Reward of Faith (Part 1)

Reward of Faith (Part 1)

(Revelation 21:1-27)

Yearly Theme:  “Joy is…”

Series Title:  “Eternal Joy”

December 20^th, 2020

Something to think about:

As we’ve been navigating the Advent of Christ this season from the perspective of faith and the eternal joy that comes through faith, we’ve observed that having faith in God isn’t always easy.  From Paul to Peter to the other writers of the epistles in the New Testament, the common theme of the “fight of faith” has overshadowed a false understanding of the Christian faith as being “the easy way.”  Rather, our life of faith in Christ can be overwhelmingly hard and difficult.  However, we’ve also learned that though hard, having faith in God and placing our complete trust in Him results in not only amazing growth and maturity, but also in joy and peace because of the eternal reward that lies ahead.  And this brings us to our passage of Scripture today, which will be part 1 of a part 2 message on the Reward of Faith.

So, what is the reward for having faith in God through His Son Jesus Christ? Let’s take a look…

Turn in your Bibles and follow along:  Revelation 21:1-27 (We will be using the New Living Translation, NLT, for service today).

So, what’s the key point this morning as we meditate on these 27 verses of Scripture from Revelation 21?

Key Point:  “The reward of faith is eternal life which results in eternal joy.”

What specific points from this passage enforce this understanding?

1. Eventually, God will make His  permanently among His  , and will make everything  and without flaw.

Revelation 21:3-4 (NLT), 3  I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

2. All who are  will inherit these  from God as His  .

Revelation 21:7 (NLT), All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

3. All those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be allowed to  , and no evil, or evil person will be allowed entrance.

Revelation 21:27 (NLT), Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Something to take home:

We live in a day-and-age where it’s popular to give everyone a reward – a participation trophy – but this isn’t the way it is in God’s Kingdom.  Only those who have remained faithful to God through Jesus Christ and have allowed Him to be Lord of their life, will be victorious in the end; only those who have fought the good fight of faith, who have run the race with endurance, will be allowed entrance.

And, unless you think this is too harsh for God to implement, don’t forget it’s not His desire that keeps people out of His Kingdom, but rather their own selfish pride, and desires that have kept them at bay.  Consider the words of Peter in his second letter to the Church in the New Testament as we close this morning:

2 Peter 3:3-18 (NLT),

³  Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. ⁴  They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”

⁵  They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. ⁶  Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. ⁷  And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.

⁸  But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. ⁹  The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. ¹⁰  But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

¹¹  Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, ¹²  looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. ¹³  But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

¹⁴  And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

¹⁵  And remember, the Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— ¹⁶  speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.

¹⁷  I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. ¹⁸  Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.

Key Point:  “The reward of faith is eternal life which results in eternal joy.”