This message originally delivered on August 11, 1991PM. Near the latter half of this message there was a question and answer time. Unfortunately the questions were not audible, but the answers were recorded and included here.
This message originally delivered on August 11, 1991PM. Near the latter half of this message there was a question and answer time. Unfortunately the questions were not audible, but the answers were recorded and included here.
We will continue the sermon that was started this morning. If you weren't here this morning, I had an eight page nine page message for this morning service only got through the first three pages and I introduction took the whole time. So we got out maybe a couple of minutes earlier than normal. But I want us to consider again, the importance of being reminded, I will tell you that I think God the Holy Spirit has directed our church at just at the right time to be considering these type of things. I'm absolutely convinced that we need to know about the Bema, we need to think about the Bema we need to be Bhima, brain feeble minded, whatever you want to call it, you need to have Bhima on our mind, it should be something that is a regular part of our thinking, our decisions, our attitudes. And I will say this one of the reasons for a lack of power, one of the reasons for a lack of character in the church is we have not been thinking about the great day. If you read through the pastoral epistles, you will find that constantly, Paul says so that at that day, just like in Philippians, what's got us started was this so that at that day, I would not have labored in vain. Because at that day is the important day. And we need to be living our lives, like a true life of living by faith is living so that at the day of the Bema, you will be rewarded and not suffer loss, as the scripture teaches in many, many places, one of the things that I would challenge you to do is this, read your Bibles, considering the Bema. Every time you hear something about a reward, every time you hear something about an inheritance, every time you hear something about that day, every time you hear something about various numerous terms that go in there. I think all together, there's 10 New Testament terms, you're gonna find that you will not read a book in the Bible that it is not mentioned about the Bema it is important that we understand how and how much the beam is emphasized in the Bible. And I think a lack of understanding that a lack of that is the reasons why we we get into trouble. You will not find somebody who gets involved in some type of sin who is thinking about the Bema, you just won't, it should have an impact upon our life that is, is very, very important. And quickly by way of review, let me just show you again, you probably are going to groan when you see this overhead because you've seen it so much. But let me show you Thank you. Okay, thank you.
Unknown:The great judgment. Remember, there's a great judgment, that is the judgment for believers, the judgment for unbelievers, the judgment for believers has to do with reward or loss of reward, my friends, Heaven will not be the same for everyone. Those that have been faithful and have sacrificed and have extended themselves and have been painstaking and their service will receive great rewards. Those who haven't will suffer loss yet they will be saved as the one escaping through the flames. Unbelievers will also be judged according to the degree of their wickedness and receive recompense in other words they will receive for the things done in the body, it will be a matter of degrees of punishment. This ought to be, of course, a huge motivation in our lives you can grow and one more time if you'd like. But how does God motivate in the Old Testament by fear of punishment, by hope of reward by love of God? How did Christ motivated by fear of punishment by hope of reward by love of God? How did the apostles motivate fear of punishment hope of reward love of God, it is terribly wrong for you to say, Oh, I wouldn't do anything for a reward. Because if you say that you are not Bhima minded because BMO minded people all through the Bible did so for the reward. Hence, an example is Paul, another example is Moses, who chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God and enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Why? Because he looked ahead to his reward, you should be able to quote that with me right now, as many times as we've said it, Moses made a decision, a value system judgment that changed his life based upon the Bema the very definition of faith who can call Hebrews 11? Six, I've quoted it so many times who can quote it? I'll start you without faith. Please God, for them to come to God must believe that He is. He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek and that's been the word reward there has been a Believe me it is. Now look here. Leon Morris says this The doctrine of final judgment stresses man's accountability and the certainty that justice will finally triumph over all the wrongs, which are passed and parcel of life here and now the former gives the dignity the humblest action, and the latter brings calmness and assurance to those in the thick of the battle. This doctrine gives meaning to life. The Christian view of judgment means