Contents:
Discerning Between Salvation and Rewards
Services That Result in Rewards
Time of Judgment for the Church Age
Rewards of the Seven Churches in Revelation
Some question the existence of rewards for the believer.
Some feel it is selfish or materialistic to work for or
expect rewards.
Does rewards mean
some people will have them and others will not?
Does rewards set
levels or graduations in heaven where one believer will outrank another?
Are there qualities to eternal life? Can someone have a better standing and
position in eternity?
Isn’t the
Isn’t heaven suppose to be
perfect? If someone else has something I
want, won’t I be
miserable. If I don’t get any rewards I
will feel like a second-rate believer for all of eternity?
What are the rewards?
How do I get rewards?
How do rewards compare with grace?
Aren’t rewards simply a way of God, or men, bribing us to
do good?
Are not all our righteous deeds were like filthy rags
before God?
Some people consider it humble not to seek rewards from
God.
There are the thoughts that believers will never be
judged by God or that we will be judged after death for our sins and properly
punished.
The Foundational Principles
Rewards are available to the believer from God as
recognition of that believer being faithful in service to the Lord.
The believer who has been saved for many years and lives
a faithful life will have more opportunity to build up rewards in heaven than
one who was saved at the last minute or one who was saved early but never
walked in obedience.
Rewards are not given out when you die but after the
rapture at the reward seat of Christ.
The reason for this is that a person’s work is not completed at their
death. The apostle Paul is dead but his
rewards are still building as his work in the earth continues through his
writings and the deposit he made here. The same as Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological
Seminary. He has passed on into
eternity but the work he established, the people he influenced, and the books
that he wrote are still being used in the church today.
It is possible to spend your life thinking you are serving the Lord but to get no rewards. (1 Cor.3:15; 9:27) Receiving rewards is based on actions with:
a. Pure or sincere motivation
i. To do the right thing for the wrong
reason is zero
b. Serving God in the
truth
i. To be sincere and pure in motives but
to do the wrong thing is zero.
ii. Rewards are a
matter of the heart and the head.
iii. Rewards are based
on knowledge of God’s will and a heart
committed to that will.
Obtaining salvation and obtaining rewards are two
different avenues.
The believer will go through judgment at the Judgment
Seat of Christ (2 Cor.5:10), but this will not be a judgment for sin. This is stated in:
John 3:18- “Whoever believes is not condemned.”
John 5:24— “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word
and believers him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
John 6:37- “All that the Father gives me will come to me,
and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”
Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified
through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 8:1— “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus.”
1 Corinthians 11:32- “When we are judged by the Lord, we
are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.”
The judgment seat of Christ of deals entirely with service and has
nothing to do with sin. Jesus has paid
for our sins on the cross.
1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the
tree.”
Discerning Between Salvation and Rewards
If you are alert it is easy to distinguish between verses
teaching about salvation and verses discussing rewards for works after
salvation.
1a.
Salvation is described in the scripture as a free gift:
John 4:10, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is
that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you
living water.”
Romans 6:23, “. . .the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. . .”
Ephesians 2:8, 9
1b. Rewards are earned by
works:
Matthew 10:42, “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.”
1 Corinthians 9:24,25, “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.”
2 Timothy 4:7, 8; Revelation 2:10; Revelation 22:12; Luke
19:17
2a. Salvation is a present possession now in time:
Luke 7:50. “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”
John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son of God has
eternal life.”
John 5:24; John 6:47
2b.
Rewards are possessed in the future, given at Lord returns.
Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come in
his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person
according to what he has done.”
2 Timothy 4:8; Revelation 22:12
3a.
Salvation can not be lost.
3b.
Rewards can be lost.
1 Corinthians 9:27, “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.”
“disqualified” is the word “adokimos”. You may remember the word “dokimos” or “dokimozo” from James 1.
It means to test to approve
as one tests metal in a fire. The prefix “a-” in the Greek means the
opposite or “anti-”. To be
“adokimos” is to be the opposite of one approved or accepted after the testing. It means to be rejected after the testing.
