Judgment Seat

Oh my, oh my.

Does God like Walla Walla people?

I'm telling you what.

He likes Life.Church.

Y'all happy about that?

God likes Life.Church.

He likes the people in it, obviously not the building, but you guys so very, very much.

I'll tell you why in just a minute, but before I do that,

I do want to tag onto, this is our first First Wednesday.

We're starting something brand new.

You've heard about it for the last few months.

where we are combining our prayer service and we're combining our discipleship program into one thing called First Wednesday.

Prayer met on Tuesday and discipleship met on Thursday.

So prayer and discipleship had a baby and they meet on Wednesday.

So we're having something called First Wednesday.

It's gonna be absolutely incredible.

We're having revival nights.

Take just a couple nights where you just have revival at home and then we'll be right back here on Wednesday.

God's put something in my heart that I am so excited to be able to share

with all of us as a church family this Wednesday, 6.30 to eight o'clock.

So go ahead and mark that in your calendars.

It will be family night, youth on the front row.

In fact, the youth will take up that entire section over there, and we'll be all together as a church family, young and old, seeing what God wants to impart to us.

All right, God has so favored Life.Church Walla Walla because our guest that I have the great honor and privilege of introducing you to today

is someone who has impacted the church globally, literally thousands of churches around the globe for decades, and has impacted our church, whether you're new to our church or been here since day one, he has impacted our church from day one.

We have been reading his discipleship resources.

We have been reading his books.

We have been using them as discipleship resources in our church.

So if you have never, you've never even heard of the person I'm about ready to introduce to you, the one person in the room that doesn't know him or his wife, well, you have already been impacted by them because we have been teaching their material as if it's ours.

And I hope you're okay with that.

So he's written 25 books.

And the latest book is called The King is Coming.

Been on New York Times bestsellers list for 11 times in the last just couple of months.

Amazing.

God has used John and Lisa for many, many years.

And I just want to get a little bit personal, if I can, just for a moment.

And just want you to lean in because...

I don't know if there's anyone else that I could introduce to you that I would recommend more highly to say, please lean in.

Because there's a lot of gifted teachers out there.

You can watch them on YouTube.

You can see these amazing orators.

Now he is that, but that's not really the reason I'm taking a moment to honor him today.

The real reason is

He's one of those rare people that could quote what the Apostle Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ.

And I'm just here to tell you that this is a man of God that inspires me to live more courageously, to live more abandonedly to the Lord, to

to give everything I have to see the kingdom of God flourish in the earth today.

This is one of those individuals that when I get around, I just become a better person.

In fact, my golf game went up a little bit.

It was miraculous.

And I think it's because our intercessors knew my schedule and they prayed for it.

Church, I want you to lean in today.

I want you

to get a notepad ready, but most importantly, I want you to have ears to hear.

I want you to have humble hearts to receive all that God has for us today.

That's it for my introduction.

Stand to your feet, welcome!

Shambhavir!

Oh my God, you're amazing.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Am I on?

Am I on?

Yeah, we're on.

Okay.

Hey, good morning.

Good morning, Life.Church.

And everybody stay standing because I'm going to pray.

Can I say what an honor it is to have been here?

I mean, it went too fast.

I just started last night and I'm going to really miss you guys.

Talk about a church that leans in.

Wow.

I mean, if you guys are like the other services, I have just been so touched by the hunger that I've sensed in this church.

It's because you have two great leaders here, Pastor Bob and Kara.

If you're first time in any of the services, my wife was coming here for years.

She would come home, just couldn't stop talking about this couple.

And I had to fight jealousy.

I was like, why don't they invite me?

Why don't I get to go there?

And so last year when he called, I said, yes!

And I didn't even pray.

Not even a moment.

I just said, I'm coming.

And I had no idea that I would get to be with Jude and Becky Fuquay, one of the greatest pastors in the United States.

And I don't say that flattering.

I'm saying that honestly.

This man of God has impacted, and this woman of God

have impacted so many great leaders in this country.

I mean, I've known Jude for almost 30 years.

Back when he was executive pastor to Wendell Smith, and I went up there for the first time, I was so impacted by this man of God.

And it didn't surprise me when they built such a great church down in Ventura.

So tonight you just don't want to miss because they're going to turn Pastor Jude loose and it's going to be so good.

It's going to be so good.

Amen.

And I just want to thank the worship team there.

I don't know where they went.

It's been so good.

And I've just thoroughly enjoyed my time in Walla Walla, Washington.

I think it's a great name.

Um,

But just thank you.

I mean, the hotel experience, the coffee shop, I mean, everything.

