Please open your Bible to the prophecy of Genesis. Genesis chapter 15 verse 1. We're going to talk about inheritance. We have arrived at Joshua 13 where the Lord commanded Joshua to divide the land by lot to the children of Israel for an inheritance. So let us begin with Abraham's inheritance. Abraham's inheritance. Please, go to Genesis chapter 15 verse 1. Genesis 15 verse 1. After these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abraham in addition, saying, Fear not, Abraham, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. What is God saying? Paraphrase God says, in this life I am your shield. I will protect you from evil men who will try to do you physical harm and from the devil and his angel who will try to do you a spiritual harm. And in the life hereafter I will be your exceeding great reward. I will give myself to you and all I have. will be yours, so that you will have the greatest reward possible. Translated into the words of the New Testament, we can restate this promise in the words of Roman chapter 8, verse 32. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, meaning all day late, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things, but in this life and in the life hereafter. What other promises did God make to Abraham? We read in Genesis 15 verse 18, In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land for the river of Egypt, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. Did God promise to Abraham all the land of Canaan? And now, if you turn to Romans chapter 4 verse 13, we can see that Abraham knew what God promised a whole lot better than many theologians do these days. For we read in Romans chapter 4 verse 13, Romans 4 verse 13, for the promise. that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed. Through the law, but through the righteousness of faith, in other words, Abraham understood that he would be heir of the world, not this same cursed world, but the new heaven and the new earth, where Abraham would meet those from all the tribes of the earth who would be blessed in him. Levi's inheritance. What was going on with Levi? Levi is a descendant from Abraham. Why has he been left out of the inheritance that God gave to the other sons of Jacob? Turn your Bible to the prophecy of Numbers, Numbers 18, verse 20. When Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, where he obtained four wives and twelve sons and one daughter, Jacob, settled in front of the city of Shechem. Then one of the princes of Shechem fornicated with Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. The result was that Simeon and Levi took their swords and murdered all the male of Shechem. Therefore God could then cut them out of the inheritance that he bestowed on the children of Jacob. Simeon's inheritance in the land of Canaan was absorbed in the inheritance of Judah, and Levi's inheritance in the land of Canaan was eliminated. We read in Numbers 18, verse 20, And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land. Neither shall thou have any part among them. I am thy part and thy inheritance. But that's not the end of this story. Please turn a few pages to your right to the prophecy of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 1. In Deuteronomy 18, God gave a little more information about the tribe of Levi. But now we're seeing the inhabitants of the tribe of Levi from a godly perspective. What is the godly perspective? It is that God may have mercy on a murderer. Do not scoff at this idea. If the murderer is one of God's elect, then God will have mercy on a murderer God promised before the foundation of the world that he will have mercy on his murderers think for example of King David who was the murderer of Uriah the Hittite but the Lord said to the prophet Nathan in 2 Samuel Chapter 12, verse 13, the Lord also has put away thy sin. Thou shall not die. Think of the rabbis who was a murderer in Luke chapter 23, verse 25, and who was set free because the Lord Jesus took his place. Think of the thief on the cross next to the Lord Jesus. He had killed people when he robbed them. But the Lord also had mercy on him, as we read in Luke 23, verse 43. Think of all of us whose sins were the cause that the Lord Jesus was crucified. We too were the murderers of Jesus. And we read in Zechariah chapter 12, verse 10. And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him. as one mourned for his own son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first son. Now let us return to Deuteronomy chapter 18 verses 1 and 2. We read, The priests, the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance. Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brothers. The Lord is neither inheriting as he hath said unto them." This is the gift of God to the Levites instead of a piece of land. Wow! Is this a better gift than the land? Did God give Levi a greater inheritance? that must in Israel, first we must ask, why is it called an inheritance? Please turn to the prophecy of Joshua, Joshua chapter 11, verse 23. Joshua and the children of Israel conquered almost all the land of Canaan. Then Joshua divided the land to give inheritance to the children of Israel. But again, we see that there was no land for the tribe of Levi. And again, we shall see that the tribe of Levi received for an inheritance the offerings of the Lord made by fire. We read in Joshua 11, verse 23, So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel, according to their division by their tribes, and the land wrested from war. Why is it called an inheritance? We read in Joshua chapter one, verse one. Now, after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, he came to pass that the Lord has taken to Joshua, the son of Tom. Moses, minister, saying, Moses, my servant, is dead. Now, therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all these people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Notice the timing of this inheritance. It was after the death of Moses. God waited. to have the children of Israel cross the Jordan until Moses was dead. Why did God wait this long? You would say that Moses was forbidden to enter the land of Canaan because he struck the rock instead of speaking to the rock as God has commanded in Numbers 20 verse 8. But let us think about this. Are the actions of God dictated by what people do? Is the God of all the universe bound and unfit by what his creatures decide to do? That is a silly view of who God really is. We read Moses was supposed to speak to the rock. So what did God have in view when he asked Moses to speak to the rock? We have the answer from the New Testament revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see, Moses represented the law of God. The line of Canaan represented the promised land. The kingdom of God that we enter in as a gift from God after the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered and died for us on the cross. The Jordan River represents death and hell that Christ, represented by the Ark of the Covenant, had to cross before we could cross over. He bore the main burden of death and hell, and we walk on dry ground. And because he died, We die with him. Roman chapter 7 verse 4. That's why Moses had to die. Because in our new regenerated life, the law had to die. God says in Galatians 3 verse 13, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. A sacrifice made by fire. Please turn to Joshua 13, verse 14. Joshua 13, 14. We read in Joshua 13, 14. Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave non-inheritance. The sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheriting, as he said unto them. The title of this sermon is not a sacrifice made by fire, but an inheritance made by fire. The title of this sermon, as you can see, we have to make our way from the sacrifice to the inheritance, and we will see what role the fire plays in all of this. First, we will observe that all the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were types and figures. of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. We read that in Hebrew chapter 10 verses 1 through 4. And thus the task of the priests was most honorable for they were pointing to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus every day. John the Baptist also had this honorable job for we read in John Chapter 1, verse 31, And I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore am I come baptizing with water. John tells us here what was his primary job. This was such an honorable job that the Lord Jesus said of John the Baptist, In Matthew chapter 11 verse 11, Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. We read in John the Baptist in Matthew chapter 3 verse 11, Matthew 3, 11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. But he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. He shall baptize you or wash you with fire. The only time the Lord Jesus has washed us was at the cross. He washed us from our sins or he atoned for our sins or he paid for our sins when he suffered on behalf of us from Thursday night in the garden of Gethsemane until Friday afternoon about three o'clock. But God said there was fire. It must mean then that the fire was only observable to the Lord Jesus in his human soul. to satisfy the righteousness of God, he had to pay the equivalent of what we will have to pay for our sins. And since we will have to pay an eternity in hell, the Lord Jesus had to pay for our sins the equivalent of an eternity in hell. He had to suffer as if he was paying for our sins in the fires of hell. Only then was the righteousness of God satisfied. Who does the Lord Jesus satisfy? He does not satisfy us. No, he must satisfy the righteousness of his Heavenly Father, or else he will not be worth anything, and he would not qualify to be a Redeemer. The doctrine that the Lord Jesus satisfies us It's a very selfish doctrine. It doesn't come from the Bible. It is a doctrine sold by Satan. We should throw it out of our memory as soon as possible. But in order to satisfy the righteousness of God, the Lord Jesus had to suffer in his human soul the equivalent of an eternity in hell. And his human nature could pay for those sins because he was the sinless son of God. And he was perfectly righteous. And he had the strength to endure the torments of hell without being consumed in the process. Any other person in this universe, including angels, would fail in the process. This is why his perfect sacrifice was a sacrifice made by fire. Please turn to Joshua 13, verse 33, Joshua chapter 13, verse 32. According to the tribe of Levi, Moses gave not an inheritance. The Lord God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them, and remember, that this verse sounds almost like the promise of God to Abraham in Genesis 15 verse 1. Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. In other words, this is a fulfillment of the promise given earlier in Joshua 13 verse 14. The sacrifices made by fire are their inheritance. Here, in Joshua 13, verse 73, we read, The Lord God of Israel was their inheritance. What do we conclude from all this? We conclude that God gave to the tribe of Levi something that looks like the Lord suffered that we have in our New Testament time. God says in Romans chapter 3 verse 11, there is none that understand it. There is none that seeks after God. When we believe that we shall inherit eternal life with Christ, we know by faith that it is a gift of God's grace that he has given us faith and understanding. And it's not a result of anything that we might have done. And it is not that we might have taken the initiative to believe, for we could not believe. This is the inheritance. Please turn your Bibles to the epistle to the Ephesians, Ephesians chapter two, verse one. Now listen carefully, for you will not hear this from any other preacher of the gospel. Let us now consider all these historical events. It was not God's intention to teach us just some historical events. It was always God's intention to bring us to the gospel. And when we consider the spiritual meaning of these historical events, we do see the gospel there. There is an amazing analogy between the historical events of our salvation and our inheritance. So we're reading Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 through 3. And you, as he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, were in time past she walked according to the curse of this world, according to the prince of the power of the earth. the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation in time past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desire of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. We were in the kingdom of Satan under his rule, and we were not able to escape. Just like the children of Israel were born as a slave of Pharaoh and were unable to escape. But then came the first Passover, the lambs were slain, which were all anticipating the Lamb of God that would be slain on the cross. God says clearly in Hebrew chapter 3 verse 19. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. The majority of the children of Israel who came out of Egypt were unbelievers. And unbelievers go to hell. Unbelievers have no inheritance in the promised land. But it was a picture of our salvation and Christ. The Lamb of God purchased us out of the house of bondage and set us free. Then he sent us into the world, but our doctrines were still in the stage of formation. We did not understand everything yet. Then followed the 40 years of wandering through the wilderness, a picture of our wanderings as safe human beings through the wilderness of this world. We need to understand what the death of Moses symbolized and what the Jordan River was a symbol. The Jordan River is a symbol of death and hell. For bodies, it means death and the grave. And for souls or spirits, it means hell. For spirits cannot be contained in a grave. In order for us to enter our promised land, Our body needs to die. And Moses had to die. Why did Moses have to die? Moses represented land. Excuse me. Moses, Moses represented the law, and in order to set us free, there had to occur a separation between the law and us. God tells us in Romans chapter 7 verse 4, Wherefore, my brother, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Why were we set free from the law when Christ died? God tells us in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 to 5 that God chose a group of people who are called the elect of God and who were placed in Christ before the foundation of the world. And we still are in Him at this present time. But when Christ was crucified, we were crucified with Him and in Him. And when Christ died, we also died with Him and in Him. So God tells us in Romans chapter 7 verse 4, that when Christ died, we also died, so that there was a separation between us and the Lord. For God says in Romans 6 verse 7, for he that is dead is free from sin. That is why Moses had to die, because there had to be a separation between us and the Lord. God said in Genesis chapter 15, verse 1, Genesis 15, 1. After these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Did God really mean a reward? A reward for doing what? No. It is a reward for doing nothing. Salvation and the consequences of salvation are a complete, total gift from God. This word, reward, in Genesis 15, verse 1, really means inheritance. God Himself is our inheritance. God is our inheritance, meaning that all that he is and all that he possesses will be given to the same for our inheritance. Christ has said in Revelation 3, verse 21, that we shall sit with him in his throne, even as he also sits with his Father in his throne. And this promise will not be fulfilled collectively, as if we will have to share that lofty position with all the other 50 million saints in heaven. But this promise is to each one of the saints individually. Leave it up to God how he's going to accomplish that. Furthermore, we read in 1 