God Rewards You

Part II

Pastor Young Joon Park

September 14, 2008

 

Summary Part One

 

I. The Christian life is faith in God

 

Hebrews 11:6

And 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.

 

1. Jesus praised the people who had faith

  1) A Centurion – Matthew 8:5-13

  2) A woman who had a bleeding problem for 12 years – Matthew 9:18-20

  3) A Canaanite woman – Matthew 15:22-28

  4) The friends’ faith – Mark 2:1-12

 

2. Jesus rebuked the people who had no faith

  1) His Disciples – Mark 4:35-41

2) Peter – Matthew 14:25-31

 

3. Jesus tested people’s faith

  1) His Disciples – John 6:5-6

 

4. Jesus encourages us to have faith

  1) The power - mustard seed faith – Matthew 17:20

  2) Resurrection – no fear – Mark 5:36

  3) Everything is possible – Mark 9:23-24

 

5. Two Pillars of our faith

1) He who comes to God must believe that He is

2) He must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him

     a) We need to diligently seek Him

     b) We need to know that our God is generous to us

     c) We have to have faith in Him and trust Him alone

  3) We can please Him with our faith

 

II. Live by faith

Jim Williams’ Testimony

1. God cares about your problems

 

2. God helps you to use your potential

 

3. Walk by faith

 

Challenge

Do you have a desire to receive a reward from the Lord.  Also do you want your life to shift to a new level?

What area do you want changed to get to the new level?

Find out what you need to do according to Hebrews 11:6.

Trust the Lord that He wants to reward you.

 

 

III. God, Himself, is for you

 

1. God's Name

 

EL: God (mighty, strong, prominent)
ELOHIM: God (a plural noun, more than two, used with singular verbs, the dual form Eloah is used in Job)

EL SHADDAI: God Almighty or "God All Sufficient."
ADONAI: "Master'' or "Lord"

JEHOVAH: LORD in our English Bibles.

Yahweh is the covenant name of God.

 

     1) JEHOVAH-JIREH to Abraham & Isaac (Genesis 22:14)

"The Lord will provide."
He had an encounter with the Lord and became the father of nations.

But he was requested by the Lord to give up his son Isaac, and he simply obeyed the Lord.

 

     2) Yahweh (JEHOVAH) to Moses and Israel (Exodus 3:14)

Moses was called to deliver Israel out of Egypt when he had an encounter with the Lord.

He had no qualifications to be a leader.

He did not live with them for 40 years, so he was a stranger to them.

He was a shepherd, and was not involved in politics at all.

He was 80 years old, and considered old to be a leader.

 

But he came to Israel in the name of the Lord God Yahweh.

His background included knowing the Lord and having a relationship with Him.

 

God gave him the victory when he had a battle with the Amalekites.

He decided to pray to the Lord and lift his arms up to God.

 

     3) JEHOVAH-NISSI to Israel (Exodus 17:15)

"The Lord is Our Banner."

He is the One who brings the victory for us.

     4) JEHOVAH-SHALOM to Gideon (Judges 6:24)

"The Lord Our Peace"

He was not a brave warrior from the beginning, but he had an encounter with the Lord.

    

     5) There are many other Names of God

 

We have so many different Names of God.

Rock, Refuge, Shadow, Fortress, Love .....

 

Jesus Christ has so many Names too.

Shepherd, Living Bread, Living Stone, Word, Light …..

 

Why do we have so many different Names of God?

He has so many Names, because our Lord does fulfill our every need and He is our  only source.

He is not a concept God, but He is the Living God. He is with us everyday and working in us. God wants us to trust Him alone.

 

We really need to trust the Lord who is our perfect source.

 

Application

Hannah is one example who trusted God as her source.

Her conflict was not with the other woman, but that she had no yet given birth to a child.

So whenever she went to the house of the Lord with her husband, she poured out her heart to God.

 

She knew that having a child required help from the Lord.

So she gave her burden to God and trusted the Lord as her source.

Her conflict was over when she was given a child as a gift from the Lord.

When she vowed to the Lord to give her first child to Him, she then waited for God alone. From that moment her conflict vanished from her life, because she believed that God would give her a son.

 

I Samuel 1:18

She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

 

The result of her action of faith

Samuel (meaning: Because I asked the LORD for him: heard of God) was born, and he was the last Judge. He also helped build the Kingdom of Israel.

