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Inheritance & Rewards

New City Church Message MF-NCC

Introduction

° We are going to dive into a very important topic that honestly purveys the entire bible
° The topic of eternal inheritance and rewards is ofter overlooked in the lives of believers; the motivation behind all of it is to serve Him to your fullest extent! The rewards are a byproduct of that service!
° We must rely on The Holy Spirit to teach us everything about this topic; we model this in our world every day: allowances, jobs, parenting, etc.
° When you fully understand the importance of serving Him now, you will be able to stand before Him unashamed

I John 2:27 — But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
I John 2:28 — And now, little children, abide in him, that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

° The Lord has much to say about where you put your treasure

See →Matthew 6:19-21

° Jesus instructs us to not lay up treasures on earth, but rather in heaven
° So the immediate question is... how do you lay up treasure in heaven?
° Notice that where your treasure is, your heart will be focused there also
° Treasures on earth will not last, they are not eternal, and you will leave that to someone else at some point

Ecclesiastes 2:18 — Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
Ecclesiastes 2:19 — And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun, This is also vanity.

° More questions will be addressed
° Like, what is the foundation upon which I build my inheritance
° Why do I have a right to inherit anything?

Inheritance Á Rewards Study

The Doctrine of Rewards

The Concept throughout the Word of God

See →Ecclesiastes 9:5-8

° In the KJV, God has a lot st say in general about rewards, treasures, inheritance, etc. ° "Rewarder" only shows up one time in the entire Bible

Hebrews 11:6 — But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

° This title of The Lord is fascinating and so telling
° In Greek it means "one who pays wages, a rewarder"
° This is one reason that if you do not receive Jesus your wage is death

Romans 6:23 — For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

° Jesus paid that wage for you, but if you do not accept His payment than you must pay those wages which can never be met by you, which is why it eternal seperation

Sowing and Reaping

° God's system always deals with sowing and reaping

See →Galatians 6:7-10

° Did you notice the condition on reaping?... "if we faint not."

Hosea 10:12 — Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
Hosea 10:13 — You have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

° Right now for God's people, it is time to seek the Lord!

Luke 6:38 — Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

° The measure you use is the measure that will be used to you; you cannot out give God

See →II Corinthians 9:6-10

Hebrew 6:10 — For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

° God remembers what you have sown and will sow!

Proverbs 1:31 — Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Proverbs 1:32 — For the turning away of simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

II Corinthians 5:9 — Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
II Corinthians 5:10 — For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

° Jesus declared a lot of blessings to those who endure and sow correctly...

See →Matthew 5:3-12

° There are passive and active rewards for the believer
° For example, every believer will receive a resurrected body; that is a passive reward
° Christ did the work and gave up the ghost to purchase our salvation
° Thus, every believer will get a resurrected body
° Believers through faithful service get the opportunity to rule and reign with Christ, but not every believer is promised that reward

See →II Timothy 2:11-13

° Notice that suffering with Him is not the only way to reign with Him, but it is one way to reign with Him
° Chapter Revelation 2 & Revelation 3 of revelation contains seven letters to seven churches and The Lord declares a lot of rewards for the overcomer
° In Revelation 4:1, the church is raptured to the throne room of the universe

Revelation 4:1 — After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

° There are four visions of the throne room throughout the Bible (Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, & Revelation)
° They all have a lot in common, but only Revelation gives us the insight of the 24 elders
° David seperated the priesthood into 24 courses, which is why God uses the number 24 (I Chronicles 24)

Revelation 4:4 — And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

° Every time the cherubim sing and worship The Lord, the 24 elders throw down their crowns

See →Revelation 4:9-11

° The Greek language actually describes this as a continual throwing of the crowns; meaning they are thrown, gathered, and then prepared to be thrown again...we may do this often as we watch the tribulation!
° Salvation is given to all because Christ did the work
° Rewards are based on your work in sanctification and faithfulness to The King
° Jesus wants us to be motivated to serve Him, because He is coming quickly
Revelation 22:12 — And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

° Again, He implores us to store up treasures in heaven
° He wants to give you the very best for all eternity
° He was never concerned about losing his salvation, but he was concerned about losing rewards
° Do not run in vain and be a castaway!

