GOOD Judgment

Today, Chad continued the “Things Above” series by talking about the BEMA seat judgment (the GOOD kind of judgment). Last week, he had talked about what happens if you didn’t accept Christ when you were alive. Now, he talked about what happens if you did!

For starters, those who are in Christ are not condemned (John 5:24, Romans 8:1). They aren’t standing before the Great White Throne Judgment which determines eternal punishment. The judgment that those who have accepted Christ’s salvation receive is the judgment at the BEMA seat. Christ’s judgment to believers is one of reward!

We all are going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ and give account for all the good and bad things we have done (2 Corinthians 5:10, Romans 14:10-11). The Bible also talks about a book of remembrance (Malachi 3:16) which Chad talked about as being a record of our deeds. He said our deeds will be put to the test by fire as stated in these verses in 1 Corinthians 3:8-15:

“The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 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. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”

Chad illustrated this with a fire pit. He placed a large rock foundation (resembling Christ) on it and then put some “gold” (rather, gold-painted lol) bricks on it, resembling the good stuff we have done. Next, he added some hay to resemble the not so good stuff. He set it on fire, and showed that the only thing that remained was the “gold.” All that stuff is weighed and tested by these things:

Motive: 1 Corinthians 4:5 says that God will bring to light what is in the darkness and expose the motives (good or bad). If we are like the Pharisees who do what we do for the praise and approval of others, that’s not a good motive and it will be burned away.

Source: John 15:5 says that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. We can’t do anything apart from Him. Whatever we do without Him isn’t going to matter. Oprah comes to mind. All the good deeds in the world aren’t going to save her soul. She may be a “good person” in most peoples’ minds, but she isn’t doing any of it to glorify Jesus (and in fact, denies that He is the one and only way as John 14:6 states).

Risk: Matthew 25:14-28 talks about the parable of the talents. We have lots of opportunities to use our gifts and make a difference. Are we “risking” and making the most of those opportunities? How many do we miss? Those “missed” opportunities will factor in that fire test.

This was a though provoking and interesting message. It’s something that I think about a lot already because I am always wondering about what the fruit of my works is going to yield when it is judged. I know that I’ve done (and am doing) what I can to serve and glorify the Lord, but I always wondering about those three areas and if I’m falling short and taking away from my reward in heaven. I think about my motives, source, and risks a lot. One of my biggest fears has always been whether or not I am humble and pure enough and am giving the glory to God. What if I deep down am wanting approval from others. Am I wrong for liking feedback/encouragement/comments on these blogs? Maybe that’s just Satan trying to get me to doubt my motives or the fact that I screwed up and missed and opportunity to do good somehow. If it’s one thing that I still struggle with, it’s the “what if” factor. What if I had done (or not done) “that”? What if I spent too much time doing things that I thought was good, but was really apart from what God truly wanted me to do? What if I totally miss my purpose? Am I missing the mark?

I’m not sure what to think about all this sometimes, but at least I know that I’m assured heaven and that I am going to be rewarded (whether it‘s a greater or lesser reward than I think)! How about you? Do you have the same assurance?

Grace and peace to all of you!! Have a blessed week!!

BAD Judgment

Last week, Chad started a new series: “Things Above” (Colossians 3:2). We who are on Earth should definitely learn about “things above (in other words, heaven) so we know what to expect when we get there.

Chad says that knowing a glimpse of what’s ahead can (and should) change how we behave in the present. They way you approach each day will change the more you can foresee how it affects the future (and more importantly, eternity). It kind of makes one think about Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol”. After seeing his past, present, and future, it definitely compelled him to change his attitude and behavior. Likewise, when we ponder the things in our lives, we can better gauge what our future will be like (and how we can make our lives better by changing the things in our lives that need changing).

Therefore, Chad thought it was important to extend that view into eternity. The Bible gives us various glimpses of what that is going to look like. Hebrews 9:27 says: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” So, since death is an absolute certainty for every single person (and we’re all going to be judged after we do) we need to know more about that. Though, understandably, judgment is a scary thing for people to consider. After all, who likes to be judged? Well, there’s good news and bad news about that. The good news is that if you are in Christ, there is no condemnation for you (Romans 8:1). The judgment you receive determines your REWARD in heaven. The bad news is, if you didn’t choose Christ while on Earth, your destination is eternal separation from Him. YOUR judgment is determined by your deeds as well, but it’s to determine your PUNISHMENT in Hell. Rewards vs. punishment. Plain and simple. The difference between the two is Jesus Christ. Your judgment is based on the answer you lived out in your life; the answer to the question “is Jesus your Lord and Savior?” Calling on HIS NAME and saying “yes” to Him is what puts YOUR NAME in the book of life and exempts you from eternal punishment!! Hallelujah!!

Chad used a typical heaven stereotype to try to illustrate the point. He had a bunch of people standing in line waiting to get to heaven. They had a person checking for their names in the book of life and if it was found, they went to heaven. If not, a trap door opens and they go to Hell. It doesn’t matter if you were a “good person” or not (or even if you’re a Colts fan - as one of the guys was dressed up as……he went to heaven by the way. ;) LOL). No one is righteous (Romans 3:10). What matters is Jesus. Chad said he didn’t want anyone to have to be “waiting in line” thinking “I wish I would have known!!!” You only have a lifetime on Earth to decide. If you’re “waiting in line”, it’s too late! There’s no purgatory. Either your name is in The Book or it’s not.

If you’re reading this, you still have time to choose Christ if you haven’t already! If you’re on the fence, what are you waiting for? How much time do you think you have?! Life can be stolen from you in an instant. You never know what day is going to be your last! The longer you delay an affirmative answer, the more you’re risking an eternity in Hell as time ticks away on the timer of your life! You only got the dash between the dates on your tombstone to live. Make the most of that dash and answer the question wisely, because the dash determines the eternity you’ll have forevermore!

I know I have shared this video before, but it’s just as powerful and true now as it ever was!! It’s a video by KJ-52 called “Life After Death”. It’s thought provoking and the message is right on!!! Watch it, think about it, and if you’ve never said “yes” to Jesus, PLEASE do so!! Feel free to talk to me about it! I care about where you spend eternity!! Through Christ, you can escape BAD judgment!

Grace and peace to all of you!! I’ll be sharing today’s sermon momentarily (and it’s also on judgment - though, the GOOD kind of judgment!). God bless you all!

The Beauty of Painful Praise

A couple weeks ago, Tony Chaney gave the message at church. I regret that I didn’t get around to blogging it sooner, but I will try to recall as much of the message as possible (I had gotten to church late on top of that as well).

Tony was talking about how to get through the tough stuff and how to praise God when it hurts the most. It reminded me of how Jeremy Camp talked about how he lost his first wife to cancer and God had instructed him to give Him praises there at her bedside after she had taken her last breath. He said it was so hard, but he did it anyways and it was such a beautiful time of worship and comfort.

Jeremy Camp wasn’t the first (or the last) person to experience a terrible loss and then be expected to go on with his faith. Long before any of us were born, there was a man named Job. I think most of us know his story (and it’s all chronicled in the Bible). Tony used Job’s story to drive home the point of making a sacrifice of praise because it’s in those times that it is the most crucial and powerful time to do so (like with Jeremy). Tony said there is great spiritual victory in praising God when we are hurting. We just lay it all down at His feet and in those moments of brokenness and surrender, we heap burning coals on Satan’s head. Can you imagine how frustrated and angry Satan must have been when Job, Jeremy, (and anyone he thinks he’s got broken down beyond repair) praised God and gave Him glory anyways? Satan had had to ask God permission to even touch Job. When God decided to allow it, Satan just had a hay day! Yet, none of Satan’s misery could make Job “curse God and die” (and he can’t make me do it either! ;) LOL).

Tony reminded us that God is so awesome!! Just as God reminded Job in chapter 38, He is sovereign and in control of all things. Regardless of what we THINK we know or understand, there are greater things and a bigger picture that we don’t always see or know about. Often, we don’t understand the purpose of our suffering (or the sufferings of others). God assures us, however, that it will work for good (Romans 8:28).

Regardless of if things are going good or going bad, give God the praise! Tony reminded us to embrace that because praise opens doors for many things. An attitude of thanksgiving and praise goes a long way - why else would the apostle Paul remind the saints to encourage each other, and give thanks and praise to God so often? Praise is powerful (it reminds me of the short little book “Prison to Praise” by Merlin Carothers. Check that one out!).

The message ended by sharing the testimony of a guy many of you may have heard of. His name is Nick Vujicic and he was born without limbs ( you can learn more about him on his website: http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/). He’s a great example of one who has embraced a life of praise by embracing the difficult circumstances he has to deal with. Weaknesses can become strengths if we allow ourselves to accept and deal with the “hard stuff” that happen to us and then glorify God through it all!! I see it every day at my house as I watch Casey deal with his hearing loss. Like Nick, his “disability” is just part of what he has to deal with, but they don’t treat their losses as a handicap. They have both found ways to turn unfortunate complications into strengths and they glorify God and bless others with their lives because they refuse to be bitter and angry about their situations. I can’t even begin to tell you how inspiring they both of them are to me and how my heart melts and the tears well up whenever I think of the beautiful testimonies that they are living out!! Even now as I sit here in tears after watching Jeremy’s video testimony (I cry every time I see it!) my precious Casey is standing by my side and literally wiping away every tear that is rolling down my face. He asked me, “Mommy why are you crying?” and just proceeded to hug my neck, kiss me, and walk to one side of my chair and then the other to make sure he wiped away any tear that he might not have seen. His heart and his compassion blows me away! When he does things like that, it’s like I am actually seeing and experiencing the heart of God; as if God Himself reached out and touched me through the hands and heart of my six-year-old. Father, THANK YOU!!

In closing, remember to live out 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 which says: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing.” As hard as that may be sometimes, it’s something that will richly bless our hearts (and the hearts of others) if our souls are overflowing with prayers of thanksgiving and praise!! Grace and peace to all of you!!