Reasons To Keep On Keeping On (part 2) - [2 Corinthians 5:10]

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Jet Tour Of Song Of Solomon (part 3)

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Said time of the service where we come to the preaching of the Word of God and it is still at times when you think about it such a such a foreign way of Communicating when it comes to human thinking
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I mean we would think that if God was to speak to us God wanted to get a message to us
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Maybe the skies would just open up and something would fall out of heaven that way But seriously if you think about it
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That's where the scriptures came from came from heaven came from the Lord and and I'd like to share with you something out of the
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Book of 2nd Corinthians if you'd turn there with me, please 2nd Corinthians Chapter 5 2nd
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Corinthians chapter 5 a few weeks back. I Started a series on the topic that I'm going to be speaking of this morning of reasons to keep on keeping on This is part 2 if you didn't hear part 1.
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I'm sure it's taped I I trust that it is and you can get that tape or that CD and what
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I had dealt with As I began the series was by asking the question.
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What is the proper motivation for a Christian? What about those who are laboring for the
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Lord Jesus Christ in the trenches day by day and week to week and month to month? And year to year in the ministry
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There are times when we get discouraged There's times when it's awfully frustrating There's times when we will be labeled as fanatics.
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We will be stepped on we will be mistreated. We will Be unappreciated and this could tempt us to want to run into exile or throw in the towel
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And to go AWOL And the Apostle Paul gave the church at Corinth who was struggling
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Some reasons for him in the ministry and for those who are ministering along with him things that encourage them
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Things that when they were laboring hard and they were running their race and they were fighting their fight They had things that they could hold on to and think back upon and consider so that they would continue on in the faith and This part of the
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Word of God comes to us again today With as deep and profound truth
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And what brought what brought Paul and those that labored alongside of him hope can also bring us hope
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And what supported them and spurred them on to press on and not to quit in? the difficulties of daily hardships and the sacrifices and the difficulties that will come in the battle of Representing the
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Lord Jesus Christ here upon earth Are for us also The Apostle Paul refers to these reasons of support of these points of consolation or these reasons for every believer to keep on keeping on and To have a zeal a continued zeal for serving
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God in spite of these difficult circumstances and his aim I believe was to strengthen the believers resolve and that's my aim this morning
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Also by by God's help to be able to bring this message so that we would be strengthened in our resolve
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To continue to go forward no matter what comes our way Paul gave reasons in this chapter and I began first of all by dealing with verses 1 through 4
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That we are a people who are assured of assured of our immortality
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Paul says that our body is like a tent that is decaying. It's rotting It's like a tent that's folding or a building that's crumbling and he says that we though we are in this body
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That is not the end of it because this mortal will take on immortality
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And we will live in a body that will last forever that God is fashioning
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For us and live in a place called heaven and that is a great Consolation to us because as we look at our own bodies and particularly as the years go on we see things falling apart
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We see things happening to them we have the crutches and the canes and the glasses and the in the contacts and the medicines and with all the salves and the creams and the
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Exercises and things that folks throw at it the body still ages and it is appointed on the man wants to die yet The hope that we have is is that we will we have an assurance of confidence in immortality now other reasons that Paul gives in this chapter verses 5 through 8
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He speaks of the fact that we need we can acknowledge the fact that God made us this way
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And I'm not going to deal with these points because I got to get to my point I have a lot of pages to make it through and hopefully
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I'll be able to do it Another point verses 14 and 15 the love of Jesus Christ for his people
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What a what a source of consolation What a what a something that will motivate us and this love that Christ has for us is is
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Pressure that causes action that's what he deals and speaks to us there there We have verse 17 that we're new creations or new creatures in Christ And we're just different old things are passed away the new has come and we're we're new creatures in Christ and that is a great reason to be able to press on because we're not what we used to be and God is working a good work in us in verses 17
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I mean verses 18 through the end of the chapter we see that we have a ministry of Reconciliation where we have been appointed called as ambassadors for Jesus Christ And what a great hope that gives us and a great point of consolation
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But the one I want to deal with this morning is in verses 9 through 11 And I like to read those verses
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I'm reading from the King James 2nd Corinthians 5 verses 9 through 11 Paul wrote wherefore we labor
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That whether present or absent We may be accepted of him for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ That everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad
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Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord We persuade men But we are made manifest unto
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God and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences The the main text of course is it is verse 10 and here's the point
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Christians Possess a life changing or a life gripping conviction
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That we will soon appear before the judgment seat of Christ. That's the point of Today's message
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Christians possess a life -changing or life -gripping conviction That we will soon appear before the judgment seat of Christ Paul begins the verse
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Verse 9 at the beginning. He says wherefore we labor in the King James your your Translation might say we make it our aim
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This is the target Paul was zeroing in on in his life when it came to his life's pursuits
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He was passionate about wanting to please the Lord He uses the word labor there the word aim making it his aim.
