I. Rewards For Followers Of Jesus

A. Peter’s Concern V. 27

1. Peter witnessed the conversation between Jesus & the rich, young ruler
2. He heard Jesus’ challenge him to leave worldly loves, & follow Christ
3. He heard Jesus’ offer of eternal life to this young man
4. He watched the young man sadly turn and walk away
5. He heard Jesus explain the difficulty of rich men entering into Heaven

a. They tend to love earthly things, & be self-reliant
b. Jesus said you must become like a child- dependent, needy, trusting

6. Peter saw that the man had chosen this world, & its riches
7. Conversely, Peter had left everything to follow Jesus
8. Peter asked what he’d gain from forsaking earthly treasures & following Jesus
9. NOTE- Peter understood that he needed to be willing to  leave all

a. Some want the blessings of Jesus w/o being willing to follow Him
b. Truly following Jesus, calls for willingness to  leave all as God might direct
c. See Matthew 16:24, 25

B. Jesus’ Answer To Peter (And To Us) Vs. 28, 29

1. For Peter & the other disciples (except Judas Iscariot, replaced perhaps by Paul)

a. In Eternity- in the “Regeneration”- they would rule and judge with Jesus

i. Regeneration- to return something to its pristine state, to bring something to its perfect condition
ii. Titus 3:5  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit…

b. On Earth- For whatever they had forsaken on Earth, there would be multiplied blessings back to them upon Earth

i. A man may lose his family or home if he decides to follow Jesus
ii. He gains exponentially as he becomes part of God’s family
iii. Whatever earthly forfeits Peter made, God would more than supply his needs and multiply back to him.
iv. Luke 18:30 “…many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

c. Additionally- These men helped established the spiritual foundation for the Present day church
Ephesians 2:20 “…having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone…”
Ultimately- eternal life

2. Rewards For Us

a. Earthly rewards– not to be measured by worldly standards

i. We have a Christian family and many places to lay our heads

b. Heavenly rewards- Ruling & reigning with Christ Revelation 3:21

3. Some Don’t Care About Heavenly Rewards Right Now

a. When that day comes, you will care
b. Have you ever discovered yourself wrong about something spiritual?
c. There was something spiritual truth you didn’t believe or take seriously, and you ignored God’s word?
d. Later you discovered that God’s word was true, & that you were wrong
e. You came to regret that you didn’t take God’s word seriously
f. You came to regret that missed opportunity to obey God’s word
g. You came to regret that missed blessing that you could have had
h. In this life, you can obey what you previously didn’t take seriously

i. In eternity, there will be no second chances
ii. Whatever sp. opportunities were missed will be forever gone

i. Heaven will be glorious; we will all have full cups, running over

i. Every one of us will be filled w/the joy of being in God’s presence
ii. Each one will be fully blessed with the rewards that God gives us
iii. Our cups will be full, but the question is:
How big of a cup will you have?

j. We will all have a full cup, but the size of your cup in heaven will depend on how much of your life was lived for Jesus while on Earth

II. Jesus’ Teaching On Heavenly Rewards 19:30-20:16

A. Earthly Illustration-The Vineyard Owner

1. Available workers waited with their tools in the marketplace, hoping to be hired
2. Those starting in the morning were promised a denarius, a day’s wage-fair
3. At the end of the day, those hired early expected more than those hired at 5 p.m.

B. Lessons To Learn

1. God will reward differently than we might think Vs. 19:30, 20:16

a. We think that we know how God ought to reward His children
b. In Heaven, we will be surprised at some of God’s decisions
c. There will be some that we would have thought deserved more
d. Others, we will have thought deserved less, perhaps nothing
e. I believe that we will be judged on faithfulness, not overall “production”
f. There will be surprises in Heaven when the rewarding is being done
g. It is God’s righteous determination that matters, not our opinion
h. Peter asked- What shall we have? Whatever the Lord rightly gives you
i. God is never less than fair, but He is often abundantly more than fair
j. So, the disciples should expect to be rewarded – but should not be surprised if, when God will reward others in unexpected ways.

2. Don’t be jealous of others, compare yourself, or be bothered Vs. 20:9-12
See 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
3. Don’t misjudge the Lord Vs. 20:13-15
Evil eye– envious, covetous man, objecting to other’s prosperity & blessing
4. It never too late to start serving God, to start over with God V. 20:6, 7
Moses started at 80. Last third of his life was most productive. Isaiah 43:18, 19