Revelation 3:11, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will
take you crown.”
2 John 8 They should have received more rewards
but error caused them
to lose much of what they had worked for.
4a.
God offers the lost salvation through faith in Christ.
4b.
God offers the believer rewards for faithful service.
You can see the confusion in doctrine and life
application if any of the above four get turned around by confusing salvation
and rewards.
Salvation is
worked for and rewards in heaven are distributed equally.
We get rewards
on earth and our salvation is only obtained in eternity.
We can lose our
salvation that we worked for. Rewards
can’t be lost since God would never give rewards to us for our works.
God offers
salvation to the faithful believer.
The Protestant Reformation in the 1500’s resulted in a
rebellion against the Roman Catholic church. The Protestants emphasized salvation by faith
in Christ. Rightly so. This doctrine has been stressed and still
needs to be stressed since many still do not understand that salvation is not
achieved by works of man. As always the
pendulum swings to the extreme before it heads back to the middle. In this case the focus on works and the
rewards that come with it resulted in them being ignored. When a truth is ignored ignorance
occurs. Where there is ignorance people’s
lives are destroyed in that area. (Hosea
4:6)
Services That Result in Rewards
Persevering
under trial James
1:12
Diligently
seeking God Hebrews
11:6
Martyrdom (Rev.
2:10)
Faithfully
doing God’s will (2
Timothy 4:8)
Looking forward
to Christ’s return (2 Timothy 4:8)
Faithfully
serving as a Pastor (1 Peter 5:4)
Leading people
to a saving faith in Christ (1 Thes. 2:19-20)
Faithful
stewardship (1 Cor. 4:1-5)
Acts of
kindness (Gal. 6:10)
Hospitality
(Matt. 10:40-42)
Men have a sin nature and produce sin.
All their works (from that sin nature) are filthy rags.
The saved man receives:
a.
A new nature
b.
A plan from God
c.
The Holy Spirit
d.
Good works to do
When the saved man walks in the Spirit he
will be led into the plan God has for him. During his life he will come across and be
led into the “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to
do.” (Ep.
2:10) That man will execute those good
works from the new nature he received at the point
of salvation.
This born again man, who is walking in obedience, will
receive rewards from God for having done the things God created him and
re-created him, to do. Only a born
again man can achieve these rewards.
Only the good deeds done by the power of the Spirit will be rewarded.
If the “good works” have been prepared in eternity then the rewards have also
been prepared. They are ready. Are you?
Numbered
on the timeline below are:
1. Judgment of believers in the Church Age
2. Judgment of Old Testament Saints
3. Judgment of Saints from the Tribulation
Period
4. Judgment of Jewish survivors from the
Tribulation
5. Judgment of Gentile Survivors from the
Tribulation.
6. Judgment of Satan and fallen angels.
7. Judgment of unsaved (lost) of all time.
Judgment of
believers in the Church Age (“bema” seat )
a. 1 Cor.
3:10-15
b. 2 Cor. 5:10
c. Romans 14:10
d. 1 Cor. 4:1-5
e. 1 Cor.
9:24-27
f. 1Thes. 2:19
g. 2 Tim. 4:8
h. James 1:12
i. 1 Peter. 5:4
j. Rev. 2:10
k. Rev. 3:11
l. Rev. 4:4
m. Rev. 4:10
Judgment of Old
Testament Saints
a. Daniel 12:1-3
b. Rev. 20:11-15
Judgment of the
Saints of the Tribulation Period
a. Rev. 20:4-6
Judgment of
Jewish survivors of the Tribulation
a. Ezekiel 20:34-38
b. Matthew 25:1-30
c. Lev. 27:32—pass under the rod to purge
out the rebels
Judgment of
Gentile Survivors of the Tribulation
a. Matthew 25:31-46
b. Joel 3:2
Judgment of
Satan and fallen angels
a. Matthew 25:41
b. Revelation 20:10
c. Jude 6-7
Judgment of
unsaved (lost) of all time (Great White Throne)
a. Revelation 20:11-15
b. John5:29
Time of Judgment for Church Age
Rewards are given when Jesus returns for his church.
