HEAVENLY REWARDS

ROMÂNĂ

In heaven, is everyone rewarded the same? Praise the Lord, we know that if we make it through one of the Pearl Gates, then we are granted to eat from the Tree of Life. Eternal life is the gift of God to all His children who turned from sin, became born again and finished the race overcoming.

• Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."

So, all believers have the gift of eternal life. Then do all “good works” count the same?

First consider this command from the Lord.

• Matthew 6:19-20 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Now consider the words of Jesus about the condition of the heart behind the good deed or works.

• Mark 12:41-44 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

 

• 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 “Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

A Christian does not go through Judgment Day like the lost.

At the rapture, “the Day”, whatever good works that were done right according to God, will last and be rewarded. Those that don't measure up, will amount to naught. Only God-approved good works and obedience are going with Christians. Those good works or obedience done for the wrong reasons will be a loss though the person still makes heaven.

• Revelation 22:12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”

 

• Matthew 25:31-40 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

The following verse shows that there is a great reward for persecution.

• Luke 6:22-23 “Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets”

In the following verses, a prophet's reward, a righteous man's reward and a disciple's reward are mentioned.

• Matthew 10:40-42 "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

 

• Luke 6:37-38 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

The Lord is just and merciful. One can certainly know that by the measure one gives, will be the measure one gets in return.

For sure later and some even now. This principle is shown to us here, not just for the giving of money as many love to quote it for, but it is actually given to us in regard to the condition of the heart. Are we being gracious or ungracious; condemning or uncondemning, forgiving or unforgiving, giving or not?

Look at the following promise for forsaking all for the Lord and the Gospel's sake.

• Mark 10:29-31 So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

We see that the Lord is faithful that when we do right, blessing comes in the “here and now” and also “in the age to come.” All who are born again and stay right with God, will make it through one of those Pearl Gates and get to eat from the Tree of Life, but how much treasure is stored up there ahead of us, depends completely on the measure of the goodness of our hearts and our obedience to the Lord in “the here and now.”

In closing, if you should happen here and find yourself in need of deliverance from sin and its consequences, please see the message:

SALVATION - HOW TO SPEND ETERNITY IN HEAVEN

Or if you once were born again and right with God but strayed, see the message:

FORGIVENESS IS STILL AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO REPENT - RETURN TO THE LORD!
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Copyright ©  2015 E. Cockrell. May be used for personal study or instruction but shall not be copied and/or distributed in whole or part without permission or for financial profit.

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