More Than Works

1 Corinthians 2 9 says we can't even begin to imagine what God has prepared for those of us who love him. Okay? So the key is do you love him? We can't imagine what he has prepared for us. What he has prepared for us if we love him. So how do we love him? This is real basic. This is Bible 11. But let me put the piece together for maybe there's one or two of you that don't know this, but he says Jesus said, if you love me, you'll keep my commandment. I don't know if I've ever heard a sermon on rewards in heaven, but it's a constant theme throughout Scripture. It's all over the place. I just think of a couple of Scriptures real fast. 2 Corinthians 5, 10 says, we will receive what is new, whether they be good or evil. There's two different judgment seats. There's the white throne judgment and there's a judgment seat of Christ. You do not want to stand. You don't want it at the end of your life stand at the white throne judgment, because then you're going to be as non-Christian, non-blues who have not accepted Jesus Christ. You're going to be judged by what you've done. You don't want to go. There's certainly dwell on them. But that's a horrible thought. Too horrible. Even contemplate right now. But then you stand before the judgment seat of Christ and you're rewarded for all the things you did do for Christ. You did do for the Lord. It's fight of all the crazy stuff. We get rewarded for all the good stuff we did. That's pretty special. Particularly if you're an overachiever. I tend to be an overachiever. I want to have responsibilities. I want to have some things to do that are important. Matthew 25-21 says, if you've been faithful over a little on why you've been down this small time we have on earth, I'll set you over much. I think I want a guy to set me over much. Try to get to have it. How about you? It's this imputable law of sewing and reaping. You have this theme. It's all over where you look. You see it when you start looking for it. First Corinthians 3, I think it's 3-8 says, our wages are given to us according to our laborer. Are you laboring for God? Are you living every day serving God? Are you living every day being about your father's business? Are you laboring for yourself and focus on yourself for your own worth of needs? I'm not saying you're not on your way to heaven. But you're not going to get rewarded for selling those car wax or whatever else you're doing. It didn't work that way. I just want to get to heaven. That's their goal. I want to get to heaven. That's good for sure because it's your journal and you want to get to heaven. But there's different levels of heaven. Do you understand that? First Corinthians 3 gives us the Scripture. I laugh at it sometimes. It's some of us all be like we're escaping through flames. They'll be senders on our robes. I didn't think that's how the Apostle Paul entered heaven. I think he came into heaven a whole different way. I want to be more like the Apostle Paul. First Corinthians 2.9 says, we can't even begin to imagine what God has prepared for those of us who love Him. So the key is do you love Him? We can't imagine what He has prepared for us. What He has prepared for us if we love Him. So how do we love Him? I'm getting out of this is real basic. This is Bible 101. But let me put the piece together for maybe there's one or two of you that don't know this. But he says, Jesus said, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. In Mark 12, he talks about that specifically when they said, well, so what's the greatest commandment? You have ten commandments, so you have hundreds really, but you have the ten commandments. And when you look at the ten, they say, well, so what's the best? What's the most important? And you know what he said. He said, love me with all your heart, mind, soul, all in love. If you're all in loving God, His love overflow you and you automatically love your neighbor as yourself. The two, you can't be separate. That's always, they always go together. But if you love your neighbor as yourself, you're going to be as concerned for their salvation as you are your own salvation. And that's when you start moving everybody every day, closer to Jesus, because everybody's under your purview. Everybody's under your influence. You have influence. God's giving you influence. What do you do with your influence? Love is defined as salvationing. Let me explain this just the moment to you. When God loves you, it's a thousand percent salvationing you. He's loving you to bring you to Himself. He's loving you to bring you to eternity. He made you for eternity. And we love you. He's salvationing you. And he's bringing you to eternity. And when you love people around you, when you speak to people every conversation you have, everything comes out of your mouth. He wants to salvation that message, whether it's be laughter or sorrow or whatever it is, but it be with a thought of salvation. I just lost a dear friend. I'm grieving over that. I'm grieving over that. But in my voice, you know, there's joy for him. He's in heaven. Even in our worst moments, we can bring glory to God and we can salvation people by the very fact that we love God. Our joy is strong. Even the midst of our worst times. Okay. First Corinthians 13 gives us, it's the love chapter, right? And it really is appropriate for this message because if it gives us a message without love, we gain nothing. At least, you know, I can give it to the poor. I give all my money away. I can be a sacrificial. I can do this as long as there's all these things we can do. It says, but that means nothing if you're doing without love. What does that mean? It means nothing if we're not doing it to love people into heaven, to salvation them and to heaven. That's what life's all about. It's so simple and it's so profound. This is what we live for every moment of every day. If you're not doing that, you're missing joy now and you're missing rewards in heaven. And I'm not talking about earning your way in heaven. I mean, it starts this right quick. I will wear Ephesians 2.9 that says, you know, it's not of works less than you should boast. We can't earn our way in heaven. Obviously, we cannot be good enough. Being good does not get said to heaven. But we can't earn our rewards. We can. There are levels in heaven and there's levels in hell. There are some that are going to be really good people that are really good people that just refuse except Jesus Christ. They'll have a different place in heaven than say maybe Charles Manson. And there's certainly different levels in heaven. And I want to go as far as I can in that journey. I hope you are too. Do you just want to get into heaven? No. You want to go into heaven and get ready to have the time of your life. And you're going to have the time of your life no matter what. But you get my point. I'm going to have any responsibility. I want to be charged. I want to be challenged. I want whatever there is. I want all of it. Okay. So we have what 100 years or so on this earth. And for that 100 years, it's not about selling car wax. I mean, I love my business. Don't get me wrong. I love my business. I'm passionate about shiny cars. I really am. I'll drive you crazy with my patient for shiny cars. And I love sports and food and places. All that's not that we don't do that. But we're at some's down to. He's given us 100 years to discover who he is and make a life's most important decision. Do you or do you not accept Jesus Christ as your savior and your Lord? That's what it's all about. And to love him. And then after you love him, you allow his love to flow through you to others. And you love everybody else around you into heaven. That's what life's all about. I'll end it with this word. And it's a powerful word that I only discovered this not too long back a few months ago. Paul's talking to the believers in Thessalonica. And it's first Thessalonians, first Thessalonians 219. Read it. It's read. So we read about crowns and rewards. Well, I want a crown where I get to heaven. I think we take the crowns and places fear. I'm sure how all that works. But we will be receiving crowns based on what we've done on earth. Okay. And he's saying to the people that he's led to the Lord in the baby church in Thessalonica. He's them. Can you imagine him saying there? He's looking at it. He's saying. So what will be my reward? What will be my crown when I see Jesus face to face? What will be my reward? And many people say it's you. It's you. You're my reward. God has loved you through me and brought you to him. And you're going to be in heaven forever. And that's my reward. The people we lead to Jesus Christ are our reward for eternity. We can take it with us. Wow. See you next time. If you enjoyed today's episode, let us know and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review to help us reach more listeners. Remember, sharing your faith, ignites your faith. See you next time on the Ignite with Barry Maguire Podcast.