Evangelism Part 39: Jesus’ Rewards Program
Matthew 10:40-42 June 23, 2024
Introduction
Rewards programs…buy 10 get 1 free, rewards points, membership levels, free stuff.
o Chik fil a, Starbucks, Microsoft, McDonalds, Apple, Amazon, Ford, Tesla, credit
card companies, banks…pretty much everything that sells something has a
rewards program.
Matthew 10:40-42 “40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me
receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because
he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives
one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to
you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Rewards Received
“Receives” (used 6 times in these verses) (Gk. dechomai)
o We studied dechomai in Matthew 10:14 “And if anyone will not receive you or
listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house
or town.”
Literally = “to receive by deliberate and ready reception of what is offered”.
It denotes very little action beyond being happy to take possession of
something. An example is receiving a kind word or receiving a guest into
your home.
o Note the difference between “receive” in Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without
pay.” And Matthew 10:38 “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is
not worthy of me.”
In the above verses “receive” (Gk. lambanō) means to forcibly seize or take
o There is a certain distinction between Dechomai and Lambano. Dechomai is a
passive verb that frequently indicates “a welcome reception”. Lambano is an
active aggressive verb that suggests a self-prompted taking – meaning that you
are making yourself seize the thing.
Here, Matthew is using dechomai, showing that the reception of these
rewards is not something that is coerced, forced, or begrudgingly taken –
the Good News of the gospel is to be received with gladness and, therefore,
the rewards that come with the good news are received with humble
thanks and joy
Wedding Receiving line = dechomai
o Interestingly, John 13:20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I
send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
“Receives” here is lambano, which is being used by John almost
synonymously with “believes” or “puts faith in”, which is a very active and
intentional seizing of the gospel truth.
o So what do we make of these two types of reception? 1) faith is an active thing
that we must choose to exercise in Christ, 2) as we trust in Christ, we joyfully
welcome the good gifts that come with walking in humble service to our King –
things that Jesus graciously gives to us as a gift – things what Jesus calls here,
rewards.
“Reward” (used 3 times in these verses) (Gk. misthos) is used in two general senses in
the NT, 1) to refer to wages, or 2) to refer to rewards. In this latter figurative usage,
misthos refers to rewards which God bestows for the moral quality of an action, such
rewards most often to be bestowed in their fullness in eternity future.
Reward of the Father and Son (40)
Matthew 10:40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives
him who sent me.”
Henry Blackabee, The Experience devotional, “There are people who will never know
what Christ is like unless they see Christ in you. If you are a Christian, you take Christ
with you everywhere you go. When you are at school or at work, Christ is with you.
Whether you are out with your friends or speaking to a stranger, Christ is with you.
Whenever people meet you, they also meet Christ….That’s why it’s so important that
you always represent Christ as he is. Others will be attracted to Christ when your life
shows that he is loving, forgiving, patient, and kind. The only way some people will ever
believe God is forgiving is when they experience Christ’s love as you forgive them. There
are many people around you who need to receive Jesus, and you’re the one who can
introduce them to him.”
o Mahatma Gandhi “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians
are so unlike your Christ.”
Not only do we have the privilege of introducing people to Jesus, but we have the
privilege of introducing people to the one who can introduce them to the Father.
o Have you ever been in a social setting with a friend who introduces you to
another one of their friends? Hopefully, that friend of a friend was warm and
welcoming. It is a wonderful thing to find common ground and an inviting smile
from someone who you just met, and very encouraging to hear them say “a friend
of Jake’s is a friend of mine.”
This is essentially what Jesus is saying here. As we introduce people to
Christ as we serve Him and share His truth, He will then introduce them to
the Father, who welcomes them with open arms and adopts them into His
family when too truth is Jesus as savior and king.
o 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his
appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
The reward of the Son is righteousness and salvation – getting to be in the presence of
the Father – and the reward of the Father is adoption, being made a permanent
member of His eternal family.
Reward of the Prophet and Righteous Person (v41)
Matthew 10:41 “The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a
prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a
righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.”
