Whenever there is a death, there is usually a will left behind to ascertain the property left behind will be distributed as the one who died desires.  And of course, everyone who thinks they stand to inherit something will show up for the reading of the will.  Most sit there with high hopes they will leave inheriting something of great worth.  Now suppose the one who died was rich; and I don’t mean just “rich”, but wealthy beyond even their wildest imagination.  Now you’re getting the idea.  The will is about to be read, and all the family members gathered are sitting on the edge of their chairs.

At the beginning of the reading, the terms say the entire family are to be joint-heirs.  That means “share and share alike”, each having access unto the entire sum of the estate, not just a part of it.  Well, seeing the estate is vast beyond imagination, that means they ALL are now rich, and there is to be no fighting because one got a greater amount than another, in other words, they ALL got it ALL!

And of course, with any family, you have a mixture of personalities, needs and desires.  So first off, each must show he or she is qualified to be considered FAMILY in order to inherit anything.  Some are “family” by birth, some by marriage, some by having had a loving relationship with the one who died.  Some are greedy, only showing up because there was a will to be read.  Some are so saddened by the loss of their loved one and feel a great loss at their passing.  Some were close to the one who died, some were “distant relatives” who didn’t really  know the one who died, but by name only.  That’s probably only a partial picture, but you get the idea.  Now, who died?

I’ve already stated, the deceased was rich beyond imagination. In fact, He is the Creator of the Universe,  and everything that exists came to being by Him, that is one Christ Jesus of Nazareth, whom God the Father sent to the earth in the flesh, in the form of a man raised from a baby by earthly parents and lived and walked among us.  You see, there was a huge problem on the earth; mankind had corrupted themselves with evil, and the punishment for that is eternal death.  But that wasn’t what God created us for.  He had created us to be with Him forever, and someone had to die for all the sins.  The problem is, there was no sinless man to sacrifice for the sins of mankind, so only Christ Jesus could redeem us from our sins.  And He did, plain and simple.  So now, being He died on the cross for us,  and seeing He left a will, it’s time to sort things out.

Anytime there’s wealth involved, every “relative” seems to crawl out of the woodwork to lay claim to what they can get.  A good demonstration of that is when someone wins the lottery, and suddenly, they have more “friends” and “relatives” show up than they can count, and they don’t even know most of them.  You see some of them bawl and squall about how much they loved the one who died, when in actuality, they didn’t know Him at all, or very little.  But THIS death was a bit different:   you see, when Christ Jesus died, He also came back to life three days later to administer His own will.  Now THAT’S a new one!  But it happened.  So who gets what?

The Lord Jesus chose twelve disciples who were with Him daily during His earthly ministry.  He often spoke of the Kingdom of God, and when He would inherit it and come into His glory. One day He was teaching about the Kingdom and said in Matthew 19:16-29,

16  And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18  He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19  Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Here we see a qualifier of who is “FAMILY” to God, because everyone who says, LORD, LORD to Him is family.  That can be frightening, but God knows who are His, and who are NOT, but only “imposters”.  So who is FAMILY?  Here’s what the Lord Jesus has to say about it: after all, He should know.  Jesus also said in Matthew 7:13-29,

13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28  And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29  For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Why was He able to teach with authority?  Because He was about to die for our sins, be raised from the dead, and administer His own will.  The Lord is pretty particular about who He calls “Family”, are YOU one of them?  If not, today you can become one of His precious joint-heirs.  All the Kingdom’s blessings belong to His children, every one of them. You can be blessed, full of joy, no matter what your circumstances are. You can live without sin and guilt, be healed of your diseases.  Whatsoever you need, He will supply, because EVERYTHING is His, and if He doesn’t already have it, He can create it. He has a special life for FAMILY already prepared from the foundation of the world. Don’t worry about the reading of the will, there’s exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think available to every member of His Family.  Just make sure He calls YOU Family!  He has already chosen you.  Will you choose HIM?  That’s something only YOU can make happen.