KINGDOM AS AN INHERITANCE - THE PERSPECTIVES | Rev. Ampong | SUNDAY SERVICE | ICGC CHICAGO

God gives Israel the land before they enter it, and God gives instructions before the people arrive there because human beings can fight when instruction comes too late. The casting of lots looks random, but the lots sit under the control of God, so the bigger tribe receives the bigger portion and the smaller tribe receives the smaller portion. The inheritance comes with direction, and the direction protects the people from dispute.

Israel receives a kind of inheritance that requires fighting. The Hebrew idea of *Yarash* means to dispossess in order to possess, so Israel must drive out the people in the land and take what God has given. The child of God receives a better kind, a *Yerusha* inheritance, because the kingdom is handed over freely by grace through Christ. The kingdom is not fought for with hands. The kingdom is received by accepting Christ, living for Jesus Christ, and being led by the Spirit of God.

The kingdom also comes with instructions, and those instructions are the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The inheritance is big, eternal, and spiritual, so flesh and personal ability cannot handle it. The Spirit and the Word must direct the one who has received it.

The kingdom distributes spiritual gifts, and those gifts do not depend on performance, achievements, spiritual maturity, or how powerful a person looks. The gifts are not awards and not rewards. The gifts are not spiritual badges to draw attention to the person carrying them. The gifts come by grace, through the Holy Spirit, and every gain from them must go back to the kingdom.

The kingdom as an inheritance is good, imperishable, and eternal. Psalm 16 says the Lord is the portion of the inheritance and the lines fall in pleasant places, so the child of God has a good inheritance. Righteousness, peace, joy, eternal life, and the Spirit’s guarantee do not perish. Earthly inheritance has time limitation, but this spiritual heritage goes all the way to eternity.

Faith receives the kingdom, but faith backed by works possesses it. Abraham obeyed when he did not know where he was going, and that kind of obedience shows faith with works. Favor gives the inheritance by unmerited grace, and the family of God makes the inheritance legal. The relationship inheritance model replaces the old ritual inheritance model, because grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The family of God carries heavenly citizenship, adoption, and a faultless covenant. Heavenly citizenship is better than any country’s citizenship because Christ paid it all. Adoption gives identity, destiny, and security. The covenant remains precious, perpetual, and powerful because it rests on what God can do, not what human beings can do.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Grace gives, faith possesses [29:43] The kingdom can be received by faith, but possession requires faith that moves with obedience. Talk alone does not enjoy the treasures of the inheritance. Abraham’s faith became visible when obedience carried him where explanation had not yet arrived. [29:43]
• 2. Gifts are not spiritual badges [16:50] Spiritual gifts are not given to make a person look important. A badge draws attention, but kingdom gifts must draw attention to God. The gift came from the kingdom, so the gain must return to the kingdom. [16:50]
• 3. Heavenly citizenship must be cherished [46:03] Earthly citizenship lasts only as long as the country and the life attached to it. Heavenly citizenship is eternal because Christ paid for it fully. The child of God must hold that citizenship tight, because it carries a future no earthly nation can guarantee. [46:03]
• 4. Adoption settles spiritual identity [53:56] Adoption gives the child of God a name, a destiny, and a place of safety. Identity crisis begins when a believer knows the words “child of God” but does not know what that means or what has been given. The kingdom inside the believer must be recognized, possessed, and used. [53:56]
• 5. The covenant remains faultless [58:03] Human unfaithfulness does not make God’s covenant faulty. The covenant stands because it rests on Christ’s finished work, not on human performance. Its promises are precious, perpetual, and powerful because God himself holds them together.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:52] - Kingdom as Inheritance and Treasure
• [06:03] - Instructions Before the Inheritance
• [08:44] - Israel Fights, Believers Receive Freely
• [10:05] - Yerusha and Yarash Inheritance
• [13:26] - The Word and Spirit Give Direction
• [14:17] - Kingdom Gifts Are Not Awards
• [20:14] - The Father’s Good Pleasure
• [21:35] - Good, Imperishable, Eternal Inheritance
• [28:36] - Receiving and Possessing the Kingdom
• [34:28] - Favor and Relationship Inheritance
• [41:29] - The Family of God
• [44:43] - Heavenly Citizenship and Its Benefits
• [53:56] - Adoption, Identity, and Security
• [57:49] - Faultless Covenant and Better Promises
• [59:25] - Prayer to Possess the Kingdom

Bible Reading

Luke 12:32
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” [20:14]

Psalm 16:5-6
“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” [24:15]

Hebrews 11:8
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” [31:43]

John 1:17
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” [37:30]

John 18:36
“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.’” [43:09]

Philippians 3:20
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” [50:16]

Observation questions

1. In Luke 12:32, what reason is given for why believers should not fear, and what exactly is the Father pleased to give? [20:14]
2. In Psalm 16:5-6, what words are used to describe the inheritance, and what do the phrases about “lot” and “lines” show about God’s care in giving it? [24:15]
3. What practical difference was drawn between Israel’s inheritance and the believer’s inheritance, especially around fighting, receiving, and possessing? [10:18]
4. What were the two main instructions named for handling the kingdom as an inheritance today? [13:26]

Interpretation questions

1. If it is the Father’s good pleasure to give the kingdom, what does that reveal about God’s heart toward his children, and why do many believers still live as though they have received very little? [20:14]
2. Hebrews 11:8 says Abraham obeyed before he knew where he was going. What does that show about the relationship between faith and obedience when it comes to possessing what God has given? [31:43]
3. Jesus says his kingdom is not of this world. How does that help explain why the kingdom is not advanced by human fighting, pressure, or fleshly strength? [43:09]
4. John 1:17 contrasts the law through Moses with grace and truth through Jesus Christ. How does that help explain the shift from a ritual model to a relationship model of inheritance? [37:30]

Application questions

1. Grace gives the inheritance, but faith backed by works possesses it. Where in life is there a clear sense of what God has given, but hesitation remains in actually walking in it through obedience? [29:43]
2. The kingdom comes with direction through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Which one is being neglected more right now—steady attention to the Word or daily dependence on the Spirit—and what effect is that having? [13:26]
3. Spiritual gifts are not badges to draw attention to self. Has there been any temptation to use a gift, role, or area of strength to be noticed, praised, or validated? What would it look like to return the gain back to the kingdom? [16:50]
4. Heavenly citizenship is better than earthly citizenship and must be cherished. What tends to capture more emotional weight in daily life—earthly security or heavenly belonging—and how does that show up in priorities, fears, or decisions? [46:03]
5. Adoption settles identity, destiny, and security. In what area does identity confusion still show up most—worth, calling, belonging, or spiritual authority—and what would change if “child of God” was truly believed there? [53:56]
6. The covenant is faultless because it rests on what God can do, not what human beings can do. When failure, sin, or weakness shows up, is there a tendency to pull away from God as if the covenant has become shaky? What would it look like to return with confidence instead? [58:03]
7. The kingdom has already been given, but many do not fully possess its benefits. What is one area where there is a need to stop merely admiring what belongs in Christ and begin laying hold of it by faith—peace, joy, holiness, prayer, service, healing, or boldness? [01:06:29]