{"id":18432,"date":"2018-04-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-01T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/daniel-057-resurrected-unto-reward\/"},"modified":"2018-04-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-04-01T05:00:00","slug":"daniel-057-resurrected-unto-reward","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/daniel-057-resurrected-unto-reward\/","title":{"rendered":"Daniel 057 – Resurrected Unto Reward"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[72],"series_event":[467],"sermon_service_type":[472],"speaker":[6],"class_list":["post-18432","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-daniel","series_event-daniel","sermon_service_type-main-service","speaker-dr-andy-woods","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"Daniel 057 - Resurrected Unto Reward","sermon_date":"20180401","sermon_month":"4","sermon_year":"2018","sermon_notes":5639,"sermon_slides":5640,"sermon_mp3":5642,"sermon_id":"4118914346","series_or_event":467,"service_type":[472],"speaker":6,"books_of_the_bible":72,"chapter_and_verse":"12:3","sermon_transcript":"Andy Woods\n\nResurrected Unto Reward\n\n4-1-18\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Daniel 12:3\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lesson 57\n\nGood morning everybody.\u00a0 If we could take our Bibles and open them to the Book of Daniel, chapter 12, taking a look this morning at verse 3.\u00a0 The title of our message this morning is Resurrection Unto Reward.\u00a0 There should be, if you haven\u2019t gotten one already, a free copy of a book I wrote recently called Ever Reforming, on the name tag table.\u00a0 It\u2019s just kind of taking a Sunday School class I did recently here on the Protestant Reformation and making that available in book form.\u00a0 And we kind of did that as an Easter gift for you, something else to put in the basket I guess. And if you didn\u2019t get one we will have some available next week as well.\u00a0 We are sort of asking that it\u2019s one for family, if you don\u2019t mind.\u00a0 You say wait a minute, my brother-in-law lives in another part of the city.\u00a0 Okay, one per domicile.\n\nAnd we are in the Book of Daniel.\u00a0 You say you\u2019re not going to preach on Daniel on Resurrection Sunday are you?\u00a0\u00a0 Is this an April Fool\u2019s joke of some kind?\u00a0 Well, you\u2019re going to see today, it\u2019s interesting how the Lord has us in this passage and it deals directly with what we\u2019re celebrating this morning, the resurrected Christ.\u00a0\u00a0 Daniel, if you\u2019re tracking with us for the very first time, is receiving revelation back in the sixth century B.C.\u00a0 He receives this revelation under great spiritual warfare but finally in chapter 11 the information is given and he has an amazing prophecy that really starts from Daniel\u2019s time period; it goes all the way into the future time period that is yet future from ours, as he begins to see information about the antichrist who is yet future and then the coming tribulation period and millennial kingdom.\n\nSo we find ourselves in chapter 12 and we have a description of the end times, verses 1-4.\u00a0 Then we have verses 5-13, the duration of the end times.\u00a0 And we are still sort of working our way through the description of the end times.\u00a0 Verse 1 is a time period of unparalleled suffering for the nation of Israel yet future.\u00a0 You can sort of put the Book of Revelation there into verse 1.\u00a0 Verse 1 is sort of the summary statement, the Book of Revelation adds the details.\n\nAnd we move from the suffering to the separation and here is where you get the most graphic depiction of resurrection, probably found anywhere in the entire Old Testament.\u00a0 Verse 2, which we read earlier, says this in terms of a prediction: \u201cMany of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.\u201d\u00a0 And I am always amazed at how the Lord, when we just move through His Word, has us in the right sections of the Bible at the right time.\u00a0 For example, I don\u2019t know if you caught it this week, based on some of the news reports that I read, the Pope denied the reality of hell.\u00a0 Did you all see that?\u00a0 Basically arguing that a person is annihilated if they\u2019re an\u00a0 unbeliever and this idea of eternal damnation, eternal retribution, don\u2019t worry about that.\u00a0 And it\u2019s interesting that all last sermon we covered that issue, didn\u2019t we?\u00a0\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because we were out there to contradict the Pope?\u00a0 We didn\u2019t know the Pope was going to say that.\u00a0 No, because we\u2019re moving through the Word of God.\n\nAnd here we are, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ (\u201ccoincidentally\u201d) in parenthesis, or quotation marks, in verse 2 and verse 3 which describes two great resurrections, a resurrection unto life for the believer and a resurrection unto damnation for the unbeliever.\u00a0 We, in our prior sermon, talked about what a resurrection is.\u00a0 It\u2019s a time period when your soul is placed into a glorified body for the Christian.\u00a0 Those two separate at death but those two are reunited in resurrection.\u00a0 And that is our future as God\u2019s people and had it not been for the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, the firstfruits of things to come, this future destiny of ours could not be a possibility.\n\nAnd we looked very carefully last time at 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 which indicates Paul used language like \u201cfirstfruits\u201d and also \u201ceach in his own order\u201d to describe the resurrection program.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, \u201cBut now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. [21] For since by a man came<\/em> death, by a man also came<\/em> the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. [23] But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ\u2019s at His coming.\u201d]\n\nBasically what we did is we saw that these two resurrections, one for the believer, one for the unbeliever, you can take the one for the believer and you can divide it into three parts.\u00a0 Christ\u2019s resurrection being the firstfruits.\u00a0 What does that mean exactly?\u00a0 His resurrection guarantees everyone else\u2019s resurrection in the chain.\u00a0 And I think this is the part of teaching on Resurrection Sunday that most people aren\u2019t getting at most churches.\u00a0 We have a tendency to promote the resurrection of Jesus as proof that He is, in fact, God, and He is!\u00a0 It proves that He is who He claimed to be but resurrection is much more than that because what it does is it gives us hope for the future.\n\nWe have absolute confidence, as God\u2019s people, that we too one day will receive a resurrected body.