A Full Reward

​                                                  A Full Reward
                                                    2 John 4-9


Intro: This is a very small epistle but it is full of powerful and important Truth. Let’s talk about the matter of receiving a Full Reward.

I. Receiving the Truth.
John reminds us in vs. 4 that we have Received Commandments from the Father. These are not commandments from political leaders or even religious leaders; not commandments from preachers or even the apostles; these are commandments from God the Father!
That’s why the Word of God carries such weight;
It carries the Weight of Divine Authority.
So, it also carries the Weight of Divine Accountability.
We must Receive it like those faithful believers in Berea- they received The Word as the Word of God and not the word of man. John makes it clear that Receiving the Truth is a vital part of Loving the Lord. He says in vs 5 that he is not writing a new commandment, but one which they had from the beginning, that we love one another; AND he says in vs. 6- this is Love- that we walk after his commandments.
Love and Obedience are inseparable. Love and Obedience are forever joined together by God. God and His Word know nothing of a so called Love of God that allows someone to do whatever they want to do; Love is not License to sin.
Have you Received the Truth?
Not just heard it like he mentions in vs 6;
Not just had it available like John mentions in vs. 5;
But Received it like he says in vs. 4 and Walking IN it like he says in vs.4 and vs 6.
These believers are commended because they Received the Truth.
But now let’s talk about...
II. Retaining the Truth.
John talks about the truth they have heard and had and received and are walking in; then he presses upon them the urgency of Retaining what they have received.
A. He tells them to Beware of Deceivers. (7)
“Many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh; they are deceivers and anti Christ.”
B. He tells them to Be Diligent. (8,9)
“Look to yourselves that we LOSE NOT those things which we have wrought...
Who so ever transgresses and abides not in the doctrine of Christ has not God...”
We must all be Careful not to LOSE the Truth that we have received.
We must be Alert and On Guard so that no Deceiver tricks us out of the Truth we Received.
We must be Watchful and Vigilant that we do not Let the Truth that we have Received Slip Away from us.
We must be Cautious and Diligent in our Spiritual life so that we do not Transgress and Cease to Abide in the Doctrine of Christ. (Did you notice, he did not say they do not abide in the doctrine of so and so church; but not in the doctrine of Christ!)
SO- Here is the message in a single Statement:
We will only receive a FULL Reward if our life has Remained FULL of the Truth.
There are people all over America who are Hoping for; maybe even Expecting A Full Reward from the Lord when judgement time comes. BUT there are also a lot of people who are no longer FULL of the truth! Some have been deceived and tricked out of it. Some have “Lost” it through carelessness and worldliness. Some have transgressed the Word of God and are not truly Abiding in the Doctrine of Christ.
NO ONE will receive a Full Reward that is not Full of Truth. You and I must Finish with what we Started with.
I noticed an interesting incident in the life of Ezra. Ezra had a burden on his heart to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple of God. The king not only gave him permission to go, he also gave them abundant provision for the journey as well as a generous offering of silver and gold to be used in their work. In Ezra 8 the group was making its preparations to begin their journey. Ezra chose 12 of the Priests and gave them the responsibility of bearing the gold and the silver and the vessels for the Temple.
He had the gold and silver weighed before it was given to each man. Then he charged them before the whole congregation- “Ye are holy unto the Lord and the vessels are holy also and the silver and gold; WATCH ye and KEEP them until you weigh them before the Priests in Jerusalem.” Then when they arrived in Jerusalem, all of the silver and gold and vessels of the Lord were Weighed by the Priests and Levites in Jerusalem and all the numbers of the weight were written down.
Why such meticulous checking?
Each of those 12 priests who were given the responsibility to carry the gold and silver had to FINISH the journey with ALL they had when they began the trip.
YES- we will be “weighed” in the balances of the Lord; yes we will all give account of ourselves to God; yes we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and it will be Important that we Finish with what we started with.
Hear John again- Look to yourselves that you Lose Not those things which you have wrought, but that you Receive a FULL Reward.