WEEK 1 - THURSDAY
Bible Reading: Mt 5–7; John 10:28; Rom 6:23
Read and pray: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)
THE REWARD IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Let us continue. Many people know that there is a difference between salvation and reward. However, there are several people who do not see what the reward is. In the Bible, the words spoken either by the Lord Jesus or by the apostles concerning reward and the kingdom were not spoken lightly, just as neither were those concerning gift and eternal life.
When the Lord Jesus says in the Gospel of John that He gives eternal life to His sheep, He is speaking reality and not empty words (John 10:28). Romans 6 says that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (v. 23). It is very evident that the gift of God is eternal life. Then, what is the reward?
The Bible clearly shows us that the reward is the crown, the throne, and the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is the reward. In the Bible, there are three aspects of the kingdom of heaven.
The kingdom of heaven is mentioned twice in these few beatitudes. At the end the Lord says: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Mt 5:11-12). Here, we must admit that the reward is the kingdom of heaven.
The Lord begins by saying that such and such people are blessed because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. At the end He says that these people are blessed because their reward is great in heaven.
These similar sentences show us that the kingdom of heaven is God’s reward. There is no difference between the two. In the sermon on the mount, the Lord mentioned the matter of reward many times, for such a sermon concerns the kingdom.
Matthew 5:46 says: “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” Matthew 6:1-2 says: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”
Verse 5 says: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. They have received their reward.” Verse 16 says: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do. (…) They have received their reward in full.”
Verse 4 says: “So that your giving may be in secret; then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Verse 6 says: “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.”
The final part of verse 18 says: “And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Every reader of the Bible agrees that the main subject of the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5 to 7 is the kingdom of heaven. But here, the matter of reward is also mentioned repeatedly, because the kingdom of heaven is the reward.
Enjoy more:
Hymn - Praise the Lord - “His Redemption”
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