“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait
till the Lord comes. He will
bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s
hearts. At that time each will receive
his praise from God.” 1
Corinthians 4:5
“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.” 2 Timothy 4:8
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to
everyone according to what he has done.”
Revelation 22:12
“Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at
the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke
14:14
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that yo 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 life—in order that I may boast on
the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” Philippians 2:15,16
“For what is our hope, l our joy, or the crown in which
we will glory in the
presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?” 1
Thessalonians 2:19
“You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or, why do you look down on your
brother? For we will all stand before
God’s judgment seat. It is written: ‘As
surely as I live’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue
will confess to God.’ So then, each of
us will give an account of himself to God.”
14:10
“For we will all stand before God’s judgment
seat”
The context is the brother of weak-faith who condemns the
brother who is not legalistic (“judge your brother”). This is followed by the brother of
stronger-faith who condemns and looks down on the pathetic doctrine of the
weak-faith believer. (“look down on your
brother”)
We do not need to hand out the judgment and rewards
because God will take care of it. The
point is it is wrong to assume for ourselves the task of evaluating each others
work. It is a sin of taking Christ’s
position for yourself.
There is great freedom in this to live and let live. You are occupied with the knowledge that the
judge from eternity is observing you and preparing his verdict. Are you preoccupied with preparing a
pre-season evaluation of others?
(MSS note: “God’s” judgment seat is found in many manuscripts and is believed
to be original. Many other manuscripts
have “Christ’s” judgment seat in the Greek text. This appears to have been brought over from 2
Corinthians5:10. “God’s” appears to be
the correct translation, and even the theology of God’s judgment teaches that
it has been handed to the Son and will be executed by Christ. John 5:22, 27)
“stand before” is “paristami” and means “to place beside, to stand
beside.” The technical meaning is to
stand before a judge as in Acts 27:24.
“judgment seat” is
“bema” and refers to a raised place that is mounted by steps or a
platform. It is the technical term for
the official seat for a judge who is handing down judgments.
This judgment helps put in perspective the seriousness of
the Lord’s return. We comfort ourselves
in the thought of joy at the Lord’s return, but here we are directed to
consider that we will be judged at the Lord’s return. Our current lives will be placed beside
the manifested glory and holiness of God on that day. Joy may be the last thing we experience on
this occasion.
This judgment is for believers and is not to evaluate
them for the category of lost or saved.
Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus
Some extent of loss will occur.
. . . .1 Cor. 3:12-15
Whatever is not loss will result in reward.
. .1 Cor. 4:4-5
14:12 “So then,
each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
In context the emphasis is on the fact that on that day
we will give an account of OURSELVES.
We will not be held accountable to give an account, or even a testimony
against, some of our brothers. Jesus has
that under control. Application: Today we should be constantly evaluating and
judging our own actions, thoughts, and motives.
If this consumed us there would be no time to worry about others.
“Account” is the word “logos” which means “word,
or a rational expression.” We will not
just stand there and duck. We will be
required to speak before the God and judge of the universe. (The option of speaking through an attorney
at this judgment is not said to be available in scripture.) You will speak to the king on your own
behalf.
Matthew 18:23 and Matthew 25:14
“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.”
This passage of scripture is discussing the building of
the church and is in reference to the individual teachers and pastors building
the church by building into people’s lives.
“Foundation” is Jesus
Christ.
We build on this foundation which becomes our life’s
work. The context is in reference to the
teachers and pastors. The application
can be made to each of our individual lives.
Gold, silver and costly stones where used to
adorn the ancient temples. These
building materials refer to the pure doctrine and the precious word of
God.
Wood, hay and straw were used to
build the average person’s residence.
They may be nice but you did not find royalty or the priesthood of the
ancient world living in this basic type of building.
Wood:
Proverbs
30:6— “Do not add to words”
Isaiah
8:20
Jeremiah
23:25-29
Matthew
15:5-9
The “Day” refers to Jesus
Christ return.
