Shall we turn tonight in the Word of God? First of all to the Book of Romans, chapter fourteen, where we'd like to read one verse of Scripture, before going to other Scriptures. Chapter fourteen in the Book of Romans, particularly verse twelve, or verse ten, will do, where Paul, by the Holy Spirit, has said, but why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set it not thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The next scripture we would like to read, First Corinthians chapter three, beginning at verse nine and reading through verse fifteen. First Corinthians chapter three, verse nine, where the same beloved apostle has written. For we are labors together with God. Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God, which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed, how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest. For the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work. of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he has built thereupon, 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 is by fire. Chapter four, if you please, beginning at verse one and reading through verse five. Let a man sow a count of us, as of the ministers or the servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment, yea, I judge not mine own self, for I know nothing by myself. Yet am I not hereby justified? but he that judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the heart. One more scripture in second Corinthians chapter five and verse ten. In the second epistle of Corinthians chapter five, And verse ten, the same apostle, the beloved apostle, Paul, has written these solemn words, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. May God bless the reading of these portions from his holy word. It was our great joy and privilege a week ago to study something regarding the future events and the next future event that we expect to take place. The coming of the Lord Jesus for His bride, the Church, and we had great joy, I'm sure, in reading the Scriptures that tell us of that blessed return of our Lord for His redeemed people of this age. May I emphasize We may have done it last week, but may I re-emphasize it again. There are two phases to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is coming, it's coming for His saints. Then second, there is His coming with His saints. Make a distinguishing feature between them. Naturally, He must come for them before He can come with them. And neither can they come with him unless he's come for them. For we know them when he comes at his second appearing to the earth, all the saints will be coming with him, as we know from Scripture. But then we would like to follow tonight. Time doesn't permit much study regarding the future events, but we'd like particularly to touch upon one that we have read of, the judgment seed of Christ. Now if you know your Bible clearly and properly, you may know that there are four future judgments that are yet to take place. It's often been and still is the common understanding of many in Christendom that there will be one general judgment of all mankind. Now that is not scriptural. There is not going to be one general judgment of all mankind at one occasion. The Word of God is very clear, but we mention them particularly and briefly. There is what we have read tonight concerning the judgment seat of Christ, and that in particular is only for the believers of this age, the Christian age. There is also to come, as you may read in Matthew twenty-five, thirty-one through verse forty-six, on the earth, when Christ comes to the earth, the judgment of the living nations. Now let me just repeat it. You can read it for yourself. But that will be, and it's called, the judgment of the living nations, when they will be separated. on the ground of what you may read in that great section, and judged, some going into blessing, the blessing of the kingdom, the millennial age, some going into eternal hell. That will be the judgment of the living nation. First Corinthians chapter six and verse three, there is a judgment mentioned that is not detailed, but you can find it saying, that we who are the saints of this age. Paul wrote saying, What? Know ye not that ye or we shall judge angels. There is no question of doubt. You that know the word of God know that many angels transgressed against the commandment of God and rebelled against him. There is a specialty of judgment for them. And of what Paul declares that saints themselves will have a participation. But that judgment is not detailed, so we cannot say much more about it. But then the final judgment will be the last one you may read in Revelation chapter twenty. Verse ten to the end of the chapter. And it is called the great white throne judgment. When it will be the judgment of all the unsaved. from all ages of time. Now those briefly are the four future judgments. They differ. They differ as to time. They differ as to place. They differ as to the subjects who are being judged. But tonight we touch upon the theme for the benefit of our own soul. We who are the people of God today. You who are believers in the Lord Jesus, His children, members of His body, children of the family of God. And Paul, by the Holy Spirit, is very directly revealed to us, as we read in Revelation, rather in the second Corinthians, why, ten? What, know ye not? He said, that we shall all appear before the judgmental seat of Christ, to receive our reward for that which has been done, whether good and whether bad. So there is a judgment coming. But may I add further, though, be careful to do so. It's not a judgment in relation to our salvation. It's not to settle the question of whether we are saved or not. My beloved, let me emphasize, that must and will be settled on the earth before we leave it. It will never be taken up. as to our