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because Jesus rose from the dead.\u00a0 We are going to receive our resurrected bodies at the point of the rapture.\u00a0 Non church age saints will receive their resurrected bodies at the beginning of the millennial kingdom.\u00a0 And then a thousand years will pass and then there will be a horrific resurrection of all unsaved people where they stand before the Lord at the Great White Throne Judgment and as their name is not found written in the Lamb\u2019s Book of Life they will be thrown into the lake of fire in resurrected bodies.\u00a0 Wow, that\u2019s the whole teaching of God\u2019s Word on this subject.\u00a0 And had it not been for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate this morning, His bodily resurrection, there is no hope for the others in the chain, including myself, including all of us, all people throughout history.\n\nAnd what we\u2019re moving into now is no longer talking about the separation but the shining.\u00a0 What\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 is the first thing that you can expect to experience from God the moment you are placed in your resurrected body?\u00a0 Have you ever asked yourself that?\u00a0 I mean, this resurrection is very physical, it\u2019s very real, therefore Christ\u2019s resurrection is just the same as my resurrection yet future.\u00a0 We talk about it being a physical event, we talk about it being a real event but what do we experience exactly?\u00a0 Well verse 3, in the shining gives us the very first thing we can anticipate.\n\nNotice, if you will, as we move away from verse 2 into verse 3, notice what it says: \u201cThose who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s interesting that when you look here at verse 3 it talks about people \u201cshining brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven.\u201d\u00a0 People \u201cshining brightly\u201d like the stars forever and ever.\u00a0 And yet when you look at this verse very carefully it doesn\u2019t indicate that everyone will shine that way.\u00a0 It\u2019s very clear, it says, \u201cThose who have insight will shine\u201d that way.\u00a0 Not everyone has insight.\u00a0 It says, \u201cthose who lead the many to righteousness\u201d will shine that way.\u00a0 Not everybody led \u201cthe many to righteousness.\u201d\u00a0 And what you find being introduced here is not just the concept of resurrection, verse 2, but it is the concept of what the child of God can anticipate immediately following their resurrection.\u00a0 It\u2019s not just resurrection, it\u2019s rewards.\n\nAnd here is the way that it works: all children of God, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, will be resurrected but only some will be rewarded.\u00a0 Resurrection is for all, reward is for some. And you say well why does God make a distinction in that way?\u00a0 It\u2019s very simple, some believers have been faithful in their lives to God, others have not.\u00a0 And so immediately following resurrection there will be parceled out rewards, some receive rewards, others do not.\u00a0 Some shine brightly, others do not.\n\nNow when we apply this concept to the age of the church, sort of backing up and factoring in some things that we studied last week, what we discover is we, as members of God\u2019s church, the body of Christ, anyone who has trusted in Christ since the day of Pentecost to the present, receive their resurrected bodies at the point of the rapture.\u00a0 And we went into a lot of detail last week explaining that, explaining why that resurrection is yet future, explaining that where are the souls, what do they do until they receive those resurrected bodies, and I\u2019m not going to repeat all of that, I would encourage you to listen to last week\u2019s sermon to get all of that information.\n\nMy simple point this morning is you can anticipate receiving your resurrected body at the point of\u00a0 the rapture. If you die before the rapture then your soul will descend and as it descends it receives its resurrected body.\u00a0 If we are fortunate enough to be the generation that experiences the rapture we\u00a0 will receive our resurrected body right then and there as we are transformed from mortality to immortality.\u00a0 This is part of what I like to call the grace package for the child of God, the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ all of it would be an impossibility had Jesus not done what He did two thousand years ago on the cross and had He not did what He has accomplished victoriously through His resurrection from the grave three days later.\n\nThat\u2019s why Paul calls Jesus the \u201cfirstfruits.\u201d\u00a0 The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a lot more than simply proving that He\u2019s God.\u00a0 That all is true and we preach that and teach that and argue that\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and believe that but it adds another dimension to the life of the child of God, the issue of hope.\u00a0 The issue how we, in a decaying body, and you are decaying, you know that don\u2019t you?\u00a0 There are some people, they call themselves the beautiful people, and they sort of think like they\u2019re not decaying.\u00a0 The reality is the beautiful people are decaying, they\u2019re just decaying at a slower rate than the rest\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 of us; it just hasn\u2019t caught up yet.\n\nBut because of original sin, \u201cfrom dust you are to dust you will return\u201d we are in decaying bodies.\u00a0 How do you live in a fallen world in such a hopeless condition?\u00a0 You live based on an\u00a0 understand\u00ading of the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus which guarantees everyone else\u2019s resurrection in the chain.\u00a0 But when that resurrection happens, which will be for the believer at the rapture of the church, what can you expect to happen?\u00a0 Well, Daniel has given us the pattern, hasn\u2019t he?\u00a0 First comes resurrection, verse 2, then comes reward for some, verse 3.\n\nSo using that as a model, using that as a template what I\u2019d like to talk you through this morning, on Easter Sunday, is what is this future state of rewards all about.\u00a0 In fact, your Bible is very clear that\u00a0 as resurrected children of God we will stand before the Lord in heaven at what is called the Bema Seat Judgment of Christ.\u00a0 What is that all about?\u00a0 When will it occur?\u00a0 Who is involved?\u00a0 Why is it happening?\u00a0 What can it be analogized to?\u00a0 How will the judgment take place?\u00a0 So to help us with this the very next event that we experience following our resurrection and the judgment seat of Christ is we\u2019re going to try to, this morning as the Holy Spirit enables, ask and answer these six questions about not just our future resurrection but the future state of rewards, because Daniel has given us the blueprint, resurrection--verse 2, rewards--verse 3.