1156 - Blessed by God Will Inherit the Kingdom#
1156 - Blessed by God Will Inherit the Kingdom
(JP Text Group - Life Like an Eagle)
Matthew 25:31-46
31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 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. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 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.
35 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, 36 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.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 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.’ 41 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! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and did not help you?’ 45 He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.’
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you, we are people of hope. We are blessed by God. Thank you for preparing such a wonderful time, God will once again pour down your grace and blessings. We are willing to lay all burdens at the feet of Jesus Christ, through your words, all burdens in our hearts will be removed. We believe you will give us strength to glorify you in our lives. The new week will be a blessed week. We are willing to open our hearts to receive God's words, may the Holy Spirit be with every brother and sister, guiding us in the following time. In the name of Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord! We share a topic called Blessed by God Will Inherit the Kingdom
What kind of blessings will God give to those who are blessed? They will inherit God's kingdom. The scripture we just read refers to what Jesus Christ will bring us when He comes again. What will He be like when He comes? The Son of Man will come in His glory, accompanied by all His angels.
This is the most beautiful hope for every believer in Lord Jesus.
In fact, even non-believers know that the development of things follows a pattern, from rise to decline, they just do not know when it will end; the sovereignty is not in our hands, but in the hands of Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus Christ will come again when the gospel is preached to the ends of the earth, Amen.
When He comes, He will no longer be a man born in a manger, unknown to anyone; when He comes again, He will come in glory, accompanied by His angels.
Revelation 1:7, "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all peoples on earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen."
Brothers and sisters, when Jesus Christ comes again, all nations will see Him, everyone will see the return of Jesus Christ, which will make some heretical words fall flat. When others tell you that Jesus Christ has already come and has become a woman, do not believe them. If Jesus has already come, you do not need anyone to tell you; you will see Him directly. He will no longer be the humble servant who came to the world; He will come in glory, and the whole world will see Him. Amen!
Philippians 3:20-21,
"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
Jesus Christ came to transform our bodies to be like His glorious body. If someone is born lame or blind, and believes in Jesus Christ, when Jesus comes again, their bodies will be transformed into glorious bodies. Amen!
This passage also tells us what the Lord Jesus will bring us when He comes again, which is what we should focus on. Just like athletes, when they participate in competitions, they know that the first place will win the championship. They already know that the champion will receive a trophy, so they are striving for that, their goal is the same, and when they are on the field, they think about that trophy, which is their motivation.
Brothers and sisters, do you know what God will give you in the future?
If you do not know, you might say, "Oh, it doesn't matter, I already believe, anyway, I can enter the kingdom of heaven!" If you see how great the inheritance God has for you, you will be willing to give like Paul.
Paul said, "I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." He saw the eternal inheritance that God has reserved for him in heaven. Brothers and sisters, so we know that those blessed by God will inherit the kingdom.
Sharing the first point, when Christ returns, rewards and punishments will be revealed.
Many people always like to say: "Look at this person's behavior, it is so bad, he must be an unbeliever." In fact, this person is not the judge. What they say may not be correct. This is not the time to discern these things; it is the time for us to preach the gospel to others.
When is the time for rewards and punishments? It is when Jesus Christ comes again. He will judge everything.
When the Lord Jesus comes again, He will gather all nations before Him; what we just read is "all nations," which means "people from all countries and regions." The Lord Jesus will gather these people. Whether you believe or not, you will come to God to receive judgment.
That will be a moment of rewards and punishments, believers in Jesus will receive different rewards. Unbelievers, however, will mourn. Because everything will come to an end.
Matthew 13:47-50,
"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
When the net is full, it refers to the time when the gospel is preached to the ends of the earth, the net is full, the time has come, the number is sufficient, and the net will be pulled up. After it is pulled up, the one who pulls the net will pick out the good ones; the messy ones will be thrown away.
Jesus tells us here that it will be the same at the end of the age, the angels will come and separate the righteous from the wicked. Before Jesus comes, the righteous are among the wicked; these righteous people live with the wicked. When Jesus Christ comes again, He will pick out those who belong to Him!
It is difficult for us to see now who is wicked and who is righteous; this is a time of grace, we need to spread the gospel widely. The time has come, the Lord Jesus will separate those wicked people and throw them into the furnace. So do not discuss whether a certain person is saved; we can only be sure of whether we believe in Jesus.
When others tell you that even if you believe in the Lord Jesus today, you may not be saved! Do not believe them, because it is not up to them; it is God's word that counts. The Bible tells us, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." If you believe God's word, do not believe anything that contradicts the Bible. The words of the Lord Jesus are our standard; the Bible is the standard for our lives.
