What He Will Do with His Own, Part 2

The Certainty and Centrality of Christ's Return and Its Accompanying Events

0:00 Now may I encourage you to follow with me in your Bibles as I read from the 19th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 19, verses 11 through 27, one of the many passages in the New Testament that give us light with respect to those events that will accompany the return of our Lord Jesus in power and glory at the end of the age. Luke 19 and verse 11, And as they heard these things, he added and spoke a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was immediately to appear. He said, Therefore, a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. And he called ten servants of his and gave them. Ten pounds and said unto them, Trade herewith till I come.

1:08 But his citizens hated him and sent an ambassage after him, saying, We will not that this man reign over us. And it came to pass, when he was come back again, having received the kingdom, that he commanded these servants unto whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had done. And the first came before him, saying, Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more. And he said unto him, Well done, you good servant, because you were found faithful in very little.

1:51 Have authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Your pound, Lord, has made five pounds. And he said unto him also, Be over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is your pound, which I kept laid up in a napkin.

2:13 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You take up that which you laid not down, and you reap that which you did not sow. And he said unto him, Out of your own mouth will I judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I am an austere.

2:33 You knew that I am an austere man, taking up that which I did not lay down, and reaping that which I did not sow. Then wherefore did you give not my money into the bank? And I at my coming should have required it with interest. And he said unto them that stood by, Take away from him the pound, and give it unto him that has ten pounds.

2:56 And they said unto him, Lord, he has ten pounds. I say unto you that unto everyone. That has shall be given, but from him that has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. But these my enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring them here, and slay them before me.

3:23 As we have had occasion to remind ourselves numerous times in recent weeks, while the eleven disciples intently gazed upon their Lord, as he was received up into heaven, and enveloped in a cloud which hid him from their sight, those eleven heard the unmistakable words of the two angels who appeared at their side and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him go into heaven. Amen. Amen.

4:04 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

4:04 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

4:04 Amen. louder Upon these words of the two angels and the many previous words which the Lord himself had spoken to them while he was with them, and in addition to these things the further revelations of truth which these apostles received, this reality of the Lord's return in glory and power at the end of the age became a dominant note in the preaching and teaching of these apostles. Because of this, we find in the letters addressed to the churches formed by their labors and the labors of those who worked closely with them, that eagerly awaiting and loving the return of Christ was an integral part of ordinary, normal, New Testament Christian experience. And we come tonight to the ninth in a series of studies on this very subject, the place of the return of Christ in New Testament belief and experience. And as I've looked out over the congregation, I see at least several who have not been with us for perhaps any, perhaps not all, if any, of the series. And for their benefit, let me attempt in just several minutes to bring into focus the major lines.

5:29 The major lines of biblical truth that we have considered together. We began by looking at six texts of scripture in which eager, awaiting, and loving the return of Christ was indeed described as normal, ordinary, New Testament Christian experience. Then we looked at four reasons why true believers in a healthy spiritual state do indeed eagerly await and love, the return of Christ. Then we began to take up four issues of great importance relative to the return of Christ.

6:08 Number one, as to the event itself, the return of Christ, it is certain. As to the place of the return of Christ in redemptive history, it is central and climactic. As to the time of the Lord's return for us, it is imminent. Indefinite and unknowable.

6:32 And then fourthly, as to the events connected with the return of Christ, they are clearly revealed and manifold. And I suggested that it's helpful in seeking to collate and hold together the many things that scripture tells us will transpire at or in conjunction with the coming of our Lord Jesus in power and glory. Amen. Amen.

6:57 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

6:58 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

6:58 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

6:59 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

6:59 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

6:59 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

6:59 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

6:59 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

6:59 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

6:59 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

7:00 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

7:00 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

7:00 Amen. Amen.

7:16 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

7:16 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

7:16 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

7:16 Amen. Amen. the events that will occur at the coming of the Lord Jesus, or I use the illustration of a cluster of grapes. His coming is the main stem, and Scripture shows a number of events clustered around the return of our Lord Jesus. And I suggested that there are several categories into which they naturally fall. Category number one, what will happen to the people of God when Jesus returns again? What will happen to unbelievers and to the devil and to those described in the passage read in our hearing as his enemies who refuse to have his rule over them? And then category number three, what will happen to the created order? And I am persuaded, as I suggested possibly this morning, there will be a fourth

What Christ Will Do with His Own: Identification and Vindication

8:12 category. What will happen to the Lord Jesus? What will happen to the people of God when the Lord Jesus returns again? What will happen to the people of God when Jesus returns again?

8:14 That came a split into the first group. eyes and eyes what the reality is, if we cannot see the reality under this image that has been created in the first group of us, then surely the present of God was not a qui-ono , the Toyamani Uncorfunded malt that perché to us is not reality but the result of something unmarked out of that product of Algcot . seen thus far. Number one, all who are truly in Christ shall at the coming of Christ be fully conformed to the image of Christ and will be forever with Christ. Secondly, at the return of Christ, all who are truly in Christ shall be brought to the judgment seat of Christ in order to be openly identified, vindicated, and confessed by Christ and to receive the rewards of grace from Christ. We began to work out the biblical materials under that second major subheading of what Christ will do and what will happen to His

9:31 people when He returns. And the key to this is the reality that His people will indeed appear before His judgment seat. We demonstrated from the Scriptures that the judgment seat of God is one and the same with the judgment seat of Christ, that all judgment has been delivered to Christ, that the crowning messianic task of our glorious Redeemer as the Son of Man is to administer judgment in the last day. And we saw from such text as, Romans 14.10-12 and 2 Corinthians 5.10 that believers will appear before that judgment. And that which Christ will do with His own people, I've tried to capture in these words, they will be openly identified, vindicated, and confessed by Christ. And we saw from Matthew

