Mike Bickle emphasizes the significance of being an overcomer in Christ, highlighting the promises found in Revelation 2 and 3, particularly the rewards of becoming pillars in God's temple, receiving hidden manna, and the treasure in heaven. He explains that these rewards are not just for all believers but specifically for those who overcome challenges and remain steadfast in their faith. Bickle encourages believers to pursue a deeper relationship with God, emphasizing the importance of love and commitment in their walk with Christ. He also discusses the vindication of believers before their persecutors and the reality of heavenly treasures, urging the congregation to invest in their spiritual future.

Auditor that sings her father's song that touches me. Well, let's pray father. We thank you in the name of Jesus for the spirit of wisdom and revelation Lord for the marking of hearts right now by the holy spirit Holy spirit again. We say that we need you as the teacher We need you as the escort the one that Guides us that escorts us into encounter with his heart So we ask you holy spirit to teach us and mark us even now this amazing topic of the rewards That the lord jesus declared Is for the overcomers we thank you for that in jesus name. Amen well session eight we have a number of topics we're covering in here just kind of Not going real in depth and there's a of the 18 rewards that jesus talked about in revelation chapter 2 and 3 We're not covering all of them in this session this series. I mean because we we ran out of time But we're beginning this one with revelation 3 verse 12 Now you read it in your own bible to get the whole passage. I have it edited a bit here in the handout for space but It is one of the most dynamic verses That give promise To believers anywhere in the bible, I mean revelation 3 12 is at the top of the list. I just want to alert you to that That's a verse you want to put your name on And say revelation 3 12. There's actually five different promises. I only have three of them highlighted here in the notes but verse 12 jesus speaking He says to the one that overcomes I'll make him number one a pillar in the temple The temple of my god the heavenly temple number two He won't go out anymore this person that has this privilege. They won't leave the presence of god Which means they'll have the highest position of privilege of service in the kingdom That's intense number three He says i'm going to write jesus says i'm going to write the new jerusalem on him on her Now when god writes on a believer that Always includes the spirit of revelation. That means living Understanding coming from the spirit to that believer in that area so there's going to be a dimension of living understanding related to the new jerusalem. That's a interesting promise Then the two other promises I don't have here on the page here He says i'm going to write the name of my god my father on you and i'm going to write my own name on you We looked at those in the other sessions Now the focus tonight is Those who the lord will make pillars in his temple now, this is for overcomers This isn't for all every believer because there's particular issues to overcome And there's promises that he's giving here in revelation chapter two and three related to overcoming those issues And they're pretty intense issues And a lot of believers just a lot they kind of read over these promises fast and just think well, that's kind of neat No, they're dynamic. They're glorious very very important They're worth being radically committed to the lord for Pillars are those that will hold positions of honor Positions of authority and responsibility In nearness to god again One of the real focuses of this is they won't ever leave his presence now. None of us do in one sense. We all Experience his presence because because by the spirit he's omniscient and his presence is everywhere But this is his manifest presence his immediate presence paragraph b We're going to consider What pillars how they were used and what their functions are in scripture and then in history and then by Comparing those we're going to draw a little bit of insight into what heavenly pillars might mean now the it's not uh For sure, but we're reading what happens in the scripture when god mentions pillars we look at what happens in culture How pillars were meant to be understood when jesus talked about pillars in that generation Now just real simple pillars paragraph b They're functional They bear the weight of a building not every pillar, but a standard pillars are functional. They bear weight number two They're ornamental. They beautify a building Number three not all pillars, but some pillars They Are in honor of the memory Of an of an honorable person heroic person or a significant event So they speak of strength They speak up speak of permanence honor I will add reliability beauty and remembrance Of again deeds and events that happen in this age Age now when we look in the scripture and we look in society or history Natural pillars marble pillars stone pillars They varied in size where they were located in a building there were pillars on the Inside the temple on the outside of the temple. There are many different locations for pillars even signifying their function and honor many different designs Many different building materials some pillars are wood. Some are marble Some are stone They vary in the events that are that they memorialize or that are associated the stories that are associated those pillars Now the heavenly pillars are people Jesus is saying i'm going to make you pillars But we look at what the scripture says about pillars and we see the diversity of function and all these different things that we think Well, it's it's likely that there will be that kind of diversity as the lord makes people pillars There'll be different dimensions of glory of purpose and many many things There'll be many different diverse expressions. Okay paragraph c Now one of the key verses to understanding Pillar jesus's promise i'm going to make you a pillar is in galatians chapter 2 These uh pillars speak of people Now these are j peter james and john cephas, but that's peter's name cephas is the rock That's the name that the lord gave him and uh, the the name peter is that uh They were people but not just that Had authority they bore