Servias Ministries Blog

The second type of inheritance—inheritance from God—is a very precious commodity because Scripture tells us it can be lost.

Jesus spoke in Revelation chapter 3:

10  Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the Name of My God and the Name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My New Name.

You can obtain a crown and then later have it taken away while on earth.  Jesus warns us to understand this situation.  He is speaking to overcomers who will be known in Heaven as such.  We must finish the work given to us just as Joshua and Caleb persevered 40 years to enter into The Promised Land.  Reuben in 1 Chronicles 5:1 who defiled his father’s bed, and thus his birthright was taken away from him and given to the sons of Joseph. Nevertheless, again, he still retained his sonship.  These are types and shadows of the levels of inheritance.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st Corinthians chapter 3:

10  God has given me unique gifts as a skilled master builder who lays a good foundation. Afterward another craftsman comes and builds on it. So builders beware! Let every builder do his work carefully, according to God’s standards.

11 For no one is empowered to lay an alternative foundation other than the good foundation that exists, which is Jesus Christ!

12-13 The quality of materials used by anyone building on this foundation will soon be made apparent, whether it has been built with gold, silver, and costly stones, or wood, hay, and straw. Their work will soon become evident, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by blazing fire! And the fire will test and prove the workmanship of each builder.

14 If his work stands the test of fire, he will be rewarded.

15 If his work is consumed by the fire, he will suffer great loss. Yet he himself will barely escape destruction, like one being rescued out of a burning house.

This passage refers to believers who made it to Heaven—they had eternal security—but they lost their reward of inheritance. Where and what you invest your time and resources in will determine what survives the test of fire.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Hebrews chapter 3:

12  So search your hearts every day, my brothers and sisters, and make sure that none of you has evil or unbelief hiding within you. For it will lead you astray, and make you unresponsive to the living God.

13 This is the time to encourage each other to never be stubborn or hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

14  For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,

All Christians are called to be overcomers, but not all Christians choose to be.

The word overcome (Strong’s # 3528, nikao) means “to conquer or to gain victory over something.” The inherent thought in the word overcome, is to be a conqueror or victorious in a contest or conflict. Overcomers are those conquerors and those winners who have successfully run the race of faith and conquered the numerous obstacles encountered along the way. They are those fruitful believers for whom special rewards are offered.  They are not perfect, religious, or good; they are just ordinary believers who have made continuing choices to follow Christ, regardless of how they feel.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Romans chapter 8:

37   Yet even in the midst of all these things (tribulations, distress, persecution, famine, peril, etc), we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and His demonstrated Love is our glorious victory over everything!

38 So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s Love. I’m convinced that His Love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken His Love.

Don’t let this second type of inheritance be lost but rather persevere!

An overcomer is not perfect! He is simply one who recognizes his choices, recognizes when he blows it, and chooses to turn around and follow Christ. He is not perfect, good, or religious.  However, he is willing and trainable. 

In an example in the Old Testament, Joseph, who had a God-given inheritance, did not pass straight from the slave market right into the royal palace and the throne, so a one-time pardon of a sinner doesn’t entitle him to become a king or a sovereign. Much is required to prepare and fit such a person for that blessing and that total change of life.  Joseph typifies the second type of inheritance given to those who overcome!

All Christians are Sons of God and therefore possess the free gift of an inheritance by birth that they can never lose. But not all Christians will receive an inheritance from the Lord because the “Inheritance from the Lord” is earned by faithfulness, obedience, and perseverance.  Consider the “if’s” in the Scripture.

Inheriting the land in the Old Testament is conditional and symbolic of inheriting the Kingdom in the New Testament:

Deuteronomy 6:18 “If they [the Israelites] do what is good and right,” then they will not only go into the land, but also possess it.

Deuteronomy 19:9–10 confirms: “If they shall keep the commandment, then they will inherit the cities and the land.”

Deuteronomy 11:22–23, “If ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to Love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him, then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.”

Matthew 24:43 and 47 say, “If we are faithful, [then] He will make us ruler over all his goods”

2^nd Timothy 2:12 says, “If we suffer, [then] we shall reign with Him”

James 2:5 says, “If we Love Him, we will be heirs of His kingdom.”

Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise

Inheritance from the Lord (co-reigning with Him) is earned, whereas, sonship is not.

