Title: Religious Reward
2010.7.11 Sunday Morning Worship Sermon
Bible: 1 Peter 4:12-14
Title: Religious Rewards
1 Peter 4:12-14 ‘12. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that comes to try you, as if something strange happened to you.
13. But rejoice in your sharing in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may rejoice and rejoice when His glory is revealed. 14. Blessed are you if you are reviled in the name of Christ, the Spirit of glory, God for the Spirit of God rests upon you' - Amen.
It is a natural right to think about the price of labor. The reward mentality also works in our religious life. Even Buddhism, a religion with a post-cultural mindset, expects a religious reward for some ego bliss (self-liberation) after cultivating the Way, and it is not wrong for Christians to expect a reward.
It is not a sin for a Christian who lives by relying on God to expect God's blessings through faith, but rather is faith itself.
Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.”
I would like to share a message on the topic of <reward of faith> through Christian life.
1. The Christian faith must be accompanied by trials
The work of the world is rewarded as much as the work done, but the Christian life is not secular, and because of the completely new goals and methods of thought and treatment, confusion and difficulties follow at any age and for everyone. The important thing is that hardship does not mean that your faith is wrong, but that the difficulty is normal.
Text, 1 Peter 4:12 ‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that comes to try you, as if something strange happened to you.
If we were to explain why there are difficulties if we live according to Christian thought, we can give various answers, but to put it simply, the quality of life is different.
John 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.”
2. The reward of glory to be given in the latter days (Judgment Day)
In general, religion is said to be blessed if it helps you to live in this world. And if we look at the religious influence of world history, we see that most of the developed countries of the world were created by Christianity and many glorious cultures were created.
Text, 1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice in your sharing in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may rejoice and rejoice in the manifestation of his glory.”
Luke 6:23 “Rejoice and leap for joy in that day, for your reward is great in heaven, as their fathers did to the prophets.”
Paul said in Romans 8:18 that the sufferings we face in the course of life cannot be compared with the glory that will be given to us in the future.
3. The most precious reward is with the Holy Spirit
Many people want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. However, they are misunderstood as being filled with the Holy Spirit when they are led by greed and must receive the laying on of hands at a strange meeting or experience a mystery through strange teaching.
Do you remember the words of Peter when people were heartbroken and repented when the apostles preached the gospel for the first time?
Acts 2:38 “…Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”
Today’s text, 1 Peter 4:14, “Blessed are you if you are reviled for the name of Christ, for the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, rests on you.”
When people become discouraged while believing in Jesus, it is mainly because they cannot overcome suffering and misunderstand. Actually, I want you to remember the fact that the Holy Spirit is coming right over your head at the moment of suffering.
Do not think about going to any prayer center or a strange meeting to receive it, but live in the name of the Lord in your daily life and know that the moment the Holy Spirit is about to come when you are insulted.
Thomas Watson said, 'We can lose for God's sake. But there will be no loss because of God.”
Jeremiah 32:19 “You are great in counsel and mighty in your actions; You pay attention to all the ways of mankind, and you reward them according to their ways and the fruit of their deeds.”
Even if people do not know it, God is the one who always rewards that person for their good deeds.
The world is always changing, and the value of good or bad luck changes. However, God does not change and always prepares a reward for those who live according to the promised Bible truth. Even in this world, although suffering follows, he rewards and makes it well. It is difficult to make excuses for believing in Jesus and suffering, poverty, and sickness for too long without any reason.
As children of God, we really suffer because of the thoughts of Christ, but we believe in God who will surely reward us if we persevere and live according to the Bible. I pray that you and I will be able to receive grace every day according to the promises of the living Lord.