Part 2 // Biblical Principles, Part 1 // Mike Bickle, A Biblical Overview of Eternal Rewards

father we come before you in the name of Jesus and Lord we ask you for living understanding Lord we want you to touch our hearts Lord let us see what you see and feel what you feel Holy Spirit in this most important and glorious topic in Jesus name Amen well we're on Session two of an eight part series called a biblical overview of eternal rewards and as I mentioned in our first session this is one of the themes that Jesus emphasized most and he talked more about this subject than anybody else because he understood the value of this subject yet it's a very neglected subject in the body of Christ yet it's having been a student of this I find it so encouraging it's so exciting and so what I want to do in this second session is give you a framework of some biblical principles where you can look at the different eternal rewards and get a bigger picture from the scripture and as to what the implications are now in this session we're looking at seven principles next week we'll look at eight more principles so there's 15 total that I'm highlighting and again the idea is to see these principles and create a framework where we can take what Jesus said about the eternal rewards and gain greater understanding as to what their implications are ok paragraph a we're gonna look at just a little bit of review first paragraph a here 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 10 Paul said we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ and that word judgment seat as you know is the Bema seat the Bema seat was the place the judges stood like at the Olympic Games to give awards so it's mostly an emphasis on awards the Bema seat though not in totally but mostly paragraph B here's the big takeaway of this whole series that what we do with our time our money our deeds our words really really matter now that's pretty self-evident but we lose sight of this continually and the thing that we really lose sight of is how the little things really matter and I say that in a most encouraging way I don't mean the little things oh no my sense I'm talking about the little acts of humility the little acts of service really really matter to the Lord now when I talk about being faithful to the Lord and really diligent some people they automatically think more prayer and more fasting and though I believe that growing and prayer and having a spirit of grace related to fasting is important being faithful to God is far more than going to more prayer meetings I'm talking about something far more extensive than that the endless tasks that a mother does in the name of love and because in the grace of God I've got about a godly woman she's wanting to serve her family those are really significant parts and expressions of being faithful to the Lord knowing that the small menial tasks of life of which most of our tasks are small a menial knowing that they're valuable really matters in our life matter of fact if what we do doesn't have lasting impact to God then life doesn't make sense but what the doctrine and the the reality of the judgment seat of Christ is Jesus is I'm watching everything you're doing and everything that you do it can make sense and be important no matter how small now paragraphs see the one of the key frameworks of understanding eternal Ward's is this verse that we've looked at many times over the years the idea that the centerpiece of God's eternal purpose is for Jesus to return to the earth now catch this if this is new to you he's gonna join heaven earth together at the second coming and what I mean by that Ephesians chapter one that when Jesus returns it says he's going to gather together into one both the things that are in heaven things in the earth who's gonna take the supernatural realm of the Resurrection the New Jerusalem he's going to take the natural realm of the earth of physical human processes and the physical reality of life he's going to bring them together when Jesus returns he's bringing heaven down to the earth he's bringing the New Jerusalem with him and there's we're gonna have a physical resurrected body we're gonna eat physical food but there's a supernatural dimension to it the heavenly supernatural realm but in the but in the physical natural dimensions of how we understand life that's a big topic and our goal our us theme of this series isn't to go into all the details of that that that would be more of a teaching on the Millennial Kingdom but one preacher said that if we don't think rightly about heaven we will rarely think about heaven if we think about heaven is floating on a cloud far away we'll never really think about it but when we think about heaven when we think about eternal rewards in a concrete way that has an earthly dynamic to them a physical dynamic to them as well as a supernatural element you think wow no no this this is a little more interesting I can get my mind around this just a little bit more paragraph D Jesus made gave over fifty references to eternal rewards making this one of his most emphasized themes it's not the number one but it's one of his most emphasized themes but again it's a topic that's almost totally neglected in the body of Christ it's a topic that's really worth studying more than a casual you know one session on it we got it this is real worth learning and and as we go through this and the weeks to come how would I urge you to take the vert the notes check them out see if what I'm saying is really the Bible I mean don't accept anything unless you see it with your own eyes in your own Bible but when you see it go Lord show it unpack this thing enlarge my understanding on this very very significant topic paragraph eat just to give you kind of a broad strokes Jesus taught on eternal rewards and this is just a real broad picture we're gonna look a lot more detail in the following sessions he called his people to become great to receive rewards to gain riches to gain treasure in heaven to rule over much to have authority over cities power over nations sit on Thrones gain crowns heavenly garments etc etc this is real this is Jesus I mean he knows everything about this subject he's authoritative what he says is reliable and when I look at these I go wow this is exciting I want to put my name on these on these verses meaning I want to make these personal and as I said in our first session it's not enough to think about 10 or 20 years of your future think about what you're going to be doing in 300 years because you're going to have a physical resurrected body you really will if the Lord returns between now and then which I assume he will in that timeframe you will literally be living