See →I Corinthians 9:24-27

° Your works should reflect that you are growing and becoming more spiritually mature
° Jesus again in Revelation 3 is pleading with us to hold onto our grown, what we have sown, stay steadfast, press on, all so that we do not lose our crown...
Revelation 3:11 — Behold, I come quickly: hold fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

° Think about the prodigal son...
° He never lost his sonship, but he did lose his inheritance
° He was not steadfast; he did not guard his walk and stay faithul
° As a believer you want to be pleasing to The Lord (that should be a no brainer!)
° This is modeled in your families, if you have children
° Sometime your children are well pleasing to you and sometimes they are not pleasing and going against you
° By remaining steadfast and no wavering on you commitment to God, you will recive a full reward from our Lord!

II John 1:8 — Look to yourselves, that we lose not those thing which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

° Notice also that you must look, assess, and/or evaluate yourself so you can make corrections as needed (allow the Holy Spirit to refine you)
° Some rewards can be gained back if lost, others cannot
° Sometimes God will actually have mercy in judgement, and bring someone home as a result of disobedience

See →Acts 5:1-11

° If you are saved, then you have an appointment at the bema seat of Chist

See →I Corinthians 3:10-15

° Back to II Corinthians 5 again

II Corinthians 5:9 — Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
II Corinthians 5:10 — For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
° God takes this entire issue very serious, so serious in fact that there is a portion in the Kingdom specifically assigned for hypocrites who have abused other believers

See →Matthew 24:45-51

° In this study, we are going to look at a lot of these various rewards throughout the Bible
° This will challenge us to get serious about our walk with God
° We cannot coast through CHristian living
° The Lord is so eager bestow great things upon us for all eternity!
° He wants you to come into your full reward!

See →Proverbs 8:18-21

° What The Lord has for every one of us is different
° There is nothing wrong with hobbies, doing things you enjoy, spending time resting and recovering, board games, etc.
° The Lord instituted the sabbath Himself in Genesis 1; Then in the Ten Commandments God told us to "remember" the sabbath
° Jesus even declared that He is the Lord of the sabbath
° So God does not require you to be running 24/7
° The main issue with all of this is obedience, and your motivation...God will weigh it all out in the end (Only God can weigh the thougts and intent of the heart)
° What is God asking you to do in these days? What in your life do you need to yield to The Lord?

How to Build

Jesus laid the foundation; how do you overcome & build upon it?

° In order to lay up treasure in heaven, you must build on the proper foundation

I Corinthians 3:9 — For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
I Corinthians 3:10 — According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

° Your body is currently the temple of the Living God

I Corinthians 3:16 — Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

See →I Corinthians 6:18-20

° Your body is the indwelling vessel of the Living God
° "...What communion hath light with dakrness?..."

II Corinthians 6:14 — Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowhship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

° Fornication is the one sin that is committed against one's own body, the temple of Lord God Almighty
° Remember that the time to work for The Lord is while you are in your body

II Corinthians 5:9 — Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
II Corinthians 5:10 — For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

° You are not your own because God purchased you with His own body!
° Building upon the right foundation...

See →I Corinthians 3:10-12

° David was even cognizant of not bringing anything to The LORD that did not cost him
° Abraham wanted to pay full price for the sepulcher for Sarah's grave
° You see throughout the Old Testament that people constantly sacrificed out of obedence in anything they did for God
° God wants you to die to self, so you can live serving Him in a mighty way
° There is great sacrifice in serving God, but not always the way you would think initially

I Samuel 15:22 — And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of the ram.

° God died for us so we could live for Him!

See →I Peter 2:21-25

° We are to be dead to the world, and not living in willful continual sin

Romans 6:2 — God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

° Living in active sin is building on the wrong foundation for The Lord
° You must resist the enemy, and NOT the Holy Spirit!

