THE ETERNAL REWARD

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose the prize for which we have been working so hard. Be diligent so that you will receive your full reward. For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God. But if you continue in the teaching of Christ, you will have fellowship with both the Father and the Son.

2 John 1:7-9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I think we all look forward to being rewarded in life.

This desire begins in our earliest years as we are taught that proper behavior leads to some sort of gain.

A young child might be treated to ice cream or some other treat of their choosing for being well behaved.

When students study hard, they learn that they can earn good grades and special academic ranking and recognition.

Teens earn allowances for pitching in and helping out around the house.

Adults are given raises or promotions for outstanding performance in the work place.

And workers who dedicate many years of service to a company will earn the blessing of retirement pay so to have income in their latter years when they are no longer employable.

Indeed, from infancy to senior adulthood, we learn to seek and gain material rewards but this is in accordance with a worldly reward system, one that carries with it no eternal benefit. Everyone has an expiration date in this earthly existence and as the old saying goes, “You can’t take it with you”, alluding to the folly in striving to amass riches and possessions that will remain behind and go to someone else once you pass away.

Now, it’s sad to say this but there are multitudes of people in the world – past, present, and in the future – who will only know of and/or acknowledge this one reward system, doing so while giving no regard or credence to the eternal reward system God has put in place. And out of all the rewards a person might be able to gain in life, none are greater than the one God gives to those who simply choose to believe and follow His one and only Son, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

As we continue to look at John’s second letter, we find him discussing this amazing gift of God with his readers which now include all of us today. He writes:

I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose the prize for which we have been working so hard. Be diligent so that you will receive your full reward. For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God. But if you continue in the teaching of Christ, you will have fellowship with both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:7-9

Here, we’re reminded that Satan is hard at work trying to mislead people and lead them away from any belief in Jesus. The scriptures tell us he has sent out “deceivers” who are nothing short of antichrists, those we have discussed in recent messages as being anyone who opposes Jesus.

The Word of God here seeks to warn Christians to avoid being misinformed and duped so to lose the prize and full blessed reward that God wishes for them, the prize and reward that all Gospel evangelists like John worked hard to bring people to know of. They aren’t to wander from the teachings of Jesus, the teachings that bring complete obedience to God which result in a life defined by righteousness and holiness.

For Jesus and Jesus alone was sent by our Heavenly Father to serve as a sin sacrifice for all mankind, the Lamb of God sent to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29), my sins, your sins, and the sins of every other person who has ever been created. He was a perfect, faultless, and unblemished sacrifice, nailed to Calvary’s cross to provide final atonement so that any sinner who would believe in Him would avoid perishing and be saved from certain destruction and the damnation of Hell forever.

God’s Word is clear that there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22) and so Jesus’ blood was spilled out on the cross so to cleanse us and prepare us to join Him in Heaven with the Father at this life’s end. Indeed, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. (For) God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it but to save it" (John 3:16-17).

Brother and sisters in Jesus, our coming resurrection and liberation from the afflictions of this world is the eternal reward promised by our Lord, the reward of a place in the very Kingdom of Heaven where we will live with our Father God and His Son Jesus forever. There, we will continue to enjoy "fellowship with both the Father and the Son" but in person, immersed in their glory, light, and love.

I don’t know about you but I can’t wait for that day.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.