Heavenly Rewards

Non-Crown Heavenly Rewards:

We'll have already done a Bible study on Judgement and receiving Crowns, so for this Bible study, we'll look at what the Bible says about rewards that aren't 'Crowns'. I think we'll start with a review of the concept that all actions are subject to judgement, whether good or bad.
“But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” Jeremiah 17:10 

Then look at the fact that the judgement results in rewards: 
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their 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 person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corn 3:12-15)
Questions: What kinds of things might result in gems? What about wood or hay? Do you think that the gold, silver or gems is symbolic? 


After this, I'll ask what kinds of things we receive as rewards. Hopefully people will remember the previous week's lesson and name 'Crowns' as one of the possibilities.

I'll use the following verse to talk about 'material rewards'. Since we'll have physical bodies and live in a physical New Earth (a concept we've spent a lot of time on already using the book 'Heaven'), it would follow that there will be physical "stuff" there too.

 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)

I think this could generate a fairly healthy discussion about what kind of "stuff" might exist. Things that make sense would be things like musical instruments,writing implements, and art supplies, but other 'non-spiritual stuff' could include things like baseballs, hairbrushes, model trains, microscopes, and just about anything that's not a direct result of the Fall (and probably a whole lot of stuff we can't imagine yet). The idea is to spark the imagination with the discussion and want to place 'treasure' in Heaven. The verse speaks of physical items and we can't exactly do a one-to-one exchange (like shipping our favorite DVD up to Heaven), so then the discussion would move on to how we can actually live out this concept. How would a person deposit treasure in Heaven as we are commanded to do?

In addition to "stuff" the Bible also talks about other kinds of rewards. Examples would be in the parables that speak of various faithful service rewarded with authority or responsibility. (Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:12-27). Who will we have authority over?

Also, we will receive words of praise ("Well done, good and faithful servant").

Then we'll review the idea that not everyone gets the same thing on Heaven. We won't all be equal. 
“So if you ignore the least 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 and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 6:19 (NLT)  - Note, reading farther, to verse 24, the contrast is not with committed and nominal Christians, but believers and unbelievers. A man cannot have both God as God and Money as god. However, this is not strictly speaking of tithing as the Pharasis strictly tithed, but it was not evidence of their salvation.

“But many who seem to be important now will be the least important then, and those who are considered least here will be the greatest then.” Matthew 19:30 (NLT) 

The parable in Matt 20:1-16 seems to imply that everyone is granted the same thing, however commentators have concluded, based on other verses of the Bible (examples listed above) that the apparent equality either refers to admission into Heaven via grace, or that people are not just given rewards based on their actual service, but on their opportunities and resources (Note that the final group had been standing around all day, but given no chance to work). The Widow with her two mites is a prime example of this principle. 


I think we'll end with discussing whether it's good or bad to be focused on rewards at all. Is it okay to do a 'good work' if you are doing it with an eye towards the reward? (My conclusion would be that it's perfectly fine. God told us of these various rewards to motivate us, after all. And we have no way to quantify exactly what we earn with each 'good thing' we do, so we are not tempted to think we're 'earning' more than we deserve.)