that history moves to a goal judgment protects the idea of the tribe of God and of good, it is unthinkable that the present conflict between good and evil should last throughout eternity. Judgment means that evil will be disposed of authoritatively decisively. Finally, judgment means that in the end, God's will will be perfectly done. I'll tell you, it's amazing even to think of it like this Romans chapter 12. In the middle of interpersonal relationships, he says, Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. You know, that's talking about even when someone has hurt you back by did you did something that was wrong and offensive, you know what even that will be taken care of at the beam. That's how personal Our God is so involved and so ready in our lives to help us we consider the poem God's Hall of Fame and we will forget it. All right. We already considered that this morning. If you'd like a copy of it. You can get it later. Now, here's what we've considered, we've considered a couple of other things. Concerning the Bema, some of the criterion for judgment, how you treat other people, you are not merciful to others, you will not receive mercy. If you in fact, the Bible says this, the very measure you use and how you treat somebody else will be the measure God will use and how we treat you, I want to tell you, if we got that one principle down, it would have drastically affect our relationships. You wouldn't hold grudges, you wouldn't continue to be mad at somebody, you wouldn't all the time be be ticked off at your husband or your wife and hand holding something that they did in the past against you. You know why? Because if you treat somebody that way, when you come before God is the Bema, He's going to judge you by that same standard. Now, all of a sudden, if you realize that the way you judge others gonna be the standard for way God judge you, I think it's gonna change. But you know what, we're not being the minds enough. James, chapter two, very clearly teaches that, hey, go there, go to James two, we may not even finish this message, because this is important to see. But go over to James chapter two. And I want you to see something of great significance here in James, the second chapter. Look what it says this one, this one, I just feel terrible when I read this passage, because I preached on the Bema, and how you should affect the way you treat other people and completely missed this passage. Here's a gem of a passage there. They look here, my brothers verse chapter two verse one of James, my brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. How do you treat others favoritism? Suppose a man comes into your meeting, wearing a gold ring would find clothes and a poor man and shabby clothes also comes in? If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, here's a good seat for you. But say to the poor man, you stand there sit on the floor by my feet, have you not discriminate among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers Has not God chose those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich and faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him, but you have insulted the poor? Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Or are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, love your neighbors yourself, you are doing right. But if you show favoritism you sin and are convicted by the law as law breakers for whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For his for you said do not commit adultery, also said Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery. But you do commit murder, you have become a law breaker now please get this verse 12. Here's the summary. Now this is being ready here comes speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. tell you. I do my share of it. In fact, I have this this, this has humbled me to consider again, this aspect of it. In this sense, the way we talk about somebody. So when we make good judgments of the Christian, the way we put down, somebody doesn't got their eye crossed at the same way we do, the way we do all of those little type of things, my friends is terribly wrong. We need to be very extremely careful the way we show favoritism. Why do we treat certain people nice is it always in order to get repaid remember Christ illustration in Luke chapter 14, when you throw a party, don't invite those who can repay you invite those that could never repay you. That's supposed to be one of the standards. So anyway, we need to how we treat others how we deny ourselves. Oh, by the way, this is this, this is a, this is another thing before we get off of it. I've got to say this, because I think it needs to be said, and I'm sure that it's gonna bother some of you when I say this, but it needs to be said anyway. And I hope you listen because it's true. If the standard that you use in judging others and the way the standard you use in showing love and forgiveness to others, and the standard you use, and in your kindness and partiality towards others, all of that is going to be the standard God's going to use to judge you according to Matthew seven, one to two and James to the no one asks you something. How does that fit in with this type of Psychology Today, which tells you to hate your parents and tells you to be mad