James 4:7 — Submit yourselves therefore to God, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Acts 7:51 — Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

° Resisting God's pull to sanctify your life will only invite the enemy further into your situation

I Corinthians 3:13 — Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

° Who is that revealing/consuming fire?

Hebrews 12:29 — For our God is a consuming fire.

° We get a picture of this in the Old Testament

See →Malachi 3:1-3

I Corinthians 3:14 — If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
I Corinthians 3:15 — If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

° Again, notice that salvation is not being tested here, it is your faithful service that is being tested
° The loss that is suffered is a loss of eternal rewards in the Kingdom
° You get to choose if your rewards are here or in heaven for all eternity
° That is an encouraging thought! You control this outcome!
° All God is asking is that you be obedient to His call and direction for your life!
° You build this eternal inheritance through Godly wisdom and direction

Proverbs 8:11 — For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

° "Rewarder" only shows up one time in the entire Bible

Hebrews 11:6 — But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Hebrews 6:10 — For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

° God remembers what you have sown and will sow!

Proverbs 1:31 — Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Proverbs 1:32 — For the turning away of simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

Hosea 4:6 — My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

° The enemy does not want you focused on the The Word of God and eternity
° Satan wants you to be ineffective for the Kingdom and just live for your flesh right now

I Peter 5:8 — Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

° He will gladly let you build with all of the wood, hay, and stuble you desire; he will even start providing the building materials
° Building on the foundation of Jesus also take humility
° You do not try to manufacture works of the Spirit and bring them before people for show

See →I Peter 5:5-7

° God knows your work and He will exalt you at the right time for it
° Do not try to bring your works before kings on your own accord

Proverbs 25:6 — Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men.

° The Pharisees were constantly manufacturing works for The Lord

Matthew 23:13 — But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Matthew 23:14 — Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

° They tried to put on a good outward appearance
° They were more concerned about the world's perception of them, than God's perception of them
° They wanted to look and appear righteous in all they did...but in reality they were unclean in the eyes of The Lord

° You must clean the inner man first!

Matthew 23:25 — Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Matthew 23:26 — Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

° Once you purify the inside, the heart of the matter, then you are a vessel fit for service

II Timothy 2:20 — But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
II Timothy 2:21 — If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

° Jesus does not miss anything you do for His Kingdom
° He even opens the seven letters to the seven churches with that encouragement!

See →Revelation 2:1-3

° Jesus will be the judge at the end of it all
° We are in warfare right now, and God takes it very serioius

See →I Timothy 1:18-20

° It is possible for a believer to have the wrong theology and doctrine and for their walk to run shipwreck; to be stuck in the mud so to speak
° God takes this so seriously that these two were delivered to and unprotected from Satan...that is not building on a good foundation
° Do not run in vain and be a castaway! You must build according to God's standards and direction!

See →I Corinthians 9:24-27

° Your work should reflect that you are growing and becomingmore spiritually mature
° Jesus again in Revelation 3 is pleading with us to hold onto our growth, what we have sown, stay steadfast, press on, all so that we do not lose our crown...

Revelation 3:11 — Behold, I come quickly: hold fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

° Think about the prodigal son...
° He never lost his sonship, but he did lose his inheritance
° He was not steadfast; he did not guard his walk and stay fruitful
° In all that we do, we want to be well pleasing to The Lord

II Corinthians 5:9 — Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

° For God to accept your service it must be according to His Word
° Look at Paul's motive by The Holy Spirit (be mindful, be pleasing to God, and press on so Jesus can give you this crown!)

II Timothy 4:7 — I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
II Timothy 4:8 — Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

° This crown is for anyone that loves the rapture! No wonder satan does not want the church to understand the promise of the rapture!
° AS a believer you want to be pleasing to The Lord (that should be a no-brainer!)
° This is modeled in your own families, if you have children
° Sometimes your children are well pleasing to you and sometimes they are not pleasing and going against you
° Over and Over again God wants us to remain steadfast
° By remaining steadfast and not wavering on your commitment to God, you will receive a full reward from our Lord!