10:34 25 that He will indeed, openly identify those whom He infallibly knows are His sheep. When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, He shall sit upon the throne of His glory, there shall be gathered before Him all nations, He shall separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from His goats. And He will set the sheep upon His right hand with an infallible and an irreversible and municipal identification christ himself will say these are my sheep these and none other all of these these are those whom i identify as my own and then we saw secondly that they will not only be openly identified by christ but vindicated by christ and we sought to wrestle through from the scriptures why it is that on the one hand all of the passages about how the judge will deal with men tell us that it will be a judgment according to works even for the true people of god and yet the scriptures tell us that we we are saved by a salvation that does not rest

11:53 upon our works why then if the one who procured our salvation is the judge why does he not simply make a judgment of his own based upon the presence or absence of faith and say i know the heart and in this one there is true and genuine faith that has united him or her to myself and in me they have a perfect righteousness perfect acceptance in union with me they are my own come you blessed why does he go to the bother to bring forth their works and we sought to answer that from the scripture in terms of this concept of vindication because the salvation that christ procured by his suffering and his resurrection and the salvation he applies by his spirit not only brings those for whom he procured it to believe in him but it brings them by degrees to become like him that salvation brings them into a course of gospel holiness into a pattern all pursuing 日 of conformity to christ a rifle beans to the word of christ my sheet here my voice they follow me if you say that we know he meant he's not just come and that's where you're live

13:22 and we do not the truth and so all christ is going to publicly vindicate that his identification of his own is also possible and he is not just to be a good man he is a good man who is close to her and so far we do know that he is true and he is useful and he has a great character and a faithful faith in him and he is a person who is able and a good man that who is faithful and he is faithful and he is faithful and he is faithful and he is faithful and he is faithful and he is faithful. his identification of his own is not a sham. That the pattern of their lives is the pattern described in John 5. Those who have done good will be raised to a resurrection of life.

13:46 And this matter of the pattern of the life being one of righteousness will be openly declared in the final day as a vindication that indeed those identified by Christ as his own have embraced the salvation that Christ procured for them. And we looked at a number of biblical witnesses and we concluded with a very hasty consideration of that text in Revelation 19. And I want to pick up precisely at that point tonight, rhetorically, I'm butchering away. I've used all the laws of rhetoric to put a little P.S. and addendum from this morning's sermon, but when the interest of instructing God's people conflicts with rhetoric, I spurn rhetoric and I take the course of edification. So in Revelation 19, we saw together that in this celebration of the marriage supper of the Lamb, there is this great thunderous praise. Praise like the voice of the Lord. Praise like the voice of the Lord. Praise

14:54 like the voice of many waters as the voice of mighty thunders. Imagine what it will be. Mighty thunders. Praise that rocks the building. And here is the focus of the praise. Hallelujah.

15:07 For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad and let us give glory unto him. For the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife has made herself ready. And it was given.

15:24 Unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure. For the fine linen, and here is where we would expect to read, is the righteousness of Christ. But it doesn't say that. It says, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

15:46 The linen with which she appears beautiful is comprised of the threads of the righteous acts of the saints. In this very book, in which in a previous vision we see that vast multitude whom no man can number out of every kindred, tribe, and tongue and nation rejoicing that they have been redeemed unto God by the blood of the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne. And without any contradiction of that reality, here the bride is seen adorned in fine linen comprised of her righteous acts. Why? Because the bride is comprised of true Christians who, when Christ saves them by his grace, not only clothes them with his own perfect righteousness, but of him are you in Christ Jesus who is made wisdom to us from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. And we do not take second place to any in affirming that glorious truth. But, when Christ unites them to himself, thereby imputing to

17:05 them his perfect righteousness, at the same time he works in them this passion to be what they one day shall be, resplendent in his very likeness. He writes his law upon the heart, gives them a disposition to a life of obedience and conscientious control over the world. And when Christ unites them to himself, thereby imputing to them his perfect righteousness, at the same time he works in them this passion to be what they one day shall be, resplendent in his very likeness. He writes his law upon the heart, races them to his great gros elemenis, brake their投 Prepare this Jesus' fruitless faithfulness and his promise of lawfulness. or not just luzu, but love this Jesus who will deliver them from the evil créé nestle,

17:57 And His bride will be comprised of those who are found in fine linen, bright and pure, and that linen being the righteous acts of the saints, and all the imperfections of their efforts to please Him and serve Him and to conform to His will. All of those deficiencies are cleansed in His own blood, and those righteous deeds are viewed through the perfection of the undergarment of His own perfect righteousness, so the bride is glorious without and within. Listen to the Lutheran commentator, Lenski. Few commentators are more jealous to preserve intact the biblical doctrine of the free grace of God in justification. And yet he comments on this passage, I quote him, These were given to the Lamb's wife, and it was given unto her. You see, her garments, though they are her righteous acts, they are given. They are the fruit of grace.

19:06 These were given to the Lamb's wife, for the saints are the Lamb's wife. With these righteous acts she has made herself ready. There is no difficulty between the imputed righteousness and the acquired. Between the righteousness of Christ, the garment with which He clothes us, and this brilliant, pure garment of our own works of righteousness.

19:31 When they are given the one, the saints are always given the other. And having the second is, it is made evident that they have the first. When the bride is wearing the garment of her own righteous acts, this is proof that she has been clothed with the garment. The garment of Christ's perfect righteousness.

