Introduction: Have you even given much thought about what Heaven will be like? How about what you will be doing there? A pastor recorded some comments that children had made about what they thought heaven would be like (Rick Gabelman, "The Shepherd's Voice," The Pastor's Story File, Feb.1987):

"It is a place where there is a lot money lying around. You could just pick it up, play with it, and buy things. I think I am going to buy a basketball, and I am going to play basketball with my great-great grandmother." - Eric, age 8.

"Heaven is up in the sky, and you could look down at circuses for free if you want to, except you have to ask God for permission first." - Scott (no age given)

"Heaven is kind of big and they sit around playing harps. I don't know how to play a harp, but I suppose I should learn how to play that dumb thing pretty soon." - David, age 7

"I know what heaven is, but I don't want to go there. I want to go to North Carolina instead." - Tommy, age 7

I think that there are a lot of adults who know as much about heaven as these boys do - or at least they are as confused as these boys are. The Bible doesn't say a whole lot about eternity (in the sense about all the details of what believers will be doing), but it does say enough about various aspects of it to give us some clues about our future. So often as believers, we tend to focus so much on getting people saved and then waiting on the Lord to come and get us, that we forget about our here and now. And more importantly, we fail to see how what we do in this life impacts our eternal life. There's more to God's plan of salvation than just saving people and taking them to heaven, and this is the focus of this series of sermons on the believer's rewards; that is, our need to invest in our eternal future with God.

Transition: To understand the how the believer can impact their eternal rewards, we need to begin with the basics of salvation and how this word is used in the New Testament and. . .

I. The Relationship Between Salvation And Works.
1. Justification - freed from the penalty of sin (John 3:16; Rom.3:24; Rev.22:17)

A. This is salvation or deliverance from the penalty of our sins - past tense.

1) John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have [the moment they believe & an one time act] eternal life."

2) Romans 3:24, "being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;"

A) "being justified," ("dikaioo" {dik-ah-yo'-o: v, part, pres, pass, nom, m, pl}); to render righteous, to declare or pronounce one to be just or righteous.

B) "gift," ("dorean" {do-reh-an': adj, adverb}); freely, undeservedly, without cause, as a gift (KJV = freely)

3) Titus 3:5, "He saved us [past tense], not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,"

4) Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you have been [past tense] saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;"

A) "you have been," ("este" {es-teh': v, indic, pres, act, 2per, pl}); to be, denotes what exists, are, is, have been. (KJV= are ye)

- Indicative Mood: implying the certainty and reality of being saved.

B) "saved," ("sozo" {sode'-zo: v, part, perf, pass, nom, m, 2per, pl}): to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.

- Perfect Tense: denotes the certainty of this God-given salvation.

5) 1 Corinthians 6:11, "And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were [past tense] justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God."

A) "justified," ("dikaioo" {dik-ah-yo'-o: v, indic, aor, pass, 2per, pl}): to render righteous, to declare or pronounce one to be just or righteous.

(1) Indicative Mood: implying the certainty and reality of being justified.

(2) Aorist Tense: indicating an accomplished fact, not something to be attained.

B) Even the carnal Christians at Corinth Paul said they were justified.

B. Did you also notice, in these verses, that this salvation is free from our own works or efforts?

Transition: Now in the next two areas of salvation is where many people get confused and these are the areas where our works and rewards come into play. . .

2. Sanctification- freed from the power of sin (John 10:10; Phil.2:12; 2 Pet.1:5-9).

A. In the present - the here and now - believers are being saved from the power of sin.

1) Philippians 2:12, "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;"

2) 2 Peter 1:5-9, "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins."

B. The word "sanctify" basically means "to set apart" and has the same root as the words "holy" and "saint" (SGS).

1) Every believer has been sanctified, for all have been set apart to God and adopted into His family.

2) A second aspect of sanctification is that God set the believer apart for special service to Him also.

A) In the Old Testament God had the priest "set apart" the vessels in the temple and tabernacle for special service unto Him.

B) And this is where our "works" come into play, while we are not saved by our works (Titus 3:5, Eph.2:8-9) we are to maintain good works because we are saved (S).

- Titus 3:8, "This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men."

C) This is where Spiritual Gifts come into play in the believer's life.

Transition: Now this third area of Salvation not only completes God's perfect plan of Salvation, but is also a time of rewards by God for those who were faithful servants during their time on earth. . .

3. Glorification (future tense) - free from the presence of sin (Matt.16:24-27; 1 Cor.4:5; 2 Cor.5:10; Col.3:23-25; Rev.3:21; 22:12)

A. Believers will some day, in the future, be saved from the presence of sin and from all wrath.

1) 1 John 3:1-2, "See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is."

2) Jude 1:24, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,"

3) Romans 5:10, "For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled [past tense] to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled [past tense], we shall be saved [future tense] by His life."

B. Another aspect of the believer's glorification (future salvation), is that those believers who were faithful servants here on the earth will receive rewards that will enable them to serve Christ and bring Him glory in His coming reign (S).

1) 1 Corinthians 4:5, "Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God."

2) Colossians 3:23-25, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality."

Transition: Now lets take a few moments to look at a few verses where the believer is rewarded for faithful service are reaffirmed. . .

II. The Certainty Of Future Rewards.
1. As implied by Christ in the Parables (Matt.25:14-30; Luke 19:11-19).

A. Parable of the talents Matthew 25:14-30 & the Parable of the minas Luke 19:11-19.

B. Both of these parables indirectly teach that God rewards His servants in varying degrees (NBBA).

A. Matthew 5:11-12, "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

B. Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon 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 or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

C. Matthew 19:27-29, "Then Peter answered and said to Him, 'Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?' And Jesus said to them, 'Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, shall receive many times as much, and shall inherit eternal life.'"

A. 1 Corinthians 4:2, "In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy."

B. 1 Timothy 6:17-19, "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed."

A. In each of these verses, the Lord gives either warnings about not doing something or He promises them rewards for their efforts.

B. We will look at these verses in more detail later on in this series because they get into some specifics about rewards.

Transition: I want to encourage you to come back and join us for the next few weeks as we examine in detail the various rewards that God is offering to those who faithfully serve Him. . .

Truths To Ponder:
1. God doesn't save us because of our works, but because of Christ's works.

2. God didn't save us just to give us a free trip to heaven, but He saved us for service unto Him.

3. God not only loved us enough to save us from our sins, but He also loved us enough to reward us for being faithful to Him.
 

LBC - Liberty Bible Commentary on the NT, Jerry Falwell editor
NBBA - Not By Bread Alone, by Steven W. Waterhouse.
RSK - The Reign of the Servant Kings, by Joseph C. Dillow
S - Salvation, by Earl D. Radmacher
SGS - So Great Salvation, by Charles C. Ryrie

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