in the New Jerusalem reigning on the earth with a physical body with a real job description and that job description is dynamically impacted by things we do in this life not entirely but it is impacted by what we do paragraph F this subject of her eternal rewards is really the subject about love we're not left guessing as to what God considers the greatest and the first he said to love the Lord your God when I think of the subject of eternal rewards I think of I frame it out within the context of the first come loving God with all of my heart and all my straight I interpret three the rewards through that grid and then of course if you love God with all of your heart you can't help but overflow and loving people with your heart and your strength as well let's look at top of page two well i'ma give you four reasons why believers should desire eternal rewards and then we're going to look at seven principles on how to understand you turn rewards and then eight more principles next week Lord willing paragraph a the first reason that we should desire eternal rewards this is my favorite one it's about love rewards are about Jesus expressing how he feels about the way we loved him in this life I would say that again and I'll say this repeated over and over I've said this phrase hundreds of times over the years I love this rewards I imagine receiving rewards from the Lord and what he's saying isn't you're awesome you're amazing you're superior to other people no he's saying I want you to know how I feel about the way you loved me when you were in this earthly life because Jesus he delights in making known how he feels about the way you lived you know he has feelings he's watching the way you live and he's not disconnected he's not unconcerned he has passion he enjoys you and he wants you to know how he enjoys you and rewards are first about that one of my favorite passages in the New Testament you know you get to have a hundred of them but here in 1st Corinthians 4 I love this talking about when the Lord returns when he comes the second coming then each person's praise will come to him from God and praise it doesn't mean worship it means affirmation then the Lord is going to make known to you how he felt about the way you lived I love this we will have so much joy in his joy in this exchange with us he wants us to know that our choices and again most of our choices are small and they go unnoticed but he wants us to know our choices did not go unnoticed by him that he remembered them second reason we care about eternal rewards paragraph peace partnership and I am in partnership with him rewards are also about working in close proximity to Jesus in the mandate that the father gave him to rule the nations after the Second Coming Jesus is returning the New Jerusalem is descending to the earth that's where his throne is that's where we live but travel will be instant and effortless to any place of the earth where the Saints will reign they will have physical resurrected bodies but they will be physical you'll have flesh and bones like jesus said that he had in Luke 24 it will be supernatural flesh not corruptible flesh but you you will look like you look now but in perfection I know some of you are almost there but and total perfection and you will be interfacing with people who live with natural bodies on the earth well Jesus said in John 17 24 right before he went to the cross he let us see his heart he goes father this is in essence one of the reasons why I'm going to the cross father I desire that they be with me this is about them being with me I mean he went to the cross also for the father's glory and purposes related to the Father but he said father I want them with me I went them with me where I am I want to rule the nations but with them in partnership when you read a number of the passages about ruling and reigning with Christ it was quite a few of them actually look at this here in Revelation 3:21 this is Jesus speaking he goes I will grant them to sit with me on my throne they're gonna it's gonna be partnership we're gonna be doing it together now paragraph I'm at one underneath this is maybe a new idea to some but believers I mean I'm assuming I don't know nobody knows the number there will be several billion believers from history plus the great harvest at the end of the age or I'm expecting a billion at that again nobody knows the numbers but these several billion believers with resurrected bodies they will all work in varying proximity to Jesus they all won't be sitting in the garden having a picnic with Jesus all day every day all three billion or two billion or whatever the number is and they will be working with him partly in part related to the measure of responsibility they're entrusted with in ruling now in ruling the nations as we mentioned in the first session you know right here in our own nation there are 22 million people who are employed by the government federal state and local there's 22 million positions in the infrastructure of the government in America 22 million I know some folks go out let's change it that's not the point right now the point being that everybody isn't going to be the king over a nation but they're ruling and reigning in different spheres the greater the sphere of authority one has the more interaction will be necessary with them and their interaction will be real it won't be you know symbolic you will really be talking to him about your sphere that's entrusted to you now we see this same principle employed in the way Jesus interacted with people when he was in his earthly ministry when he was here in the days of his flesh he was in one place at one time talking to one or two or three or a handful of people in a conversation and we find that the pattern of his life is that he related to 3 in a particular way he related to the 12 in a particular way the 70 the hundred and 20 the 500 and then the multitudes there's meaning there was various relationships he had related to some of their roles in what he was entrusting to them now paragraph 2 Jesus's physical body in the age to come his physical body I'm talking about will only be in one place at one time now be of good courage we'll all be able to communicate with him and fill his presence by the spirit you know the reality of Jesus having two natures he is omnipresent because he's God but by virtue of being a man in his physicality his physical body he will be one place at one time and again there'll be several I guess billion believers and so they're not although all have access to him by the Holy Spirit and his presence and they'll know his heart but I'm talking about literally he says dining together with me I mean that's an exciting