DRAWING NEAR
December 6
The Heir of All Things
"In these last days [God] has spoken to us in His Son, whom He
appointed heir of all things" (Heb. 1:2).
Since Jesus is the Son of God, He is heir of all that God possesses.
When Christ first came to earth He became poor for our sakes, that
we, through His poverty, might be made rich (2 Cor. 8:9). He had
nothing for Himself--He had "nowhere to lay His head" (Luke 9:58).
Even His clothes were taken from Him when He died, and He was buried
in a tomb that belonged to someone else.
It is beyond our understanding to imagine that the Galilean carpenter
who was crucified like a common criminal, naked and bleeding on a
cross outside the city of Jerusalem, is the King of kings and Lord of
lords. But He is!
As the Son of God, Jesus is the heir of all that God possesses. The
apostle Paul explains that all things not only were created by Christ
but also for Him (Col. 1:16). Everything that exists will find its
true meaning only when it comes under the final control of Christ.
The book of Psalms predicted that Christ would one day be the heir to
all that God possesses. The Father, speaking to the Son, says, "Ask
of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, and
the very ends of the earth as Thy possession'" (Ps. 2:8). God also
declared, "I also shall make Him My first-born, the highest of the
kings of the earth" (Ps. 89:27; cf. Col. 1:15). "First-born" refers
to legal rights--especially those of inheritance and authority.
When Christ comes to earth again, He will completely and eternally
inherit all things (Rev. 11:15). And because we have trusted in Him,
we are to be "fellow heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:16-17). When we enter
into His eternal kingdom, we will jointly possess all that He
possesses. We will not be joint Christs or joint Lords, but will be
joint heirs. His marvelous inheritance will be ours as well.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Thank God for making you a joint heir with Christ. Thank your Lord
for allowing that to happen through His death on the cross.
For Further Study:
Read Revelation 5:1-14 and 11:15-18, noting how the inhabitants of
heaven respond to Christ.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NKJV)
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He
was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His
poverty might become rich.
Luke 9:58
58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air
have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
Colossians 1:15-16
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that
are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for
Him.
Revelation 11:15-18
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in
heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"
16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones
fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17 saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is
and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great
power and reigned.
18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of
the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your
servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name,
small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth."
Romans 8:16-17
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 joint heirs with
Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified
together.
Revelation 5:1-14
5:1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a
scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is
worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?"
3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able
to open the scroll, or to look at it.
4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read
the scroll, or to look at it.
5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion
of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the
scroll and to loose its seven seals."
6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the
four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb
as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which
are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who
sat on the throne.
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and
the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp,
and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the
saints.
9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the
scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed
us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and
nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign
on the earth."
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the
throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them
was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To
receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory
and blessing!"
13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under
the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I
heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who
sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
14 Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four
elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel
http://www.gty.org/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
.
|
