Hints of Heaven #5: The Great Challenge

Hints of Heaven:
Reflections on the Realm of the Righteous—
#5 The Great Challenge (Matt 25:21,34)
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

Do you ever get bored? I have never understood the concept of boredom, perhaps because I have always found a way to occupy my attention. I understand, though, that some people are not so easily amused as I am and may even prefer some diversion, if they need to pass the time.

Fred, Jim, and Scott were at a convention together and were sharing a large suite on the top floor of a 75-story skyscraper. After a long day of meetings, they were dismayed to learn that the elevators in their hotel were out of order and that they would have to climb 75 flights of stairs to get to their room. Bill said to Jim and Scott, "Let's break the boredom of this unpleasant task by concentrating on something interesting. I'll tell jokes for 25 flights, Jim can sing songs for the next 25 flights, and Scott can tell sad stories for the rest of the way." At the 26th floor, Bill stopped telling jokes, and Jim began to sing. At the 51st floor, Jim stopped singing, and Scott began to tell sad stories. "I will tell my saddest story first," he said.... "We have to turn back." "Why?" came his friends incredulous and unison cry. "Because" Scott replied... "I left our room key in the car."

Thankfully, the 'stairway to heaven'¹ will not require us to climb several flights or to amuse ourselves along the way. In fact, the ascent is not difficult at all, and it is to a destination that entails "The Great Challenge."

The final installment in our series, Hints of Heaven, brings us back to the Olivet Discourse, where the disciples ask Jesus about the kingdom of heaven. In Matt 25, he explains people's experience when they come before the great king who will determine their fate. As we noted last time, in "The Great Contrast," there will be only two groups at the end, a division Jesus confirms here. He also offers clues about the prospects of those who enter the kingdom.

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Before the message, I will answer one other question. We have already determined that we will not need name tags when we pass through the pearly gates, but the Bible does say that we will be given something else.²

What Will Believers Receive in Heaven?

A believer prepares for heaven while he is still on earth by settling two things: his redemption, which is something he just accepts, and his reward, which is something he must accrue (acquire).

• The believer's redemption is what Jesus paid through his atoning death, purchasing pardon for the iniquity that would otherwise result in condemnation. To benefit from that pardon, a person needs only receive it, signified by his repentance from sin and his faith in God. Redemption ensures a person's entry to heaven, and it is not something he earns but something he accepts.

• The believer's reward is what he earns through service to God and obedience to His commands. It is something a person accumulates during his walk with God on earth. Reward enhances a person's enjoyment of heaven, and it is something he earns as well as something he accrues.

Everyone in heaven will have gotten there the same way, by the redemption that is available only through Jesus, but once there, everyone will receive a different reward, one commensurate with his faithfulness to God while on earth.

The apostle John, in his Revelation, records that in heaven the saints will be given two articles representing their redeemed status.³

• They will receive a robe,⁴ symbolizing their judicial pardon from sin, which is what enables them to enter heaven. John writes...

Rev 7:14c [The redeemed] have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

• They will also receive a crown,⁵ symbolizing their eternal life with God, which is what they have in heaven. Jesus says...⁶

Rev 2: 10b Be faithful... and I will give you the crown of life.

Paul and John note that both the crown and the robe indicate something similar about the wearer: his righteous condition.

2 Tim 4:8 ...the crown of righteousness,...the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award....

Rev 19:8b Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.

In this, the redeemed will be like their redeemer, who will return wearing a crown and dressed in a robe. John writes...

Rev 19:12a ...on his head are many crowns [and].... 13a He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood....

The difference between Jesus' heavenly attire and our heavenly attire is that, for us they signify our redeemed status; for him they signify his sovereign rule.

• Whereas earthly rulers have a single crown, he will have multiple crowns in keeping with the global reach of his administration.⁷

• Whereas the saints will wear white robes bleached by his blood, he will wear a robe stained with the blood of his enemies.⁸

Your entry to heaven is now fixed, because the atonement for your sin is now settled, but your enjoyment of heaven is still flexible, because the time of your service is still open. You can increase your reward in heaven while you are here, which will increase your enjoyment of heaven when you are there. So, are you using the relatively short time you have now to prepare for the exponentially long time you will have later?

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We begin the message proper with the parable of the talents in Matt 25. Here, the master is Jesus, and the servants are members of the believing community. The master's departure represents Jesus' departure after his first advent, and the master's return, following a lengthy absence, represents Jesus' return in the future. The talents stand for the varied resources believers have—be they monies or abilities—and how believers use them to further God's interests as opposed to interests solely of their own.⁹ It is also how they prepare for what lies ahead in...