at these people. And I tell you, I feel so sorry for some of the situations I've seen in the last year where where people are become enslaved to their past because they feel that someone has offended them and they're never gonna give that up because someone else will just deport him as a person. And they're never going to give it up. I'm going to tell you something, the standard you use, even towards someone who has deeply sinned against you. You better be careful. Because God may use that same standard against you. My friends, if we understood this for a minute, we would be driven down to say Well, where's the strength to do it? It only comes from the cross. You'll never find it anywhere else. Read all the psychology books in the world. Read all the counselor books in the world you'll never find it. It only comes from the In a sinner before the cross of Christ, and when you lay in your own sin is heaped upon you that is so great that you don't have time to think about somebody else's sin, then you'll be able to forgive. But as long as you say you have your rights and someone did you wrong, you will never be a happy person. I know because I used to be that way. I thought I'd get the reasons for it. I can tell you why I can be better I can tell you why I can hold a grudge, I have a right to because someone else is wrong. No, you know what I was really doing, refusing to submit to what God said. And my friends, it would shake us up and wake us up if we got a hold of that truth. We need to remember with all of our hearts, that part of the Bema judgments is going to be the way we treat other people is going to be determined upon how we are going to be treated. And there is just so much baloney and malarkey out there concerning these types of things. Let's just stop right here. I want to just do this without some questions. You got some questions on what we're saying? There's something more you want to talk about. Yes. There is hope in this life. Because God may do some work that is marvelous in our eyes now. But the point is whether or not he ever does it, the Bema should be our motivation. For instance, Hebrews chapter 12, says this, no discipline for the present seems joyous, but only painful. Later on, however, it reaps you reap the peaceable fruit of righteousness. So there that tells us that as God brings discipline into our life, now that even in this life, there is a peaceable fruit of holiness and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. So I think all of that language speaks that yes, there is something that happens so that in this life, there will be a difference. But when it comes to, for instance, when I'm talking about interpersonal relationships, the Bible says things like this, if possible, as much as depends upon you live at peace with all men, because we can only understand and are going to be responsible to God for our will. As a believer, we cannot be responsible for someone else's will. And there have been times where the more I have tried to get a relationship, right, the worship God, and everything I did, until finally I realized there was nothing more I could do. And I was at the point of that verse, if possible, as much as it depends upon you, there was nothing more for me to do. So now I got a choice. I feel like I've been deeply offended. I feel like there's a tremendous irreconcilable difference between me and somebody else. I feel like somebody owes me an apology. I feel like there's some real problems. And yet, Mike, my question is this, wait a minute, Lord, what's going to happen? And I'd had to realize this is sort of like when Peter was talking to the Lord in John chapter 21. And he said, what's going to happen to John, what's gonna happen to John, and Jesus finally says to him, Peter, what's going to happen to him, you just shut up. And you just worry, don't worry about what's gonna happen to him, you'll take care of it. And I think that that's what had to happen in my life, I've had to finally say, alright, I'm never going to understand how this is going to work. So I will say this, Lord, I'm gonna pray for these people. Lord, I'm going to try to love these people, as far as not necessarily calling them up on the phone and everything, because I think the relationship from the irreconcilably. But Lord, I don't want this. In my case, just to lay it out as flat as I can possibly laid out in recent years. If I see the person at the restaurant, I run over to them, make an effort to tell them that how they do and ask questions to how they are. And even when I've tried to do that, it seems like they turn the conversation around to try to make me seem to be evil. I'm asking those questions. So I just go, I all's I know is I have a clear conscience that I try. And there are certain times when people may have sinned, and they will never ever admit that they even sinned against you. And there's gonna be times where you're just gonna have to let it go, you're gonna have to say, alright, this relationship may never be what I want it to be. But what I do have control of is my attitudes and thoughts towards these people that have sinned against me. Now, how can I overcome those? Well, you can all grown again, I'm serious about this. But that's why a pair if you had to say, Kim, what makes you tick, one of the