Working for Heavenly Rewards

Working for Heavenly Rewards. 

“This is what the Scriptures say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.'” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Graduating with Honors. Standing there in front of the school president, you rejoice you are finally getting what you deserve, you are graduating. That was the goal, this is the accomplishment you were yearning for. You finished the race, you stayed the course, you succeeded and now you’re ready for the next step in life, you’re prepared for the new world in your immediate future. After receiving your degree at the graduation ceremony, now it’s time to witness those who have graduated with honors. These are students who completed the graduation requirements, and they are honored now for how they ran the race, how they were able to graduate successfully, how they completed their studies. At Christ’s judgment seat when we leave this earth, all believers will receive their diploma and celebrate the main victory: Salvation and final deliverance from sin. That was the goal, and that has been achieved in and through Christ. But then comes the time we are each standing there in front of Christ for Him to recognize those who are receiving salvation with honors. These saved souls who graduated to heaven’s reward, will now receive honors for how they lived their lives, how they kept the faith, how they ran the race. Some believers will get more honors than others for whatever reasons the trustworthy Jesus has in mind. Each believer will be repaid by the perfectly fair Judge. And now the best part… After the graduation ceremony comes the lavish reception, the Supper of the Lamb, in which all believers celebrate together, those who are highly honored for whatever reasons and those not so honored, the greatest in the Kingdom and the least, all graduates together will celebrate eternal salvation with joy and gratitude.

“For we must all stand in front of Christ at His judgment seat, that each one may receive what he is due, paid back for the things that he did here on earth, whether they were good or bad. Everyone will receive the consequences, good or bad, of what he did, and will receive what rewards he deserves for his actions in this life.” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

It seems abundantly clear throughout the Bible that the sins of each person were dealt with on the Cross by the Son of God. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  So for those who have accepted that divine forgiveness, there need be no worry about standing in judgment for them. But we will be rewarded with how we lived our lives, and that Jesus will grant these honors to those who deserve them upon entering the Kingdom in heaven. So it appears that there will be some who are saved and highly honored and some who are saved and not as highly honored. There will be the greatest in the Kingdom down the spectrum to the least in the Kingdom. These rewards are like the icing on the cake, though, since the main dessert is being in the Kingdom in the first place. Some of the passages referring to our being judged for our good works include:

1. “For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:27);
2. “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my rewards with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12);
3. “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God… So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”  (Romans 14:10-12);
4. “Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast loving-kindness. For you will render to a man according to his work.” (Psalm 62:11-12);
5. “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High.” (Luke 6:35);
6. “If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’ dos not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will He not repay man according to His work?” (Proverbs 24:12);
7. “God will render to each one according to his works.” (Romans 2:6);
8. “Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.” (Psalm 28:4);
9. “… As bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:6-8);
10. “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on the account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.” (Luke 6:22-23);

Reaping and Sowing. This divine process of rewarding good works and punishing evil deeds is the Lord’s way of being consistent with the universal ethic that He himself put in place. If we sow good seeds in the soil by doing good works here on earth, He will make sure we are honored with the rewards of a good harvest, both in this world and the next. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:7-10).