concept I mean having an actual meal not just a figurative meal paragraph see a third reason why we are interested I encourage people to be interested eternal rewards is about righteousness meaning rewards are about the Lord celebrating our choices for righteousness because the scripture says he loves righteousness he loves it the scripture says his name is righteousness I mean if he loves righteousness and his name is righteousness it becomes him it's natural that he would celebrate righteousness every single act of righteousness that tells Ellis he is for it so some people say I don't I don't care about any turn Awards I said you know think again Jesus really put a lot of he talked a lot about this subject it's not a it's not a biblical mindset to not care about this the fact that Jesus cares so much about righteousness he's going to celebrate every small deed of righteousness you did that's remarkable it's his nature to do that eternal rewards is linked to this paragraph D the issue of truth eternal rewards are about truth the truth of our love being openly manifest Jesus he is the truth we all know the passage he said I am the way I am the truth in the life and thus what is true about the way we loved him will come to light when we're in his presence because what's true about us can't stay in darkness when we're in the presence of the one who is the truth it's his nature to bring our choices to love him to the light it's truthful even our weak love our small love but it's still real love and because he's the truth when we're with him what is true about us we'll be openly known and seen and that's a wonderful thing again a lot of folks who may think of the judgement seat of Christ they only think a negative vote Oh beloved that's what the blood of Jesus is for to cleanse us and fully forgive us of the negative the negative that we experience is then the loss of potential Awards it's not it's not in an actual penalty or an embarrassment in that moment it's by not having a testimony of having been fully committed to him the way we would want that testimony that's the loss we would have but it won't be in a sense of penalty at all paragraph eight again some I've taught this subject over the years and I always run into a few this I don't care about it and I said you know I think you will I really really think you will care about Jesus expressing how he feels about the way you loved him and the proximity of being working with him and as he rains in the earth look what he said in Matthew 25 verse 21 talking about after his return he goes I'll make you ruler of many things and in that role of ruling Jesus highlights they will enter into joy they will love this they won't go you know just a little cabin on the edge of glory you know don't bother with me Lord I'm good I'm good there won't be any of that false humility stuff going on there there will be great joy in seeing his enthusiasm his affirmation in ruling and krause in any kind of proximity to this mandate that the father has given him to rule the nation's Jesus says you it will be Toby an occasion of great joy whenever there'll be no Envy there'll be no competition there'll be no comparison people will be so preoccupied with his beauty and they will be so grip here occupied with gratitude for the glory of God around them and they will all be stirred to walk in servanthood in love there won't be the negative element but because there's not a nap because there is no envy and jealousy in comparison that that's not the issue that's not the motive that doesn't mean we won't have joy and we won't care about these things that the scripture describes as eternal rewards paragraph F now the secular paragraph a paradigm or perspective the secular perspective I understand that a lot of folks that say I don't care about eternal rewards they have a secular perspective they think of as eternal rewards as gaining superiority over people or lording it over people or being their boss and I don't want to do that and I said that's good because Jesus is really against that he taught us no that's how the Gentiles that's how the unbelievers do it we're very different verse 20 26 but he says but whoever desires to be great they all have the walk a servant spirit but notice he affirmed the desire to be great he didn't say he that desires to be great how dare you he said that's good but she'd met you got to know this it will only work in the kingdom way with a servant spirit of using that place a favor to enhance and enrich others Taba page three well let's look at at these at seven principles we'll look at each of them quite briefly of course and then we'll look at eight more principles in our next session principle number one eternal rewards are expressions of the grace of God paragraph a meaning we don't earn rewards at all it's impossible to earn rewards what do I mean the rewards he gives us are far greater than anything we could never deserve I mean we give someone a cup of cold water he gives us such treasure in heaven I mean the comparison is so the gulf between what we do and what he gives us is so great I like to say we take a step of obedience he gives us a mile of blessing they're not in our wildest imagination will anybody construe it the idea they earned those rewards Jesus pays so well when we do so little notice in Matthew 25 he said you were faithful over a few things here's many I'm gonna bless you with many now Luke 19 you were faithful over very little but here's ten cities rule we do a little but he paced so well he gives so much now why is this well he can afford to be so extravagant because he's so rich he's so rich he's not a problem not a problem for him to give you a billion dollars a billion times not that it's it's not gonna be in dollars it's gonna be a deutsche mark no it's not that's a joke the reason he's so extravagant cuz they so rich but also because he enjoys his people he wants to express his generosity he wants to he loves it it's who he is I have here in paragraph a at the bottom he's the wealthiest kindest most generous man that ever lived on the earth he's so kind he's so wealthy he's so generous paragraph beam when we think about eternal rewards you'll never out give him ever never close the idea of earning them is inconceivable jesus said you give I'll give it back to you good measure pressed down running over you'll be way more than you gave me and it'll be so obvious to everyone it will never enter anyone's mind in that day they earned the reward that they're receiving so we can dismiss that that objection that some have I don't want to be a part of earning something he says in Matthew 19 he says those that have left family and he gives quite a list their