For those that are here in the auditorium, if you take your Bibles and go with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter number 4 tonight, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, we are looking at the end times and end times issues. And I want to just pick up with our last The last event, or what is our next event, but the previous event before what we're going to look at tonight is found, and I want you to see, we'll pick up the reading in 1 Thessalonians chapter number 4 tonight. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, begin reading in verse number 13. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, in verse number 13, but I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep. that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain in the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. We believe, according to the scriptures, that the next prophetic event on God's timetable is that of the rapture. The word rapture is not found in our Bibles, but it is the principle that comes from the Greek wording, to be caught up. We'll be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And again, we refer to John chapter 14, verses 1 through 6, where the Lord said, I'm going to go away from you, but I will receive you unto myself that where I am There ye may be also. So this is what we're looking forward to, the rapture of the church. It'd be great if it occurred, say, in the next 13 days. That would be all right with me, and I'd be happy for that event to transpire any time. I'd be thrilled to death for it to transpire before I had to be carried out by six. So, six individuals will no doubt be a part of wheeling me down an aisle just like this one and loading me into a hearse and then burying me six feet under. My wife has specifically requested that if she were to pass before I do, that she's to be put into a mausoleum above ground and I'm to put a cell phone in just in case she really hadn't passed. And it's interesting because she'll now and again see a story where someone says that they had just gone into a coma and they thought that they were dead. And so she said, you make sure you put a cell phone in there with me too. she can dial out then, all right? I don't know if you'll get real reception, especially not here in Fairfax and Burke. So if you get buried in Fairfax or Burke, you're gonna have no cell phone reception, so it won't do any good. All right, my wife is not in the room right now, so that's why I could share that lovely story with you. All right, I just put it out on the World Wide Web though, so that's pretty funny. All right, so I would prefer the rapture takes place. I would much rather be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. But we come after this rapture, we looked at the matter of the tribulation two weeks ago, and just the beginning overview and how God is going to evangelize the world during the tribulation. And during the first half of the tribulation, of course, you remember that we have the signs of the two witnesses, Revelation chapter 11, and they will prophesy, preach, and do many wonderful works during the first half of the tribulation. And the Bible says then God seals 144,000 Jewish preachers, and the Bible says that they will go into the regions beyond. So it's no longer the arm of the church that will go in and see people saved, make disciples and form local New Testament churches. No, they'll go in and preach, repent for the day of the Lord is at hand. And so we looked at that matter and those that will get saved during the tribulation and those that will not get saved during the tribulation. I want to now go to this rapture and the matter of the rapture and then ask this question, what is taking place in heaven? during the beginning stages of the tribulation here on the earth. So we've gone home to heaven, believers have been ushered out. And again, keep in mind, when the rapture takes place, there are no more saved individuals left on the earth. So after the rapture, in the immediacy of the moment, when the rapture takes place, all believers are gone. And then God will supernaturally send the two witnesses, and then of course we see the sealing of the 144,000. And by the way, perhaps you've heard from man-made religion that the 144,000 are directly related to the Jehovah's Witnesses. That is not true, my friend. They have taken much out of context and rewritten everything about Revelation chapter 7 as well. And so where the Jehovah's Witnesses have falsely interpreted the Word of God, we understand that God will seal 12,000 from each tribe and they will be used to evangelize the world. But what are we going to be doing? What are we going to be doing in heaven? Now, remember that I mentioned to you that The book of Revelation is not chronological, so we don't just go walk just step by step through the end times when we come to the book of Revelation. It is not chronological. There are scenes in which John the Apostle is seeing what's going on in heaven, and then he transfers back down to the earth, and he transfers back to heaven, and he sees all of this revelation unfold. And you have to keep in mind that much of what John is seeing is not yet described in words. And so if you've never understood a mechanized army, how would you describe these kinds of things. You know, John would have been very familiar with the Roman power, the Roman government at the time, but he wouldn't know what tanks were. He wouldn't know what airplanes were. He wouldn't know what a mechanized army looks like. He wouldn't know so many of those things, and that's what's unfolding before him. And so we see as we will travel through the tribulation that John describes it to the best of his ability with the words that he would have had in his vernacular. Well, when we come to the matter for our time in heaven, so we've been raptured, all Christians have gone to heaven, there's no believers left on the earth, and we begin this time of tribulation on the earth, seven year period. For our time in heaven, keep in mind, we're still on a general clock, okay? So when we're raptured home to heaven, Christ said that where I am, there ye may be also. We are on a clock and that clock is ticking towards the end of the tribulation. Traditionally, we think of the no more tears, no more time. We're very mindful of kind of the songs that are sung in the funeral settings, but in truth, we do still have somewhat of a clock that is ticking, because from the moment that we arrive home in the rapture until Revelation chapter 19, when we come back with the Lord Jesus Christ, you still have a segment of time. And so it's important for us to remember that it's not until the great white throne judgment occurs in the end of Revelation chapter 20 that then we transition into what is called the new heaven, the new earth, and then God says there'll be no more tears, there'll be no more time, Jesus will be the light, and all those kinds of things. So for you and I, what are we going to do in heaven for the seven years? Now, I think that there are some of us that as we read the book of Revelation and we think on this matter of the rapture that we're kind of like, hey, give me the front row seat from the battery of heaven, give me a bucket of popcorn, and I'm just gonna watch all of this unfold on the earth. and I just, I can't believe what it's gonna be like. So in our thinking, we arrive home in heaven, there's some kind of heavenly rocking chair from the front porches of Cracker Barrel, and we all just get a big bucket of popcorn and we just sit and watch everything unfold on the earth. Well, it's not that way. We've got much to do, and I wanna look at the events in heaven during this seven-year time period. And again, if you can just keep in your mind, I don't think we're gonna be watching the clock in heaven per se, but we still are under a time constraint because we know the clock starts ticking and God's dealing with the nation of Israel in those final seven years and then in the timeframe that the Lord returns to the earth again in the second advent. when the Lord Jesus Christ actually comes back down to the earth and touches back down at the Mount of Olives. So take your Bibles and go with me, if you would, 2 Corinthians chapter 5, 2 Corinthians chapter 5. And I, this may be a lot of review for you tonight. I know that if you're faithful on a Wednesday night, you've probably heard these things before, but I want to throw a couple of interesting facts into the study tonight. What are we going to do in heaven while we await the end of the tribulation here on the earth? 2 Corinthians chapter five reveals to us the nature of one of these events. And look at me if you would, 2 Corinthians chapter five, verse number 10. For we, this is speaking about church age believers. 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 had done, whether it be good or bad. Okay, so put out of your mind everything that is taking place on the earth. The nature of the first three and a half years, the nature of the empire of Europe regaining strength and momentum, the nature of what will one day be the capital A Antichrist uniting the world at the midway point, the nature of the seal judgments, the nature of the trumpet judgments. Put all of that kind of aside, and we'll look at those in weeks to come, and let's just think about ourselves, okay? Just think about your life right now and what the Bible says here in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, in verse number 10. The Bible says, for we, this is speaking about believers, you've trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, The rapture has occurred, the dead in Christ rose first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with Him in the clouds. And the Bible says, must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Now let's make some statements about the nature of this judgment seat of Christ. First of all, The Bible says that it is the judgment seat, or in the original language, the bema seat of Christ. The bema seat of Christ. In fact, those phrases are interchangeable. So if you're reading a concordance or you're reading a commentary and you see someone refer to the bema seat, you know right away this is speaking about the judgment seat of Christ. Now, What is the judgment seat of Christ? There's two different kinds of judgments that occur and that we're very familiar with. The one judgment that occurs, it occurs on many occasions. It's kind of slowed itself down in this nature of the COVID environment. But we're mindful of the judgment that flows down from a judge that is sitting in