What does ‘A Better Resurrection’ mean?
Although they were close friends, the eighteen century evangelists Whitefield and Wesley disagreed over Whitefield’s Calvinism in general and his understanding of the doctrine of predestination in particular. Wesley published a sermon attacking Whitefield’s views regarding the doctrine of predestination. Whitefield published a letter in response, refuting the points of Wesley’s sermon. The result was a schism between the two men that would eventually be healed, but would cause dissension amongst Christians. One person asked Whitefield if he would see John Wesley in Heaven. Whitefield responded that Wesley would be so much closer to the throne of glory than he that he would not get a glimpse of him.
Are there rewards in heaven? Will some live closer to the Lord Jesus?
Jesus’ teaching on ‘rewards’
The word ‘reward’ comes 75 times in the Bible and is used in much the same way we use the word today. A labourer is rewarded for the work they do. It is used 27 times in the New Testament, 12 times in Matthew’s gospel. Jesus stresses that there are rewards for true godliness. These rewards are given by the Father and the suggestion is that these will be experienced in the future, perhaps in the next life and not in the here and now, the rewards that others seek and receive.
“ Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4
Jesus continues with similar teaching about prayer:
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:5-6
In Luke’s gospel Jesus makes it clear that these rewards will certainly be experienced in heaven. He said to his disciples:
“Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.” Luke 6:22-23
“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:35
This statement about ‘the reward in heaven’ can either mean that if we don’t learn to love our enemies we won’t be admitted to heaven or alternatively that those who are faithful in obeying Jesus will be rewarded somehow for the way they have lived when they are in heaven.
Jesus clarifies what is meant later when he tells his disciples the parable of the ten minas. In this story a nobleman is going to a distant country to be appointed king and he gives ten servants a minas each, telling them to ‘put this money to work’. A minas was worth about three months each. The servants rejected the rule of the king saving, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’ However when the king returned one servant said,
“Sir your mina has earned ten more.” Luke 19:16
He was told by his master,
“Well done, my good servant! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.” Luke 19:17
A second servant’s mina had gained five more and he was rewarded with the words,
“You take charge of five cities.” Luke 19:18
However a third servant had not used what he had been loaned but tried to excuse himself. The master called him a ‘wicked servant’ adding,
“Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.”
This puzzled those hearing this judgment,
“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
The master replied,
“‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
The king is clearly the Lord Jesus who has given gifts to his people to use for him whilst he is away.
Just before his last supper Jesus gave some vital instructions to his disciples warning them not to be complacent in their service of him.
1. The parable of the ten virgins
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.” Matthew 25:1-4
Before christ returns to his earth there will be some in his church who will be faithful and are preparing for his return and others who have lost their focus on serving him. Only those who were prepared were admitted to the wedding banquet:
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.’” Matthew 25:10-13
2. The parable of the talents
This story is again about a rich man going on a journey who entrusts his servants with his property.
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” Matthew 25:14-18
After a long time the master returned to settle the accounts:
“The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
This teaching means that when our Lord returns we will all be assessed on how we have used what he has given us for his glory. The rewards will then become apparent. However the servant who failed to use what he had been loaned and ‘buried his talent’ ws judged accordingly. The faithful servant received even more!
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ . . .’‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:26-30
God will certainly judge unfaithfulness in those who claim to follow him but he will reward the faithful.
3. The parable of the sheep and the goats
This parable is again about the judgement that all will face when Jesus returns:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” Matthew 25:31-33
Those who are truly memebers of the family of God, the sheep, will be admitted to heaven
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”
The carrot is very attaractive indeed. Note that our acceptance by God is his gift, it is an inheritance given to those in his family, this acceptance can never be earned. The evidence of faith will be seen in how the christians care for their fellow believers:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:35-36
This is not teaching that those who have a social conscience will be acceptable to God – that would go against the whole teaching of the Bible. To care for God’s people is to care for Jesus:
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40
A real love for God’s people is a major sign that we belong to him. The fate of those who reject his rule is horrendous, the stick is a powerful warning!
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:41-46
Jesus wants all people to know that there are immense benefits from living for him and horrendous fate for those who reject his rule.
In his book ‘The Weight of Glory’, C.S. Lewis notes how believers often underestimate the full riches God has for His children:
“If we consider . . . the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures...like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Old Testament teaching on ‘rewards’
David clearly recognised that the reward for his commitment to god would be in the next life.
“By your hand save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life.” Psalm 17:14
“The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.” Psalm 18:20
“The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.” Psalm 18:24
So when David refers to the righteous being rewarded, he is not only referring to everlasting salvation being a reward. Instead he is saying that those credited with righteousness will be rewarded for their righteous service to God. David is not saying he was sinless, but rather that, in contrast to others, he has devoted himself, heart and life, to the service of the Lord. He has been given the status of being righteousness in God’s eyes and this is being reflected in the integrity with which he tries to live.