Jesus used a metaphor for the final judgment, like a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. In the Bible, Jesus often compares us to sheep; He is our shepherd.
In the region of Palestine, sheep generally have white wool, while goats usually have black fur. Most of the time, that is the case. Sheep have a characteristic of liking to walk on flat grasslands, while goats prefer to climb in the mountains and on slopes. Sheep like to eat grass, while goats prefer to eat leaves from trees.
When the weather is too hot, sheep cannot stand the exposure; they need to go to a cool place under a tree or in a cave, but goats are not like that; they think they are strong and capable.
Moreover, sheep have no offensive power, but goats can attack sheep. They can only bully sheep. Why does the shepherd separate them? Because goats sometimes attack sheep, and when the shepherd cannot tolerate it, he separates them, one group eats here, and another group eats there.
Jesus uses this metaphor to tell us that in the future, God will also separate the righteous from the wicked.
Brothers and sisters, you are the righteous, and you are attacked by those around you because they can only bully you; they have no other ability.
God compares us to sheep because we can see from the nature of sheep that goats have a self-protective awareness; they think quickly and have many of their own ideas, but sheep do not. The characteristic of sheep is that they do whatever the shepherd says.
When guests come to a Palestinian home, do they kill a sheep or a goat? It is a goat. Why not kill a sheep? Because not only are they obedient, but sheep can also produce milk, and their wool is long. Unlike goats, when guests come, they usually kill a one-year-old male goat to entertain the guests; sheep are like treasures to them.
When goats attack sheep, in today's passage, verse 33 says, "He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left." Let me first explain how to distinguish them; he takes a small stick and taps the left side of the goat's head, and that goat will start to walk to the left. He taps the right side of the sheep's head, and that sheep will walk to the right.
In the future, during God's judgment, it will be the same. The sheep will be placed on the right. Brothers and sisters, do you know what the right side represents? The right side represents victory, represents righteousness, represents glory. Amen! God places this group of weak, defenseless sheep on the right side; He becomes the victory for this group of sheep. Thank you, Lord!
In the Song of Solomon, when describing sheep, it says in chapter 1, verse 7, "Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday?"
In the heat of the midday sun, goats are not afraid of the heat, but sheep must rest at noon. When Solomon describes the one he loves, he asks, "Where do you rest at noon?" Brothers and sisters, God has already prepared a resting place for us.
Leviticus 23:18-19 tells us,
"Bring two lambs a year old without defect, one young bull, and two rams, along with their grain offerings and drink offerings. Then sacrifice one goat for a sin offering and two lambs a year old for a fellowship offering."
When offering a ram, it is for a sin offering; when offering a sheep, it is for a fellowship offering. Through Jesus, we have forgiveness and peace, and we need not worry about the scorching sun.
In verse 34 of chapter 25, when God separates the two groups of sheep, He begins His judgment.
Verse 34, "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.’"
Brothers and sisters, this passage is also the center of our sharing today and is the most crucial sentence. Those blessed by the Heavenly Father are on the right.
Those blessed by my Father actually means they are praised and blessed. In other words, those on the right are praised and blessed by the Heavenly Father. It refers to saved Christians, and God praises them for the good deeds they have done. They can inherit the kingdom prepared for them since the creation of the world.
What does it mean to inherit?
What is the difference between "inheriting the kingdom of God" and "entering the kingdom of heaven"? Galatians 4:30,
"Nevertheless, what does Scripture say? Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son."
Isaac did not need to strive to become Abraham's son; all of Abraham's inheritance was already given to him. When there was a conflict between these two sons, Abraham followed God's will and sent away the son born of the flesh, allowing Isaac, the son born of the free woman, to inherit the family inheritance. This word is the same as what we just read. God says, "Come! Now you can inherit the inheritance I have prepared for you since the creation of the world."
As Christians, after being saved, every time you give for the Lord, God remembers it.
How can we see this? You read Hebrews chapter 11, which is known as the "Hall of Faith," and the people recorded there are all great men of faith. For example, Abraham, who believed, when there was no hope, still believed. Did Abraham never have weaknesses in his life? Yes, but God does not record those things! In this world, when you accept Jesus, all the good deeds you do for the Lord are recorded by God, Amen!
If you do evil, God lets that pass; you just wasted time.
When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, while we are still alive, we should use this time to work for the Lord, participate in service when there is an opportunity, and do good to others. God will have us inherit His inheritance in the future.
The second point, those blessed by God are people with the life of Christ; those with abundant blessings are those who are offered to the Lord.