children why friends houses lands for my name's sake I'll give them a hundredfold that's not an accounting term like a hundred oops not a hundred and one fold just one hundred no it means an abundance beyond anything you gave me I will give back to you paragraph C scripture says that God loves a cheerful Giver Jesus is the ultimate cheerful Giver it says that if you will so if you will plant service or money or love you're gonna you're gonna reap bountifully generously you plant you sow some money you sow some service you sow some love some humility beloved you're gonna reap bountifully in a way beyond our imagination God loves a cheerful Giver I can imagine when Paul wrote that the father looked at the son this is just my imagination says they have no idea how tear 'fl we are and how generous we are in giving well look at the language that Paul uses to describe how God relates to us he uses the phrase or phrases like there's actually many more than I have written here the riches of his glory he doesn't relate to us in a beggarly way he doesn't relate to us barely getting by the riches of the supernatural glory of God that's the description now this doesn't only involve the way he forgives us this includes eternal rewards you don't want to just think forgiveness only there's it's his leadership it's his relationship with us it's the way that he rewards the way that he expresses how he feels about the way you loved him the riches of the glory so whatever these rewards are they're described briefly in the Bible they are far more glorious than we're imagining them however you imagine them multiply in a thousandfold and you're not even there they're that glorious paragraph D James the Apostle says so speak and so act or do knowing you're going to be judged listen to this by the law of Liberty James was jesus's half-brother the Apostle James because I know my brother who is my Savior and my god he judges he evaluates us by the law of Liberty I know what he's like and he says live in a way this is encouraging actually knowing that you're gonna be judged by a generous and gracious God a judge who judges you according to the law of Liberty but he goes on to say therefore judge other people by the law of Liberty that's what he says in the next verse we'll look at that a little bit next week okay let's look at principle number two eternal rewards is not only according to grace but it's according to works paragraph a it's what we do Jesus specifically used three phrases that some of us don't like these free phrases three phrases because we have this kind of uneasy feeling that Jesus says maybe slightly unintentionally betraying the grace of God by using these three Freight of these three terms he says I'm gonna reward you we go reward that sounds like earning Jesus use a different word Jesus says reward reward he's unashamed he's bold he goes it is a reward but its reward through my grid the gracious God Jesus could you make it use a different word we might get the wrong idea we might think it's a reward then the next thing Jesus says of several times it's according to your works Jesus no remember the Reformation what had happened yet but remember the Reformation you know way back then when a Jesus is teaching this you can't say works that's bad Jesus said according to what you do according to works then he really pushed the envelope he says you're gonna be repaid in the resurrection he used that in Luke chapter 14 he says when you have a feast invite the poor and the lame of the blind you do that you'll be repaid like you repay look Jesus you stepped over the line this time your your your I know it's unintentional you didn't mean to but you're confusing the grace of God he goes no not I understand the grace of God and I find that Christians are nervous about these terms but because we feel tension in them because we want to be strong in the grace of God beloved these works are empowered by the grace of God there's not one believer that's being motivated to do good works by the devil good works are motivated by the free grace of God the Holy Spirit inspiring and giving us ideas and motivating us they're not contrary to grace they're evidences of grace we're not earning his favor we're expressing the work of grace in our life by walking it out but I just want you to get these this correlation real clear reward according to works don't be afraid of it don't hesitate don't drawback and yes I understand as I studied this in my early days I had this tension like Oh Lord no no you're pushing the envelope too much he goes no no do you understand I'm talking about good works that flow out of the grace of God then in Luke chapter 6 he talks about your reward will be great I mean he really pushes it he goes it's not just a rewards could be a great reward top of page 4 now we're rewarded it says over and over and over according to our actions our acts Revelation 19 on the wedding day the Bride of Christ again a couple billion believers I assume they will be wearing their love everybody will have the free gift of righteousness the robe of righteousness but there will be an array of heavenly garments we'll look at in the sessions to come there will be an array of heavenly guard garments beyond the robe of righteousness and on the wedding day every believer will have part of their heavenly garments will depict the way they lived for the love for the Lord during their life in other words they're wearing their love on the wedding day they have the gift of righteousness the robe we're wearing his love and we're wearing our love and his enthusiasm about our love because that's what rewards are it's his the way he feels about the way we loved him now remember our righteous acts our works their actions but their words to words are very important taking a moment to say kind words two people just friends familiar ones just taking a moment and pausing and thinking of something that would be a blessing a sentence or two those matter to a stranger to an enemy for real to an enemies speaking a word of blessing with no sarcastic tone at all genuine as these things are righteous acts the way we spend our time and money really matters the way we care about our families again I just I'm thinking about moms I think of moms is some of the hardest workers most diligent workers in the kingdom of God and probably the most effective disciple makers in the kingdom of God over history they got the to the three or four or five or whatever the number is right there in their home hours a day disciple and loving their family and so often I mean I'm not putting down the rest of the human race but so often moms not appreciated not recognized I mean moms were created to give rides