In heaven, Jesus will reward believers based on the works and actions we perform here on earth. Does that change how you think, speak, and act right now? Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah takes a closer look at why you don't need to wait for heaven. to experience the benefit of your rewards.
From the promise of heaven. Here's David to introduce the conclusion of his message: five crowns. And thank you for joining us today. We are moving our way through the subjects that are. Found in the chapters of a book called The Promise of Heaven.
This book was released this month, and it is already going everywhere. We've had many, many orders from Turning Point, and the bookstores are reshelving it, and we're excited to know that heaven's on the minds of a lot of people today. I think one of the reasons for that is Earth has become kind of unsettled for many. Many of the people who thought the earth was going to provide all of the answers to their happiness now know better. We can have joy and happiness on this earth, but ultimate happiness and joy is reserved for heaven.
The Bible says God has put eternity in every heart. Until we get to be with the Lord and know Him personally and go to heaven, we will never feel. In our own hearts, the joy that we look forward to.
So, heaven is the ultimate place, the fulfillment of your longing and mind. The Bible says we actually groan thinking about it and waiting for it to happen. I've written a lot about it in this book, 240 pages, 31 chapters, answering many of the questions you have about heaven. And we want you to have the book. It's available for a gift of any size from Turning Point.
Ask for your copy of the book, and it will be sent to you. You can get it from the bookstores in your community. I'm talking about Barnes Noble, Walmart. You can get it from Target. Hobby Lobby carries this book, and you can grow and understand more about heaven as you read the book.
Let's get started now with part two of the crowns that we can receive when we get to heaven and what we're going to do with them when we get them. God wants us to do good things. with our lives. We should never just view our salvation as an escape ticket from hell. The Bible says that even if someone doesn't have many good works to show, they can still be saved, but it will be like escaping through a fire.
Many people I know become Christians. I believe they're genuinely born again. But then they kind of go into autopilot. You never know anybody like that? They just sort of go along with the flow.
They never stand out for anything they're doing for the Lord. They never seek to do anything for the Lord. Their attitude is: I'm going to heaven, that's all that matters, and I'll live my life the way I want to. Bruce made these distinctions. He said, Our eternal destination is the consequence of what we believe on this earth.
But our eternal compensation, our rewards, is the consequence of how we behave on the earth.
So Bible history is filled with people. who began the race with great success. but failed at the end because they disregarded God's rules. You know their stories. They did not lose their salvation, but they did lose their rewards.
happened a lot to Samson. to saw to Ananias and Sapphira. It can happen to us. if we become careless about our walk with Christ.
So the judgment seat of Christ is not the final exam for heaven. Number two, the judgment seat of Christ is not found to be judging one believer by another. Because all believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, each of us is giving an account of himself. to God. Did you hear that?
We give account of ourselves to God. We have no right to judge the work of another believer. We do not even know what rewards we will receive for ourselves. How will we ever know how another person will be rewarded? We do not know enough about anyone else's heart or motives or faithfulness to know what rewards.
given or whether or not they're deserved. This is what Paul was talking about when he wrote these words to the Corinthians. Listen carefully. Therefore judge nothing before the time. Until the Lord comes, who will bring both to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.
then each one's praise will come from God. Listen, if we knew what was in everybody's heart, there would be a lot of judgment that we would never make. We would know, we don't have any right to judge that person. Look at that person's heart. But we can't see their heart, can we?
We don't know what's inside a person's heart. We don't know what their motives are, what their mindset is.
So oftentimes we make flipped judgments. And many times they're hurtful. The Bible says God is the judge. Don't usurp His authority. Let him be the judge.
UB The servant. that you've been called to be. The day of heaven's rewards and the distinctions Now, let's describe heaven's rewards. We often wonder: what will be the nature of these rewards? What will they look like?
I want to talk to you about five crowns. These are the crowns that are mentioned specifically in the Bible. These are five things that will be awarded at the judgment seat of Christ. First of all, the victor's crown. 1 Corinthians 9 says, Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore, I run not with uncertainty. I fight not as one who beats the air, but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.
Now, this is based upon the culture that Paul wrote to at that time. There were two kinds of Olympic Games that took place during Paul's day. There was the Olympic Games themselves, and there was another set of games called the Isthmian Games. and the Isthmian Games were held at Corinth.
