More Rewards

Bulletin

Dan Peters
09/03/23 - Heaven

More Rewards

The Bible teaches it is a sin to kidnap and enslave people, “…for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers …” (1Tim. 1:9-10). So kidnapping is sinful. But not all slaves became slaves this way. But when a slave hears the gospel and becomes a baptized disciple of Jesus, what are they to do? Actually slaves were such a large part of society in the first century, many books of the Bible address this issue directly (Eph. 6:1-9, Col. 3:22-4:1; 1Tim. 6:1-8). The answer is to serve your earthly master, “as to Christ”.
Serve Jesus by being the best slave you can be. “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With goodwill render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.” (Eph. 6:5-8).
It is not being a slave, but what kind of slave that matters to Jesus. In other words, being a slave was not much of a hindrance in your service to Christ. Jesus will take notice, “whatever good thing each one does”. Notice the singular is used not the plural, “whatever good thing”. Each individual service, action, deed, matters to Jesus and has it’s own reward. Just as your prayers, alms, fasting being done in secret will have it’s reward with God, so also “whatever good thing” will also have it’s reward. A slave who gives “even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward” says Jesus (Mat. 10:42).
Foolish Christians who do nothing will receive nothing (Mat. 25:26-30). Foolish Christians who do not feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, visit the imprisoned or the sick disciples will hear Jesus say, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Mat. 25:45-46). It may cost much more for a slave to feed his fellow Christian, but Jesus will not forget even “two copper coins” spent in service to him (Luke 21:1-4). The rich are to be rich in good works. These good works do not evaporate! But these rich-in-good-works-Christians are “storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” (1Tim. 6:19). In short God is fair. He rewards “whatever good thing”, that each Christian slave does. Amen! Dan Peters