Table of Content:
Chapter One: Why Reward
Chapter Two: The Etymology of Reward
· Difference between Reward and Award
Chapter Three: Reward, by Grace or by Works
Chapter Four: Levels of
Reward·
Due Reward
Chapter Five: Kinds of Reward
·
No Reward
Chapter Six: Acid-Test for a Sure Reward
·
How
do I know my Labours are borne out of Love?
Chapter One: Why Reward
Why
Reward?
Ps. 58:10-11 The
righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in
the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for
the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
Ps. 91:8 Only with
thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
1 Cor. 15:29-32 Else
what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at
all? why are they then baptized for the dead? And why stand we in jeopardy
every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord,
I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus,
what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to
morrow we die.
·
Reward is a form of acknowledging
efforts done.
·
Reward is a form of encouraging more efforts
or work done
·
Reward proves the justices of God is
real
·
Reward is a form of answers to prayers
·
Reward proves that every action done to
humanity has consequence
·
Without Reward, our reason for remaining
on earth after salvation is useless.
·
Without Reward, there will be no need
for righteous living
·
It is because of Reward that we hope for
a better future
The word “Reward” is
found 80 times, Rewarded 14 times, Rewarder once, Rewardeth (meaning Rewarding)
six times and Rewards five times in the Bible.
A Reward is something
that you are given for good attitude, product and service offered. It is a wage
received for work done.
Chapter Two: The
Etymology of Reward:
In theology there is a
law in hermeneutics called “the law of first mention”. This is a rule that
states that the meaning of a word is traceable to the context in which the word
is being used for the first time. Gen. 15:1 says: “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision,
saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”
AFTER THESE
THINGS…indicates that something happened that provoked that utterance from the
Lord. The answer is found in Gen.14. There were three issues that provoked that
prophetic word in Gen. 15:1. It started with the account of war between four
kings against five kings.
Gen.14:1 And
it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar,
Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; That these made war with
Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and
Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
Abraham’s nephew, Lot,
was captured. He armed his 300 soldiers born in his house to war against the
kings. He recovered all. The second was when he (Abraham) encountered
Melchizedek. The third was when the king of Gomorrah told Abraham to keep the
goods but return the people. Abraham’s response was significant to God’s
utterance in Gen.15:1.
Gen.14:22-23 “And
Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the
most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a
thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is
thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich”
His refusal to receive
the goods was based on not giving the kings an occasion to boast that they made
him rich. His trust in the LORD only proved the fact that he didn’t need help
from ‘unbelievers’. He rejected reward from men, especially from unbelievers
but he trusted in the LORD for his wholesome reward. Does this mean that we
should not accept rewards from men for a good job? No. But it is best you
reject such when you discover that their intention for giving you that reward
is wrong. Not all reward should be accepted, some are traps while some are not
necessary. Christ’s reward is always bigger and greater than any reward that
man may give you. So the next chapter, God revealed to Abraham that he should
fear not, I am your shield (meaning protector) and your exceeding great reward.
What He was saying is that man cannot protect you as I can and man cannot
reward you more than I can. Secondly, God was saying, other people may have
things but I AM YOUR REWARD. When you have God as your reward, things are not
enough. It shows that you have NO LIMIT TO YOUR REWARD. It is only what can
stop God that can stop you. This is beautiful because God fulfilled it in
CHRIST. Christ is our Reward. Halleluyah!!!
Difference between Reward and Award:
An Award is a prize or certificate
that a person is given for doing something well. This means that awards are from
humans while reward is really from God. Only God can really reward you. This is
the reason why rewarder is mentioned
once in the bible. Heb. 11:6, 1 Sam.24:19. Although man may reward you but God’s
reward is permanent.
In summary:
|
Chapter Three: Reward,
by Grace or by Works?
According to the
meaning of reward, efforts are rewarded not appearance nor position. Any reward
you get without effort is called favour, not reward. Any reward you receive to
make an effort or for illegal efforts done is called bribe. All rewards are
based on good work done.
