lead me to thrive in God’s eternal plan.
John 5:21-24
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
Because of Jesus’ substitutionary, sacrificial death on the cross, I can thrive in repentance from my sin.
Because of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, I don’t have to sell out my birthright for temporary pleasures, because I know in him I have eternal life and a never ending reward.
Story of the Inheritance and the Son:
Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the family estate. The widowed, elder man looked on with satisfaction as his only child became an experienced art collector. The son’s trained eye and sharp business mind caused his father to beam with pride as they dealt with art collectors around the world.
As winter approached, war engulfed the nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram. His beloved son was missing in action. The art collector anxiously awaited more news, fearing he would never see his son again. Within days, his fears were confirmed. The young man had died while rushing a fellow soldier to a medic.
Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness. The joy of the season, a season that he and his son had so looked forward to, would visit his house no longer. On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home.
As he opened the door, he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand. He introduced himself to the man by saying, “I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you.” As the two began to talk, the soldier told of how the man’s son had told everyone of his, not to mention his father’s, love of fine art. “I’m an artist,” said the soldier, “and I want to give you this.” As the old man unwrapped the package, the paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the son.
Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the young man’s face in striking detail. Overcome with emotion, the man thanked the soldier, promising to hang the picture over the fireplace. A few hours later, after the soldier had departed, the old man set about his task.
True to his word, the painting went well above the fireplace, pushing aside thousands of dollars of paintings. And then the man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given. During the days and weeks that followed, the man realized that even though his son was no longer with him, the boy’s life would live on because of those he had touched. He would soon learn that his son had rescued dozens of wounded soldiers before a bullet stilled his caring heart.
As the stories of his son’s gallantry continued to reach him, fatherly pride and satisfaction began to ease the grief. The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the pieces for which museums around the world clamored. He told his neighbors it was the greatest gift he had ever received.
The following spring, the old man became ill and passed away. The art world was in anticipation!
Unmindful of the story of the man’s only son, but in his honor, those paintings would be sold at an auction. According to the will of the old man, all of the art works would be auctioned on Christmas day, the day he had received his greatest gift. The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world’s most spectacular paintings. Dreams would be fulfilled this day; greatness would be achieved as many claim “I have the greatest collection.” The auction began with a painting that was not on any museum’s list. It was the painting of the man’s son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid. The room was silent.
“Who will open the bidding with $100?” he asked. Minutes passed. No one spoke. From the back of the room came, “Who cares about that painting? It’s just a picture of his son. Let’s forget it and go on to the good stuff.”
More voices echoed in agreement. “No, we have to sell this one first,” replied the auctioneer. “Now, who will take the son?” Finally, a friend of the old man spoke, “Will you take ten dollars for the painting? That’s all I have. I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it.”
“I have ten dollars. Will anyone go higher?” called the auctioneer. After more silence, the auctioneer said, “Going once, going twice. Gone.” The gavel fell, cheers filled the room and someone exclaimed, “Now we can get on with it and we can bid on these treasures!”
The auctioneer looked at the audience and announced the auction was over. Stunned disbelief quieted the room. Someone spoke up and asked, “What do you mean it’s over? We didn’t come here for a picture of some old guy’s son. What about all of these paintings? There are millions of dollars of art here! I demand that you explain what’s going on here!” The auctioneer replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son…gets it all.”
Let us therefore draw near to God at the cross through repentance and faith, to honor his Son, Jesus Christ, and thrive in every season as we look to our eternal inheritance in him.
Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2021