II John 1:8 — Look to yourselves, that we lose not those thing which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

° Notice also that you must look, assess, and/or evaluate yourself so you can make corrections as needed (allow the Holy Spirit to refine you)
° God takes this entire issue very serious, so serious in fact there is a portion in the Kingdom specifically assigned for hypocrites who have abused other believers

See →Matthew 24:45-51

° What the Lord has for every one of us is different

Your Birthright

Why do we have a right to eternal inheritance & rewards?

° Presuppositions can be dangerous when studying the Word of God
° We must have all readiness of mind when studying the Bible

Acts 17:11 — These were more noble than those in Thessaloica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

° For example, one logical question from last week was about Jesus discussing the portion for they hypocrites in the Kingdom

Matthew 24:51 — And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

° The implication is that there is an area of lesser glory or prestige, it does not mean that there are slums in heaven for example. ° One of the most important aspects of a Christian's walk is stewardship

Exodus 20:7 — Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD they God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

° Your stewardship will dictate how much more The Lord can trust you
° Jesus died to give you a choice in salvation and a choice in living for Him
° God cannot usurp your free will, if He was totally in control of you, you would have been saved long beforehand
° Instead, He keeps your free will intact, and invites you into salvation and a deeper relationship with Him; the only one in control of you is you
° Once you yield to Him, then you become born again; He will accomplish His will ultimately, but it is your choice on the level of your participation

Esther 4:14 — For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

° You have a brithright to eternal inheritance and rewards once you become born again, not at your natural birth, but at your spiritual birth

See →John 3:1-6

John 3:5 — Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3:6 — Jesus answered, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

° Your second birth is eternal; you can be born twice and die once, or you can be born once and die twice (Again, it is your choice)

I Peter 1:23 — Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

° Satan was Jesus' personal angel and was given everything in the beginning (Ezekiel 28 & Isaiah 14); However, he lost it all in rebellion
° Our journey as Christians require sacrifice now, to receive it all later
° Satan wants to lie and deceive you to receive it all now, and have nothing later
° Sacrifice is always required to receive something great later (education, professional growth, promotions, raising children, etc.)

Proverbs 13:11 — Wealth gotten by vanity shall be deminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

Proverbs 20:21 — An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed.

° We have the right to eternal inheritance and reward because of Jesus

See →Hebrew 1:1-4

° Jesus is fully man and fully God; His humanity obtained the full inheritance

See →Hebrew 1:5-14

° Sōtēria — future salvation, the sum of benefits and blessing which the Christians, redeemed from all eternity ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God.

Hebrews 2:10 — For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

° The word for "captain" here in the Greek is "archēgos" and means the chief leader, prince, of Christ, one that takes the lead in any thing and thus affords an example, a predecessor in a matter, pioneer, or the autho; and the word "salvation" is the future tense of salvation "glorification" with the Greek word "sōtēria"
° The word for captain is used in three other places in the New Testament

Acts 3:15 — And killed the Prince of Life whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Acts 5:31 — Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 12:2 — Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

° The inheritance language is used with Jesus also in Psalm 2

See →Psalm 2

° Since Jesus was fully obedient in His humanity, He set the precedence and model for us to follow
° After His resurrection He makes this declaration, this is after He was fully obedient in His humanity to death

See →Matthew 28:18-20

° Jesus took on the form of a servant willingly!

Isaiah 50:10 — Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.

See →Philippians 2:5-8

See →Hebrew 6:9-12

° There are a lot of unconditional promises made by God in the Bible that are still yet to be fulfilled;
° The land grant to Israel is one key example

Genesis 15:18 — In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

° This has not been fulfilled but will be in the future
° His people are still faithfully waiting to "inherit the promises," so they are the examples for us the church!

Hebrews 11:9 — By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Hebrews 11:10 — For he looked for a city which hath foundation, whose builder and maker is God.

See →Hebrews 12:12-17

Time to Serve

When Can We Start Earning Rewards?