1 Thes. 5:2-9
2 Thes. 2:2
“Fire” speaks of
judgment. Judgment works two directions:
1) Fire is a purifying agent
2) Fire destroys or consumes
Both are true of God’s judgment. See fire in:
Jeremiah
23:25-29
Isaiah
8:20
Isaiah
28:17
Ezekiel
13:10-16
Zechariah
13:9
Judgment by the Word of God:
John
12:42
Hebrews
4:12
The winners:
1 Peter
1:7
Those who suffer loss:
Matthew
16:23-28
Ezekiel
44:10-16—Some believing Levites will have a lesser position
in Millennium due to their unfaithfulness.
They did not serve the truth but instead failed morally and in
responsibility.
The faithful Levites will have privileges because they
did not fail to perform their assignments.
Consider Luke 9:25
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in
the body whether good or bad.”
“appear” is the
Greek word “ “fanerwqhnai”
or “phanerothanai”. The meaning of this word is “to make clear,
to manifest.” The meaning of this word is
not “they will need to show up”, or “you will need to be
there”. This word means your life and
character will be crystal clear. Everything
you did and the motives will be made obvious.
Maybe for the first time we will see the motives we had while we were
serving the Lord. The motive
will be clear as it says in 1 Corinthians 4:5:
“Therefore
judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in
darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise
from God.”
“All
a man’s ways (or, his actions) seem right to him, but the Lord weighs
the heart (or, motive).” Proverbs 21:2
“If
you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart
perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will
he not repay each person according to what
he has done?” Proverbs 24:12
Also notice what is judged. It says “we” not our works.
Our service is an extension of ourselves. What is in our hearts manifest itself in our works. (Though the works are said to be
judged in 1 Cor. 3:13, it indicates the “quality” of
the works will be judged.)
Of course, two people may do the same good
service for two different reasons.
Consider those who were preaching Christ in an attempt to out preach
Paul and do it for envy and competition:
"It is true that some preach Christ out of envy
and rivalry, but others out of good will. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the
gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish
ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for
me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether
from false motives or true, Christ is preached.” Philippians
1:15,16
Notice above that both were doing the same work:
Preaching Christ. The difference was in
there motives:
1) Out of envy and rivalry, out of selfish
ambition.
2) Out of good will, in love, in knowledge,
sincerely.
Jesus warned of wasting our lives in service to honor
ourselves:
“Be
careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by
them. If you do, you will have o reward
from your Father in heaven.” .
. . “I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” Matthew
6:1, 5
“Judgment seat” the word is
“bema” and is the place of judgment and reward.
Called here the “judgment seat of Christ” and in Romans 14:10 the
“judgment seat of God.”
“Due” is from the
word “komizw”
or “komizo” and it means “to bring”. It is in the middle voice here giving it the
meaning of “to carry off, to get for oneself, to
receive, to receive as recompense.” It
is referring to receiving what belongs to you.
“Things done” pictures the
whole life of the believer as a single unit.
“In the body” this is the
position for the basis of your operation.
Notice, your body is not judged.
You, the one living in the body, will be judged.
“Bad” means
“worthless, bad, of not account, good-for nothing. The word indicates the impossibility of any
true gain ever coming forth; worthlessness is the central notion.” It is not sin or evil. This is the wood, hay and straw of 1 Cor. 3. The things that may have earthly value but are worthless in the
light of eternity.
“So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ
and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been
given a trust must prove faithful. I
care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not
even judge myself. My conscience is
clear, but that does not make me innocent.
It is the Lord who judges me.
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in
darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise
from God.”
“Entrusted” refers to someone such as a
steward given the responsibility of managing a household for a master.
“Faithful” is the key concept. The master has given you an assignment and
the master will evaluate your performance.
What if some other evaluation comes along that judges your performance on a different criteria than the original responsibilities
assigned by the master?
1) “I care little if I am judged by you”, an
individual on earth
2) “I care little if I am judged . . .by any human court”, a group or establishment on earth.