salvation at the judgment seat of Christ. Is it because we are saved? We face that particular judgment, as we shall see. And also from this, let me just quote one scripture, many could be given. The John chapter, as we think of the words of the Lord Jesus, in chapter five of John and verse twenty-four, when he declared that that the Blessed Father, when we believe on the Father, the Lord put it this way, verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth that the Father has sent me, on me, believeth on me, that the Father has sent me, hath, right now, present him, everlasting life, shall not, Never come into condemnation. The word could be judgment, but it's already passed from death unto life. Our salvation is settled. But the judgment that we face, let's consider it a moment before we go further. First of all, who's the judge? Who will be the judge? You can raise the question about all these judgments. Who will be the final judge? of all the earth and even the celestial being being. Let me quote one verse, you can put it, remember it, you may know it, John five twenty two. When the Lord Jesus said, The Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son. Please let me solemnly, reverently, sacredly say, realize the one you and I know as our Savior, the eternal Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, he will be the judge of all. God the Father has committed unto him all judgment. And I'm sure, humbly, But gratefully we can recognize his competency. He's both God and man. There's no other person equivalent. Remember what Paul wrote in First Corinthians four that we read. Judge nothing before the time until the judge come. And Paul says, it doesn't matter to me what you say about me and judge me. It means nothing. The Lord Jesus is the judge. And the competency. Oh, beloved, may I say, the competency of the Lord Jesus. Our beloved Luke, what did God we knew more about the Lord Jesus? I say that bluntly and frankly. His blessed glorious person, the glorious names and titles that belong to him, indicating who he is and what he is, are more in number than you can count. or do count in your own lifetime unless you study the book as very few do. But he's a competent judge and a coming judge in that coming day. But then, the judgment seat of Christ, the time of the judgment, when is that? When you and I, my fellow believers, and all believers will stand before him, When is it? The time? Well, Paul said it in first Corinthians four, if you remembered it. Judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes. Last week we had the joy of covering the coming of the Lord for his sake. Happy study it was. But let me solemnly suggest, remember also following the rapture, the believers will face the judgment seat of Christ. You and I will be judged. Now let me mention the scope of that judgment. First, it will be universal. As for all believers, as Paul said in St. Corinthians five tenths, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. to receive the remorse or the deeds that we have done in the body, whether good or whether bad. It's a universal... Every believer is going to be there. Every believer is going to be there. That not only a universal judgment when all believers will be there, but more solemn, and thank God for the truth of it, in First Corinthians, as we read in First Corinthians chapter three, It will be an individual judgment. Go into First Corinthians chapter three, if you please. The scope of that judgment, we want to notice it in chapter three of First Corinthians in verse thirteen. Note the words of the beloved apostle. Let me emphasize the meaning of the word beginning in verse thirteen. Every man's, meaning each man's, each believer's work shall be made manifest. And in the same verse at the end of it, the five shall try each, every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abides, verse fifteen, if any man's work should be burned, and so on, He will be individual. Let me please put it. I must, I have to do it for my own sake. To realize, John, you must and you will stand before the Lord Jesus personally. And give an account not for what your brother has done. Not for what others have done for the Lord, other servants of the Lord, whether male or female. But what you have done, what I have done, Each man's worth. And my beloved, let me suggest to you the solemnity of it. We give an account. Or he appraises the record. And you know he keeps the record. He's got the record that keeps it a lot better and perfectly more than any record you could show on the earth. Whatever you may have in the record of service. And I don't doubt at all, I know for a fact, how many seek to boast on the record of their service to the Lord. Look, Paul was right, judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes. For if that judgment, each individual will stand before the Lord and thus be judged. But now from the Scripture in First Corinthians chapter three, particularly from verse ten through fifteen, Will you follow with me the scope of the judgment, what it covers? First Corinthians, chapter three, let me begin at verse ten. According to the grace of God, Paul writes, which is given under me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation and another builder thereon. And you can recognize here is the dearly beloved apostle. I think we can safely assume and say with frank admission we marvel at the service of this beloved Apostle Paul and may I be reminded with you when you read of the service of the beloved Apostle Paul he had a great disappointment greater perhaps than any other servant of God as well as opposition and satanic attacks. And oftentimes they came from his fellow companions in the land of Israel. And sometimes even his own converts deserted him. But please know what he declares of himself. I've laid the foundation