The golf, the pickleball.

I played with seven guys in this church yesterday.

I have really been refreshed, so thank you.

Amen?

My family, they are the closest people to me on planet Earth.

All of our sons-in-laws and daughter-in-laws have been with us at Messenger International for at least nine years.

Some of them, the daughter-in-laws a little bit less, but

I love them deeply, but I want to get into the word of God.

I want to give every moment I can to the Holy Spirit because when I travel commercially, they don't hold planes for a move of God.

And, you know, I'm willing to miss it for a move of God, but I got a time I got to get to the airport this afternoon.

I'm going to get in after midnight tonight.

So it's been a great, great week.

I've been in the Northwest for the last week.

Last week we had a great, great meetings in Vancouver and also in that area.

And I have just really grown to see that hunger is great in the great Northwest.

It is so great.

Amen.

All right.

I want to pray.

I'm going to be sharing again another, a different chapter out of the book that King is coming.

And I want to pray that the Holy Spirit anoints these words.

I want your life to be changed forever.

How many of you believe God can do that?

Come on, put up your other hand.

Come on.

Amen.

Listen, I don't care what, how you felt coming in here.

It doesn't matter.

He's still King.

He's the Lord God of heaven and earth.

He said in righteousness you will be established and you'll be far from oppression and fear will not come near your dwelling.

He sings over us.

He loves us so much.

This is the creator of the entire universe.

And you've given us, Lord God, the privilege of being your sons and daughters.

What manner of love that you have bestowed upon us.

We're in awe that you, our creator, would come and die for us so we could be with you throughout all of eternity.

The enemy tried to steal us.

tried to steal what you loved so much away from you, but you said, I'll go and die for them so they can be with me forever.

What a king, what a God, what a master we serve.

We are so in love with you today.

So I'm asking today, Holy Spirit, you are the spirit of the living God, the one who put the stars in the universe with your fingers and you called everyone by name.

You are the one who

that literally measured the universe with the span of your hand, come into our building and reveal Jesus to us like we've never seen him before.

I'm asking that the authority of the king would be in this service.

I'm asking, Lord God, that we would be changed from glory to glory.

and from faith to faith and from strength to strength.

For I decree your kingdom has come, your will shall be done in this building on earth as it is in heaven.

And for this we give you the glory, all the glory, all the honor, all the praise, all the thanksgiving.

And it's in Jesus' mighty name we pray.

And everybody that agrees, shouts.

Come on, give him praise.

Give him praise.

Amen, amen, amen, amen.

You can be seated.

This morning I'm going to open up with a quote from C.S.

Lewis.

Just one of those authors maybe you've heard of.

I think everybody's heard of C.S.

Lewis.

But he says, if you read history, you'll find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.

It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.

Those are heavy words.

Yes.

You know, I hate the statement, you're so heavenly minded, you're no earthly good.

I hate that statement.

That statement came straight from the pit of hell.

I don't believe you can be enough heavenly minded.

Because if you truly are heavenly minded, you care deeply about people.

You care deeply about the kingdom being advanced.

And C.S.

Lewis, this is exactly what he's saying.

And the apostle John, I find it interesting.

When he was in his 90s, 90s, I mean, he started following Jesus as a teenager.

All the apostles, when Jesus chose them, were in their late teens.

Only Peter was over 20.

So John has been faithful for 70 plus years.

Wow.

And he writes in 2 John 8, this verse, I'm telling you this verse, two entire books have come out of this one verse.

Because why?

He's got this grandfather anointing where he can say a whole lot in a few words.

But he makes the statement, look to yourselves.

Everybody say, look to myself.

So you know immediately this message is not for the person next to you, it's for you.

That we do not lose the things we worked for.

I could spend a whole hour on that one.

But, everybody say but.

But.

That we may receive a full reward.

Now everybody say reward.

Come on, say it like you mean it.

Reward.

How many of you know God's a rewarder?

Yeah.

Do you know how he introduced himself to Abraham?

He appeared to Abraham and said, I am your shield, your exceeding great reward.

What a way to introduce yourself to somebody when you're God.

Your neighbor says he's your reward, big deal.

What does your neighbor have?

Right.

God comes and says, I am your reward.

Wow, no wonder he fell on his face, Abraham.

All right?

Now, what caught my eyes, if you could put that verse of Scripture back up, is that he doesn't just say reward.

Notice he says full reward.

Now, this caught my attention.

I started thinking for there to specifically...

Be a full reward means what?

That means there's a partial reward scenario and there is a no reward scenario.

Now, isn't it interesting that John doesn't write, hey, live in a way that you're going to get a partial reward.