3) “I do not even judge myself”, in other words
Paul is saying he does not even have the freedom to set his own
life goals nor to establish the criteria
for self-evaluation.
He can only do what he was assigned to do. If someone, even himself, wants to change the
assignment or the evaluation process, Paul must stay focused on the original
assignment.
Jesus Parable of the Coins Teaches Rewards See
Jesus parable in Luke 19:11-27:
verse 13 “Put this money to work” is one Greek word and it means
“to gain by trading” and “to do business with.”
They were given something that belonged to “a man of noble birth.” They were suppose to
work for the man in his place while he was gone.
verse 14, another group is introduced as “his subjects” who
“hated him”. Apparently, in the noble
man’s absence there are
two groups:
1) His servants, who had been given a portion to
be responsible for and to do business with.
2) Subjects of his domain, but not his
servants. These subjects were against
the noble man and so they would have been opposed to his servants carrying
on his business.
Cities for coins.
The servants who were faithful to their assignments and carried on
business in a potentially dangerous environment were rewarded cities for their
increase in coins. (A “mina” was a coin
worth 100 drachmas or 100 days of pay.)
Each servant
started with one mina. Ten servants
turned in results. We only have three of
them. One produced 10, another 5.
The
unproductive servant had his information about the noble man confused. He did not live in the way the master told
him to. The noble man said “put this
money to work” but instead he hid the coin.
He suffered loss upon the return and judgment of the noble man.
The evaluation
of the two groups (servants and subjects):
1)
Servants (Believers)
i) Productive:
Coins turned into cities
ii) Unproductive: Loss— “Even what he has will be taken away”
2)
Subjects who hated him (unbelievers)
i) “But
those enemies of mine who did not want me to
be king over them—bring them here and kill
them in front of me.”
Promises to Seven Churches in
Revelation
Thyatira- “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will
give authority over the nations—’He will rule them with an iron
scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery.’ just as I have
received authority from my Father. I
will also give him the morning star.” (2:26-28)
“To him who overcomes. . .” Revelation
2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21
“Overcomes” is from the Greek word
developed from nikh “nika” which means “conquest, victory” and is used once in
the NT in 1 Jn. 5:4. The word in Revelation for “overcome” is the
word nikaw “nikao” and means “to subdue.” It is translated 24x as “overcome”, 2x as
“conquer”, 1x as “prevail” and 1x as “get the victory,” It is used in reference to God in Romans 3:4
and to Christ in John 16:33, Rev. 3:21, 5:5 and 17:4. In reference to the believer it is used in
Romans 12:21; 1 John 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4-5; and Rev. 12:11; 15:2; 21:7. In Rev. 2:7 “overcome” means “to be the
victor, to gain a victory, to be victorious.”
This seems to be a term applicable to all believers
rather than to a limited or special group When we study
John’s use of it and the promises here in Revelation 2 and 3.
John uses it 7x in John and First John and 16x in
Revelation. To John faith manifested
itself in victory. The
Believer/Conqueror prevails over evil through his faithfulness to Christ. In Revelation the victor is the martyr.
“To him who overcomes. . .” could then be translated “To
the victor. . .” or “To the conqueror. . .”
1 John 5:1, 4, “Everyone
who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. . .Everyone born of God
overcomes the world. This is the victory
that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world?
Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
To believe in Christ means you have overcome the unbelief and sin of the
world.
The overcomers are not a special group of
believers who surpass others in performance.
This is a general description of normal believers.
John uses the word “overcomes” for the believer/conqueror because he
expects a believer in Christ to have victory over the world.
The victory we achieve is like the victory Jesus
achieved: “Just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
(Rev. 3:21)
In the use of “overcome” in John’s writing there is a
tension between positional truth and achieved rewards. Even the white clothes are:
a) a result of being
washed in the blood of the lamb, (Rev. 7:13,14)
b) described as being
“the righteous acts of the saints.” (Rev. 19:8) So, all believers have all the rewards
mentioned to the seven churches, though
some believers will expand and increase the victory from this position as an overcomer.