19:54 In fact, that's the very evidence Christ will use in public at the last day, at His coming, in the final judgment. And then he quotes the very passage we looked at this morning, Matthew chapter 25, verses 34 and following. For this very reason, the righteous acts must be mentioned here. All the passages that speak of the judgment deal with works.

What Christ Will Do with His Own: Confession Before the Father and Angels

20:20 So that what I set before you this morning is no novelty. It stands in the stream of historic, responsible, evangelical, Protestant exposition of the Word of God. Well then, I've asserted that when He comes in dealing with His own, in that second category of things He will deal with us, that He will not only openly identify us and vindicate us, but that He will confess us. Well, where in the world did I get such a notion that Christ will confess us?

20:59 Well, I want you to turn with me in the Word of God to see where such a notion has its origin. Matthew chapter 10 and verse 32. Matthew chapter 10 and verse 32. Here we have the record of our Lord commissioning the twelve to go out, and to preach, to cast out demons, to heal all manner of sickness.

21:26 And He's seeking to prepare them for the things they will face in their ministry. And in the midst of it, as we've said with regard to the book of Acts, there are some things peculiar, not only to the apostles, but to this particular commission at this time. By the time the Lord has died and risen from the dead, He expands this commission. Here He tells them, don't go to any Gentiles.

21:50 You only need to go to the lost sons and daughters of the house of Israel. Well, in the midst of that, there are vital principles that are applicable to all believers, all Christians, at all times, in all ages. And here is one of them, verse 32. Everyone, therefore, who shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven.

22:19 But whosoever shall confess before me, I will confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall confess before me, I will confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall confess before me, I will confess before my Father who is in heaven. Here our Lord gives a very straightforward statement.

22:33 As you go out and you face opposition and even danger, you must not draw back from confessing Me. In that context, what does it mean to confess Christ? It means that they are willing to make it known verbally and in any other way It means that they are willing to make it known verbally and in any other way It means that they are willing to make it known verbally and in any other way Christ, who He is, what He's come to do, they are aligned with Christ. They are prepared to be openly, unashamedly identified with Christ. That's what it means to confess Christ before, in the face of, in the presence of men. It means that we do not only seek Him in the secret place, make our approaches to God through Him, but as it is appropriate in a public forum, in the presence of our fellow mortals, we're prepared to make it known that we belong to Christ, Christ belongs to us. We are what we are because of Christ. We're prepared to make it known that we view all reality through the Word of Christ. He

23:39 says in another context, whoever is ashamed of me and of my word. Of him shall I be ashamed when I come in the glory of my Father and with the holy angels. So here is the clear statement that the ones who confess Him before men, He will confess them. The same verb is used. What will it mean for Christ to confess us? It will mean that He openly identifies Himself with us, just as we have openly identified ourselves with Him. In the circumstances that might bring frowns and social ostracization and suffering and even martyrdom, there in the presence of the holy angels and of His Father, Christ will say, this one, I clearly identify myself with Him. I confess Him before my Father. Look at the parallel passage in Luke 12, verses 8 and 9.

24:42 Here the additional thought is, not only will that confession be made before the Father, but this gives us some suggestion as to when that confession will be made. Luke 12, verses 8 and 9. And I say unto you, every one who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man confess before the angels of God. But he that denies me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God.

25:20 And when you hear Christ and the angels of God, your mind immediately goes to that repeated emphasis of Scripture, that when the Lord Jesus comes in His glory, His entourage will be the holy angels who are with Him. And it could well be that this is the very promise that our Lord is giving. In Revelation 3 and in verse 5, speaking to the church at Sardis, and in one of the

25:51 overcoming or overcomer promises, verse 5 of Revelation 3, He that overcomes shall thus be arrayed in white garments. I will in no wise blot His name out of the book of life, and I will confess His name before my Father, and I will confess His name before His già, Righteous God of Israel. annaimaiSbueVendoLhO. The prophet Jesus said, and before His angels.

26:15 The statement is now here in Sardis, verse 21. The statement of Matthew and Luke are brought together, as Jesus Himself speaks to the seven churches, saying, And He that hath an ear shall let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. The more you speak to those who are in the minority, only small of you know that you have two names in Sardis, 500 names.

26:38 The congregation with aDSY Ephesians chapter 9, chapter 9, verses 62 through 91 will lie here in scathing." their garments they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy people redeemed by grace yet called worthy by christ himself and christ to encourage them says you will not be blotted out of the book of life your lot will not be that of apostates who seem to be part of the people of god but who do not overcome and in your overcoming here is the promise i hold out to you in that final day when i come again as judge and you stand before me i will without shame confess you your very name before my father and before the holy angels what a promise to hold out to that minority that sees spiritual lassitude in death all around them this is the church that had a name that it was alive but was dead and there was carelessness there were only a few that were keeping their garments that were jealously walking with a conscience void of offense to god and to man and to encourage them to press on in spite of the unsympathetic context in which they were persevering in the way of grace he gives this

28:02 marvelous promise i will confess his name before my father and before the holy angels i tell you can take an awful lot of things said about your name in this world if you know that christ will confess your name before his father the holy angels and the whole assembled universe in the day of judgment so that's why i've included that in my statement after returning of Christ, all who are truly in Christ, will not only be identified by Christ, vindicated by Christ, but confessed by Christ in the presence of His Father and the holy angels.

The Reality of Rewards of Grace from Christ

28:51 But then I've added this final statement, and this is where we'll park for the rest of our time tonight. I've added this statement, and shall receive the rewards of grace from Christ. All of this is occurring in the context of standing before the judgment seat of Christ. Identified, vindicated, confessed, but yet there's more.