cook meals wash clean and have everything ready and they go Lord where I want to get out of the house and get into the ministry the Lord says you're in the ministry and you're doing the works of the kingdom right now these are real right now they really matter paragraph C faith that doesn't display itself in good works James said is dead yes we're saved as a free gift by faith but will rewarded according to works our entrance into heaven is not based on works but our role in heaven is you know many believers I have written here they misunderstand the value of works so they think they again they get nervous that if they if they value works they're somehow somehow diminishing the grace of God now you're not trying to earn favor with God you're doing good works because you're confident that you have favor with him as a gift I don't do good works to get him to pay attention I do good works because he does pay attention in my brokenness and weakness as a free gift all Christians are spotless in his sight but not all Christians have the same service record one preacher said we're all spotless as a free gift but we don't all have the same service record I want to stand before the Lord and offer to the Lord decades of having devoted service to him in small little out-of-the-way things again most of our service is small unrecognized out-of-the-way things that nobody even knows that is the Bloor gist amount and the composite of your works it's those little things like what difference does it make the Lord's yeah it does actually does paragraph D even our words will be evaluated that's a big subject we'll look at that on another time paragraph F I just I just a hammer on this word this I mean I stay with it I love this idea of our small deeds matter because see we can get excited by the eternal rewards and the the fact okay they are associated to works but then we miss apply it thinking it's only big things but almost all your life is little things they think well I don't have any because I haven't led like a million people to the Lord I think only Billy Graham and right heart bonky get rewards or something beloved it's the little things again Matthew 25 we've already read it but he said the few things that you did the few the little ones our faithfulness is manifest in our life choices the small little acts of service the small attitude adjustments the widow who gave the two pennies her sacrificial giving Jesus said was more than what the wealthy men game because it was sacrificial paragraph age every small act of love he remembers look at Hebrews 6 verse 10 God charges himself with injustice if he forgets one thing hey guys I would be unjust if I forget any of the work you did when you showed love to me I would charge myself with injustice well beloved that's never gonna happen because he remembers it all let's look at top of page 5 principle number 3 all of our works are written in his books you think okay that's cool but so or what the point is this well there's several points but I just want to give just a hint at this that's a big topic actually the works of human beings are so valuable to God and they have such a lasting impact I mean our works they have remembrance and impact forever I mean that's staggering to us to conclude that they're so important and the impact is so real he writes them in books in heaven he keeps detailed records the hoard people do and say believers and unbelievers alike and because of the blood of Jesus he erases the sins that would disqualify us in the negativity he erases it by the blood of Jesus but the books record what we say and what we do blood I mean the believers in a redemptive way but I want a lot of things written in my book up there a lot of things not well you know he smiled that one time and humbled himself a few months later and gave a guy a dollar you know on the way somewhere once and ok we had a couple lean months in between I don't want that I want I prayed I gave I encouraged I blessed I served time and time I went page after page age in the books but the point of mentioning the books is that that's how important they are they're recorded in the books and kept in the libraries of heaven forever I mean there's no book burning up there they're there forever it says in Daniel 7 when the court is seated and the Father the Ancient of Days takes his seat the books are opened oh that's a terrifying glorious paragraph be God's books contain the names the actions even the conversations of his people look at Malachi 3 and there's quite a few verses on this actually but about the books but let's look at this one those Malachi 3 those who feared the Lord they spoke to one another and the Lord listened to them and the Lord wrote him down the Lord says write that in the book what they're saying here's two guys two gals they're in the neighborhood they're on the phone they're just talking to each other say well you know what I was a little discouraged but then I said you know I love the Lord he's been so good to me I just shook off this negative self-pity thing I've been indulging in and you know what I'm gonna go for God and say what God says and the lady goes yeah me too that's encouraging the Lord says I'm writing that in the book that's two women talking in the fear of the Lord he said well we were just chatting no no that's the fear of the Lord talk that's in the book beloved I want a lot of conversations in the book and they're not all like amazing revelations that nobody heard it's not that it's just everyday conversation where we're saying what God says and refusing the lives of the enemy and we're talking to each other we're gonna yeah okay me too yeah I'm gonna do it yeah that's in the book of remembrance that's how important these things are principle number four there's many types of eternal rewards many types and that's what this course is so it to me so exciting because we're going be looking I don't know we'll get every one of them in eight weeks but we're at me looking several of them typically each of this of the sessions ahead in Revelation two and three two chapters Jesus identifies 18 different rewards in two chapters of course that's the most detail of any two chapters in terms of a list of rewards there's a number of them in the Gospels he didn't mention in Revelation chapter two and three so we get the whole list together I've never added them all up but you know I'd add another ten or twenty you know or ten or fifteen more to this eighteen to have the entire list I don't know maybe by the end of the course we'll have that all laid out so I give some of the categories of these eighteen rewards i clustered them together my own thinking in these categories in Revelation having the