Those who do not overcome: “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will
be his God and he will be my son. But
the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral,
those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be in the
fiery lake of burning sulfur. This will
be the second death.”
The Promises from Revelation 2 and 3:
Each promise:
a) Is the victors reward
b) Are spoke metaphorically and symbolically
c) Are difficult to clearly interpret
d) Correlate with the last two chapters of
Revelation
- tree of life in 2:7 and 22:2
-second death 2:11 and 21:4
“Tree of Life” One of many trees given to Adam and Eve in
Second Death No promise of
deliverance from natural death or martyrdom.
The overcomer will not face the second
death. Rev. 21:8 says, “Their place will
be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death. Rev. 20:6, “Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first
resurrection. The second death has no
power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ
and will reign with him for a thousand years.” Rev. 20:14, “the lake of fire is the second
death.”
Hidden Manna The emphasis is
on “hidden.” Legend records that
Jeremiah hid the jar of manna and it will be restored to mankind in the
millennium. This is probably referring
to our eternal relation with Jesus who is the manna from heaven. He will be the source that sustains us for
all time in his kingdom.
White Stone Possibly a
brilliant diamond. In courts of law the
accused received a white stone on acquittal and a black tone if guilty. Special stones were used as invitations to
social events to the select guests.
Stones with inscriptions were used which may mean the value of the stone
was the name inscribed on it.
New Name Their new eternal world and
society includes a new name. To know a
person’s or a god’s
name meant to have power and authority over them. These overcomes have
an eternal source, an honored position and are above dominion.
Authority over the nations “to
the end” means “completely”, not to the end of life. A place of responsibility
in His kingdom. “Rule” is “poimanei”, “to shepherd.”
It is not just judging, but leadership and guidance. “Iron scepter” is wooden staff of shepherd
with an iron point. “Dashing pottery”
refers to ancient kings smashing clay vessels with enemies names inscribed on
them. This means absolute, sovereign
power from God.
The Morning Star Jesus
is the morning star in Rev. 22:16. This
refers to the rulership that arrives at the dawning
of a new age just like a morning star arrives before a new day.
Dressed in White White
garments are the attire appropriate for the heavenly society. Rev. 3:18, 6:11; 4:4; 7:9, 13; 19:14. Where do the white garments come from? Rev. 7:13-14 says, “ ‘These
in white robes—who are they. . . ? They
have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.’ ” These are
believers. A believer has the acceptable
clothing for the New Jerusalem. An
inscription found in
Never Blot Out His Name The
ancient world had the custom of keeping a list of citizens but striking out the
names of people who had died. To be
blotted out meant to forfeit the privileges of the kingdom. The believers of this time period risked
losing their earthly citizenship by confessing Christ. What counts is our acceptance in the courts
of heaven and the society there. This
world’s registry of the living is passing away.
Verses concerning the Book of Life:
Ps.69:28; Ex. 32:33; Ps. 109:13; Dn. 12:1; Rev. 13:8; 17:8; 20:15;
21:27; Phil.4:3; Isaiah 4:3; Ezekiel 13:9; Lk.10:20; Heb.12:22-23. Believers will never lose their heavenly
citizenship.
Confess His Name Matthew
10:32,33 says, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I
will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will
disown him before my Father in heaven.”
The word “acknowledge” in Mt. 19:32 is the same as “confess” here in
Rev. 3:5 (also Luke 12:8) It is “homologeo” in Greek from two words “homo” meaning “same”
and “lego” meaning “to speak.” “Homolegeo” means
“to speak the same thing.” In the Greek
it appears like this:
‘omoleghsei en emoi shall
confess (untranslated
“in”) me (dative case of this
personal pronoun
indicates the one to or for who an action occurs. In this case the confessing
occurs for the personal interest
of “me” (Jesus)
Matt. 10:32 literally says, “Everyone who shall confess in Me for my
case, or for me before men, in him for his case, or for him, will I
confess before my Father.” The
confession will be determined by the context of the circumstances we find
ourselves in. It appears to be in
reference to a public confession of some sort.