foundational items that make me tick is the parable Jesus told about the man who owed $11 million to the Sovereign King. And the Sovereign King in his mercy forgave him. And he went right out and grabbed the guy that owed him $15. And he took that man, and he grabbed him by the throat and said, pay with the host, and the man wouldn't pay. So we had that guy that over $15 thrown in jail right after he'd been forgiven. $11 million. And I know I've said this so many times that you guys all know how I'm saying this, right. But the fact is that the answer, the answer is this when I have realized the filth and the rottenness in the condemnation that I deserve, as a sinner before a holy God, and I don't mean sort of like, oh, yeah, I know, I'm sort of good, but not as bad as somebody else. No, when I say I'm the chief of sinners, when I say that, I don't know about anybody else with a Pharisee ism that's in my heart, the wickedness the hate the wrong attitudes. All Oh God, I need your mercy. Forgive me for such attitudes. I don't have time to be looking at what No one else has done to me. And those have been the ways that the cleansing the joy, the peace that has come into my heart in the midst of those kinds of circumstances has only come from me realizing this truth. So that's why I can read Romans 14. And it says, when you don't get along with another Christian, you better treat them right because of the beam and you're going to be judged, I understand that. I understand that I'm not going to have time to open my mouth and be pointing everybody else's sins out, I'm going to stand to give account of my own life. And I better make sure that I understand that thoroughly. And so, for instance, in my life, that since you asked this question, there still is. With people that don't like me, there still is times when I see them drive by their house, something like that, when there is an ache in my heart. And that ache in my heart, I have got to deal with again, and again, and again. And again. And I can say this in my situation, over time, and over constant prayer, and over constantly applying the words of my life, it's gone away, slowly. Is it still there? Oh, it's still there. It's still there. Now, let me tell you, if you if you don't, let me tell you what happens. Bitterness starts to stay in your life. And you'll find yourself meditating and having conversations with them. And you'll find yourself wishing evil on them. And you'll find yourself doing all kinds of In fact, I'll tell you something I still struggle with just to lay this out as clearly as I know how you are gonna think I'm crazy want to tell you this? In fact, it's embarrassing to tell you this. But this is truth when I'm putting gas in my car. This sounds crazy. This happens to me so much that I've asked the Lord to help me change my thinking habit. On this point, I'm going to put gas in my car, and I got$10 I'm gonna put in that car. And so I'm watching and I'm just a numbers, man. I'm always I'm thinking of numbers and stuff, right wing? Yeah. So anyways, I'm doing that. I put that in. And I'm thinking this until someone walks out that 711 door, or that, you know, gas station door, whatever number I get up to that would be, I'm pretending like we have 1000 people in our church and whatever number it is, like $6 $7 $8. That would be 678 100 people voted that I was right in this decision about these people. And so I'm all the time. And sometimes I've seen their people must think I'm crazy. I'm kicking the tire when someone walks out when it's only$300. Because I lost I got outvoted 700 to 300. So there still is that sense. I know that may not make any sense to you. But there's still that sense in my heart of wanting to know that I'm right. And you know what, I will never always know that. And you've got to do, you got to have to come to grips with that. But I know of no better way to come to grips with it than then. And that's why I tell you. You remember the story that Becky pepper told Becky pepper told the story. And I'm telling you it was one of the greatest sermons I've ever heard. And she said about the lady. Remember I told the story before but I want you to think about it again. Everybody. She says about the lady that said this. She said that a lady came to her married to a pastor. They had four kids. And the lady comes through. They've been married for several years. And she said, I gotta tell you a story. And she said, we were in this church of 5000 people. We were the darlings of the church. He was the associate pastor. I was married him there was a huge wedding. They gave us Gifts Galore. What no one knows is how miserable my wedding day was. Because six months before our wedding day, I found out I was pregnant. I acted like I was going on a trip to some Christian conference and I went out to California had an abortion. And I came back and tried to pretend like everything was right. Now, now listen. She tells this whole story. She goes now I've been married. Now we have four kids. And I've just felt so hypocritical. I've never been able to get over the guilt but I'm so wicked and so bad. And Becky picker says she perceived that it wasn't that the girl was a sinner and was ashamed of her sin. It was a girl was saying this is what I think is I just think this nails the problem. She