as he speaks of the assembly in common. And another builder thereon And may I say, my beloved, very frankly, take the little assembly testimony here. If I wrote back correctly, the establishing of the beginning of the little testimony was back in the nineteen-thirties, playing a little group really after a tent meeting and a little group of believers. But one can recognize it's established on the foundation of the Lord Jesus. He's the foundation. But let any man, and Paul speak about himself being a wise master builder. And he won. Let every man take heed. How he buildeth. And you please note the word in that verse ten. Let every man take what? He, not what he builds. How he builds it. We'll emphasize that truth again as we go on. Oh my beloved, may we not confess how often we are concerned what we build instead of how we build. To do it in the right way. Brother and sister, take it in. In that coming day, The Lord's going to show us how we built. But let's read further. There's more than that. As you know, if you will. Well, let me before even going further. Refer back to Second Corinthians five ten. For we must all appear at the judgment seat of Christ. That we may know what? How we built. Whether good or bad. Now therefore for a moment we'll emphasize it again. At that judgment seat it'll show us what was good and what was bad. But then go further. As we know in verse eleven very the truth is that other foundation can no man lay than that is laid. Now we go to verse twelve and the Apostle says now if any man build upon this foundation And here you have the materials that Paul particularly touches upon that describe, not literally, but figuratively without question of doubt, the materials of what we build and put in the building, the testimony. You can divide them into two groups. You've got gold, silver, precious stones. You've got wood, hay, stubble. And I want you to notice something before we go further. Look in verse thirteen for brevity's sake. In the beginning, in the middle of it, it shall be revealed now by fire. And the fire shall try every man or each man's work what sort it is. Note the testing of it is by fire. Now take those materials that Paul uses to describe. One group, substantial, and the other group, unsubstantial, will not stand the test. Still gold, silver, and precious, you can put them in the fire. And if you put gold in the fire, it comes out even better, as well as silver. The fire just refines it, makes it better. And the precious stones? No fire can harm the precious stones. But you take wood, hey, summer. It's consumed. And the fire is what? Beloved, let me say two things. First, the Word of God. Jeremiah wrote long ago in his prophecy. It's not my... Oh, God wrote it through him. It's not my word like a fire? Sometimes, you know, before you're saved, when you're convicted by the Holy Spirit, it burns. The Word of God burns in your soul. To convict and to correct and convert. But even for the judgment seat of Christ, the Word, the Lord's going to test us and the praise us. How did we follow His Word? How did we follow His Word? My beloved, Not only that, but the fire represents the omniscience and the holiness of their Lord. Remember Revelation chapter one? Read the description in Revelation one of the Blessed Lord described as the judge of all the earth in that one chapter by John. His eyes, his eyes of fire. Omniscience penetrating. May I humbly suggest I can only think of it in this way. When you think of the amazing number that will be judged, I don't know how many millions. At one time, in one place, all before the Lord, each individual before Him. May I suggest, He won't have to ask you what you did or what I have done. He knows it. Remember the psalmist from verse thirty-nine? The psalm one thirty-nine said, To God thou knowest all things. Thou knowest all things. All things are naked and open to the eyes of him whom we have to do in Hebrews chapter four and verse thirteen. He knows it. Please can I say it this way? Using myself as an illustration. I won't have to tell the Lord what I did. Oh, God forbid. He said, John, I'm not going to listen to you. I know it. Now, I don't know how long you've been saved, but he knows what you've done, as well as what you haven't done. And all that is good and all that is bad. That's the reason. Every man's word shall be tested by the Father. The method of testing. The fire of the word of God. Oh, how again and again the Spirit of God pleads with us. Well, you remember Paul when he left the Ephesian elders and commanded them, he said, I commend you to God and the word of his grace, his precious word. Go by that word. My beloved, I say very frankly, I say it faithfully. The children of God today are not concerned about going along by the Word of God as they should. He knows it. And in that day, you and I are going to know it. But then I want you to also realize the purpose of it in our chapter, in our portion here, right here. Notice we begin, let me begin in verse thirteen. Every man's work shall be made known. For that day will declare. Look, please. I tell you what. It humbles me to realize that I make myself an example. I have been saved for over eighty-one years. And I've got to account and meet my Lord and have him appraised my life for that whole period. however long it may be. He's going to show me. I don't want to tell you. Don't you tell me what I've done. You may make a big mistake. And if I throw in what I've done, I'll make another big mistake. For you and I well know, as we should know, what we do should be just for him. Whatever ye do, do heartily is unto the Lord. And he's going to show me and he's going to show you what you did for him and what you didn't do for him. And what you did supposedly for him wasn't for him. That can happen. But no, let's read on in that verse thirteen again. The