Why doesn't he write that?

Because God, listen to me, God wants you to receive the full reward.

Let me tell you something.

As a father of four sons, I love rewarding my sons, but I don't reward them unless they earn it or deserve it.

We're not talking about salvation here.

We're talking about reward.

Now, what is John speaking of?

Specifically, what is he speaking of?

He's talking about the judgment seat of Christ.

He's talking about the fact that every single one of us is gonna one day stand before Jesus Christ as our judge.

You say, whoa, whoa, whoa, Jesus is my savior.

Yeah, he is our savior.

But one day you're gonna stand before him as judge.

Say, whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you get that from?

Glad you asked, 2 Corinthians, look at this.

2 Corinthians chapter five, Paul makes the statement, he said, we are confident, yes, well pleased, rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Now, is Paul speaking to all humanity here?

No, because when an unbeliever is absent from the body, they're in hell.

Now, that is not a mean, cruel, harsh statement.

That's simply a statement of fact, right?

Jesus said, I didn't come to condemn the world.

I came to save it.

We're the ones that condemned ourselves.

Hell was never created for human beings, but the devil came and deceived human beings, and he's taken a whole lot of them there with him.

So Jesus said, I didn't come to condemn the world.

I came to save the world.

And so he's coming to save us out of what we condemned ourselves into.

So we know Paul, if you look at this verse again, if we go back to this verse again, Paul is only speaking to believers.

So the next verse, he says in verse 9, therefore, we make it our aim, our goal, whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing to him.

Now, notice well-pleasing.

I remember when our sons were in their late teenage years.

And early 20s.

They were all sitting around the dinner table.

And I'm always thinking about, you know, what do I say?

How do I bring another truth of the kingdom to them?

And I remember this particular night, the Holy Spirit gave me this idea.

And I looked at the guys.

I waited until we, you know, we're just about finished with them.

And I said, guys, I want to say something.

I want to tell you something.

You can never do one thing to make your mother and I love you anymore than we love you.

Never.

Never.

And you can never do one thing to make us love you any less than we love you.

And I remember what was saying that.

It was almost like, they were like, whoa.

You know, it was really hitting them.

And then I paused for a while and then I said, but you are in charge of how pleased we are with you.

And it hit them big time.

How pleased we are with you is not a conditional.

You're in charge of that part.

Now, I'm going to say this to you.

You can never do one thing to make God love you any more than he loves you.

You can never do a thing to make him love you any less than he loves you.

But we are in charge of how pleased he is with us.

That's why Paul said, my goal is not just to be pleasing.

It's to be well-pleasing.

Are you seeing that?

Well-pleasing.

You see that?

Why does Paul say this?

Next verse.

For, that means because of this, we are all going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

That each one may receive the things done in the body.

According to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Now remember, Paul's only talking to Christians here.

He's not talking to non-Christians.

There is another judgment seat.

Totally different.

It's called the great white throne judgment.

That is where people are going to stand before God and they're going to be judged for their sins because they didn't receive Jesus Christ as Lord, Master, and Savior.

Paul is only talking to believers.

And he said, we're all going to stand before him to receive judgment.

What we did in the body, whether good or bad.

Now the word bad is interesting.

It's actually a word that actually should have been translated worthless.

Whether good or worthless.

Every one of us are going to stand before Jesus Christ and he's going to judge us on how we lived as believers.

In this judgment, now we got a problem.

I can't go any further.

You know what the problem is?

When you hear judgment, what do you hear?

Most Americans, people in churches, when they hear the word judgment, they think of condemnation.

Don't judge me, right?

Okay, that's the problem we gotta overcome.

90% of the time in the New Testament, when the word judgment appears in regard to a believer, and it happens many times,

Now, in this particular verse, it's not the case, but in almost all the other cases, it is the Greek word krema.

That Greek word is defined as this, a decision resulting from an investigation.

So when you hear the word judgment, you need to hear decision as a result of an investigation.

So every one of us are going to stand before Jesus.

And by the way, this is called an elementary teaching of our faith.

In other words, what do you get in elementary school?

How to read, write, add, or subtract, right?

Can you imagine building your college education not knowing how to read, write, add, or subtract?

So here are so many believers trying to build their Christian lives, not even understanding, in elementary teaching.

Okay, so here we go.

Let's take this one step at a time.

When you hear the word judgment, you should hear the word decision.

Okay, so every one of us are gonna stand before Jesus Christ as our judge.

Now listen to me carefully.

He will examine not only everything we did as believers, but everything we said.

Remember he said you're gonna give an account of every idle word that proceeds out of your mouth?