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The Greek word has the meaning to love what is honorable Paul's life was a testimony of having the right and noble goal of striving for excellence
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For spiritual pursuits and to live honorably before God and before the people who are watching his life
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You notice he says he makes it his aim he's aiming at something and at the end of this verse
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He tells us what he is aiming at. This is his pursuit at the end of verse 9 We see that he says whether in the body or a present or absent
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He says we that we may be accepted of him. We labor we live
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We minister we behave in such a way to be accepted of God He is saying that we should endeavor to be well pleasing unto the
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Lord and this is a noble pursuit, isn't it? To be well pleasing unto the Lord our ultimate aim to be the aim of pleasing
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God Pleasing the Lord should be what brings us pleasure Even if you consider what it means to live in the fear of the
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Lord notice The Apostle Paul says that down in verse 11 talks about this idea of living before God knowing the the terror of the
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Lord and the judgment which is to come and Living in the fear of the Lord sometimes I get the idea of that as being that we want to live and to think and to Speak and to act in such a way that we never put a frown on God's face
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I don't know if you ever thought about it that way when it comes to a parent having children
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There are there isn't much more that will upset the parent Then the children be disobedient and cause the parent grief and cause them to frown
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And the same is true with our Heavenly Father rather than putting a frown on the Lord's face
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What the Apostle Paul is saying is that I want to I want to so order my life
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I so want to live and to think and to breathe and to act and to and to behave in such a way that I bring a smile upon my blessed
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Savior's face To do that. We have to live unto the Lord unto for all his glory and we do it by simple obedience
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To the Word of God and that brings the Lord pleasure. He is pleased with us when we are pleased to do his will
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Did we get that God is pleased with us? When we are pleased to do his will and this was as I said
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Paul's aim or his goal in life This was the target he continually shot at he wasn't waiting for something to happen like Getting to to heaven to serve
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God there or waiting to get a degree or waiting. How about this one? I'm gonna wait till I serve
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God. I'm gonna please God if I go into the full -time ministry What's wrong with that if I go into the full -time ministry
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God will be pleased with me. I have a news flash For every believer we are already in the full -time ministry and the full -time ministry is being a
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Christian That's what full -time ministry is We're all ambassadors all the time We're all servants of Christ all the time and we are supposed to be serving
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Christ and pleasing him in all of our lives efforts Not waiting upon anything
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Paul is saying that no matter what his state is notice in verse 9 Wherefore I labor
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I make it at aim my aim whether present or absent this whole idea that he was Building at the beginning of the chapter being in this body or outside of this body being in this mortal flesh or being having my life
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My immortality being clothed with that he's saying whether I am absent or present
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In this on this world or in this earth or in heaven in my mortal body or immortal body in Season or out of season when he had a lot or we had a little when he felt like it and when he didn't feel
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Like it he purposed to give himself To a life that would be well -pleasing to the
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Lord He wanted to be as it says in verse 9 at the end there
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Accepted in his life to be acceptable to the Lord accepted of him well
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Pleasing to him there it is and I wonder is this Your passion this morning
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Is it your daily pursuit? We live in a self -pleasing world
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Don't we the whole thrust the whole message of our society and culture is is do what you want to do get what you can possibly get to please yourself and The whole
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Christian attitude and mindset ought to be that we set our affections on things above Not on things of the earth that tells us in Colossians 3
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In order to hit this target You've got to aim at it first When I was about I think about 10 or 11 years old.
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I Had I had a desire to have myself one of those things called a
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BB gun And I entered into one of those programs where you had to sell greeting cards in order to get you know
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You sell so many boxes. I don't know 3 ,000 boxes or whatever it was and got me a $5
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Daisy single pump BB gun and it had an artificial scope on top.
