This past Sunday, Palm Sunday, my pastor, Nick Cady of White Fields Community Church in Longmont, Colorado, taught a lesson on faith entitled Faith’s Reward
The message brought people to the understanding that the great reward of faith is God Himself. Pastor Nick quoted Genesis 15:1 (NKJV) which says, After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” In these times, the need for faith and a close relationship with God through Jesus Christ is vastly important. It is our sustenance, of greater value than anything in our lives.
In His mercy and grace, God has given us access to Him throughout eternity. It is also something that we can enjoy now before we actually see Him face to face in Heaven. We have access to Him now through prayer. In John 4:23-24, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman, But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshiper will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. In this passage Jesus is saying that the door will be opened to the Father for all believers to go to Him directly.
In Matthew 27:51a, we are told what occurred upon Jesus’ death on the cross, And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Why is this important? In Leviticus 16, the Lord spoke to Moses to instruct him to separate a portion of the tabernacle using a curtain so that only the high priest could enter once a year to offer atonement for the people of Israel. Anyone else entering would die. In Hebrews 9:1-14, the writer explains that through His death, Jesus has become the “Mediator of the new covenant”. The separation provided by the curtain, has now been replaced by the person Jesus Christ who is not a barrier but a conveyor of our prayers to the Father. The curtain is torn from top to bottom and replaced with a direct connection to God Himself.
In Genesis 28:10-12, we are told of a vision that Jacob had in a dream. He saw a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it (NKJV). This is often referred to as Jacob’s Ladder. In John 1:51, Jesus said, Most assuredly I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man (NKJV). Jesus is thereby declaring Himself to be Jacob’s Ladder: the connection between God and man.
Through these verses, we can see that Jesus declared that a time would come when all men would worship God in spirit, that the separation between God and man has been torn in two, that He is the Mediator between God and man, and that it is through Him that man can now access the Father. I think it is clear, as Pastor Nick said in his sermon, that God has given Himself to us as a great reward, and that through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, we are now open to connect with Him through prayer. What a blessing this is indeed!
It is important that we pray fervently, and that we pray often to strengthen our relationship with God. All forms of prayer; praise, worship, petition, intercession, and thanksgiving are important and should be part of our prayer life. Stay connected to God through prayer, and you will surely be receiving your exceedingly great reward!