Reward
by Grace?
By Grace, we receive
all things. Even our salvation came by Grace; therefore no one can boldly
receive anything from God because of effort and righteousness.
Isa 64:6 But we are all
as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all
do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Eph.2:8-9For by grace
are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not
of works, lest any man should boast.
Job was a man declared
by God as a perfect man. He demanded for a just reward because of his righteousness.
He thought and spoke to the LORD using his works as collateral for any damage.
But when God spoke to him, all his righteousness was swept under the carpet.
We must never forget
that the ability to will and to do His good pleasures is from the Lord. None of
us is sufficient to ourselves.
Philip.2:13 For it is
God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Reward
by Works?
Philip. 2:12 Wherefore,
my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Rom. 4:4 Now to him
that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
These scriptures
suggest the place of works, and not just Grace.
Christ’s sacrifice paid
for all the rewards and that is why it is His reward. To get His reward is by
Grace but to activate His reward in your life is by your works. Grace pays
while faith takes but any faith without works is dead (James 2:26).
Nevertheless to take your portion, your works become the means to receive
reward. It is Christ’s reward and he said that he will give everyone his reward
according to our works.
Rev.22:12 And, behold,
I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his
work shall be.
My Submission therefore
is that God’s Grace provides the reward while your works takes the reward.
CHAPTER FOUR: LEVELS
OF REWARD
The Bible is full of
different levels of reward which are generally classified into two types:
Reward of Righteousness and Reward of Iniquity. The levels of Rewards are:
·
JUST/DUE
REWARD
Heb.2:2 For if the word
spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just recompence of reward
Luke 23:41 And we
indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath
done nothing amiss.
This is the fruitful
stage of God’s blessings to man (Gen. 1:28). This is a reward that comes to you
with exact measure for your works.
Mt.7:1, 2 Judge not,
that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and
with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Everyone is entitled
for a just reward because God is the God of Justice. This is the foundational
reward for everyone.
·
GOOD
REWARD
Eccl.4:9 Two are better
than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
This is the
multiplication stage of God’s blessings to man (Gen. 1:28). To have a good
reward, it comes with team-work. The good there refer to ‘better’. Do you want a better reward? Then work with someone in
agreement with you. This is one thing that gives marriage an advantage over
single people. One of the major reasons for marriage is to accomplish far more
than you would have done alone.
Deut. 32:30 How should
one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had
sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
According to the
mathematics in the above scripture, an agreement or teamwork can generate ten
times of what an individual would have generated.
·
GREAT
REWARD
Mt.5:12 Rejoice, and be
exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you.
Ps. 19:11 Moreover by
them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
Heb. 10:35 Cast not
away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
This is the Replenishment
stage of God’s blessings to man (Gen. 1:28). The word ‘great’ in Psalm 19:11 is
“rabah” in Hebrew meaning abundance;
to become much.
It is one thing to have
a better reward and another thing to have multiplied better rewards. God’s desires
are for His children to enjoy great rewards for their labours on earth.
How
does one get a Great Reward?
1.
By keeping God’s instruction given to
you - Psalm 19:11
2.
By enduring persecution for Christ’s
sake - Mt.5:11-12, Luke 6:22-23
3.
By living the Love life – Luke 6:35
Obedience
+ Endurance + Love = Great Reward
·
EXCEEDING
GREAT REWARD
Gen.15:1 After these
things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not,
Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
This is the subdue
stage of God’s blessings to man (Gen.1:28). Exceeding here means abundance,
much more. This level of Reward shows the Elshaddai
attribute of God. Here, God is saying to Abraham, I am thy abundance huge
reward. This level of reward makes you a wonder to your world. All things are
brought under to serve you. Jesus had paid the price for us and He said, I am
thy exceeding great reward.
Ps. 3:3 But thou, O
LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
He is our glory. Our part
is to follow him. This level ensures a generational blessing in your lineage.
How to Activate the
Exceeding Great Reward:
If we read down Gen.