So, when Paul writes this letter to Corinth, they already know all of this, they see the background. The contestants in the games had to prove rigorous training for 10 months. The last month was spent at Corinth. And it was supervised. Every day in the gym and on the athletic fields.
They didn't just get judged at the event. They were judged as they prepared for the event, getting ready for the race. And the race was always a major attraction at the games. And that is the figure Paul uses to illustrate the faithful Christian life. He says, those who run in a race Run all But only one receives the prize.
No one would train so hard for so long without at least having a thought that you might win. You run, you train to win. Yet out of the large number of runners, only one wins. The prize indicates that the apostle had in mind service and rewards. not salvation in life.
The Isthmian athletes disciplined themselves to win an insignificant prize. How much more ought we to discipline ourselves to win The crown. the victor's crown that's going to be presented at the judgment seat. The thought, of course, is that of personal discipline. I don't know if you've noticed it, but walking with God demands a bit of sacrifice.
sacrifice of things not necessarily evil. but which prevent the full devotion of the soul to God. In an age of luxury, Like the present time, these words have real significance. A great difference between those races and the Christian race is that every Christian who will pay the price of careful training can be a winner. You can be a winner.
I can be a winner if I'm willing to discipline myself to do that. In a sense, every Christian runs his own race. Enabling each one of us to be a winner in winning souls to Christ. Paul therefore challenges all believers to run in such a way that you may win by setting aside anything that might hinder the reception of the gospel. And the estimate of the games In Paul's day, the prize was Pretty pathetic.
It was a pine wreath. The contestants competed for more than that, of course, but the wreath that they got represented fame, acclaim, and the life of a hero. Winners of that race were immortalized, much as they are today. But that immortality was just as mortal as the wreath itself because they died, and if they didn't know Christ, they didn't get any reward for sure. The one who disciplines his body, like Paul, said was a candidate for the victor's crown.
Most people, including many Christians, are instead slaves to their bodies. Their bodies tell their minds what to do. Their bodies decide when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat. when to sleep, when to get up, and so on. An athlete cannot allow that.
If you're training for the Olympics, you're getting ready for an event. You follow the training rules, not your body. One thing I've learned: don't let your body tell you what to do, because you will do the wrong thing most of the time. The athlete runs when he would rather be resting. He eats a balanced meal when he would rather have a chocolate Sunday.
He goes to bed when he would rather stay up. He gets up when he would rather stay in bed. And he leads his body, he does not follow it. It is his slave, not the other way around. It is to this kind of soldier that the victor's crown will be given.
The Bible says that there are some people who live the Christian life with such great discipline that nothing else matters. They set their eyes on the goal of pleasing Christ and nothing else gets in their way. I've known a few people like that, and so have you. Many of them find their way to the mission field. Many of them are in churches.
Some of them are pastors.
Some are workers in the church. But the good news is that all of us can be candidates for the victor's crown if we're willing to live a disciplined life. and walk with Christ. Then there's the crown of rejoicing. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 2.19, For what is our hope?
or joy or crown of rejoicing. Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ that is coming? Paul's love for these Thessalonians is very emotional. Not even our hope. Or joy or crown of rejoicing.
This is an allusion to the wreath or the garland of victory awarded to winners in the games. And Paul's hope. And his only grounds for boasting was the thought of the souls he would present to Christ. This crown is sometimes called the soul winner's crown.
So, if God has given you the ability to talk to people about your faith, win them to Christ, when you get to heaven, there's going to be a special crown for soul winners. And there aren't too many people that have that gift from what I've observed, but some people really do. I've been with some people that have this gift so deeply ingrained that you're almost embarrassed to be with them because wherever they go, They talk to people about Jesus. You go into a restaurant with them, and before you can sit down, they have engaged the waiter in a conversation about whether they're going to heaven or not. I don't know where the line is.
But I know people, and I could name some that you would know, who are so focused and motivated by winning people to Jesus Christ, that's all they live for. Every day they get up with that thought in their mind: how can I find someone? and tell them about Jesus.
Well, the Bible says for a person like that, They can win the crown of rejoicing. The third crown is the crown of righteousness. You will find that in 2 Timothy 4.8. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness. which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day.
and not to me only. but also to all who have loved his appearing. Paul said there's a special award that will be given at the judgment seat of Christ for people who look forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. who were focused on his coming. who didn't just believe it, but lived in light of it.