An overcomer chooses to live Christ’s Life.  We won’t do it perfectly, but at least we will recognize our choices and continue to choose to follow Christ as best we can.

He who receives God’s Spirit (through Jesus Christ) enters the Kingdom; but he who partakes of Christ’s Life and overcomes the world, the flesh, and the devil will inherit the Kingdom.  Thus, the Millennial Kingdom will be inhabited by born-again Christians, but positions of honor will be held by faithful and obedient overcoming Christians (aka Overcomers).

Jesus spoke in Mark 9:

41  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My Name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

Your actions can cause you to lose a reward… think about it.

The Beloved Disciple wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2^nd John :

8 Look to yourselves, that you do not lose those things we worked for, but that you may receive a full reward.

James wrote by The Holy Spirit in his Epistle, chapter 1:

23  If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning.

24 You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin.

25 But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the Truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessing in all that they do!

Jesus Himself speaks about our works in Luke chapter 6:

46  “What good does it do for you to say I am your Lord and Master if you don’t put into practice what I teach you?

47 Let Me describe the one who truly follows Me and does what I say:

48 He is like a man who chooses the right place to build a house and then lays a deep and secure foundation. When the storms and floods rage against that house, it continues to stand strong and unshaken through the tempest, for he built it wisely on the right foundation.

49 But the one who has heard My teaching and does not obey it is like a man who builds a house without laying any foundation at all. When the storms and floods rage against that house, it will immediately collapse and become a total loss. Which of these two builders will you be?”

The role of the Holy Spirit is to help believers reach the goal of inheriting the Kingdom. God also looks at our faithfulness, our obedience, and our perseverance.

We need to develop a Kingdom perspective rather than an earthly view.  Let us stop before we react, think before we respond, and pray before we move.

Wisdom recorded in Proverbs chapter 13:

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

The “hope of our salvation” is our inheritance in Christ, and that includes positions of authority in the coming Millennial Kingdom. When that hope is embraced, apprehended, and made real in our lives, it will become a tree of Life!  Hope is our positive imagination, and we should see what FATHER has for us and come to expect it in our lives.

All believers will be with Christ in the coming Millennium, but only the overcomers—the ones who constantly recognize their choices and choose to turn around and follow Christ—will inherit levels of responsibility in that Kingdom. So not only our rewards, but also our places of responsibility in the future Kingdom will be won or lost according to our faithfulness, perseverance, and obedience in this life. Our life here is simply the training ground for the next life there.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Philippians chapter 3:

12  I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me to make me His own.

13 I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.

14 I run straight for the Divine invitation of reaching the Heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.

15 So let all who are fully mature have this same passion, and if anyone is not yet gripped by these desires, God will reveal it to them.

16 And let us all advance together to reach this victory-prize, following one path with one passion.

What is the point of a Heavenly victory without a prize?  Notice that Paul, who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament admitted that he had yet to acquire the fullness of what was revealed to him. 

Do not worry about your past or your insufficiency of attaining the goal.  Focus on the present and future!  It is not how you start the race, it is how you end.

The Millennial Kingdom is one of the major themes of the Bible. There are 1,518 identified verses in the Old Testament and hundreds in the New Testament that speak about this coming Kingdom and the importance of our being able to inherit it.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 4:

6  And so that we would know that we are His true children, God released the Spirit of Sonship into our hearts—moving us to cry out intimately, “My Father! My true Father!”

7 Now we’re no longer living like slaves under the law, but we enjoy being God’s very own Sons and Daughters! And because we’re his, we can access everything our Father has—for we are heirs because of what God has done!

An heir has an inheritance and as Sons and Daughters, we have been given an inheritance as co-heirs with Jesus Christ!  This sonship inheritance is unconditional and automatic.

There is a second type of inheritance called an inheritance from the Lord (Strong’s #2817, kleronomia). This is an inheritance given by the Lord because of faithfulness, obedience, and perseverance.  It’s an earned inheritance and it entitles one to positions, rewards, authority, and blessings in the Millennial Kingdom. Colossians 3:24 calls this “a reward of inheritance.” So this type of inheritance is conditional.

Paul reveals this second type of inheritance when he recorded by The Holy Spirit in Colossians 3:

22  Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

There are two levels of inheritance:  who you are and what you are doing.

What is the goal of The Holy Spirit in us?