That's why Paul said, don't let foolish talk or coarse joking be once named among you.

Okay, he's gonna judge everyone, everything we did as believers, everything we said,

Every one of our thoughts and especially every one of our motives.

You say, whoa, whoa, whoa, he's checking my motives?

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Let me show you what the Apostle Paul wrote.

Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4 verse 5, don't make any judgments about anyone.

ahead of the time, before the Lord returns, for he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives.

Then God will give to each one whatever praises do.

Wait a minute.

No sinner is getting praise from God.

At the white throne judgment, no sinner is getting praise from God.

The only one he could be talking about here is the judgment seat of Christ where believers are going to be judged.

So what he's going to do is examine our private motives and our deepest secrets.

That's why Jesus said, don't fear those who can kill your body.

Fear those who have to kill the body to cast the soul into hell.

Why is he saying?

Because there's nothing covered that will not be revealed.

There's nothing hidden that shall not be brought to the light.

Okay?

So,

Our motives.

Like, you could be on this platform leading worship, and you're doing it because you want people to see how gifted you are.

You're not gonna get any reward.

You got your full reward.

Or you could be on this platform wanting to lead people in the presence of Jesus, and you're gonna get a great reward.

Because your motive, two different motives.

Both people are doing the same thing, but they have two different motives.

Still with me?

This is an elementary teaching.

Remember this.

Okay, so now he's gonna look at every motive, every thought, every word, every action, and he's gonna make decisions.

Are you here?

And as a result of those decisions, we're gonna either receive a full reward, a partial reward, or a no reward.

No reward.

Now, can I tell you something about these decisions?

They're eternal.

Okay, Hebrews says that a foundation, elementary teaching of our faith is eternal judgments.

See, not laying again the foundation of eternal judgments.

Now, put the word decisions in for judgments.

That's telling us right there, decisions he makes at that judgment seat, there's never gonna be any revisions.

There will never be amendments to those decisions.

There will never be changes.

They will stand forever.

So you know what this tells me?

What we do with the cross does indeed determine where we're going to spend eternity.

However, the way we live as believers determines how we're going to spend eternity.

By the way, you know what Paul's next statement after this is?

That we're going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, right?

The next statement is, therefore, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.

Isn't that interesting?

He says that.

Isn't it interesting that Jesus delighted in the fear of the Lord?

And he finished his course.

And he's been given the name that's above every name.

You think Jesus had a hall pass.

He didn't.

He didn't.

He bore flesh and blood just like we did.

He was tempted in all points, yet without sin.

He didn't fail.

Adam failed.

He didn't.

And because he didn't, he's been given a name which is above every name.

And at that name, every knee shall bow.

What we do with the cross determines where we're going to spend eternity.

The way we live as believers determines how we're going to spend eternity.

Now, James makes a statement in his little chapter, the 14th chapter, the 14th verse.

He said, your life's a vapor.

Okay, can I edit this a little?

Because James didn't know something that we know.

Simple mathematics today, junior high mathematics, you find out any finite number divided by infinity is equal to zero.

Right?

I mean, simple.

That's fifth grade mathematics.

So if you live to be 80 years and you compare it to eternity, it's zero.

If you make it to 120 years, somebody would say, that's a long life.

That is a long life.

You make it to 120 years, you compare it, you compare it to eternity, you still get zero.

What we do in this zero time determines how we're going to spend eternity.

Okay, so let me...

Let me just bring it home where you can relate to it a little bit.

Let's say we could live in our bodies a little bit longer than we do.

And we have some great leader come up to this platform and looks at all of us and says, okay, guys, the way you spend the next 24 hours, one day, is going to determine how you're going to spend the next thousand years on this earth.

Think about a thousand years.

Go back a thousand years.

If you go back a thousand years, King Louis XIV of France hasn't even been born yet.

Christopher Columbus hasn't sailed the high seas yet.

Are you tracking with this?

King James hasn't even been thought of yet.

I mean, it's so long.

You're back in the medieval times.

A thousand years is a long time.

Yet the job you have, the people you work with, the house you live in, where you live, whether it's Siberia, Russia, or Newport Beach, California, or Walla Walla,

For the next thousand years, it's going to be determined by how you spend the next 24 hours.

How would you spend the next 24 hours?

Carelessly or with purpose?

You better believe.

Come on, can I answer for some of you?

With great purpose.

Yet that's nothing compared to what we're talking about.

Because one day divided by 365,000 days, the number of days in a thousand years is still a finite number.

So let's take it a little further.

The leader looks at us and says, all right, the way you live over the next 24 hours is to determine how you're going to spend the next million years on the earth.

