SO4J.com

Rewards In Heaven

Who Will Be Greatest In The Kingdom Of God?

 




By Martha Mac / SO4J.com ® / SO4J-TV & Video Productions


Rewards in Heaven - Looks at Rewards in Heaven for Believers, and Who Will Be The Greatest in the Kingdom of God?

Who is going to be considered to be the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven & God at the Judgment Seat of Christ? (1 Cor 3:10-15, Rom 14:10-12, 2 Cor 5:10-11). Those Believers who were Faithful (Luke 19:17), who Endured & Overcame (Rev 2:26-27) Sin, Suffering, Trials, Tests, Temptations (James 1:12) by Believing & Obeying Gods Word— and who also Faithfully Taught God's Word (1 Peter 5:2-4, Matt 5:19)— giving up Everything for Jesus Christ (Mark 10:28-31), and who Served Jesus (1 Cor 4:4-5, Matt 25:23,29) with Right Motives...those who were Ready & Waiting for the Lord's Return (2 Tim 4:8) will have GREAT Eternal Rewards in Heaven.

The Disciples asked Jesus the very same Question: Who Would Be the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? Read Here: Mark 9:33-37, Matt 20:20-28, Matt 18:1-5.

God uses TRIALS & TESTS in this life to either someday REWARD those who DID what He told them to DO at the Judgment Seat of Christ, OR He will JUDGE & PUNISH those who did NOT Obey Jesus & God's Word at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-16) sending them to Hell & the Lake of Fire.




 

    ON THIS PAGE:

  1. REWARDS IN HEAVEN— WHO WILL BE THE GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD? - INTRO
  2. JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST - REWARDS IN HEAVEN FOR TRUE BELIEVERS
  3. CROWNS — FIVE MAIN CROWNS - REWARDS IN HEAVEN
  4. GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT - PUNISHMENT FOR UNSAVED / LUKEWARM CHRISTIANS
  5. EVERYTHING WE SAY, THINK, OR DO MATTERS FOR ALL ETERNITY!
  6. TRIALS & TESTS TURN TO GOLD - TRUE BELIEVERS ARE TESTED NOW & REWARDED LATER
  7. WHO WILL BE THE "GREATEST" IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
  8. DON'T LOSE YOUR REWARDS— MAKE USE OF ALL OPPORTUNITIES

 


1 - Rewards in Heaven— Who Will be the Greatest in the Kingdom of God? - Intro

Rewards In Heaven— Who Will Be The Greatest In The Kingdom Of God? - SO4J.com

God is setting up His Eternal Kingdom, and He uses TRIALS & TESTS to either someday REWARD those who DID what He told them to DO, or to PUNISH those who were REBELLIOUS, and who REJECTED His Son, Jesus Christ, and God's Word.

In this Teaching we will see the GREAT ETERNAL REWARDS IN HEAVEN for True Believers who endured Trials, Tribulations, and Testings by: Believing, Trusting, and Obeying God's Word. We will simply show you what God's Word says about WHO exactly will be the Greatest in the Kingdom of God.

I pray that this Teaching encourages those True Believers who have decided to Follow Jesus by Picking up their Cross Daily (Luke 9:23-26), and who are sharing in the Sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:1)— by living a Holy & Righteous Life (1 Peter 1:14-17) by the Grace of God.

Scriptures on - Who will be the Greatest in the Kingdom Heaven?

Rewards In Heaven— Who Will Be The Greatest In The Kingdom Of God? - SO4J.com

 

The Disciples Asked Jesus this very same Question

Millennial Reign of Christ & True Believers on Earth


During the Millennium (1000 year Reign of Jesus on Earth), True Believers throughout the ages will be given Authority— they will Rule & Reign with Jesus Christ for 1,000 years.

Positions of Authority Will Be Given To The Lord's Faithful Servants

Their Positions of Authority will be determined by how they conducted themselves, their Faithfulness to Jesus and to God's Word during their very short time on Earth.


Rewards In Heaven— Who Will Be The Greatest In The Kingdom Of God? - SO4J.com

Their Eternal Inheritance is from God


God the Father determines (chooses) ahead of time His people's positions of Authority; and Jesus will hand out their Inheritance.

Now let's take a look at the Judgment Seat of Christ, which is the Day that God (Jesus) hands out His Rewards and Inheritance for His Faithful Servants.

