Rewards

He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 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. And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward (Matthew 10:40-42).

Salvation is knowing God the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 17:3). A person cannot believe in God the Father apart from Jesus Christ the Son. God gives salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus made this abundantly clear to the Jews. You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also . . . If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me (John 8:19,42).

Not every Christian has seen Jesus in the flesh. Since His ascension, Christians have believed in and received Jesus Christ through the witness of His disciples, missionaries, evangelists, pastors, teachers, etc. To receive them (their witness) is to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ they proclaim. In turn, the believer receives the reward they also have received from those before them. What is that reward?

    • Abundant life Jesus came to give.
    • Eternal life in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
    • Fellowship with the Father and the Son through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
    • The authority to lead others to faith in Jesus, and the joy that comes with that.
    • Various other rewards given by the Holy Spirit for faithful service.

Again, the immediate context of these verses is the sending out of the disciples to prepare the Jews for Jesus and His public ministry. For their faithfulness they would be rewarded. For those receiving the disciples and their witness of the Gospel they would be rewarded. And the chain of blessing (reward) continues from generation to generation until the Lord returns to take us home.

With these words Jesus concluded His instructions to the His disciples in preparation for their mission. We would do well to review the entire 10th chapter of Matthew and learn from the Master how we are to continue His mission in our day.

“Lord Jesus, thank You for not leaving us alone after You had ascended to the Father in heaven. You sent the Holy Spirit to be our comfort and guide, just as You promised You would. And thank You for giving us instruction on how to conduct Your work here on earth. May we take Your words to heart and find the joy that only You can give to those who are faithful in Your service. May Your Kingdom continue to increase through our efforts. In Your holy name I ask, Amen.”

Pastor