garments reigning with authority receiving crowns treasures dining with Jesus etc etc paragraph B the rewards will be varied as the situation of people as the ministries people have in the age to come will be varied it's the Holy Spirit in Luke in first Corinthians 12 says their diversity of gifts there's different manifestations of ministries is the idea different activities but notice it's the same Holy Spirit it's the same God it's the God who never changes so the God who never changes has diversity in callings and administration and roles in this age beloved the God who never changes thee he will have the same diversity will look different but the principle of diversity and variety will be there look at verse 18 God sets the members each one of them and the body as he pleases just as he pleases and that will happen in the age to come not just in this age it's not like half when the resurrection comes God changes this part of his leadership in character God loves creative diversity that's why there is no two human beings exactly the same that's why there's no two stars exactly the same God loves created his creative design his brilliant leadership everyone is unique and it will be that way in the resurrection as well because some folks think well we all get the standard white robe we all get the crown we all get a harp and a cloud we float around we worship I think we got it no no not even close it's way more interactive and diverse and dynamic and change and learning and interacting and many many different dimensions principle number five oh this is my favorite but I get to say this is my favorite all through this series okay but this is my favorite eternal rewards are glorious what do I mean by that because when I take these eighteen rewards in Revelation two and three that we look at plus the other ones and what I've shared up with people you know it says Jesus said he will give you a white stone in your names on it and I read commentary says well you know it back in the ancient world they had a little white rock and if they gave you the white rock it meant and you know you were acquitted of your crime and I think that's it that's all that's involved in that little white rock are you kidding let's look at the grid of which Paul gave for us understanding the age to come he said here's the grid whatever your eternal reward however you imagine the individual ones it has to meet this test right here his eye has not seen nor has the ear heard nor has it entered into the heart the imagination of a man not even the imagination the things God has prepared first people those who love God has things prepared in the age to come that are so spectacular in glory they've never entered the imagined am i above a man or a woman beloved whatever you do don't accept a dumbed down view of these rewards don't reduce eternal rewards we have these small phrases but we have ways to expand expand on the possible implications of them don't reduce eternal rewards to something you can easily imagine because Paul said it's beyond anything anyone's ever imagined they're spectacular they're more glorious like I said in the other message you take Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg and 10 more times a thousand and each award is far more glorious than they could have all collectively come up with and all their imaginations Jesus could say you're not even close to the dimension of what that reward is Paul mentions it again in Ephesians look he said the love that he has it passes knowledge meaning it pass it's beyond the human grasp of understanding it is his love but it's more than the love it's the it's the relationship it's who we are in the resurrection what eternal life is about it's far beyond what human knowledge has grasped in this age he says it goes on it makes it real clear it's exceedingly abundant beyond what you think so I encourage people imagine what could that white stone be imagine it go far beyond Walt Disney and spill burg and everybody else what could it possibly be beloved it's far too low what that reward is but definitely it's not just a little right right white rock with your initials on it I guarantee you that 2nd Corinthians 4 our afflictions in this age bearing persecution being faithful in difficulty is working for us a far more exceeding weight of glory beloved there is a far more eating glory in the resurrected body in the city in the interaction in the rewards all of those together fit in this category paragraph be think of it this way God is the architect of the New Jerusalem he's the designer of the city the New Jerusalem revelation 21 and 22 that's only eight a glimpse of his creative abilities we look at the celestial city I mean it has transparent gold and foundation stones of jewels and walls and pearl gates and rivers in the Tree of Life and fruit and angels and music and fragrance and beauty beyond imagination and the Lord says I could imagine him saying whatever that is everything I'm doing associated with that city is that glorious so when you think of a war rewards think of the man who is the designer of the city who created and built the city he's the one who determined the rewards they have the same spectacular glorious dimension of the glory that's beyond our imagination it needs to whatever we imagine these rewards as we look at them I'm just setting up your imagine your mind a framework so you're approaching it thinking whatever we think it's far too low that's the conclusion well we're done with these eight sessions no matter how far we push it it's far lower than what it actually is but I want to see this again this general framework of the Bible that where we can see some of the possible implications and then all of a sudden you see yourself in those rewards then all of a sudden you're seeing what you might be doing down the road a couple hundred years then we're in our our internship right now our 70 or 80 years on the earth we're doing our internship right now they we want to be released into our greater ministry on the earth so baby we go that's really cool I go that's not cool that's actual that's actual these rewards need to be commensurate with the glory of the New Jerusalem and the glory of the resurrected body and our resurrected body will be like Jesus's I mean Jesus's look at this Matthew 7 will look at this a lot more than his face shines like the Sun is clothing it's bright dazzling like light below but you're gonna have the same not the same measure of glory but the same principles in your of the Constitution if your your physical resurrected body your face will shine brewing it beautiful light and the Gloria in the garments you can't imagine the Wardrobe you're gonna have