I don't know very many people like that. I know a few. I suppose in some way I might be involved in that because I've preached so much on prophecy over the years and told so many people about Jesus coming back. But since I've been teaching on heaven, Several people have told me they're almost embarrassed. One of them said, I haven't thought about heaven in a long time.
And one person joked. Why should I care about heaven? I haven't even been to Hawaii yet. That kind of comment shows how easy it is for our hearts to get focused on the here and now. The Bible tells us that some people live with their hearts set on heaven.
It's what motivates them every day when they get up. That's what they think about throughout the day. They're looking forward to seeing Christ, and those are the ones who will receive this crown. because they love and they long for his appearing.
So there's the victor's crown. There's the crown of rejoicing. And there's the crown of righteousness. Number four, The fourth crown in the five crowns. is the crown of life.
Blessed is the man who endures temptation. for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Now this crown is for people who suffer. Revelation 2 says, Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison. That you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
So the crime of life is for people Who pay a price for their faith. We haven't had too much of that in our culture. We've had some of it. This week I saw a group of Christians being persecuted for what they were doing. And every month it seems like it's a little bit more.
Christians are more on the outside than they are on the inside, and we become almost the enemy of the woke generation. The Bible says when you suffer for your faith, When you speak about the Lord and you get shunned or maybe you lose a promotion or maybe you even lose your job. The Bible says When you endure temptation and testing, you become a candidate for the crown of life. The early Christians lived in the days of intense persecution. The apostles counseled them to persevere so that they would inherit the crown of life.
Now in much of the Western world today, If we're honest, The church is facing discrimination and the erosion of religious liberty. But elsewhere around the globe. Christians face the burning of their churches. The confiscation of their goods, ostracism, and even prison. torture and the death.
of believers is everywhere.
Some of you followed the story of the man who went to preach in South Africa and was arrested because he was giving the gospel. We got him back, but it was hard. The people who don't like Christianity are vicious people, and they don't care how much they hurt the Christians if they can just shut them up. The Bible says all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. If you're a Christian, just get ready for the fact you're not going to be loved by everybody.
Satan will batter you with temptations of all kinds. But what a wonderful opportunity to lay claim. to the crown of life. The crown of life is for those who suffer. In behalf of Christ.
And then the last one, kind of special to me, the crown of glory. And when the chief shepherd appears, he will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. This crown is for faithful shepherds of the people of God.
Some have called this the pastor's crown. I might be into the running for this if I behave myself. And guess what? You don't have to be a pastor to make a difference. Maybe you lead a small group and you pastor a small group.
You would be a shepherd in that regard. Maybe you teach a class and you shepherd the people in your class. You pray for them, you help them. That's a big deal. And the Bible says that people like that can receive a special reward in heaven.
I hope you see. that these crowns are for us today. And before we close our Bibles, Just a couple of thoughts to leave in your head. Number one. With all of this stuff about crowns, just remember.
that the Lord himself is your chief reward. He is the one that you are rewarded by. Genesis 15, 1 says, after these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying, do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. God is our great reward.
The promise comes right after Abraham refused to take the spoils from the king of Sodom. Any reward gains its values from the character of the person who gives the reward. And God is that person.
So when we get to heaven, whether it's any of the crowns or not, our reward will be in knowing God and finding in Him our hope. totally fulfilled, and that will be something else. Believe me. Number two. Resist doing works outwardly just for the purpose of receiving a reward.
Take heed, says Matthew, that you do not do your charitable deeds before men. to be seen by them, otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. that your charitable deed may be in secret, and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. If you're serving As a Christian, and all you think about is, I'm really working hard to get an award in heaven.
You're going at this the wrong way. The rewards are given to us as we faithfully serve, but they're not something we devote our lives to. One writer said, it might be possible to pursue eternal rewards with fleshly motives. But he said, I've never met anyone who Who was guilty of doing that? I've never heard someone say, I'm a missionary in the dark, deep jungle because when I get to heaven, I want a mansion that's bigger than the Joneses.
Or I think. I can't remember ever thinking, if I witnessed to that guy, God will owe me big time. That's not the way it works. Number three. Reflect upon the ultimate goal of any rewards you may receive.
