Rewards in Heaven?
April 12, 2021 at 11:05 am | Posted in Biblical treasure, Uncategorized | 1 CommentTags: Biblical crowns, Biblical rewards, Heavenly Crowns, Heavenly rewards, rewards
Question: What rewards will Christians receive in Heaven? And why would we be concerned with treasure when there will be only joy and no sadness or crying?
Answer: Matthew 5:12, 6:1, 10:42, 16:27; Mark 9:41; Luke 6:23, I Corinthians 3:14, II John v. 8, and Revelation 22:12 all talk about rewards in a way that seems to connect them to what we will experience either in Heaven or at Jesus’s return.
Matthew 6:19-21, 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:33, 18:22 all mention treasure in Heaven.
I Corinthians 9:25, II Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, Revelation 2:10, and 3:11 all mention crowns in a way that makes it seem like some believers may receive crowns in Heaven or after Jesus comes back.
It seems clear that Heavenly rewards are intended as a secondary motivation to serve Jesus faithfully during our earthly life – although what He has done for us on Calvary and in saving us really ought to be all the motivation we need.
Because we do not earn our way to Heaven, it can be confusing to think that we are being given any type of a reward, but there is probably a sense in which, one day, those who have served Christ more faithfully than others may be given greater blessings in Heaven than other believers. I do not think, though, that this applies primarily to material things. After all, what good would gold and silver be in Heaven, anyway? They pave the streets with that stuff up there! I think the idea is that, during the Millennial Kingdom when Christ rules and reigns on earth for 1000 years, those believers who were like the faithful servants in Luke 19:11-27 will be given more authority during that time.
Of course, we find it difficult to imagine being sinless, so we think that, if we see someone who has more authority, or more treasure, or greater rewards, or a better crown, then we will be at least a little envious or covetous, thus spoiling some of the joy of Heaven or Christ’s earthly kingdom, but that won’t be the case. When sin is not present, we will rejoice for those who experience greater blessings than us. Jonathan Edwards compared it to two different-sized containers being thrown into the sea. One container holds more water than the other, but both quickly become just as “full.”
If my view of the end times is correct (though not everyone believes the Millennial Kingdom view), then I imagine a faithful servant like my wife will get a huge mansion on an estate with a pool. Because she’s been so faithful to Christ, she’ll probably be the Millennial Governor of the Southern U.S. or something like that, and, because I’ve often been a faulty and neglectful servant, I’ll just be her pool boy. But, really, in the grand scheme of things, just seeing Jesus in person and knowing Him more and more will be a greater “reward” than anyone could ever imagine, and no one will feel slighted in any way. Besides, who wouldn’t want to be the pool boy for a beautiful and powerful lady?
Even the Rich Need to be Saved
February 26, 2020 at 2:09 pm | Posted in Biblical treasure, Luke | 4 CommentsTags: commentary on Luke, deity of Christ, Luke 18, Sunday School lessons on Luke, Ten Commandments, the rich young ruler, wealthy
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:18
Matthew’s Gospel tells us that this ruler was also young and rich. Jesus is more than just a “good teacher.” In fact, a “good teacher” who claimed to be God, if He really wasn’t, couldn’t honestly be called a good teacher.
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luke 18:19
Jesus was not denying His own Deity, but was establishing that this man had a low view of “good.”
Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
Luke 18:20
Jesus listed Commandments 5 – 9 in the Decalogue, omitting Number 10, against coveting, which turned out to be the real deal-breaker for the rich young man.
And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
Luke 18:21-27
The answer to the question, “Who can be saved?” is really, “No one can be saved – unless God does a miracle.” Why were the Disciples so surprised that it would be difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God? It was not because they themselves were rich. The word for “saved” in Verse 26 is the Greek word sozo, and it describes more than being rescued; it describes being made whole, “healed” or “delivered” in the fullest medical, spiritual, military, Messianic sense.
Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Luke 18:28-30
Buried Treasure
August 4, 2016 at 10:34 am | Posted in Biblical treasure, Isaiah, Uncategorized | 4 CommentsTags: 2 Corinthians 5, burial of Christ, esteeming Christ, Isaiah 53, Jesus Christ, satisfaction, the Gospel, the Suffering Servant, treasure
And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isaiah 53:9
The prophecy that Christ would be buried with the rich was fulfilled by the actions of Joseph of Arimathaea. Jesus’s death and Resurrection are integral parts of the Gospel, but so is His burial.
