To motivate us to diligently live for Christ now and just think about the implications of what that means for our future.
† We are going to look at what is the church’s relationship to Jesus’s coming kingdom.
Revelation 2:26–27 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— 27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father;
Overcomers in the Church
Psalm 2:9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
† A messianic psalm
† Jesus is telling the overcomer in the church “I will give power over the nations”
† Jesus is actually going to share his kingdom Reign over the Nations on Earth with the overcomer.
Revelation 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
† Jesus’ throne
Hebrews 10:12–13 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.
† Jesus overcame, Bible calls that victorious.
† Currently there.
Jesus’ Davidic throne
Luke 1:32–33 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Matthew 19:28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
Revelation 5:9–10 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
In Revelation chapter 5 you have this heavenly throne room scene where Jesus takes a scroll from the hand of God the Father which indicates that Jesus the lamb, the Messiah, has the right to the title deed of Earth and then the judgments that are needed to take it back.
† Then there’s this song that is offered to Jesus and we’re told that they sing a new song saying worthy are you to take the scroll and to break its seals
† for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and Nation
† referring to the people that Jesus purchased with his blood at the cross
† so Cross and the future your kingdom are very closely related
I want to emphasize that when the saints do Reign on the earth it is because of their being in Union with Jesus they don’t just Reign on their own they Reign on the earth because they’re associated with and in Union with Jesus.
Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
This is where you see that prediction of coming Kingdom Reign on the earth come to fruition.
1 Corinthians 6:2–3 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
Next age
2 Timothy 2:12 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
This is similar to the messages to the Overcomers in Revelation.
† This is the age for enduring.
† this is the age of perseverance.
† This is the age of pushing on in difficult times.
† The reward if we endure is that we will also reign with him.
† Christians who hold on to their faith are going to face difficult times in this world, in this age that we live in but,
† one of the motivations that we are going to reign with Christ in the future.
Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
† So be faithful.
Luke 19:11–19 11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. 12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ 15 “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ 19 Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’
This passage talks about faithfulness that Jesus requires from those who belong to Him between His first and second comings.
† Historians have pointed out that at this particular time in the Roman Empire if there was somebody who was who wanted to or was destined to rule over a particular area of the Empire that he would travel to Rome to officially get those rights from Caesar and then he would return and then actually begin to Reign in that particular area.
† So there was a traveling to receive rights for a kingdom and then a return to Reign
† now in this particular Parable nobleman represents Jesus and the going to a distant country represents him going to heaven
† Jesus is the one who’s going to go to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then return
† Jesus expecting his followers to be faithful while he is gone.
† We are to be responsible stewards of what he has given to us
† and to be very much at work for him while He is gone
Matthew 19:28–29 28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Regeneration = renewal of the earth.
Eternal reward, motivation for faithful service