Your Final Destiny Series

Your Final Destiny

In the book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey gives a very important principles for a successful life. Principle #2 is "Begin with the End in Mind."

That’s very good advice for Christians who desire to please the Lord. We will one day give an account of our lives to the Lord.

What is the Final Destiny for the Christian? Heaven?

Heaven is not an eternal rest home where we sit on clouds and sing Praise songs.

God created us to have dominion over the earth.

"God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."" (Genesis 1:28, NIV84)

The KINGDOM of Christ will be an earthly kingdom. "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, ...He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth." (Zechariah 9:9–10, NIV84)

ETERNITY will be on earth.

"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven (Revelation 21:2, NIV84)

"And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God." (Revelation 21:10, NIV84)

The ultimate end for the Christian is to receive the authority intended at creation as a redeemed person and to share rule over the world as a servant of King Jesus.

In our chronological study of Biblical prophecy, the NEXT MAJOR PROPHETIC event that we come to in scripture is the Olivet Discourse

The Theme of this sermon by Christ was Preparation for Christ’s Kingdom.

Matt 24:1-3 the Disciples ask, "When will these things take place?"

Matt 25:1 Parable of the Ten Virgins, waiting for the Bridegroom

Matt 25:14 Parable of the Talents - what will you do with the resources God has given

TO THE FAITHFUL, Jesus promises that they will receive an Inheritance. "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." (Matthew 25:34, NIV84)

PREVIOUS PROMISES for the BELIEVER’S REWARD

Daniel 7: 18, 22, 27. "But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’" (Daniel 7:18, NIV84) "until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom." (Daniel 7:22, NIV84) "Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’" (Daniel 7:27, NIV84)

"Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? (1 Corinthians 6:2, NIV84)

"Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." (2 Timothy 2:10, NIV84)

"if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;" (2 Timothy 2:12, NIV84)

"To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—" (Revelation 2:26, NIV84)

"He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." (Revelation 3:5, NIV84)

"To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." (Revelation 3:21, NIV84)

Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6, NIV84)

Faith IN Christ secures your PLACE in heaven.

Faithfulness TO Christ secures your REWARD in heaven.

What Right do We have to RULE???

We are PARTAKERS. "We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first." (Hebrews 3:14, NIV84)

Share is NOT koinonea.

Share is Metachoi - partakers. Used in LUKE 5:7. Partners! "So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink."

In Christ, all SONS are SONS, but not all SONS are PARTNERS