2 John 1:4-6 – Am I Going In The Right Direction?Pastor JD 
answers the question of, “Am I Going In The Right Direction?” by presenting a test from the text so as to discern whether or not I’m walking in truth, love and obedience.
Or watch here on youtube
More recent services can be watched here!I wish I could encourage Pastor JD with my testimony about the 2 sermons today and how through his obedience, God was able to help me come out of a severe despair from something that I couldn’t understand, though I sought the Lord diligently and couldnt get it. I was unable to move forward in my calling with freedom and joy. I finally got it, and I am so overjoyed. Now, now I can move forward on my calling and purpose. Praise be to God , my Wonderful Counselor and King Jesus for His diligence to help me understand and get me out of that funk. 
How I love Him! 
Teehee! 
Wonderful Stacey! I enjoyed that very much. Could you tell me where in scripture it says we get honor, glory, and praise from Abba? I wanted to see where it says that. 
That was what I knew to be true. That is why when i listened to Mr Lee I was confused. Maybe you heard differently? I was probably very tired. Didn’t he say multiple times that the Father was going to give us honor, glory, and praise in heaven? Did I misunderstand what I heard and understood? Like I said, I was really tired.
Thank you Pastor for this dynamic 3 point teaching on Love, Truth and Obedience from 2 John.
The beauty of walking in HIs Love and Truth combined with our obedience comes that precious and wonderful peace that passes our understanding!!! And that feeling is unexplicable to even put into words.
Thank You Lord for speaking this Truth to my heart, encouraging and reassurring me how to know if I am going the right way! Father, Your Word covers all bases. . With You, there simply is the simple and whole and direct Truth… and Never confusing
Praise Your Holy name!
I got curious and went to watch for myself. Yes, he DID say that and now I’m going “hmmmm…”
I am glad I wasn’t going crazy. That doesn’t sound biblical…which is why I asked for the scripture that explains that. I may have misinterpreted his comment, though that was what he said specifically. Maybe it is the way he speaks? I dunno?
It puzzles me, too, and I agree that it doesn’t sound biblical. Although I no longer listen to him, I had never considered him to speak extra biblically, otherwise. He is someone that typically tends to be overly careful.
@Lgreen @staceylovesJesus You ladies have a berean heart, amen.
I came out of the reformed camp and there is kind of blurred line between salvation and rewards in that denomination. There might be a difference in how you are thinking upon this in the sense of rewards in His 1,000 year reign and what kind of honor in the eternal state perhaps. We know the eternal state gates have honor bestowed on the apostles for sure in the wording of Revelation 22. However, Ephesian 2:7 also captures the sense of God’s desire to honor saints in eternity. The very sense that we are the bride itsellf, is this not His honor? 1 Cor 11:7 has the woman as the “glory” of man. In mirror fashion how does this speak of the Son of Man reigning on the throne receiving a bride perhaps?
We know new age religion honors self and wants to be honored. So there seems to be a distancing away from what God might be thinking toward His creation in light of the distortion of the prosperity gospel, NAR, and new age thought. But biblically, I believe a good question to ask (not perhaps permitting the false views of others to maybe move our own hearts too far from His pure word toward us): Does God have a heart desirous to honor His saints?
For starters Jesus said that man was not made for the sabbath (to honor a day) but that the sabbath was made for man. In honor of man could we say? We are His creation in His image. God might place the sabbath as a way to honor His creating us in His image…i believe is the sense.
Rewards are honor…
“Well done though good and faithful servant” – honor
Talents – “You will be a ruler of 10 cities” – honor
Romans 5:17 – reign with Him in life – honor
Romans 8:18 – what will be revealled in us?
Proverbs 22:4
Ephesians 3:14-21
1 Peter 5:6
Rev 2:7
Rev 2:17
Rev 2:26-29
Rev 3:12
Rev 3:21
Rev 20:4
. . . . .
Got Questions is a great resource. But it is heavily influenced by reformed thought. Please compare the two lists of rewards and how each link handles those rewards. With Got Questions they have the crown of life = to salvation itself. See how Got Questions article ends? It has us “rewarded” with eternal life. Sometimes our honest desire to make much of God, might go a bit too far in a theological sense. What you see presented here in Got Questions articlle is a demonstration of that blurred line. Is salvation a gift or a reward? Some believers may not have all that clear an answer today. It is understandable in part as some of the language to the churches rewards in Rev 2-3 can tend to sound like some rewards are salvation. It takes a bit of deep study to see how these concepts translate from the original language and context to 21st century English. Its something i find my self revisiting from time to time because rewards are not really taught all that much these days it seems. And our Western mindset can often settle us into our cutural moment and at times we might need to be refreshed with a deep dive or two in His word.
What are the five heavenly crowns that believers can receive in Heaven? | GotQuestions.org
Below is Pastor David Jeremiah’s listing of rewards. He is not reformed but mainstream evangelical. We can see the difference as these are rewards. This would also be Andy Woods take on rewards.
What Kind of Rewards Will Believers Receive in Heaven? - David Jeremiah Blog
FOR FUTURE POTENTIAL STUDY
Pastor at Casa de Oro Baptist Church in Spring Valley, CA. has a PhD from the Dallas Theological school of theological thought, and he wrote “A Heros Welcome – The Doctrine of Future Rewards and the Bema Seat of Christ.” I came across the book as very reputable while researching some other things and it comes endorsed by Moody Bible Institute. I have not read it yet, but its thick and I’m looking foward to getting to it soon (as my having come out of the reformed camp has really left me barren considering a right perspective and attitude towards how rewards work in scripture and to us). The convential answer I have gotten from refromeds is: “Why do you need reward? Isn’t Christ enough?” To which one answer could be: “Thank you Jesus for the 10 talents, but I want to give it to the guy with one, as you are enough.” Somehow…i would imagine, the more honoring thing would be to receive the reward (as His desire to give it to us…not the one he took some from to purpose to reward us let’s say) to demonstrate His glory in His heart of favor and generosity toward His saints (and also appreciating His prerogative to give honor to whom He wants to). And in reocgnizing that about His character, it honors and glorifies Him too, i believe. I hope this is somewhat helpful. Blessings. 
Thank you.
Thank you from me, too, Teren. What you say puts it into a perspective worth considering.
I am just a sinner saved by grace - Jesus did it all and deserves the honor 
and glory - I might get a crown and my reward is to spend eternity in heaven with my Lord and savior - I am grafted into the royalty thru the blood of Jesus and for that I will be eternally grateful -MARANATHA 
I am listening to Psalm 38 that was taught by Pastor JD a while ago I figure. I was guided to read Psalm 39, but I wanted to hear pastor speak on this too.
I find this important, as we try to move forward in the right direction. Truth, Love, and Obedience is important, but in order to do this, we need to be sure that we are aware of our walk with the Lord. If we are in sin, He will discipline. When we realize we were going off the point, remember that the enemy will lie to us about our inability to reconcile with the Lord, even if we struggle with staying on the path of righteousness we are called to. I want to encourage you to listen to the sermon as you read and contemplate the fact that as we make mistakes with the wrong direction, we can do a course correction to the proper direction with the grace, mercy, and love of our Father in heaven. How loving and wonderful a God we serve. The loving Shepherd who adds the oil upon our heads to keep us from being held to the strongholds of this world. Praise be to God for His love and mercy!
What goes around comes around
One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you. He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.”
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.
There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: “You don’t owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.”
Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard….
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”
There is an old saying “What goes around comes around.
Beautiful thanks for sharing