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It's just a piece of metal There's a hole with it. You know, it was just the coolest thing for me at that age And I I learned one thing that if I wanted to hit all the targets the cans the part the paper targets that I made
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I had to aim point that BB gun at that target in order to hit it And when it comes to life and when it comes to pursuits we need to have goals
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We need to have healthy and spiritual pursuits and that's what Paul is teaching us here his aim his goal
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His pursuit what he was shooting at what he was pointing all of his efforts and his thoughts and his decisions and his labors
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At was this one thing that he wanted to do was he wanted to please God? he wanted to bring a smile upon the face of His Lord and once in a while,
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I think it is a good to ask ourselves Will my next thought or action or decision or the very next words that I'm about to speak?
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The money that I will spend Sunday school class this morning if you didn't get it get the tape if it's been taped the plans that I'm making this new day
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Will they fill the heart of my Savior Jesus Christ with joy? or Will I grieve the
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Spirit of Christ? What will it be? With what our aim is and our goal and our desires for that day
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This was Paul's and should be our ultimate goal when living this short life in this body that he speaks of at the beginning of the chapter that's decaying that's dissolving and Soon, we will not be in it.
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It'll be like that tent that is folding that building that is crumbling and We need to have a proper pursuit a proper aim in life
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And why should we be consumed with this passion to please the Lord? Well, it's quite evident that the
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Apostle Paul was driven by the deepest motive and we can see that in verse 10
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Where I read for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ That everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done
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Whether it be good or bad that pursuit that he has to please the
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Lord is Driven by the the deepest motive here is that we will give an account for what we've done in our bodies verse 10 describes the believers deepest and most serious motivation and what ought to be our highest aim when it comes to pleasing the
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Lord the realization that yes life will come to an end and Yes, we mortals will put on or take on immortality and then every single child of God every
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Christian Will inevitably stand before God and give an account of themselves to the
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Lord Let me first Speak about what this is not because sometimes folks get confused about what this beam a seat is this this judgment seat of Christ this
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Does not include a judgment for our sins Our sins have been taken care of where on the cross of Christ Where the
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Lord Jesus died for all of our sins first Corinthians chapter 15 verses 3 and 4 says that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and he was buried and they rose again the third day according to the scriptures
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This is clearly taught to us in verses about Christ died That that our sins being taken care of like in John 3 18 where it says that those that believe there is no condemnation
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John 5 24 the believer shall not be brought into condemnation
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Acts 13 39 those who trust in Christ are Justified and take these words to heart from all things
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From which you could not be justified by the law of Moses all things justified
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From all of our from all of our sins Romans 8 1 a great verse that many of us know there is therefore now
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No condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus And what about the wonderful verse in John 19?
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Verse 30 where our dying Savior exclaimed that the payment for sin was finished with those three
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Powerful in the English words it is finished To illustrate this point about our sins being paid for and it's the payment is full and complete
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How would you how would you like this one? you go to you know how like when you go in a Walmart and you have the greeters when you go in and and then sometimes when you
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Leave some of the stores they used to do it to where they would look at your receipt on the way out I know BJ's does that on the way out.
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They punch your receipt kind of check out what's in your cart How would you like it when you go into like BJ's?
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Get all your goods in the cart go through the register pay them They give you the receipt and then the person waiting at the door says, oh, by the way, you need to pay again.
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I Mean we'd say no way right? I say absolutely not. I I already paid back there Only one payment is required and God doesn't require a double payment
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God doesn't require a payment for Christ upon the cross when he died and and hung there and bled in our place and Then come back and God requires something of us a works
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Another payment another another form of payment a lifelong Life of good works and good efforts.
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So so that can be added to the to the payment of Christ. No God does not require that he doesn't require more of a payment
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For sin G if Jesus Christ is your substitute and took your sins upon himself and bore the awful load of your guilt and shame
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Then entrusting in him and believing he died for your sins God accepts Christ's sacrifice on your behalf and you are acquitted
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You are not guilty. You are free from judgment and Saved by the work that Jesus Christ has already done for you on your behalf so this beam of seat that we're gonna go before cannot be a judgment for sin because that's already been taken care of that that judge of that judgment that that satisfactory payment
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Dealing with all of our sins is expressed in some of the great hymns of the faith Now you gotta have to put your ears on a little bit to to see what
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I'm doing here Do the hymns go like this? How about this one? Jesus paid for almost all all to me he owes
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Sin had left the crimson stain. He washed it pink. I think does it go that way?