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isaiah 53:10
The Lord Jesus bore our sin to the Cross, but it is not the weight of that sin that crushed (“bruised”) Him; it was the weight of God’s wrath. Jesus was childless in the biological sense, and, furthermore, the prophecy describes a dead man “seeing his seed.” How could this be? It was fulfilled in Jesus’s Resurrection and the spiritual children He would regenerate and adopt.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isaiah 53:11
God the Father was not “satisfied” in the sense of taking delight in Jesus’s suffering, but His righteousness, law, holiness, and justice were satisfied by payment in full for the entire sin debt of His people.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:12
Jesus on the Cross made intercession for transgressors, and He’s still doing that today.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
II Corinthians 5:17
Let us esteem Jesus Christ better today than men did when He came to die for us. Let us look at what they esteemed instead of Him, and ask ourselves if we esteem those things more than Him today. He was poor. Do we esteem wealth? He was an outcast among the religious establishment. Do we esteem popularity and acceptance? People lied about Him and said vile things. Do we fight for our good reputation with plans and schemes to get even, and with our own get-back-at-you gossip? Which do we care about more – that we look good to men, or that God looks great to men? He came to serve and to die. Do we dare to try to get ourselves in the position of being served by someone else? He suffered hardship and discomfort and a life of hard work. Will we dare to pamper ourselves?
Jesus is rejected so much today, for so many of the same reasons He was rejected back then – He represents everything that carnal men hate. He is worthy, and that’s an thing easy to sing, but do our activities and attitudes and awe prove that He’s our Treasure?
The Trouble with Treasure
June 20, 2016 at 12:53 pm | Posted in Biblical treasure, Uncategorized | 4 CommentsTags: Biblical freedom, fear of God, fear of the Lord, freedom, Matthew 6, Proverbs 15, riches, true freedom, wealth
There is a sense in which great wealth is thought to bring a certain amount of worldly freedom. The rich man, not saddled down with the need to work, can travel. If he finds himself inconvenienced, he can purchase some modern contraption to make things easier. He may not feel the stress of wondering whether he will be able to eat or whether he will have a place to live. Or so goes the “common sense” wisdom of our age.
The Bible has a different view:
Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
Proverbs 15:16
“Better” can be a subjective description, but, when we see it in the Bible, we understand that what is being revealed is an objective, absolute, literal “better.” A person who has a righteous and blessed fear of the Lord will find His contentment, peace, and fulfillment in the Lord Himself, and not in earthly treasure, which, although it promises freedom, can in reality only provide a “limited freedom” (an oxymoron). Since the Lord Himself is of unlimited value and worth, we might say that “a little of the Lord” is far better than the “great” trouble that can accompany great treasure.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
Purity, Prayer, and Possessions
March 9, 2015 at 1:43 pm | Posted in Biblical prayer, Biblical treasure, Matthew | 8 CommentsTags: commentary on Matthew, Jesus Christ, Law and Grace, materialism, Matthew 5, Matthew 6, prayer, Sermon on the Mount, slavery, Sunday School lessons on Matthew
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Matthew 5:17
The Pharisees had placed a crust around the seed of God’s Word. Jesus broke the crust, but He did not destroy the Law. He fulfilled the Law. A seed can stop being a seed through destruction, or through fulfilling its purpose. Remember, Jesus came onto the scene of public ministry after working for years as a carpenter, and His job has always been that of a builder.
In Christian maturity we move past rules and regulations (outward), and get directly to the attitudes of the heart (inward). Imagine if I dug a well, attached a faucet, and filthy water came out. Would I just change the faucet? No, I’d dig a new well. The hearts we were born with can produce only sin and evil. When we trust Christ, He removes the old heart, and replaces it with a new heart, from which can flow God-pleasing purity.