2 - Judgment Seat of Christ - Rewards in Heaven for True Believers

Rewards In Heaven— Who Will Be The Greatest In The Kingdom Of God? - SO4J.com

Someday the Lord Jesus will return from Heaven to Earth to Judge the World. He will either Punish the Ungodly / Unfaithful Lukewarm Christians at the: GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT - (Rev 20:11-16) for Rejecting Him & Refusing to Obey (Disobey) His Word; or He will Reward His Holy People for Faithfully Serving Jesus at the: JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST - (1 Cor 3:10-15, Rom 14:10-122 Cor 5:10-11) and for being Obedient to God's Word. We will look at the True Believers Judgment first— which is actually more about a Day of Rewards. For some True Believers it will however be a lack of Eternal Rewards (1 Cor 3:15). Then we will talk briefly about the Unbelievers Great White Throne Judgment which happens after the 1,000 yer Reign of Christ on the Earth.

True Believers & Faithful Servants of Jesus

The Bride of Christ - Faithful & Blameless


Rewards In Heaven— Who Will Be The Greatest In The Kingdom Of God? - SO4J.com

Rev 19:7-9 Let us be Glad and Rejoice, and let us give Honor to Him. For the time has come for the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, and HIS BRIDE HAS PREPARED HERSELF. She has been given the FINEST OF PURE WHITE LINEN TO WEAR. For the FINE LINEN REPRESENTS THE GOOD DEEDS OF GOD'S HOLY PEOPLE. And the Angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are True Words that come from God.

True Believers, who were Faithful Servants of Jesus on Earth, they glorified God by producing much Good Fruit (Good Deeds) for the Lord (John 15:8). They will appear before Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ & will be Rewarded for all the Good Works they did for Jesus. Some Believers will suffer the Loss of Rewards (1 Cor 3:15), but No Punishment. The Unfaithful Servant or Lukewarm "Christian" (so to speak) will NOT be at this Judgment, they will appear before Jesus at the Great White Throne Judgment, which we will talk about below, and will be proven to have been a False Convert, like Judas.

The ONLY WAY to PROVE (Validate) that you are a True Christian is your Obedience to Jesus & God's Word. We are NOT saved by our Works...but we must show Evidence that we are True Christians by our "Fruit" or Obedience to Jesus— out of our Love for Him (John 14:15). You can Read the SO4J Bible Studies on Obedience Here: Is Obedience to Jesus Necessary for Salvation?

Also, if you are a True Believer you CANNOT PRACTICE SIN, and still call yourself a "Christian" and get into Heaven— (Heb 10:26-39) this type of person is merely a FALSE CONVERT who will be proven "GUILTY" by Jesus, and will Perish (like the Disciple Judas - Luke 6:13-16). Judas was a Thief who regularly stole from Jesus' Ministry (John 12:6). He practiced Sin on a daily basis, and did not give up everything to follow Jesus. Luke 16:10-13

Practicing Sin Scriptures— READ: Heb 10:26-39;  1 John 3:6-101 John 5:18
Judgments of God For Sin

At the Judgment Seat of Christ - The True Believers "Works" are put through Fire

Rewards In Heaven— Who Will Be The Greatest In The Kingdom Of God? - 1 Cor 3:10-15 - SO4J.com

The Saved (God's Holy Obedient people) will be Judged and REWARDED for their "WORKS", and on what they DID for Jesus. They will be Rewarded for their FAITH & GOOD DEEDS that they did in their Bodies on this Earth, or they will SUFFER A LOSS OF REWARDS. (1 Cor 3:10-15) Their sins have been "Paid in Full" at the Cross (Col 2:13-15), so they will NOT be Judged and Punished along with the rest of the unbelieving world for their sins.

Jesus will someday be the Judge of every persons Life. He has been Examining our Motives & Heart— keeping an Account. He will give to every Believer whatever Praise is due; and to the Lukewarm Disobedient— their "Reward" will be Everlasting Punishment. Rom 6:23 "The Wages of Sin is Death"

God's Word exhorts us to: Examine our Lives NOW (2 Cor 13:5), as we will have to give an Account someday to Jesus for Everything we: Say, Think, Do ...whether you are a Believer or Not. A True Believer's sins have been Forgiven— but they will still have to answer for Jesus. Their Payment (so to speak) for Faith & Obedience to God's Word will be the Salvation of their Souls.

Everyone will Reap exactly what they have sown. (Gal 6:4-10)

 


Loss of Rewards


There will be a LOSS OF REWARDS for certain True Believers (1 Cor 3:14-15). God's Word does not reveal to us all that that entails, but what we do know is that: However much a True Believer Obeys his Master (Jesus), they WILL BE REWARDED, and we see this in the Rewards of the: Parable of Talents (Matt 25:14-30) and in the: Parable of the Ten Servants (Luke 19:11-48).

We should take NOTHING for granted. We should Fear God (Phil 2:12-16), and live Holy Lives (1 Pet 1:13-17).