29:18 They shall receive the rewards of grace from Christ Himself. Now then, where do we go? Where do we get the notion that there will be rewards conferred upon the people of God in that day? Well, there are a number of passages.

29:39 Let's look at several of them, that there will be rewards given in that day. There is no question that the Scriptures teach that the giving of rewards to His people will be one of the actions of Christ at His return. Matthew chapter 25.

29:58 We had occasion to look at the... the beginning of that chapter and the latter part of the chapter this morning, the parable of the ten virgins, and then the vision of the throne and all gathered before it.

30:12 But in between, we have this parable of our Lord Jesus, beginning in verse 14, for it is, that is, the kingdom of heaven, especially the kingdom with respect to its consummate glory at the coming of Christ. Verse 14. This is when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his several ability.

30:45 And they went on his journey straightway. He that received the five talents went and traded with them, and made other five talents. In like manner also he that received the two, gained other two. But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his five talents.

30:59 Verse 28. Verse 29. Verse 28. Verse 29.

31:01 Verse 31. lord's money now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh and makes a reckoning with them so the lord who's apportioned the talents to one five to another two to another one our lord here hints that his coming might not be on the very next as it were beat of the heart and the next step toward the horizon after a long time the lord of those servants comes and when he comes he makes a reckoning with them he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents saying lord you delivered unto me five talents lo i've gained other five his lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you have been faithful over a few things i will set you over many things enter into the joy of your lord he that received the two talents came and said lord you delivered unto me two talents lo i've gained other two talents his lord said unto him well done good and faithful servant you've been faithful over a few

32:22 things i will set you over many things enter you into the joy of your lord and then he deals with the one who had the one talent and this man did not trade in that talent this man reflects that he had harsh thoughts of the master and he is apportioned with the wicked verse 30 cast out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth what do we learn without going into a detailed exposition of this parable this much is clear after a long time when the lord of those servants there is a reckoning and in that reckoning you have three people two who are commended and rewarded for faithfulness and one who is exposed as a wicked man and banished to outer darkness here the lord at his return rewards the faithful servants a differing degree of reward yes the holy and liked the faithful if you will there's nothing to do without wickedness some of the nations are a aa and there's a thr melhores Jaguar is low

33:49 and the of the eradicate and you in this game the stewardship of what is given to him. He has harsh views of the Master. And the Master condemns him out of his own mouth. And he banishes him, not to some secondary street in the hinterlands of heaven, but he banishes him to hell.

34:23 Breathed, when I hear this wretched teaching, you can be a Christian, utterly unfaithful with whatever God's entrusted to you, and all you'll get is a second-class apartment somewhere on the back street in heaven. And someone says, at least I'm going to make it. No, my friend. If you do not regard yourself as a servant who has a debt of love that you owe to your Master, and you are indifferent to the investment of what is entrusted to you, you'll be banished to hell.

34:59 You will not be put in heaven in some second-class place. Are there degrees of opportunity for service and influence? Yes. The one who invested his five and brought five more, he is set over many things.

35:19 He enters into the joy of his Lord. The one who received the two, gained two. He says the same thing to him. You've been faithful over few things.

35:30 I will set you over many things. And? Enter into the joy of your Lord. Here, there is reward given for that which the Master originally put in their hands in the first place.

35:45 And in a sense, they were but giving back to Him of His own. But that there will be rewards apportioned at His coming is clearly taught in this passage. In Matthew 10, though the day of judgment is not explicitly mentioned, the analogy, the analogy of Scripture leads us to believe that this passage will find fulfillment at the return of the Lord Jesus. Precious passage.

36:13 Matthew 10, verses 40-42. He that receives you, receives me. He that receives me, receives Him that sent me. He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.

36:31 And he that receives a righteousness, a righteous man, in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. It's very interesting. In the previous paragraph, the Lord has said, don't be mistaken.

37:04 That my role as the Prince of Peace means that wherever I go, there'll be peace. He said, no. When my claims are embraced by one and not another, I will bring a sword setting father and mother against son and daughter, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. A man's foe should be they of his own household.

37:23 And then those stringent words, whoever does not take his cross and follow after me, not worthy of me. He that finds his life, loses it. And he that loses it for my sake shall find it. And yet on the heels of those very what we might call sobering, weighty words, Jesus holds out to His people the hope of reward in terms of some of the most mundane things.

37:48 The cup of cold water given in His name. That is given because you're a Christian and you have something of the disposition of Christ to respond to another in his or her need. He said, even that cup of cold water shall not fail to receive a reward. Now some say, you know, the concept of doing what you do for the sake of reward is mercenary.

38:12 I say it's Christian. The Lord Jesus is not at all embarrassed to use this language. Three times in this passage He speaks of the prophet's reward. The righteous man's reward.

38:26 And then the reward even for the extension of the cup of cold water in His name. It's given in the name of a disciple. Surely, the concept of rewards is embedded in this passage. Then the Luke 19 passage that we read.

38:47 And you'll remember that it's when the Master returned that He has His time of reckoning. And in that reckoning, there's a difference with the Matthew 25 passage. Notice in that reckoning, Luke 19, each one had received the same with which to trade. Every one had received one pound.

39:13 One man turned it into ten. Another man into five. And then you had a third who took his one, buried it, and then shamelessly says, I knew you were a scoundrel. You were hard-hearted.

39:29 You were an austere man. And therefore, for fear that I'd be treated, ill if I didn't produce a lot, I just kept it wrapped up in a napkin. And he also is exposed as a wicked servant. And of the two who are commended, notice the disparity.