It needs to be emphasised that David understood the righteous as being those who were credited with righteousness by God’s undeserved grace through faith.
“However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
‘Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” Romans 4:5-8 quoting Psalm 32:1-2
God’s judgment
Jesus repeatedly warns us that God’s judgment is real and will involve us al. Those who are still responsible for their own sin and have rejected the rule of God’s Son, their only Saviour, will face the fate of eternal separation form God:
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:18
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” John 3:36
However Christians will also be judged on how we have lived: Christians live their lives to glorify their Saviour, the Lord Jesus. Paul wrote to the troubled church in Corinth on this subject:
“But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.” 1 Corinthians 3:10-13
We are saved because we are committed to Christ but how we build on this foundation in this life will be judged and rewarded appropriately. In his next letter to the Corinthians he reminds them:
“ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10
Incentives
All people are motivated by ‘the carrot and the stick’ and the bible recognises this fact. There are many warnings in Scripture that to forget God, our creator and sustainer, will result in eternal separation form god. Those who accept his rule are promised eternal life with him. However those Christians who treat their Lord casually and are not really bothered about serving him may scrape into heaven but what rewards to they receive?
When missionaries first went to Nigeria their life expectancy was just 2 years, Malaria was rife. Yet volunterrs keept coming. The life of early missionaries in china was very hard yet they came. Read the history of the the persection of christians in the early church and indeed today and you will repeatedly read of individuals who prerred to remain true to the Lord and face torture and death. Why did they do this. It is surely because they looked to the next world, to a ‘better resurrection’. Theri resurrection was certain, they not only knew that heaven will be better than their present existence but that somehow the resurrection will be better because they have remained faithful. The writer to the Hebrews:
“There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.” Hebrews 11:35
The example of Jesus should be the life we should emulate.
“. . . fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
We read about Jesus and other people of the faith in the Bible, but we can also see his life in spirit-filled Christians around us:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, . . .” Hebrews 12:1
The apostles determined to copy the Lord Jesus and so should all Christians. There is no place for half-hearted allegiance to Jesus, the son of God. Paul could write to the young church at Thessalonica,
“You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 1:6
Richard Baxter (1615-1691) was a soldier for Christ is every meaning of the word. In a sermon called ‘Making light of Christ and Salvation’ (based on the text ‘But they made light of it.’ Matthew 22:5) he said,
“It is a most lamentable thing to see how most people spend their time and their energy for trifles, while God is cast aside. He who is all seems to them as nothing, and that which is nothing seems to them as good as all. It is lamentable indeed, knowing that God has set mankind in such a race where heaven or hell is their certain end, that they should sit down and loiter, or run after the childish toys of the world, forgetting the prize they should run for.
Were it but possible for one of us to see this business as the all-seeing God does, and see what most men and women in the world are interested in and what they are doing every day, it would be the saddest sight imaginable. Oh, how we should marvel at their madness and lament their self-delusion! If God had never told them what they were sent into the world to do, or what was before them in another world, then there would have been some excuse. But it is His sealed word, and they profess to believe it.”
What a joy it is and what it will mean in eternity to live wholeheartedly for the Lord Jesus. The apostle Paul wrote:
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain,” Philippians 1:21
“I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” Philippians 3:8-10
Henry Martyn was a late teenager who was encouraged to consider the claims of Christ by his older sister who had become a Christian. He became convinced and also committed his life to Christ. He was very gifted academically and went to Cambridge University to read Mathematics when just seventeen years old. He attended Holy Trinity Church where the minister was the great Charles Simeon who helped him get know and love the Bible. At the end of his first year he became Senior Wrangler, the top student in Maths in the whole university. He then changed to study Classics and in his final exams he again became the top student. His hobby was studying linguistics. He was ordained and became curate to Charles Simeon before being appointed as a Chaplain to the East India Company and he moved to India. He had studied Hebrew and Greek and set about producing a translation of the Bible in Hindustani so that the local people could read about the gospel for themselves. He then moved up to Persia and translated the Bible into Persian. He then developed a fever and died aged thirty one in 1812 AD!
Charles Simeon’s room in Kings college can be see from the main road, His room was behind the large semicircular window on the first floor in the centre of the long block adjacent to Kings College chapel. Some eighteen months after hearing of the death of his beloved former curate a portrait of him was delivered and placed above the fireplace in the main room. Simeon used to have friends and students round and he loved to say to them, pointing at the picture,
“There! - see that blessed man! What an expression of countenance! No-one looks at me as he does – he never takes his eyes off me; and seems always to be saying, ‘Be serious – be earnest, don’t trifle, don’t trifle.’
Then smiling at the picture and gently bowing, Simeon would add, “And I won’t trifle, I won’t trifle.”
The lesson is clear. We must never thrink of God so that he becomes our puppet and suggest that God must be answerable to us. He is our judge but he can also be our Saviour and not only ours but the Saviour of the world. It will be imensely worthwhile to serve the living God and immensely foolish to trifle with him.
BVP