day shall declare it because it shall be revealed. Remember the words in first Corinthians chapter thirteen? We often quote them. Then shall we know, even as we are known. Then shall we know, even as we are known. My beloved, please, I'm going to tell you frankly. Don't you try writing a diary of my life or your own life. You won't tell the truth. You'll go wrong, son, but he's got it written down. He knows. and it's going to be revealed. And that brings us to a big responsibility. Know what he goes on to say. The fire shall try every man's work. And note the next. Of what sort it is. Again. Quality instead of quantity. Quality. and not quantity. You take gold, silver and precious stones, best quality. Let me ask you something. Look at the contrast between wood, hay and silver. You can pick up a lot of wood and a lot of hay and a lot of so it's cheap. You can find them everywhere. And all they are fit is to be burned. But where do you get gold? Where do you find a lot of silver? Where do you find many precious stones? How much gold do you have, literally? How much silver do you have, literally? How much jewelry do you have? Oh, you may say, I don't have much at all if I need it all. Wait a minute. Paul's not speaking literally. He's speaking spiritually. The quality of your service. The quality of your life. The quality of your testimony. And as far as the rest, Well, let's read on. What will happen to it? Note verse fourteen. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer long, but he himself shall be saved. Yet so as by fire. Now, I'm sure you recognize from the quality of the materials that are described in verse fourteen. verse twelve there is the quality of material that will stand the test there is the unfortunate quality of material who will be burned up nothing but rubbish all that will be left will be the worthwhile material and the worthless will be consumed but if any man's work abides beloved please let me know when he gets through the test how much will be left What will be left? What will be left? I don't know. He'll show it. He'll reveal it. And whatever it is, please may I be reminded with you what the Lord said on one occasion when He was here, bless His holy name. He made the statement to His disciples. that not even a cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple will lose its reward. It may be a little thing. I say this humbly. I do it reverently. And I do it and apply it to me personally. It's not trying to do great things. to please him. It's rather being faithful and true to his word that pleases him. You remember when he was here upon the earth? In John's Gospel he made the statement of himself, I do always those things which please my Father. Let me quote the Apostle Paul in First Corinthians, I think in chapter two. Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. There's the test. Pleasing. And Paul rhymes with the Colossians. If you've received Christ Jesus as Lord, then walk ye in him. Pleasing to him. And let me please add further. God forbid that I should hear beyond the platform trying to please you. I've got a more noble responsibility. I could perhaps please you some other way than what I am doing. May I say that? There's much so-called ministry going on that being done to try to please the people. You and I as Christians have no responsibility to try and please others, but to please him, even though he may not please others. But pleasing him, huh? That's what's going to count in that day. The character of the work, what sort it is. In other words, I tell you bluntly and firmly, when I'm on the platform, I'm ministering the word of God anywhere, I know I'm responsible to please him, not the people. Just very recently, my son called me up and told me about a preacher coming to their place. And, well, three meetings. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Tuesday. Sunday, the church was filled in the morning. Sunday night, half filled. Monday night, he said only fifty when there could have been hundreds. That's the way it went. And furthermore, the preacher preached so faithfully from what he told me, the people got mad at him. And yet the preacher preached the truth from what he said. I recognize that. Challenging all dear people he was on the same basis I would hear tonight. That our responsibility is to be pleasing to him. And there's no question of doubt. the average Christian, the normal Christian, and the profession of Christianity today. How many of them are pleasing him? What sort it is? Again, let me repeat, the quality, not the quantity. You know what? I say it humbly. But very frankly, Whatever you do, well, whatsoever you do, whether you eat or whether you drink, do also the glory, eat or drink, do also the glory of God. Pleasing him. And you may get people mad. C.A. Spurgeon, God bless that man and use him mightily in the city of London in the past century. But I remember reading a statement he once made. He said, if I don't get people mad at me, he said, I haven't succeeded in my preaching. I knew what he meant. For once, a lady came to him on one occasion and said, Mr. Spurgeon, why do you preach all the time that we must be born again? You know what he said? He said, lady, because you must be born again. Just use the word. The word. The cup. sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing even to the asunder the joints and the marrow and the soul and the spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. For all things are open and naked to the eyes of him whom we have. And beloved, look at the judgment seat of Christ. Our judgment is going to be made. If you follow my word, says the Lord Jesus. But then we must go further quickly. And that is the motive for our service. Well, may I, first of all, let me go verse fifteen again, fourteen and fifteen. The result, if any man's