far better than the one you have now top of page 6 I mean you take the most illustrious wardrobe of the queen or the king or whatever anywhere in history the Wardrobe of the saints that in the faithful Saints is far more elaborate and diverse and beautiful than the most extensive elaborate wardrobe of anyone in human history picture whoever that woman is that had a different you know the most amazing dress every time whoever they are beloved the faithful Saints will have a array of garments far more glorious top of page 6 principle number 6 we can get a little bit of the implications we can we can't tie down all the details but we can go a lot further into what the implications might be if we study the scripture and compare the scripture with the scripture we can see some of the glorious nature of eternal rewards paragraph a Jesus gave some simple descriptions again the Whitestone the heavenly garments the crown he just gave simple phrases but he knew that we can gain insight when we compare the scripture with other scriptures about crowns and garments and all of these things and Thrones let's look at an example we'll break this down a lot more but I just want to give you a grid of framework as to where our mind should be we want to push the scripture boundaries I mean we want to be faithful to the scripture but we want to search out the scripture and what it might mean and we don't want to be dogmatic where the scripture is not dogmatic and we can't be dogmatic on this but we can have our holy imagination stirred up within the boundaries of the written word of God here's what paragraph B example of comparing the scripture with the scripture to gain insight on eternal rewards we go back to Exodus 28 here's the Lord speaking now this is the Lord speaking he's talking to Moses Moses make some garments for your brother he's a priest the high priest he's one of my servants but here's here's what I want I want him glorious and beautiful now this is God's idea to make him he could have made them beggarly and poor and real humble and downcast because no no no Moses I'm the god of the New Jerusalem I want those garments glorious and beautiful he designed them and there's quite a few passages on the garments that God describes in the Old Testament we take those passages it gives us insight into what God thinks about garments and we don't know exactly where but we know that he's the one who said these things and so we know he thinks this way God designed garments for beauty to show the glory of the office of the priest to show the dignity of the one chosen that he put his favour on and the garments in the age to come we'll have a comparison and we couldn't have this Scripture with Scripture on a number of these different internal rewards to elaborate our understanding I mean to grow and understand on what some of the implications might be another one I like is Zacharias sex I just kind of fit it in here the elaborate crown here's God speaking God says make an elaborate crown for the priest make it elaborate it's my idea because when I make a crown it's for beauty the design the meaning the message in it the honor the authority that it connotates is all a part of the crown itself and when we study crowns we want to see whatever God has said in the Bible about crowns would he have said it directed by his own voice that will give us insight paragraphs see this is a different example of how the scripture talks compares with the scripture here's the here's Jesus telling a story about a man he died so Jesus is telling us how a man who died is in Hades how he interacted so if Jesus gave us insight about how a dead man interacted in after this age we know how humans interact it gives us a hint and this man you can read it on your own he had meaningful conversation with Abraham the rich man he knew who Lazarus is he remembered his family members he had sensation in his body his tongue was hot he wanted to drink he had memory he had logic he had many things so we can know that these when we put the scripture in the scripture we know this is how life after this life is gonna have these characteristics in them paragraph D when we look at the scripture we see God's leadership over the angelic realm and if God because God never changes his leadership over angels gives us insight into his creative design his leadership what he thinks what our possibilities in his mindset look at it revelation 18 here's this one angel he has so much authority the whole earth is illumined with his glory so God has created beings that are lower than saints that have a glory so intense it lumens the whole earth that angel hasn't showed up yet by the way Lord says all I got angels like that I got a lot the door like that and I got some are are like that but the Saints are higher than angels the Angels have varying roles varying capacities varying degree of glory in their garments I mean that subject is vast principle seven we'll end with this we can gain insight about eternal rewards by looking at the natural realm now we got to be careful the wheel that we only have but our insights limited but there are glorious a thumbprint of God in the natural world of his leadership in his creative design and his intelligence and his passion for beauty and glory and his people look at in Genesis chapter one he said let us make humans in our image so we know that humans have a capacity to interact that reflects God's and so that same capacity we're gonna have in the age to come and we know that because Jesus came back in his resurrected body he could talk he could he that he could teach he would he ate he could embrace people I mean many things in his humanity in the resurrection and the Saints will have those same capacities and with when you read this in context of the eternal rewards Eastern rewards the implications of them began to be more and more encouraging look what it says in verse 31 of Genesis 1 when God crazy for their sin his thumbprint is on creation God said it's very very good it's very good and when God says something's very good we know that there's elements of the natural created order that are very good now that's the taint of sin has brought other challenges and dimensions but there's still that dimension of God's genius in the natural order so he can look at things the natural and give us some implications about what it might be like in the age to come he says Paul says it first Corinthians 15 he goes God he says however the Spiritualist not first but the natural realm in other words God established understanding to humans of the natural realm before he gave understanding of humans to the spirit realm that humans saw the glory of God of the natural realm and he