AWARDS AND REWARDS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD
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OUTLINE
1. THE CROWN OF REJOICING - FOR WINNING SOULS
2. THE CROWN OF LIFE - FOR ENDURING TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
3. THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - FOR FINISHING OUR RACE IN HOLINESS
4. THE CROWN OF GLORY - FOR FAITHFULNESS IN MINISTRY
5. REWARDS FOR GIVING TO THE WORK OF GOD
6. REWARDS FOR HELPING THE POOR
7. REWARDS FOR USING OUR GIFTS AND TALENTS
INTRODUCTION
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There are great and wonderful awards and rewards in the kingdom of God. Salvation is free but the awards and rewards in the kingdom God must be earned. The Lord does not want us to live an aimless life . Nor does he wants us to trust in Christ only for earthly benefits. There is a glorious eternity waiting for every believer and the Lord wants us to use our life on earth as a priceless opportunity to earn eternal rewards. The scriptures reveal to us the pathway of gaining eternal rewards and lay our treasures in heaven.
I CORINTHIANS 15:19
" If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."
REVELATION 3:11
" I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. "
THE MESSAGE
AWARDS AND REWARDS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD
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1. THE CROWN OF REJOICING - FOR WINNING SOULS
The crown of rejoicing is the soul winners crown. All those whom we have reached for the Lord and have discipled will be our crown. We should carefully watch over them lest the devil lead them astray and cause all our labour to be in vain.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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I THESSALONIANS 2:19-20
" For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?
Indeed, you are our glory and joy "
PHILIPPIANS 4:1
" Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! "
DANIEL 12:3
" Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. "
HEBREWS 13:7
" Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."
GALATIANS 4:11
" I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. "
PHILIPPIANS 2:14-16
" Do everything without complaining or arguing,
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
as you hold out the word of lifeâ€â€in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing."
I THESSALONIANS 3:5
" For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. "
2. THE CROWN OF LIFE - FOR ENDURING TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
The crown of life is for those who endure testings and trials and tribulations in this world .These trials will shape our character and prepare us for eternity. When we pass the tests victoriously ,the Lord will give us the crown of life. The Lord gives us the assurance of great glory and reward for all the sufferings we endure for the sake of Christ in this world. Therefore we should not get discouraged easily in the midst of conflicts and difficulties.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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JAMES 1:12
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."
REVELATION 2:10
" Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. "
MATTHEW 5:10-12
"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, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. "
ROMANS 8:17-18
" Now if we are children, then we are heirsâ€â€heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
II TIMOTHY 2:12
" if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; "
MARK 10:28-30
Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!â€
“Truly I tell you,†Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel
will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
3. THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - FOR FINISHING OUR RACE IN HOLINESS
The crown of righteousness is for those who live a holy life and finish their course without losing their integrity. We should not risk our eternal future by following a path of sin and iniquity which would lead us to eternal destruction.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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II TIMOTHY 4:6-8
" For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
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."
I CORINTHIANS 9:24-27
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. "
MATTHEW 7:13-23
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
"Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ’I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ "
GALATIANS 5:19-21
"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. "
REVELATION 21 : 8,27
"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."
4. THE CROWN OF GLORY - FOR FAITHFULNESS IN MINISTRY
The crown of glory is for those who are faithful in the ministry that the Lord has given to them. All our work for the lord will be tested by fire . Therefore we should serve the Lord with pure motives and with a heart full of genuine love for the Lord and for our fellow men .
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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I PETER 5:1-4
" To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;
not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. "
ACTS 20:24-28
" However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
"Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.
Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. "
I CORINTHIANS 3:9-15
" For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
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. "
5. REWARDS FOR GIVING TO THE WORK OF GOD
There are great rewards for giving to the work of God. The Lord remembers all the labour of love that we have rendered to his servants. The Lord wants us to lay our treasures in heaven . We should focus our efforts on accumulating eternal treasures and not waste our life chasing the vanity of earthly wealth and possessions. All those who have been blessed by our giving will welcome us when we reach heaven.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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MATTHEW 6:19-21
" Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "
I TIMOTHY 6:17-19
" Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. "
LUKE 16:9
" I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. "
MATTHEW 10:41-42
" Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
HEBREWS 6:10
" God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. "
6. REWARDS FOR HELPING THE POOR
There are great rewards for helping the poor and needy .We should live extremely useful lives spent in the service of suffering humanity .Whenever we feed the hungry , clothe the naked , visit the sick and those in prison , We are really doing it for the lord himself and he will reward us abundantly . We should not live selfishly . We should eagerly seek opportunities to help others and it will bring eternal rewards to us . Our desire for eternal rewards prevents us from seeking honour from men . All our acts of charity will have pure motives because we not want to lose our eternal reward by pursuing earthly fame. We should seek to help those who cannot do anything to help us in return . Then we will be rewarded in heaven.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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MATTHEW 25:31-46
" When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
"Then the righteous will answer him, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
"The King will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
"Then he will say to those on his left, ’Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
"They also will answer, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
"He will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
LUKE 14:12-14
" Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
MATTHEW 6:1-4
"Be careful not to do your ’acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. "
I CORINTHIANS 13:1-3
" If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. "
7. REWARDS FOR USING OUR GIFTS AND TALENTS
There are great rewards for using our gifts and talents .We should use all the gifts and talents that God has given to us . We should not be lazy and waste our resources. When we are faithful in the earthly responsibilities , the Lord will reward us with greater responsibilities in eternity.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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MATTHEW 25:14-30
" Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.
To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.
So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.
But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ’Master,’ he said, ’you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
"His master 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!’
"The man with the two talents also came. ’Master,’ he said, ’you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
"His master 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!’
"Then the man who had received the one talent came. ’Master,’ he said, ’I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
"His master replied, ’You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
Well then, 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.
For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’"
LUKE 19:12-27
" He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.
So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.’Put this money to work,’ he said, ’until I come back.’
"But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ’We don’t want this man to be our king.’
"He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
"The first one came and said, ’Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
" ’Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ’Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
"The second came and said, ’Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
"His master answered, ’You take charge of five cities.’
"Then another servant came and said, ’Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth.
I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
"His master replied, ’I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow?
Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
"Then he said to those standing by, ’Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
" ’Sir,’ they said, ’he already has ten!’
"He replied, ’I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.
But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over themâ€â€bring them here and kill them in front of me."
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