See →Matthew 20:1-16

See →Luke 19:11-271

° Presuppositions can be dangerous when studying the Word of God
° We must have all readiness of mind when studying the Bible

Acts 17:11 — These were more noble than those in Thessaloica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

° For example, one logical question from last week was about Jesus discussing the portion for the hypocrites in the Kingdom

Matthew 24:45 — Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Matthew 24:51 — And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

° There are different reasons for gnashing of teeth

Matthew 13:42 — And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

° In Matthew 13:42, those not counted as a child of the kingdom are cast into the fiery furnace at end of this world.
° One of the most important aspects of a Christian's walk is stewardship
Exodus 20:7 — Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD they God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

° Your stewardship will dictate how much more The Lord can trust you
° Jesus died to give you a choice in salvation and a choice in living for Him
° God cannot usurp your free will, if He was totally in control of you, you would have been saved long beforehand
° Instead, He keeps your free will intact, and invites you into salvation and a deeper relationship with Him; the only one in control of you is you
° Once you yield to Him, then you become born again; He will accomplish His will ultimately, but it is your choice on the level of your participation

Esther 4:14 — For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

° The opportunity and time to serve in our current lives is somewhat limited
° When you are born again, you then receive a deposit, and then you enter into the field of service for the Master
° We are primary going to look at two parables from Jesus covering this topic
° The Parable of Money usage:

See →Luke 19:11-272

° The Laborers in the Vineyard

See →Matthew 20:1-16

° Every believer has the opportunity to earn an inheritance from the King
° Every believer has the same deposit from the King, which is The Holy Spirit and The Word of God
° You have an earnest deposit from the Lord:

See →Ephesians 1:7-14

° God has made a deposit in you, and He will redeem that deposit
° What you do as a steward of that deposit will determine your partaking of an eternal inheritance
° The Parable of money/talents and usage (Luke 19:11-27)

See →Luke 19:11-273

° The deposit is the same
° The level of inheritance is equal to the the level of multiplication and usage of the deposit
° Three examples are given, but likely many different possibilities
° What are you doing with the deposit The Lord has made in your life?

The Crowns

Five Listed in the New Testament

° As we review the crowns listed in the New Testament, please keep in mind what God's Word says and what it does not say
° We, as the church, have the privileged opportunity to rule and reign with Christ

Romans 8:17 — And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

° "IF" we suffer with him is in that verse, but it does not say that is the oly way to be a joint-heir with Him, but is one way
° There are five crowns listed in the New Testament
  1. Crown Imperishable
    • Mastery over the sin nature and not falling into old desires
    • I Corinthians 9:25
      • And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

      • ° The Incoruptible Crown (Crown Imperishable)

        See →I Corinthians 9:24-27

        ° If you are contending with the dangers of this world, and with sin, but you are able to maintain righteous conduct by abstaining from fleshly desires, then this crown if for you
  2. Crown of Rejoicing
    • Encouraging and pushing people toward righteousness
    • I Thessalonians 2:19
      • For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
        See →I Thessalonians 2:17-20

        ° Discipling others yield great rewards for The Kingdom

        Matthew 28:19 — Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

        ° A disciple simply means "a learner"
        ° Looking earlier in I Thessalonians we get more clarity on this crown

        I Thessalonians 2:4 — But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

        I Thessalonians 2:11 — As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

        ° The Crown of Rejoicing is for teaching and pushing people toward righteousness
        ° It is not dependent upon their response to you putting yourself out there
        ° If you want to achieve this crown, lean in encourage and teach others how to live righteously, to be delivered out of bondage, to walk in freedom, and grown in the ways of The Lord
        ° Noah was a preacher of righteousness

        II Peter 2:5 — And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

        ° How many people responded to Noah's obedience? Only 8 people

        Genesis 7:13 — In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;

        Jeremiah 7:27 — Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.

  3. Crown of Righteousness
    • Looking toward the Rapture
    • II Timothy 4:8
      • ° Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Love here is agapaō in Greek, which mean, You desire to see Jesus more than anything on this earth.