The role of the Holy Spirit is to help believers reach the goal of inheriting the Kingdom.

First of all, the Holy Spirit is sent to seal us, then to sanctify us, and finally, to transform us into Christ’s image for our future inheritance. The Holy Spirit will provide the power that will enable us to become partakers, overcomers, and inheritors. He is the Source of it all.

Christ’s ministry, as our High Priest and Advocate, is to not lose anyone that the Father has given Him.

Jesus spoke in John chapter 10:

25  Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s Name, they bear witness of Me.

26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

28 And I give them Eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My Hand.

29 My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s Hand.

30 I and My Father are one.”

Every circumstance in our lives is designed to make us more like Him, so we can learn to be partakers of His Life; overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil; bear “fruit”; and inherit His Kingdom.

The Holy Spirit is the Power Source that will enable us to produce this kind of fruit. In the Bible “fruit” is spoken of as actions, deeds, or “good works” that are accomplished by the Holy Spirit through us.

If we don’t learn sanctification here on earth, we will run the risk of jeopardizing our place and our position in the coming Kingdom. We will still be a part of the Rapture; we will still be a part of the Millennium; and we will still go to Heaven. But, if we don’t learn Holiness here, we will forfeit the possibility of future positions of honor of ruling and reigning with Jesus Christ! 

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2^nd Timothy chapter 2:

20   But in a Great House there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.

2] Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

Let us choose to be useful to Our Master!

It is written by THE SPIRIT in Malachi chapter 3:

16  Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His Name.

17 “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.” 18 Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.

FATHER operates in both Love and justice.  HIS Wisdom is able to apply both appropriately and HE has provided us the basis of those two primary attributes in HIS Word.  There is no doubt that HE keeps a record of our fruitfulness.  Why?

There are benefits to being fruitful else there would be no recognition of it in The Word.  Do you want to rule and reign as a servant king with Jesus in the millennium?  He is the King of kings but will assign some to reign with Him.  Incorporated in FATHER’S Love is justice.  In Revelation 3:19 Jesus declared:  “As many as I Love, I rebuke and chasten.”  “To punish” means “to inflict harm”; whereas “to chasten” means “something that is done for our profit and for our benefit.”

The Beloved Disciple recorded by The Holy Spirit in Revelation chapter 20:

6   Wonderfully blessed and Holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death holds no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ. And they will reign as kings with Him a thousand years!

The goal of sanctification is to make us more like Christ.

Peter wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st Peter chapter 1:

8  You Love Him passionately although you have not seen Him, but through believing in Him you are saturated with an ecstatic joy, indescribably sublime and immersed in glory.

9 For you are reaping the harvest of your faith—the full salvation promised you—your souls’ victory!

Experiential sanctification (being open and cleansed) leads to partaking of Christ’s Life (actually living His Life—that beam of light); partaking of Christ’s Life leads to overcoming; and, overcoming leads to inheriting and co-reigning with Christ.

Paul expressed this Truth by The Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5:

25  And to the husbands, you are to demonstrate Love for your wives with the same tender devotion that Christ demonstrated to us, His bride. For He died for us, sacrificing Himself

26   to make us Holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God.

27 All that he does in us is designed to make us a mature church for His pleasure, until we become a source of praise to Him—glorious and radiant, beautiful and Holy, without fault or flaw.

The relationship between Christ and us is intended to make us Holy, blameless, and glorious.  It is up to each of us to agree to such a relationship.

FATHER’S whole purpose in saving us (and the reason He has called us) is to place us back in the position for which we were originally created––to be “joint-heirs” with Christ ruling and reigning with Him over the earth. Since this was not fulfilled at the beginning of time because of Adam and Eve’s sin, God has determined to accomplish this purpose in the Millennium where man will finally occupy a regal position over a restored earth.

Luke recorded by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 3:

20 And He will send you Jesus, the Messiah, the Appointed One.

21 For He must remain in Heaven until the restoration of all things has taken place, fulfilling everything that God said long ago through His Holy prophets.

22 For has not Moses told us: ‘The Lord your God will raise up a prophet from among you Who is like Me. Listen to Him and follow everything He tells you. 23 Every person who disobeys that prophet will be cut off and completely destroyed.’

24 “In fact, every prophet from the time of Samuel onward has prophesied of these very days!