For if we think we can "TAKE IT EASY" and be a "DO NOTHING LAZY CHRISTIAN" (like Jesus alludes to in Matt 25:14-30 calling the Servant WICKED & LAZY because he didn't Serve, etc.) we are NOT applying Faith— which is Obedience to God's Word, and this is NOT pleasing to the Lord at all (Heb 11:6). This type of person is FAITHLESS; and he will PERISH (Matt 25:28-30). There ARE True Believers with little or weak Faith (Rev 3:8), and they are NOT Lukewarm, but they do WASTE some of their: Talents, Time, Money, Spiritual Gifts, and Opportunities that God gave them to Serve Him— these type of Christians will have their WORK THEY DID FOR JESUS put through the Fire 1 Cor 3:10-15— and they will SUFFER GREAT LOSS! Only the Lord knows the Faith & Strength of each person; and if they are Genuine Believers or not. We CAN OVERCOME SIN & LAZINESS, and use all of our God given OPPORTUNITIES to SERVE JESUS— and we do so through CHRIST, who gives us the STRENGTH! (Phil 4:13)

Once again, Faith is: Hearing, Believing, & Being Obeying God's Word.

We should Heed the Warnings from Jesus to be a Bride that is Ready for His Appearing (wearing the White Spotless Wedding Dress).....Holy— and without Spot or Wrinkle.

We should be Ready and waiting for the Return of Jesus at ALL times: Luke 12:35-47 ; Wise Virgin Matt 25:1-13) and also Heed his warning against being a Lazy Servant in: Matt 25:24-30

Five Crowns in Heaven - SO4J.com
 
For a Complete Study Go To: Five Crowns & Rewards in Heaven

 

4 - Great White Throne Judgment


The Punishment For: Unbelievers & Unfaithful Lukewarm "Christians"

The Lost & Lukewarm Will Be Judged, and will
Appear Before Jesus at the Great White Throne Judgment

The Unsaved (Lost & Unfaithful Lukewarm Christian) will be Judged by Jesus at the end of the Millennial (1,000 yr) Reign of Jesus Christ on the Earth, and will be punished for Eternity. Their Names do NOT appear in the BOOK OF LIFE (written in from the foundation of the world); and they will be cast into the LAKE OF FIRE (Rev 21:8).

Check out Bible Studies on this: Judgments of God For Sin & Great White Throne Judgment

MANY will have been deceived by Satan (Rev 12:9), and MANY will have been found to have been Lukewarm False Converts or False "Christians" (Matt 7:21-23), and MANY will have rejected Jesus. (Rev 20:11-16)

He Cuts Off Every Branch That Does Not Produce Good Fruit


5 - Everything that we Say, Think, or Do in This Life Matters - For All Eternity

6 - Trials & Tests Turn to Gold - Believers are Tested Now & Rewarded Later

Rewards In Heaven— Who Will Be The Greatest In The Kingdom Of God? - SO4J.com


God is setting up His Eternal Kingdom, and He uses TRIALS & TESTS to either someday REWARD those who DID what He told them to DO, or to PUNISH those who were REBELLIOUS, and who REJECTED His Son, and God's Word.

Everything during our lifetime will have been TESTED—
our:
CHARACTER, FAITFHULNESS, ATTITUDES, MOTIVES...

We Will be TESTED on How Well we Handled— MONEY & MATERIAL POSSESSIONS


Works will be Tested by our: Attitudes, Faithfulness, Character, Motives - SO4J.com


We will (and are) be TESTED on these things— our ATTITUDE, FAITHFULNESS, and HOW WELL WE USED & MANAGED OUR: NATURAL GIFTS & GOD GIVEN ABILITIES, TIME, TALENTS, MONEY, and MATERIAL POSSESSIONS that God gave us. We will have been TESTED on our: OBEDIENCE TO JESUS & GOD'S WORD, as well as our OBEDIENCE TO BE "SEEKING & SAVING THE LOST" (like Jesus) THROUGH THE— PREACHING & TEACHING OF GOD'S WORD, and so on.

Those who will be REWARDED BY JESUS, are those who ENDURED THE FIREY TESTINGS & THE TEMPTATIONS OF EVIL, and those who had REMAINED FAITHFUL & OBEDIENT TO JESUS AND TO GOD'S WORD. The Greater your Sacrifice & Service for Jesus, and the more that you Suffered (put the flesh under) and gave up your Sinful Nature, the GREATER YOUR REWARD. So the Greater the Suffering (done with the Lord's Strength of course)— the Greater the Glory.