First of all, we are all blessed by God. If you believe, you are a person blessed by God, but among these children, there are actually two kinds.
John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
After Jesus Christ came, He gives life to people; we can all receive life, and the life is the same, but Jesus follows up with a statement that some will receive a more abundant life.
So what is the difference between this life and the previous life? The latter refers to the inheritance, the blessing of abundant life; the former means that if you believe in Jesus, you will enter the kingdom of heaven. This matter will not change, but the lives of those who enter the kingdom of heaven are different.
The first epistle of John specifically tells us, "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Brothers and sisters, you are people who possess eternal life. You are people who possess abundant life; salvation is not related to our behavior; this is everything Jesus accomplished for me on the cross, and it has nothing to do with our personal actions.
How can we obtain the inheritance? This reward is related to our behavior.
2 Peter 1:3-8
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If we only believe in Jesus to enter the kingdom of heaven, why go through all this trouble? There is this and that, and after having this, there is still more… After having these qualities, you will definitely bear fruit.
You see, God hopes that we have knowledge, self-control, and after self-control, we need perseverance; after perseverance, we need godliness; after godliness, we need mutual affection; after mutual affection, we need love. Peter tells us here that after believing in Jesus, we indeed need to have good behavior, and this good behavior will bring us what? You will bear fruit. If you are willing to change, God will use these things to reward you.
Verse 10 says, "Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election."
If a person believes in Jesus but is unwilling to change their behavior, over time, they will even doubt their salvation. Have you ever felt this way? Some people, after believing in the Lord, do not come to gatherings for a long time and do not read the Bible; in this case, after a while, they will doubt whether there is God or whether they can be saved.
Why does this happen?
Because they have not experienced God and have not borne fruit. And in the process of experiencing God and bearing fruit, faith can increase; God allows us to enter into His abundance through our good behavior, which increases our blessings, increases our faith, and more importantly, gives us a permanent inheritance in heaven.
Verse 11, "And you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Take some time to read 2 Peter 1:3-11; it says a lot, and at the end, it says, if you do these things, you will be richly welcomed into the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ.
In other words, do not envy the thief who was crucified with Jesus; he has nothing to envy; he is merely saved. Where are we stronger than him? We are still living in this world today; if we strive a little for the Lord, what God has reserved for us is abundant blessings. For example, looking at today's passage, God tells those believers who have given for the Lord, "You can inherit the kingdom I have prepared for you since the creation of the world, an abundant inheritance."
Verse 35 says, "For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat."
Brothers and sisters, does the Lord get hungry?
The Lord says, "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."
If it were the Lord Jesus, it seems like the Lord has no power at all; it is all us taking care of Him! Is that so? You see, He is hungry, thirsty, has no clothes, has been imprisoned, and is sick; is this our Lord? Who is this referring to? Let’s look further:
Verse 37, "Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we do these things?’"
How do we obtain the identity of the righteous? By believing in Jesus Christ and the salvation He accomplished for you on the cross, you obtain the identity of the righteous. Does it require our behavior? No, it does not.
Brothers and sisters, after we become children of God, God is responsible for everything about us and is willing to give us His abundant blessings, which He has prepared for each of us. But to receive these inheritances, you need to use your behavior to obtain them; this is different from salvation; this is called reward or inheritance.
Verse 40 says, "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.’"
Giving a cup of cold water to the least of these cannot go unrewarded.
James 2:26 mentions that faith without works is dead. This "dead" does not mean that believers without good behavior cannot be saved; that is not the meaning. It means that if a believer has faith but no works, that faith is ineffective; faith cannot bring benefits to people.
For example, if you just go to work, no matter which company you go to, when you get there, God will bless you. This person knows God's word, but he is lazy and unwilling to do anything; he cannot receive God's blessings.
Proverbs 6:6-11
"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man."
Many people, after believing, go to extremes, thinking that Jesus has accomplished everything, so they do not need to do anything and just wait for God to bless them. People are very willing to hear such words. As a result, many people keep waiting, doing nothing, and poverty continues to accompany them.
There was once a testimony: a person lived in the countryside, and after believing, he no longer worked in the fields; he just prayed at home. He said, "I pray that no weeds will grow in my fields; I pray that my crops will be stronger than others!"
Do you know what the reality was? Others did not want to believe in Jesus because of this person. His grass grew more lush than others.
Was this God's fault? Did he declare wrongly? No.
What he said was correct; he just lacked one thing: action. As a Christian, since you know that God's blessings for you will definitely be more than others, you should work diligently, remove the weeds from your fields, and pray for your crops; your harvest will definitely be more than others.