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Of course it doesn't There's no assurance there that's not good news, that's not gospel, that's not
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God's Word That is not how it's recorded nor In the Word of God if all of our sins are not paid for we are in big trouble
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How about this example? Well, let me just let me just say the ones that are correct for those who may not remember what the hymn is
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Here's how the hymn goes. It is like this Jesus paid at all all to him Sin had left the crimson stain he washed it white as snow now
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That's something to rejoice in it reminds me of Isaiah chapter 1 verse 18 where God is beckoning to the sinner
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Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord though your sins be as scarlet. They shall be as They shall be as white as snow though.
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They be red like crimson. They shall be as wool It's like that that that scarlet stained material
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You cannot get that stain out, but God can get it out by the power By his saving power through the finished work of Jesus Christ upon the cross.
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Here's a second example See if you remember this hymn There is a thimble filled with blood
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Drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners plunged beneath that thimble lose most of their guilty stains
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No there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and Sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains all of them every last single one of them
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Christ died To take all of our sins out of the way to cast them behind the back of God to drown them in the sea of his forgetfulness and It says in the scriptures that our sins and our
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Nick our iniquities God will remember no more all of them Here's the third one. How about this one?
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Some of you might not know this hymn. How about this Calvary covers three quarters? Seriously, do you find any source of hope in words like that?
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Of course, we don't if it's not a full payment It's of no help to us at all. If one sin is not paid for we will spend an eternity in hell
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That's it one sin one lie will banish us from heaven
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But the song really goes like this and aren't you glad the the writer penned it this way Calvary covers it all
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My past with its sin and stain my guilt and despair Jesus took on them there for Calvary covers it all and bless
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God it does How about this last example? You know this one from love lifted me souls in danger look above Jesus only partway saves he will lift you by his love to float on top of the angry waves
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Again, that's no Savior That's no help to a fallen sinner For the
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Hymn writer wrote souls in danger. Look above Jesus completely saves
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He will lift you by his love out of the angry waves God's payment is in full and God's salvation is complete
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God saves us from our sins Jesus took our sins out of the way all of them being nailed to his cross and there's nothing left for us to do
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He has paid it all there's nothing for us to do But to bow down and in mercy plead for forgiveness and look to Jesus who has done it all now some of you here this morning
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Are not Christians some of you have not believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ You've not received
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Christ and the first way that I read those songs Really make more sense to you
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Because you do not understand that Christ died for all of your sins and you're trying to do something you're trying to with some type of religious effort become pleasing unto the
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Lord and The Scriptures tell us that it's not by works of righteousness, which we've done but according to God's mercy
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He saved us Salvation comes not by works, but by grace It comes by the mercy of God And God is a great
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Savior and if you would call upon the name of the Lord you will be saved if you will put away Your religious effort and you will look to Christ alone who died in your place upon Calvary You can be saved.
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That's the scripture for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved And God is in the saving business
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But he's not in the saving business like an ineffective lifeguard who approaches the drowning victim and here's the here's a scenario
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He goes out into the water He grabs a hold of the victim and pulls him halfway to shore and says see you later
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Have a nice life do the rest of it on your own That's not how God saves
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Hebrews 7 25 tells us that God The God of the Bible brings a full salvation
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Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him through Christ Since he always lives to make intercession for them
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Did you catch that word in there God is able to save to the uttermost we don't use that word
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But God is able to save from the gutter most to the uttermost that's how God saves and the word uttermost means completely
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Completely saves God does the whole job. He's the author and finisher of our faith.
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There's no such thing as a hope So salvation when it comes to the mighty work of God, it is a no so salvation
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We are confident As Paul wrote to the Philippians in chapter 1 verse 6 that he which has begun a good work in us he will complete it
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And what a wonderful Savior we have this is the only Savior that the Bible presents to us There's nothing to be added to the payment of Christ upon the cross
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Good works and religious living won't and can't pay for sin. Here's another great song that I used to sing
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One of the churches we attended many years ago and the words go like this now nothing either great or small
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Nothing sin or no Jesus did it did it all long long ago When he from his lofty throne stooped to do and die it is finished
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Finished all hearken to his cry so cast your deadly doing down Down at Jesus feet and stand in him and him alone gloriously
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Complete. Did you notice the hymn writer said to cast your deadly doing down? That means those that are trusting in their own
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Self -righteousness or their own religious efforts or trying to do something other than trusting in Christ.