responsibility. They were reliable And paul the apostle called them pillars in the church Spoke of their significant position of authority and their honor but it spoken it spoke of their proven reliability They were standard bearers of the kingdom Jesus had invested so much in them And he trusted that they would stay steady So there's a reliability dimension to the pillar when god In the resurrection he designates. I mean there's probably several billion people That will be in the kingdom of god after the great harvest. We're expecting a billion plus in the great harvest in the future And all the saints of history, you know, there could be several billion people All of them aren't pillars, but there will be a number of them We don't know the percentage but they will be designated in this real special privilege Let's go to paragraph d we'll look at the old testament for just a moment The pillars, uh in the lord's temple the temple that was built by king solomon This gives us a little bit of insight and not it's not a conclusive, but it gives us a hint a bit king solomon had put Two large bronze pillars in the porch of the temple the outside of the porch there were pillars on the inside as well But i'm just going to highlight these two these massive bronze pillars they were about 40 feet high When you add the pillar plus the crown on top of it, it was about 40 feet And they had names on them They were named jacob and boaz And the names mean strength and stability reliability and strength The very name of these pillars gives a little bit of insight into god's purpose for pillars And I believe that when god establishes people's pillars, he's saying They were reliable and they steadfast in my purpose. It's it's from the actions of this age It's not from how big your ministry was, but it was your response to god in this age Now these pillars probably most uh would agree That they were large fire altars that were were burning incense, I mean 40 feet tall these huge burning like lamp stands at the top and they were uh Beautified I have here written here with gold and chains and pomegranates and lilies And they were lumened with this fire at the top and people could see it from a large distance the temple of solomon's temple and they recalled The the pillars of fire and the pillars of cloud in the wilderness they were Recalling that in other words. There was a memorial aspect of these pillars as well As well as the names of them gives us insight And so when the lord Makes people pillars He's going to be saying something like they were true during the wilderness journey in this world They were reliable. They were steady now. Nobody Lives in sinless perfection, so it's not like you think well, there's no chance I could do that I think it's those that set their heart to be wholehearted Beloved it's never too late to jump into that I don't mean just Kind of kind of a casual christianity, but the wholehearted dimension that's where this overcomer dimension Is emphasized in revelation chapter two and three in these seven churches to each one of them. He said if you overcome In this area not just if you're born again, but if you Press in and interact with the spirit and have victory in this area. You'll have this reward Paragraph e in the old testament. There's another dimension of a pillar And revelate i'm in in isaiah chapter 19 Talks about in that day the end times and the generation the lord returns There will be pillars of remembrance that are erected in the land of egypt. This is yet future This is exciting for those who have a heart for egypt. I have a tremendous heart for egypt the god's purpose in egypt The lord says I will erect an altar and a pillar In that land that will declare the faithfulness of the egyptian saints in the end times That's a remarkable reality, but pillars are for remembrance Paragraph f now we go to history The ancient world or just the secular use of pillars First we'll start in the ancient world We understand this. It's pretty simple, but a pillar Was often built to honor a heroic uh Leader in war or somebody that saved a city deeds of courage We see pillars in our own culture historical sites Like the lincoln memorial the washington memorial there's statues in the city square You know the there's that guy who is that guy, you know from 1802 or whatever they typically they were Somebody a man or a woman who did something heroic or noble that brought blessing to that city or that region and so the pillars in The people that god designates as pillars in his temple They have these dimensions these associated with this reward now again, we can't be Real detailed on all the details of it, but at least we can get a general idea now paragraph h This is one of the most remarkable parts. They'll never go outside of the temple This speaks of permanence, of course pillars speak of permanence But the overcomer's place of honor is permanent. They they remain forever Serving near to jesus now again, all believers will be near him by the holy spirit, but several billion people possibly In the new jerusalem, they all won't be next to jesus in his physical body All the time, but there will be those That are allowed this unusual Nearness i'm talking about to his physical person their position in the divine court to serve in his court And it's the way I understand it. It's like every other noble task in the new jerusalem and serving on the earth No matter how noble the task is It will be a demotion from being directly in the service of jesus again in his physical presence And just the glory of that the highest position of honor is this We see just a little hint of this in revelation 8 where it describes angels And when it says they stand before god, that's a description of great honor and privilege Of all the myriads of angels they go. We want that job. We want the job up front next to him And of course the living creatures there they are there night and day before him They I think the living creatures are the seraphim of isaiah 6 I think that's the highest exalted angelic being right in before god's face day and night That's kind of like the ultimate in the angelic realm but Being a pillar in the temple that never leaves his presence Is uh in the human sense for the redeemed? As far as I can see is the highest privilege. I don't know you don't have to pick the