Heaven?s Oscars - Part 1

Christian awards are usually given through audit of the individual or an outstanding performance.

They want to get on the rubric awards to report your Mark continues his series revealing the mysteries of heaven is an eye-opening explanation of why Jesus himself will believe it is today's message of well one of the more controversial things about heaven. If you talk to, especially theologians these days is the whole idea of reward and I can hear them even in my mind's ear. I can hear them saying oh yeah but you shouldn't serve Jesus for the reward you should just serve them because you love them. And of course that's true, except the problem is, the Bible is filled with information about how the Lord Jesus wants to reward his children when they come to heaven so there's going to be a celebration there. There's going to be an award ceremony and talk about that on Turning Point today as we continue our discussion of revealing the mysteries of heaven. The heroes of Scripture thought constantly about heaven and they confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth that they were seeking a homeland and desiring a better country, a heavenly one. Unfortunately for most of us if not careful we get so comfortable with life on the earth. We forget there's a place called heaven, to which we have been secured and and guaranteed a home and when they were going to be there with the Lord.

And here's what I've discovered is you get older as you get older you discover that you have more interest in heaven. Then you had before. As I once said earlier in this series. My father told me that as he got older he realized he had more friends in heaven than he had on earth, so today were to talk about heaven to be talking about throughout the month. Let's get started. This is called heaven's Oscars talking about heaven, we talked about what would it be like when we get there what it's like to have body like Jesus after his resurrection want to talk about one of the first thing this can happen once we arrive within the last few years. Most of you have noticed that Lawrence ceremonies are out of kilter you not get some homework this week and I found her at least 42 of ceremonies that watch one almost every week.

If you get all of we have Academy Awards and we have choice awards and prison awards screen actors Guild awards in country music awards and Grammy awards and so I just awards. It seems as were into awards.

But there's an award date coming in their Oscars to be given out like the world has never ever dreamed of. I need to say that when we talk about rewards in heaven. A lot of people get a little nervous because there's this mentality that a lot of folks have, but if you're living for God out of the love for your heart. Why would you want any award. Why would you need a reward. They say something like, well, you know, if you give an award to someone for good works as a Christian. That's like trying to get children to be good by offering them candy which they view as an inferior strategy. Some people say we should not be lured into goodness by promises of the bonus for goodness is its own reward. While that argument sounds logical and spiritual.

It is entirely out of harmony with what the Bible teaches. The Bible never defends the concept of rewards.

The idea is accepted as if it is the most natural and normal thing for us to expect. Not only was this idea accepted but it was at the very core of the growth of the early church historian Gibbon traces the rapid progress of Christianity throughout Rome and he uses his analysis to isolate five reasons why the church grew so rapidly in its early days in here they are busy the early Christian the power of miracles. The pure morals of the Christians. The compact church organization and the belief in future rewards and future punishment. As you read the Bible, starting even in the Old Testament, you discover that rewards is a common theme and as you read the Bible. With that in mind.

Things start jumping off the page. Everywhere you go. Starts in the Old Testament in places like Psalm 5811 that says so that men will say, surely there is a real reward for the righteous.

Surely he is God who judges in the art or Psalm 6212 also to you Lord belongs mercy you render to each one according to his work when you come to the New Testament.

The New Testament opens with the Lord's promise of rewards in the Beatitudes. You remember this passage in Matthew 511 and 12 Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. When you go all the way through the New Testament and you come to the last book in the Bible, Revelation 22 verse 12 says, and behold I am coming quickly and my reward is with me and throughout the entire New Testament rewards are assumed to be a part of the Christian's future experience. Hebrews 610 says that God is not unjust to forget your work and your labor of love which you have shown toward his name, Luke 1829 and 30 says assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life. Mark 941 says for whoever gives you a cup of water in my name, because you belong to Christ. Assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

Mark 1029 and 30 says Jesus answered and said assuredly, I say to you, there is no one was left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my sake and the gospel sake. I watch this, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life. I don't know about you but I have found anyplace right.

Get a hundredfold on any investment I make when you serve the Lord. He tells you right out in the Scripture, that he reward you not only in this life, but in the life to come talk about how this is going to happen.

First of all, let's look at the day of heavens rewards.

The Bible tells us that after the church.

All of the believers are taken to heaven by the rapture or resurrection.

Individual believers will be judged for their works. As Christians, and special rewards will be handed out. This is the clear teaching of the word of God that even though we have been saved from our sin. One day you and I are going to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ at the judgment seat, sometimes referred to as the bema seat and the Lord is going to judge us for our conduct, and for our work as a believer.

Romans 1412 says so then each of us shall give an account of himself to God that speaking to believers. Second Corinthians 510 says that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may receive the things done in the body according to what he is done, whether good or bad. Ephesians 6/8 is knowing that whatever good thing. Each one of us does this he will receive from the Lord, whether slave or free.

