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Author
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Topic: The believer's judgment
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Carol Swenson
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Member # 6929
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posted
Good topic Copper! ![[thumbsup2]](graemlins/thumbsup2.gif)
1 Cor 3 (NIV)
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
So, the point is simply this, Paul says what motivates me is there's coming a day when I'm going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and He's going to take all the stuff of my life, all the activities of my life, and He's going to just burn away the stuff that had no eternal value and what remains, the gold, the silver and precious stones, according to verse 14, is the substance of my eternal reward.
And what is that reward? I believe it is an eternal capacity to glorify and serve God. I believe our eternal capacity to glorify and serve God will be the expression of the earthly...the reward for the earthly service. So whatever...whatever I can do in my body in this world has direct implications to the capacity I'll have to serve and glorify God forever and ever and ever and ever.
Paul says I seek the highest goal, my ambition is to be pleasing to Him. I seek it at the widest possible level of devotion, whether I'm alive or dead, whether I'm in this body, or out of this body, and I am motivated by the deepest motive and that is that I want to be able throughout all eternity to serve the Lord God and glorify Him and honor Him to the fullest capacity possible. And that means I must take this body and use it to serve Him.
That's the point. So Paul says I'm ambitious. And I think his ambition is admirable, don't you? And it ought to be ours. Yes, I'm longing for heaven, yes I would like the presence of Jesus Christ, but that doesn't make me irresponsible while on earth.
That rather motivates me because...listen now...my heaven is going to be determined in great measure by how I live my life right here. And so he says I choose the highest goal to please Christ, the widest devotion, whether I'm alive or dead, the deepest motive, the anticipation of eternal reward. That is the noblest ambition. Let's pray together.
Our Father, we acknowledge that we are unworthy of any reward because whatever is produced in us is produced by Your Holy Spirit. And yet mystery of mysteries, somehow we can cooperate. We must. We must submit so that You can use us.
May we have the noblest ambition. May we like the Apostle Paul be so focused that it is of little concern to us what people think, it's of little concern to us what we think, it's of major concern to us what You think because You really know. May we live in the light of that awareness.
And may we be deeply motivated to the widest level of devotion, the highest goal of pleasing you in everything, for the glory of Christ now and forever. Amen.
(MacArthur)
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/47-33
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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Copper25
Advanced Member
Member # 7464
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posted
Amen indeed to what is spoken.
1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
The picture this verse paints has so many dimensions! The depth..wow!
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Isaiah 40:6) The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field
Posts: 262 | From: Rochester, NY | Registered: Nov 2008
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MentorsRiddle
Advanced Member
Member # 2108
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posted
This is a really good post – one that should hit home to every single Christian who one day plans to meet Christ.
I know I have done such awful things in my life and I am un-deserving of the Lord in any way shape or fashion.
But because of God’s grace, which is Jesus Christ and what he did for us upon that cross, we can rest assured that we will in the end be with him.
But I do think it important that we do more for him while where are here.
Making it a conscious effort to remember him in all that we do.
Amen?
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With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
Posts: 1337 | From: Arkansas | Registered: Sep 2003
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Copper25
Advanced Member
Member # 7464
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posted
2Corinthians 5:8 we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.
2Corinthians 5:9 Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto him.
2Corinthians 5:10 For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Has anyone ever taken a moment to think about that day we stand before Christ?
The interesting thing is, when you look at life through the lens of eternity, all the way when we are to stand before Christ; it starts to become so weighted on this, No matter what we have in this life, Only those things that were done for Christ will last (for that matter, with the right motives) and everthing else will be completely burned into nothing.
If I had a business for example, ok I am making money and so forth. If I am not utilizing it for Christ, if I don't give any profit I made to God, what does it profit me when I shall stand before Christ?
If I had a great speaking voice, if not used for the glory of God, will it not be burned on that day?
James said (James 4:14) "What is your life? For you are a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away."
There is a parable I heard
"Three men were riding on camels in the desert. They came to a stream where they could see an abundant amount of small rocks thickly layered across the bottom of the stream. Then they looked up, and a man appeared unto them and said "gather as many rocks from the stream bed as you can into you sacks and load them upon your camels." The guys all thought within themselves, "This man is telling us to gather rocks? What shall it profit us?". So because of their doubt they only filled a couple bags with rocks from the stream bed.
Before they left however, the man that appeared to them said unto the three men "Soon after you have rode off a little distance from here, you shall rejoice, but you shall be very sorrowful". The three men all looked at each other puzzled by what the man had told them. Nevertheless, they went on their way departing from the stream.
After they had traveled a half a day's by camel, they saw a sand storm coming; So they ran into a cave they saw off in the distance. While this storm continued, they noticed that the bags they filled with rocks felt heavier then at the first. So they put down the bags and opened up the bags, and behold, each rock that they had taken from the river bed had been turned into a diamond.
The three men then looked at each other and let out great sounds of rejoicing, but within moments they all were all stunned in their hearts with great sorrow; and said within themselves "Why didn't we listen to the man? Why didn't we not fill every sack, but only a few!". Thus they were happy, yet very sorrowful.
They then decided that they wanted to go back to get more rocks, but the sand storm blew the camel prints away, covering them so that the way back to the stream could not be found again."
Frankly, looking at that day when we are before Christ' judgment seat; will we be like these three men wishing they had gathered more; when we realize what we COULD HAVE, but DIDN'T do?
Every moment that passes is a moment, a fragment of time we can never get back.
The hands of time shall on progress, never backwards, never ceasing.
One life, no repeating
marching on, no receding.
but for all those believing
to the to the judgment seat of Christ.
will regret be in our hearts
When that day arises, judgment starts.
Seeing all our life unfold
what shall the eyes of Christ behold?
Hay, wood, stubble, the ashes
Gold, silver.. precious stones everlasting
The works tried, what will they be?
the fiery eyes of the Lord decree?
In Jesus name,
Daniel
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Isaiah 40:6) The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field
Posts: 262 | From: Rochester, NY | Registered: Nov 2008
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