The Riches of His Glorious Inheritance in the Saints

1. The Riches of His Glorious Inheritance in the Saints Westminster Larger Catechism Q57-89

2. Setting the background… • GOAL: Know what you believe and why you believe it!* • We teach various ways in the SS: • Bible survey: book of the bible, or other scripture passages • Doctrine survey • Church history survey • Special Topic * Borrowed from “White Horse Inn”

3. Our theme for the next several weeks: “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 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, 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, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,…” (Eph 1:15-19)

4. Our theme for the next several weeks: “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 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, 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, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,…” (Eph 1:15-19)

5. More background… • The WLC (and the WSC) is an OUTLINE of doctrine extracted from the Bible. • Answers many (most) of the questions that we might ask regarding the Christian life and experience. • We will look at the “Benefits of Redemption” or as Paul stated, “…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,….” (Eph 1:18) • First the context in our outline of doctrine to establish the FOUNDATION:

6. The WLC Begins with the End Gods word only teaches TWO things!

7. A Biblical Pattern: Believe => Do This pattern is not arbitrary – why did they outline it this way? Because it has its roots in Scripture: • Belief begets practice. What you believe WILL dictate how you behave. Examples: • Paul’s letters – Romans 1-11 explain the work of God then at 12:1 “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice…” • Ephesians 1- 3 declares the work of God in salvation then at 4:1 “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,…” • Even in the giving of the 10 commandments we see this pattern: ““I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me….” [God: “This is Who I am and who you are – therefore DO this…”] Can you think of any other examples in the scriptures where this pattern is evident?

8. What is the difference between this and the “Power of Positive Thinking?” "This book is written with the sole objective of helping the reader achieve a happy, satisfying, and worthwhile life.“ -- Norman Vincent Peale The precursor to The Secret, The Power of Positive Thinking has helped millions of men and women to achieve fulfillment in their lives. In this phenomenal bestseller, Dr. Peale demonstrates the power of faith in action. With the practical techniques outlined in this book, you can energize your life -- and give yourself the initiative needed to carry out your ambitions and hopes. You'll learn how to: • Expect the best and get it • Believe in yourself and in everything you do • Develop the power to reach your goals • Break the worry habit and achieve a relaxed life • Improve your personal and professional relationships • Assume control over your circumstances • Be kind to yourself

11. Where are we going?

12. Q. 57. What benefits hath Christ procured by his mediation?A. Christ, by his mediation, hath procured redemption, with all other benefits of the covenant of grace. me·di·a·tion /mēdēˈāSHən/ noun: mediation; plural noun: mediations • intervention in a dispute in order to resolve it; arbitration. "the parties have sought mediation and it has failed" • intervention in a process or relationship; intercession. "they are offering sacrifice and mediation between God and man"

13. Q. 57. What benefits hath Christ procured by his mediation?A. Christ, by his mediation, hath procured redemption, with all other benefits of the covenant of grace. re·demp·tion /riˈdempSHən/ noun: redemption; plural noun: redemptions • the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. "God's plans for the redemption of his world" • a thing that saves someone from error or evil. "his marginalization from the Hollywood jungle proved to be his redemption" • the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.

14. Q. 57. What benefits hath Christ procured by his mediation?A. Christ, by his mediation, hath procured redemption, with all other benefits of the covenant of grace. OLD FRENCH redimer LATIN redeem red- buy back back LATIN redimere late Middle English LATIN emere buy late Middle English (in the sense ‘buy back’): from Old French redimer or Latin redimere , from re(d)- ‘back’ + emere ‘buy.’

15. September 1931. A dark and stormy night. Windy, at any rate. On the grounds of Magdalen College, Oxford, two tweed-jacketed, pipe-puffing professors go crunching down the gravel path known as Addison's Walk, under the deeper shadows of an ancient grove of trees -- a mysterious, murky wood where, in the blustery darkness, it's easy to imagine elves among the branches. "Look!" says one of them, a tall, long-faced fellow with the furrowed brow and twinkling eyes of a sage or wizard. He points to a large oak. "There it stands," he says, "its feet in the earth, its head among the stars. A majestic miracle of creation! And what do we call it? A tree." He laughs. "The word falls absurdly short of expressing the thing itself." "Of course it does," responds the other, a round-faced, slightly balding, bespectacled man in his mid-thirties. "Like any word, it's just a verbal invention -- a symbol of our own poor devising." "Exactly," says the first man. "And here's my point: just as a word is an invention about an object or an idea, so a story can be an invention about Truth."

16. The other rubs his chin. "I've loved stories since I was a boy," he muses. "You know that, Tollers! Especially stories about heroism and sacrifice, death and resurrection -- like the Norse myth of Balder. But when it comes to Christianity well, that's another matter. I simply don't understand how the life and death of Someone Else (whoever he was) two thousand years ago can help me here and now." "But don't you see, Jack?" persists his friend. "The Christian story is the greatest story of them all. Because it's the Real Story. The historical event that fulfills the tales and shows us what they mean. The tree itself -- not just a verbal invention" Jack stops and turns. "Are you trying to tell me that in the story of Christ all the other stories have somehow come true?"

17. A week and a half later, Jack -- better known to most of us as C. S. Lewis, teacher, author, defender of the Christian faith, and creator of the beloved Chronicles of Narnia -- writes to his friend Arthur Greeves: "I have just passed on from believing in God to definitely believing in Christ -- in Christianity. My long night talk with Tolkien had a great deal to do with it."1 1 Carpenter, Humphrey, Tolkien: A Biography, Ballantine Books, New York, 1977; pp. 163-165 Are we not surrounded by those whose attitude is summarized as Lewis said: “I simply don't understand how the life and death of Someone Else (whoever he was) two thousand years ago can help me here and now.” As believers in Christ – do we fall into that same trap? Do we know what He has done for us? Do we believe what God has said about what Jesus Christ did – for us, on our behalf? Do we know what Christ did on our behalf?

18. The rich theme of redemption – the subject of classics: Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoyevsky — published 1866

19. Even our children’s stories…

20. Why are stories of redemption so popular? The world is broken …. and we all know it.

21. We see the atrocities committed by monsters and we know that sin is real …. What about ourselves? Are we any better? Robert Murray McCheyne, the nineteenth-century Scottish Presbyterian minister whose life was extinguished before he reached thirty, wrote in his posthumously published Diary: "I have begun to realize that the seeds of every known sin still linger in my heart."

22. What about the Old Testament history? And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

23. What did Christ’s work accomplish? Heb 9:11-12 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”