Then we saw in #4, that small sacrifices on our part now, will have huge recompense eternally. Small things now, big things later. For example, He used it in Matthew 25:21. He says: “you were faithful over a few things…”, so what we have now in this life are ‘few’ things. Then He says: “...I will make you ruler…”, or give you a position and a role of responsibility “...over many”, and that's ‘a multitude’, it's ‘mega’.
Then in Luke 29:17, He says: “well done, you were faithful in very little, now have authority over 10 cities”. Now you just can't compare ‘very little’ to ‘authority over 10 cities’. He's saying: the comparison between what you're responsible for now, and what God has planned for you, is enormous - there is no comparison! But it does require that we be faithful, in the fulfilling of what He gives us now; and He doesn't say: that's a ministry. He doesn't say: it's pastoring. He doesn't say anything about what that might be. He just says: faithful in the little you've been given. So that applies to every person; whatever our opportunity, whatever our talents, whatever our giftings - we all have the opportunity to win, to have authority in the coming kingdom.
In Hebrews 11:6, God says that He is a ‘rewarder’. He that comes to God must believe that He is; that He's available, that He cares about us; and #2, that He's a rewarder - that He recompenses us for every little thing we do: our attitudes, our choices, the things we've overcome, the way we've represented Him, the sacrifices we've made, the things we've walked through and kept a good, loving spirit. When you start to get this revelation into your heart, it helps you very much to overcome the petty stuff that goes on in life with people, because you look past it all. You realise that whatever you're experiencing now, God has got His eye on the little details of it; and particularly, how you respond, and what you do with it.
Matthew 19:29 - “Anyone who left houses, or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or wife or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. Notice He's saying: a hundredfold!
Main MessageSo we just reviewed where we've been, and the last time we looked at some possible categories of the many rewards, and there are many described, which means God is just unlimited in what He can do for you; so He's got your back. He's thinking about you.
I put them under some categories:
- Eternal Intimacy
- Eternal Authority
- Eternal Glory
- Eternal Garments
- Victor's Crowns
- Honour & Praise
- Treasures & Riches
- Vindication
We found that the first three are the three perhaps the most important ones, but the others are also important, and I'll get on to them at another time. We saw that one of the most important ones is: the sharing of governance over creation - because that's what we've been made for. We've been made for intimacy, an intimate relationship with our Father in heaven. We've been made to represent Him, and that means: to show His glory in nature and character, which means we need to be transformed; and we know that we're designed to partner with Him, in the expanse of His kingdom. In Isaiah 9 it says: “Of the increase of His government, there is no end”. That's amazing. That means that God will forever be expanding His government.
If He could do what He's done for a planet called Earth, He could do that for many of the stars of the galaxy, or many places in the galaxy. We've got no concept of how great the things are, that God has ahead; and we saw that in 1 Corinthians 2 - “The eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of the man, the things God has prepared for them that love Him”. We also saw that love is not to do with feelings; it has to do with our willingness to yield to obey Him.
So in this study, I was going to do a couple of the different rewards, but as I did this one I thought: it's actually better I focus on this one, because it's of immense interest, immense importance, so I'm going to make this one the focus of today's study.
I want to look at reward #3, which is Resurrection Glory, or eternal glory. We'll call it Eternal Glory. It means that for age after age after age, there is a glory, or an honour. The word ‘glory’ in the Bible is the word ‘kabod’ - weight, honour; so it has many ways it expresses itself, but it means weight. God will put eternal weight, or a weight that lasts for eternity. It cannot be taken away from you once you've got it, it will be there forever, it will be seen by all, forever. So right now, you are preparing yourself for how you will be in the coming eternity. The millennium kingdom is where everyone on earth will see what you are, and in the coming eternal ages. We've got no concept of what God may have laid out ahead for us!