“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18 NKJV).
The pre-eminence of Christ qualifies Him for a glorious inheritance. We often talk about our inheritance in Christ but usually do not give similar attention to the inheritance Christ has in us. The name of Jesus is His primary inheritance. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 NKJV). The supremacy of the name of Jesus over all the other names whether they are of human beings or angels is grounded on the solid truth that He obtained that name by inheritance from the Father. The Bible therefore testifies that He is pre-eminent over the angels “as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (Hebrews 1:4 NKJV). He is qualified for such an ultimate inheritance because of the supreme sacrifice He made by dying on the Cross for our salvation in obedience to the Father. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV). God’s exaltation of Jesus by giving Him a name that is above all others affirms His pre-eminence over all. Besides inheriting a most powerful name ever, Jesus will also inherit a glorious Bride –“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11 KJV). When our Lord inherits the Bride the Father is preparing for Him, which is the travail of His soul, He will be satisfied.
Jesus inherits a glorious Bride – the church. Be ready, produce ‘sweet grapes’, be a value add in God’s kingdom.
An essential part of the crowning events of the end time will be the marriage supper of the Lamb. This is the time in the near future when the Father will present the glorious church as a Bride to Christ. The Book of Revelations predicted this momentous event. “I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:6-8 NKJV). The grandiose nature of that sure and certain event in the near future cannot be imagined by any mortal. It is an event that would afford the Father the necessary opportunity to appreciate His Son for His obedience to die on the Cross for us all. Paul paints a very beautiful picture of the painstaking effort of preparing the Bride of Jesus. The Bible testifies that Christ gave His life for the church, “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5: 26-27 NKJV). Our Lord, the eternal Bridegroom (John 3:29) is coming to inherit a Bride that is without spot or wrinkle. This Bride will be a melting pot of beauty and purity. Paul described her as a “chaste virgin” saying, “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2 NKJV).
Paul prayed that God will show us “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints?” A major part of what He is going to show us is that Jesus has inheritance in the saints. God’s inheritance is people and not houses and riches. If you, as a person, is God’s inheritance, of what use are you to Him? What is it about you that our Lord would hold very dear to His heart and would never want to part with? Isaiah shared this parable: “…My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?” (Isaiah 5:1-2, 4 NLT). What fruits have you been producing for the Master, good grapes or wild grapes? Here is how the Lord describes His Bride, “You are all fair, My love, and there is no spot in you” (Songs of Solomon 4:7 NKJV). Does this description fit you? “His wife has made herself ready.” How ready are you for the royal wedding? May you take advantage of God’s grace available to you to effectively occupy your niche and become a value add in His unfolding kingdom in Jesus name.
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