Okay, you and I can't even relate to that.

Because mankind's only been on earth 6,000 years.

Adam was 6,000 years ago.

We have no reference point.

A million years.

The job we have, the neighborhood we live in, the house we live in, the people we work with for the next million years.

It's going to be determined by how I live in the next 24 hours.

How would you live in the next 24 hours?

With great purpose.

Yet that's nothing compared to what we're talking about because one day divided by 365 million days, the number of days in a million years is still a finite number.

What we do in this zero time determines how we're going to spend eternity.

Still with me?

Now, at the judgment seat, I remember when God spoke to me about this.

I was like, Lord, I haven't done much preaching on this.

And I thought, what do I do?

Because the Lord told me, he said, write on this.

And I remember thinking, I don't know about it.

And I realized how ridiculous it was not knowing it when I found out it was an elementary teaching.

I'm like...

Man, I can't, I mean, maybe I've preached on this 20 minutes in my entire life.

So I had to get every verse of scripture in the Bible on eternity, rewards, losses, heaven, hell.

Out of eight different translations, I put it in a notebook with 14-point type.

And I ended up with a notebook that thick filled with scriptures.

And I thought, wow, God, you've got a lot to say about this.

And you know what I discovered?

It's in the Bible.

We're gonna be examined in two major areas at that judgment seat.

Number one, our involvement in building the kingdom.

Okay, if you were here in the last service, you understand exactly what I'm talking about.

Did we use the gift and talents that he entrusted to us to build his kingdom or just build our families?

Okay, see what I'm saying?

All right, our involvement in building kingdom.

Number two, we're gonna be judged on how we impacted individual lives.

How'd you treat the waiter at the restaurant?

How did you treat the bellman?

How did you treat the person at the ticket counter?

It was going a little bit too slow for you.

How did you treat the person at the grocery store ringing up the cash register?

How'd you treat the person making your coffee at the coffee shop?

How did you impact people?

It sure is quiet here.

I want to focus mainly on how do we use our gifts, our abilities to build the kingdom of God?

Paul the Apostle writes, and you know what I find interesting?

Most everything he writes about this is to the Corinthian church.

Why?

They're a lot like the American church.

I mean, you should have seen them on Instagram.

I mean, they were bashing people like crazy.

They were picking favorite preachers.

Can you believe that?

They actually picked favorite preachers.

They were arguing with one another.

They were saying, I'm of this sect and I'm of that sect.

And Paul's like, y'all, you act just like the world.

I mean, it's amazing when you look at the American church and the Corinthian church, they're so similar.

So,

Paul writes this Corinthian church, he wants to make sure they get it.

So he says this, on judgment day.

Now look at this, on judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done.

The fire will show if a person's work has any value.

Now let me stop right there.

In scripture, God often refers to us as builders.

Why does he do this?

Okay, I'll give you examples.

Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain the builder.

Let me give you another one.

The stone which the builders rejected became the chief cornerstone.

Why does God call us builders?

Because we're building something.

Okay, now listen.

We're building the house he's going to live in forever and ever and ever.

The house is not made with shingles and tile.

It is made with human beings.

Right.

Peter said, you are a living stone and you're being built up.

Jesus is the chief cornerstone of this house.

So in essence, God is building like this custom home.

He's the builder.

You know what's interesting?

When Lisa and I were first married, or excuse me, what am I saying?

When we were youth pastors, or actually we had first started Messenger International, we were living hand to mouth.

And I remember we were, Lisa loves to look at homes and we go into this custom home.

He's like one of the top builders in Orlando, Florida.

And I'm like, this is way too much money.

You know, let's enjoy it.

Let's get ideas.

And I, all of a sudden, you know, we're with the realtor and we're wondering, first of all, why did he even bring us here to this house?

But then I hear beta Satan, right?

I'm like, who's that?

And the realtor goes, he's the builder of this house.

He goes, John Bevere, beta Satan, beta Satan.

He said, I'm going to build you a God house.

I'm not going to make one penny off of it.

I'm like, really?

Yeah, and he did.

Okay, he did.

And I'll never forget, I'll never forget, you know, he brings a piece of paper.

He says, draw your dream house.

and I'm so used to seeing these little track home things, right?

Like, can we move that?

No.

Can we do this?

No.

He's like, just draw your dream house.

Now, Lisa's a builder's daughter.

She got to work.

I think I drew my study in the garage.

She drew everything else.

And I watched how he sent that to the architects, the engineers, and here comes this plan for a house, right?

Now, watch this.

Now,

Lisa and I visited the job site once a day, sometimes twice a day.