        See →II Timothy 4:1-8

        ° Looking for the rapture, and meeting Jesus in the clouds to forever be with The Lord, produced righteousness in Paul's life (it should do the same for you)
        ° It produces righteousness because at any moment you will be 'caught up' to the Day of Christ

  4. Crown of Life
    • Endure new temptations from the enemy
    • James 1:12
      • Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

        Love here is agapaō in Greek, which mean, You love Jesus with all your being.

        See →James 1:12-15

        ° The Crown of Life is also promised by Jesus to the church of Smyrna

    • Revelation 2:10
      • For none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give the a crown of life.

        See →Revelation 2:8-11

  5. Crown of Glory
    • Willing to serve in God's church without lording over His people for personal gain
    • I Peter 5:4
      • And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

        See →I Peter 5:1-4

The Seven Letters and the Seven Churches

Overcomer Rewards and Application

° Looking at the rewards to the overcomer from the book of Revelation
° The seven churches were in Asia Minor (Mondern day Turkey)

Map of Seven Churches

° The order of the churches follows an ancient Roman mail route
° But there is a deeper application
° Why would Jesus choose these seven?
° The New Testament is full of churches
° So why these specific churches?
° The name of the church has an application to the letter
° Jesus uses one of His titles from Chapter 1 in each letter, thus these seven churches literally make up the body of Christ
° Each of the seven letters has four levels of application:
° Locally (to a real church that was in existence in that day)
° Jesus chose these seven because they profile the history of His church in advance
° Walking through each of the seven letters pay attention to where Jesus writes the promise to the overcomer, and where He writes the closing phrase...
° "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
° Some of the letters will have the promise to the overcomer as a post script
° However, some of the letters will have the promise to the overcome in the body of the letter; It is almost as-if Jesus knows who will accept the challenge now and who will later...
° Who is the overcomer? (nikaō in the Greek simply means "to conquer")
° This word is used nine times in the New Testament outside of the book of Revelation

Versus with "Overcome"

° For each of the seven letters there is a specific obstacle that these believers must overcome, there is a certain trial in front of them that must be conquered!

Rewards for the overcomer in the book of Revelation...
Reward Verse Church
1. To eat of the Tree of Life (Revelation 2:7) Ephesus
2. Not hurt of the 2nd Death (Revelation 2:11) Smyrna
3. Hidden Manna, white stone, new name (Revelation 2:17) Pergamos
4. Power over the Nations (Revelation 2:26) Thyatira
5. The Morning Star (Revelation 2:28) Thyatira
6. White raiment (Revelation 3:5) Sardis
7. Pillar, New Name (Revelation 3:12) Philadelphia
8. Sit with Christ on His throne (Revelation 3:21) Laodicea
9. Inherit all Things (Revelation 21:7) -

Application to all churches:
Church Application
1. Ephesus Devotion, not just doctrine
2. Smyrna Endure persecution
3. Pergamos Stand fast againt the world
4. Thyatira Abandon pagan practices
5. Sardis Watchfulness & diligence
6. Philadelphia Missionary outreach
7. Laodicea Beware of prosperous compromise

Application to us personally:
Church Application
1. Ephesus Keep priorities in line
2. Smyrna Withstand Satanic opposition
3. Pergamos Avoid worldly compromise
4. Thyatira Flee pagan practices
5. Sardis Stand watchful & diligent
6. Philadelphia Be a loyal ambassador
7. Laodicea Repent & commit

° The seven letters line up to the seven kingdom parables in Matthew 13

Matthew 13:35 — That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

° What was hidden from the foundation of the world? See →Ephesians 3:3-10

The 7 Letters and the 7 Kingdom Parables in Matthew 13:
Church KIngdom Parables
1. Ephesus The Sower and Four Soils
2. Smyrna The Tares and the Wheat
3. Pergamos The Mustard Seed
4. Thyatira The Woman & the Leaven
5. Sardis The Treasure in the Field
6. Philadelphia The Pearl of Great Price
7. Laodicea Dragnet

