Welcome to this week's Weekend Sermon. I am glad to be with you this week, and I thank the Lord for the opportunity to post this message. I hope that everyone is doing well.
I am going to start with the prayer requests this week again. There is so much that we need to pray about.
First of all, I would like to thank the Lord for a good week in writing. I would ask for your prayers in regard to the bad flooding that is predicted for my area this weekend. We have had record rainfall in my area this year. This weekend, the forecast is for four to six inches of rain. Please pray that we do not get all of this rain. It is too much right now. Thank you.
I would ask that you please remember to keep the Bahamas in your prayers. There are many who are in need of assistance in that country.
We also need to pray for those in Texas who have once again experienced the terrible flooding from a tropical storm. Pray that these folks will be able to recover quickly.
Remember to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan and Libya are in great need of prayer.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Taiwan and Vietnam. Pray that many will hear about the love of the Lord Jesus.
Last week, we began a new series of messages We will be studying what the Lord has to say to us in II Corinthians 5. We examined verses 1 through 9 last week.
Today, we will be focusing our attention on verse 10 which states, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
We saw last week that are desire is to be in heaven with the Lord. However, while we are here on this earth, we are to do everything that we can to please the Lord. We are to serve him to the very best of our abilities.
The Bible is quite clear that after death there is a judgment. From what I read in the Scripture, there are three judgments that will occur. One of these judgments is the judgment of believers after they have passed away. Let me be clear, this is not a judgment to determine if we have done enough good things to get into heaven. We are not saved by good works. We are saved by grace through faith. It is a gift of God.
We are born again by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He bore our sins in His body. He rose again conquering death and hell. If we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and receive salvation from the Lord.
The judgment that Paul is writing about in our verse today is a judgment of the works that we have done. It is a judgment to determine our reward in heaven.
In I Corinthians 3:10-15, Paul speaks about our works begin tested by fire. Those whose works amount to wood, hay and stubble will see their works burned up. Those whose works for the Lord are like gold, silver and precious stones will see their works remain.
Jesus told us that we are to build up our treasure in heaven. We are not to build up treasure on earth. Treasures built up on this earth are just temporary. They will soon pass away.
There are many Christians who will make it to heaven, but they won't have that many rewards when they get there. I have to admit that I am not 100 percent sure what these rewards will be. I am leaving that to the Lord. However, the Bible does speak about certain crowns that will be given to those who do things for the Lord. The Bible does tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that the Lord rewards those who diligently seek Him.
I believe that what Paul is trying to get us to understand is that we are called to live lives of service for the Lord. We are to do those things in our lives that bring glory to God. We are to work to bring the good news of Jesus to others. We are to fill this world with love and goodness. Our focus is not to be on the accumulation of possessions and worldly goods.
Now, the Bible does speak about two other judgments. One of these is recorded in Matthew 25. When Jesus comes, He will separate the sheep from the goats the Bible says. There will be a judgment of how people treated the least among them. Jesus said that when we do good to the least of these, we have done it unto Him.
In Revelation 20:11-15, the Bible tells us about the Great White Throne judgment. This is a judgment for those who have rejected the Lord Jesus. Those whose names are not found written in the Lamb's Book of Life are cast in the Lake of Fire.
What is the lesson that we are to learn in light of these three judgments. If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, turn to Him today. You do not want to stand at the Great White Throne judgment. We also must focus our attention on helping others. We must do good to others as if we are doing good to Jesus Himself. Those of us who are believers in Jesus must live our lives in service to Him.
It is my desire to stand before Jesus and hear Him say, Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of Lord." I do not want to get to Heaven and see Jesus and have Him say to me that I didn't do a good job of doing what He called me to do.
Our life is important. We are to use it to bring glory to God. We are to use it to serve Jesus. We will give an account of what we have done with our lives.
Next week, we will continue with our series in II Corinthians 5. I will post the sermon on Saturday. On Monday, I will post the verses. I will try to post a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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