Rightly Handling the Word of God. In His ‘sermon on the mount,’ Jesus put it plainly… Whoever relaxes one of the least of these Torah commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom.” (Matthew 5:19). So here we find one of the criteria when considering the Lord’s reward system at the Judgment Seat. Those who use the Word wisely and obediently, and those who take seriously guiding others to do the same, will be among the “great in the Kingdom of heaven.” Those who disregard Torah, are lazy and unwise and teach others to be the same way, they will be among the “least.” This word of advice from Jesus leads us to take even more seriously the words of Paul to Timothy… “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Delayed Gratification. “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:20). Once again in His ‘sermon on the mount,’ Jesus is advising His followers to have an invisible moneybag to store what will be waiting for us in heaven. Love the Lord in such a way that in our devotion to Him we accumulate what we know is precious to His Kingdom values. We are to invest in heavenly riches by the way we live here on earth, deliberately hoarding heavenly treasure for future rewards. The literal meaning of “lay up” is “treasure up,” so we are instructed by Jesus to treasure up for ourselves treasures in heaven. What does it mean to lay up heavenly treasures, to be rich toward God? It means using our possessions and surplus the way God would want us to. Don’t let our wealth distract us from a relationship with God and others. Serve the needy with the goods we have. Recognize that everything we own is on loan, including our soul, and our time on earth. Don’t forget our concern for the next life as well as this one. Invest in a heavenly relationship with God through prayer, study, obedience and the Gospel virtues inspiring good works. Communion with God and service to others makes us rich in heaven. Love God and love our neighbor, and we are laying up treasures. In Jesus’ parable about the rich fool in Luke 12, God basically says to the fool in no uncertain terms, as Kenneth Bailey put it, “Look at what you have done to yourself! You plan alone, you build alone, you indulge alone, and now you will die alone!” The rich fool had lived a pitiful life, because of disbelief in the coming of the Kingdom. He was not guided by the wisdom of the Lord, and so his heart was stuck on the earth.

Earning Those Golden Crowns. Another symbol of honors given to believers in Christ’s heavenly reward system is that of crowns. These were not literal crowns, of course, but various pictures of victory that would be given believers at the Pearly Gates of the Kingdom. There were five different crowns of honor mentioned in the epistles:

1. The Crown of Life – This is Jesus’ way of honoring those believers who endured trials from enemies of the Lord, faithful even to the point of death through the persecutions. “Blessed are those believers who remain steadfast under trial, for when they have stood the test they will receive the Crown of Life, which God has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12); “Do not fear what you are about to suffer; Behold the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the Crown of Life.” (Revelation 2:10).
2. The Crown of Righteousness – To those who in Christ are right with God in His purity and goodness, and are living in light of eternity, eagerly awaiting His return. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up 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 yearned for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
3. The Crown of Glory – Those Christ-following leaders, teachers and pastors are honored with an especially majestic recognition for their remaining true to their holy responsibilities, faithful to guiding their people well. “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading Crown of Glory.”
4. The Crown of Rejoicing – Also called the crown of joy, this reward is claimed by Paul as an evangelist, and implies that there will be special honors to those like him who have led others to Christ, whether by example, word, or through faithfulness in prayer. “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” (1 Thessalonians 2:19).
5. The Incorruptible Crown – This crown is also called the “imperishable crown,” honoring all believers through their faithful lives of discipline and self-control in keeping the faith. This crown is not temporal and will never wither away like the olive wreath given to the winners of their races. This golden crown is an everlasting honor, a reward that will last forever. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises discipline and self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

Jesus is Honored with Many Crowns. Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The One sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war against evil. He eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns.” (Revelation 19:11-12). These crowns on Christ represented His divine royalty, His supreme authority and kingship over all creation. These crowns signify that only Jesus is the ultimate sovereign, the one and only King of kings and Lord of Lords. So, one crown was not adequate, it was not enough to honor His glory and dominion. The only possible way for believers to be honored with various crowns is because we are ‘in” Christ and as such we share in ability to be honored by the Father, who is the only Person in the universe who could have crowned His Son. But being in Christ means we go where he has gone, and it’s easy to forget that Jesus at first had to wear the crown of thorns before He was “crowned with glory and honor.” (Hebrews 2:9). Since Jesus had to first where the crown of humiliation before the crown of glory, so must we. If He had to wear the crown of defeat and death before the crowns of victory and life, so must we. His crown of sorrow was in preparation for His crown of joy, and the temporary crown of the curse was exchanged for the crown of the blessing, and so it will be with us who are “in Christ.” Before we are honored with all those glorious crowns, we must first wear His crown of thorns. But here is the great irony about all those crowns and is unforgettable… Once we are delivered into eternal life and standing before Him in His throne room, we discover that all those crowns we were given, all those rewards for this and that, were trivial, they were meaningless compared to the perfect worthiness of God, and we in good conscience can only cast all these crowns before Him in worship and adoration.  We can only acknowledge that all glory and all honor can only belong to Him. “And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before Him who is seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, singing, ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:9-11).