Month: August 2020

Message 13: The Three Stages of Salvation & Reward and Discipline

VI. How to prepare for the Lord’s second coming

B. Preparation in service—by faithfully using our spiritual talents (gifts)—Matt 25:14–30;
Luke 19:12–26
Read Matthew 25:14–30, then pray over the following verses.
Matthew 25:14 For the kingdom of the heavens is just like a man about to go abroad, who called his own slaves and delivered to them his possessions. 15 To one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability. And he went abroad. 16 Immediately he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and gained another five….20 And he who had received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents; behold, I have gained another five talents. 21 His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.
1. According to the two parables in Matthew 25 and Luke 19, the Lord will judge us according to how faithful we are in using our spiritual talents
2. The Lord will judge us if we “bury” our God-given spiritual talents in the world (the earth)
3. We should invest our talents in the church (the bank) by coordinating with the saints for fruit-bearing and by ministering the riches given to us by God to others (the money changers)—Luke 19:23; Matt. 25:27

C. Our preparation in life and in service are not two separate things but one thing with two aspects: enjoying Christ as life while giving food to God’s household at the appointed time; this is the practice of shepherding—Matt. 24:45

Read over the outline points and verses above and use these for your prayer to spend time with the Lord in the Word in the morning. After your prayer time, jot down in your notebook one or two things that the Lord touched you with.

Later, watch the following short video podcast sometime during the day.

Message 13: The Three Stages of Salvation & Reward and Discipline

VI. How to prepare for the Lord’s second coming

A. Preparation in life—by being filled with the Spirit as the extra portion of oil in our vessel (our soul)—Matt. 25:1–13, Rom. 9:21, 23a, 24a; 2 Tim. 2:21
1. We must believe into the Lord Jesus so that we can be saved and regenerated. Thus, Christ, as the life-giving Spirit, enters into our spirit; this is to have oil in our lamps—Prov. 20:27; 1 Cor. 6:17; Rom. 8:16
2. We must let Christ make home in our hearts so that He, as the pneumatic Christ, will saturate our soul (mind, emotion and will); this is to have oil in our vessels—Eph. 3:17; 5:18; 2 Cor. 3:16–18; Matt. 25:3–4

Read Matthew 25:1–13, then pray over verses 1, 2, 4 and 10
Matthew 25:1 At that time the kingdom of the heavens will be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were foolish and five were prudent. 3 For the foolish, when they took their lamps, did not take oil with them; 4 But the prudent took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Matthew 25:5 And while the bridegroom delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Go forth to meet him! 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their own lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the prudent, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. 9 But the prudent answered, saying, Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.
Matthew 25:10 And as they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came; and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast. And the door was shut. 11 And later the rest of the virgins came also, saying, Lord, lord, open to us! 12 But he answered and said, Truly I say to you, I do not know you. 13 Watch therefore, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Read over the outline points and verses above and use these for your prayer to spend time with the Lord in the Word in the morning. After your prayer time, jot down in your notebook one or two things that the Lord touched you with.

Later, watch the following short video podcast sometime during the day.

And here’s a hymn that goes along with today’s portion:

Message 13: The Three Stages of Salvation & Reward and Discipline

V. Christ has a number of statuses at His coming
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you yourselves know perfectly well that like a thief in the night, so the day of the Lord comes.
Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.
Matthew 25:14 For the kingdom of the heavens is just like a man about to go abroad, who called his own slaves and delivered to them his possessions.
Acts 10:42 And He has charged us to proclaim to the people and solemnly testify that this is the One who was designated by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead.
Hebrews 9:28 So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time to those who eagerly await Him, apart from sin, unto salvation.

A. As a thief to take away (rapture) His overcomers—Matt. 24:42–44; 1 Thes. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 12:5

B. As a bridegroom to marry His bride—Matt. 25:1–13; Rev. 19:7

C. As a master to settle account with His slaves—Matt. 25:14–30; Luke 19:12–27

D. As a judge to execute judgment—Acts 10:42; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Pet. 4:17
1. The judgment will begin from the house of God—1 Pet. 4:17
2. At the judgment seat, Christ will judge His believers not concerning their eternal salvation but concerning their dispensational reward and punishment—1 Cor. 3:11–15; Matt. 25:30.
3. The reward of the prepared saints includes entering into the joy of Christ’s wedding feast and reigning with Him for a thousand years in the millennial kingdom—Matt 25:10,
22–23; Rev. 19:7–9; 20:6.
4. The punishment of the unprepared saints includes suffering loss, discipline and being perfected in the outer darkness with the weeping and gnashing of teeth during the thousand years—1 Cor. 3:15; Matt. 24:51; 25:30.

E. As a Savior to accomplish God’s complete salvation—Heb. 9:28; 1 Thes. 1:10; Phil. 3:20–21

Read over the outline points and verses above and use these for your prayer to spend time with the Lord in the Word in the morning. After your prayer time, jot down in your notebook one or two things that the Lord touched you with.

Later, watch the following short video podcast sometime during the day.

Message 13: The Three Stages of Salvation & Reward and Discipline

IV. The Scriptures repeatedly mention that the Lord will come again and the age will come to an end; this is a fact that the whole human race must face—Matt. 16:27; 24:27, 30; 26:64; Acts 1:11; 2 Pet. 3:4, 9; Rev. 22:7, 12, 20
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will repay each man according to his doings.
Matthew 24:27 For just as the lightning comes forth from the east and shines to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24:30 And at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 26:64 Jesus said to him, You have said rightly. Nevertheless I say to you, From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

Read over the outline points and verses above and use these for your prayer to spend time with the Lord in the Word in the morning. After your prayer time, jot down in your notebook one or two things that the Lord touched you with.

Later, watch the following short video podcast sometime during the day.

Message 13: The Three Stages of Salvation & Reward and Discipline

III. The third stage is the completing stage; in this stage our body is saved and God’s complete salvation reaches its climax—Rom. 8:23, 29–30; 1 Pet. 5:5
Romans 8:23 And not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves, eagerly awaiting sonship, the redemption of our body.
Romans 8:29 Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers;
Romans 8:30 And those whom He predestinated, these He also called; and those whom He called, these He also justified; and those whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Philippians 3:21 Who will transfigure the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of His glory, according to His operation by which He is able even to subject all things to Himself.

A. In this stage, our body is conformed to the body of the Lord’s glory and is transfigured, glorified—2 Tim. 4:7–8; Phil. 3:21

B. By this stage, our spirit will be full of life due to regeneration; our soul will be full of Christ due to sanctification and transformation, and our body will be full of the glory of the Lord; then we will fully be sons of God, full of God’s life, expressing God and representing Him eternally—Rom. 8:30

C. We can only arrive at this stage by being initially saved and then by being sanctified and transformed; to arrive at this stage we must go on to enjoy Him as the Spirit and the Word and cooperate with Him daily, allowing Him to spread in us by always following His leading within and by confessing our sins and shortcomings to Him—John 6:63

Read over the outline points and verses above and use these for your prayer to spend time with the Lord in the Word in the morning. After your prayer time, jot down in your notebook one or two things that the Lord touched you with.

Later, watch the following short video podcast sometime during the day.