39:47 The one had produced ten. And the Lord says, you good servant, because you were found faithful in very little, have authority over ten cities. The one whose one produced five, the Lord says to him, you now be over, five cities. So there's a disparity in the reward.

40:09 They all started with the same amount. One man, by his trading, produces a tenfold increase, one a fivefold increase. When the rewards are apportioned in each other's presence, one is given greater authority and influence over the other.

40:28 Jesus is telling us that rewards will be apportioned in such a way that some at the judgment seat will receive a greater reward than others. And there will be a consciousness of that disparity in those awards. Now hold off the question, what are the awards? We're just going to look at several more texts that clearly teach that awards will be conferred at the return of Christ.

The Testing of Works and the Nature of Rewards for Church Workers

40:57 1 Corinthians chapter 3 is our next passage. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. You remember the Corinthians are lining up behind their favorite preachers and Paul is going after the juggler vein of this divisiveness and he approaches it in a number of ways. And here in chapter 3 he's saying if you only understood who the servants of God really are and the relationship between who they are and what they do and what happens and what will happen when they are assessed, you wouldn't be doing this.

41:32 So we read now in verse 5 of chapter 3. Back to 3 or back to verse 4. When one says, I'm of Paul and another I'm of Apollos, are you not men? In other words, aren't you acting just like ordinary men in the world who have their favorites and line up behind them?

41:47 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Ministers through whom you believed and each as the Lord gave to him. How can you have a favorite because of this particular measure of gift or blessing when whatever they had in gift or blessing is all from God?

42:03 Each. The Lord gave to him. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then, neither is he who plants anything, zero, neither he that waters, zero, but God who gives the increase.

42:18 Now, he who plants and he who waters are one, but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers, Paul, Apollos, Cephas, you are God's tilled land, you Corinthians are the building. Those of us who've ministered among you, Cephas, Apollos, myself, we are simply workers in God's tilled land, workers in God's workmen in God's building. The church is the building, the various Christian workers, preachers here, apostles and Apollos, they are simply God's workmen. Fellow workers. Now, verse 10. According to the grace of God given unto me, he says, whatever I had in gifts to build and to construct God's building at Corinth, God's grace gave it to me according to the grace of God given to me.

43:20 As a wise master builder, I laid a foundation, and another builds thereon. But let each man take heed how he builds thereon. Builds thereon what? Every Christian's life?

43:33 No, no. He's talking about...

43:34 He's talking about the foundation of God's building at Corinth, his spiritual building, the church. And Paul said, I was given grace to be a wise master builder, and when I came among you and labored for 18 months and preached Christ and Him crucified, and showed that everything flows out of the central doctrine of the cross, and I've preached to you not in enticing words of men's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power that you're facing, that you should not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. I was a wise master builder laying a solid foundation. I laid a foundation.

44:14 Another comes and builds thereon. Other workers come, and they contribute to the construction of God's spiritual temple at Corinth. Verse 11. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.

44:28 Anyone comes along and says, hey, wait a minute. This guy Paul that laid the foundation here, the foundation of the wrong stuff. Paul said, no, no, no, no, wait a minute. The foundation was Christ.

44:39 The preaching of Christ. The power of Christ. You were united to Christ. Chapter 1, verse 7.

44:45 You were found waiting for the appearing of Christ. As a wise master builder, I laid the only true foundation of any true church. It's Christ. The Christ of Scripture.

44:56 The Christ whose grace is mediated by a ministry marked by biblical integrity and the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, he says, if any man builds on this foundation, gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble, each man's work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it. What's he saying? He said, now someone else may come along, and as he builds on that foundation which is Christ, he may build of superior, or inferior materials.

45:37 Gold, silver, precious stone. Nobody builds buildings with gold. The whole thing is metaphor and imagery. But the emphasis is clear.

45:47 These are things of worth. Things that will withstand fire. Gold, silver, and precious stones. Marble will withstand the fire.

45:58 Some may build on that foundation. Imagine, wood, that's not too bad. But hay and stubble? They're never used as building materials.

46:08 Again, it's a strong figure of speech. They build with worthless materials. They do not do the work God's way in the power of God and augment people's living relationship to God. They may build in such a way as attach people to themselves.

46:28 They may inject into the work of God human philosophy and market techniques. And they may seek, seek to pander to people's carnal interest. Well, if they do, what will happen? Look at verse 13.

46:42 Each man's work, not each and every Christian, the context means everyone who works in that building construction. Each man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it. The day. When you find that language, the day, unless there are compelling reasons, it's speaking of the day when Christ returns.

47:05 Unless compelling contextual reasons, it's pointing to the day of Christ. The day shall declare it. The day shall make everything clear. Because it is revealed in fire, and the fire itself shall prove, shall test each man's work of what sort it is.

47:29 The coming of Christ and the judgment seat of Christ will be not a quantity, will be not a quantity, but a quantitative analysis of the kind of materials men used to put into God's building. The day shall declare it, not of what size it is, what sort it is, what is the quality. Now he says, in the light of this, if any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. The workman who builds in Christ's temple, with Christ as the only foundation, and he builds with those materials likened to gold and silver and precious stone. He does the work of God, God's way and God's strength. He is an instrument of God to see people's attachment to Christ deepen and enlarge and their obedience to Christ increase and their hearts taken up with love to Christ, looking beyond the human instruments. The day will show those people to have been the fruit of his labors, gold, silver, precious stone.

48:48 But the day will also show that some men built with the stuff of wood, hay and stubble and what will happen, if any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire. What is Paul saying? This was not a case of a man being a heretic, denying essential biblical truth.