The 7 Letters and Paul's 7 Letters to the Churches
Church Paul's Church Letter
1. Ephesus Ephesians
2. Smyrna Philippians
3. Pergamos Corinthians
4. Thyatira Galatians
5. Sardis Romans
6. Philadelphia Thessalonians
7. Laodicea Colossians


The Tree of Life

Access Restored

Church of Ephesus
° The city of Ephesus had a plethora of the most proficient orators and speakers in the world
° It contained many beautiful buildings
° It was world famous for its large temple to the pagan goddess Diana

Buildings in Ephesus

° In the New Testament, Diana's name is a translation of the Greek word Artemis
° The city was known for building the largest outdoor theatre in the world that was capable of seating 50,000 people
° For many years Ephesus was the largest city in the Roman Empire next to Rome with a population of more than a quarter million people
° The name Ephesus means desirable, desired one, or darling

Revelation 2:1 — Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

° These letters are written to the angel over these churches as well
° Here we have the title of Jesus in the letter... "he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;"
° Remember the seven golden lampstands in Revelation 1 are on the earth and in Revelation 4 and Revelation 5 are in heaven after the rapture
° God tells you in Revelation 1 that they represent the seven churches as well

° Looking more into the letter to the Church of Ephesus.

See →Revelation 2:2-7

° A lot of ancient cultures have their pagan twists on the tree of life, but clearly it is vital to God's program and for His people before the fall and then again after resurrection.

° The future purpose of the tree of life is documented in Ezekiel...

Ezekiel 47-12 — And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

° The tree of life is in the midst of the paradise of God, so to have access to that tree for eternity would also mean close proximity to The Lord
° God details this further in Revelation 22

Revelation 22:1 — AND he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Revelation 22:2 — In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

° If you overcome the issue of losing your first love and not prioritizing Jesus in your life, then you get to eat of this tree
° Notice that there are twelve manner of fruit, and the leaves of the tree are for healing of the nations
° Does this mean that we also have access to these leaves, and get to participate in going out to minister and heal the nations?
° What does it look like today to prioritize Jesus?
° The enemy wants us to simply go through the motions and focus on doctrine over devotion to our king
° There are plenty of distractions in this life but we must stay fervent for our King and serving Him
° Nothing else can take priority over Him!

Mark 10:29 — And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
Mark 10:30 — But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

The Second Death

Suffering Well

Church of Smyrna
° Smyrna is the Greek word smyrnaios
° Comes from the root word Mur (Myrrh)
° It is a bitter gummy substance that was used to make an expensive perfume; it is produced from the Commiphora tree in the middle east/Arabian region
° In Arabic it means "bitter"
° Myrrh is used in Psalms 45:8 for perfume

Psalms 45:8 — All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

° Used in Exodus 30:23 for priestly anointing oil

Exodus 30:23 — Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels.

° Myrrh is used to purify brides in Esther 2:12

Esther 2:12 — Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purification accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six month with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)

° Myrrh should be appropriated to the bride in Song of Solomon 5:5

Song of Solomon 5:5 — I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

° This is interesting because how should Jesus' bride be purified? Myrrh does not release its aroma, or its benefits, until it is crushed

Matthew 16:25 — For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

° If you will lose your life, give it to The Lord, be a LIVING SACRIFICE, suffer well, allow yourself to be crushed... there is a great reward waiting for you

Matthew 19:29 — 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.

° At His birth Jesus is presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh; Gold for His kingship, frankincense for His priesthood, and myrrh prophesying His death (again, it only releases its aroma when crushed!)

Matthew 2:11 — And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

° In the millennium Jesus is oly brought gold and frankincense because His death is behind Him

Isaiah 60:6 — The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.

° Jesus refused Myrrh on the cross, but it is used to embalm Jesus

Mark 15:23 — And they gave him to drink wine mingle with myrhh: but he received it not.

John 19:39 — And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrhh and aloes about an hundred pound weight.

