Eternal Rewards
Session 5: Conducts of Our Heart Connecting to the Next Age
I. Everything Matters:
A. Even the way we carry our hearts in this life will equate greatly to how we live in the next. As we have seen in previous sessions we will receive according to what we do or do not do in this life.
“Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully (2Jn. 1:8).”
“God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life (Ro. 2:6-7).”
B. In this session we will endeavor to see how this involves the movements of our hearts.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve (Je. 17:9-10).”
C. Rewards are tied to our inner heart response in as much as our physical actions. Look how serious Jesus deals with the secret attitudes of the heart.
1. Anger:
“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment (Mt. 5:22).”
2. Lust:
“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Mt. 5:28).”
3. Unforgiveness:
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (Mt. 6:14).”
4. Rewards what is done in secret:
It is both terrifying that God sees everything; every hidden motive. At the same time it is extremely good news that our Heavenly Father will reward us for what is done in secret; the things that no man can know. If we carry our hearts rightly we can amass for ourselves a wealth of eternal treasure by simply watching the response of our heart toward our circumstances, toward men and toward God.
“Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Mt. 6:4, 6, 18).”
II. The Real Potential of Not Receiving Rewards:
Before we delve into the attitudes that promise rewards let us be reminded that rewards are not automatic, that there will really be those that suffer loss for a variety of reasons.
A. Not Found Serving Him:
There will be real consequences for those of us in the last generation who are not found ready at the time of Christ’s return. Jesus tells us that He will come like a thief in the night and that it is up to the individual to be ready in that hour.
1. Those who aren’t found watching and serving:
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning…so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes…whose master finds them ready…But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Lk. 12:35-40).”
2. Those who waste the strengths and talents God gave them:
“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them…(To two servants he replied) ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’… (But to the servant who buried his talent)“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!…you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents (Mt. 25:19-28).”
B. Lost Their Intimacy:
These are those who will have been in the Church serving the Lord but who allowed the many pressures of life to snuff out their intimacy with Christ. When Christ returns some may be found still living in righteousness, perhaps still walking in truth, maybe still in the midst of the believing community but because they lost their intimate connection with Christ they will not be permitted into the Resurrection. They will remain on the Earth to die a natural death sometime later, all the while under the rule of Christ on Earth. Once they are shown their mistake and Christ reveals His everlasting kindness to them yet another time they will immediately repent and walk in wholehearted love, perhaps shining brighter than any others in the Millennium.
1. Those not waiting ready with the oil of intimacy:
This doesn’t mean they go to Hell but it really may determine where they spend the Millennium.
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps…The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour (Mt. 25:1-4, 10-13).”
2. Those without righteous acts:
There will be some who are not invited to the wedding of the Lamb. This doesn’t mean that they go to Hell but it does at least mean that they aren’t permitted to attend the most anticipated feast of human and Heavenly history. I believe this group is treated the same as the group above, and that they will become wholehearted believers and spend the 1000 years on Earth without resurrected bodies.
“For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God (Re. 19:7-9).”
3. Those whose love grows faint:
Jesus says that those whose love grows faint will be in danger of having their lampstand taken away. Though I have heard it explained that here a lampstand speaks of being an influential church where the light is allowed to shine far and wide; the passage interprets the word lampstand for us. A lampstand is a church (Re. 1:20). The threat of having the lampstand removed is the threat of the removal of that entire church, or at least those that do not repent (let us remember that the Church isn’t a building or location, it is the people of God). Again, it is my opinion that this passage just like the previous two is speaking about the real potential of not entering Jesus’ Heavenly Kingdom upon His return.
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place (Re. 2:2-5).”
C. Some Will Suffer Real Loss:
1. Saved, but life wasted:
Believing in Jesus, even loving Him does not guarantee us rewards. Rewards are awarded according to what we do with our time and heart. There will be some who appear at the Judgment Seat and receive the shock of their lives; Christ saying, “Saved! But your life was wasted.”
“If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames (1Co. 3:12-15).”
2. Rewards earned then taken:
Eternal rewards require perseverance to the end. There will be some who labored to store up a rich inheritance for a season, perhaps a decade or more and then became comfortable and lazy in their pursuit. Rewards may be given and they may be taken away.
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown (Re. 3:11).”
III. Intentional Heart Postures:
Where we are unaware of how to carry ourselves in the below manners, or where we feel wholly unable we need only to commit to the journey of asking and seeking the Lord’s help. This is called grace, and it is essential for us to excel in the below postures of the heart because though they are heavily rewarded they are not natural for us.
A. Being Meek:
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Mt. 5:5).”
B. Being Humble:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5:3).”
“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor…when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Lk. 14:8-11).”
1. Acts of courtesy:
Perhaps some that would make this list are warm greetings and opening the door for others.
2. Showing respect to others:
Respect can be shown in many ways like listening when people are speaking, giving them undivided attention and addressing people honorably.
3. Preferring others above ourselves:
Serving others first is a good example as well as giving up our comforts for another.
4. Interacting with the lowly or unesteemed:
This could be things like showing attention to the broken or searching out those who society rejects.
5. Exalting others:
I think of speaking well of others in front of them as well as when they’re not around.
C. Showing Mercy:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy (Mt. 5:7).”
“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment (Jm. 2:12-13)!”
D. Longing for His Appearing:
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2Ti. 4:8).”
IV. Overcoming Difficulty:
A. Enduring Persecution:
It actually matters how we inwardly handle persecution. We can gain great reward by carrying our hearts well in the midst of people’s aggression towards us, acts of hate and false accusations.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven (Mt. 5:10-11).”
“It may be that the LORD will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today (2Sa. 16:12).”
"Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded (He. 10:32-36)."
B. Blessing Enemies:
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? (Mt. 5:44-48 NKJV)?”
“When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the LORD reward you well for the way you treated me today (1Sa. 24:19).”
“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you (Pr. 25:21-22).”
C. Overcoming:
Overcoming alls sorts of difficulties promise us a great reward (Re. 2:7, 11, 17, 26, 3:5, 12, 21, 21:7). We need to begin the race well as well as finish strong.
“He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son (Re. 21:7).”
D. Martyrdom:
“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge…the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus…They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years (Re. 20:4).”