One last thought from the rewards section of the Bible. When we get all these crowns. What in the world are we going to do with them? Are we going to go through heaven wearing our crowns? You know, I got this one.
Which one did you get? No. The Bible says that something very special is going to happen. Listen to this. The 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever.
And they cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things. And by your will, they exist. And we're created. The Bible says that when we get our crowns in heaven, We're going to go to Jesus and cast them down before him. As an act of worship.
You say, well, I guess it won't make that much difference if I don't have one then, if that's all we're gonna do with them. No, it'll make a big difference. Frankly, I don't wanna be in the line of people with no crowns. I want to be in the lion waiting to cast my crowns to the feet of Jesus. The Bible says that's what we're going to do with our crowns when we're given them.
We're going to give them to Jesus as an act of worship. There's an old tale. about three men crossing the desert by camel at night. They were crossing the desert, and a voice came out of the darkness. And the voice commanded them to dismount.
Pick up some pebbles. and put them in their pockets. And the voice said, At the coming of the sun, you will be both glad and sad. The travelers did as they were told, and later, as the sun came up, they remembered what the voice had said: At the coming of the sun, you will be both glad and sad. They reached into their pockets and pulled out not pebbles, but diamonds.
They were both glad and sad, glad they took as many as they could, and sorry they didn't take more. Right now, God gives us opportunities, and He's saying to us that at the coming of His Son, we will be both glad and sad. We will be glad for the opportunities that we took advantage of. and we'll be sad for the ones we knew we could have. And didn't.
There's an old story about a missionary couple. that had been working in Africa for years. and they were returning to New York to retire. They had no pension. Their health was broken.
They were defeated, discouraged, and afraid. They discovered they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt. who was returning from one of his big game hunting expeditions. No one paid attention to these missionaries. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the president's entourage.
with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, Something is wrong here. Why should we have given our lives in faithful service to God in Africa? all these many years and have no one care a thing about us. Here's this man coming back from a hunting trip, and everybody makes so much over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us.
Dear, you shouldn't feel that way, his wife said. I can't help it, it just doesn't seem right. When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the president. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The papers were full of the President's arrival.
But no one noticed this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the east side. hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living for the city. That night, the man's spirit broke. He said to his wife, I can't take this.
God is not treating us fairly. Why don't you go to the bedroom and tell that to the Lord? said his wife, a smart woman. A short time later, he came out of the bedroom.
now his face was completely different. His wife said to him, Dear, what happened in there?
Well, the Lord settled it with me, he said. I told him how bitter I was that the president should receive this tremendous homecoming when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put his hand on my shoulder and he simply said, But you're not home yet. And that's the real secret, isn't it? We're not home yet.
Some of you may feel like you're serving the Lord and nobody notices, but you're not home yet. Yeah. And that's what helps us keep going, doesn't it? Knowing that there's an ultimate reward coming, and one of these days we will hear our Lord say to us, Welcome. into the joy of your Lord.
And that will be a wonderful day for everyone.
Well, it's Friday. I need to take my little special weekend announcement to heart and let everybody of you know that it's important to get to church. I have been a preacher of going to church for all these years. Hardly ever a week goes by that on the Friday edition of Turning Point, I don't mention to you how important it is to go to church. And it's not my church you're going to, it's the churches all over this country where the Bible is taught.
You say, well, my church is not perfect, and that's true, but neither are you.
So get there with your imperfect friends and fellowship together and enjoy the ministry of reaching others for Christ. Go to church Sunday. We'll be here for you on Monday and over the weekend on television. I'm David Jeremiah. Thank you for being a part of what we do.
See you next time. Our message today came to you from Shadow Mountain Community Church and senior pastor Dr. David Jeremiah. Turning Point is also on radio and TV this weekend. To learn where to find it, visit our website davidjeremiah.org/slash radio.
That's davidjeremiah.org slash radio or call 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of David's new book, The Promise of Heaven. 31 reasons to get excited about your eternal home. It's yours for a gift of any amount. You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard, New International and New King James Versions.
complete with notes and articles from Dr. Jeremiah's decades of study. We welcome your notes of encouragement, so please write us at Turning Point, PO Box 3838, San Diego, California, 92163. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us Monday as we continue the series The Promise of Heaven on Turning Point with Dr.
David Jeremiah.