49:19 It was not a case of a man being one of those hypocrites who say, Lord, Lord, didn't we preach in your name? Didn't we build in your name? And he will say to them, depart from me, I never know. These were true men, godly men, but they did not do God's work.

49:33 God's work, God's way in the work of the church. And when Christ returns and calls us to stand before Him and partials out the rewards, this is the closest thing I found in all of my study of the relevant passages, that approaches anything that we could call a measure of shame and sense of loss. After Christ glorifies us, it says, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire. The fire of the testing of the last day of a man's labors may take from him all that he had hoped would meet him as the basis of his reward and find it all consumed by the eye and word of Christ. But he himself is a saved man in that day because he is built on the foundation personally. He is trusting in Christ alone. From Christ he has received a heart to pursue a life of godliness, a life that is reflective of the transforming power of the grace of God.

50:39 But this passage, in my judgment, is one of the clearest passages that points particularly to the rewards that will be given or withheld from those who are the servants of Christ doing work in the church of Christ. And if you want to know why some of us seem so intransigently stubborn, in refusing to conform to fads and fashions in church work, a day is coming when all the pay and stubble of the work of the church being done on the basis and by means of human wisdom, human personalities, it will all go up in smoke. Some of us don't want to labor for smoke. We want to see our Lord say to us, in the qualitative analysis of our labor, well done, good and faithful servant. Here are the fruits of doing my work according to my word, in my strength and to my glory.

Further Biblical Witnesses to Rewards and Their Grace-Based Nature

51:53 Here's the gold, the silver and the precious stones. Well, there are more passages that teach there will be rewards. Let me just quickly quote a couple. 1 Corinthians 4, 5.

52:07 Paul's being judged. By the detractors of his ministry. And he says in verse 4, or verse 3, it's a little thing with me if I be judged of you or of man's judgment. Yea, I judge not my own self.

52:21 That is, I do not pass final sentence upon myself, for I know nothing against myself, yet am I not hereby justified. He that judges me is the Lord. Judges me now, examines me now, will examine me in the future day. Therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and look at the encouragement here, and then shall each man have his praise from God.

52:54 What's he mean? He means each and every faithful servant of Christ who as a steward of the things of God has been faithful. And in the course of that faithfulness, he has been wrongly judged by others and has persevered in the way of fidelity to his Lord. Paul says the day is coming when the Lord Himself comes that He will make manifest, open and evident to all, the counsels of the hearts.

53:29 And it will be seen that the faithful servant of God held to his course because his heart was tethered to Christ, tethered to the Word of Christ, tethered to the glory of Christ. And then shall each man, no matter how he's been ignored and despised and overlooked by the world and by vast segments of the professing church, he will have his praise from God. He will have his reward. And it is right that the servants of God think in terms of a passion to have the reward of the praise of the God who commissioned him, laid His hand upon him, and has sent him into His service. And then to show how this is so pervasive down to the most mundane. It's not boring, is it? I hope it's not.

54:23 Ephesians chapter 6. Here he's giving directions to the domestic sphere. And he comes all the way down to slaves and to their masters. And notice what he says to encourage these slaves.

54:37 He says in verse 5, Slaves, be obedient to them that according to the flesh of your masters, with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart, as unto Christ, not in a way of eye service as men pleasers, but as servants, slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing services unto the Lord, and not unto men. All the while, he says, knowing something. Verse 8, knowing, knowing that whatsoever good thing each one does, the same shall he receive again from the Lord, whether he be bond or free. So the master says, Hey, coolie!

55:18 Go out and take that bucket of slop and feed the pigs. He says, yes, master. And as he's going, he says, Lord Jesus, I'm carrying this bucket of slop as unto you. And as I go and pour it out before the pigs and they root around in it, I'm going to get a reward.

55:39 From my bucket of slop poured out in the pig's snout. That's what he said. That's what it says, doesn't it? You read that in your Bible?

55:48 That's what I read in mine. He said, with good will doing service as unto the Lord. You look beyond your master. He may be sweet, he may be nasty.

55:59 Look to your master who's always gracious. It is Jesus that has brought you under his yoke and within the orbit of his grace. And you slaves, look beyond your earthly master, and whatever good thing you're doing, know this, that you shall receive again from the Lord. A reward is coming.

56:21 And the parallel passage is Colossians 3, 23 to 25. Now, having demonstrated, I hope, to your persuasion from sufficient Biblical material that there are rewards to be portioned out by Christ at the judgment seat of Christ, I've used the term, that we shall receive the rewards of grace from Christ. Now, why have I called them the rewards of grace? Well, for the simple reason, if there's anything we do that is according to the will of God and done with the right motive as unto the Lord, done in dependence upon Him, Luke 19, 9 says, when you have done all, say, we are unprofitable servants. Think for a minute of the holy angels. God's apportioned them a place and a rank and a task. And if they do as they do, every single thing that God commands them, what angel has a right to strut up to the throne of God and say, hey God, you know, I've done everything you told me to do for the last three millennia, I think you'll...

57:32 No. He was made an angel by God's creative word. He was assigned a place and a rank among the angels by the sovereign will of God. And this God has every right to tell Him what to do and when He's done all, He just marches up the throne and says, oh great and glorious Creator God, I'm an unprofitable servant.

57:51 I've added nothing to you and I've earned nothing for myself. The Lord said that's true of us. When you've done all, say, we are unprofitable servants. But now what happens when we do something that through the virtue of Christ and by the work of the Spirit of Christ in us, so that we do it by the rule of the word, in the power of the Spirit, unto the glory of God and it is called a good work.