Also she made an oath to dedicate him to the Lord, and the boy stayed in the House of God from the beginning of his dedication.

 

Also later, God gave her 3 more sons and 2 daughters

 

 

2. God is the only One we can trust

Many times we hear that the problem will be solved if we believe it.

But Jesus told us, 

Mark 11:22

And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God."

We are not relying on our ability, but the Lord alone.

 

What do you do when you are sick?

 

We had a meeting with Doctor Jeff who is Janet's main doctor.

He said several times, “I am not God."

What he is saying is that as a doctor he could not find any other solution for her cancer.

There is no way to treat her case from a medical stand point.  I know that it is only under the mighty hand of the Lord that He will glorify His Name among us.

 

Is your doctor your solution when you are sick? Yes, we do believe the doctor and the medicine do help the patients, but they cannot heal us completely.

They find the problem, diagnosis the situation, and give the right treatment. But they rely on the patient's body system to heal the problem by itself.  This means that the healing is only in the Lord's hands.

 

How about any other situation in your life?

 

Do you trust the Lord all the time?

Or do you rely on people or any other sources like time, money, etc. only?

 

3. God is the only One with unlimited resources.

Philippians 4:19

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 

If you want to research something else,

When I was in college in 1971, I had to go to the library and find books on subjects, and spend time reading books.

 

But now you do not need to go to the library.

You just turn on your computer and go onto the internet. There are tons of resources.

I enjoy researching particular topics.

 

God has unlimited resources for us.

 

He has an endless supply for you and me.

He never has a shortage of supplies for us.

 

I believe that God has already prepared for your needs, so we just need to trust the Lord alone and walk by faith.

 

Also I believe that God has prepared for the needs of One Glory Church too.

 

4. God gives you generously and without reproach.

     1) God is a giver

James 1:5

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

 

     2) God is our Father

Matthew 7:11

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

 

One of the richest men in America.

He stayed at a 2nd class hotel whenever he traveled, but his son always stayed at a 1st class hotel.

One reporter was curious and asked him why he stayed at a 2nd class hotel even though his son stayed at a 1st class hotel.

His answer was, “My son has a rich father, but I do not have a rich father."

 

We have the richest Father in the universe.

 

Testimony

The Hanauma Bay is a very famous place in O'Hau, because you can snorkel and see  nature under water. They suggested that we have to be there early in the morning, otherwise there is no parking space at all. Last Wednesday when we were in Hawaii, we wanted to visit the Hanauma Bay, but we arrived there at 11 AM. 2 guards were at the entrance to give us a sign that the parking lot is full. I could not stop my car in the middle of the road, so we turned around to come back to the gate to get some information.

One of them said that after 3 PM it would be available, so we stopped and studied the map where we had to go for several minutes, and then we tried to pass the entrance again to go to the next place. This time the 2 guards were not there when we approached the gate to pass, and also the gate was opened. God opened the door for us.

The place was so beautiful, I snorkeled  in the water, and I saw many fish under the water. They swam with me and my wife. The fish were so peaceful and they had no fear being around us. I loved to watch them, so I stayed in the water a long time with my wife. My entire life, I never had this opportunity to snorkel under water.

I could not stop praising the Lord.

 

Even our Father God did not ignore my desire to see nature.

 

     3) God enjoys giving you

Psalm 23:

Ps 23:1 The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Ps 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters,

Ps 23:3 He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.

Ps 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,

for You are with me; Your Rod and Your Staff, they comfort me.

Ps 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my

head with oil; my cup overflows.

Ps 23:6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in

the house of the LORD forever.

 

He does everything for us continually.

Let the Lord do something for you, instead of you trying to do things for Him.

 We need to renew our minds to see the true Father, and receive His Love.

 

     4) God loves us even we do wrong

Generally Christians believe that God loves us when we do right, and we also believe that we are worthy to receive His love. Also we do not feel worthy to the Lord when we do wrong.

 

He is our Shepherd, and He knows our weaknesses. That is why He takes

care of His sheep, and also He will be concerned if even one sheep is lost.