15, we will see something significance that the LORD initiated when He revealed
to Abram, that I am thy exceeding great reward. It is vital to note now that
even though prophecy has been given to Abraham, there are things He must do to
keep the blessing flowing in his generation. We are not to celebrate prophecies,
rather we are to war with prophecies.
1 Tim. 1:18 This
charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went
before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare
Fulfilling prophecy
involve engagement. Abraham did three things to receive this prophetic word
according to Gen. 14 as explained above which were:
a.
He took responsibility to deliver his
nephew, Lot from captivity
b.
He gave tithe of the chief spoils he got
from the other kings apart from the king of Sodom (Heb.7:4; Gen.14:20)
c.
He rejected the reward from the king of
Sodom.
To activate this level
of Reward, there are three principles that we see all through Gen. 15 that Abraham:
1. Faith in God’s Promise:
Gen. 15:6 And he
believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
2. He sacrificed:
Gen. 15:8-9 And he
said, O Lord Jehovah, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said
unto him, Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and
a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.
3. God made a Covenant with Abraham:
Gen. 15:18 In that day
Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this
land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates
Faith, Sacrifice and
Covenant activated the exceeding great reward. People who walk by sacrifice and
covenant are people that see God as their exceeding great reward.
Sacrifice is an acronym
which simply means Sow At Christ
Rate Inorder to Fetch It at Christ Exchange.
Christ’s rate is according to instruction while Christ’s exchange is the reward
that comes for sowing. The subject of Sacrifice cannot be over-emphasized,
nevertheless to sacrifice also means to give up what is very valuable to you
for a cause. The degree of your sacrifice is to the degree of your reward.
As for covenant, it is
one key principle to enforcing prophecy. There are two sides to this: the
covenant God has with you and the one you made to God. Both are important.
People of covenant outlast their peers. Covenant means a formal written
agreement between two or more people recognized by law.
Relationship
between Sacrifice and Covenant:
Ps.
50:5 Gather my saints together unto me, Those that have made a covenant with me
by sacrifice.
Ex.
34:14-15 for thou shalt worship no other god: for Jehovah, whose name is
Jealous, is a jealous God: lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of
the land, and they play the harlot after their gods, and sacrifice unto their
gods, and one call thee and thou eat of his sacrifice
It is your sacrifice
that fuels your covenant. Anywhere covenant is seen, sacrifice follows. These
two keys will make anyone a sure wonder to this world without fail. When Christ
came, he made us a new covenant and laid the highest sacrifice that anyone
could ever lay – His body, a sinless life. On these two keys we make a surety
the blessing of Abraham in our lives. Our Job is to follow Jesus. The deeper we
become like Him, the more we see His glory.
·
FULL
REWARD
2 John 1:8 Look to
yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may
receive a full reward.
Ruth 2:12 "12 The
LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of
Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
Full here means
perfect, complete. God’s uttermost desire is to give us a complete reward and
that is what is called Eternal Reward. Our
reward is full when we meet Him in heaven. Heaven is our goal. Anyone who
enjoys his reward on earth but loses his eternal reward has lost everything.
According to the Gospel,
we know that Abraham entered into the fullness of his reward because Jesus acknowledges
him as ‘father’ in heaven and there was a figurative place called ‘Abraham’s bosom’. The full reward is
having a dynasty of impact in heaven and in the world to come. It is an everlasting
reward. This is the DOMINION stage of God’s blessing for His children.
How
can we enter into His Full Reward?
2
John 1:8 LOOK TO YOURSELVES, that we
do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.
Ruth
2:12 "12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of
the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art COME TO TRUST”
The emphasized portions
on the above scriptures reveal the secret to enter our full reward and that is
TRUST. Trust here means to remain faithful. Faithfulness to God and to your
assignment will keep you along the path of full reward.
Heb. 10:38 Now the just
shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure
in him.
We are to keep standing
for Christ. It’s those who labour till the end that will receive a full reward.
Mt 24:13 But he that
shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