In first Corinthians 311 through 15 tells us for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones would Hayes draw into one's work will become clear for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive Lord, and if anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as by fire.

Now at that day we called Judgment Day. Jesus Christ will see you through all of our posturing and all of our spending of who we are and we do, he will see into our heart for the motives for the reasons why we do what we do.

He will get past all the exterior things that we want others to see and he will see us and he does now notice Paul says that everyone's work will become clear. There will be no second guessing on any awards so I met David Judgment Day, the day of heavens Oscars, the day of heavens Academy Awards.

We are going to one by one, be judged by the Lord Jesus at the judgment seat not for our salvation were to be judged by what we have done as believers between the moment of our salvation. And when we ultimately stand before him. Let's notice. Secondly, the distinction of heavens awards.

I want to tell you a couple of things that it is not just so you don't get any confusion here judgment seat of Christ is not the final exam for heaven. A lot of people think that one day you stand before God in heaven's vestibule is going to judge you for all of your works if you got enough good works, you'll get in if you haven't done enough good works. You won't.

That is an absolute error because the Bible doesn't teach that the Bible teaches us that we who are Christians who have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior will never again face our sin is forever behind us and it is over. Galatians 1 forces who gave himself for our sin, that he might deliver us from this present age. According to the will of our God and father first Corinthians 15 three says, for I delivered you. First of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

First John 212 says I write you little children because your sins are forgiven for his namesake. Romans 81 says there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Let me just explain this again when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior all their sins, past, present and future were forgiven. His blood covered it all paid for all you will never again have to stand before God and give an answer for your sin. Jesus paid it all and all the him will somebody asked me well what about my future sins. I know that when I got saved. He took Carol a passive. What about all says I'm going to say before it happened and I was like asking this question how many of your sins were future when Jesus died for them on the cross and God doesn't look at time the way we do pay for your sins. Are you with me on that.

So you have a new market have to stand before the judgment give an account for your sin. The judgment seat of Christ is a place where you will be rewarded for your service to the Lord Jesus in your Christian experience and ask questions that I get about this is how can someone have his sins forgiven and still have them as works reviewed judgment seat of Christ, the answer is found in this fact that forgiveness is about justification and rewards program works which the justified have done in their flesh after their justification took place.

These are not works which are done in order to be saved. These are works that are done because we are saved. In other words, when you become a Christian, you just going to limbo you know just you know get into some sort of a fog until Jesus comes back Bible says in the book of Ephesians that by the grace of God we have been saved through faith and not of ourselves.

It is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.

Then it says in the next verse for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works that we should walk in them know we are not saved by good works were saved for the purpose of doing good works, so that after we become Christians let our light so shine that men will see our good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. This idea that because were not saved by good works that we should not ever do any good works is seemingly going on in the church these days because George Barna says you can't tell the difference between the people in the church and the people out of the church.

Maybe they just believe this deceitful thing that if you're saved by faith and you don't have to do any good works to be saying that you get saved you should know any good works either, because I know a lot of people to get saved and they just float we go nowhere one baby to stand before the Lord and give an account for their lives on this earth that is the distinction is not a final exam.

Our eternal destination.

According to Bruce Wilkinson is the consequence of what we believe on earth bar internal compensation is the consequence of how we behave on earth. One is behavior and the other is belief in here. There are a lot of examples in the Bible guys that are interesting people who started out looking for the Lord and blew it made big big mess out of their life even though they will continue to be Christians go through the Scriptures you will see it lot. Sampson said all Ananias and Sapphire.

They started out right. They were Christians. All right, but if they became Christians. They they just violated the things that were true and suffered some pretty awful consequences when you stand before the judgment seat of Christ is not about what you get in heaven or not you will already be there when you stand before the judgment seat of Christ will be about how have I lived my life as a believer. What kind of a steward, have I been for the gifts that God has entrusted to me and it won't be a time for you to bring formal accusations against other believers is a strange thing is the judgment seat of Christ is when I finally get the mailing guy you know this is a all believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Each of us giving an account of himself to God. We have no right to judge the work of other believers. Romans 1410 through 12 says that we don't even know what rewards we will receive for ourselves how the world are we going to judge someone else. First Corinthians 45 says therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes and will bring to light the things hidden in darkness and reveal the councils of the heart. Then each one's praise will come from God. The solid work so we together. Now here's what's been happening the nebulae when Jesus comes to be caught up to be dead bodies of the émigré will already be with Jesus and our spirit in the grave will open will be with the Lord and as soon as we get to heaven, while the tribulation is going on down here on this earth, we each one of our moment before the Lord for him to say to us hopefully well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord that's what I want to happen to me.