Okay?

There wasn't a day we missed.

And do you know that he didn't do a thing to build that house?

He was the builder.

But he didn't nail one nail.

He didn't lay one tile.

He had subs.

So God is the builder of his house.

But we're the subcontractors.

Now, I remember one sub comes in there, and it didn't look right.

And Lisa and I got on the phone, and we said, hey, Bob, this doesn't look right.

So he said, I'll be right over.

So he drives over.

He takes one look at it.

He's furious.

He rips everything out, just rips it out, fires the sub, and hires another sub.

I thought, how amazing.

How amazing.

God's going to have a custom home.

It's going to be filled.

It's called Zion.

And this is where he's going to dwell forever.

Jesus is the chief cornerstone and we're living stones.

And we're being built up as a habitation where he's going to dwell forever.

Now, we're not just part of the house, but we're the subcontractors.

So Paul here is talking.

Remember, because he makes a statement in 1 Corinthians 3.

I didn't put it there.

He said, you are God's building.

You're literally a part of the building he's gonna dwell in forever and ever and ever.

I mean, this is so cool.

I love this, okay?

All right, so on judgment day, everybody say judgment day.

Fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done.

The fire will show if a person's work has any value.

And he talks about, hey, you can choose to build your life however, listen, you can choose wood, hay, or straw.

or you can choose gold, silver, and precious stones.

Now, it's a very interesting analogy because fire is going to test each person's work.

Fire burns up wood, hay, and straw.

So anything that you do that's for you and carnal, all that, it's gonna be burned up.

My golf game will be burned up.

I'm the first to admit it.

My pickleball, even though I still beat guys that are 25 years old, it's gonna get burned up.

It's gonna get burned up.

But anything we do for the king and his glory, it's gold, silver.

Now, fire purifies gold and silver.

It devours wood, hay, and straw.

So that fire is going to reveal what kind of work the builder's done.

The fire will show if it has any eternal value, right?

Next verse.

If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.

Now, hopefully it's a full reward.

Okay?

Got it?

The builder will receive a reward.

Remember, there's never any changes to this reward, never any alterations, never any amendments.

Look at the next verse.

But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss.

Not just loss, great loss.

The builder will be saved.

In other words, the builder's going to heaven.

but like somebody barely escaping through a wall of flames.

Flames.

Okay.

In America, we prepare for retirement.

I'm not going to bash that, but there isn't a Hebrew word for retirement in the Bible.

I still don't understand what Christians mean when they're talking about retirement, other than the fact that, hey, maybe you get to change and work for your church full-time while you're getting your 401K.

That's a great idea.

Okay.

Okay.

We prepare for retirement.

20, 30 years, right?

Can you imagine the day you retire?

Your house burns to the ground.

And you get out with just the shirt on your back.

On that same day, Social Security goes bankrupt.

On that same day, all your 401Ks go bankrupt.

On that same day, your bank closes its door.

You lose all your checking and your savings.

Now, as Americans, we can't relate.

Because we've got some kind of government program.

Due to the socialists that are in offices.

To help people like that.

But not just the socialists.

The good leaders too.

Because I think people should be cared for.

I think you should be cared for by the church.

But that's another whole message.

But anyway.

We've got a program in the United States.

To take care of us.

Paul's not living in a nation that had anything like that.

If that happens to a human being.

They don't have any government program.

Yet that's the language he uses to describe how some people are going to enter into eternity.

They're going to be saved, but they're going to be saved like they came through a wall of flames.

Now, I don't know about you, but would you want to know about this now or at the judgment seat?

I mean, seriously.

Right now.

And if some of you think I've gone through too much of life, Moses didn't start until he was 80.

Smith Wigglesworth didn't start until he was in his 50s.

And he was one of the greatest men of God in the 20th century.

I'd rather hear about it now.

And I'm just amazed at how many believers in America don't even understand this.

That's why they're so quick to criticize people on Instagram.

They're literally doing things that are going to stand in front of the judgment seat and they're going to give an account for it.

And they're hiding behind it.

People get really bold on Instagram.

They get really bold on X. Do you know that all of that's going to be revealed before the king?

I remember a pastor tore into me from England.

I mean, just let me have it.

And I just texted him, or I wrote a response to him.

I just said, you know what?

I really need to think hard about what you just said, and I'm so grateful that you took the time to reach out to me.

He came back and said, I've never seen this before.

And it shook him.

I thought, I'm not going to get into a stupid argument with anybody.

All that's going to burn up.

Paul makes the statement, he says, run your race that you may lay hold of the prize and make it yours.

