Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 (NASB) 12"Behold,
I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according
to what he has done. 20He
who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly " Amen
Come, Lord Jesus. 21The
grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
When we think about
the future, we do not think much about the return of Christ, and neither did
many in the early church. So, John writes Revelation. He is writing to a people
who tended to see the future as doom, as the continual domination of Rome. They
think of God as having done something important in the past in sending Jesus,
but now God is inactive and will be in the future. So, in his last words, it is
as if John underlines the basic message over and over again.
Behold, I am coming quickly and my reward is with me. The
reward is not a gift for being good. The word literally means, “wages.” It is
like saying, “I am coming soon so that you might reap reliable results from the
life you have sown; so that you might know that your faith and obedience is not
in vain.” Do you ever wonder if all this effort to live the Christian life is
really worth it? Worth investment of your time and energy, worth the money you
give and the frustrations you sometimes feel? Jesus is bringing gifts to assure
us that the price we have paid to follow Jesus is worth it. There are few
things in life more discouraging than feeling, “I have tried and tried and it
just isn’t worth it. And few things more satisfying, more joyful than to sense
in our soul, “whatever the cost, whatever the price I have had to pay, it has
all been wonderfully worth it.”
Behold, I am coming quickly and my reward is with me.
He is coming to the person who has worked long hours for such a long time that
they do not know who they are or what they would do apart from their work. He
is coming to remind them “You are my
beloved. You are more than your job.” He is coming to parents who desire the
best for their child, and who are weary of spirit. He is coming to still their
busy soul and to give them new perspective and new desire and to give them
wisdom of heart to give their child what is really needed. He is coming to the
caregiver of an aging parent, to one who is being responsible and is dealing
with many different demands on them and the conflict of feelings. He is coming
to sing a song in the hearts of volunteers, that they are making a difference
and that they are doing something more than doing good for someone, but are
doing acts of love, and are sowing the seeds of God’s Kingdom.
Jesus says, “I am the
Alpha and the Omega.” He has us covered from beginning to end. Our life is
fitting into His plan. There is purpose to what we have done, what we are
doing, and what we will do. Our successes and failures, our gains and losses
all contribute to His purpose for our life. I know many of us can believe that
when we look back on our life. Can we still believe that about today and about
tomorrow?
From a sermon preached
by Henry Dobbs Pope May 24, 1998
© Rhonda Hinkle
Mitchell Broyles
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