 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,"declares the LORD,"plans to prosper you and

not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 

His plans are

  1. To prosper you
  2. Not to harm you
  3. To give you hope
  4. To give you a future.

 

IV. God rewards you now

  1. God wants to reward His Children

God loves to reward you all the time.

Hebrews 11:6

And 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.

 

When I was in college, one of my major classes was on Saturday. But we had a special Christian fellowship that I needed to attend every Saturday. Unfortunately this major class was at the same hour as my Christian fellowship. My professor was not flexible in this area, and I had zeal to attend this on going ministry. So I decided to walk by faith and ask my professor if I could skip the class.

I was a little bit nervous at the moment, but I requested to skip the class and I shared that I needed to attend this meeting even though he was not a Christian.  I also  promised to stay caught up in the class.

I do not know about the USA, but in Korea attendance is a big portion of the class credit.

 

Unexpectedly, my professor did not resist my request at all, and on top of that he granted my request. I believe that God honored my faith and answered me because He had a plan for my life involving this fellowship.

Not only did the professor honor my request, but at the end of the quarter He gave me the highest grade in the class.

When we walk by faith God always honors our commitment.

 

Do not negotiate with the circumstances, but walk by faith to influence the circumstances.

 

2. How God gives us rewards

     1) He rewards us according to our need

Philippians 4:19

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 

This promised word is the assurance of a reward when we need it.

 

Testimony

One person who founded the Christian Camp – he built a huge facility for this camp.

Question from one gentleman – “How did you believe that God will support you to build  this camp and what was your expectation."

 

His answer –

1)     He knew that it was a calling from the Lord

2)     He made the blue print for this camp and budgeted for this facility

3)     He needed to order materials and start construction

4)     He did not have any money to order the materials for construction

5)     His job was 1) 2) 3)

6)     God's job was 4)

 

When we know the will of God, our job is to make a plan. Next, we have to rely on the Lord to provide because the plan is from the Lord. We should not start to plan from the beginning if it is not from the Lord.

 

Matthew 6:30, 33

30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

He will finish what He planned for His Kingdom.

That is why we should not worry about the rest of them.

 

God does not rely on us, but He commissioned us to fulfill His Will.

 

God rewards us through our faith.

So let's walk by faith in our daily life.

Do you have any health issues?

Do you have any family issues?

Do you have certain issues to solve?

 

satan tries to destroy us through issues, but God uses it to give us life and abundant rewards. So we need to trust the Lord who promised us in Hebrews 11:6 to walk by faith.

 

     2) God rewards us for our concern

The Concern is wanting to take care of our burdens.

 

Psalm 138:8

The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is

everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

 

Nehemiah 2:

Nehemiah heard about the destruction of Jerusalem, and he was concerned about Jerusalem. He was the king's cup bearer. King's question – his answer – king granted him to go to Jerusalem, and also the king had a plan to support Jeremiah and supply the material to build Jerusalem.

 

This seemed impossible in the natural, but God rewarded Jeremiah's concern.

 

God will reward you with what concerns you.

Your family, your church, your business, your brothers and sisters…

I am concerned about each one of you know matter what difficult situation you are facing, and I believe that God rewards my concern.

 

     3) God rewards us for our desire

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the LORD;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

 

Testimony

I know one spiritual leader who influenced the world through the Lord.

His daughter wanted to get married, so she made a list of all her desires.

She finally married, and she found that her husband was exactly what she had desired.

 

Our God understands our desires, and He wants to give us our desires too.

I am not talking about desires that come from a wrong motive where sometimes God answers us in a different way.

 

I would like to suggest you make a list and show it to your Father.

He wants to give you the best things for your life.

 

3. Reason God rewards you for your faith

 

Many people believe that receiving a reward is selfish, but when we read Hebrews 11:6 we can find the truth about rewards.

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and (for he who comes to God must believe) that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

 

We must believe these two facts. We must believe that He is, and at the same time we must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

       1) Jesus –

Hebrews 12:2

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

       2) Abraham

Hebrews 11:10

for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

 

       3) Moses

Hebrews 11:26

considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

 

       4) God's Children

Galatians 4:7

Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

 

 

Conclusion

We need to grow continually in our Faith.

Let's evaluate our faith and right it down on a list.

Start from the urgent things, and then move on to the next one.

It is time for you to practice it, and then you can see the reward from the Lord.