says this. She says it was how could a person is good as good as I do such a bad thing. There's a world of difference between how could a person is good I have this kind of sin in my life compared to all wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from this body of death? There is a world of difference. I don't know if you know that difference, but you need to know if you really want to be able to make it because that is a huge difference. So the girl says Becky Pippa says to her why should it surprise you? That you murdered your baby? You've already been a murderer to draw. And she says your sins put Jesus on the cross. You know what we think we think? I think you all think this I think I think this most of the time. We all think it was all of us, wasn't it all of us bad people that put Jesus on the cross instead of it was me that put them there. And when you understand that it was you that put them there and not just everybody else, then you start to get the light that you don't have to worry when other people offends you. You deserve it. You don't deserve anything. You don't deserve to have godly parents. You don't deserve to have a godly boss. You don't deserve to have a godly pastor. You don't deserve any of those people don't you know in other words that we think we deserve, deserve deserve. We're gonna think about what we didn't get how we needed to get it. We don't deserve that. Boy, that's important. There are so many Listen, there's this legalistic, I'm gonna just say what I think it is the separatist ik legalistic type of Baptist fundamentalism that so many people have been raised on the dyno. They've not been taught this. They've been taught that no, you do this and look better than other people. And with that, there is this deplorable loss of respect when they fail, and they see that they're sinners. They say, Oh, how could it be? I've got to cover it up. I can't let anybody know. People have said to me, Kim, how come? You're so there is no, there is not an ounce of anything except for God's glory on this point. But people say can we appreciate so much that you share your openness, you're willing to admit you're a sinner, you're willing to admit you fail, we feel like we understand everybody else who feel like they've been up on a pedestal. And I've never seen or felt, we feel like you understand that? If that's true, if you've ever thought that in many, many, many of you told me that I wouldn't have even known it except you keep telling me that. If that's the truth, the only reason is, is because it's so true. I am a wretched sinner. And I can't believe that the depths of it, I was explaining my wife this week again, sin in my life about saying bad things about people, that I how I've rejoiced in it, and how I love it, and how it has just made me sick. I'm preaching about how you treat others is the way you're going to be treated. And I'm out there speaking bad about somebody else. This is something that if you had to say, Kim, what is the greatest source of joy? In your life, it would be this without a question without hesitation is the person of Jesus Christ. But you say this, but why is he the greatest source? Because I needed him so badly. You will never love Jesus Christ if you don't need them. As long as you are a good person that sort of added Jesus to your life. You'll never love them. But when you're a filthy, rotten, vile sinner headed to hell, and he, in his grace, reached out and pulled you out of the waters, you're gonna love them. This has been a wild day at our church. I've never thought that I would be preaching on this point again, to tell you the truth. We've got to know this. We've got to know this. i The biggest problem in the world in American Christianity is that we're not as simple people anymore. Was it? You show me somebody who is sinful? I'll show you somebody who is humble. You show me somebody who is humble. I'll show you somebody who can get along with people. Only by pride cometh contention. So if you make yourself out to be well, let's see if that is I have a good somebody to do my little checklist. Am I better than somebody else? Do you not a humble person? You're constantly comparing what does the Pharisees do? They love to cook there. I thank you that I'm not like this man. I fast twice a week I do this. I did that. You know what I'm that way here. That way. We all have seeds, the Pharisees in the group and our hearts like cancer, we got to put chemotherapy on them. Or they keep growing. The problem that last week, the stuff I read it was Larry Crabb that I read it from so now, you know, but I didn't want to say it, who he was. But you know what he said? He says, Did you notice something that was bad? Those couple of slides, they were all more concerned about themselves than they were about anything else. And when you tried to point out that they were the problem, they all that they wouldn't see that they kept wanting to look somewhere else. Listen, you've got problems. I said this to the deacons just a little bit ago, I said, Man, I've had a tough week a better way. I know this is not anybody here's problem is my problem. And yet we live in a world that says everybody else's problem when we're unhappy. I say we need to become greater sinners, greater sinners, love grace. He who has