Amen. No, interestingly enough in the Bible. There are some Oscars described for us there at least five of them and I want to just run through these so you can see what some of the possibilities are and this is not by any means all of the awards that can be given, but there are five crowns that are listed in the New Testament for certain things that might surprise you.

Some of the things that the Lord is going to reward when we stand before them someday. Number one is the victor's crown is recorded for us in first Corinthians 925 through 27.

Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we do it before and perishable crown. Therefore I run best, not with uncertainty. That's I fight, not as one who beats the air but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection lesson when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Melanie give you a little background and history to this experience that Paul writes about in first Corinthians. Listen up.

The Greeks had two athletic festivals the Olympic Games and the games because name games were held at Corinth and would therefore be very familiar to those who were reading Paul's letter here contestants in the games had to prove rigorous training for 10 months. The last month was spent at Corinth with supervised daily workouts in the gymnasium and athletic fields.

The race was always a major attraction at the games and that is the figure Paul uses to illustrate the faithful Christian life. Those who run in the race run, but only one receives the prize success. No one would train so hard for so long without intending to win the large number of runners. Only one wins the prize indicates that the apostle had in mind service and rewards not salvation in life. Paul's point is that athletes who expect to win must train diligently and athletes discipline themselves to win an insignificant price.

How much more Christians to win an incorruptible non-perishing prize. The thought of course is that of personal discipline looking with God demands personal sacrifice. Sacrifice of things, not necessarily evil but which prevent the full devotion of our soul to God in an age of luxury like the time in which we live. The words have real significance for serious minded servants of Christ. If you want to win an award if you want to be standing there receiving a crown you have to say no to something so that you can say yes to some of you can't live in this pleasure gorged life that we taught ourselves as normal in our culture today. Learn how to turn off the television sometime so you can study to prepare your lesson learned how to get up when you don't feel like getting up in the morning so you can get into the word of God and be ready for the day you have to take time away from all the things that you want to do so you can get the Scripture in your heart. You gotta take a night out of your weight once in a while go talk to somebody about Jesus. All of this is hard, and it takes discipline and the Bible says that a person won't do that to be a candidate for this award. This award is given to those who discipline their body as part of their body under control and they become candidates for the victor's crown. Most people, including many Christians are slaves to their bodies. Have you noticed that their bodies tell their minds what to do. Their bodies decide what to eat when they eat, how much the one to sleep when you get up and so on.

An athlete cannot allow that follows the training rules, not his body. He runs when he would rather be resting balanced meal when he would rather have a chocolate sundae goes to bed. When he would rather stay up. He gets up early to train what he rather stay in bed and athlete leaves his body and is not following it is his slave, not the other way around. It is this kind of soldier that the crown will be given system is a wealth acknowledgment with no five waffles for sausages and two pieces of bacon for breakfast right.

I'm just getting all of us need to learn is not all struggle every one of us want to be servants that the Lord can use and it takes a certain amount of discipline in our life in the Bible so we have to be perfect at this, but we have to be in training and training are you and training to serve the Lord, are you trying to ask the Lord to help me become a better servant God honors your heart in this matter. Then there's the crown of rejoicing. That's the second one you find out in first Thessalonians 219. This is what it says is our whole joy, or crown of rejoicing. Paul asked the Thessalonians. This question is as high or crown of rejoicing and then he answers it in the next phrase he said in his even in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. What is he talking about is saying that the crown of rejoicing is the crown you get because you lead someone to Christ. He said Thessalonians. Let me tell you what the crown of rejoicing is if you because we minister to you and someday when we stand before the Lord, you're going to be there because we had a ministry to sometimes it's called the solar's crown is the crown that Almighty God gives to us when we get out of ourselves and we stop thinking it's all about me and we start looking around for the people who need a touch from God, and we use the talent and the giftedness he's given us to reach out with the gospel of Jesus Christ was the last time you ever talk to someone about Jesus wasn't a Christian asking another question was last time you thought about doing that with some people in this church who then just witnesses they just talk to people all the time about Jesus in their candidates for the crown of rejoicing because love is Thessalonians. Very emotional. He calls them his joy is hope in his crown crown is sometimes soulless ground payment should be here tomorrow for the next part of heaven's Oscars Turning Point reviewing the mistress of heaven. For more information on Dr. Jeremiah is a series revealing the mysteries of heaven.

Visit our website really offers to freeways to help you stay connected monthly magazine Turning Points in their daily email devotional sign-up today Jeremiah.org/ready that Jeremiah.org/ready to ask you a copy of revealing the mysteries of heaven. City better informed about your eternal heart for gift of any amount you can also purchase the Jeremiah study Bible in the English standard and new international visions as well as an slanted arrangement in the new King James helpfulness and articles for the Jeremiah visit David Jeremiah.org/ready or for details on very join us tomorrow as we continue the series revealing the mysteries of heaven here on Turning Point. Thanks for taking time to listen to and from these increased in size and