Matthew Chapter 6 deals with prayer, fasting, and money. Have you ever thought about why God commands us to pray when He already knows our needs? One reason is that prayer is the God-appointed way for getting those needs met. Here’s how it works. You pray to discern God’s will (“Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”). God allows needs to come into your life, and you draw close to Him in prayer (Psalm 50:15). God shows you that all you really need is Him (II Corinthians 12:7-10). You become thankful to God, even about your needs, and you stay in an attitude of prayer and ongoing communication with your God (I Thessalonians 5:17-18). Prayer prepares us for the proper use of what God already knows we need.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Matthew 6:19
Materialism is when we stop possessing things, and things start possessing us. Idolatry of things enslaves. It enslaves the heart.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6:21
It enslaves the mind.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:22-23
What you say is what’s in your heart; what you look at is what’s on your mind.
It enslaves the will.
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24
Imagine: Your heart, your mind, your will – all enslaved to a bass boat or a TV set or a retirement account or a Cadillac. It’s not a pretty picture. However, in Christ, we can win the victory over our idolatrous desires to be rich, to own property, to possess things. Even worry about the basic necessities of life needn’t ensnare us.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Matthew 6:25
“Things” used for God will bring glory to God, but things used for me cheapen the things, and cheapen me as well.
Beware the Feeble Fortress
March 26, 2014 at 11:02 am | Posted in Biblical friendship, Biblical treasure, The Fives | 7 CommentsTags: Cinco de Mayo Bible lessons, Cinco de Mayo devotions, Eliphaz, eternal treasure, Job 5, Job's friends, materialism, Matthew 6
When we talk about Job’s “friends” we have to put quotation marks around “friends” because it’s questionable just what kind of friends they were. Job had suffered, and was suffering greatly in Chapter 5 of the book that bears his name, when his “friend,” Eliphaz, went on the offensive.
Eliphaz’s (wrong) assumption was that Job’s suffering must have been caused by Job’s sin. Eliphaz’s support for this argument was partly his own experience, because he claimed to have seen men who were prosperous and well-established for a long while in their sin, when suddenly and without warning judgment befell them.
I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.
Job 5:3-4
This not-so-oblique reference to his children must have cut Job to the quick, since all his children has recently perished in a devastating catastrophe. (Unbeknownst to Job, his children had actually been killed through the machinations of Satan, with God’s permission, but not in any way as a consequence of Job’s alleged sin.)
However, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, and Eliphaz stumbled upon a valuable nugget of truth when he pointed out the futility of trying to protect our earthly possessions and wealth to the exclusion of our spiritual well-being.
Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.
Job 5:5
In ancient times landowners would sometimes intentionally grow hedges of thorns or briars around their crops, fields, and property to keep out trespassers and to discourage thieves. However, those who are truly hungry or who are bent on taking what does not belong to them will not be deterred by such security measures. This is a good reminder to us today that whatever dominion we think we exercise over our earthly possessions is ultimately subject to the will of God. Therefore, we are better off investing in the spiritual and the eternal than in the material and the temporal.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
Things New and Old
October 12, 2011 at 11:49 am | Posted in Biblical Teaching, Biblical treasure, Matthew | 7 CommentsTags: awe, Bible, Bible study, Matthew 13, old truths, sense of awe, treasure, walking with Christ
Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
Matthew 13:51-52
I have read this passage of Scripture so many times, but it still surprises me that the disciples could say “yes” when Jesus asked them if they had understood everything He said. Over 2000 years later we are still studying, but that’s the job of a Bible teacher – to be instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven – to learn from the Bible and to bring out of it treasures both new and old.
We are supposed to be reinforcing the great truths that have been taught since the beginning, but every time they are taught, these “old” truths are new to someone.
Furthermore, we are teaching new and old truths to new and old students. Some Christians are “new” as to their age, and some are “old” in years. Some are “new” to the Christian faith, and some have been Christians for many years. We learn more and more about God every week, and He never gets “old.” Is it possible that your spiritual life has become routine? You attend church. Maybe you pray at home and have devotions at home. Maybe you tithe and live a somewhat holy life. You don’t get drunk or swear or abuse your spouse. You are living on “old” things that you got settled early in your walk with Christ. Old things are good, but they become familiar. Familiarity costs us our sense of “awe.” You are going to lose your sense of awe and excitement about the Bible unless you are willing to take a dare. Take a chance by committing more of your time, talents, resources, effort, and gifts to the Lord. Ask Him to excite you as you as you study His Word. Neither the God of the Word, nor the Word of our God are ever boring or dry. They contain treasures – and few things are more exciting than discovering treasure!