25 And you are heirs of their prophecies and of the covenants God made with your fathers when he promised Abraham, ‘Your Descendant will bring blessing to all the people on the earth.’

God seeks our fellowship, our communion, and our Love. He actually wants to dwell among us. We were created for His pleasure.

The Beloved Disciple recorded in the Book of Revelation what was spoken in the Throne Room, chapter 4:

10   the twenty-four elders (representing the true church) fell facedown before the one seated on the throne and they worshiped the One who lives forever and ever. And they surrendered their crowns before the throne, singing:

11  “You are worthy, Our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor, and power, for You created all things, and for Your pleasure they were created and exist.”

The purpose of our salvation, therefore, is not only an earthly mission (to be conformed into the “image of Christ” for a witness to others), but also to regain the blessings of a future glorious Kingdom. Now is just the testing ground!

Faithful, obedient, and sanctified believers (the overcomers) who depend upon the Holy Spirit for everything will be qualified to inherit that Kingdom as Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Hebrews chapter 10:

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Unfaithful, disobedient, and carnal believers (the overtaken) will enter that Kingdom, but forfeit the privilege of having levels of responsibility there.

Each of us must decide whether to be an overcomer or the overtaken!

What is God’s purpose in calling us?

It is written by THE SPIRIT in Psalm 8:

5  Yet what honor you have given to men, created only a little lower than Elohim, crowned with glory and magnificence.

6 You have delegated to them rulership over all you have made, with everything under their authority, placing earth itself under the feet of Your image-bearers.  TPT

OUR SPIRIT (which is the energy source or power source of our lives) is saved at our new birth (Ephesians 2:8–9). This is called “justification.” This means freedom from the penalty of sin. (Past)

OUR SOUL (which is made up of our own natural thoughts, emotions, and desires) is in the process of being saved through the “sanctification process” that we are all in now (James 1:21; 1 Peter 1:8–9). This means freedom from the power of sin. (Present)

OUR BODIES will be saved in the future at the resurrection, which is called “glorification.” This means freedom from the presence of sin. (Future)

In other words, “salvation” in the broad sense—spirit, soul and body—is a lifelong process.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st Thessalonians chapter 5:

16  Let joy be your continual feast.

17 Make your life a prayer.

18 And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.

20 And don’t be one who scorns (despise) prophecies,

21 but be faithful to examine them by putting them to the test, and afterward hold tightly to what has proven to be right.

22 Avoid every appearance of evil.

23 Now, may the God of peace and harmony set you apart, making you completely Holy. And may your entire being—spirit, soul, and body—be kept completely flawless in the appearing of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.

24 The One who calls you by name is trustworthy and will thoroughly complete His work in you.

The actual saving of our soul is dependent upon our constant choice to “put off” our sin and self and “put on” Christ.

Also, Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Philippians chapter 2:

12  My Beloved ones, just like you’ve always listened to everything I’ve taught you in the past, I’m asking you now to keep following my instructions as though I were right there with you. Now you must continue to make this new life fully manifested as you live in the Holy Awe of God—which brings you trembling into His Presence.

13 God will continually revitalize you, implanting within you the passion to do what pleases Him.

Our soulish man represents our own natural thoughts, emotions, and desires that are usually opposite to God’s will. Transforming these to Godly thoughts, emotions, and desires is what the sanctification process is all about.

Our body, which will be redeemed at the Rapture. This is called “glorification.”

Justification means a new spirit; sanctification means a transformed soul; and, glorification means a new body.

Sanctification (learning to actually live and partake of Christ’s Life) is what will make us those faithful and obedient overcomers who will rule and reign there with Christ.  Christ is the One who will accomplish this transformation in our lives by the power of His Holy Spirit. But we are the ones who must choose to let Him do so moment-by-moment.

The word sanctification simply means “separated unto God.” It means to become clean, Holy, and righteous in all we think, say, and do.

“Positional” sanctification happens when we first accept Christ (Hebrews 10:10); whereas “experiential” sanctification happens when we choose, moment by moment, to be cleansed by the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is simply the process by which God conforms us back into His image, which was lost when Adam and Eve sinned. It’s the means God uses to make us partakers of His Life so that we can become those overcomers who inherit the Millennial Kingdom. This will depend upon the willingness of the believer to die to self and to be alive unto God.  Our writings focus on this aspect of the process!