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Transcript: Welcome to "5 Minutes with Pastor Lutzer." I'm so glad that you joined us again today. Our series actually is entitled, "The King Is Coming" and one of the events we've been emphasizing in the last few programs is the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. And one of the questions that I raised last time is simply this: what is "the gold, the silver, and the precious stones"? What will survive the fire? All of us would like to have those rewards. Well, the Bible doesn't leave us in the dark about this. There's at least a dozen passages of scripture that speak specifically as to what the reward will be for. I'm going to give you four or five today very quickly. If you're taking notes, you can always writedown the passage and look at them later.
For example, the joyful acceptance of injustice. "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Great shall be your reward in heaven." "Rejoice!" In fact, Jesus says, "Great shall your reward be in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." You're being unjustly treated because you love Jesus? Rejoice. Your reward will be great. It'll survive the fire.
Well here's another one: financial generosity. You know that passage in Matthew 6. "Lay up for yourselves treasures, not on earth, but rather in Heaven where moth and rust does not corrupt, where thieves cannot steal." And Jesus says that, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." And there are other passages that talk about financial generosity being not only accepted but being very precious in God's sight. I wish we could stop and talk about each one of these in more detail.
But here's another one and you know for this one I'm actually going to turn to the book of Luke and read it to you. It has to do with the way we do hospitality. This is so convicting to me personally. But here He says—now I'm in chapter 14—"If you give a dinner or a banquet don't invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives or rich neighbours lest they invite you back in return and you be repayed. But when you give a feast invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed because they can't repay you." And you know what Jesus says? "You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
You know sometimes you see Christians who say well you know I'm not going to serve the Lord because of rewards, oh no, just because I love Him. Well I'm on the side of Jonathan Edwards who says I'm going for all the rewards I can possibly get. Why? Because when we get rewards it means that we are living lives that are pleasing to Jesus. So you want something to survive the fire? Well the right kind of hospitality, the spiritual disciplines, etc. Again we're in the book of Matthew, of course. You know, "If you are in the closet and you pray in secret God will reward you openly." Fasting, giving, all of that are investments for the kingdom.
And here's another one: faithfulness in your vocation. I just wrote down the reference. Colossians 3:22. I read it this morning. I'll paraphrase it for you. The apostle Paul says serve others not with eye service as men-pleasers but doing the will of God from the heart. And then he says whatever you do do joyfully as to the Lord, not unto men. Don't work for that employer who doesn't appreciate you anyway. Go to work and say, "I'm doing this for Jesus." And it says that that person will receive the reward of the inheritance.
Now next time I'm going to be giving you some other pointers as to what will survive the fire. But also we're going to be looking at some of the implications of being judged by Christ. I'm so glad that you joined us. It would be wonderful if you were to subscribe so that you would get this regularly and I want to encourage you today. Go for the gold, the silver, the precious stones! They will survive the fire and as for today of course, you just go with God.