The Bible also has such an example: Isaac, in a year of famine, sowed seeds by faith, and that year he reaped a hundredfold. This is God's wonderful blessing. But if Isaac did not sow seeds and just kept declaring by faith, what would he have? Nothing. This is not called faith. It cannot produce good behavior and a good testimony.
Brothers and sisters, if you want to be healthy, you say, "Lord, I offer my body to you, to sing and praise you." Previously, you might have often cursed yourself and spoken negatively; now you start to praise and bless, making your body a temple of God.
When you offer your body like this before God, He begins to bless your body. We have among us such testimonies; when they were sick, they did nothing else but sing hymns, and while singing, they got better; this is faith and action working together. Thank the Lord; this is the meaning.
Let’s look further:
"I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink." These righteous people say, "Lord, when did we do such things?" God gives them an explanation, saying, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Amen.
Do not look for Jesus to do things for Him; we no longer have that opportunity. When people serve others as if they are serving Jesus, they are doing it for the Lord Jesus. Do not say, "Lord, where are you? I cannot see you!" The needs of those around you, the things you do in your life to glorify the Lord, are all remembered by God.
I once saw a testimony of a sister who was very devout and loved the Lord. She fasted and prayed before God, saying, "Lord Jesus, give me a chance to serve you!" After praying, she said, "Lord, I have no other requests; if you can come to my house for a meal, I will be satisfied for life. I ask for nothing else; I just ask for this, and I believe you can accomplish it."
Early in the morning, she started cooking, thinking, "Maybe Jesus will come to my house for breakfast." She prepared a full table and began to pray. As mealtime approached, Jesus had not appeared. At that moment, someone knocked on the door; when she opened it, it was a beggar, saying, "Sister, please give me something to eat; I haven't had anything for days, and I am so hungry..."
This sister said, "No, no, today I have very important guests; please go to another house!" The beggar pleaded, "Just give me a bun!" "No, today I am hosting my Lord; you must go. If my Lord sees you at the door, He won't come in; hurry and leave!" Saying this, she pushed the person away and closed the door.
She continued to pray, and the table of food remained there, but Jesus did not come. This sister thought, "Maybe Jesus is too busy and went to someone else's house; maybe He will come back at noon!" She put the food aside and made another table; the Lord cannot eat leftovers; her heart must be sincere.
At noon, she made another table and began to pray, saying, "Lord Jesus, this time you must come; I do not know where you went in the morning, but you should come at noon; you promised me." When noon passed twelve o'clock, Jesus still had not come. This sister was anxious, wondering when Jesus would come. After a while, the food would get cold; at that moment, someone knocked on the door again. This time, it was a limping beggar, worse than the one in the morning. When she opened the door, this person did not ask for food but pushed his way in, saying, "Look at me; it is hard for me to walk; I am starving; I have not eaten for three days; please let me sit in your house and eat something!"
This sister said, "No, you cannot come into my house; what if you make a mess? The Lord is so holy! If you sit in my house, there will be a smell; how can I eat? You must leave!" She pushed this person away again.
Three times she missed the opportunity.
This sister prayed at home and began to cry, saying, "Lord, look at all the pots and pans I have prepared; I have spent the whole day preparing food for you, and you did not come even once; are you deceiving me?" Do you know how the Lord Jesus answered her? "I have already come to your house three times, and you did not welcome me."
Brothers and sisters, do not imagine the Lord Jesus as someone sitting in heaven; He is right beside you. He is your husband, your child, your colleague, your boss, your brothers and sisters. So the meaning Jesus expresses is very clear, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." What you do for your brothers and sisters is remembered by God.
You may think, "I am a housewife, cooking for my husband and children, doing laundry..." If you do these things as if you are doing them before the Lord, God remembers everything you do for a lifetime. If you understand this truth, will you still complain? You will want to do more. You will say, "Lord, the place where I serve is my family." At that time, your eyes will be wide open, wondering why you have so many inheritances and blessings!
God says, "You have served your church, served your children, and worked very hard in your company, serving your boss as if serving me; all of this is what you deserve. After you believed, you received such abundant blessings, which are related to our behavior."
Do not say, "I have already believed in the Lord; I do not need good behavior." Our salvation is not based on behavior, but our inheritance is related to our behavior. Jesus also emphasizes many times that you should do good deeds before people and give glory to our Father in heaven.
A lamp should be placed on a lampstand to shine on those in darkness. We are the light of the world; let your light shine before others. When you serve, do not complain, because you are doing it for the Lord.
Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
No matter how much money you earn in this world, you can only store it in the bank; when you leave, you cannot take a penny with you. If you do things before God, your inheritance in heaven is eternal and cannot be taken away by anyone, Amen! Jesus said that in heaven, there are no thieves because God is there; there are no moths because God does not allow them, and they cannot get in.
God remembers everything you give for the church. Likewise, God remembers every offering you make before Him; there is only one thing on earth that can leave a permanent inheritance in heaven: serving for the Lord, serving as if you are serving Lord Jesus. Using earthly wealth to help brothers and sisters and support gospel work, this inheritance is stored for you in the kingdom of heaven forever.
This is what we just read in this passage; these people can inherit this abundant inheritance because they have good deeds on earth. Brothers and sisters, if someone around you is sick, you should visit them; visiting them also has God's reward; if someone around you is weak, you should encourage them; encouraging them also has a reward; if you see that sister who often sits beside you not coming to gatherings, she is weak, and you comfort her to bring her back to God, you will also have a reward.
The sheep on the right, that is, the righteous, God gives them abundant rewards and blessings. What about those on the left?
Verse 41, "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!’"
Why do they enter the eternal fire? Is it because they have no good deeds? Do you really think that only Christians have good deeds in this world? Unbelievers sometimes have even more good deeds than we do; this is undeniable.
You see, during earthquakes, many unbelievers donate more than we do; they do good deeds. But how does God say? God says, "For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in; I needed clothes, and you did not clothe me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not look after me." They will also answer, "Lord, when did we do such things?"
What does this prove? It proves that he indeed has good deeds in the world; otherwise, he would not rebut God, saying, "Lord, when did we do such things?" The righteous did what I did!
For example, if a person has a sick relative and visits them, and that person happens to be a Christian, we also visit at the same time, but in God's eyes, the believer can receive a reward, while the unbeliever who also visited receives nothing. Is this unfair? Some may say, "How can God do this? That person clearly did a good deed; why does He say he did not do anything?" The reason is that he has not believed in Jesus, and the issue of sin has not been resolved. God calls him wicked.
In God's eyes, there are only two types of people: the righteous and the wicked. Why are they called wicked? It is not because they do evil that they are called wicked, but because their sins have not been forgiven; why are they called righteous? It is not because they do righteous deeds that they are called righteous, but because they believe that Jesus Christ shed His blood for their sins and sacrificed Himself, they are justified. After that, what they do for the Lord is remembered.
If a person has not accepted the Lord Jesus, all their actions are evil in God's eyes. All their good deeds are like filthy rags before God; they are evil deeds.
Let me give you a simple example; perhaps you will understand. If a person commits a crime and is convicted, and in the latter half of their life, they start doing many good deeds, is that person a sinner or a righteous person? They are absolutely a sinner. Their original sin has not been redeemed; even if they do good for the rest of their life, they are still a fugitive sinner.
When we believe in Jesus Christ, all our sins are placed on Jesus, and we are called righteous. From then on, all the good deeds you do are remembered by God. If this does not apply to you, if you have not believed in Jesus Christ, even if you do good, you are still considered wicked in God's eyes. Their destination is only one place - eternal punishment.
These unbelievers will be thrown into the lake of fire, where the fire is unquenchable. They will suffer forever.
Brothers and sisters, the choice in this life is very important. When you accept Jesus, you do not feel pain; what God gives you is eternal joy! Amen! God says you do not need to worry about punishment; this will not come upon you. What God has prepared for you is His eternal kingdom.
In that place, there will be everything; now you think this world is beautiful. God says, do not envy this place; in the future, our streets will be made of pure gold. At that time, you will know: what is my inheritance? Rest assured, it will be more precious than gold. What God gives you is something our eyes have never seen and our ears have never heard, Amen!
You think today you have sung a piece and feel joyful; in the future, what God gives you to enjoy will be a wonderful music you have never heard before, which will allow you to enjoy eternal joy. Brothers and sisters, this is God's blessing, the inheritance of the righteous! I wish every brother and sister to know that our identity as the righteous comes from faith in Jesus Christ, but our inheritances are different.
1 Corinthians 15 also mentions that there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; the heavenly and the earthly are different because the sun has its glory, the moon has its glory, and the stars have their glory. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." It is definitely not in vain!
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you. Lord, we truly know that we can be blessed by you because we believe in Jesus Christ; you will remember everything we do for the Lord, which is the inheritance we are to receive. You want us all to receive abundant rewards.
Please guide me at the beginning of this new week. I am willing to serve you in my life, in my work; I know I am serving the Lord. I am not serving people; I am serving you. You will reward me and guide me into abundance! In the name of Lord Jesus, I pray, Amen!