V. The Great Challenge (Matt 25:21, 34)

Matt 25:14 [The kingdom of heaven] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.... 19 After a long time the master...returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought [an]other five.... 21 "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!' 22 "The man [who had received] the two talents [brought another two].... 23 "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!' 24 "The man who had received the one talent [said] 25 ...I was afraid and...hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! ...27...you should have put my money...with the bankers, so...I would have received it back with interest. 28 Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

As Jesus states at the close of this parable, the point of the story is that the messiah will determine the status in the next life of those who claim to serve him (including us) by the way they have used the resources entrusted to them in this life: "For everyone who has [increased his talents] will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever [has not increased his talents,] even what he has will be taken from him" (Davies 1997:411). What I want to give particular attention is the master's reply to the first servant (which he repeats to the second servant), because it shows that in heaven...

A. We will be given responsibility. Look again at v.21.

Matt 25:21 ...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 new responsibility is not for everyone nor is it the same for everyone, because it is...

1. Determined by our faithfulness

Twice in this verse the master uses the word "faithful," underscoring the main criterion by which he makes his decision. Only those with a proven track record of devotion to God now receive responsibility in God's kingdom later. Jesus is not describing how a person gets into the kingdom of heaven, which has always and only been by the grace of God through faith in God, and is never dependent on anything we do. What Jesus wants his audience to understand is that there is a corollary between what we believe and how we behave. Our faith shapes our priorities and motivates our actions so that God's interests become our interests, so that we think and act to produce results pleasing to Him.

This new responsibility is not the same for everyone, but is proportional to our service for God,¹⁰ as the parable illustrates, because the servant with five talents increased his holdings more than the servant with two talents. "But wait," you say. "That's hardly fair, because the servants didn't start with the same amount." You are right; it is not fair, but it is realistic. Some people, even among God's people, have more going for them than others. Some are smarter or more creative or more gifted. What is most important is not what you have but that you use what you have.

Christianity Today had a review of two books about the life of Billy Graham. The reviewer, a former president of Columbia Bible College (McQuilkin 1997:34-35), wrote this...

I had known Billy Graham from his youth and had no doubt he was the man of the [twentieth] century for evangelicals, probably for Protestants, perhaps for Christendom.... To this day, I weep whenever I watch those final moments of the TV specials, multitudes streaming down from the stands, not to Billy, but to Jesus.... [W]ho has ever been sharp enough to survive 50 years of the press, winning them from unreasonable hostility to almost universal admiration? Who would have the wisdom to sustain close encounters with ten Presidents...? [His ministry has resulted in] millions of transformed lives.

Which of you expects to have this kind of impact for God? I do not. Do I think God has given him more "talents" than He has given me? Perhaps... probably ("each according to his ability"), but that is life—it is also largely irrelevant, because we do not determine how many talents we get. That is up to God. Far more important is what we do with what we have.¹¹

Similarly, more significant than the amount of our accumulation is the announcement of our approbation, our approval by God. The two servants who put the different amounts they had to good use, received the same commendation: "Well done!" They may not have received the same payment, but they did receive the same promise: "You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." We do not know what the exchange rate is between this world and the next, but the value of God's investment in our lives and of what we do for Him multiplies exponentially when we cross over from the "few things" we have now to the "many things" we will receive later. He will give us responsibility that is determined by our faithfulness.... He will also give us responsibility that is...

2. Designed for our happiness

As you consider all you are doing now, you may be thinking, "I was really hoping to reduce my responsibilities not increase them. Isn't heaven supposed to be rest from labor?" The answer is something of a paradox. Yes, heaven is rest from labor. It is relief from all that taxes your energy, that causes you anxiety, and that robs you of joy. Yet heaven is also the opportunity coupled with the ability to do more than you ever dreamed possible and to enjoy every moment of it.¹² That is the invitation to the faithful servants in this parable: "Come and share your master's happiness!" Unlike what we experience here, the responsibility God will give us in His kingdom is not burdensome but is designed for our happiness.

The parable of the talents is descriptive of the kingdom of heaven, with the master's response to his servants similar to Jesus' response to us. Jesus then moves to a more direct description of that same encounter in v. 31. Again, he mentions two groups of people, this time depicting them as sheep and goats.

Matt 25:31a When the Son of Man comes in his glory.... 32 ...he will separate the people...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 [had many needs, and you met them.]' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did [we do this]?' ...40 The King will reply, '...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers 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 [had many needs, and you failed to meet them.] 44 They also will answer, 'Lord, when did [we not do this]?' ...45 He will reply "...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.

Jesus is not telling a parable here, but the point is similar: He will determine our status in the next life by how we have treated the needy among God's people in this life, those he calls "the least of these brothers of mine" (v. 40), perhaps pointing to some of his less affluent followers.¹³ I want to focus on the king's reply to the first group (the sheep) in v. 34, for it shows that, in addition to responsibility...

B. We will be given reward.

Matt 25:34 ...Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

The promise of an inheritance is another common theme in descriptions of the afterlife for the redeemed.¹⁴ Here, Jesus says that our inheritance is...