58:17 Where did we get that good work from? Well, Paul was very conscious where he got his good works from. In 1 Corinthians 15, it sounds like he's bragging. He compares himself even with other apostles and he says, to be honest, I've outworked them all.

58:33 1 Corinthians 15, verse 9, I'm least of the apostles, not meet to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But, by the grace of God, I am what I am and His grace that was bestowed upon me was not in vain. I labored more abundantly than they all. Wait a minute, Paul.

58:54 What would you think of a preacher that stood up and mentioned the name of 10 or 11 other preachers and said, they're good men, godly men, good servants of God. But to be honest with you, I've labored more than all of them. You'd say, hey, that guy's proud. No, he wasn't proud.

59:10 Notice what follows hard on the heels of that statement. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Reality is, when I evaluate the extent of my labors with theirs, I labored more abundantly than all of them. I'm not bragging about something that was inherent in Paul.

59:35 I'm bragging about the grace of God that was operative in me. So that when Paul prays for the Philippians, that they might be given by God's grace, that they might abound in knowledge and discernment, that their love might grow in moral sensitivity and discernment. He says in Philippians 1.11 that you may be filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God.

60:06 He wants the Philippians to know if you're filled with the fruits of righteousness, if you are spinning upon the loom of your life, some of those strands for that beautiful garment, the righteous acts of the saints, they are through Jesus Christ and unto the praise of God, not unto your weaving capacities and your innate weaving abilities and skills. He says they are by Jesus Christ unto the praise of God. Peter understood this when he describes the church as a living temple made up of living stones who come into contact with Christ, the living stone. He says it's all to this end, 1 Peter 2.5, that you may offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. So that when we are unable to do anything that God would reward, surely it's the reward of grace. For were we able without the horrible reality of remaining sin that becomes like a vast swarm of termites putting holes in all that we attempt to do, if we could do everything perfectly, when we had done all, we'd have to say, oh God, I'm an unprofitable servant. I've only done what was my duty.

61:35 But to think that when we do things still stained by sin and marred and twisted because of the twistedness that's yet within our thinking and our motives and our understanding of how best to serve God, and yet we press on and cry to God for help and we labor. Then in that day, He'll say, look, my servant, I gave you the ten, I gave you the five, I gave you the one you've traded, good and faithful servant. What is He doing? He's rewarding the very grace that He imparted to us that gave us whatever we've traded with.

The Nature of the Rewards: Increased Capacity and Harmony in Heaven

62:13 And then gave us the wisdom and the desire and the enablement to trade unto the profit of His kingdom. And so I've said that in that day, all who are truly in Christ will not only be openly identified by Christ, openly vindicated by Christ, confessed by Christ, but they will receive the rewards of grace from Christ. Now the $64 question. You've been very patient.

62:46 You've been keeping it in abeyance. In what will the rewards consist? That's a good question. I don't have much of an answer.

62:57 One of the things you must learn as a Christian is to be content with God's silences as well as be responsive to His speaking. What will the rewards consist in? We've been glorified at His return. We are resplendent with a glory that is like unto the glory of the Son of God.

63:19 We are manifested with Him in glory. What more could we want? What kind of reward could be added on top of all of that? Well, I can't say a lot from the Bible, but I think I can say this.

63:37 From the two passages that we've looked at, Luke 19, Matthew chapter 25, when the Lord says, You've been faithful in this, I'll put you over ten cities. He puts another over five cities. You've been faithful in little, you will be blessed with much. Could it be, and this is all it is, is the question, could it be that the reward of grace will be to those who receive it in due proportion to the measure of their faithfulness to the stewardships entrusted to them, not accountable for what was entrusted to another, but entrusted to them could it be that it will be an increased capacity and the privilege of having greater responsibility in the administration of the affairs of the eternal kingdom. You've been faithful, rule over ten cities. You've taken your one pound and you've produced ten. You have manifested a measure of the gift of grace and faithfulness in the stewardship of that gift.

64:46 Therefore, you are proven commodity to be entrusted now in the perfected state with a larger sphere of influence in the government and administration of the eternal kingdom under Christ. Could it be, that's all I say, could it be, likely with the talents, I will set you over much. You've been faithful in little. Could it be that there will be nearer access to and a larger capacity for the enjoyment of God what greater reward could there be to a true child of God than to know he will be given a greater nearness and capacity to enjoy God forever. But then you say, if that's so, won't that spoil the harmony of heaven? Not at all. You see, complete egalitarianism was never God's will for mankind, period.

65:46 All of the present educational philosophy, notwithstanding, complete egalitarianism is not the will of God. Think of the angels. It's clear from Scripture there's only one angel called Gabriel. And when it came time to go down to Mary and say, Mary, you're going to be the mama of the son of David.

66:08 No indication the rest of the angels said, hey, wait a minute God, let's put this to a vote. The other angels saw Gabriel chosen and go down and maybe they had a little hallelujah chorus. Said in that wonderful wonderful, oh, Gabe's going to tell her. Be lovely if the Lord, but he's going to tell her.

66:25 They rejoiced in Gabe's special task. And among the ranking of the angels, there's no jealousy, there's no envy, there's no pride. And when we are perfected, we will stand amidst our brethren. And when some receive the reward of grace that exceeds ours, we will rejoice because it magnifies what?

66:48 The grace of the one sitting on the throne. And we'll say, praise you, Jesus, that you gave such commodities into the hands of that man and that woman and that they were faithful. And now you can justly say, you've been faithful in little, I'll give you much. And we'll rejoice in those who receive a greater reward.

67:02 And those who receive the greater reward will not look down their noses at some of us who have a lesser reward. But they will say, oh, Lord Jesus, it's all of your grace you've made me to be. Oh, Lord Jesus, it's all of your grace you've made me to be. Oh, Lord Jesus, it's all of your grace you've made me to be.