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It is deadly it is the way that seems right into the man, but the end thereof of the ways of death
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Some of you also know of Hebrews chapter 10 where we learn of the once -and -for -all time atoning sacrifice of Jesus our
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Lord and Through that sacrifice. We've been perfected and our salvation is procured and secured forever
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And his priestly work on our behalf is done and when he was finished it says there in Hebrews chapter 10
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With his work when he was finished with his priestly work he sat down That meant the work was done
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So this judgment seat this Bema seat in verse 10 that we must all appear before is not for sin
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It is not for the judgment of our sins for that judgment fell upon Christ at Calvary. So then what is this
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Bema? MacArthur puts it this way in a Definition he puts the place where the
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Lord sits To evaluate believers lives for the purpose of giving them eternal rewards
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It's the place where the Lord sits to evaluate our lives for the purpose of giving eternal rewards in New Testament times this
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Bema Was an Olympic elevated platform where the victorious athletes were rewarded
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Those when they ran the race they'd go up there and they would get the garland They'd get the wreath that the wreath in the in the woven one and put on their head as being those who had run the race or won that competition and That appears to be what
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Paul is referring to in this athletic analogy here dealing with rewards This verse speaks of as it says we must all appear before this
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Judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body These are the things that we have done while on earth in these decaying bodies during our earthly ministries and serving
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Christ And make no mistake. I mean, I don't see it in the scriptures This is not optional our text declares how many of us will go before the
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Lord? We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ We will be
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Recompensed what is due us not what we think? We ought to receive because sometimes
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We're not quite aware of what our motives have been for what behind what we've done
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And that's where this is all dealing with. It's dealing with hearts. It's dealing with our motives But we will receive rewards based upon the righteous judgment of our great
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God and Savior This judgment is for service rendered
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To the Lord as Christians and notice what he says here as he describes these works done in the body he says
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These works that we've done according to that which we have done whether it be good or bad
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Whether it be good or bad now these words do not deal with Morally good or morally bad again.
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This is not dealing with sin The Greek word used for bad is not the one that's used for moral a morally bad or morally evil
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There's two of them one's a kakos and one's Ponares Ponares. We get it. That's the root word for pornography evil wicked
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But the word here for bad is phallus, which means worthless or useless
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The Lord is going to look at what we've done to see whether what we've done in the body is Worthless or use useless or worthwhile
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This deals with service again and The motivations that we had good or bad for what we did for Christ since he has saved us this
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Bema judgment this judgment seat of Christ is to see if our service is worthwhile or worth less if our life's pursuits or our aim that Paul was talking about in pleasing the
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Lord and The efforts that were behind that are of eternal value Then they will be worthwhile and they will be rewarded
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But if they are useless or as one writer put it in his commentary good for nothing
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That's the that's the bad good for nothing useless worthless If they're that then they will be judged worthless and no reward will be received
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Let me give you some examples of worthless or useless spending time and money and Efforts on ourselves and on ourselves alone to gratify ourselves wasting opportunities and sharing the gospel
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Very little spiritual emphasis in our pastimes or relationships
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Very little or if any good quality time in Bible study or reading or genuine prayer in communion with the
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Lord Something worthless or useless or good for nothing is spending the
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Lord's Day in self -pleasure and self -pleasure alone How about laying up treasures on earth or frittering away our time by not having an impact upon the lives of others?
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Now things that are worthwhile Spiritual matters are giving our time and our money and our talents to further the gospel and to glorify
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Jesus Christ Helping out in the church ministries serving other people in our neighborhoods or our co -workers or our in our families
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Meeting the needs of others because we live in a desperately painful world. It doesn't take much
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Just a little bit of looking around and you can see people that are hurting one of the things that we do in our family when
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We're driving down the street and there's a store that maybe dad doesn't want to go to as he's driving
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I'll say overt the eyes and Sometimes when it comes to the pain in other people's lives, we sadly overt the eyes.
