- We all want
to be rewarded, to get a portion that belongs to us, to get our part
a.
Abraham, David, and Jeremiah all
decided that God would be their reward and portion
i.
“After this, the word of the LORD came
to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.’” (Genesis 15:1)
ii.
“LORD,
you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.” (Psalm 16:5)
iii.
“I cry to you, LORD; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion’” (Psalm
142:5)
iv.
“The
LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” (Lamentations 3:24)
v.
The greatest reward we can ever have is
a good relationship with God
b.
“So that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you. ... But when you pray, go into your room, close
the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
... so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to
your Father, who is unseen; and your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:4, 6,
18)
i.
A hypocrite (an actor) does what’s
right while other people are watching
ii.
Christians are to do what’s right being
conscious that God is always watching
- “Do not
store up for yourselves treasures
on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in
and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy,
and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20)
a.
Treasures are either on earth or in
heaven—there are no other options or anything in between
b.
We’re all seeking treasures in one place
or the other but not both
c.
Treasures on earth are anything
valuable, important, or rewarding to us in this short life: happiness, health, possessions,
wealth, comfort, praise, power, reputation, beauty, etc.
d.
Treasures in heaven consist of one single
thing—pleasing God and for Him to be our portion
i.
What’s more important than pleasing God
who gave us life and gives us eternal life?
ii.
To be rewarded by God we must be right
with Him and live to please Him
e.
“The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
(John 8:29)
i.
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew
3:17)
ii.
Jesus always did what pleased His
Father—He treasured pleasing Him above all else
f.
“Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get
behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’”
(Matthew 16:23)
- “For where
your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
a.
Mankind’s hearts have become evil because
of sin
i.
“The LORD saw how great the wickedness
of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all
the time.” (Genesis 6:5)
ii.
“The
heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
‘I the LORD search the heart and
examine the mind’” (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
iii.
“For
out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality,
theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matthew 15:19)
b.
Since our hearts are where our treasure
is, our hearts are changed by changing our treasure
i.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
ii.
“But I tell you that anyone who looks
at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)
iii.
A pure heart is having right motives
for what we do and having pure thoughts about others
- “For out of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and
an evil man out of the evil
treasure brings forth evil things.” (Matthew 12:34-35)
a.
Te main way to discern what’s in someone’s heart is by listening to how they
talk
i.
Do they talk about problems, complain
about others, justify themselves, talk negatively?
ii.
Or, are they honest about themselves,
do they speak well of others, are they thankful?
b.
Another way is by how people act when their
treasure is in jeopardy
i.
Nice people become not so nice when their
own time and money is involved
ii.
How do they react when they’re made to
look good or bad in front of others?
- “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
(Matthew 6:34)
a.
There’s a popular song that says “Don’t
worry, be happy!”—but that never worked for me
b.
I used to have a big problem with worry
and anxiety but I learned that it was because my treasure was on earth and I was
trying to protect my treasure—I had to change my treasure
- “And this
water symbolizes baptism that now
saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience
toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter
3:21)
a.
Baptism is a pledge to live conscious
of God knowing our every thought and motive
b.
“For it is commendable if someone bears
up under the pain of unjust suffering
because they are conscious of God.” (1 Peter 2:19)
c.
“Therefore, it is necessary to submit
to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.” (Romans
13:5)
- Living the
Christian life is all about sacrificing what’s important to us to serve
others
a.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must
deny themselves and take up their cross
daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
b.
“… to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing
to God—this is your true and proper
worship.” (Romans 12:1)
c.
As Christians, we are to live
sacrificial lives, making sacrifices that only God sees and knows
- The
surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ makes everything else like
garbage by comparison
a.
“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused
to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated
along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of
sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake
of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was
looking ahead to his reward.”
(Hebrews 11:24-26)
b.
“But whatever were gains to me I now
consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a
loss because of the surpassing worth of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain
Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8)
- What have
you really gained for all of your hard work throughout your life?
a.
“‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the
Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’ What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the
sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3)
b.
“Now all has been heard; here is the
conclusion of the matter: Fear God and
keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will
bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is
good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)