\u00a0 How does that work for me?\u00a0 How does that work for you?\n\nSo notice first of all the first question\u2014when?\u00a0 When is this future judgment of rewards going to transpire?\u00a0 You have an answer to that in 1 Corinthians 4:5.\u00a0 It says this, \u201cTherefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man will receive praise which will come to him from God.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Notice it mentions judgment for the Christian, and then it connects that judgment to the coming of the Lord.\u00a0 The judgment is the very next thing that takes place when you receive your resurrected body at the coming of the Lord, at the point of\u00a0\u00a0 the rapture.\n\nYou\u2019ll notice 2 Timothy 4:8 connects the dots in the same way.\u00a0 [2 Timothy 4:8, \u201cIn the future there\u00a0is laid up for me\u00a0the crown<\/u> of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on\u00a0that day<\/u>; and not only to me, but also to\u00a0all who have loved His\u00a0appearing<\/u>.\u201d]\u00a0\u00a0 It talks about a crown that Paul will receive for his faithfulness; it\u2019s going to be rewarded \u201con that day.\u201d\u00a0 What day?\u00a0 At \u201cHis appearing.\u201d\u00a0 This is the future for the child or God.\u00a0 And this is why when the church, who has been with the Lord for at least seven years following the rapture, returns with the Lord back to the earth, she is portrayed as already rewarded.\n\nRevelation 19:8 says, \u201cIt was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.\u201d \u00a0Here comes the bride who is now the wife of the Lamb returning with Jesus Christ to the earth in splendor and glory fully rewarded.\u00a0 When did this reward take place?\u00a0 The only place\u00a0 you can fit it chronologically is some point between the rapture, which took us into heaven, and our return with the Lord to the earth seven years later.\u00a0 So the answer to the when question, when is this judgment of rewards going to take place, it is number one, going to take place immediately following the rapture of the church.\n\nWhich takes us to a second question, where is this going to happen?\u00a0 I mean, we talk about a resurrection, we talk about a judgment of rewards, where is this judgment going to take place exactly?\u00a0 Well notice, if\u00a0 you will, 1 Thessalonians 4 which describes the rapture, and verse 17.\u00a0 It says this: \u201cThen we who are alive and remain will be\u201d what? \u201ccaught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord\u201d where? \u201cin the air,\u201d not on the earth at all, \u201cand so we shall always be with the Lord.\u201d\u00a0 We will be where He is.\n\nSo what has happened is He has not come back fully to the earth, He apparently has descended to some extent but we are caught up; His feet actually never touch planet earth at the point of the rapture, we\u2019re caught up in the air and since our future judgment is always connected with the coming of the Lord for His church and He comes for His church at the point of the rapture and the rapture is a heavenly event, we can expect this judgment to transpire immediately after the rapture in heaven.\u00a0 See, this is your future if you don\u2019t know what your future is you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re going in the present.\u00a0 This is not some opinion that I have, this is the teaching of the Word of God; resurrection is yet future for us and immediately following resurrection is the state of rewards (which we\u2019ll explain in just a minute) in heaven.\n\nNumber one, when does the judgment happen?\u00a0 At the point of the rapture, immediately following.\u00a0 Number two, where does this judgment happen?\u00a0 It happens in heaven.\u00a0 This is the first thing we experience in resurrected bodies, which takes us to the third basic journalistic question, who exactly is going to be judged at this judgment of rewards, this resurrection unto rewards that we\u2019re talking about.\u00a0 Daniel has revealed for Israel a resurrection, verse 2, then rewards.\u00a0 How does that work for the child of God?\u00a0 Who is involved in this?\u00a0 And the answer to that is all church age believers.\u00a0 Anyone who has placed their personal faith in Christ from the day of Pentecost until the rapture of the church is going to be part of this group and they are the ones that will experience this judgment.\n\n2 Corinthians 5:10 is very clear, it says, \u201cFor we must\u201d not might, not could, maybe this will happen maybe it won\u2019t, the probability 80\/20, it doesn\u2019t say anything like that, it says \u201cwe must\u201d what? \u201call appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that\u201d what? \u201ceach one may be recompensed for his deeds in the\u201d what?\u00a0 \u201cbody, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.\u201d\u00a0 The answer to the who question is all church age believers.\u00a0 Paul, in the Book of Romans says virtually the same thing.\u00a0 Romans 14:10, \u201c\u2026For we will\u201d not might, \u201call stand before the judgment seat of God\u201d\u00a0 so that each one of us may give an account of himself to God.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 See, we talk about resurrection, we talk about what Jesus did, what I\u2019m talking about here is what are we going to experience when we receive that inherited resurrected body?\u00a0 What is the game plan?\u00a0 What is the blueprint?\u00a0 And why does it matter?\n\nThe game plan, the blueprint, the end game as far as God is concerned is resurrection happens first, just like with Israel, then rewards. That\u2019s God\u2019s pattern for Israel; that\u2019s God\u2019s pattern for the church.\u00a0 It\u2019s interesting that we\u2019re not able to opt out of this one.\u00a0 I can\u2019t get a note from my doctor and get some kind of excuse.\u00a0 It\u2019s very clear that we all as Christians must stand before the judgment seat of Christ.\u00a0 And isn\u2019t it interesting how knowledge of a future exam changes the way we live in the present.\u00a0 I\u2019ve shared this example before, when I was going through Dallas Seminary getting my\u2026 what they call a terminal degree, which I never liked that because it made it sound like I had cancer or something, they put you in a room and essentially you\u2019re questioned there for two hours by four professors about your knowledge that you\u2019ve been studying.\u00a0\u00a0 And they could ask you anything. And then they leave the room and determine whether you passed or failed and they come back in and said you passed or failed.\u00a0 I was fortunate where I was happier to get out of there than to get in.