1. Prepared in God's kingdom

In fact, our inheritance, "your inheritance" is the kingdom. That is because God did more than save you from the penalty of your sin—as if that were not enough—He adopted you as His children, making you "heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ" (Rom 8:17).¹⁵

This is not an ordinary legacy of land or money, nor is it the sensual pleasures supposedly awaiting the faithful of Islam, where men (specifically)...¹⁶

dwell for ever by flowing rivers...reclining on silken couches, enjoying heavenly food and drink and [perhaps most appealing] the company of dark-eyed maidens and wives of perfect purity.... (Gibb 1970:41)

Our inheritance is quite different (as well as being gender neutral). It is one of power and authority.¹⁷ John records part of a song he hears in heaven about the redeemed.¹⁸

Rev 5:10 [Jesus has] made them to be a kingdom...and they will reign on the earth.

As we noted in an earlier message, Jesus' return will initiate "The Great Change" of the resurrection.¹⁹ Because our new bodies will be like Jesus' glorified body, we will have access to heaven as well as to earth. During his reign, we will be with him on earth, but we will still enjoy the benefits of heaven we saw in "The Great Contrast." Moreover, as Jesus indicates in the parable of the talents, we will have responsibility and, included in our inheritance, we will also have authority. Paul
alludes to that future authority in his letter to the Corinthians.

1 Cor 6:2a Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? ...3a Do you not know that we will judge angels?

This is all part of the reward prepared in God's kingdom, and it has been...

2. Preserved since God's creation

Jesus is describing events that will take place when he returns. That event has not happened in the two thousand years since he uttered these words, so Jesus was really thinking ahead. Yet he says that God has intended to give us the kingdom "since the creation of the world," a phrase that underscores the certainty of something in the divine plan.²⁰

If someone asked about your master plan for life, you might talk about goals and schedules, hopes and dreams. There is school, a job, family, some extra activities, and retirement in Florida or Arizona. In the final analysis, though, we all make up life as we go along. God, however, does not make it up as He goes along. "[I]t will be the same at the end as [He intended it to be from] the beginning" (Davies 1997:425). He planned the kingdom as your inheritance "since the creation of the world." The author of Hebrews calls it "the promised eternal inheritance" (9:15).

To give you an appreciation for how significant this is, here are three other certainties in the mind of God the biblical writers put in this category:

• Peter cites the certainty of Jesus' sacrifice, for he was appointed as such "before the creation of the world" (1 Pet 1:20).²¹

• John cites the certainty of our salvation, for our "names have...been...in the book of life from the creation of the world" (Rev 17:8).

• Paul cites the certainty of our reaching God's goal, "[for he chose us...before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless" (Eph 1:4).

Such is also the certainty of the kingdom. It is "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you" (1 Pet 1:4) "since the creation of the world."
We noted in the previous sermons offering Hints of Heaven that all who are redeemed will have essentially the same experience at the end of life here.

• With "The Great Catch," all the redeemed will be gathered when Jesus returns.
• With "The Great Change," all the redeemed will receive glorious new bodies.
• With "The Great Company," all the redeemed will spend eternity with God and with other saints.
• With "The Great Contrast," all the redeemed will find comfort and relief from whatever troubles they encountered here.

Those who serve God their whole life and those who wait to repent until the last day of their life, as did the thief on the cross, will experience all these benefits.... Why, then, not live as you please now and put off living for God until later?

Apart from not knowing when you will die, apart from the emptiness that attends dissipation in this life, there is a recurring phrase in scripture you should heed: God rewards each person "according to what he has done" (see n. 10). In other words, everyone does not have the same experience with "The Great Challenge." The amount of your reward and the extent of your inheritance depends on your devotion. So, the sooner you start serving God and the longer you keep it up, the better you will fare in eternity. This prospect for the future should affect your focus in the present. Paul says,

Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord... 24a since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.

Think of it as an open-ended retirement plan: Invest now to enjoy forever. So...

• The next time you doubt that serving God is worth the effort, especially as you struggle to maintain your spiritual commitment, remain persistent, because one day you will be given responsibility determined by your faithfulness.

• The next time you question if being in heaven will really be enjoyable, especially if it entails more work than you have now, be glad, because one day you will be given responsibility designed for your happiness.

• The next time you wonder if your years of service to God will net you more in the end than a handshake and a gold watch, get ready, because you will be given reward prepared in God's kingdom.

• The next time you worry that God's retirement plan may be no more certain than the Social Security system, rest assured, because you will be given reward preserved since God's creation.

Life in the hereafter will not simply be more of the same thing you do here. You will have responsibility and opportunity you never dreamed possible. God will reward you with an inheritance that dwarfs any you can imagine. Are you ready? Unlike the other Hints of Heaven, you can still prepare for this one. There is yet more you can do to get ready for "The Great Challenge."

For the Bibliography and the Endnotes see the pdf here.