Below are sermons that explain the difficult biblical concept of eternal rewards, how they are reconcilable with a gospel of grace, and their particular connection with Christian generosity.
How to Be Wealthy Forever
Dale Johnsen. Sermon preached at Heart of the Valley Community Church, Reseda, Calif., December 1999.
Everyone wants to be wealthy forever. Of course, the location of our treasure has a lot to do with how long it lasts. Drawing from Matthew 6:19-24, pastor Dale Johnson gives us four tests to determine exactly where our treasure lies. If it is anywhere but heaven, then we need to re-evaluate our investments and retirement plans. Investing in heaven requires faith, but it has a tremendous payout that nothing on earth can match.
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What’s in It for Me?
Levi Durfey. Sermon preached at Longville (Minn.) Bible Chapel, January 27, 2002.
Pastor Levi Durfey discusses the various motives, both good and bad, for giving. In his teaching on alms in Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus warns us not to brag about our giving, expecting praise and admiration from others. This acclaim, though brief, will be all the reward we receive. However, Durfey explains that we also should not give out of a sullen sense of duty, without looking forward to any reward. Rather, we should give in secret in full expectation of our Father’s reward, which will not fade or lose value.
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Your Heart Follows Your Treasure
Adrian Dieleman. Sermon preached at Trinity Christian Reformed Church, Visalia, Calif., August 24, 2003.
“[God] wants your heart! He isn’t looking for ‘donors’ in His kingdom ... He wants people so filled with a vision for eternity that they invest their money, their time, their prayer, their talents, themselves in what really matters most.” Pastor Adrian Dieleman offers this two-part sermon on how valuable it is to lay up treasure in heaven and how foolish it is to lay up treasure here on earth. The sermon is taken from Matthew 6:21 and based on Randy Alcorn’s book, The Treasure Principle. Heaven will be place of bustling activity and responsibility. If we wish to play a key role in this eternal place, we must be faithful with what we have been given here on earth. If we store up treasures on earth, we are simply moving farther and farther away from them. But by being generous and laying up treasures in heaven, we move closer to our savings every day. With inspiring historical examples and many relevant Scripture passages, Dieleman does a through job of communicating the message of eternal reward.
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The Treasure Principle
Randy Alcorn. Sermon preached at the annual Generous Giving Conference, Atlanta, Ga., April 20-22, 2006.
“You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.” With this succinct phrase Randy Alcorn, founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries, introduces the concept that will cause a Copernican revolution in our way of thinking about material possessions: the treasure principle. God not only allows us to lay up treasure for ourselves, but he also commands us to do it; however, he wants us to change our investment strategy. Instead of throwing our money away for material possessions that ultimately will disappear, God desires that we invest our money in a stock that will go up for eternity: his kingdom. In doing so, we will find that our bondage to materialism will begin to be replaced by a heart for ministry, as we “track” our investments through prayer and increased generosity. In a sermon based on his book The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving, Alcorn gives us six keys with which to illuminate this life-changing principle. This resource is available on compact disc.
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The Treasure Principle
Randy Alcorn. Sermon preached at Generous Giving’s Pacific Northwest annual fall conference, Stevenson, Wash., October 19-21, 2006.
Why has God entrusted American Christians with so much wealth? Author and former pastor Randy Alcorn believes the answer is found in Scripture: “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion” (2 Corinthians 9:11a). Christians are God’s Fed-Ex workers on this earth. Our job is not to keep what he gives for ourselves but, rather, to deliver it to its intended destination. But Christian giving is much more than a rote duty; we have exciting incentives to give as well: (1) to live out God’s grace; (2) to receive an eternal treasure in heaven which will not fade; (3) to experience joy and fulfillment. Jesus taught us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20). In other words, Jesus urges us not to renounce treasure but to relocate it to a safer place. Alcorn explicates several passages which teach the “treasure principle” of pursuing eternal treasure, and these are the six key points: (1) God owns everything, and I’m his money manager. (2) My heart always goes where I put God’s money. (3) Heaven—the new earth—is my home, not this present earth that is under the curse of sin. (4) I should live not for the dot but for the line—not for my own short life but for eternity. (5) Giving is the only antidote to materialism. (6) God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving. Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
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Treasures in Heaven: Part 2
John MacArthur. Overcoming Materialism sermon series, no. 2. Sermon preached 2001.
