Heavens Rewards (2)

1 Corinthians 3:10

10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Pray:

This passage is referring to the judgement seat of Christ. It is not a judgement to determine salvation. We are either saved before we die or not at all.

There is another judgement for the lost. This is known and the great white throne of judgement. It can be found in Revelation 20. If you decide to read Revelation 20 you will notice that the dead are being judged. Christians are NEVER referred to as dead. He that hath the son hath life. And he that believeth in me shall never die. So, this is a separate judgement for the lost.

We know that every single saved person is sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption. And we also know that there are no second chances after death. The rich man, for example, died and lifted his eyes being in hell. The soul here is in hell and the body is in the grave.

We also know that on the day of resurrection we Christians will receive a new body. The unsaved receive no such promise. I’ll let you think about that for a second.

If we go back to 1 Corinthians 3, we once again find a judgement system that is based on rewards rather than punishment. Working for a just reward is a biblical principle. Modern principles and that of Marxism say that those who have earned more should give it away to those who have done nothing. Rob those who work and give to those who exploit the welfare system is nothing but Marxism. Gods’ economy isn’t predicated upon Lyndon Johnsons great society. It is built on the biblical principle of earning what you get.

Understand this. Our soul is not being judged here. Our works are being judged. And those who have worked hard to serve Christ will receive the greater reward.

Those works will pass through the fire. Those works made of wood and stubble will be burned. Can you imagine what it will be like to stand before all of heaven and your precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And to have nothing at all to show for a life lived for Him. That will be the case for many Christians, sadly.

Before I get on the subject of rewards. Allow me if you will, to discuss heaven with you. Reading from 2 Corinthians 12 and starting in verse 1.

It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Now look if you will in 1 Corinthians 2:9

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Speaking of heaven Paul tells us that no human eye has ever seen any equal to that which we will see in heaven.

You know when I was 17 years old, I was blessed to receive a reward of an academic scholarship to Bob Jones University. And with that invitation came a free trip to see the campus. And many of you may not know this, but Bob Jones University has the second largest art collection in the world. Only the Vatican in Rome can boost of a larger collection of religious art.

And I was blessed to receive a tour of that museum. And I will never to this day forget the magnificent artwork on display at that college. My eyes to this day have yet to see a collection of artworks that rivals it. Room after room of what seemed to go on for miles. It was unforgettable.

But you know. As amazing as that art collection was it is no competition for what my eyes will behold when I leave this old body behind and pass on to eternity with my heavenly father.

You see, Paul is telling us. I have nothing to compare the beauty of heaven too. Paul had seen Greece in all its glory. The unpolluted Grecian Isles, the Parthenon and even Rome in its former Glory. But his eyes had yet to behold anything as glorious as heaven.

All Paul could say was eyes have not seen anything like it.

Our eyes have seen the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. But they have not seen anything like that which God has prepared for them that love Him.

Eyes have seen the beauty of the Grand Canyon. What a site it is to behold the handiwork of God throughout our world. But no eye has seen that which God has prepared for us.

Our eyes have seen the majesty of the California redwood, stretching out towards the heavens. These enormous, beautiful trees testify to the might and power of the King of Kings. Yet we haven’t seen anything like we will see one day in heaven.

Our eyes have seen the beauty of the paintings of the Cysteine Chapel and the works of Michelangelo. But we have not seen the likes of that which God has prepared for us.

Paul, we ask. Tell us what you saw when you were up in the third heaven. And Paul simply said. Eyes have not seen. It is beyond my ability to describe.

It is indescribable. Unknowable and unbelievable. But Pastor tell us what it says about heaven in the Greek and the Hebrew. All I can say is:

Eyes have not seen the wonder that awaits us.

Oh, our eyes may have seen the perfection of the Hawaiian isles. But that pales in comparison to what our God has prepared for us.

How horrible it is to reject a loving God and eternal paradise for a devil’s hell.

I can tell you about the beauty of the Emerald Coast. White sands and water the color of Emeralds along the beaches of Destin. But there is no way I could describe to you the beauty and majesty of heaven.

Eyes have seen the Mediterranean sea, the sea of Galilee, St Thomas, Cancun, Pikes peak, Gulf of Mexico the Caribbean and Hong Kong but you aint seen nothing yet. As we sing:

How beautiful heaven must be, Sweet home of the happy and free; Fair haven of rest for the weary, How beautiful heaven must be.

If you can’t tell us what you saw Paul then tell us what you heard?

Paul says. Ears have not heard.

I remember as a kid going to hear a Christmas concert. I went with my grandmother. My dad’s mom, who went to be with the Lord in 1985.

And the singer got up and sung Oh Holy Night while an orchestra played in the background. To this day I do not know if I have ever heard anything as beautiful as that man singing O Holy Night. I looked over at my grandma and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

To that point in my life I’d never heard anything like it.