67:17 Oh, Lord Jesus, it's all of your grace you've made me to differ. That's my brother bought by the same blood, regenerated and renewed and made glorified by the same Spirit. And there will be no jealousy, no condescending attitudes and looks. And with all of the ranking and all of the outworking of the rewards of grace, heaven will be a place of perfect harmony.

67:45 Listen to Dr. Robert Raymond, who addresses this issue head on. Some Christians recoil at the thought that they'll differ in the eternal state with respect to the degrees of rewards meted out, contending that such differences would be the basis for one Christian lording it over another Christian. But this is to forget that glorified saints will be perfected in their love, not only for God, but for one another.

68:10 The Christian with greater rewards will love the one with less rewards. And there Miss Reynolds says no. When we're dealing with rewards as a group, it's greater and lesser. And so I'll change his words.

68:23 The Christian with greater rewards will love the one with fewer rewards perfectly and will not exalt himself over him. The Christian with fewer rewards will love the one who has greater rewards also perfectly and will rejoice with him in his blessed state. Isn't it wonderful just to think it will be so perfect that jealousy and envy and condescension won't be possible. Isn't that wonderful?

68:51 And that's why when God gives us a little taste of that here on earth, that's why we love to be with God's people. To be in a society where people can rejoice in each other's gifts and magnify Christ for those gifts. If the gifts are greater, we rejoice because it shows the greater grace of Christ. There's no jealousy and no envy and jockeying for position.

69:17 I can remember being told so many times when I was wet behind the ears and traveling around the country preaching in evangelical churches as an evangelist and a Bible teacher and began to see in my Bible what the church could be and what its leadership could be. Being beat down again and again and say, ah, you know, you're too idealistic. You can't have strong-minded men in leadership without somebody having to beat a kingpin in John. I said, can't the grace of God subdue those things?

69:50 You'll see. You'll see. Well, thank God I've seen. I have seen.

69:56 And that's what makes me long for heaven because we've known just enough of it in our life together. This is just the down payment in the first place. And we long for the full harvest. But Christ will indeed parcel out those rewards.

Application: Incentive for Faithful Stewardship and Godly Ambition

70:13 As I close, I want to bring this very simple application. What an incentive to press on the faithful fulfillment of our particular spheres of stewardship. Dear women, to whom God has given a home, a husband, and a family, you're looked upon as sort of a fourth-rate citizen if you really believe your noble calling is one that is worthy of all your powers and the investment of all your faculties. May I encourage you to fix your eye on that day when He's given you the pound and the talent of motherhood and being a keeper at home and a wife to your husband. Faithfully fulfilling that stewardship, you will receive the reward of Christ's commendation. You men, pushing yourself out of bed, grabbing some time to be with God, fighting the traffic, going out into the midst of a cursing, lust-filled, immoral, lawless age, and having to have your soul vexed from day to day in the workplace, that you might provide for your family, you might have something to give to the work of God, an unglamorous, humdrum life. Oh, my dear brother, get a vision of that day.

71:41 And when the Lord Jesus looks down at you and says, good and faithful servant, what does it matter how the world views you? Some of your classmates from high school, they've outstripped you on their career tracks. Why? There's no God, no Sabbath, no tithing, no involvement in the work of God.

72:04 They'll get their reward. You and I must fix in our eyes that day when Christ will summon us before Him to hear His words, well done, good, that's an evaluation of the basic moral character, faithful, that's an evaluation of what we've done with our stewardship, good and faithful servant, and I don't know what these words mean, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. I don't know what that means, but it's sure going to be wonderful. Enter into the joy of thy Lord.

72:39 He's got a joy when He sees all His people finally gathered together and He invites us to enter into the measure of joy that is His. What will that mean? I'll tell you one thing, you're going to quickly forget having to bust your hump to pay the bills, fight the godless society you're in. I love the words of that old gospel hymn, it will be worth it all when we see Jesus.

73:08 One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase, so bravely run the race till we see Christ. And my second word of application is this, not only is this an incentive to press on in faithful fulfillment of our God-given stewardships, whatever they are, but what a prod to godly ambition to be as useful as grace can make us that we might receive as large a reward of grace as God's grace will make us fit to receive. That's the kind of ambition we want to see in you young men. That's the kind of ambition we want to see burn in your heart and in your life and be manifested in your priorities. Oh God, make me as useful as grace can make me given who I am. Lord, impart to me every gift of grace that you know will be safe in me by your grace and give me as wide a sphere of influence to the praise of your grace that in that day I might receive the reward of grace. I tell you that ambition will never put you in any path that will dishonor God.

74:27 Don't aim low, don't aim high, don't aim low, don't be content with less than that which God in grace is prepared to give and which in the last day he himself will reward to his praise and to our everlasting joy. You sit here tonight and you're not a Christian. You've got to admit you're hearing things that make you really wonder whether you've made the right choice to live outside the orbit of these realities. Haven't you sat there and said, hey, you know, I really think that maybe this business of being a Christian isn't as bad a thing as I've been willing to think it is.

75:09 I've been one of those who said like those in Luke 19, I don't want this man to rule over me. Give up the rule of my life? That's hell on earth. No, my friends, it's a taste of heaven now in anticipation of the real heaven to come.

75:22 May God help you that you'll turn from your sin and from the tyranny of running your own life in the name of God and in the name of God and in your own life that can only end up in the trash heap of humanity, that's what hell is. Outer darkness. Go to Christ and find in Christ, as he said, that life which is life indeed.