Those that GREATLY MULTIPLY and ARE FAITHFUL with what God gives them shall be made RULERS OVER MUCH. Those that do NOT Greatly Multiply what God gives them shall be made RULERS OVER A SMALLER AMOUNT.

Those Disobedient & Rebellious so called "Christians" which will NOT Serve Jesus will Perish in Hell.

We must apply Genuine Faith & Obedience to God's Word RIGHT NOW— as we endure the MANY TESTINGS & TRIALS of our Faith.

Some Believers will be made Rulers over: Thousands, Hundreds, Fifties, or Tens of people.
Some Believers will be made Rulers over: Cities, some over Nations.

The Bottom line for us RIGHT NOW is this: DON'T WASTE YOUR GOD GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO USE EVERYTHING THAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU FOR HIS GLORY. Don't hold back ANYTHING that the Lord has given you, and don't think anything is too small and insignificant. It is NEVER too small a thing when we Encourage fellow Believers (Thess 5:11), or use Gospel Tracts to share GOD's WORD and: Warn & Preach the True Gospel to the Lost / Lukewarm (Luke 19:10; 2 Tim 4:1-5; Heb 4:12-16). Jesus lets us know that He is NOT overlooking the SMALL DEEDS or WHO IT'S DONE FOR:

The Lord wants us to use ALL of our: TIME, TALENTS, AND MONEY for the Glory of God.

 

1 Cor 10:31 So whether you Eat or Drink, or WHATEVER YOU DO, do it ALL for the GLORY OF GOD.

Those Who Worked Hard for Jesus will be Rewarded


(Christ Working in them)

  • Phil 2:12-13 "Work out your own salvation with fear & trembling, obeying God with deep Reverence and Fear. FOR GOD IS WORKING IN YOU, GIVING YOU THE DESIRE AND THE POWER TO DO WHAT PLEASES HIM."

By the end of each day, a True Believer should be Worn Out (so to speak), in a Good Way, because they've been WORKING HARD (Heb 6:10), to Obey Jesus & God's Word (1 John 2:3-6), because of their GREAT LOVE FOR JESUS (John 14:15)— knowing that our time on this Earth is so short (James 4:13-17) and Eternity is Forever; and we will ALL have to give an Account for our lives, and what we did for Jesus. (see The Parable of the Talents below)

God's Holy People will Possess the Kingdom with Him,
and they will Rule & Reign with Jesus Forever

7 - So Who Will be the Greatest in the Kingdom of God?

Those Who:

1 - SERVED the Most (Matt 23:11-12)
2 - OBEYED & TAUGHT God's Word / Preached the Gospel (Matt 5:19)
3 - Used Their: Time, Talents, & Money
—With Right Motives (Matt 25:23)

4 - Gave Up Everything For Jesus

1 - The GREATEST in the Kingdom of God Will Be:

Those Who SERVED Jesus & Others the Most, and who
SUFFERED & DECREASED THEMSELVES The Most For the Sake of Jesus


Rewards In Heaven— Who Will Be The Greatest In The Kingdom Of God? - SO4J.com

Those who are Greatest in the Kingdom of God will be those who Served the Most— those who SUFFERED, & DECREASED themselves the Most

2 - The GREATEST in the Kingdom of God Will Be:
Those Who OBEYED & TAUGHT God's Word


Preach the Word - SO4J.com

Those that will be the GREATEST in God's Eternal Kingdom will have been people that took EVERY WORD (in the Bible) that God spoke and wrote about in His Scriptures very seriously. Those that will be GREAT in His Kingdom are people who not only READ GOD'S Word (Rom 10:17), but they BELIEVED God's Word which is validated by their OBEDIENCE to God's Word (THAT'S TRUE FAITH - James 2:14-26, Heb 11:6)— thus leading them to Teaching & Preaching God's Word to others— making Disciples.

In Matt 4:4 & Luke 4:4 Jesus quotes Deut 8:3 at Satan by saying “No! The SCRIPTURES say, ‘Man shall NOT live by BREAD alone, but by EVERY WORD that PROCEEDS from the Mouth of God."

Matt 5:19

  • Matt 5:19 Jesus says, "So if you IGNORE (break) the LEAST (smallest) Commandment and TEACH OTHERS TO DO THE SAME, you will be called the LEAST in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who OBEYS God’s Laws (God's Word) and TEACHES THEM will be called GREAT in the Kingdom of Heaven."