highest but boy, it's way up there It's really interesting. I look at this and I say lord by the grace of god You want to put your name on revelation 312 you want to know that verse? Put it on your greeting cards, even though your friends may not have a clue what you're talking about Just put it on there by faith. Anyway Just so when they say your name they go revelation 312 like, you know, just get it on, you know top of page two not that that would really matter i'm just having fun with that but Let's look at the same promise but the same verse but look at the next dimension of it Not only does he make the overcomers a pillar That they should never more go No more go out of the temple He says this other again There's five promises in revelation 312 and this is one of the other promises I will write on him again amazing jesus writing on a believer I will write on him the name of the new jerusalem Now again in the scripture when we read the great new covenant passages jeremiah 31 Then in hebrews chapter 10 where it describes it in hebrews 8. It says that When god writes by the finger of the holy spirit on the mind and the heart he writes on us that illumines our mind It energizes our heart. So the writing of god on a believer Illumines their mind gives them living understanding increased understanding and it energizes their heart in love and vibrancy So when god writes on a believer, this is a really special there's it it denotes we don't know the specifics of it, but special responsibility in the city itself Of course, we know they're a pillar so that's pretty significant already So there's a it denotes special responsibility of the city, but it also denotes special insight into the new jerusalem now this city Is glorious and vast and mysterious And dynamic. I mean I think for many many many years and generation after generation will be exploring the city I i'm, just assuming there's no end to what we will discover in that city for Many many for ages, you know, I don't know how how far that goes out but The lord's saying i'm writing your name the name of the city on you It's saying i'm going to help you even navigate and understand the city i'm going to give you responsibility in it But I think even more than that It's like he's giving Maybe it isn't exactly this way but an all access pass to the city I'm writing your name on it. It's like the You know the tmk the master key that opens every door in the city I'm going to give you that status in the city Permission the all access pass. That's just a guess But I i'm thinking that it's things like this. You can't again. You can't be dogmatic about the details But this promise is as glorious As the city is this is a glorious promise This isn't just the lord putting a few initials on you and saying pass next guy i'm gonna write You know nj new jerusalem next nj next no, this is dynamic promise It's bigger than what I understand i'm sure roman number three Now we're going to a shifting to another promise this is in revelation 2 17 Again, these promises are in revelation 2 and 3 there's 18 of them And they're from the lips of jesus and they're to motivate the church but they're only phrases and you got to go back to the bible to how that phrase or that Corresponding event or reality like a pillar how it was used in the old testament how it was understood in the culture so when jesus spoke to them, they would understand some comparative way as to what he meant by a pillar or a rock or A memorial or those kinds of things Now let's look at the uh larger context of revelation 2 The promise in verse 17 is i'll give you I will give some of the hidden manna and it's for you to eat it to actually eat it Okay, let's read the promise You he says in verse 14 or here's the condition. He goes you have some people in your church in pergamos He goes i'm troubled by them I'm, very troubled. They hold the doctrine of balaam And the doctrine of balaam was there were teachers in the church Giving a view of immorality that was okay Beloved that doctrine's all over the western church right now There's all kinds of expressions of we don't call it balaam But but that was the doctrine of balaam. This is jesus talking where they pervert the grace of god That makes immorality Normative and not that big a deal. He says, uh, this really troubles me And then he adds to it again when you read the whole passage And idolatry Verse 17, but the person that overcomes this This is again This isn't just every born-again believer because some born-again believers die and they're still stuck and not free But they love the lord and they're and they're sincere in their faith And they're in the city Now that's a different thing than than people who claim to be a believer that don't have any concern for obedience in those areas But a lot of people they really care to obey but they're constantly struggling and they never actually get the full victory And they're still saved and they're in the kingdom But he's talking to those in this age. They overcome in their interaction with the holy spirit by the grace of god He goes i'm going to give Some of the hidden manna like some of it He says well, there's more than you imagine. There's a whole lot of hidden manna And it's for you to eat Now again I believe that this is another dimension And probably every dimension of this is unique and in its own way has distinctions of increased capacity to understand the word of god I believe that this promise is fulfilled A little in part in this age, but in fullness in the age to come Paragraph b now jesus we know from john 6. He's the ultimate manna from heaven When jesus said i'll give you hidden manna He's talking about i'm gonna give you more of myself. That's part of what he's talking about, but I think it even goes beyond that But I think that's the main that's the big one That we eat by spiritually we eat spiritually by receiving more of him but I think also There's a physical dimension to it because there's real food in heaven and food shows up a number of times In the lips of jesus related to the resurrection So when he says i'm gonna give you hidden manatee probably I wouldn't Doubt if it if he says yeah, i'm gonna give you more of me I am the hidden manna the ultimate but I got some more to this. I've got several levels to this promise I'm imagining that he's going