Samuel 2, verse 8, He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifted up the beggars from the downhill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne, singular throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he has set the world upon them. This is such a great inheritance that we simply cannot comprehend. What great blessing God is going to bestow upon us. An inheritance made by fire. We have seen the sacrifice made by fire, which was the earthly inheriting of the tribe of Levi. But now we want to find out why this inheritance is a spiritual call. An inheritance made by fire. And this is the title of the sermon today. It is related to the righteousness of God. Do we know God? And do we know that He is infinitely righteous? What does that mean? It means that He is a righteous judge who will not pass by anything but everything. Even things as small as an idol shall have to be given account of in the day of judgment. What is the payment for one sin? God says in Romans chapter 6 verse 23, For the wages of sin is death, and the death that God has in view is the second death, which is spending an eternity in the lake of fire. But since the penalty is infinitely great, and the reward of eternal life is also infinitely great, It is not up to man to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to go and spend for him the equivalent of an eternity in hell, in order that his sins might be atoned for. Besides, since there is none that seeketh after God, and we read that in Romans 3, we should not expect that God's salvation plan would begin with man taking the initiative. Therefore, God had to arrange a different route to salvation, since man is not able to pay even a very small fraction of the penalty for sin. God gives this payment to us for free. This is truly salvation by grace. For grace means the unmerited favor of God. But now, God had to make the decision who to give this gift of salvation. But what does it cost God to save us? And what does it cost God to give away all these gifts? God is a righteous judge who will not give away anything to those who are unrighteous and whom he hates. God says in sound, 5 verse 5. Psalm 5 verse 5. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. And God says in Psalm chapter 7 verse 11. God judges the righteous and God is angry with the wicked every day. And God says in Psalm 11 verses 5 through 6. The Lord tries the righteous. But the wicked and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall reigns ne'er, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest. This shall be the fortune of their cup, and reigns ne'er. And so the only ones who will be saved, and who will receive this great inheritance, are those for whom the Lord Jesus Christ hath atoned for their sins. But in order to atone for their sins successfully, the Lord Jesus had to satisfy the righteousness of God for those sins. And this meant that he had to suffer the equivalent of an eternity in hell on behalf of everyone whom the Father had chosen. This is why it is an inheritance made by Christ going through the fire. We can see this for we read the word agorasu. This is the same word agorasu that we find in Matthew 13 verse 44. It's a whole different purchase that Christ made in Galatians 3 verse 13 where we read Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. or in Galatians 4.5 where we read to redeem them that were under the Lord that we might receive the adoption of sons both in Galatians 3.13 and Galatians 4.5 the great word is exogoras and so how can we become redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ yes the answer is you must be born as a heir of the covenant of God and being Christ from before the foundation of the world. How can we know if we were born as a child of the covenant of God? If we know that we have been born again and have been delivered from our former sins and that God has given us the love of God for him and for the brother and the faith to believe and to love the entire Bible, including all the passages, even those that we don't like, then we can be sure that we have been born as a child of the covenant of God, and we can rejoice in this very day. Remember, it is not trust and obey, for there is no other way to be saved. This is the old covenant. For this is the law of sin and death. This is the bondage of the Judaizers. But rather, we should say, trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus. This is the new covenant, for this is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This is the liberty that we have in Christ. It is a blessed life, full of joy and confidence. Amen. Let us turn to the Lord in praise. Our merciful God and Heavenly Father, we thank you, Father, for giving us this, your church, where we can come and exult and praise your name. We pray that you will let this church be a strong voice crying in the wilderness of this world. We pray that you will help us to reach many in this world through the city ministry and also through the internet. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let us sing hymn 338. 338. And we'll sing hymn, we'll sing 1 and 3. One, two. The angel of the Lord came down, and glory shone around, and glory shone around. Who in David's town is dead, who is born of David's wine? The Savior who is alive.