By His death and resurrection Jesus Christ bequeaths to everyone who will receive Him as Lord and Savior an inheritance. Some of the inheritance components are absolute and reserved for us in Heaven. Other components are for your journey of life and must be received.

So far in this series we have examined these components of your inheritance for your journey of life:

Rest = Hebrews 4:9-10

Relationship with the Father = John 1:10-13

Residence of the triune God – Ephesians 4:6; Ephesians 3:14-19; Ephesians 1:12-17

Abundant living = John 10: 7-10

Victory and freedom from sin = 1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Armor of the Lord =Ephesians 6:10-17

Knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent= John 17:3

So how do you and I claim that earthly inheritance that equips us to run successfully this journey of life? Let us consider the LORD’s instructions to Joshua when the Israelites were ready to claim the promised-land, their earthly inheritance. You remember there were 600,000 foot men freed from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:37). When Moses sent the 12 spies into the land only Joshua and Caleb came back with a good report that the LORD was able (Numbers 14:6-9). Forty years passed until all those unbelievers died, even Moses and Aaron. Only Joshua and Caleb remained of those men rescued from Egypt (Joshua 5:6). So what did the LORD instruct Joshua regarding claiming the promised-land?

Joshua 1:¹ Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,

²Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

³Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

⁴From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

Notice the LORD gives the inheritance. The Israelites do not have to earn the inheritance. Notice the giving is in past tense. The LORD sees the inheritance as accomplished.  He is not limited to time. So why do the Israelites not possess the promised-land today?

How does the Israelites’ failure to act in faith correlate to you and me in our claiming our earthly inheritance?

⁵There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

The Bible does not record any failure on the part of the LORD.

The Bible does not record anytime the LORD forsook the Israelites.

How can the words of Hebrews 13:⁵Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.⁶So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.help you and me?

⁶Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

⁷Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

⁸This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

⁹Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Notice the instruction is about personal being, not about circumstances or what others are doing. We are to be strong. Remember what Paul records about His verbal exchange with Jesus in 2 Corinthians 12:⁹And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

How can you and I keep our focus on Jesus and who-we-are-in-Him?

How can you and I rely on Jesus alone for strength?

Why do you and I need courage to observe all His laws?

Why sometimes do circumstances dismay you? Is it because we sometimes trust in our own judgment rather than the true wisdom of God?

Notice the instruction is to have good courage. What courage do you suppose would not be good? Perhaps courage that relies on the wrong thing or person. How can you and I depend on Jesus rather than self to claim our earthly inheritance?

What does it mean to you that you and I are able to rely on the LORD our God in every situation?

Do you know this song?

O Worship the King– The words from Edward Bickersteth, 1833, rewording of the words of William Kethe, 1561.

O worship the King, all glorious above, O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace, Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

The earth with its store of wonders untold, Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old;
Established it fast by a changeless decree, And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite? It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end, Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

O measureless might! Ineffable love! While angels delight to worship Thee above,
The humbler creation, though feeble their lays, With true adoration shall all sing Thy praise.

Our focus – Hebrews 12:¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

Our challenge – Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through  you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti