Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / The Judgement Seat of Christ - 1/4/26 - Pastor Charlie Branch

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The Judgement Seat of Christ - 1/4/26 - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

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  Welcome to the podcast of Meadows
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  Baptist Church of Walnut Cove, North
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  Carolina. We're so glad you joined us
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  today. If you enjoy today's message, be
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  sure to subscribe, follow, and share
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  with your friends. Now, let's join
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  Pastor Charlie Branch with a word from
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  God.
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  When you find your seat this morning, if
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  you would turn with me to the book of
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  First Corinthians, 1 Corinthians,
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  chapter 3,
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  1 Corinthians chapter 3, and I'm only
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  preaching today uh in the worship hour
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  out of chapter 4. And I was just praying
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  about where the Lord have us to be for
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  Sunday school. Not really ready to uh
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  enter back into Daniel as of yet. I
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  don't know that the Lord's going to let
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  us finish that. But uh I just been
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  trying to mind the Lord as he gives me
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  liberty. And I think it's been
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  beneficial to us and we not been staying
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  in the same place every week and just
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  kind of trying to keep it uh changed up
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  and stay where the Lord wants us to be
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  at. And I want to deal with a subject
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  this morning if I could. Uh, I want to
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  deal with the subject and I want to look
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  at it from this text. We'll look at it
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  from another text and then maybe compare
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  it to some other text here. And I really
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  just got a thought on my heart. I don't
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  have a whole lot of u notes per se, but
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  I want to share with you what what I
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  believe the Lord's put on my heart here
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  in 1 Corinthians 3 verse number 11. 1
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  Corinthians 3 verse number 11. And uh,
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  Amen. Good to see brother Doug here with
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  us this morning. And uh amen.
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  All right, let's look here. 1
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  Corinthians 3 verse number 11.
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  Love this verse. Amen. Bible says, "For
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  other foundation can no man lay than
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  that that is laid, which is Jesus
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  Christ." Now if any man build upon this
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  foundation, gold, silver, precious
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  stones, wood, hay, or stubble, every
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  man's work shall be made manifest. For
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  the day shall declare it, because it
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  shall be revealed by fire. The fire
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  shall try every man's work of what sword
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  it is. If any man's work abide which he
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  hath built thereupon, he shall receive a
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  reward. And if any man's work shall be
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  burned, he shall suffer loss. But he
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  himself shall be saved, yet so as by
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  fire. And I want to deal this morning,
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  if you know this text, you know what
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  we're talking about today. I want to
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  deal with the judgment seat of Christ.
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  And uh I'm not going to say probably not
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  going to say anything that you don't
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  already know, but I want to refresh our
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  minds concerning this topic. Now, I
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  really believe that it is the the
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  judgment seat that is the driving force
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  of the believer. And I think I think
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  that Paul emphasizes that. We'll deal
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  with that in just a minute. But I I
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  really believe the reason why Christians
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  in this day and time are so apathetic is
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  because they do not have a good
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  understanding of the judgment seat. I
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  think that it's not in the forefront of
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  their mind. Now, I'll say this. When it
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  comes to the fact of the judgment seat,
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  it ought to be something that crosses
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  our mind every day of our life because
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  you understand that everything you do in
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  this life is going to stand at this
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  place. If you're born again, you will
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  stand here at the judgment seat. And I
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  want to lay out just a couple of things
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  here uh just a minute. I want to give
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  you three things here and then we'll
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  talk about this. And I kind of want to
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  just take some time, maybe if you have
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  some questions about the judgment seat,
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  take time and answer those this morning
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  if I may. But I want you to notice here
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  in our text, 1 Corinthians 3, verse
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  number 10, there is a there's a burden
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  that's expressed in verse number 10. And
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  uh you need to see this, okay? To
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  understand uh where we're headed here.
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  The Bible said in verse 10, Paul, of
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  course, is talking to the Corinthians
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  here. through the Corinthians in this
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  chapter, they've had trouble with uh
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  distinguishing themselves based upon the
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  men that were preaching to them or their
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  pastor or who it was that was preaching
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  when they got saved. And he tells them
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  they're carnal. He said, "You're you're
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  divided because of who you were saved
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  under." And he says this in verse number
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  nine, he said, "For you're laborers
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  together with God. You're God's
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  husbandry. You're God's building
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  according to the grace of God which is
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  given unto me as a wise master builder.
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  I have laid the foundation, and another
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  buildth there on. Verse, let's that last
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  phrase. But let every man take heed how
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  he buildth their own. Now, the literal
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  interpretation of this, I believe Paul
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  was dealing with some men in the
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  Corinthian church that were trying to
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  undermine the doctrine that Paul had
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  preached unto them. and they were
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  building a foundation or they were
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  building a building that did not fit the
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  foundation that Paul was trying to lay
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  for this church. But I believe the
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  application sense of this that I want to
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  make this morning and I believe that
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  it's really seen in verse number 10.
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  Notice that those first four words of
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  that phrase, but let every man you see
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  you are responsible for your Christian
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  life this morning.
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  >> And that is the burden of the child of
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  God. You are responsible for what you
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  do, and you're responsible for what you
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  don't do as a child of God. And notice
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  what he says. Let every man take heed
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  how he buildth their pawn. Now, I I'm
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  going to try not to give away my message
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  today and giving you this, but you
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  understand that Paul is is entrusted. He
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  was entrusted, he was inspired by the
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  Holy Ghost to write at least 13 epistles
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  of the New Testament. The foundation of
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  the church is built upon what Paul
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  preached and what he taught in his
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  letters. And when he says in verse
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  number 11, notice what the Bible says.
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  He says, "For other foundation can no
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  man lay than that is laid, which is
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  Jesus Christ." And of course, Paul here
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  has taken the foundation of the gospel,
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  the mysteries, Amen. We'll deal with
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  that in the worship service today. But
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  these mysteries that were revealed unto
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  him, he has taken that and laid the
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  foundation for the church. And so there
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  is this this burden here. He says, "Let
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  every man take heed how he buildth there
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  upon." So there's the responsibility
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  that you and I have to build properly
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  upon that foundation. And then I would
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  say this, there's not only the the the
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  burden here, but there's the building.
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  Okay? So the foundation is laid in verse
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  number 11. Now notice verse 12. Now if
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  what any man so once again this thought
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  is again relayed here that it is a
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  personal responsibility
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  not only for us it's the burden is
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  personal but the building is personal.
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  If your life is going to be built up in
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  Jesus Christ it's going to be up to you
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  to do that personally. Now you say
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  preacher isn't it up to you to preach
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  the word? It is up to me to preach the
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  word to you. But what you do with that
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  word that I preach is totally up to you.
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  There's people that have can sit under
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  the best preaching in the world uh their
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  entire life and because they choose not
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  to to receive it and to apply it. There
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  is no building that takes place. Now
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  notice what he says here in this text.
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  Now verse 12, he says, "Now if any man
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  build upon this foundation which is
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  Jesus Christ, that is salvation, gold,
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  silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and
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  stubble." Now this is speaking here of
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  our life. You've got three different
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  descriptions here of those things which
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  are holy and then three different
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  descriptions here of things which are
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  unholy. And this begins the the doctrine
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  here of the judgment seat. This is the
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  first place that you see this dealt with
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  in scripture. And so this here is is the
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  the doctrine of this building. Okay? The
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  building of our life. Now I've mentioned
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  preached this here before at the church
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  there in the book of Timothy. I'm going
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  to go there for just a minute. The book
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  of Timothy, 2 Timothy,
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  chapter number two, verse number 19.
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  Now, I love I love Paul's writings. They
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  just coincide one with another. 2
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  Timothy 2:1 19. Nevertheless, the what?
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  The foundation. That's Christ. Stand
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  assure having this shield. The Lord
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  knoweth them that are his. And let
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  everyone that nameth the name of Christ
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  depart from iniquity. Verse 20. But in a
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  great house there are not only vessels
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  of gold and of silver but also of wood
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  and of earth and some to honor and some
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  to dishonor. So the imagery is the same.
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  There are things that are holy and there
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  are things that are unholy. There are
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  things that are righteous and things
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  that are unrighteous. Now we understand
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  that in our life there's things that are
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  necessity. All right? Bible says Bible
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  teaches if any man doesn't work he's not
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  going to eat. Amen. That's paraphrasing.
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  That's just what the Bible says. And so
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  we know that there's necessary evils.
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  Okay, there's the the necessity of
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  labor. There's the necessity of money.
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  We we talked about that here before at
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  the church that money is a necessary
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  evil that was given to us because of
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  sin. There would be no need for
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  currency. If there had not been sin,
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  we've dealt with that here before
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  because if Adam and Eve hadn't sinned in
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  the garden, the garden would have
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  supplied the needs of the entire human
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  race. And so the all of these necessary
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  evils that we have are not necessarily
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  sin in themselves, but when they get out
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  of order is when they become sin. Now
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  back to our text in 1 Corinthians 3, he
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  says, "Now any if any man build upon
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  this foundation," and this is what I
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  want you to get before I go any further.
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  Okay? All of this stuff, okay? the good,
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  the bad, the righteous, the unrighteous,
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  the holy, and the unholy. It can all be
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  used to build. It's just like the
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  imagery. I was thinking about this when
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  I was studying this, but you remember
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  the story of the three little pigs.
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  One built his house with straw, one
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  built his house with wood, one built his
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  house with bricks. What was the
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  difference?
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  this text here. He's talking about what
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  we're going to walk through the judgment
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  with. So, I'm going give you the the
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  third thing here and then we'll talk a
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  little more about the judgment seat.
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  Okay? So, there's the burden here.
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  There's the building. What's built upon?
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  We're the foundation is Jesus. What we
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  build upon it is either that which
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  pleases God or that which displeases
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  God. But then there is the burning.
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  Notice this in verse 13. Every man's
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  work shall be made manifest. For the day
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  shall declare it. That word declare
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  means to make plain. It's going to show
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  up clearly. It's going to be obvious
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  what people did in their life at the
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  judgment seat. Look what he says.
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  Because it shall be revealed by fire and
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  the fire shall try every man's work of
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  what sort it is. If any man's work abide
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  which heath built thereupon, he shall
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  receive a war reward. And if any man's
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  work shall be burned, he shall suffer
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  loss. But he himself shall be saved yet
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  so as by fire. Okay. So, the judgment
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  seat, what is it? Who's going to be
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  there? When is it? What does it apply
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  to? Well, first of all, the judgment
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  seat is this. The judgment seat is the
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  judgment of those who are saved by the
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  grace of God in the dispensation of
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  grace. All right? Those who have trusted
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  Christ from the time when the Holy
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  Spirit was given in the book of Acts
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  until the time that Jesus returns again
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  in the rapture, that period is going to
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  be every person that's saved will stand
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  before the judgment seat of Christ. The
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  church, it is the judgment of the
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  church. Okay? And so what what is it?
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  It's the judgment of the church. When is
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  it? It's going to happen immediately
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  after the rapture. All right? that when
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  the rapture takes place, there's the
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  seven years of tribulation. There's a,
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  you know, we don't know exactly the
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  amount of time that's going to transpire
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  between the rapture and then the
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  beginning of that seven years, but I
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  believe it's really I I think it's kind
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  of the marking point. I think when the
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  rapture takes place, it's immediately
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  going to go into that seven years. And
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  so during that seven years, we're going
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  to be in heaven with Christ. And so
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  there's the place of the judgment seat.
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  We'll be there with him in heaven, and
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  we will be judged there. We will stand
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  before him. The Bible says to receive
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  the things that were done in our body,
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  whether they be good or bad. Paul deals
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  with that in the book of 2 Corinthians.
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  I'm going to go there in just a minute.
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  All right. Now, a common misconception
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  about the judgment seat. All right.
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  Most people, all right, I've heard a lot
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  of preachers say this. Okay. There's a
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  lot of people that believe at the
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  judgment seat that God is going to put
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  all of our works on display.
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  that every sin a child of God commits,
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  that every time they omitted to do the
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  will of God and they committed sins
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  against the will of God, that God will
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  put that on display for the entirety of
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  Christendom to see at the judgment seat.
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  Well, there's one problem with that.
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  That's not Bible.
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  >> And you say, "All right, well, what's
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  going to happen?" Notice the text again.
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  Verse 13. Every man's work shall be made
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  manifest. Now, it doesn't say that it's
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  to who it's going to be made manifest.
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  Look what the Bible says. For the day
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  shall declare it, because it shall be
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  revealed by fire, and the fire shall try
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  every man's work of what sort it is.
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  Okay? So, I'm not going to te sit here
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  and stand here and tell you this morning
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  that others are not going to see what
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  you did. But I am going to tell you
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  this. This is what I'm going to tell
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  you. When you walk through that fire,
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  the only thing that's going to be left
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  is what you did for God. You're
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  >> right. And so the fire is going to take
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  care of all the sin.
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  >> Now, let me ask you something. All
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  right? You say, "Preacher, but I've been
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  told my whole life that my sin,
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  everything I did wrong is going to be
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  put on display." Well, let me ask you
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  this. All right? If Christ died for your
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  sin on the cross, does that not mean
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  that it's paid for?
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  >> And does the Bible not talking about
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  hide that that love will hide a
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  multitude of sins?
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  >> Right?
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  And if God is infinite in love, Christ
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  is the embodiment of love, and he takes
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  us to heaven, we're saved by grace, why
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  would God bring up our sin again?
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  >> To display that before the entirety of
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  the Christian, of the Christian people,
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  of the church. Why would he do that?
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  Because he died to save us from our sin.
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  The devil is the one that reminds us of
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  our sin.
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  And so why is it when we get there, why
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  would God declare what we what we did
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  before the entirety of of the church? I
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  just don't I really don't believe that.
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  Somebody might have Bible for that
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  better than myself, but I really don't
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  believe that. And so I believe here
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  what's going to happen is is that as we
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  go through that fire, all of the
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  wickedness is going to be burned up.
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  Everything that was done with the wrong
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  motive, the wrong method, the wrong
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  means, all of that's going to burn up.
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  Okay? I'll say more about that. Gold,
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  silver, and precious stones in a minute,
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  but all of that's going to burn up. And
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  what we come out the other side with is
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  what they're going to see.
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  >> So, here's what's going to be the
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  difference. What people's going to see
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  is whether or not you did anything for
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  Christ or not.
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  >> Whether or not your life exemplified a
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  fruitful ministry for the cause of
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  Christ. And so, I believe that's one of
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  the biggest misconceptions about the
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  judgment seat. But I will say this. All
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  right. The judgment seat is something
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  that we should fear. And when I say
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  fear, I don't mean that we should be
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  afraid of it. I think it's something
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  that should cause us to should cause us
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  to be stirred. Notice 2 Corinthians
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  chapter 5.
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  Paul here deals with the doctrine of the
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  judgment seat. Once again,
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  2 Corinthians 5.
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  2 Corinthians 5 verse number N.
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  Wherefore we labor that whether present
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  or absent, we may be accepted of him,
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  not for salvation, but just that Christ
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  would be pleased with our ministry.
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  Verse 10. For we must all appear before
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  the judgment seat of Christ, that
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  everyone may receive the things done in
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  his body, according to that he hath
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  done, whether it be good or bad. Now
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  notice verse 11,
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  knowing therefore, notice that, knowing
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  therefore the terror of the Lord, we
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  persuade men.
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  Now, there's two schools of thought on
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  verse number 11. Some say the terror of
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  the Lord is the judgment of sinners in
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  hell and thus they are persuading
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  sinners to be saved. But I don't believe
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  that's the context of the scripture. The
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  second school of thought is that that
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  terror there is not speaking that the
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  word terror in the Bible literally
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  speaks of the greatness great and
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  terrible. You've heard that the great
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  and terrible king. So it means the
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  greatness, the holiness, the
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  righteousness of God. Knowing the terror
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  of the Lord, we persuade men. He so
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  basically what he's saying here is that
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  we are we are expressing to you all
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  right I'm telling you that you're going
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  to stand before God in his greatness in
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  his holiness he is the great and
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  terrible God and he said knowing that
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  greatness he said we persuade men notice
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  what he says but we are made manifest
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  unto God and I trust also are made
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  manifest in your consciences and so he's
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  he's vindicating his ministry to them he
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  says my desire is to persuade you, to
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  push you. Now, people would say this,
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  you know, well, that what you preach is
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  too pushy. What you believe is you're
• 17:35
  trying to push that on me. Well, be
• 17:38
  honest with you, if you're saved, a man,
• 17:40
  you ought to desire to have truth placed
• 17:41
  in placed in your lap.
• 17:43
  >> Here's the thing about it. I've never
• 17:45
  seen a true child of God that desired to
• 17:46
  get close to God. When somebody placed
• 17:48
  biblical truth in their lap that they
• 17:50
  said, "No, I don't want to do that."
• 17:52
  Anybody that wants to draw closer to God
• 17:55
  will take truth and listen to that.
• 17:59
  >> I'll say this in my life and and I'll
• 18:02
  give this example and we'll move on here
• 18:05
  this morning. But in my life, I I have
• 18:08
  tried my very best in my short ministry
• 18:10
  to take advice from just about every
• 18:12
  preacher that I've come across
• 18:15
  for this reason because I know that
• 18:16
  they're in the ministry that I have. Mo,
• 18:19
  they've been doing it longer than I
• 18:20
  have. And you know what? I always take
• 18:23
  their advice. And you say, "Well, what
• 18:25
  if it's bad?" Well, I take their advice
• 18:27
  and I put it up with this book.
• 18:29
  >> You see, here's the thing about it. Just
• 18:31
  because something don't sound right to
• 18:33
  me, does not mean it's wrong.
• 18:35
  >> Right?
• 18:38
  >> Just because something doesn't fit the
• 18:39
  narrative, see, here's what happens. All
• 18:41
  right? And I I'm not on a soap box this
• 18:43
  morning. I'm just trying to help you.
• 18:44
  Okay? What happens is is we have a
• 18:47
  presumption about the word of God. We
• 18:48
  have a presupposition.
• 18:50
  All right, about the Bible. Okay, and we
• 18:53
  look at the Bible through Baptist
• 18:54
  glasses, right?
• 18:57
  >> But when you take the Baptist glasses
• 18:58
  off and you say, "What does the Bible
• 19:00
  really say? What does it really mean?"
• 19:03
  Regardless of what mom and daddy said,
• 19:06
  regardless of what preachers and pastors
• 19:08
  of days gone by said, "What does the
• 19:10
  Bible say?"
• 19:11
  >> Yeah.
• 19:12
  >> And you know what? That's where the
• 19:13
  final authority comes from. It's not
• 19:16
  about what's always been done. It's not
• 19:17
  about what always has been said. It's
• 19:19
  about what the Bible says. And so when
• 19:23
  Paul says here, he says, "Knowing the
• 19:24
  ter of the Lord," that ought to be the
• 19:26
  ending of all of our decisions when it
• 19:29
  comes to scripture. When we make a
• 19:31
  decision about what the Bible says, all
• 19:33
  right, this is this ought to be the
• 19:34
  first thing that we say in our heart,
• 19:36
  okay? Is this is what I'm what I believe
• 19:39
  this text means. Is this going to draw
• 19:41
  me closer to God? Because if it's if
• 19:44
  it's breeding if it's breeding
• 19:47
  complacency and contentment, I'll be
• 19:49
  honest with you, it's probably not of
• 19:50
  God.
• 19:51
  >> Right?
• 19:52
  >> You say, you say, "Preacher, well, well,
• 19:54
  content Bible says that godliness with
• 19:57
  contentment is great gain." I'm not
• 19:58
  talking about contentment in worldly
• 20:00
  things.
• 20:01
  >> I'm talking about contentment in
• 20:02
  spiritual things. You see, we're to
• 20:04
  never stop growing.
• 20:06
  >> We're to never stop going. But the
• 20:08
  reason many do is because they have
• 20:10
  misconceptions about what the Bible
• 20:12
  really says. And so let me give you this
• 20:16
  this thought about this burning here.
• 20:18
  Verse number 12 of 1 Corinthians 3.
• 20:21
  Okay. So we mentioned here Paul is
• 20:23
  burdened about the judgment seat. I'm
• 20:27
  burdened by the judgment seat. You
• 20:29
  understand? I give an account for what
• 20:30
  goes on at this place there.
• 20:34
  >> That's a fearful thing.
• 20:36
  And he says this, "Now if any man build
• 20:39
  upon this foundation, gold, silver, and
• 20:42
  precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble,
• 20:44
  every man's work shall be made
• 20:47
  manifest." So let me ask you this
• 20:49
  question. How much of what you've done
• 20:52
  in your life to this point is going to
• 20:53
  burn up?
• 20:56
  Let me ask myself the question. How much
• 20:58
  of my life, what I've done in my life to
• 21:00
  this point is going to burn up? You say,
• 21:02
  "Preacher, well, I've tried my best to
• 21:04
  do the will of God." Well, you know, it
• 21:06
  goes beyond that.
• 21:09
  >> This is what this is where we really
• 21:11
  really miss this on the judgment seat.
• 21:14
  You see, it's not just what we do. It's
• 21:17
  not even just how we do it.
• 21:20
  >> It's why we do it,
• 21:21
  >> right?
• 21:23
  >> I could stand here and preach to you for
• 21:25
  the rest of my life and preach truth and
• 21:27
  never miss a service, never miss a
• 21:29
  sermon, never say anything wrong. But if
• 21:32
  I do it with a motive of pride in my
• 21:33
  heart of always just wanting to be right
• 21:36
  >> or always just wanting somebody to hear
• 21:38
  what I have to say. But you see, it goes
• 21:40
  beyond my preaching. It goes to my
• 21:43
  family.
• 21:44
  >> If my motive to lead my wife and to
• 21:48
  guide my children in this life is just
• 21:50
  so I look good,
• 21:52
  Amen.
• 21:54
  then that that's going to burn up.
• 21:56
  You're
• 21:56
  >> right.
• 21:58
  the works that I do with a motive for
• 22:00
  self-promotion and self-gratification
• 22:02
  will burn up. Now, notice this. All
• 22:05
  right? What is built? There's gold,
• 22:07
  silver, precious stones. There's wood,
• 22:09
  hay, and stubble. Now, this is not mine.
• 22:10
  I borrowed this, but I think this is
• 22:12
  very good. Okay? So, the description
• 22:15
  when you think about the first there
• 22:16
  that's mentioned, I don't know if you
• 22:18
  have a Scoffield Bible, but if you have
• 22:19
  a Scoffield Bible, I love the way that
• 22:21
  this is laid out. You notice there that
• 22:23
  gold is right above the wood, silver is
• 22:26
  right above hay, and the precious stones
• 22:28
  there, that precious starch right above
• 22:30
  the stubble. Now, what does that mean?
• 22:32
  Okay, so I'm not saying that that's
• 22:34
  literal, but there is a correlation.
• 22:36
  Okay, there's a step down. Gold, silver,
• 22:38
  precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble.
• 22:40
  We'd all agree that wood's better than
• 22:42
  hay
• 22:43
  >> and hay's better than stubble. Okay, and
• 22:45
  that gold's better than silver. Okay,
• 22:46
  let's let's just put that aside. That's
• 22:48
  what the point I'm trying to make. So
• 22:50
  what does gold represent in the
• 22:51
  scripture? Well, gold represents deity.
• 22:55
  It's God.
• 22:57
  The purest of all pure elements is gold.
• 23:02
  Then what does wood represent?
• 23:05
  Represents man.
• 23:07
  You see when you look in the tabernacle
• 23:09
  that that altar, what was it? It was it
• 23:11
  was that wood overlaid with gold. What
• 23:15
  was that representing? It was
• 23:16
  representing the person of Jesus Christ.
• 23:18
  that there was deity, God the Father,
• 23:21
  Amen, in humanity.
• 23:24
  And so what you have here in this text
• 23:26
  is that gold represents the works of
• 23:28
  God. What I do for God and what God does
• 23:33
  through me for him. That gold if you
• 23:37
  build upon this foundation go, that's
• 23:38
  the works of God. Well, would and vice
• 23:40
  versa is the works of man.
• 23:42
  >> It's the works of the flesh. It's what I
• 23:44
  accomplish on my own in my own power.
• 23:47
  See, here's the thing about it. You can
• 23:48
  accomplish a lot on your own.
• 23:53
  >> I' I would say this, and I think I said
• 23:55
  this just the other day at the church. I
• 23:57
  would say it's a greater failure to be
• 23:58
  successful in something that is not the
• 24:01
  will of God than it is to just be a
• 24:03
  failure.
• 24:06
  >> Because it's something that's going to
• 24:08
  burn up. You say, "Well, wood's better
• 24:10
  than hay." But the truth is wood will
• 24:12
  burn up in the same fire that hay will.
• 24:15
  >> Notice this. There is the gold there. It
• 24:18
  represents the the works of God. And
• 24:21
  then there is the wood that represents
• 24:22
  the works of man. Gold really would
• 24:24
  represent, I guess you would say, the
• 24:25
  work that God does through us. You see,
• 24:27
  we're we're unable to do anything
• 24:28
  without him. Jesus said that in John 15.
• 24:30
  For without me, you can do nothing. You
• 24:32
  got to abide in the vine. That's what he
• 24:35
  said. Amen. So notice this. So then
• 24:37
  there's the silver and then there's hay.
• 24:40
  Now, when you look at silver in the
• 24:42
  Bible, it's always a type of redemption.
• 24:44
  Silver always represents the redemptive
• 24:46
  work. And I've not got time to deal with
• 24:48
  that this morning, but silver represents
• 24:50
  the redemptive work of salvation. And
• 24:52
  then hay represents, you think about
• 24:54
  this, it's a it's a food. It's a what?
• 24:57
  It's what fed the animals. You think
• 24:59
  about the manger. That manger filled
• 25:01
  with hay. The bread of life was laid in
• 25:03
  the manger. And so that hay represents.
• 25:05
  And so what this comes out to is is that
• 25:07
  their silver is that redemptive work.
• 25:09
  And hey, it's humanitarian aid.
• 25:13
  It would be like feeding somebody a meal
• 25:16
  versus giving somebody the bread of
• 25:18
  life.
• 25:21
  >> The foundation, gold, silver, precious
• 25:23
  stones, wood, hay, or stubble. You see
• 25:26
  that hay burns up because it's
• 25:28
  temporary.
• 25:30
  It supplies a need for own time. I can
• 25:32
  give somebody a meal and you know what?
• 25:33
  They'll get help for a period,
• 25:35
  >> right?
• 25:36
  But as that go as they go away from
• 25:38
  that, if I do not fix their greater
• 25:40
  need, they're going to need that over
• 25:42
  again.
• 25:43
  And you see, this is problem with a lot
• 25:46
  of ministries in this day and time that
• 25:48
  do the humanitarian stuff in the name of
• 25:50
  Christ is because they do not operate in
• 25:53
  the realm of spiritual things.
• 25:55
  >> They're all about giving a meal. They're
• 25:56
  all about, you know, you know, we want
• 25:58
  to help, we want to clothe, you want to
• 26:00
  feed, you want to do all of that. But if
• 26:03
  they do not meet the spiritual need,
• 26:05
  that person will continually come back
• 26:07
  needing that same thing over again.
• 26:09
  >> Right?
• 26:10
  >> You understand it's spiritual people
• 26:11
  that's the backbone of this nation, the
• 26:13
  workforce. Amen. You realize that,
• 26:16
  right? This this country fall apart if
• 26:18
  it wasn't for Christians. It would work.
• 26:20
  >> You're right.
• 26:21
  >> I mean, that's just the truth. So,
• 26:23
  there's the the gold and the wood, the
• 26:25
  silver and the hay, and then there's
• 26:26
  precious stones and stubble. Now, when I
• 26:29
  think of stubble, I think of corn stalk
• 26:31
  standing up in a field after a combine's
• 26:33
  done went by. That's not what it is,
• 26:35
  okay? Stubble is that mud, all right,
• 26:37
  that they would use to make mortar and
• 26:39
  brick in the word of God. They would use
• 26:41
  it to build homes. They would use it to
• 26:43
  build buildings. That stubble, that's
• 26:45
  what that is. And so, the precious
• 26:47
  stones, you know what that is? That's
• 26:49
  all different manner of jewels and
• 26:50
  things of that nature. Uh things that's
• 26:52
  been made by fire. And so, here's what
• 26:55
  that represents. Okay? Precious stones,
• 26:58
  you've got you've got a separation here.
• 27:00
  Precious stones, you know what those
• 27:01
  are? Those are special distinct things.
• 27:05
  >> You know, you think about a jewel, a
• 27:07
  diamond, they all look different.
• 27:09
  >> Not a single one of them is exactly the
• 27:11
  same. But you know what? That stubble
• 27:14
  they make that brick, you know what? All
• 27:15
  them brick look exactly the same. You
• 27:18
  know what? People that live, Christians
• 27:19
  that live carnal lives, they all look
• 27:21
  exactly the same. You're
• 27:22
  >> right.
• 27:24
  >> They're miserable. They're worldly. They
• 27:27
  have no desire to serve God. And there's
• 27:30
  no distinction. You see, this is what
• 27:32
  we've lost in this day and time there.
• 27:34
  The the preciousness of what's within us
• 27:36
  is not showing on the outside. Salvation
• 27:39
  is what creates in us new is what has
• 27:42
  made us new, has given us new life. But
• 27:44
  if we do not allow that new life to
• 27:46
  show, this is what happens. We build
• 27:49
  stubble instead of gathering up precious
• 27:52
  stones. You know what? I would rather
• 27:57
  I would rather have a box. All right,
• 28:00
  let's just let's just make put this on
• 28:02
  carnal terms. Make a carnal
• 28:04
  illustration.
• 28:05
  I would rather have a box that was full
• 28:07
  of diamonds. It was this size
• 28:11
  than have a building this size standing
• 28:12
  full of bricks.
• 28:15
  You're
• 28:15
  >> right.
• 28:18
  >> Bricks are good. You can build with
• 28:19
  them. But you know what? After a while,
• 28:21
  they're just going to deteriorate.
• 28:24
  But you know what? Them boxes, ain't you
• 28:26
  ladies? Those precious jewels, don't
• 28:28
  they get passed down from generation to
• 28:30
  generation, generation? You say, "What
• 28:32
  are you leaving behind?"
• 28:34
  >> You see, when you walk through the fire
• 28:36
  one of these days,
• 28:38
  you're either going to have something
• 28:40
  that stays
• 28:42
  or something that burns up.
• 28:44
  >> You're either going to have something
• 28:45
  that's valuable or something that's
• 28:48
  worthless. Right?
• 28:49
  >> You're going to either have something
• 28:51
  that you can lay at the feet of Jesus
• 28:54
  >> or you're going to have something that
• 28:55
  leaves you the very minute you step foot
• 28:57
  in that fire.
• 29:00
  >> And so the judgment seat's going to
• 29:01
  divide the men from the boys. It's going
• 29:04
  to divide those who were serious and
• 29:07
  those who weren't. You see, because the
• 29:09
  opportunity is given to all of us. You
• 29:12
  see, every person that walks through
• 29:14
  that judgment seat is going to have the
• 29:16
  exact same opportunity.
• 29:19
  >> You're given the same life. You're given
• 29:21
  the same breath. You were given the same
• 29:24
  salvation and the same space. You say,
• 29:26
  "Preacher, well, I didn't get to live
• 29:28
  very long. I didn't get to live as long
• 29:30
  as such and such." Yeah, but you got
• 29:31
  life. You got a chance to do the will of
• 29:34
  God. And the reason many people's lives
• 29:36
  get cut short is because they've decided
• 29:38
  they're never going to do the will of
• 29:39
  God. And God says, "If you're not going
• 29:40
  to do what I want you to, I'm not
• 29:42
  obligated to leave you here."
• 29:46
  Children of God cut their life short all
• 29:48
  the time because, you know, there's many
• 29:50
  different reasons. I was listening to a
• 29:52
  a podcast on yesterday. One my
• 29:54
  father-in-law, they they did yesterday
• 29:55
  on physical fitness and he was he was
• 29:57
  talking about preachers that died early
• 29:59
  because they didn't take care of their
• 30:00
  body.
• 30:02
  I mean, it's all of these truths, okay?
• 30:05
  All of this stuff interlocks. And they
• 30:07
  made this statement, okay? And I'm not
• 30:08
  not indicting nobody by this, but he
• 30:10
  said, "We will we'll preach against all
• 30:12
  these sins. We'll preach against, you
• 30:14
  know, the sins of fornication and and
• 30:16
  and drinking and smoking and all of that
• 30:18
  stuff." He said, "And all the while the
• 30:20
  congregation," he said, none of us are
• 30:22
  in good health because we've we've we've
• 30:25
  wasted ourselves eating ourselves to
• 30:27
  death.
• 30:28
  >> Right?
• 30:31
  >> And so the same truth applies across the
• 30:33
  board. Across the board. Okay? It does
• 30:36
  not change. It does not change depending
• 30:39
  on your circumstance. If you do not take
• 30:41
  care of your physical life, you are not
• 30:44
  obligated to continue in that. You are
• 30:46
  not going to be promised to continue in
• 30:47
  that. God is not obligated to take up
• 30:50
  where you missed the mark
• 30:52
  >> in your spiritual life. If you waste
• 30:54
  your younger years, if you wasted your
• 30:56
  younger years, if you waste your
• 30:58
  middleage years, if you waste your older
• 31:00
  years, God's not going to give you that
• 31:03
  back.
• 31:04
  >> Right? You are given the same
• 31:07
  opportunity
• 31:09
  >> and the judgment seat's going to tell
• 31:10
  what you did with it.
• 31:12
  >> I don't know about you, but it makes me
• 31:14
  want to do something.
• 31:15
  >> Amen.
• 31:17
  >> Makes me want I tell you, it makes me
• 31:19
  want to get straight in line
• 31:22
  in every part of life. Because if I
• 31:24
  stand before him and I've got nothing to
• 31:26
  give him, if I spend my life in the
• 31:28
  ministry and I've got nothing to show
• 31:30
  for the ministry when I stand at the
• 31:32
  judgment seat, I'm a failure.
• 31:34
  >> Amen.
• 31:36
  >> If I say I'm called to preach and I'm
• 31:38
  pastoring this church and I pastor it
• 31:40
  for 40 years, I hope I do. Praise God.
• 31:43
  But if I've got nothing after that time
• 31:45
  to show, I've been a failure.
• 31:47
  >> I've failed you. I've failed God. I've
• 31:50
  failed the church. if I do not have
• 31:51
  anything
• 31:53
  to show for that at the end.
• 31:58
  The judgment seat said we'd have time
• 32:01
  for questions, but I I got time for one.
• 32:03
  Anybody got a question about the
• 32:05
  judgment seat this morning? Want to
• 32:06
  answer?
• 32:18
  Well, it's all those everybody that's
• 32:20
  going to walk through the fires saved.
• 32:23
  >> And so, you know, the stubble, that's
• 32:24
  the works that we do. Those things that
• 32:26
  are not going to stand in the judgment.
• 32:30
  You know, we can build a mansion on this
• 32:31
  side. You know, we go to heaven,
• 32:32
  somebody else is going to get it.
• 32:35
  That's what Solomon said. Ecclesiastes
• 32:38
  chapter 3. He said, "There's a vanity
• 32:40
  I've seen under the sun." He said, he
• 32:42
  said, "All this work and all this labor
• 32:44
  I've done under the sun." He said, "I'm
• 32:45
  just going to leave it to the man that's
• 32:46
  after me." And he don't want it. He
• 32:49
  don't care nothing about it. He's not
• 32:50
  going to take care of it. What vainness
• 32:53
  that is, isn't it? We better take We
• 32:55
  better build up something we can take
• 32:57
  with us. Amen.
• 32:58
  >> Amen.
• 32:58
  >> Amen. Father, thank you for this time.
• 33:01
  Please help us in the worship service
• 33:02
  today. I pray. I thank you for speaking
• 33:05
  to my heart this morning. And Lord, I
• 33:07
  want to leave something behind. But
• 33:08
  Lord, I want to take something with me
• 33:10
  and have something to give you there.
• 33:12
  Some crowns to cast at your feet. Some
• 33:14
  gold, silver, and precious stones to lay
• 33:17
  there at your feet. Lord, I sure love
• 33:19
  you. Thank you for loving us. Pray you'd
• 33:21
  help us in the worship hour. We give you
• 33:23
  thanks in Jesus name. Amen.
• 33:26
  >> Thank you for joining our service today.
• 33:28
  We'd love it if you'd join us in person
• 33:30
  the next time you are able at Meadows
• 33:32
  Baptist Church. Our physical address is
• 33:36
  2988 Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North
• 33:39
  Carolina. Our service times are Sunday
• 33:42
  school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning
• 33:45
  worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
• 33:47
  worship at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday
• 33:49
  evening Bible study at 7:00 p.m. For
• 33:52
  more information, visit us at
• 33:54
  meadowsbaptisturch.com.
• 33:57
  Thanks again for tuning in.