been forgiven much loves much Jesus says, We've got to have that. We've got to have that in our life. And I see that a question John. Praise the Lord. That is what church is supposed to be about that right? They're supposed to help us it's remember the quote I use many times it's the church, Christianity's for Senators. And yet once that the only organizations will get to be a senator nor to join if you join, you try to act like you're not a sinner. That's true good. Somebody else can answer that. I hope John and to add to that, the Ask yourself this question like he that's what he said is, would you do it? If you No one else noticed. Another question is this. What's it take to stop you? One of the things that were supposed to say in the sermon tonight was when trouble comes in your life, persecution, sorrow, how many Christians you've you've heard, so this whole, no one appreciated me. Oh, you know, for instance, how many of you husband wives know that you go out of your way to do something for your spouse, and they don't appreciate it? How fast you point out to them what you did and how they didn't appreciate it. You see, if we're living under the Bema, we're not gonna have to worry about that. Would you do it for other reasons? Do you have a chance to do it secretly? Or do it publicly to do it secretly? There's, I'm sure there'll be all kinds of tests that I can't think of right now. But that would at least be the start because we know that one of the key things in Matthew six is to be seen as men to be seen as men to be seen the men there you have their reward. So we do it that always make ourselves look too good. Dale. Yes. Yeah, absolutely. Right. Chuck Colson is illustration as they say. The Chuck Colson. Who by the way, if you ever read Chuck Colson, you'll see a guy that has been smashed by the Spirit of God as to what a sinner he is, you read, that guy has got I'm a sinner all over all his writings, and by grades great anyway, they asked him, they said, you're only doing all this ministry, Prison Fellowship and all this because you're trying to make up because you've made such a horrible name for yourself. And they were critical. And you know what Colson said, Coulson said, Well, maybe you're right. I don't know. He said, The Bible says, the heart of man is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things. Who can know it? I can't even know my own heart. He said. So I hope that's not the case. But the best that I'm pursuing is that and that's a healthy attitude. And all the time going, Oh, my motives, right. I've seen people and fake friends than they've done this. And they're overcoming this now. But it was always it was always. It was exactly right. So what happens you get paralyzed about your motives? You never do anything. And there's also that's the wrong side to Boy, that's a good point. They'll balance it out. That's a good point. Good. Another comment or question? Yes. Right. Right. That is there's another balancing. That's what we need. Because that well, there's the there's the balance that would say this in for instance, let's go back to pass original question. That would be the balance that would say this, or So somebody has hurt me, because that's how we got started tonight. Or it wasn't anything. It is small only in comparison to our sin against God. In our sin against God. It's small, what they've done to us, but let's be honest, does it hurt? does it kill yet? Does it chew you up on the inside is John Lankford in pain because of what has just happened is he gave his testimony? Yes. Did they kill you? Yes. You. I remember banging my head against the steering wheel in the car. Because I was so frustrated crying about the situation and I couldn't get resolved. So he kills you. So yes, that's another good balance. And then to say, oh, no, it was really nothing. You know, you murdered my three kids and my wife now nothing. Don't worry about it. I'm fine. God's embrace it. No, you know what? It would kill you. That's right. So that is that is wisdom coming out balancing wisdom from the last couple of comments. Yeah. Don't help too much. You know, something else we read today in the accountability group, we read about the psalmist. You know, the Psalmist says, he says, Oh, God, this band of evildoers has been risen up against me. They say this, they do that. So see, there it is. That's what you're saying. That's right. That's what you're saying. And he's not saying well, or they're not that bad. I, you know, help me. The problem is both. Sorry. That's right. Well, anybody that doesn't do that, it's gonna be all right. But the person who lives is a victim, there's is literally there's a long time ago, there's no help for the victim. As long as you're a victim, you're not going to get help. Got to understand that. As long as you see yourself as the one being sinned against and hurt all the time that you're not going to get help. That's so true. Don't forget that. Okay, good comments and good questions. Again, an unusual day here at the church, but I hope the Lord used it in your life. Let's do this. Let's sing acapella, Amazing Grace. We know some most of those lines and think about it in light of our sin. God's amazing grace. Let's sing it sincerely and then we'll be dismissed. Okay, let's stand together singing