Ray of Hope Christian Church
October 25, 2011
Rewards of a Faithful
Steward
Corinthians 3:10-14
“According to the grace of God which
was given to me, as a wise master
builder I laid a foundation, and
another is building upon it. But let
each one be careful how he/she
builds upon it. For no one can lay a
foundation other than the one which
is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any builds upon the
foundation with gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay and straw, each
one’s work will become evident; for
the day will show it, because it is to
be revealed by fire; and the fire itself
will test the quality of each one’s
work. If any one’s work which
he/she has built upon it remains,
he/she shall receive a reward.”
Matthew 25:23
“His master said to him. Well done,
good and faithful servant; you
were faithful with a few things, I
will put you in charge of many
things; enter into the joy of your
master.”
Every person is rewarded
according to the quality of
belief, obedience, and service
that marked their life on
earth.
The Lord honors and richly
rewards those who have been
faithful in the management of
His resources—both temporal
and eternal.
Faithful stewards can look to
being rewarded both on earth
and in heaven.
“It’s not the duration of life, but
our donation to life that counts.”
John Maxwell
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Our attitude and action
concerning servanthood and
stewardship is what matters.
What we do with what we
have while we have time to do
it is the issue that really
matters according to the Word
of God. That’s the essence of
Lifestyle stewardship!
God Never Forgets Life’s
Donors!
Hebrews 6:10-12
Everything we do for God
is recorded and eventually
rewarded by the Lord!
Stewards who patiently
trust until the end are the
ones who have every hope
to “inherit the promises
(receive rewards).”
Question: Are you personally
convinced that God
remembers your service and
will reward you for your
faithfulness?
Another Question: Do you
have faithful service on
your résumé for God to
reward?
The next time you serve
the Lord and no one seems
to notice or care, stand on
the word…Hebrews 6:10
Biblical Basis for a Believer’s
Reward: I Corinthians 3: 10-14
1. Jesus Christ is the only one true
foundation on which to build
spiritual works. (v. 11)
2. Every believer must be careful
about how he/she builds his/her
life upon Christ. (v. 10)
3. We can use two different types of
materials to build our Christian
lives. (v.12)
Is your work gold, silver and
precious stones or wood, hay
and stubble?
4. The type of materials one uses
will be revealed by the test of
fire. (v. 13)
Your work/spiritual house is
subject to fire…which will
reveal whether we built it with
perishable or imperishable
materials.
5. The purpose of the “fire” is to
reveal the quality of our work (v.13)
The Lord looks for the motive, the reason
why people do what they do. Luke 21:1-4
When it comes to works, all believers,
because of Christ can build their spiritual
life on a level playing field.
6. Rewards are given to those whose
works remain after being tested by
fire. (v. 14)
Wood, hay and stubble…burn up
Gold, silver and precious
stones…purified
7. God is committed to giving
rewards to those who build
their lives on the right
foundation with the right
materials (v.14)
Good works and deeds that
flow from faithful
servanthood and stewardship
build a solid spiritual life that
will stand for time and
eternity. Servanthood and
stewardship are “gold, sliver,
and precious stones.”
The largest part of the
faithful steward’s rewards is
awarded in heaven, but there
are temporal (earthly)
rewards.
Rewards on Earth
Favor is the benefit of
the righteous person
who lives faithfully
accordingly to the Word
of God.
The word favor means
friendly regard, to
your advantage, in
good graces with
others, preferential
treatment.”
Favor gives God’s
people an edge, or
an advantage, in
working with this
world.
Over eighty-seven
references in the Word
use some form of the
word favor. And God is
the source of favor.
Psalm 5:12
This shield goes before them,
providing a divine covering
that ensures they will be on
the receiving end of special
treatment. Faithful servants
and stewards of God are
“blessed” with favor.
Special Treatment comes
from the Lord first.
Why? Because of the
righteous person’s
relationship with Him.
God promises that the wealth
of the world will come to the
righteous.
Isaiah 60:5
Proverbs 13:22
It is up to God’s purpose
and timing that the favor
manifests itself!
There is nothing like knowing
deep within that you have
been faithful to God and what
He has called you to do.
Satisfaction with yourself
before the Lord and people is
an incomparable and
immeasurable reward of the
righteous.
Rewards in
Heaven
John 14:1-4
Jesus promised to prepare a
place
A “well done” and
numerous crowns await
the faithful.
There is nothing like the
words “well done” spoken
over you when you have
done well! We crave words
of praise, approval, and
commendation.
Heaven in a place of
celebration and
coronation and worship!
The Imperishable Crown
(I Corinthians 9:24-27)
This rewards goes to those who
run life’s race victoriously
through personal discipline with
power of the Holy Spirit.
The Crown of Exultation
(Philippians 4:1, I
Thessalonians 2:19-20)
There is a special crown that
will be placed on the heads of
those who win the lost to
Christ.
The Crown of Righteousness
(II Timothy 4:7-8)
This crown goes to those who are
eagerly awaiting Jesus to return to
take them home to heaven. Faithful
believers will receive the crown of
righteousness because they have
been made the righteousness of God
through their faith in Christ.
The Crown of Life
(James 1:12)
This crown is awarded to those
saints who have suffered in a
triumphant and noble manner as
Christians.
The Crown of Glory
(I Peter 5:1-4)
This is reserved for those who
faithfully “shepherd the flock of
God” entrusted into their care.
They qualify for this crown
because they willingly and
humbly made sacrifices for the
sheep; they lived exemplary
lives—lives worth following.
Heaven – A
Place of Worship
Revelation
4:9-11