\n\nBut it is interesting that all the way through my studies\u00a0 I knew that this judgment was coming, I knew that this examination was coming and let me tell you something, that changed the way I thought as a student, it motivated me.\u00a0 If a professor said something was important I would write it down and make sure I knew it. And my knowledge of the future judgment altered my study habits as a student in the present.\u00a0 You see that?\u00a0 This is what a knowledge of future examinations and future judgments do, when you know that it is in\u00a0 your future and God says it is, immediately following the resurrection, it changes how we think, it changes how we live, it changes our priorities which is the reason that God has disclosed the future to us.\n\nHe has disclosed the future to us not to just fill our minds with more facts but to alter our lifestyles and our priorities as God\u2019s people in the present.\n\nNumber 1, when does this happen?\u00a0 At the point of the rapture.\u00a0 Number 2, where does it happen?\u00a0 In heaven.\u00a0 Number 3, who is judged?\u00a0 All church age believers.\u00a0 Now let me get to the question that you\u2019ve probably all been asking is why?\u00a0 If I am a blood-bought saint, if I am a blood-bought child of God, if God has already taken my sins and thrown them, as Psalm 103 says, and by the way you might want to know that the youth in this church have memorized Psalm 103, did you know that?\u00a0 Just ask my daughter about that, she can sing off the whole Psalm 103 from memory in the form of a song.\u00a0 And one of the clauses in Psalm 103 is \u201cthe LORD has taken our sins and thrown them as far as the\u201d what, \u201ceast is from the west.\u201d\u00a0 [Psalm 103:12, \u201cas far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.\u201d]\n\nIf that has already happened then why do I need to be judged?\u00a0 And I\u2019m glad you asked that question.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to try to answer it.\u00a0 Let me talk about, first of all, what this judgment following our resurrection is not for.\u00a0 What will not happen at this future judgment of rewards following the resurrection?\u00a0 We will, number one, not be judged for sin.\u00a0 Why is that?\u00a0 Because of what Jesus said and we just celebrated it on Good Friday, \u201cTherefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine He said, \u2018It is\u2019\u201d what?\u00a0 99% done?\u00a0 \u201cIt is finished!\u201d and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.\u201d [John 19:30]\u00a0 The soul or spirit and body separated at that point and He died.\u00a0 The King James says \u201cHe gave up the ghost.\u201d\n\nAnd He only died after the final words came out of His mouth, \u201cIt is finished!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Which is all a translation from the Greek word tetelestai<\/em>, which is an accounting term found all over the Greco-Roman world.\u00a0 It literally means paid in full.\u00a0 When somebody\u2019s bill was paid in full a stamp was placed on it saying tetelesta<\/em>i.\u00a0 That\u2019s what Jesus did for us.\u00a0 That\u2019s what the communion service was about as we reflected upon what He did for us.\u00a0 One other quick thing is tetelestai<\/em> there, translated \u201cIt is finished!\u201d is in the perfect tense.\u00a0 You say why does it matter?\u00a0 The perfect tense is a one-time action with ongoing results.\u00a0 This is something that happened once in history with the results reverberating throughout history.\u00a0 The blessings are perpetually ours because of the singular act of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 And if you are \u201cin Christ\u201d by way of faith you can\u2019t be judged for sin because your sin debt has been paid because He said \u201cIt is finished!\u201d\n\nNumber 2, this judgment is NOT to determine salvation; it\u2019s not to determine if someone makes it into heaven or doesn\u2019t make it into heaven.\u00a0 Why is that?\u00a0 Because Christ made you a promise the moment you trusted in Him, \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My Word and believes on Him who sent Me,\u201d which is the only condition that must be satisfied for a lost sinner to receive eternal life.\u00a0 \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My Word and believes on Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death unto life.\u201d\u00a0 \u201c\u2026has eternal life\u201d is in the present tense in Greek.\u00a0 Receiving eternal life is not something you might get down the road, it\u2019s something you have right now, as a child of God the moment you fulfilled the condition of trusting in what Jesus did.\u00a0 It\u2019s a present tense reality.\n\nAnd not only do you presently have eternal life but you have already, at the point of faith, \u201cpassed out of death unto life.\u201d\u00a0 Now \u201cpassed out of death unto life,\u201d what tense is that in?\u00a0 That\u2019s the perfect tense again which means when you trusted in Christ the passing from death unto life is something that already transpired.\u00a0 It\u2019s something that already took place.\u00a0 You\u2019re not gradually passing out of death unto life, it\u2019s not some kind of process, it is a one-time reality, perfect tense.\u00a0 So this judgment of rewards in your resurrected body that you will experience is not to judge sin, it\u2019s not to determine salvation.\u00a0 Well then what is it for?\u00a0 It is essentially to give or not give rewards.\u00a0 This is the pattern that Daniel is speaking of here, resurrection, verse 2, for everyone; verse 3, rewards for some.\n\nNow this is a pretty lengthy chart, isn\u2019t it.\u00a0 I would encourage you to get this off our website; we post all of our power points on our website for all of our sermons.\u00a0 This judgment that I\u2019m talking about is not the sheep and goat judgment, and the judgment for the Jews.\u00a0 Those are judgments upon the earth for tribulation survivors, which we are not a part of, to determine which are believers and which are unbelievers.\u00a0 They\u2019re called the sheep and the goat judgment and the judgment of the Jews.\u00a0 That is NOT the judgment we\u2019re talking about here.\n\nNor is it the judgment on the far right, the Great White Throne Judgment, which is only for the unbeliever.\u00a0 I\u2019m talking about this judgment that we have there embolden and underlined, a judgment of rewards or lack thereof that every church age believer will experience in their resurrected body.\u00a0 It takes place in heaven, it\u2019s after the rapture of the church, it\u2019s either to reward or not reward the church age believer as their works (not them, their works) are taken through a fire which I will explain in just a minute.