Joshua chapter 1 and verse 1 says, Now after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses, my servant, is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, and to the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon That have I given unto you, as I have said unto Moses." 1 Peter 1, starting with verse 3, says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fate is not a weight reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith and the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, Though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you loved, in whom though now you see him not, yet believing you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. And I guess I'll stop there. I'm going to be very brief this morning. A lot of what's on my heart's already happened, but just in case that there may be somebody else, I got to thinking this week and You bear with me just a moment. I don't like talking about me up here because it should be all about Jesus Christ, but there's a reason that I want to talk about me for just a moment. As Paul said once, if you'd bear with me a little bit in my folly, I got to thinking about this week just inheritance and what that means. And we inherit different things from our family and some inherit good things and lots of things and sometimes our inheritance is different. Sometimes we inherit things we really don't want. Sometimes we inherit male pattern baldness or sometimes we inherit difficulties and things of that nature. Now, I got to thinking about that this week and I was really down on my back and went and got a steroid shot and it messed my heart rate up, took a beta blocker and it got down in the 40s. I mean, it went totally the other way. And I got us thinking about a lot of these inherited issues that we have health-wise that we really didn't want, but nevertheless that is part of the inheritance. I got us thinking about, I realized today that my parents are not vastly wealthy. I realized that they're not They're not just laying up treasures that I'll inherit one day. But I realize today I have an inheritance. And if you're here today, you have an inheritance. I thought about what God told Joshua. He said, Moses, my servant is now dead. He said, but I want you, Joshua. He said, I want you to go over this Jordan. and begin to inherit the things. You see, his inheritance had nothing to do with Joshua. His inheritance really had nothing to do with Moses. But there is an inheritance that God promised Abraham a long time before Joshua ever came along. It was a time when Abraham fell into a trance and saw a vision of a burning lamp and a smoking furnace. It was an inheritance that God had promised by way of faith. That's the inheritance I have today. It has nothing to do with things of this life. It has nothing to do with things that we lay up and that we store up. I have an inheritance today because in the last will and testament of our Lord and Savior, But when he died, that testament, it became a force. And in that testament, he has promised us some things. And I want you to understand that that promise, it was there. That inheritance, it was there. But there came a point in time that God had to tell Joshua, you need to cross over this Jordan right now and go and inherit that which was prepared for you. Can I tell you something today? Your inheritance does you absolutely no good until you claim that which is yours. And I'm not talking about a claim of salvation. Please don't misunderstand me there. I am talking about an inheritance. that is there, that we do not earn, that we can never buy, that we can never earn, that we can never merit. It is simply by faith in Jesus Christ who came and He died that we could be saved, who came and died that we could live, who came and died that we might inherit everything. I thought about what he said unto Joshua. If you get over in about the 13th chapter of Joshua, you know what God tells him then? He said, Joshua, a two and a half tribes have claimed their inheritance on the other side of the Jordan. But he said, Joshua, there is yet much land that has not been claimed. Now you remember what that inheritance was? He said, Joshua, everywhere that you set the sole of your foot, shall be yours. Can I be honest with you today? There are so many people who I believe have an inheritance laid up for them. They've been saved by the grace of God. They've been saved. They've been redeemed. But yet, for lack of faith, they have failed to take possession on what is rightfully given to them from God. That's right, amen, brother. You say, preacher, what do you mean by that? How did you realize how very close, how they were just a short distance? I mean, when they left, when they left Mount Horeb or Mount Sinai, whichever you want to call it, it was 11 days journey to Kadesh Barna. And they got to Kadesh Barna. They were right in the border of the glory land. You need to understand that. They were right at the border there. because they had not faith to cross over and take what God give to them. They spent 40 years. 40 years. As a matter of fact, an entire generation of mamas and daddies died in the wilderness. Their bones laid there until they bleached in the scorching sun. They would not claim that which God had given them. And it was all because they had no faith. I understand today what the destroyer's job is. I understand today that his job is to take and to steal and to kill and to destroy all hope that you have. But you must understand they were right at the border of what God had promised them. So many of you, so many people across the globe today, they are literally right, you are literally right there on the border. And for reasons of lack of faith, when those spies came back and they told Joshua in there, Joshua was one of the spies, he and Caleb, they told Moses, they said everything that God had said that land was, it is. Can I tell you today? Everything that God says, it's as good as what He promised. It's never been as good. I have an inheritance. I got a thinking as an earthly inheritance. There was a movie back in the 80s called Twins and it was Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito and Danny DeVito got all the garbage genes and sometimes I feel like in my family that's what I got and I got a thinking about that. It's easy sometimes to get a feeling Sorry for yourself. It's easy sometimes when health and strength fails. And