Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I wonder if you’ve ever seen a house on fire? It’s frightening and heart breaking as often, consumed in the flames is everything that person has accumulated through their entire lifetime, all their valuables… gone in the fire. Fire is incredibly destructive; few things can withstand fire. Let’s listen today as Paul has something to say about that in the letter he’s writing to his Christian friends in Corinth.
“If anyone builds on this foundation [Jesus Christ] …their 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 person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss, yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames.” (1 Cor. 3:11-15) Now what is Paul talking about? What did his words mean to those who received his letter, and what do they mean to us today, 2000 years later?
You’ll recall Paul is talking about a spiritual construction project going on in the city of Corinth, and that the only true foundation upon which anyone can build with confidence, anything of lasting value, is the person, the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus Christ, God the Son. Corinth was a city filled with many, many people claiming to have spiritual or religious ideas they’d like to spread through that city and beyond throughout Greece. Some of them were historic, some new. Paul was one who had brought new spiritual truth… the story of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to earth proclaiming God’s truth, dying an atonement death for sinful humanity, rising from the dead, and becoming the Savior for both Jews and Gentiles.
Now my friends, we add these powerful words of admonition to Paul’s statement that every person is building their lives on the foundation of their choice, and in that great Day, the day of judgment, we will each and all stand before God to give account, according to HIS truthful assessment, of all He has seen and heard in us, as God has watched us live each day… from the moment of our birth.
Paul wrote it this way in his second letter to these Corinthian Christians: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, [the Bema] so that each of us may receive what is due us, for the things we have done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor. 5:10) And years later the apostle John wrote these words, as led by the Holy Spirit, in describing that day of judgment before God: “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne [of God] and books were opened. They were all judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” (Rev. 20:12,13)
So, my friends, these statements leave no room for confusion do they. There will be an accounting each of us will give for our life as we have lived it, when we stand before the throne of God and HE reviews our life with us, from His perspective of having seen absolutely everything and His holding us to the high standard of HIS holy perfection! For the person who has done as Paul urged us to do, built their life on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ, that day of standing before God will be a glorious, wonderful day of celebration as Jesus stands beside them as their Savior, Redeemer and Advocate. (1 Tim. 2:5; 1 John 2:1,2)
For the person who has rejected Jesus and has built their life on any other foundation of their choosing, they will stand alone facing the reality of their life without Advocate Jesus. If rejected in life, then after death on that Day, Jesus is Judge not Advocate.
Did you notice God will use at least TWO means of practical evaluation and testing on that great Day of judgment? First is LIGHT, and that means God’s Holiness and His TRUTH. Our lives will be evaluated, as by a search light of God’s holiness and God’s truth, so nothing will be unseen or misunderstood. Secondly, Paul speaks of fire being poured out on the totality of our life story as we have lived it, and what remains will be that which God deems as valuable, honorable and worthy of celebration in eternity.
Do you remember in His sermon on the mount Jesus urged people to consider a radical way of saving for the future: “Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:19-21)
Now, as you consider how you’ve spent the TIME you’ve had to live thus far in your lifetime; and how you’ve used the TALENTS and ABILITIES God has given you and you’ve developed; and how you’ve pursued the PASSIONS and CREATIVITY God has given you… what are the results of your lifetime thus far? Now from an eternal perspective, when you are standing before God with unending eternity out ahead of you, what will you value as you look back over your earthly lifetime? What will you see as achievements or accomplishments from your lifetime that will have great value in heaven?
Can we see how Jesus and Paul were talking about the same thing? It’s learning to look at today, this week, this year of our lives through the lenses of eternity. That will help us make wise choices now that we’ll be very glad, we made, when we stand before God and then we start living eternity.
Do you see what Paul wrote about the Christian who spends their life pursuing earthly values, earthly priorities and giving little thought to aligning their life with God’s values, God’s priorities? “If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames.”
You see, Paul is reminding us this judgment is not for the purpose of determining who gets to spend eternity with God, that is determined by whether or not you trusted Jesus Christ to Save you from your sin condemnation and sin bondage. Paul is talking about what it will be like for the Christian who ends up walking away from the judgment seat of Christ, the “Bema” empty handed, having done little to nothing in their lifetime, that counted for eternity. While they are entering heaven, it will appear they wasted their lifetime pursuing only things that some valued here on earth.
Now it’s important we ponder all this my friends. Is God stirring you and me to reprioritize our lives? Here’s a song to help us consider these things…
Today’s Scripture is 1 Cor. 3:12-15.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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