We live in a world of deception, exaggeration, constant salesmanship and enticement
meant to enflame your prideful selfishness or fearmongering meant to make you cower
and be afraid of the latest thing that will take your life or destroy your happiness. That is
the culture that is ruled by the father of lies (John 8:44).
The Lord has always sent out His truth bearers into this world to push back against the
lies of the enemy with the truth of the gospel. Those truth speakers are called prophets
and the those who live out truth are called righteous.
o The primary reward of a prophet is that the one who receives them receives
truth. The truth will dispel confusion, blow away the fog of doubt, quiet the fear-
filled, anxieties of our mind, bring satisfaction to the hunger of our selfishness,
and bring peace into the chaos of our hearts.
We are called to be bearers of truth and those who receive us receive the
words of life that only the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ can provide.
o The primary reward of the righteous person is a holy life set apart for service to
God. When someone receives such a one, repenting from their prideful ways and
turning to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will begin to show them how to live righteously,
overcoming the temptations and traps of this world and the attacks of the enemy.
Though they will face trouble, they will go through it as victors and conquerors
through their faith in Jesus and the righteousness He gives them.
Colorblind video – https://youtu.be/WUtoevhiQaU (just first 1:15)
o See also, cochlear implant videos
It is heartwarming to watch people see in color or hear for the first time – the emotion
and joy at receiving what they have been missing is often overwhelming. We have the
privilege of being truth bearers in word and deed and being part of the spiritually deaf
hearing God’s truth and the spiritually blind have their eyes illuminated by the Holy
Spirit.
o What a privilege to be used by the Lord in that way, and what a joy to the receiver
of those gifts that they need no longer labor under the bondage of the spiritual
blindness and deafness in which they once walked.
John 12:44-46 “44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not
in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.46 I
have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in
darkness.”
Rewards That Last (v42)
Matthew 10:42 “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water
because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
o “Little ones” is a term of endearment for the children of God – those who serve
the Lord and are out doing the work of ministry to which they have been called.
When anyone comes alongside them and assists them in their ministry,
even with something as small as a drink of cold water, they will share in the
blessing of being a faithful, humble, and obedient servant to the king.
Cold water is significant in that they host went out of the way to
draw a fresh drink from the well – not what was just lying around –
but intentionally coming alongside the worker to quench their thirst.
o Spurgeon puts it this way, “How gracious of the Lord to mention so insignificant
an action—“to give to drink a cup of cold water only”! This I can do, however
poor: this I may do, however lowly: this I will do right cheerfully. This, which
seems so little, the Lord notices—notices when done to the least of his followers.
Evidently it is not the cost, nor the skill, nor the quantity, that he looks at, but the
motive: that which we do to a disciple, because he is a disciple, his Lord observes,
and recompenses. He does not reward us for the merit of what we do, but
according to the riches of his grace….I give a cup of cold water, and he makes me
to drink of living water. I give to one of his little ones, and he treats me as one of
them.”
We are all little ones, little children serving out abba, father. And when those around us
receive us, accept the truth we have to share, repent and turn to Jesus…their eternal
reward is secure. They receive a new identity as children of God which can never be
taken from them.
o God’s grace is so great that even one who receives a disciple, and does not
themselves become a disciple of Jesus, will be blessed for their kindness to the
servant of God. They will not inherit eternal life with Christ, but they will receive a
blessing that cannot be taken away.
o But if they receive the disciple and accept truth and themselves become a disciple
of Christ, their eternity with God is sealed and secured. Praise God for His grace
and mercy to all who would put their faith in Jesus.
Conclusion
Brings us back to the rewards program of the world…guess what – those rewards expire.
Read the fine print, if you don’t use those points within a certain amount of time, they
disappear.
The Lord’s rewards never expire, they cannot be lost, they don’t even need to be turned
in and redeemed – we simply receive them the moment we receive Jesus and the
Father, or the prophet, or the righteous person, or any person doing the work of the
Lord.
We have the privilege of serving our King and being an instrument of His rewards to the
dying world. Let us share with other the rewards that can never lost as we always
proclaim the truth of the gospel and encourage people to continually take one step
closer to Jesus.
Amen. Amen.