\n\nAt this particular judgment there will five crowns given or not given.\u00a0 This is not a judgment that banishes people into hell; that\u2019s not its purpose.\u00a0 It is a judgment for crowns or rewards that will either be given or not given.\u00a0 All believers will be in heaven but not all believers will receive a crown.\u00a0 Why is that?\u00a0 Because some have been faithful in the Christian life, others have not.\n\n1 Corinthians 3:15 says this:\u00a0 \u201cIf any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.\u201d\u00a0 You see, I wish I could teach this doctrine that everybody gets a trophy for participation.\u00a0 I mean, isn\u2019t that interesting how our society, as it moves into more of a socialistic, collectivistic model is getting rid of championships, winners and losers, because we\u2019re all equal.\u00a0 So we\u2019re now into these awards we give people just for participating.\u00a0 God is not that way!\u00a0 The benefit for believing in Christ is being in heaven; the crown though is for the faithful believer.\n\n1 John 2:18 says, \u201cNow little children, abide in Him so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him at His coming.\u201d\u00a0 Why in the world would God\u2019s people, they\u2019re called \u201cchildren\u201d there in the verse I just read, \u201cshrink away from\u201d God at His coming?\u00a0 Because they\u2019re embarrassed.\u00a0 They\u2019re happy to be in heaven but their life in Christ has been squandered and so they\u2019re un-rewarded.\u00a0\u00a0 2 John 8 says, \u201cWatch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus, in Revelation 3:11 says, \u201cI am coming quickly, hold fast to what you have so that no one will take your crown.\u201d\n\nYou look at these verses, I have many of them at the very top of the screen, it never gives the impression that all Christians are rewarded.\u00a0 All Christians are resurrected as part of the grace package but not all are rewarded, certainly not all are equally rewarded.\u00a0 God wants us to understand this.\u00a0 This is information that He has given to us about our future.\n\nYou say well, crowns schmowns, I mean, I don\u2019t really care about a crown.\u00a0 Why would I care about a crown?\u00a0 I\u2019ll just be glad to get there.\u00a0 Revelation 4:10 says, of our crowns, that we will cast their crowns before the what?\u00a0 \u201cthe throne.\u201d\u00a0 [Revelation 4:10, \u201cthe twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne,\u201d]\u00a0 What is a crown?\u00a0 It is a capacity to glorify God throughout all eternity in a heightened way that one Christian has and another one doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 That\u2019s why Daniel, when he was describing this reward, talks about the firmament and the brightness following the resurrection but it\u2019s only for those that were wise.\u00a0 If a crown is in\u00a0 your hand and you have some sort of capacity to glorify Jesus\u2026 pay Him back\u2026NO, buy off salvation\u2026 NO, but a capacity to glorify Him for what he\u2019s done for you.\u00a0 One Christian has it, the other one doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 It will be sort of embarrassing, you know, we throw our crowns before His feet, here we all are in heaven taking these crowns that we\u2019ve been given at the Bema Seat Judgment, casting them before His feet and they get to you and there\u2019s nothing in your hands.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that sort of embarrassing?\u00a0 And this is why the Bible wants us to be aware of these crowns following our resurrection.\n\nJohn 12:3 says, \u201cMary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.\u201d\u00a0 And she was so enthralled with being in the grace of God and what Jesus had done for her, the only thing she knew how to was to take what she had of value and to just start pouring it all over Christ.\u00a0 That, in essence, is what a crown enables you to do.\u00a0 This idea that I don\u2019t care about crowns, I mean, I don\u2019t even know if people know what they\u2019re saying when they make statements like that.\u00a0 You ought to care about it for the reasons I\u2019ve explained.\u00a0 You ought to care about it because God has revealed this future judgment to us following resurrection.\n\nSo what are these crowns?\u00a0\u00a0 Number 1, and I have all the Scripture references, you can look up those on your own, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, the crown of incorruptibility given to the believer that gains mastery over the flesh or the sin nature.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a believer that is sinless but sins less under God\u2019s empowerment through progressive sanctification.\u00a0 That believer gets a crown.\u00a0 [1 Corinthians 9:24-27, \u201cDo you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only<\/em> one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. [25] Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it<\/em> to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. [26] Therefore I run in such\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; [27] but I discipline my body\u00a0 and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.\u201d]\n\nCrown number 2 is the crown of rejoicing for the soul winner, 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, \u201cFor who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?\u201d]\u00a0 Are you a soul winner?\u00a0 Are you interested in the lost?\u00a0 Do you get behind missionary programs?\u00a0 Do you evangelize?\u00a0 Do you share your faith?\u00a0 There\u2019s a crown in it for you.\n\nAnd then you have the crown of life, spoken of in James 1:12, Revelation 2:10, for the believer that endures trials. Wow.\u00a0 Anybody in that category?\u00a0 You go through a trial and you accept what God has for you in that trial, you don\u2019t become bitter but you become better through it and God, in the next life following resurrection puts a crown on you for that.\u00a0\u00a0 [James 1:12, \u201cBlessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.\u201d\u00a0 Revelation 2:10, \u201c'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.\u201d]\n\nAnd then you have the crown of glory, 1 Peter 5:2-4, who faithfully shepherd God\u2019s people.\u00a0 And you say well, that\u2019s just for the pastors.\u00a0 No it\u2019s not, it\u2019s for anybody that is guiding, grazing and guarding in any way, whether it\u2019s a mentoring relationship, one on one relationship, guiding the people of God, counselling pastoring, youth pastoring, someone calls you on the phone and says I\u2019ve got a problem, can you help me with this and you don\u2019t dismiss them, you take time to try to guide them through the maize that they\u2019re in as God gives you wisdom. There\u2019s a crown in that for you .