You're not competing against anyone else.

You're competing against yourself.

Who you're really competing against is the world.

Because the world's going to do everything it can to make you ineffective eternally.

The world's going to do everything it can to distract you.

The world's going to do everything it can to get your focus on the wrong things.

And then one day you're going to stand before the judge, and you're going to realize how stupid it was, how fruitless it was, how it didn't do any good.

It didn't build.

It actually tore down.

There are men that have left their wives for younger men, or younger women, excuse me, for younger men too, unfortunately.

Man, 30 years ago, everybody would have laughed me out of the building on the first statement.

Now they're just sitting there going, yeah.

And they're going to realize how stupid they were.

They might realize it before they leave the earth, but they're really going to realize it.

The damage they did to their children.

The damage they did to the kingdom of God.

I mean, I was talking about this in the green room.

I told my family two years ago, I said, guys,

I've prayed a prayer you need to know about.

I said, and I meant this prayer.

I said, God, if you see me going off the rails, I want you to take me out.

I do not want people hurt.

I would rather you take me out because I realize so many millions of people now have been impacted.

And I don't want to be that that causes them to stumble because I've seen them.

I've seen what happens when leaders in the church fall.

People become like spiritual zombies.

They had great faith before and now it's affected their walk.

How is that going to stand up at the judgment?

See, everything, every smile, every nod, every greeting, every single time we go, you know what I do?

I do this on purpose.

Every single time.

Ask my assistants.

Every time I walk through to you and say, thank you so much for your service.

I am so grateful for what you're doing to protect us.

They're like,

What?

Because they never get thanked.

You know, I look at servers when they come to my table and say, hey, hey, hey, before we even begin, what's your name?

And I always tell them, I'm your problem child today.

I am your problem child.

Because I eat so stupidly squeaky clean that I will create a problem for you today.

And I'm so sorry in advance.

I mean, I just, I think about them.

I don't want them going away going, man, that guy, I'm so glad he's gone.

Everything you do, everything you do, every impact on people, you're going to stand before the judge.

So build your life in a way that you're going to win the prize.

Run this race in a way you're going to win.

And listen, it's not a sprint.

It's an endurance run.

I'm going to tell you this.

When God revealed this to me, it changed my whole life.

I stopped defending myself so much.

I stopped getting stupid, fruitless arguments.

I didn't listen to stupid, vain talk.

I didn't listen to gossip.

I have actually told, I looked at a pastor and he was talking about another well-known pastor.

And I said, my ears are not garbage pails.

I said, I do not want you talking about him.

He's not here to defend himself.

And what you're saying is subjective, and I don't want to hear it.

And you know, I thought he would reject me.

He ended up inviting me back many times.

And the way he introduced me is, I was talking bad about a pastor, and John corrected me.

I was like, well, thank God, because usually the other thing happens.

We don't want anything to do with you anymore.

I don't care.

Because why?

I'm going to stand in front of one judge, and one judge only.

And he's, you know what Jesus said?

I already know.

He said, I don't judge you.

Look at John chapter 12 later today.

I don't judge you.

The words that I speak will judge you on that day.

Everything's gonna be filtered through what he's already spoken in his word.

That's the standard.

And he's given us the ability to walk in it.

That's what his grace has done.

That's what his nature has done.

Giving us his divine nature.

It's given us the ability.

So walk in the spirit.

And build the kingdom of God.

Build lives.

Build the kingdom of God.

Use your gifts to build the kingdom of God.

Amen.

Did you get something out of this?

Did you get something out of this?

Amen.

Amen, amen.

Every head bowed, every eye closed.

Heavenly Father, thank you so very, very much for what you've given to us.

Lord, we are so grateful.

Holy Spirit of God, I'm asking.

that you would come upon men and women and open our eyes, open our eyes to see Jesus now.

If you're here this morning, the question really is, the most important question is, do you have a real relationship with Jesus?

Going to church doesn't give you a relationship with Jesus.

Being a good person doesn't give you a relationship with Jesus.

Praying a sinner's prayer doesn't give you a relationship with Jesus.

I know that will shock some of you, but it doesn't.

The only thing that gives you a real relationship with your creator is when you give your entire life to Jesus Christ.

The way a bride gives her life to her groom.

It doesn't make her perfect the first day, the first week, the first year.

The first 40 years, it just means she's given her entire heart to him.

She's saying, hey, I'm saying goodbye to 3.9 billion guys.

You're the only man I'm going to give my life to for the rest of my life.

You cannot tell me that you serve Jesus and yet you flirt with and sleep with the very things that drove the nails through his hands and feet.