Key Words for Bible Teachers: Treasure
July 27, 2011 at 10:52 am | Posted in Biblical Teaching, Biblical treasure, II Corinthians | 9 CommentsTags: 1 Timothy 6, 2 Corinthians 4, accountability for teachers, Bible teachers, Matthew 13, scribes, Sunday School teachers, Sunday School teaching seminar, tips for teachers, treasure
As we learned previously, Bible teachers have a responsibility to teach the Truth and to make a “type.”
Treasure: Bible teachers must realize that the Gospel is a valuable treasure which we hold in “trust.”
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
I Timothy 6:20 (emphasis added)
The Word of God is a treasure because of its value. In fact, it’s so valuable that I am not completely sure why God has entrusted it to us. From what I can tell, it somehow serves His glory to see that if He placed it in a weak vessel, the power of the Gospel itself would be seen to come completely from Him, and not the vessel itself.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
II Corinthians 4:7
God could have sent angels to deliver His Word. He could have written it in the sky. But He has given it to us in trust. Something given in trust must be protected, but it also must be put to work so that it “grows,” bears an “increase,” or bears “fruit.” So, as we teach, we must guard the Word of God. We must keep it from being stolen or contaminated. We do this by teaching it to our students as though it were a thing of great value. When you teach, be serious about the Word of God. Show your students how to treat their Bibles, how to read Bible verses, how to memorize Bible verses.
We treat the Word of God as a valuable thing held in trust by guarding it, but also by putting it to work. We will give an account for what we have done with our Master’s treasure. He will not be happy if we just dig it up, dust it off, and say, “Here, I’ve protected it. I didn’t lose it and I didn’t let anyone steal it.” He will say, “But did you invest it? Did you sow it? Did you plant it in hearts? Did you spread it around like seed? Has it earned interest? I trusted you to know that I was the kind of Owner Who let you use My treasure in such a way that it would multiply in spiritual fruit.”
Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
Matthew 13:51
When the Disciples answered affirmatively to Jesus’s question that they understood all those principles that Jesus taught them about the Kingdom of Heaven, do you think they really did?
Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
Matthew 13:52
A scribe is similar to a teacher. Bible teachers must teach the basic things and new things (things that we find on our own in the Bible – things that are dear to us and are shown to us by God). These “new things” are not “fresh” Words in the sense of being private revelation. They are “fresh” in the sense of being “living” Words, and they are just as applicable today as they were when they were written, but they are new to your students – and maybe even to you.
Bible teachers are to teach Truth. We are to deliver a type of teaching. And we are responsible for a treasure.
The Deep End 
Claiming Your Inheritance
December 9, 2020 at 12:13 pm | Posted in Biblical treasure, Joshua | 4 CommentsTags: Biblical inheritance, commentary on Joshua, conquest of Canaan, inheritance, Joshua 13, perseverance, spiritual inheritance, Sunday School lessons on Joshua
It is one thing to hear the reading of a last will and testament, and to find out that you have been legally granted an inheritance, but it is another thing to go and actually claim – physically lay hold of – the inheritance.
Joshua 13:1
Close to 100 years old is probably the best estimate of how old Joshua was at this time – based partly on the fact that we know his friend Caleb was 85. Joshua is said to have been used by God to conquer the land of Canaan, but “conquest” is something that can be described as complete or partial. Much had been accomplished – far too much to downplay it – but there was still some conquest to be done when it came to driving out the stragglers, and especially fighting on the outskirts and farthest regions of Canaan. After something of a pause in the fighting it was important for the Lord to remind them that His promise still held true.
Joshua 13:6
There is always a danger after a big victory to feel confidence in ourselves instead of in God. Much of the Bible is God reminding people of what He already promised to do. Additionally, for some people the battle itself is more exciting than dogged perseverance over a long period of time.
Joshua 13:13
Don’t grow weary in well-doing. We celebrate great leaps of faith, but we seldom recognize long, lesser-known periods of quiet perseverance. As great as our inheritance can appear in outward and material blessings, we must never forget our REAL inheritance IN the Lord, and that it IS the Lord Himself.
Joshua 13:33