We confess allegiance to Christ in what we say, in what we do and in the
choices we make. He will acknowledge us
as his faithful servants. If you have
placed faith in Christ you have confessed him in this world and are called an overcomer by John.
Pillar in the
Will write on him Three things are
written on each believer. 1—The name of God which will
indicate ownership and sworn allegiance of a two way covenant. 2—The name of the
city of
Sit on Jesus throne Even
Ephesians 2:6 says we are seated with him in heavenly realms.
Many of these promises are found in Jesus’ teachings and
the NT epistles. None of these teachings
are radically new here. They are
identified here in these seven letters from Jesus to the churches to encourage
the believer/conqueror to fight the good fight and continue to overcome the
world. We are to know that we are
already eternal citizens of an eternal society.
Our names will never be removed.
Do not allow yourself to misrepresent your eternal home.
The “stephanos” (stefanoV) the victors crown. It is the symbol of victory given to the
winners in the Greek games or a contest.
It is a reward or a prize. It is
used in these verses:
1
Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 2:5
The “stephanos” is also used as
a ornament for festivities and celebrations in these
verses:
Proverbs 1:9; Proverbs 4:9; Song of Solomon 3:11; Isaiah 28:1
The “stephanos” was also used
to honor someone
publicly who had distinguished themselves in service or given to someone for
their worthiness. These were worn at the
parousia (advent or return)
of kings.
The “diadema” (“diadema”) was the kingly crown. It is the crown worn by nobility who were
possessor of a royal position.
There are five crowns mentioned in scripture. They deal with different aspects of the
Christian life. The crowns reflect
levels of maturity in regards to a believers growth
and accomplishments of service to the Lord.
They are placed here in a possible list in the order that they could be
obtained by the believer.
Incorruptible
Crown (1 Cor. 9:25) - this crown
would be the first level a believer would attain to. This crown indicates mastery over the
sin nature. The Corinthians are being urged to
run the Christian life in such a way as to receive the reward in the end. Here the emphasis is in self-control. “They do it to get a crown that
will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will
last forever. . . 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.” a)
Paul is focusing the believers on running the race or living the life
God has given them to compete in. b)
Just as each life has a race, each life has a reward available.
c) Only those who run the race
and run it according to the rules will get a prize. d) The crown or stephanos
would wither and sometimes was withered (either of pine or celery see “1 Cor., NICNT, Fee”) at the time of the victory but it meant
fame, prestige and fortune. The symbol
of victory would fade but the fame was more enduring. e) Paul does not run aimlessly (9:26), meaning
he does not life his Christian life with out purpose or direction. Nor should we if we want to achieve what has
been made available to us. Consider
someone who enters a race not knowing the distance or direction. f)
The boxer failing to land a blow is ridiculous and pointless. It is an analogy of the undisciplined
believer missing his purpose.
Crown
of Righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8) - The second level of crowns goes
to those who live righteously in this world while they look
forward to Christ’s return. They are
those who are not captivated by this world, but hunger and thirst after
righteousness. “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.”
a) This is a crown for righteous behavior and an
upright life .
b)
“have longed” is in the perfect tense suggests those who greatly
anticipated Christ’s return in the past and continued to do so up until
the moment of the
rewarding.
c) This life is describe by Paul to Titus in
Titus 2:12,13: “[The grace] teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self- controlled, upright and godly lives
in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing
of our great God and Savior,
Jesus Christ.”
d)
“fought” is the word “agonizomai”
and though it can refer to a military fight, it is clearly a reference to
training and competing in athletics: -It
is the same word translated “competes in the games” in 1 Corinthians 9:25
- “make every effort” in Luke 13:24
- “struggling” in
Colossians 1:29
- “wrestling” in
Colossians 4:12
- “strive” in 1 Timothy
4:10
- “fight” in 1 Timothy
6:12
- “race” is the noun
form in Hebrews 12:1
e)
Notice: The same awards awaits all who qualify.
f)
Notice the “fight” (or, the agony of training and competing comes first,
and then the successful “finish” of the race.
The believer can think they will achieve victory with out the struggle
of preparing for and demonstrating righteousness.