\u00a0 And then lastly,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2 Timothy 4:8, there\u2019s a crown of righteousness for longing for His appearing.\n\n[ Peter 5:2-4, \u201cshepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion,\u00a0\u00a0 but voluntarily, according to the will of<\/em> God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; [3] nor\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. [4]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02 Timothy 4:8, \u201cin the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.\u201d]\n\nHave we become so comfortable in the world that we\u2019re no longer looking for eagerness and expectation for the next world.\u00a0 If you\u2019re yearning, maybe today, maybe He\u2019s coming back today, then there\u2019s a crown in it for you.\u00a0 And so this would answer the why question; we\u2019re not dealing here with salvation. We\u2019re not dealing here with health. What we\u2019re dealing with is the giving or not giving of rewards.\u00a0 And they\u2019re all very well described, at least five that I\u2019m aware of, in the New Testament.\u00a0 Now people like to ask different questions, well can you get more than one?\u00a0 Or one guy asked me, could I have a crown and there could be one of each side around my head?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know the answer to that, how am I supposed to answer a question like that?\u00a0 I\u2019m dealing with the Scripture just like you are, the same limited data.\u00a0 And besides that, it\u2019s not the things in the Bible that I don\u2019t understand, those aren\u2019t the things that bother me.\u00a0 The things in the Bible that bother me are the things I do understand, and I understand this much: following resurrection, which will be just as real as Christ\u2019s resurrection, will be a very real judgment of rewards, where we are either rewarded or not rewarded based on faithfulness now.\n\nThis takes us to question number five, do you have some examples of that this future judgment is like?\u00a0 What, from the natural world could we analogize it to?\u00a0 And\u00a0 your New Testament gives you three examples:\u00a0 Number one, an athletic contest.\u00a0 Number two, a stewardship.\u00a0 Number three, a building.\u00a0\u00a0 Let\u2019s take these one by one.\n\nAn athletic contest: notice, if\u00a0 you will, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul says, \u201cDo you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only<\/em> one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. [25] Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it<\/em> to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. [26] Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; [27] but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified,\u201d for the prize.\u00a0 I think Paul was a sport\u2019s fan is what I think, because there was something that took place very near Corinth called the Isthmian Games, a very similar pattern to our modern day Olympics, going back to Greco-Romans times where athletes would compete in great contests and the winners received crowns.\u00a0 And Paul says here\u2019s the difference, their crowns are going to fade; the one you\u2019re going to get, should you get it, will endure forever.\n\nAnd by the way, in those Isthmian games only one person could win a particular athletic contest.\u00a0 Paul says every child of God has the potential of gaining a crown.\u00a0 And it is so sad to watch interpreters misinterpret this and they say when Paul buffets his body (by the way, it\u2019s buf-fet, not buf-fay our bodies.\u00a0 I know we\u2019re getting ready to go out and have a big Easter meal, not to put too much guilt on you, but Paul says \u201cI discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.\u201d\u00a0 And people say well, that\u2019s salvation.\u00a0 How could that be salvation?\u00a0 If that\u2019s salvation Paul would be contradicting everything else he ever taught, which he taught salvation is by faith alone by grace alone in Christ alone.\u00a0 This is not a salvation verse; this is a progressive sanctification verse.\u00a0 This is rewards verse.\n\nAnd so the first illustration that he uses to describe this future judgment of rewards is this athletic contest.\u00a0 The second one he uses is the example of the steward.\u00a0 1 Corinthians 4:2, \u201cIn this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.\u201d\u00a0 What is a steward?\u00a0 A steward is not an owner but a manager.\u00a0 A steward is one who has been given things from God and because they come from God, God one day is going to settle reckoning and He\u2019s going to want to know what you did with what He\u2019s given you.\u00a0 That\u2019s stewardship.\n\nThe third example that he gives is the example of the building.\u00a0 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 says this: \u201cAccording to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. [11] For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, [13] each man\u2019s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be<\/em> revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man\u2019s work. [14] If any man\u2019s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. [15] If any man\u2019s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.\u201d\n\nPaul gives the example of this building to describe this future judgment and rewards and he says here the foundation has already been laid, it\u2019s Jesus Christ.\u00a0 We\u2019re all building, as children of God, on the same foundation, but Paul says be careful how you\u2019re building because some are building with wood, hay and stubble.\u00a0 By the way, what do those all have in common?\u00a0 They\u2019re combustible, flammable.\u00a0 You apply a fire to them and they incinerate and they\u2019re gone.\n\nAnd yet we have the ability to build with gold, silver and costly stones.\u00a0 What do those have in common?\u00a0 They\u2019re not combustible.\u00a0 The only thing a fire can do is to purify them.\u00a0 The wood, hay and stubble would represent things that we do in our life in Christ of a carnal variety, things that glorify ourselves, fleshly pursuits, things we try to do through our own energy, all of that goes into the fire; we\u2019re not in the fire, what we did is in the fire.\u00a0 And the fire is incinerating all of this to such a degree that some people get into heaven and they smell the smoke on their garments.\n\nAnd yet Paul says it need not be this way.\u00a0 You can build with gold, silver and costly stones, things that will survive the fire, things that you do with right motives, things we do under God\u2019s empower\u00adment, and those things go through the fire and they survive the fire and by the time the fire finishes whatever is left is part of your reward.