says the naturals first and then I will unpack the supernatural to them they'll see the larger picture of which the natural is only a snapshot of but we do get a portrait a snapshot of the glory of God in the natural world and I give a little bit on that here and you can read that that in the resurrection our five senses will function similar to they do now but in the enhanced glory of God we'll have supernatural abilities but we'll still learn we'll remember we'll teach you know you'll develop new relationships when you get it in the resurrection you're not gonna get a chip of omniscience you know you're a resurrected they kind of implant you with omniscience now you know everything you don't know anything more than the moment before you stepped over there you'll learn it line by line you learn faster he'll touch you deeper but you'll learn it forever you'll be learning and teaching and growing in your understanding forever you'll never get boring you'll never get static here's the one I like we'll sing and play instruments man I'm gonna be on the worship team I don't care what misty or any of them say imma gettin on the worship team I can't pass an audition down here but just give me a resurrected body let me loose paragraph B we get a glimpse of God's glory the vastness the beauty the diversity the creativity when we look at the skies and the heavens and I just mentioned here a paragraph see that I mentioned the garments thing again that just an example that in the natural realm the beauty of garments and the different situations the different fabrics the different meaning those kinds of things that are true and obvious in the natural they will have I believe they will have some implication in the way things are needs to come so beloved no matter what somebody tells you don't let anybody reduce rewards to something that's easy to imagine these rewards are glorious and spectacular and they're yours and all he asked for he didn't ask you to be gifted or smart or to have a lot of friends or to have a lot of money or education he says be humble serve people and be humble anybody can do this because she can be great serve people be humble obey me doesn't matter what your background is your pedigree your opportunity because your opportunity and the grace of God is if you're humble and you're obedient you serve people I am recording it all in my book and the great exchange is gonna happen when the Lord appears I call the judgment seat of Christ the great equalizer everything changes on that day well amen and amen let's stand again next week we're gonna look at eight more principles then we're gonna look at their rewards themselves here we are Lord before your presence Lord we say yes to you just take a moment just in your heart to say yes I didn't get all this but I want to get it all you gotta keep me on the worship team misty wait till the resurrection okay she's probably right she's pressurizes here we are Lord we're in your presence come and touch us he's gonna wait on the Lord for a moment Lord what he's saying right now even what do you in a high light this is not gonna hurry just instruments you can start religious week for a few minutes more Lord we ask for your manifest presence a greater measure of your presence [Music] lord wants to encourage in miniature new sources of people that you've been tempted with the spirit of despair what that I mean by that it's like me to love Jesus figures thinking they've done anything the years have gone by I just can't see the value on it my heart's hurting over it the Lord says now there's a different story I have a different story and you're saying Lord I want to feel what you're feeling huh I want to see this more I want to be a part of it I wanted to even now and you're being tempted with real discouragement right now that's very normal it's not because you're doing anything wrong per se the enemy wants to accuse you and condemn you make you give up if you're singing out encouragement I would invite you to comfortable anyone in the room you're just needing a new beginning new renewal if your heart [Music] come on method receiver I mean it's about half the room true sure but the point is you don't to come up but my point is that's not an order that's not an unusual thing the Lord says I or encourage you tonight I want you to know that you it's not you haven't gone too far it's not too late you haven't wasted your life there's more in the books than you understand if you'd come up to the front line if you would so the books behind you yeah one group on the front line [Music] come Holy Spirit or tasks for the spirit of heaviness to be broken in the name of Jesus right now ask for a spurt of renewal of comfort the new beginning a new vision a new look a new view [Music] the enemy's telling it's not worth it beloved he's a warrior let us see [Music] what you are saying [Music] so bad [Music] [Music] it's gonna be [Music] it's gonna be worse [Music] it's gonna be worth it it's gonna be worth what ass worthless to be a night ever do we gonna be where the Lord says I want to realign you to my heart for you it's gonna be well this is a night to let go of lies against you tonight to pray see what God thinks about his people it's gonna be it's gone it's gone [Music] [Applause] [Music] see [Music] beware zero oh gee and tribulus when I see you one relationship lorry right now release your founder passing here in this room with [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] understand see [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is unseen [Music] but ask for the spirit of wisdom and revelation a greater Ministry of the Holy Spirit called wisdom and revelation this wisdom will be just to see the riches of the glory of the inherited [Music] the riches of the glory let us see wanna see me not a little bit but the glorious eyes to see what for your people I asked for an increase at the spirit of wisdom [Music] but you are and you and will [Music] you see [Music] or that break off spirit of heaviness the spirit of dullness that's resting on people's minds let us see [Music] but release the prophetic spirit even dreams and visions give the night [Music] look relations race prophetic anointing please you speak or do you said [Music] [Music] what I asked release it tonight even tonight release some Amir torreón people in this room [Music] comes from [Music] [Music]

Channel: Mike Bickle Official

Views: 8,229

Rating: 4.6285715 out of 5

Keywords: ihopkc, International House of Prayer, Mike Bickle, Eternal Rewards, The Bible, Jesus, Teaching, Preaching, Christian, Christianity

Id: gI2BDwdOItc

Length: 74min 58sec (4498 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 13 2017