Degrees of Reward? Degrees of Punishment?

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Degrees of Reward?Degrees of Punishment?

• What is a relative adjective?

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INTRODUCTION

• Some believe that heaven is heaven for all who
  enter it
• They believe that hell will be hell for all that
  are eternally punished
• There are also some who believe in various
  levels, degrees, intensity, or stages to heaven
  and hell
• Dantes Inferno has 10 levels in Hell

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English Grammar

• An adjective is a word that describes a person,
  place or thing.
• A relative adjective is a word that describes
  the relative size, shape, position of the
  person, place or thing.
• Examples of relative adjectives close, far,
  big, small, little, great, more, less, full,
  empty, better, worse

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Relative to Punishment

• Luke 1247-48 47 And that servant who knew his
  master's will, and did not prepare himself or do
  according to his will, shall be beaten with many
  stripes. 48 But he who did not know, yet
  committed things deserving of stripes, shall be
  beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is
  given, from him much will be required and to
  whom much has been committed, of him they will
  ask the more.

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Relative to Punishment

• Hebrews 1029 Of how much worse (sorer, KJV)
  punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought
  worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,
  counted the blood of the covenant by which he was
  sanctified a common thing, and insulted the
  Spirit of grace?

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Relative to Punishment

• Matt 1121-24 21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to
  you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which
  were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
  they would have repented long ago in sackcloth
  and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more
  tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of
  judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who
  are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to
  Hades for if the mighty works which were done in
  you had been done in Sodom, it would have
  remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that
  it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom
  in the day of judgment than for you."

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Relative to Punishment

• Matthew 1241 The men of Nineveh will rise up in
  the judgment with this generation and condemn it,
  because they repented at the preaching of Jonah
  and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
• Matthew 2314 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
  hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and
  for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you
  will receive greater condemnation.

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Relative to Punishment

• Matthew 2315 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
  hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win
  one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him
  twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
• James 31 My brethren, let not many of you
  become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a
  stricter judgment.

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Relative to Punishment

• 2 Peter 220-21 20 For if, after they have
  escaped the pollutions of the world through the
  knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
  they are again entangled in them and overcome,
  the latter end is worse for them than the
  beginning. 21 For it would have been better for
  them not to have known the way of righteousness,
  than having known it, to turn from the holy
  commandment delivered to them.

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Relative to Reward

• Matthew 512 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for
  great is your reward in heaven, for so they
  persecuted the prophets who were before you.
• Matthew 2131 Which of the two did the will of
  his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus
  said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax
  collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God
  before you.

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Relative to Reward

• Matthew 10 41-42 41 He who receives a prophet
  in the name of a prophet shall receive a
  prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous
  man in the name of a righteous man shall receive
  a righteous man's reward. 42 And whoever gives
  one of these little ones only a cup of cold water
  in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to
  you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

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Relative to Reward

• Luke 623 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in
  like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
• Luke 635 But love your enemies, do good, and
  lend, hoping for nothing in return and your
  reward will be great, and you will be sons of the
  Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and
  evil.

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Relative to Reward

• 2 John 18 Look to yourselves, that we do not
  lose those things we worked for, but that we may
  receive a full reward.
• We have looked at 8 punishment passages and 6
  reward passages all with relative adjectives to
  describe the punishment or reward.
• How will God decide who gets the few or many
  stripes?

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Judgment by Works

• Psalm 6212 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy
  For You render to each one according to his work.
• Matthew 1627 For the Son of Man will come in
  the glory of His Father with His angels, and then
  He will reward each according to his works.

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Judgment by Works

• 2 Corinthians 510 For we must all appear before
  the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may
  receive the things done in the body, according to
  what he has done, whether good or bad.
• 1 Peter 117 And if you call on the Father, who
  without partiality judges according to each one's
  work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of
  your stay here in fear

16
Judgment by Works

• Revelation 2012 And I saw the dead, small and
  great, standing before God, and books were
  opened. And another book was opened, which is the
  Book of Life. And the dead were judged according
  to their works, by the things which were written
  in the books.
• Revelation 2212 "And behold, I am coming
  quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to
  every one according to his work.
• 2 Timothy 414 Alexander the coppersmith did me
  much harm. May the Lord repay him according to
  his works.

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Judgment by Opportunity

• Mark 611 And whoever will not receive you nor
  hear you, when you depart from there, shake off
  the dust under your feet as a testimony against
  them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more
  tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of
  judgment than for that city!"

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Judgment by Opportunity

• John 319 And this is the condemnation, that the
  light has come into the world, and men loved
  darkness rather than light, because their deeds
  were evil.
• John 941 Jesus said to them, "If you were
  blind, you would have no sin but now you say,
  'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.

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Judgment by Opportunity

• John 1522 If I had not come and spoken to them,
  they would have no sin, but now they have no
  excuse for their sin.
• Romans 120 For since the creation of the world
  His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being
  understood by the things that are made, even His
  eternal power and Godhead, so that they are
  without excuse,

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CONCLUSIONS

• Reward and Punishment will be in various degrees.
• The judgment will be based on our works and our
  opportunity.
• Some have done much good with few opportunities.
• Others have done little with many chances.

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CONCLUSION

• Here is my illustration
• Come in from work in the field thirsty glass
  of water tastes pretty good
• Sit in Lazy Boy in AC house watching football
  game go to same source, get glass of water
• The difference is in our ability to appreciate
  the cold water.
• If you do more, work harder you will appreciate
  the rest in heaven