Actions that God will Reward Part 2
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
At the Judgment Seat of Christ our entry into heaven is not what will be in question, for that exam fell upon Christ our Lord. All are are found in Christ are not condemned, but those who do not believe in Him as the Savior and Lord are condemned already.
The Final Judgment has to do with what we did with what Christ gave us. He gives salvation to all who believe on Him and repent of their sins to turn to Him. Salvation is Christ, what we do with what He gives you is what will be judged on that DAY.
How we treat other believers
How generous we are with our money
How we support others in ministry
How well we accept mistreatment and injustice
How we endure suffering and trials
We also see through scripture that our actions on...
6. How We Spend Our Time
6. How We Spend Our Time
The oldest psalm in Scripture (Psalm 90) was written by Moses. In verse 12, Moses wrote, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”
Expressing a similar thought about the preciousness of time, the apostle Paul says, “Making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Every person has 168 hours to spend each week. Much of that time is spent sleeping and taking care of mundane yet necessary responsibilities, yet based on all the time the Lord gives us how much do we invest in the Lord?
We need to count our days and make the most of them.
Time passes by each moment, and there’s no way to retrieve it. We talk about saving time, making time, or borrowing time, but you can’t do any of those things.
As someone has said, “Remember, when you kill time, it has no resurrection.”
There’s no time to waste. Once it’s gone, you cannot get it back.
Make sure you’re making the most of every moment the Lord gives you.
7. How We Run the Race God Has Given Us
7. How We Run the Race God Has Given Us
According to Scripture, each believer has a race to run. I have mine, and you have yours.
Our responsibility is to run our race with endurance and stay in our lane.
Hebrews 12:1 calls this “the race marked out for us” (niv).
We each have a lane to run in, and our races vary greatly. No two are the same. We each face our own set of challenges.
As Kent Hughes reminds us,
We each have a specific course mapped out for us, and the course for each runner is unique. Some are relatively straight, some are all turns, some seem all uphill, some are a flat hiking path. All are long but some are longer. But each of us can finish the race “marked out for us.”
I may not be able to run your course, and you may find mine impossible, but I can finish my race and you yours. Both of us can finish well if we choose and if we rely on him who is our strength and our guide.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24, the apostle Paul said, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.”
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
In Philippians 3:14, he wrote, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
I like Joe Stowell’s humorous comments about running:
I have nothing against runners. Some of my best friends are addicted runners. Though I have never seen a runner smiling, apparently there is something fulfilling about it. I even tried it once, waiting for that surge of ecstasy that my friends told me I would experience, only to find that the ecstasy came when I stopped running.
Stowell continues:
So, whatever you think about running, it’s important to note that the Bible often speaks of living the Christian life as if we were running a race. Following Jesus is clearly more than a leisurely stroll in the park! And the issue is not whether you will run the race. When you became His follower, you were put in the race. The question is not will you run, but how will you run.
8. How Effectively We Control Our Body
8. How Effectively We Control Our Body
We all face temptations of the flesh: sexual immorality, lust, and gluttony.
How well we discipline our bodies and bring them under control is one of the actions that God will judge on that Day.
1 Corinthians 9:24–27 (NKJV)
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
The same trait that makes a great athlete makes a faithful believer—discipline.
That’s not a popular word nowadays, but there’s no substitute for old-fashioned self-control and self-discipline when it comes to sins of the flesh.
The Greek word translated “discipline” in verse 27 is a strong term from the boxing ring that literally means to “strike under the eye” or “make black and blue.” The NIV translation reads: “I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave.”
We must be merciless to ourselves in bringing our bodies and desires under control and in conformity with God’s will.
This is radical stuff. We must spare no effort in disciplining ourselves and doing whatever it takes to run the race well.
As Jesus said, “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you… If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you” (Matthew 5:29-30).
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
He wasn’t saying to do those things literally, but rather, emphasizing the need to be strict with ourselves.
There’s no substitute for discipline.
We must apply ourselves daily by spending quality time in the Bible, in prayer, and in fellowship with God’s people.
We must avoid compromising situations that will increase the likelihood that we will fall into sin.
9. How Many Souls We Witness to and Win for Christ
9. How Many Souls We Witness to and Win for Christ
Every believer is called to be a faithful witness for Jesus Christ. We are His ambassadors to this world (2 Corinthians 5:20).
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
Sharing the gospel with others and leading them to faith in Jesus brings us reward.
For the apostle Paul, the believers he led to Christ at Thessalonica were his reward. “Who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
20 For you are our glory and joy.
We all lack courage at times when it comes to sharing our faith.
We need to pray earnestly for opportunities and boldness to share the good news with lost people around us.
Our responsibility is to proclaim the gospel, and it is the Holy Spirit who does the work of convicting and winning unbelievers.
Only He can open a human heart. Our job is simply tell others the good news.