Treasure In Heaven Series

I give permission for this sermon to used in its fullness for the glory of God.

TREASURE IN HEAVEN

Please open your Bible to I Corinthians 2 as we begin a new series regarding the eternal rewards of heaven, with today’s message, “Treasure in Heaven.” The Bible speaks of rewards in heaven that are beyond our imagination and yet, many Christians have no idea how important these rewards are, and their meaning in eternity. For some of you, this will be an eye-opening series. It is my prayer this series will open your eyes, and inspire you to live a life that honors God, and reaps great rewards.

1 Corinthians 2:9 "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. NKJV

THE TREASURES AND REWARDS OF HEAVEN

Heaven is a place of treasures and rewards that God has in store for those who love Him. Many Christians know very little about the rewards of heaven, and yet, the Bible very clearly says it is God’s perfect plan to reward those who love Him with eternal treasures and rewards that are so magnificent, and so unbelievable, that nothing on earth can compare with them.

To begin, I first want to unravel some of the mindsets that believers have regarding God’s desire to reward us with His unlimited treasures in eternity.

For example, some Christians have the mistaken idea that rewards in heaven are not important. They usually say something like, “As long as I am in heaven, that’s all I care about.” That attitude is a very big mistake, and I will show you in this series, why you should care very much about the rewards of heaven. Rewards are important, because they represent God’s approval of how you lived your life on earth.

Christians also have the mistaken idea that all of us will receive the same rewards and honors in heaven. I can assure you that is absolutely, not the case. I Corinthians 3, which we will look at later in this series, clearly shows that God will test our works and our faithfulness to see if we are worthy of heavenly rewards. The point is, some Christians will be greatly rewarded, and then sadly, some Christians will receive lesser rewards, or lose rewards, because of how they lived their life. Let that thought sink in for just a moment.

People want to be called great on earth. But the greatest position on earth will never match the lowest position in heaven. One day in eternity, Jesus will examine how you lived your life as a believer, and He will determine what rewards you will receive. These rewards are vitally important because are directly related to future responsibilities and privileges that Jesus will personally give to you based on how you lived your life on earth. Capture this powerful truth; how you live your life on earth now, will ultimately determine your rewards and greatness in heaven. That’s why Paul said, we must run our God given race with all our heart.

The rewards of heaven are so important in terms of their significance, that some Christians will be shocked and filled with great sorrow because they did not live a faithful life of good works on earth. Listen to Revelation 21…

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have

passed away." NKJV

Why will God wipe away the tears from our eyes? One reason is because of lost rewards that Christians could have had, if they had just walked with Christ and given Him the best of their life. That’s why this series is so vitally important. How you live your life on earth now, has immense eternal implications.

Even if we live to be 100, our life on earth is still very short. The point is, how you live your life, now, will forever determine your eternal standing in heaven. If you knew… If you really knew just how highly valued these rewards and privileges are in heaven, you would make every effort to obtain them.

I cannot overemphasize what these rewards and privileges will mean for you in eternity. Consider this; the rewards of heaven are so important that the disciples argued over them; Paul desired them, and Jesus said to store them.