to again. You can't be dogmatic, but there's going to be physical dimensions as well as spiritual dimensions Where we are energy we're increased in our understanding of jesus That's the spiritual eating of manna, but I believe they're very possibly is an energizing of our physical resurrected body I believe that we will eat In the age to come and we will need to eat Some people think you need to eat. Yes. Yes. I believe that there will be no lack so nobody will hunger But I've my assumption is that the food that we eat is is real I I mean it's necessary. It's not kind of a a uh, just kind of a uh Side deal, but I think my assumption is it will energize and strengthen our body I've had people say well, that's weird. You know, we have a resurrected body. Why would we need to eat? I said I reverse it if you have a resurrected body, why wouldn't you eat? They go. I don't know. I just thought you just float and Play a harp on that cloud. I don't know Have you ever had to eat when you're not hungry? It's torture Now I remember I played, uh, uh football at the university the university of missouri and I was the smallest guy on the team This is way back in the 30s. No in the 70s I was the smallest the lightest guy on the team and the shortest guy on the team and they said beckel You're gonna make it you got to gain 10 pounds I said, okay, that'd be fun and they gave me the Smorgasbord beyond measure three times a day I couldn't I mean, oh for the days where I couldn't gain 10 pounds, but I couldn't I stuffed three times a day. It was grueling like a month later. I go. I hate food I don't want anything to do with this. They go beckel eat. You've only gained a pound. I go. Ah, I can't do this I'd rather just be skinny and slow forget it and I remember from that You know three four five month period whatever it was. It was oh That I remember that Eating hunger and then satisfaction and being energized from it is a glorious gift That eating when you're not hungry is not fun. It is not something people think that'd be amazing. Well Maybe you're snacking all day long and you think that's no this is talking I think about something substantial paragraph d now in the old testament Manna was hidden only in one situation Because manna as you know fell from heaven every day when the israelites were in the wilderness after they Were delivered from egypt. There was no food or water in the wilderness So water came out of iraq Two to three billion people drank water from iraq. This wasn't a little dripping fountain. This was a river coming out of iraq Imagine all the animals the livestock that was with them That was watered every day from iraq. And then we find out the rock was christ First corinthians 10 paul says the rock was christ But they had manna and jesus is the manna and manna came every day from heaven And then it was you know on the sabbath that they got the day before the sabbath that they had two portions So it was never hidden But there was only hidden in one occasion That's when it was put in a golden pot And put in the holy of holies in the temple and the high priest Only the high priest once a year Could see that hidden man. It was hidden from the old days It was preserved and hidden in a pot and he would go in once a year and he could see it It was set near the ark of the covenant. Now. The ark of the covenant is symbolic of the throne of god So there's the hidden manna was the manna by the ark in the holy of holies That's the biblical description of it So we think ah this hidden manna is the manna near Or related to the throne of god or the nearness of jesus or something like that again We can't be dogmatic. We can't be over precise on it But it's I want it. I look at that. I go. I I want to it now by the holy spirit But i'm saying lord. I want I want to obey in all of these areas I want to overcome in all the areas described in revelation chapter 2 and 3 these seven different scenarios that are laid out paragraph e Now just for fun This isn't comprehensive. But what will we eat in heaven? Well, there's quite a few, you know, we looked a little bit at this in one of the other sessions But I have a fun statement here. This is not a theological one The food will be free Healthy organic that's for the organic people And non-fattening Isn't that great now again, that was a fun statement, but probably true Revelation chapter 22 talks about 12 types of fruits in the new jerusalem now i'm assuming again, I can't be sure but That these 12 types of fruits were categories of fruits And when we look at the natural realm the diversity of types of fruits on the earth right now Look at this this will might surprise you there are over 7 000 varieties of apples on the earth right now 7 000 different types 2 000 types of peaches 1 000 varieties of bananas Now god's creativity in the new jerusalem is far more expressed than I believe it is now So I when I look at the 12, I don't think of well We got a billion years and we got an apple one month for every meal banana the next month for every meal Oh boy, this is gonna get no, I think it's gonna be so diverse More than we can imagine Paragraph f jesus talked about eating and drinking At the table with him and of course the great Reality is the marriage supper of the lamb in revelation 19 verse 8. It's one of the core Defining activities of the age to come. I don't think the marriage supper of the lamb is an afternoon You know we have that 12 hour dinner with several billion people My assumption I can't prove it but my assumption is Or my theory is that the marriage supper of the lamb? Continues the entire thousand years of the millennial kingdom the entire Thousand years is a celebration getting ready for billions of years in the ages to come and that's the inauguration of the new heaven and new earth after the millennium and the whole thing is the Marriage supper of the lamb, but I might be wrong on that But that's kind of so the marriage supper lands a big thing, but we really eat at the marriage supper And I think there's all kinds of diversity of food Anyway, that was just a little Two or three minutes on food just for fun and it's a bigger subject but some people when they think of the resurrection as they say week after week they think of Just going away to heaven and floating on a cloud in a spiritual body That when they hug