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We look the other way We don't want to deal with that It's gonna upset my cat Apple cards are gonna You know put a crunch on my my style and my choices of my day and in my pleasure
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But something that is worthwhile is to look for the needs and others visit the sick and feed the hungry and clothed the naked
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What would it take to? To provide something that someone needs when you know that they're in need and you have to give to them
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To go to a funeral and put your arm around somebody who's in great grief to go visit someone in the hospital to comfort a broken heart with kind words and loving deeds to to have an uncompromising and sharp
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Christian Testimony so that others will will be drawn to you you will be winsome and they will come to you and you will be able
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To help them to support missionaries to open our homes and true hospitality With a desire to physically and spiritually help other people to want to make a difference in other people's lives by giving our time and sharing our practical knowledge that things that God has taught us or writing a card or sending a package or Putting your arms around someone to encourage them
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And you know what really matters Whatever whatever we do all the things that I've listed there
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What really matters is the heart motivation that is behind anything that we do
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That's the crux of the matter. That is what is going to be evaluated here before the judgment seat of Christ God will judge the motives of our hearts in what prompted us to do what we do in that great day
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The recesses of our hearts will be uncovered by the Lord who is all -knowing. It says here that we must all
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Appear before the judgment seat of Christ that word appear has the meaning to make visible to make manifest to reveal and God will do the uncovering
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With the intent to examine what kind of life that we've lived and what was behind the things that we did
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Isn't it true that we can do what we would call a spiritual endeavor? But have self -seeking and self gratifying motivation.
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That would be the wrong thing to do Or on the other hand we could do something that's very common very everyday is something that we might call unspiritual like shopping or mowing the lawn or making an apple pie or going for a walk or Writing a story or drawing a picture, but we could do that thing with an eye towards the
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Lord With an eye for pleasing God and all that we do like Paul Wrote in 1st
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Corinthians 1031 He said whether therefore you eat or drink or whatever you do.
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They're just fill in the blank whatever you do do all to the glory of God and if we did those things that we would call everyday mundane type routine things to the glory of God wouldn't that bring him pleasure and wouldn't that fulfill as the
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Apostle Paul is Stating here the aim that ought to be in our lives for us to be well pleasing before the
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Lord beloved Spend your energy and your time in profitable
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Useful good for something worthwhile pursuits Making it your aim to please the
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Lord if you would hold your place here because we'll come back here but flip over to 1st Corinthians the first book in Chapter 3 1st
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Corinthians chapter 3. I like to share a verse here, which is Dealing with the same topic it speaks here where our spiritual work will be tested 1st
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Corinthians chapter 3 notice in verse 11 for other foundation can no man lay than that which is that is laid
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Which is Jesus Christ, of course, that's that's where it begins That's where it all starts the foundation for any life the
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Christianity. I was Talking to someone just a few weeks back and saying that Christianity is not well
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Here's my life as a house, and I'm just gonna add Jesus on to it Christianity is here's my house and it's a mess.
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My life is a mess. I'm Wandered far from God. I'm not Loving God as I should
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I'm in no fellowship with God at all and I need a Savior and God takes the wrecking ball and knocks it down new foundation is
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Christ and then We build upon that and what he says here when it comes to Christian efforts spiritual work
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Christ being the foundation He says now if any man build upon this foundation gold silver precious stones there's one group of material that could be used and then there's wood hay and stubble another group of material and Really when you think about this the gold and the silver and the precious stones are the things that are worthwhile
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The things that are good for something the things that are meaningful and useful The things that will please the
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Lord and put a smile upon his face The things that are the wood hay and stubble are the things that are good for nothing
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The things that are useless the things that are worthless and the things that will put a frown upon the Lord's face
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Now this is speaking to Christians to believers and they're going to the beamer seat notice He says in verse 13 every man's work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it the beam of judgment this
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Terrible day of the Lord when we go when we go before the Lord in this this this time of judgment for service
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Because it shall be revealed by fire and fire is a is just a picture of judgment and The fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
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There it is again. It's going to be evaluated worthless or useful Good for something or good for nothing
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And he says if any man's work abide which which of the two groups do you think in this in this?
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Statement that Paul is making will abide will it be the gold silver and precious stones?
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Well, they abide the fire notice the analogy he's using here. Well, of course the wood Hay and the stubble are going to be burned
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He said if any man's work abide which he has built upon he shall receive a reward there it is
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This is a judgment for the evaluation of the works of what sort they are so that there will be rewards
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He says though if any man's work shall be burned that means they were not pleasing to the
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Lord they were useless This life was not lived or these things were not done for the for the sake of glorifying the
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Lord with an eye toward God For his honor if any man's work shall be burned Notice what it says he shall suffer loss loss of what his salvation.
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No He shall suffer loss. It'll be a loss of reward what he's speaking of Loss of reward, but he himself shall be saved yet So as by fire and what a verse to cause us to think how we ought to live and how order how to order our lives and to Spend our time to spend our talents and to spend our energy and to spend our material possessions
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It ought to be so that things abide so that things remain that we lay up treasures in heaven
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Not here upon earth, but lay them up in heaven sending them before us If anything is done
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With a desire or motive to glorify and please the Lord those things will be considered good
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Those things are the gold and the silver and the precious stones that will make it through the fire And those are the types of things that will be rewarded
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Now consider this brethren hearing this Isn't it important for us to?