Where our hearts are, there we may find what we treasure; where we invest our resources, there we may find what we value. When our hearts are right before God, we will invest in his causes. Using various passages from Scripture to clarify Matthew 6:19-24, pastor John MacArthur emphatically states that we must choose between two treasures (one on earth, one in heaven), two visions (the lamp as the eye of the body, either healthy or evil), and two masters (God or money). In light of these choices, MacArthur concludes that riches and treasures on earth, while not sinful in and of themselves, require wise and responsible management. We must place our hearts and our treasures in the Lord that we may serve him.
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The Life Hereafter: Heaven
D. James Kennedy. Chapter in Truths That Transform. Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1974.
In John 14:2-3, Christ encourages his disciples: “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” In this essay, Pastor Kennedy offers similar encouragement, looking at the description given in the New Testament book of Revelation concerning “the New Jerusalem”: Heaven here is described to us as a vast square, a city that is large enough to accommodate billions of people. Kennedy then explains the happiness and inheritance which await those who trust in Christ for their salvation. We can only contemplate and joyfully anticipate our future hope: There will be no sorrow, there will be neither sickness nor death, but there will be reunion and rejoicing amongst the people of God, forever growing in the knowledge of the Lord.
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Investing in Eternity
Randy Alcorn. Sermon preached at the annual Generous Giving Conference, Phoenix, Ariz., March 1-3, 2001.
Author and former pastor Randy Alcorn points out that the single greatest deterrent to giving among Christians is the illusion that the earth is our home. Under this illusion, Christians pursue earthly gain and make huge investments in earthly treasures that won’t last. It is only when we realize that our true, permanent home is in heaven with Christ that we begin to invest in what will last for eternity. Jesus exhorts believers in Matthew 6:19-24 not to store up treasure on earth, where it will be destroyed, but to store up for themselves treasures in heaven, where nothing can be destroyed. In other words, we can’t take our treasure with us when we die, but we can send it on ahead. God is calling us to operate in our own best interest. Alcorn notes many benefits for our hearts and futures when we give to the kingdom of God. When we invest in eternity, we won’t regret it. We can look forward to the day when the Lord says to us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23). Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time. However, materials are available for a similar talk.
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Living for the Line—Not the Dot
John W. Yates II. Sermon preached at the Falls Church, Falls Church, Va., November 3, 2002.
Not long ago, PBS aired a television program on the modern-day plague of “affluenza”. Has this life-destroying epidemic crept into your life? In a sermon based on Matthew 6:19-21 and Randy Alcorn’s book The Treasure Principle, pastor John Yates challenges us to view affluenza as the poison that it is. Only when we see that materialism is poison will we care to try the cure: generous giving. Though “you can’t take your earthly treasure with you, there’s a sense in which you can send it on ahead.” Therefore, we must rid ourselves of “the practical illusion that this earth, here and now, is our true home,” and begin to invest today in God’s eternal kingdom. That is the secret to living for the ongoing line, not the temporary dot.
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Heaven: The Giver’s Motivation
Randy Alcorn. Sermon preached at the annual Generous Giving Conference, Colorado Springs, Co., April 21-23, 2005.
Why are so many Christians not excited about giving—about storing up treasure in heaven? Because, former pastor Randy Alcorn argues, we’re not excited about heaven itself. Many of us are too comfortable in this life, and we have misconceptions about heaven that make it sound like a boring place. But Scripture tells us that heaven will be far more magnificent than anything we’ve imagined. It is the home we’ve always longed for; it is how things were intended to be. This world will disappoint us, for sin has corrupted it and filled it with sadness. But God will one day fix all that is wrong with this world and all that is wrong with us. Our “homesickness for Eden” will at last be satisfied, and we will encounter a world where every color is brighter, every beauty more exquisite, and every joy deeper than anything we’ve experienced before. Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
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Heaven: The Giver’s Reward
Randy Alcorn. Sermon preached at the annual Generous Giving Conference, Colorado Springs, Co., April 21-23, 2005.