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ll either have it or not,\u00a0 you\u2019ll have some or\u00a0 you\u2019ll have little.\u00a0 But be careful how you\u2019re building.\u00a0 That\u2019s his whole point.\n\nWe do not think enough, as Christians, about the Bema Seat Judgment of Christ.\u00a0 I like what Samuel Hoyt writes, \u201cThe judgment seat of Christ might be compared to a commencement ceremony. At graduation there is some measure of disappointment and remorse that one did not do better and work harder. However, at such an event the overwhelming emotion is joy, not remorse. The graduates do not leave the auditorium weeping because they did not earn better grades. Rather, they are thankful that they have been graduated, and they are grateful for what they did achieve. To overdo the sorrow aspect of the judgment seat of Christ is to make heaven hell. To under do the sorrow aspect is to make faithfulness inconsequential<\/u>\u201d\u00a0 [Samuel Hoyt, \u201cThe Judgment Seat of Christ in Theological Perspective,\u201d Part 2, Bibliotheca Sacra<\/em>, electronic media.\u201d]\n\nI can\u2019t think of a better balance on this subject, because there are some that will turn through this doctrine heaven into hell.\u00a0 There are others that don\u2019t talk about the doctrine at all.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t talk about the doctrine at all you make faithfulness in the Christian life irrelevant.\u00a0 Why be faithful, I\u2019m saved, I\u2019m going to heaven, it doesn\u2019t matter. There are some that will place such an emphasis on this doctrine that they actually teach that perhaps some of your sins are being punished.\u00a0 That\u2019s not the point of it at all.\u00a0 We\u2019ve documented very clearly that this is not a judgment for salvation nor eternal life.\u00a0 But there are some that so underplay this that people have the idea well, I\u2019m going to heaven, it doesn\u2019t matter what I do in the here and now.\u00a0 And so we need today great balance.\n\nThree analogies: an athletic context, a stewardship and a building, which takes us to number six, how exactly are we going to be judged?\u00a0 And I see here four ways.\u00a0 Number 1, we are going to be judged as individuals, what does Paul say in 2 Corinthians 5:10, \u201cFor we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that\u201d what? \u201ceach one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s individualized.\u00a0 I\u2019m not there with my church, I\u2019m not there with my family. If I sing in the worship team and you can praise the Lord that I don\u2019t, I\u2019m not there with the worship team, I\u2019m there all by myself.\u00a0 And God is looking at me.\u00a0 Romans 14:10, \u201cFor we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, [12] So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.\u201d\n\nThese are passages, folks, not aimed at unbelievers; these are aimed at church age blood-bought saints of God.\u00a0 We\u2019re judged as individuals.\u00a0 Secondly, we\u2019re judged for our stewardship.\u00a0 Whatever God gave you He wants to know what you did with it.\u00a0 And you say to yourself well, I don\u2019t have anything.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have any special gifts, I don\u2019t have any special abilities.\u00a0 Let me tell you something, that is a lie right out of the pit of hell.\u00a0 Every person within the sound of my voice has three things and they all begin with the letter \u201cT\u201d.\u00a0 Number one, Time.\u00a0 Number 2, Talent, there are things that you can do that no one else in this room can do because that\u2019s the way God has designed you.\u00a0 And the third thing you have is treasure, earthly possessions.\n\nAnd so when God calls\u2026 and by the way, these things aren\u2019t ours, they\u2019re loaned to us to manage, and one of these days God is going to say were you trustworthy with what I gave you or were you not trustworthy?\u00a0 By the way, your Bible doesn\u2019t say well done my good and successful servant.\u00a0 What it says is \u201cwell done my good and\u201d what? \u201cfaithful servant.\u201d\u00a0 The only thing God asks you to do is be faithful to what you have.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t ask you to be somebody else.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t ask you to reinvent yourself.\u00a0 He wants you to be faithful with what you possess in the area of the three T\u2019s: Time, Talent and Treasure.\n\nWe\u2019re judged as individuals, we\u2019re judged as stewards and this is the one, to be completely frank with you, number three, that probably bothers me more than anything else, we\u2019re judged on motivation.\u00a0 Not what you did but why you did it.\u00a0 Recall 1 Corinthians 4:5, which says at this time God will\u00a0 \u201cTherefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and God will \u201cdisclose the motives of men's hearts.\u201d\u00a0 [1 Corinthians 4:5, \u201cTherefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.\u201d]\n\nDo you realize that it is possible to do the right thing for the wrong reasons.\u00a0 Do we understand that?\u00a0 You say well is that in the Bible?\u00a0 Look at Judas, who was upset that Mary had poured the expensive ointment on Christ\u2019s head and face and he said, when he saw this happening this perfume is expensive and we should have given it to the poor.\u00a0 And most people would look at Judas and say what a generous man, until you read verse 5.\u00a0 \u201cNow he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.\u201d [ John 12:6] He did the right thing for the wrong reason.\n\nPaul, in Philippians 1:15-17 talks about a people who preach Christ, they preach a clear gospel, they preach a correct gospel, but they do it out of envy and strife, trying to make a name for themselves.\u00a0 [Philippians 1:15-17, \u201cSome, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; [16] the latter do it<\/em> out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; [17] the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.\u201d]\n\n1 Samuel 16:7 says, \u201c\u2026Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the\u201d what?\u00a0 \u201cheart.\u201d WOW!\u00a0 It\u2019s troubling because I know that my heart is wicked.\n\nJeremiah 17:9 says, \u201cThe heart is deceitful more than all else, it\u2019s desperately sick, who can understand it.\u201d\u00a0 I can get my motives mixed up, I can actually think that I\u2019m doing something for God when it\u2019s really all about self. All of that comes out by an omniscient God who can see not to us but through us.\u00a0 May God help us to understand this.\n\nProverbs 4:23 says, \u201cKeep your heat with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.\u201d\u00a0 Motivation is evaluated.\u00a0 Is it going to be gold, silver or costly stones or wood, hay and stubble.