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You make an unsupportable assumption that the reward of talents is in and of this world. “The kingdom of heaven is like this” He said. We are given responsibilities for what we have (knowledge of Truth and material stuff) and what we do with them will be judged. But there’s not an absence of rewards in heaven:

“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10).

“Does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” (Proverbs 24:12)

“They will be paid back for the harm they have done.” (2 Peter 2:13)

“But they will have to give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:5)

In heaven we will worship God (Revelation 5:11-13), serve God (Revelation 7:15) and rule with God (Revelation 22:5). Service and ruling involve responsibilities, duties, effort, and creativity to do work well. This will be work with lasting accomplishment, unhindered by decay and fatigue, and enhanced by unlimited resources. Heaven will be a place of meaningful activity.

1. God promises great reward for those who have served him faithfully.

“The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-and for destroying those who destroy the earth” (Revelation 11:18).

2. God will reward every servant for this life’s labor.

“At that time each will receive his praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).

3. God will reward generously.

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29).

This is a promise of infinite return-a return far out of proportion to the amount invested.

4. God rewards what we do, not what we believe.

“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” (Matt. 16:27)

“God will give to each person according to what he has done.” (Romans 2:6)

“Because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:8)

5. God rewards us for kindness to the undeserving.

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” (Luke 6:35)

6. God rewards us for caring for our brothers in need.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:41)

7. God rewards us when we care for those too poor or incapacitated to pay us back.

“Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’” (Luke 14:12-14).

8. God rewards us for wise and productive use of the resources and opportunities he has given us.

“The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (Matthew 25:20-21)

9. God rewards us for being persecuted for Christ.

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.” (Luke 6:22-24)

10. God rewards us for identifying with those suffering for Christ, and for taking material loss.

“You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:34-36)

11. God rewards us in the right time. (Deferred comp-God doesn’t settle all his accounts in October.)

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

THE REWARD OF RULERSHIP

1. God will reward greater service on earth with greater responsibility in heaven.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.’” (Matthew 25:21)

2. God will reward faithfulness in the “small things” of this life with leadership over big things in heaven.

“Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’” (Luke 19:17)

3. God will make Christians rulers over the earth.

“They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)

4. God will make Christians rulers over angels.

“Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!” (1 Corinthians 6:3)

5. God requires certain conditions be fulfilled in order for us to serve as rulers.

“If we endure, we shall also reign with him.” (2 Timothy 2:12)

“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations . . . just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.” (Revelation 2:26-28)

CROWNS AS REWARDS

Crowns are a common symbol of ruling authority. Five crowns are specifically mentioned as rewards:

1. The Crown of Life-given for faithfulness to Christ in persecution or martyrdom.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer . . . Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

2. The Incorruptible Crown-given for determination, discipline and victory in the Christian life.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)

3. The Crown of Glory-given for faithfully representing Christ in a position of spiritual leadership (1 Pet. 5:1-4).

“To the elders among you, be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (1 Peter 5:1-4)

4. The Crown of Righteousness-given for purifying and readying yourself to meet Christ at his return.

“The time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:6-8)

5. The Crown of Rejoicing-given for pouring oneself into others in evangelism and discipleship.

“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?” (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

“. . . my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown . . .” (Philippians 4:1)

There may be innumerable crowns and types of crowns, and rewards unrelated to crowns. They are all graciously given by the Lord Jesus, and earned through the faithful efforts of the believer. Our rewards are given not merely for our recognition, but for Christ’s eternal glory:

“The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’” (Revelation 4:10-11)

Though God’s glory is the highest and ultimate reason for any course of action, Scripture sees no contradiction between God’s eternal glory and our eternal good. On the contrary, glorifying God will always result in our greatest eternal good. Likewise, pursuing our eternal good, as he commands us to, will always glorify God.

LOSING OUR REWARDS

1. We can forfeit rewards from God by seeking them from men.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6)

“How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44)

2. We can have rewards taken from us because of our unfaithfulness.

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Matthew 25:28-29)

3. We can become disqualified for rewards because of moral and spiritual compromise.

“No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)

4. We can lose rewards because of an unproductive life.

“If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:15)

5. We can lose rewards by carelessness and waste.

“Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.” (2 John 8)

6. We can have our rewards taken from us because of lack of attention to the obedient life.

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (Revelation 3:11)