each other they kind of pass through each other and go oops, you know coming just try oops try it again But beloved we're gonna have a physical material body with bones and flesh. It's supernatural flesh. It's not corruptible flesh And you will eat you will learn You will grow in your understanding grow in relationships have a ministry you'll work work without any of the frustration of sin without the Weeds growing in the garden like an adam's to destroy his work or the sun bearing down to And the frustration in the work that will all be gone, but the work will be there top of page three Well jesus promised paragraph a to give Overcomers the privilege of eating food. Here's the phrase in the midst in the midst of paradise Well, let's read the the whole thing here or the context at least revelation chapter 2 verse 4 Now he's talking to the church at ephesus And he goes, you know, I really appreciate you guys you work really hard He goes your service is remarkable He goes you hold the you hold the line on truth When there's false teachings you expose them and you don't let them in like some of the other churches in revelation 2 and 3 He goes but verse 4 I have this against you You don't love me like you used to You work for me, but you don't interact with me And he said in verse 5 and you can read the whole passage in your bible He goes I want you to remember From where you have fallen and repent I want you to return To working out of an encounter of loving me Not just duty-bound service, but service that flows out of love I want to interact with me. I want to I want partnership in the labor Like I love to say that Workers will always outwork. I mean lovers will always outwork workers You get somebody with a to-do list. That's just simply a worker They fall in love they don't need the list anymore When they have love that list they go way beyond the list lovers always outwork workers He says you don't love me like you used to verse 7, but I want you to overcome this Again, many believers they they die before they actually restore that That uh lifestyle of interacting with him in love, I mean they serve him but they're not really encounter-oriented heart-to-heart They're still genuine believers But he said verse 7. I want you to overcome this issue And return to your first love And if you do I'll give you to eat From the tree of life, but particularly and I think this i'm adding the word particularly but I because I think it's what it means The tree of life which is in the midst of the garden and that's the phrase in the midst Now all believers in the new jerusalem will eat from the tree of life now remember There's possibly several billion believers so you know i'll use a term that maybe is Not the best term, but I think of the tree of life system Meaning I don't think it's one tree and a couple billion people stand in this long line three times a day to get an apple I think the tree of life System again, that's not an accurate term or that's just the best idea, but it's all over the city Again, it's not one line where they stand in line to get one fruit three times a day maybe they don't eat three meals and I don't know how it works, but So all believers all several billion if that number is accurate it might not be maybe more or less But he's talking to those that overcome this lifestyle of diminished love with the lord They serve him, but they don't they're not enriching the love dimension to where they're really partnering with a real Person heart to heart while they're doing the work. I don't mean all day Every day they're talking to him, but the love dimension the partnership dimension Is central to their work mandate? It's central to it because you overcome that there's a special privilege eating from the tree in the midst now paragraph b I think most agree i've never Seen it contrary that the paradise of god and the new jerusalem are synonymous That the new jerusalem, it's a 1500 miles high wide city Look at paragraph c 1500 miles in each direction the length the width and the height That's from the new american standard bible that's not from the greek that's the estimation when they add up the uh terms That were used in the greek But anyway, it's this vast city That's a paradise it's a garden of eden city And I think the the river and the tree I'm assuming are expressed throughout the city not just right there, you know You know a mile radius around the throne is where the river is and that's it I think my assumption is the river has expression all through the 1500 mile city and the tree system Which again that's my term which may not be an accurate term but because I don't want to take liberties on the bible, but I don't want to be stuck with With just no thought of it except for just a few phrases. I want to say lord. Where's this really at? well, what do you mean a city of 1500 miles each direction and the tree of life and the The water of life and people all over the city and they're all partaking of it So I assume paragraph c There's many diverse expressions of the glory of god in the paradise city I don't think there's you know, every square mile the city is equal In its character its expressions in its functions to every other city to every other square mile in the city It's just like the earth now some cities there's greater expressions of the glory of god and lesser expressions in different emphasis of the grace of god and expressions of the of the body of christ and So i'm assuming there will be diverse expressions of the grace of god the glory of god kingdom activities throughout the whole city and I think that These diverse experiences in part is giving us a little bit of insight into what it means that they will That they will uh eat of the of the tree in the midst I think as there's the part of the tree Of life that's literally in the in a glorious place in the midst of the garden That everyone doesn't have access to that particular place. It's a special privilege and there's special dimensions of the grace of god I don't know what it would be but I know Jesus said if you overcome this Neglect to love you're going to get this gift. So I know this gift is related to love If you don't overcome you're still in the city sleep from the tree But I don't know about this part of the city that there's this intensive Expression of the glory of god