The
Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
The
Collect.
|
L
|
ORD we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in
continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all
adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of
thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
1.God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets, 2.Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3.Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,
and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb
1:1-3)
In worldly tradition, the first-born son is normally considered the heir of all
the father has. But in the economy of heaven, it has almost always been the
second born who is heir of the promises of God (see Abel/Seth, Ishmael/Isaac,
Esau/Jacob). Why is this so? It is because of our first man, being immersed in
sins and transgressions, always fails of the standard in God. Our second man,
born again as a new creation in Christ, does, through the merits of our Lord
Jesus Christ, meet the standard of righteousness imputed to us by our Lord and Savior.
The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a
quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but
that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first
man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. (1
Cor 15:45-47) Do we believe Adam was a son of God? We must believe it if we
believe the Scriptures (Luke 3:38). Though a created being and not born of
woman, Adam was considered a son of God. So are all who are born of the Spirit
adopted as sons and daughters of God. Therefore the deceptions of the NIV and
other modern versions are to be avoided. (ex: John 3:16)
Christ is peculiarly the First Begotten Son, and the second man. He is the only
Begotten Son of God because He alone, among all men, is of the same substance
with the Father. We, if we are sons and daughters of God, are considered so by
the adoption. We begin our lives as mortal sinners but, as adopted into the
Kingdom of God, become new creatures in Christ. We have our second birth in
Christ. We have our righteousness in Christ. We have our resurrection in
Christ. So Christ is not only the First Begotten of God, but also the only
Begotten Son of the Father. How the revisers of modern bibles would love to
dispense with this peculiar relationship of Christ to the Father. How can they
usurp the place of Christ if He remains the ONLY Begotten Son of
God? This distinction is jealousy protected in the KJV and other Received Text
Bibles.
The Psalmist makes sound reference to Christ as Heir: He shall cry unto
me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Also
I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. My
mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with
him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the
days of heaven. (Psalms 89:26-29) The covenant of God to Israel (both
old and new) stands firm in Christ; however, the next verses should give cause
for sober reflection to modern-day America: If his children forsake
my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep
not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod,
and their iniquity with stripes. (Psalms 89:30-32)
Just as we have our natural inheritance of worldly things in Adam, we have our
heritage in things divine from Christ. Adam was our head in times past but,
once we have claimed our stake in Christ, He becomes our Federal Head. He is the
Chief Heir of all things and, in Him, so are we made heirs of the Kingdom.
Coming to Christ, we are no longer children of Adam, but of God.
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
(Romans 8:17) and Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in
faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
(James 2:5) Christ, as Heir of all things, is become the Head of the Family and
all things belong to Him and His rule.
In the affairs of the world, the heir does not come into the possession of his
father's estate until the father dies. But the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
is not subject to death, so why the term Heir? It is because the Father, in His
abundant mercy, of necessity had to send His Son to remit our sins. It was,
therefore the Heir who died, and rose again, in order to open the floodgates of
mercy to those of us who claim His Redemption and Lordship.
Christ, as Heir, is Cup-Bearer for the Father. He bore the Cup of suffering,
malice, and humiliation for us that we might come into those everlasting
possessions that He enjoys with the Father. We, too, must be cup-bearers for
our fellow man. We must face ridicule, suffering, and malice daily if we take
up our cross daily and follow Him. When we have realized the solitary
significance of that Cup of Christ, how much more stark does the reality of
Holy Communion grow in our hearts as we partake of the symbolic Cup of Christ!
Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye
ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized
with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are
able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink
indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with (Matt 20:22-23) Even our baptism takes on a
deeper meaning in view of these last verses - the two Sacraments well
summarized in them.
The Heir assumes all of the powers and authority of His Father. All of the
estate of Heaven is subject to Him, depend upon Him, and find their security in
Him. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matt 28:18) and For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he
saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which
did put all things under him. (1 Cor 15:27) If you will enjoy
the privileges of admittance into the Kingdom, you must accept the Heir as
Sovereign in all things.
It is a glorious realization to know that we are not mere vassals of some
warlord, but actually brothers and sisters of the Heir! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in
heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Matt
12:50) It is incumbent upon us to treat, not only our Lord and Savior with the
love and respect due our Sovereign, Lord, and elder Brother, but to hold each
other also in the bonds of love as brothers and sisters in Christ.
There is a designated time for the Heir to come into full possession of all
that is to be granted by terms of the Testament. Christ did come into full
possession of all that belongs to the Father at such a designated time – His
resurrection! By that resurrection in Christ, as our Ark of Salvation, we, too,
come into possessions of all benefits offered in the Heir. Have your procured
that benefit in Christ, dear Reader.