° Death is all through here; The name of the church & the title of Jesus in the letter

See →Revelation 2:8-10

° It is interesting that even the promise to the overcomer speaks of death
° If you have accepted Christ, you are born again, and you have no part in the "second death" that occurs at the end of the millennium

Revelation 2:11 — He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Revelation 20:6 — Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power. but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

° We see at the end of the millennium that the books are opened
° Every person that did not accept Christ is judged

See →Revelation 20:12-15

° First death seperates the soul and spirit from the body
° If you have to endure the second death it separates your spirit and you are forever banished into a place that was made originally for satan and the fallen angels
° Jude speaks of those who are "twice dead"
° You are a triune being, created in the image of God

I Thessalonians 5:23 — And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

° The soul is self-consciousness, our personality, our emotions, and our will
° The spirit of God centered and the piece of you that is eternal
° The application to all of us and all churches
° Endure persecution and withstand satanic opposition
° When we enter those turbulent times, we are to count it joy

See →James 1:2-4

Hidden Mana & A White Stone

Dining on The Lord's Food with Greater Access

Church of Pergamous
° Pergamos in the Greek has two roots
° Per = mixed, objectionable, or perverted
° Gamos = marriage
° Thus, the church literally is a perverted marriage

Revelation 2:12 — And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

° The letter is literally to the church of the objectional or perverted marriage
° Why would Jesus use this title of Himself in this letter? We will see next that this is where satan's throne is located
° What is our offensive weapon in spiritual warfare?

Ephesians 6:17 — And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Hebrews 4:12 — For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Revelation 2:12 — And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

° The Greek word here for "sword" is romphaia which was a long Thracian javelin, also a kind of long sword typically worn on the right shoulder
° It is different than the sword from Hebrews 4:12 which in the Greek is a machaira meaning a large knife or a short sword
° In either case it is a weapon of warfare
° One is a more surgical approach, and one is for broad attacks that take out wide parts of the enemy or in our application one who needs correction
° The Word of God is His weapon and is our weapon
° The same weapon Jesus uses in Armageddon we have available today

God's Word:

° He holds it above His very name

Psalms 138:2 — I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

° God's Word is pure and to strengthen your daily defense

Proverbs 30:5 — Every word of God is pure: he is a shiled unto them that put their trust in him.

° God's Word is a treasure

Psalms 119:162 — I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.

° God conceals treasure in His Word

Proverbs 25:2 — It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search our a matter.

° God's Word is the only way to build our faith

Hebrews 11:1 — Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 — But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Romans 10:17 — So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

° God's Word framed the very world we live within currently

Hebrew 11:3 — Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

° God's Word was in the beginning

John 1:3 — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Colossians 1:16 — For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians 1:17 — And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Brass Serpent

[Back to Revelation 2:18]


Power Over the Nations

Church of Thyatira
° Thyatira was a colony of Macedonia Greeks
° Situated between Sardis and Pergamos
° Sat on the river Lycus
° The people made their living by traffic and the art of dyeing in purple
° Thyatira means "odour of affliction," it also means "daughter"
° In 301 B.C. Nicator named the city Thyatira after being informed that a daughter had been born to him
° Prior to being named Thyatira the city was named Semiramis
° That name likely carries more weight as to the spiritual conditions of the city
° Pagan religions believed that Nimrod and Semiramis had a son named Tammuz
° They associated him with the false worship of the sun god
° Their false belief was that he died at the winter of solstice around the third week in December, and was resurrected as the days got longer
° In their celebration of this tradition they would burn a yule log and replace it with a trimmed and decorated tree

See → Jeremiah 10:1-5

See → Revelation 2:18-28

White Raiment

Church of Sardis
° Sardis was the capital of Lydia and was the cultural center of Asia Minor
° It was destroyed by Tamerlane in 1402 and the ruins stand as an example of urban areas that forsake The Lord for prolonged periods of time

Buildings in Sardis Buildings in Sardis

Buildings in Sardis Buildings in Sardis

See → Revelation 3:1-6

A Five-Fold Reward

Church of Philadelphia