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Consider Why we are doing what we are doing and who it is that we're trying to please hear that again
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Should we not consider? Why we are doing? What we are doing and who it is that we're trying to please
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Paul wrote Something along these lines to the church of Colossae in chapter 3 verses 22 to 24 where he penned bond servants
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Obeying all things your masters according to the flesh not with eye service as men pleasers
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See if we're a men pleaser We're not a God pleaser And if we're a man pleaser trying to get the kudos and the attaboys and the pat on the back from someone else
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If we're trying to do that then what we're doing the motive is wrong And it could be that what we're what we're laying upon the foundation
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There is wood hay and stubble and it's worthless and it's useless and it will be burned up He says don't be men pleasers
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But he says this but in sincerity of heart Fearing God and whatsoever you do do it heartily as to the
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Lord and not to men knowing That from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the
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Lord Christ there it is At this beam of judgment every believer Will be shown by the
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Lord the real reason Behind his or her ministry and service and motives the real reason behind what we did
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This word appear as I said it has the idea of being laid bare or stripped God's gonna peel back all the veneer and Get to the crux of the matter and see why it is we were doing what we were doing
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And it will be that everything that is of no eternal significance Will vanish just like the wood hay and stubble in the fire
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Because man looks on the outward appearance But God looks at the heart Let me ask us all this morning if today
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Was our last day upon the earth. I'm speaking to Christians If this was our last day upon the earth
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And we were brought before the beam of seat this evening How would we do?
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How would we fare how many of our efforts and labors and services would make it?
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if all we had done in our bodies was Placed in a huge room and the fire of the beam of judgment was to pass over that room and burn away the wood and the hay and The stubble how much would be left?
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Well brother and sister in Christ, we need to stop using the wood the hay and the stumble stubble to build our legacy and Begin choosing the best materials for building using the gold and the silver and the precious stones
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Making every thought and word and action count for Christ and for eternity
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These better materials are more valuable more permanent and will survive the fiery judgment and Since we will only be rewarded
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For lifetime deeds that had motives for pleasing and glorifying the Lord. It only makes sense
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That we should act responsibly and faithfully here on earth in these decaying bodies
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That's what Paul is getting across in in this text here I believe he's using this not not to beat people over the head with it but to to fire to challenge the resolve to strengthen the hearts of the believers as as they were going through the
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Difficulties of ministry and he's and he's talking about this about himself and those who ministered alongside of him
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He said look, I'm assured of the fact that when this body goes into the grave I'm gonna put on immortality and in earlier
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He says not that I want to be unclothed not that I want to I want to die, but but I want to die
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I mean he's caught in in this position as he said in in Philippians chapter 1
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It's it's a desire that he has to go be with the Lord But it's more important for him more needful for him to stay and while he stays in the body.
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He wants to serve others He knows immortality is coming. He knows heaven is coming.
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He knows that God has promised Things to the believer that we cannot see with these eyes
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We we do you understand that our souls? Destiny is is based upon things that we cannot see
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With these physical eyes we believe in God who has revealed himself in the scriptures
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But we have not seen him other than with the eye of faith We have not seen heaven other than with the eye of faith believing what
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God has said and Paul is just using this text to encourage the Corinthian Church and my desire for us this for us this morning is
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In the purpose of preaching this text is so that we might act responsibly
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So that we might live faithfully here on earth so that Jesus Christ Our Lord is well spoken of and very well pleased with what he sees in our lives
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And in our churches and in our homes And on the job and at school and in any relationship that we find ourselves in isn't this motivation enough?
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to cause us to repent To change our ways
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To go in the other direction some of us Have a room full of wood hay and stubble and you know you do
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You know that your life is Self -focused it is the the
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Trinity there is not God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit The Trinity in that person's life is me myself, and I it is a self -focus
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Self -gratifying self -pleasing is everything revolves around the person what can they get out of this life and of course?
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Our lives are to be lived with Christ in mind For him to be our aim to him for him to be our focus and Paul says like like shooting at a target
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He says I aim my life at it and the desire that I have is to be well -pleasing to the
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Lord to be accepted of him and Doesn't it make sense for us then to live right?
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With a noble pursuit of pleasing the Lord the Lord Jesus who loved us enough to die and purchase us with his precious blood
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Do you understand the magnitude of what Paul has written here? We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ on a weekly basis on my job
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One of the things that I have to do is I must go into my boss's office
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I have a weekly meeting with my boss, and I don't go in that room one
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Unprepared and I don't go in that room with a light -hearted Slapstick chew the gum skip the a how's things going pat on the back type type of attitude.
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I'm accountable and I prepare before that meeting and I list the things that I've done and the things that I ought to have done the things that I'm going to be working on and I go in there to present and I am evaluated and that reflects upon my performance review for the end of the year
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And that's just a minuscule Example an earthly example of what's going to take place one day.
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You know one of the things that We get caught in as believers is we really don't think about what
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God has already said in the word What means some folks get so so Frustrated or anxious
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About things as they read in the scriptures or some doctrine, and they don't understand it And it just sends them for a loop
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You know they're in a tizzy because I just can't I just can't get my mind around that and for those Folks if you ever get in that situation just wait
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And if God is pleased to reveal it to you reveal it to you, and if not maybe one day It'll be revealed in in heaven
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But really it isn't the things that we don't understand that that ought to shock us
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It is the things that we do understand And we don't act upon the things that we do know the things that we have
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Considered and God has taught them to us and yet we don't act properly or we don't think about them We don't cause them to be before us and meditate upon those things and one of the things
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That is evident and clear And it's an absolute is that one day brethren we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ And I got a bit nervous when
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I go into my boss's office Still to this day because I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what's going to be said
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I know what I've done, and I think that the fear of the Lord ought to strike us
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We ought to be preparing to come before the Lord one day We ought to be looking at and examining our lives to make sure that our motives are proper in Anything that we do for the ultimate desire here while we're on earth to be well pleasing to him and then one day
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When we stand before the Lord and Everything is evaluated. We might hear those blessed words.
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Well done thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy
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Lord Paul finishes in verse 11 as far as the text that I was going to look at but we can't really go into it
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Where he says knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men knowing the terror a worshipful reverence of the
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Lord That is an essential motivation to live in such a way to honor the Lord Trusting him and obeying him and because of this terrible awful fearful day
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We must be given not only for ourselves to look at our own lives so that we order our lives in such a way that Everything that we offer up to the
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Lord and it is in a spiritual sense Some folks don't understand that but you can brush your teeth to the glory of God You can pick up after the service a piece of paper off there off the ground or one of the little things that's supposed to Be stuck in the seat and you can do that as under the
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Lord cheerfully with all your heart and receive a great reward for doing things for the glory of God And not only should we?
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Be persuaded within ourselves and encourage each other, but we ought to persuade others urging others
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To come to the Lord to be reconciled to God to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved so there you have it a
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Great reason to keep on keeping on that the Christian Possesses a life -changing a life
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Gripping conviction that we will soon appear before the judgment seat of the
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Lord Christians possess this and How blessed we are? to have an opportunity
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To purpose afresh and anew to please the Lord and to be ready To come before him.
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Are you ready? There's absolutely no way to me in my mind and in my heart
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That we can come to a service and we can read the Word of God Where it says we must appear all of us appear before the judgment seat of Christ That everyone may receive the things done in his body according to what he hath done whether it be good or bad and Walk away from here unchanged and unaffected and I trust and I pray that we might encourage each other to live and labor for the master to revel and rejoice in the great salvation that he's given to us that that will never be called into account for our sins again those
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Who have called upon the Lord and the Bema seat is not for sins, but for judgment of Evaluating our work so that we will receive rewards
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That's the message this morning. Let us pray our
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Father in heaven Sometimes when we come to your word
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We have read or know of the topic already And yet we know that in our lives we have been overting our hearts we have been looking the other way
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We've been trying To escape the inevitable And I pray
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O Lord God that you would give us ears to hear and hearts to receive this message That we would help each other and encourage each other to be resolved to live our lives to the glory of Christ Not with an eye service towards others just doing something while others are looking or they'll pat us on the back
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But singularly doing it with an audience of one and that being you our great God and Savior forgive us
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For all the times and the efforts where we've had the wrong motive and it has been wood hay and stubble and Help us
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Lord by your grace to purpose to begin using better material
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Worthwhile material good for something material efforts with good heart motives for glorifying and loving and pleasing you