As the title suggests, this address given by Randy Alcorn is an exhortation to anticipate the glories of heaven. And, as this author and former pastor argues, it is precisely the glory and majesty of heaven that should motivate us not only to give, but also to make our lives ones of giving. This is because heaven itself operates under what Alcorn calls an “economy of giving.” A full, biblical understanding of heaven and the Resurrection emphasizes the importance of our working and giving in this present life, for our work will continue into eternity. As Victor Hugo wrote, “When I go to the grave, I can say ... my day’s work is done, but I cannot say my life is done. No. My work will recommence the next morning.” Alcorn tells us that though this life is waning, we are not “past our peaks;” there is an eternity in which we will perfectly fulfill the image of God that is within us, both in our working and our resting, in our giving and receiving. Giving is not so much our labor on earth as it is our foretaste of heaven. Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
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The Biblical View of Money: Part 1
John MacArthur. The Biblical View of Money series, no. 1. Sermon preached 1997.
This sermon on 2 Corinthians 8-9 seeks to establish a biblical perspective on giving, in order to change the prevailing attitude of guilt to one of eager participation in God’s kingdom. Author and pastor John MacArthur notes that the Macedonian Christians begged the apostle Paul to allow them the opportunity to give. They realized that blessing and riches, both spiritual and material, come as a result of generosity. Today’s culture tries to persuade us to spend our money on shortsighted projects. Yet if everything we own belongs to God, then we must give Him an account of how we spend His resources. Money is a neutral tool that can be used for either good or bad; it reveals the heart condition of the one wielding it. A love of money leads to idolatry, or a dependence upon the power of something other than God for one’s security and driving motivation.
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God’s Kingdom, Our Stuff
Andy Stanley. Sermon preached at North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, Ga., 1997.
Stuff is funny, isn’t it? We acquire lots of stuff, because we think that it will “serve” us well. But in fact, we spend an absurd amount of time and money moving, storing, protecting, and insuring our stuff—serving it! In this two-part sermon, Andy Stanley preaches Jesus’ command to seek God’s kingdom, and not to worry about stuff. What I do with my stuff, it turns out, has a lot to do with my own future in God’s kingdom. Stanley exhorts us to use our possessions as tools for the kingdom. By investing in heaven, we will not be disappointed. Part 1, taken from Luke 16:1-13, pertains to the parable of the shrewd manager. Part 2, taken from Matthew 6:19-24, examines storing treasure in heaven. This resource is available on audiocassette; compact disc.
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The Principle of Being Trustworthy
Darryl Craft. Can You Be Trusted? series, no. 3. Sermon preached at Brainerd Baptist Church, Chattanooga, Tenn., February 16, 2003.
In the third sermon of his four-part series on principles of stewardship, pastor Darryl Craft investigates the relationship Jesus drew between earthly wealth and spiritual riches. In His Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-15), Jesus links the two forms of wealth in four ways: (1) The connection: Faithfulness in little actions, such as managing earthly resources, leads to faithfulness in great actions, such as handling spiritual wealth. (2) The comparison: We first must decide which resource, the temporal or the eternal, is truly valuable to us and then orient our financial decisions toward achieving that goal. (3) The clarification: Earthly wealth is given as a trust for us to manage, but spiritual wealth is given us to own. (4) The confrontation: Since no one can serve two masters, we must examine our personal lives and determine whom we shall follow. Since the wise management of earthly resources leads to a wealth that will never fade, Craft urges us to pursue heavenly riches with wholehearted devotion. Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
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Investing in Eternity
Randy Alcorn. Sermon preached at the annual Generous Giving Conference, Sarasota, Fla., February 28-March 2, 2002.
Many times we as Christians think that possessing wealth is a bad thing, “for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10a). Yet ministry leader and author Randy Alcorn, in sharing the basic tenets of his book The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving, teaches that God “is not against us having a treasure mentality” but, rather, against us having the wrong kind of treasure mentality. The treasures of this world are fleeting, but the Bible teaches to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy.” God does not call us to renounce our treasures but to relocate them. While we can’t take our wealth with us into the next life, we CAN send it on ahead. Storing up treasures in heaven means giving of what God has given us here on earth and someday reaping the eternal rewards of having been faithful. This resource also is available on compact disc.
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Investing in Eternity
Randy Alcorn. Sermon preached at the annual Generous Giving Conference, Atlanta, Ga., January 14-15, 1999.