\u00a0 It depends on the motivation.\u00a0 I mean, if you feel that you\u2019re going to step out for God and serve Him in any way you\u2019d better ask Him, as I do for myself regularly, is my depraved heart right about this?\u00a0 Has my depraved heart been made pure on this?\u00a0 Or else it\u2019s just wood, hay and stubble.\n\nThe last thing that I think we\u2019re going to be evaluated on, number 4, is reliance upon divine grace when we did what we did for God.\u00a0 Is this something that I went out and did through human power, human ingenuity, human effort, and the flesh can accomplish a lot but that is not how God calls\u00a0 us to live.\u00a0 He calls us to live and serve through the enablement that He provides.\u00a0 I wish we had time to read the vine and the branches, John 15:5-6 and other passages which talk about branches in the vine bearing fruit, branches out of the vine and not bearing fruit and everybody says that\u2019s a difference between a believer and an unbeliever. That\u2019s nonsense, when Jesus spoke those words He was talking to eleven (Judas having already left the room) saved people.\u00a0 [John 15:5-6, \u201cam the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.\u201d]\n\nAnd He says here\u2019s how God is going to work guys, you\u2019re either going to go out and try to do this thing called Christianity on\u00a0 your own power or you\u2019re going to simply, as a branch, abide in the vine.\u00a0 And isn\u2019t it interesting what happens when a branch just abides on the vine, I mean, an orange branch doesn\u2019t sit there and say oranges, oranges, oranges, let\u2019s produce oranges.\u00a0 You just abide where you\u2019re supposed to abide and the source of nourishment and the source of power and the oranges start coming spontaneously.\u00a0 They start coming naturally, they start coming organically.\n\nAnd what is he saying in John 15 about branches that are out of the vine?\u00a0 They go into the fire. Didn\u2019t we just read about the fire, the Bema Seat Judgment, wood, hay and stubble?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know everything there is to know about God but I do know this: God does not recognize works that we do on our own.\u00a0 They are unrecognized.\u00a0 How do I know that?\u00a0 Because Abraham and Sarah just got tired of waiting, poor God, we need to help Him out.\u00a0 So they come up with this plan and you know the story, Abraham and Hagar and the Ishmael line comes, and then finally the child of promise, Isaac, is born.\u00a0 God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Genesis 22.\n\nHave you read Genesis 22:2?\u00a0 \u201cHe said, \u2018Take now your son, your\u201d what? \u201conly son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.\u201d Why would he say that Isaac is his only son when Ishmael was also his son.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the answer: God never recognized Ishmael because Ishmael is the product of human scheming, human effort, human works, human manipulation.\u00a0 How much of Ishmael is in your life exactly?\u00a0 All of that is wood, hay and stubble at the Bema Seat Judgment of Christ.\u00a0 God is not recognizing Ishmael; He\u2019s recognizing the child of faith, Isaac.\n\nAnd so we need to be careful that when we serve the Lord, we need to ask ourselves not only is my motive right am I doing these things through His power or my own strength.\u00a0 And we need very strongly to be reminded of Galatians 3:3, \u201cAre you so foolish, having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh.\u201d\u00a0 You started the right way, in the Spirit, but your whole Christian life is self-effort.\u00a0 You\u2019re not relying upon the same Spirit that brought you to saving faith in Christ, for daily life, and consequently it\u2019s unrecognized.\u00a0 And yet the things we do under God\u2019s power are recognized. Wow!\n\nThis is the future, resurrection is part of it but what about the event after the resurrection?\u00a0\u00a0 Resurrection unto rewards, when is this going to happen?\u00a0 Following the rapture. Where is it going to happen?\u00a0 In heaven.\u00a0 Who\u2019s going to be involved?\u00a0 All church age believers.\u00a0 Why is it going to happen?\u00a0 Not to determine salvation but to either give or not give rewards.\u00a0 What\u2019s it like?\u00a0 It\u2019s like an athletic contest, the stewardship and a building.\u00a0 Well how are we going to be judged? We\u2019re judged as individuals.\u00a0 We\u2019re judged as stewards; our motivation is judged and whether we relied upon divine enablement is judged as well.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 A lot to think about, isn\u2019t it.\u00a0 And yet resurrection leads to rewards.\u00a0 And we need to understand these things.\n\nIt\u2019s possible you could be here within the sound of my voice never having even entered the picture to begin with because you never trusted in what Christ has done.\u00a0 A gift if of no value to anybody until it\u2019s received.\u00a0 Jesus, as we have looked at today at the communion table, has done everything that can be done, not just through what He did on Good Friday but what He did on Sunday morning. That\u2019s the package\u2026 complete!\u00a0 The only requirement that God gives to us as lost people is to trust in what He has done in our place.\u00a0 It\u2019s something you could do right now even as I\u2019m talking.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to walk an aisle to do it, join a church to do it, raise a hand to do it, give money to do it.\u00a0 It\u2019s a matter of privacy between you and the Lord where the Lord puts\u00a0 you under conviction and you respond by receiving a gift.\u00a0 And the only way you can receive a gift from God is to trust in the provision.\n\nBut after a person is saved then they need to be aware that choices matter.\u00a0 Just because you can\u2019t lose your salvation doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t lose other things of value, one of those things being a potential crown.\u00a0 And so maybe walk out this week the full provision of Jesus Christ reflecting on what He\u2019s done and living\u00a0 under His divine power to become all that we are supposed to be in God.\u00a0 If someone has question marks in their mind concerning eternity I\u2019m available after the service to talk.\u00a0 Shall we pray.\n\nFather, we are grateful for resurrection and what it means but we\u2019re also grateful for what You\u2019ve revealed there in verse 3, reward.\u00a0 Help us to be conscious of these things as we live them out this week in our choices. We\u2019ll be careful to give you all the praise and the glory. We ask these things in Jesus\u2019 name, and God\u2019s people said\u2026 Amen.","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t