you think, what are we doing here? But I've thought about it. There is an inheritance. What Peter said, he said it's incorruptible. Brother, it cannot be corrupted. There is nothing that this destroyer can ever do to take what God has promised me. You understand that? He said you were right there. But there's those other 10 spies. They said there are giants there. I'm gonna be honest with you today. Brothers and sisters, there are giants in this earth. The Satan comes, and his demons come, and they come in the form of giants that you can never see away. They'll never be defeated. What you must remember is, God knows the Giants are there. God intended for the Giants to be there. And you see, they were just on the other side of Jordan. Everything they hoped for, everything that God had promised them, it was right there. I mean, all they had to do was go take it. You realize that every promise that God has made in His Holy Scripture, it's all right there. But it takes faith. It takes faith. It takes faith! As the brother read this morning, a time to be born and a time to die. It takes faith, as Brother Joe was talking about, as Paul began to reason with Felix and he preached to Felix. Felix understood what Paul was saying was true. So many sinners today understand what the man of God preaches is absolutely true. There is a death and a judgment. There is a heaven and a hell. There are promises made. But just like it was for those spies, or just like it was for all of those children of Israel, everyone that came out of Egypt by the hand of Moses, because of their lack of faith, they never entered into the land of promise. I can't do what God did. I can't do what God did to Moses. I cannot take you up on top of Mount Pisgah But if I could, and if God was able, to just take you up there in your spirit and let you see the promises that he's got laid out for you. Peter said it's an inheritance. He said it's an inheritance that's indefilable, that's indestructible, that nothing will ever taint it. So what is this inheritance? I don't know about you today, but when I got saved by the grace of God, I began to live in my inheritance. From that very moment, you see, you don't have to die to get your inheritance. You have it while you're here. It's something to enjoy while you're here. It's something that you can bake on while you're here. It's something that you can absolutely feast on the living bread while you're here. If it was all what we got, there is a greater inheritance. But I'm thankful that when he saved my soul, I passed I don't have to wait. I'm not waiting for the moment when I will have eternal life. You understand what I'm saying to you? If God has saved your soul, you already have eternal life. That is an inheritance that is not corruptible. It's not able to be defiled. It will never fade away. This life that God has given, it comes down from above and it will never Fade away. But so many, so many, we asked Franklin a while ago, we want you to be sure when you present yourself as a candidate for church membership, that's one thing we will absolutely do. And we're not trying to cause you to doubt how we're saved. Are you absolutely certain you possess eternal life? Are you absolutely certain that God has saved your soul. There are so many who I believe have been redeemed and are so close, right on the border of the promised land. But by reason of lack of faith, they get to possess everything. Listen today, God wants to give you something, and there is more to this life. more to salvation than just getting saved. You can't even begin to enjoy the inheritance that God has given you until you first, by way of faith, acknowledge the fact that you are redeemed. And once you acknowledge that fact, it starts getting a little bit better. Does it not? I mean, when he saved me, I knew something happened. And that's where Satan came on the scene. That wasn't it. That wasn't it. That wasn't it. And I kept thinking to myself, well, something sure happened. When I got to the point by way of faith, when I'd asked God on my knees, And I realized it was indeed it. That was all it was. That's when I asked Franklin, what did it feel like? And he said, I asked him on the phone the other night the same question. He said, it was just peace. He said, I don't have to feel lost. I don't know about you, but that's all I got. It was just peace. But I shouldn't say it like that. It's not just peace. It is a peace that passes all understanding. It's a peace when Jesus said, my peace I give unto you. Not as the world give I unto you. He said it's my peace. That's the difference. That you can have moments of peace in this world, but it will never last. When Jesus Christ said it's my peace, That's what he meant. It passes all understanding. And for years I've lived what, read what Peter said. He talks about the hope of that calling. That's my hope. What happened to me that night, that's my hope. And that's why I'm not ashamed to give an answer to any man that asks of me what is the reason of the hope that lies within me. That's it right there. I received an inheritance. that no man can take. I received an inheritance that I'm not ashamed or afraid to go stand before the judge of all judges and say it's true. It's real. In the olden times, you know what kings would do? They would take their rings and they would dip it into hot wax. They would have a seal and they would dip that seal in hot wax and they would put their stamp on it. In other words, it was sealed by the highest authority and not one man could ever change. You know what happened to you when you got saved? The same thing that happened to me. I've been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise that God dipped his ring into that hot wax and he put his staff on it and I'm redeemed and I'm sealed. No man can break that seal. No man has that authority. Peter said it is not defiled. It fades not away. But it is laid out for me. You listen. I inherited a bunch of things I didn't really want down here. I inherited a bunch of problems. I inherited a bunch of health stuff. I inherited all of this. But I'm going to a land where death is not welcome there. You understand? I'm telling you, if the child of God today would ever realize I'm going to a land where sin will never enter. I'm going to a land where that tempter is not welcome. I'm going to a land where tears will never fade. The streets of that city. No wreath of death