HEAVEN: A GUIDED TOUR – PT 3 | BIBLE STUDY | MIKE PRAH
Nov 3, 2021 | by Mike Prah
THE PURPOSE OF REWARDS IN HEAVEN | HEAVEN: BIBLE STUDY SERIES – PT 3 | MIKE PRAH
INTRODUCTION
The Bible mentions rewards in heaven multiple times (Matthew 5:11-12; Luke 6:22-23, 35; 1 Corinthians 3:12-14). But why are rewards necessary? Won’t being in heaven with God be enough? Experiencing Him, His glory, and the joys of heaven will be so wonderful, it’s hard to understand why extra rewards would be needed. Also, since our faith rests in Christ’s righteousness instead of our own (Romans 3:21–26), it seems strange that our works would merit reward.
Nevertheless, Christ exhorted believers to “store up treasures in heaven,” not the treasures of earth. In Galatians 6:9-10, the Apostle Paul speaks of the harvest that we will reap if we do not give up doing good.
“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” Matthew 5:11-12 (NLT)
“What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.” Luke 6:22-23 (NLT)
“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.” Luke 6:35 (NLT)
“Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.” 1 Corinthians 3:12-14 (NLT)
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV)
THE PURPOSE OF REWARDS IN HEAVEN
God will give rewards in heaven at the bema, or the believer’s judgment seat of Christ, based on:
Rewards in Heaven Will For Our Faithfulness in Service To God
“Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (NIV)
Rewards In Heaven Will Show The Reality of Our Sonship
“To show that you are[a] his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, “Father, my Father.” 7 So then, you are no longer a slave but a child. And since you are his child, God will give you all that he has for his children.” Galatians 4:6-7 (GN)
The Rewards In heaven Will Show The Justice of God
“… We know that you have the better blessings that belong to your salvation. 10 God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did or the love you showed for him in the help you gave and are still giving to other Christians.” Hebrews 6:9-10 (GN)
Rewards In Heaven Will Fulfill The Law Of Sowing And Reaping
“Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant. 8 If you plant in the field of your natural desires, from it you will gather the harvest of death; if you plant in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit you will gather the harvest of eternal life. 9 So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.” Galatians 6:7-9 (GN)
Rewards in Heaven Will Make Good on God’s Promise Regarding Our Labor In The Lord
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)
Rewards in heaven is the fact that Jesus shares His reward with us
- Paul said, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
- Our lives are “hidden” with Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1–4).
- We die with Him and we live with Him and we share in His joy (Romans 6:8; Matthew 25:21). In heaven we will dwell with Him (John 14:1–3). Our lives are inextricably linked with Christ’s.
- The reward He receives is shared with all of us: “If we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17).
OTHER THOUGHTS REGARDING HEAVENLY REGARDS
Our rewards in heaven depend on the goodness and power of God.
Through Christ’s resurrection we gain an inheritance in heaven; on earth our faith is tested and results in praise and glory and honor when Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:3–9).
“Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, 4 and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. 5 They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.
6 Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. 7 Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, 9 because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him.” 1 Peter 1:3-9 (GN)
- The things we do in this life are only permanent (that is, carried with us into heaven) if they are built on the foundation, which is Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11–15).
The Rewards We Gain in Heaven Are Not Like the rewards We Earn Here on Earth
Any rewards or honor we gain in heaven will be precious to us because they carry the weight and meaning of our relationship with God—and because they remind us of what He did through us on earth.
Rewards in Heaven Are The Completion Of Our Earthly Salvation Experience And Those Rewards Will Be Eternally Satisfying
The closer we are to God during this life, the more centered on Him and aware of Him, the more dependent on Him, and more desperate we are for His mercy. When the happy ending comes in heaven and the desire is fulfilled, there will be a completion. Rewards in heaven are the completion of our earthly story, and those rewards will be eternally satisfying (Psalm 16:11).
“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” Psalm 16:11 (NLT)
14 Rewards Promised in the Bible
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For saving faith
Reward: God Himself (Genesis 15:1)
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For keeping God’s commands
Reward: a great reward (Psalm 19:9-11)
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For conducting ourselves well
Reward: an unnamed reward (Psalm 62:12; Matthew 16:27; Revelation 22:12)
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For sowing righteousness
Reward: a sure reward (Proverbs 11:18)
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For being kind to the poor and your enemies
Reward: an unnamed reward (Proverbs 19:17; Proverbs 25:21-22,Matthew 6:2-4 )
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For being persecuted because of Him
Reward: a great reward (Matthew 5:12)
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For welcoming true prophets, pastors, preachers and righteous people of God
Reward: an unnamed reward (Matthew 10:41)
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For doing acts of righteousness for the praise of God rather than men
Reward: an unnamed reward (Matthew 6:1-4)
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For loving your enemies, lending to and doing good to them without expectation
Reward: a great reward (Luke 6:35)
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For actions found to be of good quality in God’s sight
Reward: an unnamed reward (1 Corinthians 3:8)
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For doing good wholeheartedly
Reward: an unnamed reward (Colossians 3:23-24)
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For standing your ground during persecution and suffering with confident perseverance
Reward: an unnamed reward (Hebrews 10:32-34,35-37, 38-39)
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For choosing to live a life of faith
Reward: an unnamed reward (Hebrews 11:6)
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For faithfully continuing in the teaching of Christ
Reward: rewarded fully (2 John 8-9)
CONCLUSION
Will you be there? No one above the age of accountability is going to be there who hasn’t received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. How unspeakably tragic it would be for you to have taken this study and yet not be in Heaven with the redeemed!
- Have you ever really, honestly, trusted Jesus? Not trusting your charity work, your gifts, religion or church membership, but trusting in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Would you like to know that you have a home in Heaven? You must trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
- Do you know Jesus personally? If not, you can pray to Him today by asking Him to come into your life. Call upon Jesus today. Repent (turn) from your sins, and turn to Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and acknowledge Him as Lord of your life.
Romans 3:23
Romans 10:9-10
Romans 10:13
Acts 16:31
John 3:16