because again, I think all through the city It will be diverse in many ways just like the kingdom is diverse right now in this age every city It's different how the kingdom functions Meaning the I don't mean the principles of the kingdom, but what is emphasized? Ministries that are more, uh have a greater measure of this than that and is different from other cities and even congregations within a city So I believe that there's a part of this privilege that's related to the tree that's in the midst there's Areas of the city. I don't know where it would be obviously near the throne would be the most logical guess But there's something that there's a part of the city that's designated as In the midst of the paradise in the center of it in the middle of it something like that Again, I don't know for sure But I know there's something there And I'll let the lord surprise me, but i'm going for it Whatever it is like a lord. I don't know all these for sure, but I want to go for them I want to look at these conditions and take them very very seriously the roman numeral five Oh, this is a this is this kind of a separate one we're changing tracks here This is uh, this is not a small one. It's one that I don't hear mentioned much. I haven't mentioned it much Over the years, but it's a beautiful. I mean glorious Jesus will vindicate Some believers before they're very earthly persecutors in front of them in the resurrection In the resurrection all the unbelievers Will stand before jesus philippians 2 they will bow their knee and confess him as lord Jesus said well i'm gonna Tell you something here that might surprise you revelation 3 7 i'm gonna make them Come And worship me in front of you at your feet because they were hostile Arrogant against jesus and they were in positions of power in the society So they were like this. Jesus is ridiculous. You're deceived. You're you know in our culture today if you're loyal to jesus, you're a More and more the the new rhetoric. You're a hater. You're a bigot. You're narrow-minded you're intolerant If you're faithful to this beautiful King with great wisdom, that is the way to love But the rhetoric piles up and that's where the culture is going right now and they're a hostile arrogant Cruel exaggerated But charging and accusing and they're so many of them there's this momentum Jesus says well, here's what i'm gonna do I'm gonna stand in front of them. It's the man that they called Non-existent just a religious relic i'm gonna stand in my glory. They're gonna fall at my feet They're gonna call me god, but i'm gonna make sure they do it with you next to me And I want them to see Where I want them to see the wisdom of staying true to me in front of their in front of their vile persecutions in speech for Wisdom will be vindicated by her children is what jesus said in matthew 11 In other words the people that are wise it will take a while, but they will be vindicated By the fruit of their life Because john the baptist in matthew 11, they said he has a demon Jesus said they said john has a demon, but i'm telling you this His lifestyle will be vindicated one day The wisdom of his choices will be openly seen by all He goes and not only are they going to worship me as god Ostrog, they're going to do it next to you in full acknowledgement of their heir But then i'm going to display my love to you the glorious king I'm going to manifest my love in a very particular way to you in front of him like lord. That's intense He goes i'm going to do that to those that overcome i'm going to make a point out of a They held true Before the accusations and the persecutions and the hostile rhetoric i'm going to show them how wise that was that they stood true And i'm going to let them know how I feel about the way they loved me He's going to manifest his zeal for his people now paragraph b jesus prayed this Similar theme he prayed it He said father that the world would know the unbelievers would know That you love those believers That the unbelievers would know father. You love them like you love me in the same intensity. You love me They I want them to see your love for them father says don't worry I'm going to show the unbelievers on that day how much I love them those that they persecuted Now paragraph c this principle occurs also To those with natural bodies in the millennium Says here in isaiah 60 talking of the jewish remnant that survived the great tribulation and they're living on with a natural body there They were not raptured and resurrected they the unsaved survivors of the great tribulation then they get saved Jesus is there in jerusalem as king He says in isaiah 60 He goes i'm going to cause the sons Of those who afflicted you Their children it's for a thousand years I'm going to I don't know how long this will go but it's you know, that's that's the period that he's talking about I'm going to take the children of those people that persecuted you They're going to bow down to you And they're going to acknowledge Not your superiorities talking to this jewish remnant. They're going to acknowledge that I sovereignly chose you and it was true and not a lie so the bowing down isn't to acknowledge that those particular people Were something in their flesh, but it was acknowledged that god actually was sovereign in calling them and it was right It says and those who despised you they're going to fall at your feet and acknowledge your chosen of god He's talking to the jewish people that particularly in the generation the lord returns. There'll be a hostile persecution Antisemitism rising all over the earth The lord says i'm going to reverse it There's something in his heart that wants to set it right publicly with the people who are against his people He he just has zeal about that. I love that paragraph d this is a one of the most remarkable demonstrations of love And I think it plays into his show of love somehow. I don't know exactly how but jesus taught a parable I mean, this is so Remarkable. It's just almost unbelievable Except for it came from the lips of jesus himself He taught a parable Verse 37 he gave the application. He's talking about himself as the master He said blessed are the servants So again put your name there That when the master returns, that's the second coming They're watching They're alert. They're paying attention To what's happening in the earth and what the word of god says that's again That's why I think that we need to know what the scriptural narrative the biblical narrative of what's happening in that generation They're watching they're waiting. They're alert to what's happening. They're not confused by what's going on I say to you The master talking about himself He will gird himself with a towel is the idea He will have them sit down to eat and the master will go serve them himself He goes it will be my delight to serve you openly Like lord, no Don't yes Yes, this is what love looks like. I am going to serve you the most humbling and dramatic expression Of love in the age to come you know or things like this and i'm assuming he's going to express some of this love even in front I mean somehow where the adversary see Jesus said i'm going to show them how much I loved you. I don't know what that looks like, but I just offer the luke chapter 12 parable Just as a possibility there's it's things like that top of page four Well, we're coming here to the end Jesus says i'm going to give to some of you gold Riches and treasure. This is real. It's not figurative Jesus urged his people to gain treasure in heaven He says look at verse matthew 6 verse 20 lay up treasure matthew 19 You will have treasure in heaven You give to the poor Jesus spoke often on heavenly treasure. It's not Fig simply figurative. I mean there's figurative dimensions to it, but it's more than just figurative It's more than a parable or a poem. He means treasure paragraph a I believe there will be many different facets of the treasure just like in the earthly one again. Jesus is talking To the people with terms they would understand from the culture. They have some way to relate to what he said He's not just giving mystical ideas. He's saying yeah, I mean treasure you understand treasure. Yeah, that's what I mean Okay, cool That's good. There'll be many expressions of it far more than I could ever guess or imagine because remember One of the one of the principles is first corinthians 2 9 that paul said It's never entered the mind of a man the dimension of the glory that's planned So whatever these rewards are they're more glorious than we imagine them they're far beyond In glory than we're thinking But these many dimensions of treasure they will be valuable they will be precious they will be real Like in earthly when I think of a person's earthly wealth and i'm assuming there's comparative Comparative Components to this in heaven meaning because he's talking to them in ways to people in his generation that they could actually understand what he meant a person's estate Their house a wealthy man or a woman the size The location where it's at in the town or the city or the country the design of the house I believe that in the age to come a 1500 mile city the size the design The location of your dwelling place your heavenly mansion your estate your crowns your garments You'll have a wardrobe that is beyond anything you could imagine. We looked at that. I think session three or four the Or five the heavenly garments. There's a whole array of biblical hints to those garments the jewels There are jewels that are trophies Great awards with you know, they win the super bowl and they get the diamond ring with all these diamonds in it or Or there's jewels that are are they just beautify the person wearing them or there's jewels that express affection You know the man that buys jewels for his wife Rather I should say the wise man. But anyway Having not done it I better watch it. Okay Okay Maybe I need to get with it. Okay but the Furnishings of a house you go to a wealthy person's house A mansion the furnishings the decoration. It's adorned with collectible art With priceless items all kinds of things fountains in the middle all these kinds of things again the crowns the garments The jewels I think all of these Collected together. I don't know the list goes on and on and on. It's just not treasure, but there's no meaning to it the wealth and the treasure Of believers will very greatly one from I mean, they'll very greatly within the whole kingdom family. Some will have a lot of treasure Some people they didn't have much treasure this age and even some people that did have treasure in this age They used it in a godly kingdom way. They will have treasure from their choices a lot of it Some believers will have a little bit Some believers paul said will suffer loss. They'll be saved as though by fire. They'll lose everything but they will be saved 1 corinthians 3 15 Paragraph b Jesus spoke of treasures in heaven Again, this is not simply figurative. It's real He was exhorting them. I'm using this is my term now to build their bank account in heaven for real This is not a joke He spoke the parable that we're all familiar with but this parable is one of the clearest definitions Of a believer who lives with a kingdom mindset and a believer who doesn't live with a kingdom mindset Although in the parable itself, he's not talking about two types of believers But I know a lot of believers that are living with the world mindset about wealth and I know believers that have a kingdom mindset and it really separates the way they Perceive life and the choices they make and how they spend their time and their money depending on the view they have depicted by this parable Again though the parable itself isn't describing two types of believers We we know the parable. Well Verse 16. He said there was a certain rich man He had a plentiful farms in essence Verse 18. He said hey i'm going to tear down my little barns and build big barns because I have so much increase verse 19 I'll say to myself. Hey Kick back Enjoy yourself. You got years ahead of you. Just chill and eat drink. Enjoy verse 20 I'm paraphrasing as you can see God says you fool Who said you had many years? Well, I don't know, you know my family Medical history they all live to their 90s, you know, i'm only in my 40s. I got lots of years You fool Says god verse 20. This is not your soul's required jesus Applies the parable So is he a fool Who lays up riches for himself, but he's not rich towards god many believers. That is them Although he's talking about i'm assuming an unbeliever here He gives a strong exhortation verse 33 provide for yourself Money bags that won't perish when you die Money bags that don't grow old Literally get money wealth that lasts forever Get treasure in heaven Paragraph one being wealthy in this age is a blessing If you use it, right If you don't use it, right It will incriminate you at the throne of god God gives you wealth or influence and you use it mostly for yourself. The lord will say What was that about? Foolish person, I mean still be saved foolish use of your life strength Beloved all of us are going to die in a minute well, that's Literally a minute or that's 80 years from now. That's a minute king. David said our life is a vapor. It's a minute If you're 20, you're going to be 80 in a minute money now Is not the highest form of wealth that's available to us It's money that lasts Beloved I love Wealth, I love it. I just want wealth at last you know i've been I've been vocal over the years for 40 years. I've been committed to a simple lifestyle I've been saying this for years. I said that I want to take less to give more Not because a lot of my friends said mike you're into poverty. I go. No, i'm not into poverty. I'm into giving They go. No, you're a poverty mentality get a bigger house. I go. I don't care. You go get your big house I am headed toward the judgment seat. I'm using my money as much as I can to empower other things I'm, not a poverty guy. I'm believing god for a billion dollars. I just don't want it to stop in my resort in my own use I'm really into money. I just want it to last forever You just are happy for it to last now i'm way more into money than you are The exchange rate is now it's really high And i'm this is serious. This is really serious I remember in my early 20s I went to my wife and I said I by the grace of god, I want us to live all of our days in a simple life and believe god for millions of dollars But not let it stay in our own hands Let's empower the work of the kingdom A lot of people don't pay much attention to this parable It's real. We're all going to be there in a minute again, whether That's a year a day or a hundred years. That's a minute from now. We're all going to be there paragraph c revelation 318 The wealthiest man in all of human history advises his people get gold from me He goes buy gold Now he doesn't mean earn gold from him. He means engage In the god-ordained process of grace of interacting with him We don't earn anything, but we invest ourselves in a costly way To position ourself to cultivate that life of obedience where it results in gold It's real and the gold is figurative a bit here figurative, but it's real as well Isaiah he clarified it paragraph d he talked about Buying but not having any money He talked about he goes. How do you buy without money? He tells us here in verse 3 of isaiah 55 He goes by coming to the lord hearing him and responding to him. That's how you buy Money beloved jesus said buy gold In a minute, we're all going to be there I want wealth I want my estate my garments My crowns if I have them, I don't know how it all works. I want to eat the stuff in the center of the city I don't know exactly what it all means, but I want to go for it beloved we have So unique the road map to success it's called the bible the words of jesus They're right here in the book Revelation chapter 2 and 3 of what this whole series has been focused around not no We're not stuck on those three two chapters, but the words of jesus he's going It's almost like you say I gave you the road map to hell all this stuff to work do it Don't stand before me and say oh, why didn't you tell me I did It's there in the book Well, amen, let's stand lord we thank you all for this glorious Road map to wealth and success and love and glory and wisdom for wisdom is vindicated by our children That's what jesus said Here we are in our last session I want to pray for folks again. We've done this each week. You're saying in your heart. I need to Make some shifts in my heart Because this is real stuff again my details might not be just all right, you know some of it i'm speculating i'm not sure But I know the heart of this is substantial and reliable the heart of what jesus said I want to invite you to Come forward if in your heart you're saying, you know, I maybe It's time for me to make some big decisions about the way I carry my heart or maybe you're stuck in an area Or maybe you're not stuck but you're saying my love's grown cold or maybe it isn't grown cold You're just saying I want to just say again before the lord. I want someone to lay hands on me I'm going all the way for the gold. I'm going for the gold Because that's wisdom. I want you to feel free to come up right now If you would like prayer just come stand up to this front line here 11 it's never too late to go all the way if you're 80 go hard before you're 81. I mean go hard now If you're 10 start going hard with the lord now hard means wholehearted Jesus I love your leadership. I love your ways. I love the road map of the bible Righteousness Holy spirit, we invite your presence right now. Holy spirit. We ask you to come in mark Is Beloved we're all weak and broken people. The lord is generous in his evaluation It's not about perfection it's about saying yes with all our heart and not giving up With I ask you to wash our mind with the renewing of the water of the word The lord says set your heart again and again Oh, this is what I want says the lord run after me This is my wisdom in you I'm leaving you run after me I'm leaving you So I have a purpose Lord I ask you for the very wind of the holy spirit now by the grace of god in a new way Come and heal hearts tonight Oppression confusion of the hearts and minds To Right now You fire Here we are See Is I ask you to mark hearts Come By fire, I will great shepherd I will set your feet on that path Oh jesus we love to love you Oh how we love you jesus Our love is weak, but your love is strong Oh that I would hear and feel your heart we want to feel your heart Tenderize my heart Here Isaiah said come and buy without money Hear my word hearken to my heart and you will buy without money my gold Because I want to know this is wisdom set your eyes above this is truth We set our eyes on you jesus Set our hearts on this is our wisdom. We set our gaze. Oh, this is our safety We set our eyes on this We set our gaze on you. This is our safety This is our glory You set our hearts on me