on our mansion door. But you know what the best part is? I can't imagine. They told me 18 years ago when I had surgery, they said, now eventually, those discs, one by one, they're going to go. One by one, they're going to go. And pain will begin to set in. And when I was 20-something years old, they said, the very best you'll ever be is about 70%. And every year that you age, you're going to start hurting more. And they weren't wrong about that. And I think about that. And I think about the pain. I think about, and I'm not wanting your sympathy. I think about this week heart rate in the 40s. I got us thinking about that. And I couldn't help but feel sorry. But then I couldn't help but rejoice, because where I'm going, that stuff is behind you. I don't know, according to the scriptures, exactly what I will be. Neither do you. It does not yet appear to us what we shall be. But I know that I shall be like Him. Whatever that entails, that's good enough for me. It's more than I ever deserved that this little speck of dirt will one day be like Him. But you know what the best part is? There was a tribe that got no inheritance in the land of promise. Do you know that? There was a tribe, the tribe of Levi. God told Moses, you're gonna divide this land and Joshua, you're gonna divide this land. But there is a people that will not have one place to call their own. In other words, while every other tribe is taking their inheritance, and they're building their families, and they're building their land, there is a people that will have none of that. You say, preacher, that ain't kind. He said, for those people, I am their inheritance. I don't know about you, but the Scripture tells me that they were the priests, the tribe of Levi. I don't know about you, but what the Bible tells me is all that have been saved and redeemed, He has made to be priests. Therefore, He is my inheritance. According to the Apostle Paul, those of us like me, I will never acquire fame. I will never acquire fortune. But according to what the Apostle Paul tells me, I am, by way of adoption, an heir. And not just an heir, I am a joint heir with Christ. And my older brother, he owns it all. And I'm a joint heir with him. In other words, all that he has or is. I'm part of that. Do you know when Rome was in its heyday and Paul wrote to the Romans and he talked about an adoption? You know what that meant? That the adopted child lost every right and every privilege into his old family. Every debt that he had ever accumulated while in the old Everything. See, that night that I was saved, all that sin and death that I've accumulated all my life, it was wiped clean. Isn't that good? That's why there is a peace. How could there not be? When you're indebted to all of that sin and death, and then it simply goes away, how can there not be a peace? But it wasn't right then that I realized all of this. This has been brewing over time and opportunity and chance and study. And I'll be honest, I'm just now beginning to scratch the surface on the things that God has in store. But I do know one thing. You will never, ever enjoy it. Ever. You'll be like those. See those people that Joshua had let out and Moses had let out? They were right on the border. They had already been delivered from Egypt. Some of you, under the sound of my voice, there is not one doubt. Now, I suppose I can't see inside your soul. I don't know with 100% certainty if you've been born again. But I do know there has, at least with a few of you, been a few times where there's been a spirit that bore witness, and I trust that spirit. They were right on the border. They had been delivered from Egypt, but they never found joy because they would not go into Canaan. If anybody is here in that condition, been delivered from Egypt, delivered from sin, delivered from death, I'm talking to you. You will never find joy until you step out by faith and begin to enter into the land that He's promised you. And then, once you acknowledge that, Brother Franklin, what you did today is, in my estimation, the foremost and best thing that a child of God can do is step out and unite with his church. There is no greater honor and no greater joy. What you're saying is, I want to be numbered with that people. I want to go. See, there is more to this inheritance than what you might realize. And the first step is uniting with the kingdom that he's left you. I believe this is the kingdom that Daniel spoke about. There are those that don't believe that. I believe it is a kingdom. that in the latter days will stand upon the face of the earth and the government cannot control the kingdom of the living God. There are things that he wants to give you. There are things that you have inherited. But until you step out and claim those by faith, you'll never enjoy it. Not ever. We were talking about Paul on Sunday. Paul was very wealthy, very zealous, a Pharisee. He excelled many of his equals. How many left him in the dust? He made a name for himself. He was going to inherit all the accolades. But when the time come that God revealed Jesus Christ unto him, he said, I count those things but done. earthly treasures and receive an incorruptible inheritance that fades not away. Reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Isn't that a glorious thing? It's reserved for me. We're going to talk this Wednesday, if it's the Lord's will, about predestination. Listen now, Baptists have grinned from that word for 2,000 years. I ain't running from it. I'm going to embrace it. But not in the way that the hyper-Calvinists do. Felix, as Joe talked about in Sunday school, God dealt with Felix. He gave him an opportunity. If he rejected that, that's not God's fault. If you reject it, it's not God's fault. But I will say, before the earth was ever formed, God predestined a people to give unto His Son. How can you enjoy that unless you step out by faith? He predestined a people from before the foundation of the earth that I'm going to predestine a multitude that's going to be yours. And you're going to die for them and they're going to love you and serve you. And I'll keep them by the power of the Holy Spirit, by faith unto that day. And it is reserved in heaven for us. Aren't you thankful? Claim that inheritance. Come ahead with a song. The doors of church are still open if you need to join. If you feel that knocking and pounding, why don't you come? If you need to be saved, why don't you come?