But my ears have never heard anything like what the apostle Paul heard in heaven that day.

We can say that we have heard Beethovens 5thAnd Tchaikovskys Swan Lake. But we have never heard anything as beautiful as the apostle Paul heard on that day.

Many of us have heard the New York Symphony Orchestra or the London Phil Harmonic. Or the Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss.

Our ears have heard the song of the whippoorwill or the sound of locusts as the day fades into evening.

Our ears have heard what a friend we have in Jesus.

Our ears have heard on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross.

We have heard those beautiful old hymns of the faith. But nothing can prepare us for the joy of heaven coming our way.

The closest we will ever come to understanding the sights and sounds of heaven is the joy we have now that comes with walking with Jesus in this world.

As beautiful as heaven will be. That will be just the beginning of it for some. For some there will be added rewards for service done in this life. Here are some examples:

Matthew 6:5,6

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

There is a reward for Christians who spend time in private prayer.

Revelation 5:8

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

God keeps a record of our private prayers.

And He will reward us for those prayers.

It is hard to stay angry at people when you are praying for them. When you get alone with God in prayer it makes it difficult for us to remain carnally minded. Prayer is medicine for the soul.

Matthew 6: 16-18

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

So, there is a reward for fasting. Not dieting. Fasting. Fasting is when we go without food while making supplication to God. And when we fast nobody is to know that we are. It is a private matter and God will reward you for it.

Don’t be like the Pharisees and go around saying. I’m fasting for this or that.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

This is a reward for resisting the temptations of the flesh. And everyone has some type of temptation. Mine is sugar. I love sweets.

Revelation 2:10

10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

When we fail temptations we are to confess our sins to Him not a priest or a preacher.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2 Timothy 4:7,8

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

This reward is for running the race before us. Answering the calling for the ministry that God has given us and staying until the end.

Many Christians come in on fire. Then at the first sign of disappointment run off. The reward is for finishing the race. Staying in church regardless of our disagreements with one another or our Pastor. We are rewarded for finishing the race and keeping our faith until the end.

We might stumble out of the gates. And think well I can’t win first place now. So what? Stay in the race.

1 Peter 5: 1-4

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock.

4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

This is a crown for faithful pastors. For the ones who aren’t driven by money or fame. And it is for those who stay in the ministry. Not for those who quit.

1 Corinthians 9: 24

24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

This reward is for the disciplined Christian.

1 Thessalonians 2: 19

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

This is the soul winner’s crown.

As a Christian I have to ask you. If you could afford to buy a home for every single man woman and child in the world. Would you? If you answered yes. Then let me ask you this. Why buy them a house when you can give them a mansion?

Have you won anyone to the Lord? Be a witness. Tell others about your Jesus. You may not even know you have won someone. Maybe you gave out a gospel tract. They stuck it in their pocket. And later read it and gave their hearts to Jesus. And you may not even know it. So, give out tracts if you can’t do anything else.

I’ll never forget the first person I won to Christ. It was a young hispanic lady. She asked me. How do you know there is a God. Have you ever seen Him. And I said to her. Do you see the wind? And she said no. And I said look at the trees moving. We know the wind is there because we see what it does and we can feel it on our face. We can also see the things God does and feel him in our hearts.

Then I asked her do you know the Lord Jesus Christ and she said no.

Any Christian can obtain the soul winner’s crown.

We give the word and the Holy Spirit wins the soul. But you have to plant enough seed for some to find good ground.

Proverbs 11:30 He that winneth souls is wise.

Knowing the unspeakable riches in heaven. And knowing the joy we have in knowing Christ as our savior. And on top of all that. Knowing that we will be awarded for our service.

When Demosthenes was asked what was the first part of an orator, what the second, what the third, he answered: Action. The same may I say, if any should ask me what is the first, the second, the third part of a Christian, I must answer: Action.

How much more should we want to hear our savior say to us. Well done thou good and faithful servant.

Don’t you want to hear the mighty God. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords say. Well done.

Imagine if you can what it will be like to be in a place so beautiful that words cannot describe it where the sounds are so glorious that man cannot duplicate it. And while standing in that place and while feeling the everlasting joy and love of God the father. Jesus Christ steps forward to hand you a crown for your service.

Then imagine yourself falling down on your knees and tossing your crown at the feet of the most high. What a day of rejoicing it will be for so many. As John Bunyan said:

He that is down needs fear no fall;

He that is low, no pride;

He that is humble, ever shall

Have God to be his guide.

I am content with what I have,

Little be it, or much;[1]

Don’t be found on that day of judgement without a reward for service. That is my prayer for you.

And if you are here today and you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior. It is easy. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved……