Believer's Rewards or Lack Thereof

[0:00] I'd just like to share this with you. This is a question that has been addressed, took up this whole card, and it is apparent that somebody's been giving a lot of thought to this, and it is the kind of issue that just has no boundaries to it. I mean, this thing is huge.

[0:18] And I don't want to try to engage it now because it's so involved, and yet it is so important that it deserves the time.

[0:32] And I've been doing some collateral material for Christianity Clarified that I've been recording, and it ties in with this beautifully, so we'll be putting this together.

[0:43] But I just want to give you a heads up, and I've read this question before. I want to read it again because I want to make sure that you get a fix on it, and it can be ruminating in the back of your mind.

[0:57] And we'll have opportunity to have a more full-fledged discussion later on, but this is to just give you some seed and something to think about. Here's a question. God created everything, being all-knowing, including Satan.

[1:11] He was aware of how wicked and evil Satan would become. So why create him? Why is it so that angels would truly have free will, and eventually humans would have free will?

[1:28] Was it to sort out who truly loves God and who doesn't? Why would God want to grieve himself seeing sin and wickedness? And that's an interesting expression.

[1:41] Because we do not normally think in terms of God being grieved. Because God is not human, and God does not have human emotions or human limitations.

[2:00] Yet, as we shall see later, scriptures do refer to God being grieved. What could that mean?

[2:11] Well, just for starters, I'll just throw this out. But I've tried to make clear in the past that God and humans dwell on two entirely different levels.

[2:25] There is humanity, which is where we are with all of its limitations. And there is deity where God is with no limitations.

[2:37] And the only thing I can suggest, just for your thinking, is that while we humans do grieve, and we surely know what grief is, grief is, I'm suggesting that God is capable of grieving also only in and on a level that is accompanying to deity, not humanity.

[3:06] So, there is that disparity once again that we need to keep in mind. And I am confident that God is not limited in any way such as we are.

[3:18] And yet, there are similarities between the deity and humanity. Because we know that we are made in His image, so there is a similarity right there. And a similarity is not the same.

[3:31] Something is, if something is similar to something else, it doesn't mean it is identical to it. It just means it has characteristics that are like it. So, God has, I would suggest, a capacity for grief, but on a level that transcends human grief, if that is any help.

[3:54] And the same way with other emotions as well. So, that's just something to think of. Do you think, the question goes on, do you think that people who take their own lives go to heaven or hell, or do they go to their own place like Judas?

[4:08] And these are just provocative questions. And it's obvious that whoever submitted these has been doing some pretty deep thinking about these issues. And I'm eager to get into it and discuss the ramifications to you.

[4:22] Because, guys, bottom line is, it's what everything is all about. And you'll see more about this later on. I'm quite excited about it.

[4:33] It's all I can do to hold my peace on it now. But we've got to do that. So, keep that in mind. Also, the... Well, let's take this, because we didn't finish it last week.

[4:48] And I'm sure I didn't do it justice at all. Don't do it justice any week. But this ties in with the question that was submitted about sins I've done after I was saved.

[5:03] And just the mere fact that one is concerned about sins committed after salvation is in and of itself a good indication that salvation has occurred.

[5:22] Because there is a sensitivity to the issue that one does not have before coming to faith in Christ. So, it's a very legitimate question.

[5:34] And the answer to it is quite liberating. We've already talked a little bit about the two aspects involving your salvation. And one has to do with quantity and the other has to do with quality.

[5:49] And let me preface our examination while you're turning to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. We'll look at the principles that are involved there.

[6:00] And while you're turning to that, I just want to remind you that with the concept that most people have regarding salvation and righteousness, there is no peace, there is no joy, there is no satisfaction, there is no assurance, because they are operating on the basis of quantity.

[6:26] And their question is, how good do I have to be in order to be accepted of God? And we have distributed hundreds and hundreds of copies of a little booklet that was put out by Andy Stanley, that's Charles Stanley's son.

[6:46] And this little booklet is entitled, Since Nobody is Perfect, How Good is Good Enough?

[6:57] Very provocative title. And he goes on in that little book and gives an excellent explanation of what is involved. But guys, this is the way the world thinks. And it is in connection with this concept that we all would wonder, how good do I have to, how righteous do I have to be in order for God to accept me?

[7:22] And where is that threshold? When do you know that you've crossed that line? And they can only think in terms of quantity. It is how much. And fellas, that completely misses the whole point.

[7:36] Because your salvation is not an issue of how good or how righteous you have to be by way of a quantity. How much do you have to accumulate?

[7:49] And is it possible that you can be better than you need to be so that you've got something left over? That's the way the world thinks in terms of portions. But the Bible comes along and completely skews that whole idea by emphasizing what we looked at in our previous session.

[8:10] And our righteousness is not a question of quantity at all. It's a question of quality. In other words, it isn't how much righteousness do I have to have.

[8:27] That's not the issue. The issue is what kind of righteousness do I have to have. And the answer is perfect.

[8:42] You have to have perfect righteousness to be acceptable to God. If you have any sin remaining to your account, you are not equipped and fit for heaven because you would simply contaminate the place.

[9:04] Your righteousness must be absolute and it must be perfect. And if you have one sin remaining on your account, you are separated forever from God.

[9:21] That's a pretty sobering thought. But the solution to it is glorious beyond words. Because righteousness is available.

[9:37] An absolute righteousness, absolutely perfect, lacking nothing, whereby you are complete in Him, is available from the only one who has it to give.

[9:50] And that is Jesus Christ. When you come to a personal relationship with Him and trust Him as your Savior, He imparts to you His righteousness.

[10:06] That becomes your personal possession. You are imbued with that. Nothing can be added to it because it is perfect.

[10:18] It is complete. It is based upon the price that Jesus Christ paid when He died for your sins on the cross. And when He said it is finished, He meant the debt is stamped paid in full.

[10:34] That is the most amazing thing in the whole universe. There is nothing to top this. This is why I refer to it as the centerpiece of the universe.

[10:49] God was in Christ reconciling the world unto God and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

[11:04] And Paul goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 5, So we beseech you, be ye reconciled to God, because Jesus Christ has made the way open and available to you, and all that is lacking is your commitment to that availability and to that finished work.

[11:22] And when you make that commitment, then you are made the righteousness of God in Him. That means your standing is perfect.

[11:39] Your standing is equal to that of Jesus Christ. Now you may be thinking, Well, I wouldn't go that far. I'm not that good. No!

[11:50] We're talking about your standing. Not your state. Your state is, You're right. You're not that good. You're not even close. None of us is.

[12:01] Because we still live in this fallen body, in a fallen world. We still have an old sin nature to contend with. And every now and then, it gets the best of us.

[12:12] And we do something that embarrasses ourself, or our mate, or God, or whatever. We do something stupid. As a believer, whose sins have been fully paid for in Jesus Christ, you can still screw up things.

[12:27] You can still make a mess of things. And when you do, when we sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[12:38] Guys, that has to do with the cleansing of your state, not your position. Your position is fixed. It can't be improved on.

[12:49] It can't be improved on. Would you suggest that the finished work of Christ could be improved on? That's absurd. And because it can't, that's where you are.

[13:00] You are locked into Him. And you say, well, that's, that's too bad. I don't deserve that. Hey, you don't deserve anything. Neither do I. We know what we deserve.

[13:12] We're talking about grace. This is the most magnificent thing that has ever happened to the human race. And it is ours for enjoyment. And guys, listen. When you understand this, when you understand that righteousness is perfect, and yours is perfect in Christ, because by your name, the slate in heaven, the slate is clear.

[13:35] There is nothing there. That is your basis for joy. That's your basis. That's your rationale for peace.

[13:49] That's your rationale for security. For stability. For confidence. Hey, that doesn't make you cock.

[14:00] Because you're able to say, I know I'm going to heaven. Do you know what the world's response to that in general is? If you tell the average person out there, I know I'm going to heaven, their response immediately is, well, you must think you're really hot stuff.

[14:16] You must think that you're wonderful. And they don't understand. They're thinking in terms of quantity. They don't understand the substitutionary death of Christ and his victory and his payment put to your account.

[14:33] And you can respond with, I know I'm going to heaven. No. No. It's not because I'm wonderful. because I'm an old-fashioned, lost sinner in my sin, just like anybody else.

[14:47] But because Jesus Christ paid for my sin and my trust is in him, I have the absolute assurance and confidence that as he is, so am I.

[14:58] I am complete in him. That's my basis for security. That's why I can say, I know I'm going to heaven. It's got nothing to do with human pride. It's got everything to do with what Jesus Christ did for me.

[15:14] That salvation by grace through faith, it is amazing. Guys, this message has been around for 2,000 years. And most of the world still doesn't know it.

[15:26] John Newton called it amazing grace. What, Roger? Your name is St. Marvin Weiss. That's true. St. Marvin Weiss.

[15:38] Absolutely. It is. It is. You know, years ago, I got to tell you about this. Years ago, when we were meeting at the YMCA, that was the building across from the post office, downtown Springfield, Limesh.

[15:53] And we had a class there. Paul Pontus taught the class. And we had some folks came from Dayton for the class. We enjoyed the time together, just like we do now.

[16:05] This was 65 years ago. And when he, when Paul taught this truth, Paul Pontus taught this truth about our position in Christ.

[16:17] And one of the fellows there was just so taken by it. And he just couldn't get over it. And, and, and, and, and, and, he, he would ask Paul just about, you know, you still feel the same way that Paul said?

[16:33] Oh, yeah, that's true. You know, and finally, finally, he came to church. he came to the men's class one of these mornings, a couple of weeks after Christmas one year, and he had a new Bible.

[16:49] And he said, I want to, I want to show you my new Bible. You know how some people have their name printed in the Bible, the bottom of the Bible. And he had his there, Saint Ronnie Blades.

[17:02] I'll never forget Ronnie Blades. He was from Dayton. He'd come over every week. And he had that printed on the bottom of his Bible. He passed it around, the guy's got a real chuckle out of it. Because, guys, you are a saint.

[17:16] And when you read Paul's epistles, virtually every one of them is addressed to the saints at Philippi, the saints at Colossae. What's it mean to be a saint?

[17:26] The word saint comes from, from the, from the Greek word hagios, and it means to separate. You are a separated one.

[17:38] That's what sainthood means. You are separated. Well, from what are you separated? You're separated from the world. I've illustrated this before.

[17:49] I want you to think of yourself as being in the world of population, millions and millions of people, all centered around this globe, millions and millions of people.

[18:00] And picture, if you will, there is a giant hand that comes down from heaven and reaches into that mass of humanity and finds one who has just placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

[18:15] And that giant hand picks that one up, out of that whole mass of humanity, and brings him over, and sets him down here, in another mass of humanity that is much smaller than the other one.

[18:33] And that is known as the body of Christ, the spiritual body of Christ. So you are separated from the world and placed in union with Jesus Christ, so that as he is, so are we in this world.

[18:52] And if anybody objects by saying, well, nobody deserves that, to that I completely agree. It's not a question of deserving.

[19:03] It's a question of grace. Of course you don't deserve it. That's why grace was necessary, because without it, nobody would be saved. Everybody would be condemned.

[19:16] So, you are fully within your rights to put saint before your name, because God has put it there. And it means this separated one.

[19:29] You've got nothing to brag about. You're not bragging. You're giving thanks for who and what God has made you in Christ.

[19:40] So, it is absolutely astounding. Now, as you are a believer in Christ, in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, I'm sorry, chapter 3, 1 Corinthians chapter 3, we talked a little bit about this before, but I want to get this all in one setting, because it's all part of the package.

[20:02] And this is what has to do with your performance. We've already looked at your position, and we saw that in Colossians chapter 3, where the Apostle Paul says that we are complete in Him.

[20:20] Being complete, guys, means there's nothing lacking. There's nothing lacking. In that, what the payment that Christ made for you, He made it in full.

[20:34] Jesus didn't make a down payment. He paid the whole bill. Now, it hasn't all been applied yet. And by that, I mean, your spirit is regenerated.

[20:46] Your spirit is made new. But your body awaits redemption. This is according to Romans chapter 8, wherein Paul says that our bodies will be in keeping with our spirit when that time comes.

[21:05] But for now, we have a redeemed spirit, and when we die, our spirit goes to be with the Lord, and eventually, our physical bodies are going to be glorified as well.

[21:17] So what this means is, Paul says that God has given us the earnest of the spirit. The spirit of God is the earnest.

[21:29] And the earnest means the down payment. The Holy Spirit comes to indwell everyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and that is the down payment.

[21:41] And God will complete what He has made the down payment on when He glorifies your body, and then you will be a total glorified person. But for now, we live in a fallen body with a redeemed spirit, and that spirit is absolutely amazing.

[21:59] So here in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, Paul talks about what we are to do now that our position is secure, what are we to do regarding our practice?

[22:15] because in your position, there's no rewards. The reward for you being in the position that you were in, all of the reward goes to Jesus Christ, to whom is the honor and the glory forever, because of what He did.

[22:37] So the reward for you, with your redeemed body, with your redeemed spirit, and your physical body that you dwell in now, this is what we've got to function in.

[22:54] We are a dichotomy in that we've got a redeemed spirit, the spirit of God dwelling within us, who quickened our spirit, made us alive in Christ, but we've got an unredeemed body, and that means that's where you come in with your contribution after you come to faith in Christ, it is your works that are going to determine your reward, and it has nothing to do with your salvation.

[23:27] Let's read the text. In verse, beginning with verse, well let's just jump in here, we've got a, this whole text is just, just great, but we've got to start someplace.

[23:43] Alright, verse 10, according to the grace of God which was given to me as a wise master builder, Paul said, I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it.

[23:54] And who's building upon the foundation? You are. You are. Picture, guys, if you will, picture, if you will, a foundation that has been laid, and those of you who know a little bit about this, you put down a cement block foundation, let's think in terms of the cement block being the foundation, that's, that's Christ.

[24:17] And Paul says that he laid a foundation, and the foundation is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And then he goes on to say, no one can lay that foundation other than the one which is laid of Jesus Christ.

[24:31] Now if any man builds upon the foundation, and here guys, you've got this cement block foundation, and that is Christ, who is the base and the foundation of your life, and you're going to build upon it.

[24:44] I want you to think in terms of what are you going to put on those cement blocks? You can put brick on there, which is pretty durable, or you can put wood, which is subject to decay and destruction, or you can put fat, scratch, or straw, or whatever, which is virtually worthless.

[25:10] But everybody, everybody is building something. Everybody who is a believer in Christ is by their efforts and by their deeds, good and bad, they are building something.

[25:24] And what you're building is, you're building a case for your ultimate assessment in heaven, which has nothing to do with your salvation, but it has everything to do with your rewards.

[25:39] So let's go on. what you are building on contributes to the reward you will receive, or you will be denied at the award throne of Christ.

[26:03] It has nothing to do with your salvation. That's already settled. that's dependent upon what Christ did. This is dependent upon what you do. This is your works, and it's to be kept separate and distinct from what Christ's work is.

[26:20] Remember, Christ's work is of a quality. It is fixed, certain, nothing can be added to it. But we can add a great deal to our works.

[26:33] In other words, we are commanded of God to give our salvation a workout. How do you do that?

[26:45] You do that by what you do. You do that by what you give. You do that by who you help. You do that in so many ways.

[26:58] As a child of God, you are walking in the Spirit and God recognizes that and what you do in the Spirit is chopped up for your reward.

[27:13] And he's going on and saying, let's read the next couple of verses. If any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw.

[27:27] You see these? They're looked upon as non-combustibles and combustibles. In other words, these are things that when the all-scrutinizing eye of Jesus looks upon these things that we have done, some of them are going to go poof and just disappear.

[27:52] And they're worth nothing because they were works done in the flesh. Let me give you an example. Here's somebody who says, you've got a picture in the newspaper and this guy is making a $5,000 contribution to some charity.

[28:11] And you get a picture of it in the paper and it makes a big deal that John Q. Smith gives $5,000 to this charity. And the man did it because he wanted the recognition and notoriety so he notified the right people that this presentation was going to be made so that he could have his picture taken and put in the newspaper and everybody would know what a wonderful guy he was and how generous he was.

[28:44] And so he's made this huge contribution. Who else do you know that can give $5,000 to charity? And the guy gets a write-up and there's a picture in the paper and he's showing this big mock-up of a blank check and the guy shaking hands with the company that's receiving or the people who are receiving it and he's saying to himself, boy this is going to really make me look good before God.

[29:08] No it isn't. No it isn't. You know if that is flashed before the screen at the judgment seat of Christ, you know what's going to happen? It's going to go poof and disappear because you didn't give it with the right attitude.

[29:24] attitude. You gave it for the honor and credit that you would receive from it. It was to make you look good. And Jesus doesn't appreciate that.

[29:36] I'll tell you what, and he talks about this in the gospels about how you are to give so that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. If you are giving generously, just make sure that you are not doing it for the show or for the credit or for the recognition.

[29:59] This is why at Grace Bible Church from the beginning, way back when we first started, we designed a giving system at Grace so that nobody but the treasurer and the assistant treasurer has any idea who gives money or how much they give.

[30:23] And I, as the pastor, for over 50 years there, I had no idea who the big givers were, who didn't give much at all, who gave regularly.

[30:36] I had no idea. I had no access to that information at all. Nor did I want it, nor was there any reason that I should have it. And you know what that does? That keeps me from being overly gracious or recognizing to a certain person and give them a special greeting because you've got to take care of this guy.

[30:59] He's a big giver. No. It enables the pastor to treat everybody the same because he doesn't have any idea who gives what. Ignorance can be bliss. And there's a case in point.

[31:10] And the treasurer and the secretary who handle the money and count it every week, they are sworn to secrecy. They aren't supposed to know anything about anybody or give that information out. That is completely anonymous.

[31:23] And that allows for free giving. So that's the only way to go. Let's go on here in the text. If any man builds upon the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, that is deeds, actions, attitudes that are worthy of God, things that we do for the right motive.

[31:46] So guys, please keep in mind, this is important. And God knows the heart. It isn't just what we do. It's also why we do it.

[32:00] That's a big item. Do we do it? So we'll get recognition. So people will be talking about us. So everybody will know how wonderful we are.

[32:11] Guys, that's wood, hay, and stubble. We are to give as unto the Lord, and the Lord will reward, and he will see to it that the tiniest gift, remember the example that he used about the widow's mite?

[32:29] Remember the guy who went into the treasury, who made a big deal of the fact, who had trumpets blaring before him, and he pulls out this big bag of money, and right there in front of everybody, so that everyone will notice he makes a big show of it, and he drops that money in the temple coffers, and everybody standing by says, wow, look at that, isn't he generous, isn't he, he's such a wonderful guy, and Jesus said, he has his reward.

[32:59] That's it. He had his rewards by the acclamation of the people, and that's all the reward he's going to get, but he won't have any reward from the Lord, and Jesus says, when you give, give secretly, so that it's just between you and the Lord, and he talked about the widow with the little mite, the mite, guys, is the smallest coin that existed in Jewish money, our equivalent to a penny, and this poor widow, she put in the widow's mite, she put in the penny, and the text says, she put in all that she had, that's all she had, she gave everything, with that little mite, and that is next to nothing, but as far as God is concerned, it's everything, and she out gave Mr.

[33:58] Moneybags, who gave all the money for the big show, what Joe? God looks at how much you have left, not how much you gave.

[34:09] Okay, now you quit preaching and go on the meddling. Okay, good point, Joe, good point. So, we are to give, we are to give, as Paul says, we are to give generously, not sparingly, for God loves a cheerful giver.

[34:28] Hey, God loves everybody, but God has a special kind of love for a cheerful giver. And guys, when we put money in the offering box, we need to do it with a grateful, thankful heart, not, boy, I really don't want to give this money, I ought to use this money to pay my bills, but if I don't give this money, God's going to get me, God's going to punish me, and I did, I remember one month that I didn't give anything, and I could have and I should have and I didn't, and God punished me, and the very next day, my refrigerator went out, and I had to replace my refrigerator, and God was getting evil, and all kinds of nonsense like that.

[35:13] Guys, we don't give to keep God happy. We give out of gratitude. We give out of thanksgiving. We don't give because we're afraid God will get us if we don't give.

[35:25] God wants you to give with a cheerful heart, so that when you put money in the offering plate, or in that offering box, you can do it wholeheartedly and say, I'm doing this not because I have to, I'm doing it because I want to, and I get to, and I'm giving it out of gratitude, not in payment for what God has done for me.

[35:51] You think a few lousy bucks can be payment for what God has done for you? Nonsense. Let's read on. If any man's work, verse 13, each man's work will become evident, for the day will show it.

[36:09] What day is that? That's the day of assessment. This is a time of assessment evaluation at the award throne of Christ.

[36:23] It's called the judgment seat of Christ. It's got nothing to do with your sin. It's got everything to do, your sin Jesus paid for, it's got everything to do with your actions, your deeds, after the point of salvation.

[36:41] Because what you are providing, what you are performing, is either wood, hay, and stubble, or it's gold, silver, and precious stone. One will stand the test of the all scrutinizing eye of God, and one will not.

[36:57] And those works that are pleasing to him will abide. They are made of materials that will withstand the test of Christ's evaluation. And he goes on to say, if any man's work, which he has built upon it, remains, he shall receive a reward.

[37:18] I have no idea what the reward would be like, or what it would consist of. But I know this, it will be absolutely sure that it is totally appropriate to what it should be in accordance with God's assessment of what it ought to be.

[37:36] And how perfect is that? As perfect as it can be. And that is the reward. I have no idea what the reward would be like. No idea. Maybe it's a position in the millennium, I don't know.

[37:51] But I know this, it will be what it ought to be. And God will make it right. Question? Okay, so the day of the judgment seat, that's right after the rapture?

[38:04] Is that when it's going to take place? I think so, but I'm not real sure. I think so. That is the award throne. Seems to be right after the rapture.

[38:17] Then there's going to be marriage supper of the Lamb. That's going to take place and when that's over we're returning to the earth. Yeah, Dan? I'm just finished a book.

[38:28] I'm reading a book called The Hatfields and the Coils. Okay? It's a study of anger. But Ains Hatfield, who was the patriarch of the Hatfields, okay, was baptized in the Tug River at a later age in life, of course.

[38:47] Compare him to Billy Gray. I mean, compare that when the judgment seat comes. What, according to what we know.

[38:59] Yeah. What's your comment on that? Yeah, well, part of the problem is we in our humanity try to make assessments and all we can make the assessment based on is what we see outwardly.

[39:19] But we can't see inwardly. And the difference, the radical difference, and the difference that really makes the difference is that God, in his evaluation, is able to see right into the depths of our being and know exactly what the motivation was for what we did, why we did it.

[39:44] and to him, that counts for so very much. We are impressed with what we see people do outwardly.

[39:55] But that's all we can see. We cannot see inwardly. We cannot know that this person was generous. Yeah, they were generous, but they were generous because they felt they couldn't afford not to be.

[40:10] Well, that's not going to fly, guys. God knows the heart. He reads the heart, and he knows what the motive is, and we will be evaluated on the basis not only what we did, how much we did, but why we did it.

[40:25] That's a big item. Joe? Head on chapter 2, at the end of chapter 2 where you're at, the same material of Corinthians, reading on 15 of chapter 2.

[40:37] The person with the spirit makes judgments about all things. In other words, how much you're going to give, what you're not going to give, how you're going to treat this person, and so forth. You make judgment about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ.

[41:06] In other words, I think the bottom line is the Holy Spirit in you will guide you on those things that Mars talked about, any decisions you make in your life, the Holy Spirit is there to guide you and will tell you which way to do and how much and what so forth versus the natural spirit in you.

[41:26] Okay, thank you Joe, appreciate that addition. And then in verse 14, it says, if any man's work which he has built upon it remains, that means it's not consumed by the fire, it isn't a little pile of ashes, it remains, he shall receive a reward.

[41:49] And I have no idea what the rewards will consist of, I only know that whatever the reward is, it will be totally, absolutely appropriate, it will be just perfect.

[42:01] It won't be too much, and it won't be too little, it'll be just right. Because that's the only way Jesus does anything, it's what is absolutely right.

[42:12] Yeah, Steve in the back. I've heard it explained that our rewards are what we lay at the feet of Christ, and what we can give to Christ. And, you know, if you don't have that many rewards, you're going to really regret it, that you didn't do more.

[42:30] Well, you got a point, absolutely. Yeah, rewards will lay at the feet of Christ. Roger? Do you think the Lord will show us what we could have done?

[42:43] I don't know. I have no idea exactly how that's going to be conducted. But I do know this, guys, and you keep this in mind, not only for the rewards, not only for the rewards for believers, but this, to me, this thought is more comforting, more consoling than I can tell you.

[43:07] And that is not only just in this sphere for believers at the award throne of Christ, but also for unbelievers at the judgment throne of God in Revelation 20.

[43:21] In both of those cases, and in every other case, every single individual, wherever they are, whatever their end, whatever their sentence, whatever their punishment or reward, to whatever extent, for everybody, will be exactly, precisely, completely, just as it ought to be, according to God's evaluation.

[43:54] And there's no way that can be improved upon. And I'm talking about heaven, hell, rewards, loss of rewards, everything. The end game is everything.

[44:07] Everyone, wherever they are, whatever they're experiencing, is going to be exactly as it ought to be, according to God's sense of oughtness.

[44:21] Now, to me, that's very comforting. that means nobody in hell is going to suffer more than they deserve.

[44:32] Nobody in heaven is going to be rewarded more than they deserve, or less. Everything will be absolutely perfect in accordance with the only one who can make it that way.

[44:45] And I take great comfort in that. And nobody is going to be able to look at another, wherever they are, and say, boy, he got a raw deal.

[44:55] He deserves better than this. He deserves better than this. And nobody's going to be able to say, well, why should he be rewarded like that? He doesn't deserve that. Nobody's going to be, everybody's going to know that everybody is absolutely on page one where they need to be.

[45:14] And only God, only God could evaluate that that way. And you know what? That's part of his job description. That's what he does.

[45:24] That's just one case of where it says he does all things well. So you don't have to worry about getting shortchanged. Oh, I hope God takes note of this and doesn't forget.

[45:35] No, don't worry about that. Don't worry about that. Don't worry about that. Nobody is going to get the short end of the stick as far as God is concerned. Everybody's going to get absolutely, totally what they deserve about whatever.

[45:47] So, for a believer, you're in a win-win situation. It's incredible. It doesn't get any better than this. And this is all a result of what Jesus did for you on the cross.

[46:03] I tell you, this is amazing. Yes. If you get to heaven and you don't get any awards, you're still going to be singing hallelujah and praise the Lord. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. In fact, the text goes on to say, if any man's work is burned up, you mean all of those trophies and all of those things that I worked hard for, blah, blah, blah, all that stuff is burned up?

[46:27] The text goes on to say, if any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss.

[46:38] It will be a loss that he should suffer according to God's estimation. it will be a loss that he should suffer.

[46:50] And he's not going to be able to walk up and say, well, boy, I got a raw deal. No. He's going to know he didn't get a raw deal. He got a fair deal as the only one who can make it fair pronounced it.

[47:05] So there's not going to be any complaints. You mean this is all I get? You mean all I did for all those years and all the prayers I made, all the times I read my Bible, and this is all things I get?

[47:15] Jesus, well, what a raw deal. Nobody's going to be doing that, guys. If all of our works are burned up, he shall be saved.

[47:27] He shall be saved. Anyway, even though he's got nothing in his column for reward, he still gets saved. Why? Because Jesus died for him.

[47:39] That's it. That's the whole ballgame. That's everything. anything. Anybody's work. Yet he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.

[47:53] Do you not know? Hey, guys, aren't you aware of this? Your body, your physical body, is the temple of God.

[48:10] God, be careful how you treat God's property. Your body is the temple of God.

[48:22] God dwells in you. If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. Let no man deceive himself.

[48:35] Any man among you thinks that he's wise in this age, let him become foolish that he may become wise. In other words, the guy who thinks he knows it all doesn't know beans.

[48:48] Sometimes, sometimes when I learn things that are really new to me, I just feel like, boy, once again, I get embarrassed by my ignorance.

[49:02] guys, we're all ignorant, just about different things. None of us has anything altogether, not life, not anything, and the guy who thinks he's the cats beyond, the pizzazz, and all the rest, just really needs a wake-up call, because we're not hot stuff.

[49:25] We are saved stuff by the grace of God. We are a walking treasure that God has redeemed and made us a treasure, and it is just beyond, absolutely beyond words.

[49:40] Any other thoughts or comments? Yeah, Ed? My book renders it, it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss, but yet will be saved.

[49:51] But then it says, even though only is one escaping through the flames. What's that mean? Well, it means that one who has come through the flames, come through the flames of the testing and the examination and everything, comes out on the other side, he has been tested, he's been subjected, his works have been subjected to the test of God's scrutinizing eye, and he comes out on the other side of it with no rewards, empty-handed, yet he himself is saved, he just has no reward.

[50:32] It's difficult for me to imagine that anybody who has lived any length of time on this earth is going to be completely devoid, as a believer, is going to be completely devoid of any and all works and rewards at all.

[50:50] It's just hard to imagine because there are things that believers do that are God worthy and commendable and of the Spirit, etc., and maybe they don't do it very often, maybe they don't do it, but God will see to it that every righteous deed and every righteous motive will be rewarded, and I think it's going to be virtually impossible for someone who has the Spirit of God in them not to have a certain amount of righteous deeds to their account, and God will take a note of that, so guys, bottom line is this, don't worry about it, everybody is going to receive exactly what is right for them according to the only one who knows what is right for you, and frankly,

[51:52] I would much rather be subject to God's evaluation than I would to my evaluation, because mine is skewed like it is with everything else, we are all a bundle of personal prejudices and biases and everything else, but God is the only one who sees everything and evaluates everything with complete clarity and honesty that only he possesses, and let me put it this way, when it comes to the award throne of Christ, you couldn't be in better hands, and you couldn't receive a fairer or more just assessment than the one he will give.

[52:37] Joe? Just a little background to this message this morning, these Corinthians that Paul was writing to here, they were saved, they had their salvation, but they hadn't moved anywhere beyond that.

[52:55] In other words, they weren't doing anything that they were going to get any kind of rewards for, basically, this message here. Paul didn't have to give this message to some of the other churches, the Philippians and so forth, but he felt he had to give this message to the Corinthians because they had gone nowhere with their salvation.

[53:16] They had done no works at all. They hadn't done anything to get rewards. And he was trying to impress upon them that their lives basically had to be different now that they were saved.

[53:32] Amen. Thank you, Joe. The whole concept, the whole idea is Paul is writing these things that he's writing because he knows that in every church, there are some Corinthians all throughout the world.

[53:47] In every church, there are some Corinthians. In every church, there are some Philippians. In every church, there are some Colossians. And he addresses people because he knows what people are made up of and how people are alike in different places all over the world.

[54:03] And this is a, I've often referred to the Corinthians as Paul's problem children. That's what they were. The Corinthians were a bunch of, they were a bunch of spiritual juvenile delinquents.

[54:19] That's probably a good way to describe the Corinthians. They call that carnal. When you still live by the fleshly worldly ways, you're called carnal. They were carnal Christians.

[54:29] There was a common expression among first century believers in Christ. And that is, I tell you, so-and-so, so-and-so, do you know so-and-so?

[54:42] Yeah, I know him. He lived like a Corinthian. Well, fellas, that was not, that, that, that was not a, a, a good thing to live like a Corinthian.

[54:54] That was not a compliment. That was a, that was an acknowledged put down. Hey guys, enjoy your breakfast. Thanks so much for being here this morning. Thank you.