God doesn’t just raise up givers; he raises up disciples. Their lives are so filled with a vision for eternity that they wouldn’t dream of not investing their money and their time and their lives where it will matter most. Once they see the treasures of eternity and become consumed by them, nobody will be able to keep them from giving.
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Lifestyles of the Rich and Worry-Free
Randy Alcorn. Eternal Perspective Ministries.
There’s only one kind of investment that’s risk-free—and the returns are out of this world.
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Financial Decisions with Eternal Consequences
Francis Chan. Sermon preached at Cornerstone Community Church, Simi Valley, Calif., April 4, 2004.
In this sermon on Luke 16:1-15 (the parable of the shrewd manager), Francis Chan addresses the relation between present financial decisions and eternal consequences. Many pastors, he admits, avoid this passage because of its interpretive difficulties. But Chan insists that its message is imperative for Christians who would use their money wisely. This resource is available on streaming audio.
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Giving Generously
Bob Coy. Sermon preached at Calvary Chapel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., May 15, 1988.
The Jordan River feeds two bodies of water in the Holy Land: The one, the Sea of Galilee, supports a variety of life because an outlet keeps the supply of water circulating and therefore fresh. The other, the Dead Sea, has no outlet, and the water that accumulates within its banks stagnates and kills all surrounding life. Thus, the Christian who gives away what he receives is the one who will impart life and blessing and reap reward. But what characterizes a “Galilean” giver? Several principles can be drawn from 2 Corinthians 8:1-24 and the beginning verses of the following chapter. A generous giver (1) is full of enthusiasm and initiative, operating upon God-given desires and actively seeking areas of service, (2) desires to advance the gospel, (3) is concerned with honoring God’s name rather than his own, (4) cultivates a reputation for honesty, (5) exercises a cooperative spirit, promoting unity rather than division, (6) fulfills previous promises of giving, (7) recognizes the principle of reciprocity (i.e., a large harvest requires a large sowing, and that if we don’t pour ourselves out, we will soon have nothing to pour), (8) seeks to align his motives with those of Christ, giving cheerfully rather than grudgingly, and (9) does not put off giving today, realizing that because God has already met all his spiritual needs, He is able to meet his physical needs as well. The generous giver who faithfully demonstrates these principles will bring blessing not only to the recipient of his gifts but also to himself and any others who hear of his work. Yet most importantly, such giving will result in praise to God. This resource is available on streaming audio.
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Laying up Treasure in Heaven
Jerry Falwell. Giving at a Higher Level, no. 1. Sermon preached at Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Va., March 2, 2003.
In this sermon based on Randy Alcorn’s book The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving, Falwell preaches from Matthew 6:19-21, the text commanding us to lay up treasures in heaven. Because we know that Christ is returning, we should live our lives in light of this, committing our possessions to the Lord and giving to Him through tithes and offerings.
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Money: Investing in Eternity
John F. MacArthur, Jr. Sermon preached at Grace Community Church, Panorama City, Calif., 1990.
In Matthew 6:19, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Very poignant, very direct, very simple words, easily understood. Jesus said, “Your treasure is to be invested in eternity.” The Lord then introduces to us this matter of using our earthly treasure for eternal purposes.
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The Heart with the Treasure
George MacDonald. From “Unspoken Sermons,” 1st ser. London: Alexander Strahan, 1867.
George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Scottish preacher and teacher as well as an author of 30 novels, numerous fairy tales, poetry, essays and sermons, whose works are still widely read today. In this sermon on Matthew 6:19-21, he stresses the relationship between the treasure and the heart. “What is with the treasure must fare as the treasure; that the heart which haunts the treasure-house where the moth and rust corrupt, will be exposed to the same ravages as the treasure, will itself be rusted and moth-eaten.” Thus, it is better to store up riches in the treasure-house of heaven.
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The Rewards of the Trading Servants
Alexander Maclaren. In Classic Sermons on Stewardship. Warren W. Wiersbe, comp. The Kregel Classic Sermons Series. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1999.
Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910), the great expository preacher and pastor of Union Chapel, Manchester, finds in Luke 19:17-19 a hierarchy of reward in the new kingdom based upon stewardship faithfulness on earth. Both servants in the the Parable of the Pounds (or Minas) received the same capital to invest, but one was more diligent than the other and received a greater reward upon the master’s return. Similarly, our lives here are but preparation for continued work in heaven; thus, our faithful working in the present will determine how fit we are for service in the future. Too often, the emphasis on the undeserved character of saving faith overshadows the important rewards of faithful living. Certainly, the second is not possible without the first; but such dependence does not negate our responsibility to be faithful stewards. We must prepare now for future heavenly service.
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The Blessedness of Giving
Robert Murray McCheyne. In Classic Sermons on Stewardship. Warren W. Wiersbe, comp. The Kregel Classic Sermons Series. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1999.
Robert McCheyne (1813-43), Scottish pastor of St. Peter’s Church, Dundee, explains the truth of Jesus’ saying in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Scripture repeatedly ties happiness to giving; all those beings who are happy are those who also give. For example, the angels, happy in the presence of God, are ministering servants. God, in unchanging happiness, gives freely to all, providing life and sustenance. Also, Christ gave freely of His blood that we might attain salvation. God, our exemplary model of giving, provides for both wicked and righteous alike. Though His children receive special concern (and should in the house of faith as well), He still gives much to those who manage His gifts poorly. Thus, scrupulous concerns over finding recipients worthy of our gifts must trouble us no more. Christians can also be assured of happiness in giving because God’s faithfulness will not leave them unrewarded. He rewards givers liberally, both now and in the future kingdom, but those who hoard their money on earth have spent any reward they had in heaven.
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Jesus Takes the ‘Stew’ out of Stewardship
Earle Vaydor Pierce. In Classic Sermons on Stewardship. Warren W. Wiersbe, comp. The Kregel Classic Sermons Series. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1999.
In this sermon, Earle Vaydor Pierce (1869-?), a pastor in the former Northern Baptist Convention, shows us that good stewardship is a joy and a blessing, rather than something we should “stew” about. Preaching from the parallel passages of Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:11-27, Pierce shows us that the servants who were faithful with their master’s possessions while he was away reaped a double harvest: They enriched their master who, in turn, enriched them. In the same way, we should seek to be faithful stewards of all that God has entrusted to us until Christ returns in glory. Becoming faithful stewards requires that we acknowledge Christ as Lord and ourselves as His bondservants, to abandon the attitude that life in the service of another is not worth it, and to realize that all of our lives, including our money, are to be invested with the aim of enriching our Master, the Lord Jesus. As Jesus’ parables make clear, Pierce preaches that the God whose kingdom we seek to build in this life will pour out His riches on us in heaven.
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The Reward of the Faithful
Dwight L. Moody. Spurgeon to Meyer, 1834-1929. Vol. 6 of 20 Centuries of Great Preaching: An Encyclopedia of Preaching. Clyde E. Fant, Jr., and William M Pinson, Jr., eds. Waco, Texas: Word Incorporated, 1971.
Dwight L. Moody (1837-99), evangelist and founder of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, preaches this impassioned sermon on heavenly rewards, using John 4:36 as a springboard. Focusing specifically on the work of Sunday school teachers, Moody reminds us of the rich heavenly reward in store for those who give of themselves to others. This sermon is full of stories of God’s grace and offers a zealous reminder to keep our focus on rewards to come. Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
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Riches That Bring No Sorrow
A.W. Tozer. Sermon, n.d.
Pastor, author and editor A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) expounds upon the verse Proverbs 10:22: “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.” Riches on earth, Tozer teaches, are temporal and will fade away. The only riches worth investing in are those the Lord bestows. This resource is available on streaming audio.
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Eternal Rewards
Bruce H. Wilkinson. Sermon preached at the annual Generous Giving Conference, Atlanta, Ga., March 2-4, 2000.
How do you trust the Lord with what He has entrusted to you? How big is your vision of what God can do? Pastor and Prayer of Jabez author Bruce Wilkinson examines Matthew 19:16-30 to share the message of being bold in asking God to bless you—so that you, in turn, might be a blessing to others. We must approach the throne of glory by constant sacrifice, asking God for more than we know we are capable of. Thus, when the prayers are answered, the glory will be His alone. In giving, God promises to bless those who faithfully serve Him and a vast reward will be theirs—not necessarily in this life, but certainly in the next. As Wilkinson testifies, great joy will come when God says, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” translated more loosely, “Thank you.” This resource is available on compact disc.
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