work abide which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be slain. Yet so as by fire. A dear man who was saved just before he died. He wrote a lovely hymn, I've never forgotten you, I never hear it, I probably never will hear it again. But those words that he wrote burned in his soul. He'd just been saved, and here he was dying. And on his deathbed he wrote this hymn, and this was the psalmist of it. Must I go and empty-handed? Must I meet my Savior soul? Not one soul with which to greet him? Must I empty-handed go? And let me tell you, it's going to be a lot of Christians going empty-handed. Yeah, they'll be there. But there's rewards. You probably have read from Paul, First Corinthians chapter nine. He mentioned what he's called an incorruptible crown. You go to the book of Philippians. He mentions the soul winner's crown. And then you have the book of James speaking about the crown of life. And Paul speaks about it, a crown of rejoicing for the soul winner. And then the Lord Jesus, when he comes, he says in Revelation, verse twelve. Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me. And there are crowns, whichever way you want to look at them. A crown of righteousness, said Paul in first Timothy, second Timothy, rather, chapter four, verse seven and a half. There are crowns. You know, I often wonder, I rightly wonder, at the amazing love of God and the grace of the Lord Jesus. That he not only saves you and me by grace, but he insists on rewarding us for what we do for him. Blessed result. But then may I close with this thought. Go back to the second epistle of Corinthians chapter five and verse ten. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. That we may receive the reward for that which we have done in our body where the good or whether that's the opening words for we must all appear that word appear it means manifest as you have in first Corinthians three in other words it will be revealed appear for instance it means the word apocalypse like you have in the revelation the apocalypse of John so-called the appearing the appearing of the Lord Jesus in glory my beloved when you and I stand before the Lord you know what is going to show you what kind of a character you were all the time you were here on the earth. Since he says this, not only the revelation of your works, what you really were, and what really I am in his life. Let me say this. As far as your character, one is well stated, character is not what is not your reputation. If your reputation was your character, you might have a good one, you might have a bad one in the eyes of men. But not your reputation. The character is what you are. What you are. Not what you do, but what you really are in your person. And in that coming day of judgment, the Lord Jesus is going to show us exactly. John, this is what you've really been. Here's your character from beginning to the end, since I saved you. Some of it's good, some of it's bad. Look in Colossians in closing, if you don't mind. Colossians chapter three, I believe. The book of Colossians, chapter three. Or Philippians, go to Ephesians first. Go to Ephesians first, chapter six. Chapter second, in Ephesians. And in the sixth chapter of this book of Ephesians, in verse eight, notice, let me read from verse seven what we should be doing. With good will doing service, that's to the Lord and not to men. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be a slave or whether he be a free man. Think of it. He rewards even the slaves that live for him under their masters, whatever masters they may have had. But whatever we do, we know the same shall receive of the Lord, whatever good thing that we do. Now look in Colossians chapter three and verse twenty-five, if you please, near the end of that third chapter, where the apostle writes toward the closing of that epistle these words. In verse twenty-three, let me begin reading there. to the end of the chapter. And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and none unto men. Let me give you an example. I go back sixty years when this happened. As one dear brother told of how he helped a young brother that was going to the mountains of Kentucky to do missionary work. And he gave him and bought him a bicycle. And when the young man came back to take up work in his own town again some years later, my friend who gave him the bicycle was a bicycle man. He had a shop selling bicycles and repairing them. But the young man, when he came back, went in a business and he bought a bicycle. But he didn't buy it from the friend that gave him one. And my Christian friend was quite upset. And he was upset because He thought he should have come and bought a bicycle from him and not go to some other fellow that he didn't know. And one of my good Christian friends looked at my other Christian and said, Listen, who did you give the bicycle to? The Lord and the fellow. Look, you may give your money to the missionaries or anywhere, even to the chapel. Here's the principle. You should give it to the Lord, not to that. No, both of it. Whatsoever you do, do it hardly, as to the Lord. And not unto men. I tell you, frankly, brother and sister, whatever you give monetarily or in other ways, it should be done as though you were doing it to the Lord, not to the person you give it to. The person you give is you might not even give you a letter of appreciation. Well, what does that matter? The Lord will go on. Verse twenty-five. For knowing that of the Lord, ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ. There's the principle. And then you know in verse twenty-five, want you to know, if we do things that are wrong, he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done. And there is no respect for the person. And I will close by reminding you in my own heart, at the judgment seat of Christ, there is no respect of