You are not a believer.

You do not know Jesus.

So if you're out there flirting with the world, if you're out there just with no regard for what he says in his word, because we live in a world that is contrary to his word, I don't know that you have a relationship with Jesus.

I mean, I'm not going to be a judge and sit there and say, well, you're not a believer.

I am going to say there's a good chance you don't.

There have been so many men that have flirted with my wives.

It just happened just two days ago.

She's like, I'm a grandmother.

I have 10 grandchildren and I've been married 44 years and it shut them up.

She's been so faithful.

She has never flirted with another man.

That's what we're talking about.

So when you're around the world, do you act like the world?

Do you just try to fit in?

Do you literally engage with the very things that drove the nails through his hands just to fit in?

You don't know him because if you knew him, you wouldn't do it.

So I wanna ask you,

Not if you pray to sinners prayer.

That's not what I'm interested in right now.

What I'm interested in is have you given him your heart the way a bride gives her heart to the groom on her wedding day?

I'm yours, I'm all yours.

I'm nobody else's.

If you haven't, you can do it right now because he's already died for you.

The way he got down on his one knee and opened up that ring box is he died the most gruesome death a human being could die in those days.

And he took all your punishment.

He took all your judgment.

He took all your sin because he loved you so much.

And he said, I got a joy set before me and I'm going to endure this shame.

I'm going to endure this pain, this brutality because I see a bride.

He's coming back for a bride and has given herself to him the way he gave himself to her.

Ask yourself that question.

Are you his bride?

or do you still belong to the world and you just like church?

You like the atmosphere, you like the inspiration, you like the nice people that are here, you like the community.

That's not enough.

What makes these people so beautiful is that they have a real relationship with Jesus and you can be one of them.

So I'm gonna ask you to be honest, don't fool yourself.

Have you done with Jesus what that bride does on her wedding day?

Have you given him your spirit, soul, and body?

The word Lord means he becomes my own owner.

The Bible doesn't say if you confess him as Savior.

It says if you confess him as Lord.

Lord means he owns me now, and I'm glad he owns me.

The apostles wrote and said, the Lord's bond slave.

That's how they introduced themselves.

They loved being his slave.

I love being his slave.

I wouldn't be alive had it not been for him.

I would have spent eternity in a lake of fire had it not been for him.

So if you say, John, I haven't given him my life like that.

I want you to do it right now.

Please do it.

I can't force you.

He won't force you.

I sure can plead with you.

If you say, John, that's me.

I want to give my life to him right now.

Put your hand up high.

I want to pray for you.

Yes, I see your hand.

I love you so much.

I see your hands.

Wow, hands going up all over the place.

Stand to your feet.

Come on.

I've never seen a bride ashamed of her groom.

And Jesus said, if you can't confess me before men, I won't confess you before my father.

So if that's you, stand up right now.

Stand up and don't wait for the person next to you because they won't stand next to you on judgment day.

They will not.

Why do I feel this so strong?

Because his return is soon.

He could return tonight.

We're not promised tomorrow.

And the most important thing I do is give people the opportunity to receive Jesus.

And if you're sitting down and there's pressure beside you, peer pressure beside you, ask yourself, is it really worth it?

If he's drawing and tugging at your heart right now, stand up.

Just stand up.

I feel like there's one more at least.

Yes, sir.

You were worth the wait.

Well worth the wait.

Anybody else?

I want to make sure nobody's missed.

Yes, sir.

You were worth the wait.

I'm proud of you, buddy.

Yes, sir.

I'm proud of you.

Yes, ma'am.

I'm proud of you.

Anybody else?

I just want to make sure nobody's missed.

Yeah.

Come on down.

Come on down.

Every one of you just slip out of the aisles.

Give them a hand as they come.

I want to pray with you.

Bow your heads.

Father, I'm asking right now that your spirit would come upon these men and women.

Satan, they don't belong to you any longer.

I command you get your filthy hands off them now.

I decree them free.

I decree them washed in the blood of Jesus.

I decree them that they belong to God.

Put your hands up in the air.

Put your hands up.

This is an outward sign of what you're doing inwardly.

And say this out loud.

The Bible says, with the mouth, confession is made to salvation.

Say this, Lord God, thank you so much for what you've spoken to me today.

through your servant, I realize I've been away from you and that's stopping today.

No longer am I flirting, engaging with the things that drove the nails through your hands and feet.

Today, I give you Jesus.

Come on, say it strong.

I give you my spirit, my soul, my body, everything I am, everything I have.

You are now my Lord and King.

You're my Savior.

You're my bridegroom.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Give Him praise.