The Rewards Of A Servant Series

A. Allow me to begin today’s sermon with two brief stories.

1. The first story is about a woman who lost her purse in the chaos of Christmas shopping.

a. Her purse was found by an honest young boy who returned to her.

b. When the woman looked into her purse to see if everything was there, she commented, "Hmmm.... That’s funny. When I lost my purse there was a $20 bill in it, but now there are twenty $1 bills.”

c. The young boy quickly replied, “That’s right, Mame, the last time I found a lady’s purse, she didn’t have any change for a reward.”

2. The second story involves the English poet Edmund Spenser, who once presented some poetry to Queen Elisabeth, who received it graciously and instructed her treasurer, Lord Burghley, to pay the poet 100 pounds.

a. Burghley, a prudent keeper of the royal purse-strings, protested that it was far too much.

b. The Queen told him, “Then give the poet what is reasonable.”

c. Burghley, however, conveniently forgot to make the payment and Spenser waited patiently for some time.

d. Eventually, he decided to petition the queen himself, which he did with the following poem:

“I was promised on a time, to have reason for my rhyme;

From that time to this season, I received no rhyme or reason.”

e. Queen Elisabeth scolded Burghley and ordered him to pay the poet.

3. The good news for us is that unlike Lord Burghley the treasurer, Our God never forgets to reward those who have served Him well and God doesn’t need us to supply the right currency for our reward – He’s got it covered.

B. In our sermon last week from our Serving Like Jesus series, we talked about the perils of a servant.

1. We used Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, as a case study in the perils servants encounter.

2. We witnessed Gehazi experiencing a number of perils:

a. First, he faced the peril of being overprotective and possessive of the one he served.

b. Second, he faced the peril of feeling used and unappreciated.

c. Third, he faced the peril of experiencing hostile, undeserved disrespect and resentment.

d. And finally, he faced the peril of hidden greed that prompted him to take what rewards he wanted.

e. The perils servants face must be navigated appropriately or it will derail their service or cause them to lose their reward.

C. Today, I want us to leave the dark side of serving and focus on God’s positive promised rewards.

1. Serving definitely has its rewards, and they are numerous.

2. The rewards of serving far outweigh the perils and difficulties of serving.

3. When we think about the rewards of serving, they help to motivate us to keep serving.

D. On one occasion, Peter asked Jesus an important question, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” (Mt. 19:27).

1. We might paraphrase it like this: “We’ve given up a lot to follow you. Is it really worth it?”

2. Some of us may well be wondering the same thing.

3. Perhaps we have given up a lot, whether it be the loss of careers, families, jobs, status, or pride.

4. Is it really worth it? Is there some sort of reward in store for us?

5. The good news is that our labors and sacrifices are not in vain. Our efforts will be rewarded.

E. I believe it is helpful to discuss the kind of rewards God promises for us, because scripture has quite a bit to say about it.

1. God knows that we wonder about the rewards and He knows that we need some answers.

2. Therefore, God inspired the writers of Scripture to talk about rewards.

4. I am confident that when God promises a reward, we will find it extremely rewarding - far above what we could even think to ask (Ephesians 3:20).

F. Let’s begin by looking at the way that Jesus answered Peter’s question: “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Mt. 19:28-29).

1. The Gospel of Mark makes it clearer that Jesus is talking about two different time periods: “No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields - and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30).