Crown
of Life ( James 1:12;
Revelation 2:10) - The third level to attain to is to proceed in God’s
plan for your life while enduring trials. The believer who moves forward in God’s call
and assignment in the face of difficulty, even martyrdom, will receive this
crown.
“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.”
“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.”
a) Testing and trials are part of the Christian
life. It should be understood that when
faced with test and trials many Christians turn back and do not continue on the
path God has called them to run on.
b) Jesus said we would have trouble:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
c)
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John
15:18)
d)
Paul writes to Timothy, “You, however, know all about my teaching, my
way of life, my purpose, faith , patience, love, endurance, persecutions,
sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium
and Lystra, the persecutions I endured Yet the Lord rescued me from all of
them. In fact, everyone who wants to
live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:10,11,12)
e)
The doorway to the next level towards fulfilling God’s plan is to endure
hardships and persecution.
f)
The reward is for
“persevering” and remaining “faithful”. The reward is not given for having great
faith and getting delivered from the trial or test.
g)
We are faithful to the Lord in the trial. The Lord is faithful to reward us for
enduring the trial.
Crown
of Joy (Philippians 4:1; 1 Thess.2:19) - This crown is for those
who lead others to Christ or demonstrate fruitfulness by influencing others
towards righteousness.
“Therefore,
my brother, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!”
“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.”
a) Rewards are not just for how we live and
what we do, they are also for the influence we have on how others live and what
they do.
b) It was being said in Thessalonica that Paul
did not really care for the Thessalonicans, but Paul
said he did, and it should be obvious, since they will result in a crown for him if they succeed.
c)
Gabriel tells Daniel in 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.”
Crown
of Glory (1 Peter 5:4) - The greatest achievement is to fulfill
your calling and finish the work God gave you to do. The scripture reference is speaking to
pastors who finish their work faithfully, but this crown is not only for
pastors. It is for anyone who finds and
fulfills their assignment God has given them.
“To the
elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder. . . One who will share in the
glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of
God’s flock that is under your care. . .and when the
Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never
fade away.”
a) Again we see the rewards being given upon
Christ’s return. Here Christ is seen as
the Chief Shepherd paying his workers that he contracted out labor to shepherd
for him.
b)
Earthly crowns or stephanos wee made of vines,
etc. This crown is made out of
Glory! (Isaiah 28:5)
c)
Just like Paul’s crown in 2 Timothy 4:7,8 was available to “ALL who long
for Christ’s appearing,” this crown is also available to all who serve at the
position and with the capacity they were given.
It is not just the office of pastor, although that is the context of the
verse. The application extends to all
believers who become what God has created them to be and they serve him in that
position.
Review of Crowns:
Incorruptible Crown for mastery over the sin nature.
Crown of Righteousness for living righteously in this world.
Crown of Live for enduring trials while proceeding in God’s plan.
Crown of Joy for leading others to Christ and in righteousness.
Crown of Glory
for fulfilling your calling and finishing the work
assigned.
It appears that part of our reward will be how we appear
in eternity. The amount
of God’s glory shining through us will be based on our faithful
service to God.
“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.” Daniel
12:3
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Matthew
5:6
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the
kingdom of their Father.”
Matthew
13:43
“There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly
bodies; but the splendor the he heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor
of the earthly bodies is another. The
sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another; and star
differs from star in splendor. So will
it be with the resurrection of the dead. . . .And just as we have borne the
likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from
heaven.” 1
Corinthians 15:40-41,49
God himself will receive glory for our capacity for a
Christ like image. Some would wonder if
we might feel left out or insufficient if we are shinning like a 60 watt bulb
and we are standing by a super-nova. I
think that is answered by realizing that our level of capacity will be
filled. As Jesus said, “Those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness they will be filled.” The desire you have for God will be
filled. There will be different
capacities, but each will be filled to capacity. In that way all will be filled.
For
more information contact:
Generation Word
Galyn
Wiemers
515-440-6474
gw@generationword.com
www.generationword.com
www.generationword.com