From Bible Teacher: John MacArthur on Matt 5:19

What John MacArthur says about Matt 5:19: "The consequences of Practicing or Teaching disobedience of any of God's Word is to be called LEAST in the Kingdom of Heaven (1 Cor 3:15). Determining rank in the Kingdom of Heaven is entirely God's prerogative (Matt 20:20-28), and Jesus declares that He will hold those in LOWEST ESTEEM who hold HIS WORD in LOW ESTEEM. There is no impunity (free from punishment) for Believers who: Disobey, Discredit, or Belittle God's Law (God's Word)—see 2 Cor 5:10 below. That Jesus does not refer to loss of Salvation is clear from the fact, that though offenders will be called LEAST, they will still be in the Kingdom of Heaven. The positive result is that whoever KEEPS & TEACHES God's Word, he shall be called "GREAT" in the Kingdom of Heaven. Here again Jesus mentions the two aspects of DOING and TEACHING. Kingdom citizens are to uphold every part of God's Laws (God's Word) both in their Living and in their Teaching."

For more on this above Topic go to SO4J's Bible Study:

Rewards in Heaven - For Obeying God’s Commandments (1,050 N.T. Commandments)

At this above SO4J Teaching you can view over 1,050 New Testament Commandments, as there are around 1,050 Commands in the New Testament for Christians to Obey. They cover every phase of man's life in his relationship to God and towards other people. If Obeyed (out of a Love for Jesus), they will bring many Rewards here and forever; if Disobeyed, they will bring either a loss of Rewards for True Believers, or Condemnation and Eternal Punishment (God knows each mans heart). We are NOT Saved by Works, but one must show Evidence or Proof that they were a Follower of Jesus Christ by "Deny Themselves, and Picking up their Cross Daily" (Luke 9:23-26) and Serving Jesus on the Terms of the Gospel (Matt 23:11-12), by Obeying Jesus & His Word (Luke 6:46-49; John 14:15; 1 John 2:3-6).

For more on Obedience To Jesus go to: Is Obedience To Jesus Necessary For Salvation?

3 - The GREATEST in the Kingdom of God Will Be:
Those Who Used Their Time, Talents, & Money— With RIGHT MOTIVES for Jesus

Rewards In Heaven— Who Will Be The Greatest In The Kingdom Of God? - SO4J.com

 

Jesus will Reward His Faithful Servants:

After being closely Examined & Tested by God the Father & the Lord Jesus:

Parable of the Ten Servants

Parable of the Talents

For More On Rewards go to: Judgment Seat Of Christ & Rewards


4 - The GREATEST in the Kingdom of God Will Be:
Those Who Gave Up Everything For Jesus

Rewards In Heaven— Who Will Be The Greatest In The Kingdom Of God? - SO4J.com

Luke 14:33 " So you CANNOT become My Disciple without giving up EVERYTHING you own."

8 - Don't Lose Your Full Reward - Be Diligent & Make Use of All Your Opportunities!


Five Crowns in Heaven - SO4J-TV & Video - SO4J.com


Rewards are to be Guarded

Rev 3:11 Jesus says, "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that NO ONE WILL TAKE AWAY YOUR CROWN."

Rewards are to be Guarded Against Deceivers & Spiritual Deception


Reward Is Lost When Good Deed is Done With Wrong Motives -To Be Noticed

Make Use Of Every Opportunity To Obey God's Word

We at SO4J.com pray that those of you reading this (and us too), will be diligent to use ALL of our Time & Talents wisely; making the most of our time here, and using ALL of our MANY OPPORTUNITIES to bear MUCH Fruit for Jesus, by OBEYING GOD'S WORD, and having FAITH IN JESUS.

So if you are ever going to show your love for Jesus, NOW is the time— don't wait for tomorrow, because tomorrow may never come for you, or I.

Life is but a Vapor or the Morning Fog — you are here one day— and gone the next.

So we must be very careful as to what we are Building our life on (1 Cor 3:10-15), is it on SINKING SAND, or on SOLID ROCK?

And remember, that when Jesus returns He is coming not only to execute and Punish those who have REJECTED HIM, and on those who REFUSED TO OBEY THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS; but He is coming to REWARD all of HIS HOLY PEOPLE, and those who BELIEVED & OBEYED GOD'S WORD.

ALL 4 JESUS— ALL 4 GOD'S GLORY!


 

"REWARDS IN HEAVEN— WHO WILL BE THE GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD?"

 

Copyright © By Martha Mac / SO4J.com ® / SO4J-TV & Video Productions
"REWARDS IN HEAVEN— WHO WILL BE THE GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD?"
MAY BE COPIED WITH THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS—IT MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS
ENTIRETY AND MAY NOT BE SOLD OR USED FOR PROFIT IN ANY WAY

 

THIS ABOVE COPYRIGHT & A LINK TO SO4J.com MUST BE INCLUDED