a criminal court. And so a judge that is sitting in a criminal court has someone appear before him, and he is going to identify the issue, and he's going to declare guilt or innocence. He's going to, if you would, declare a sentence based upon the actions or activity of the individual that's appeared before him. So it is a judgment seat, but it is a judgment of guilt or innocence. There's another kind of judgment that we're familiar with and it occurs every two years by way of either the Summer Olympics or the Winter Olympics. Now I don't know which one you like better. I like the Winter Olympics. I like the Winter Olympics because I love the hockey and I love the Winter Olympics because I love bobsledding and I love the Winter Olympics because I like to see people go really fast and I like to see them on occasion not do so well, all right? So I enjoy the Winter Olympics. Some of you probably love the Summer Olympics and everything like this. But what happens in those Olympic events or trials, what happens? At the end of the day, they're going to stand before a judge. Now we're most often equating this to the nature of the Olympic ice skating. I'm not even sure it should be included, but okay, all right, it is, it is, it is. And you always have the nature of the different countries and their judges, and they judge ice skating. I think they ought to throw something else in. I mean, I think it should be really judged upon, hey, if that guy can do four spins in the air, then he's the winner. You know, or if that guy can do three backflips in a row, then he's the winner. That's what I'd like to see. You know, set some high watermarks there. But, but you have these judges that sit there and they say, oh, that triple salchow was just so beautiful. Oh, that, that tandem couple, they, they just, oh they just did so wonderful. And the judge says, nine and a half. Nine point three. Some judge comes in and says, no that was a ten. And they walk away and they then recognize them with the gold medal, silver medal, bronze medal. That's, that's really what we're talking about here. And so when you and I look at the Bema seat or the judgment seat of Christ, it's not a matter of guilt or innocence like we're reflecting on in the criminal court. It is the judgment of how well they have performed. Did they accomplish their task? Did they run their race well? Did they give all and then finish the course and were successful? And we recognize the winner and the second place person, the third place person. And so this is a matter of recognition for how well one has run. If you would take your Bibles and go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter number three. The Bible says that we must all appear So we're talking about a lot of people that are gonna appear before the Lord Jesus Christ in this timeframe. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, look with me if you would at verse number 11. 1 Corinthians 3, verse number 11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. So Jesus Christ is the foundation. He's the foundation of our lives. He's the foundation of our church. We cannot relay a better foundation than the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, verse number 12. Now, if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, 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. So, let's take an area of ministry tonight, and I'm not picking on any one person, but let's use Brother Allen tonight. And since he played the cello so beautifully, is that your cello? Did you bring it? You borrowed it from somebody else? Borrowed it from his brother, and we should do that. We should have brothers in dueling cellos. Is there such a song as dueling cellos? And Daniel's like, I don't want any of that. All right. So Brother Allen played for us tonight. He borrows the cello, played it beautifully, loved the song. It blessed my heart, okay? I enjoyed it very much. I appreciate your ministry and song to us, okay? Now, let's pretend that the whole time Brother Allen was sitting up here playing the cello, he was playing away and just waiting on my recognition, okay? So he was playing there and he's like, man, I'm playing this very well. I'm pretty good at this, aren't I? Boy, there's no one that can really play this as well as I do. I'm something. That pastor better recognize me tonight. If he doesn't recognize me tonight, I'm never playing at this church again. I mean, he's a louse of a pastor if he doesn't recognize me tonight. And so the whole time he's playing, it's just all about me, all right? Now, we don't know that that's happening in his mind. We don't know that that's going through his mind. We just listen to the song. We listen to him put everything together. We walk away saying, man, that was beautiful. But he's sitting there the whole time saying, boy, someone better recognize me. If they don't recognize me, never coming back to this place ever again. You and I are given opportunity to use our time, talent, and treasure for the Lord. When we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we all have deferring amounts of treasure, we all have deferring amounts of talent, we pretty much have deferring amounts of time because we're not guaranteed the same amount of time for every single one of us. So with deferring amounts of time, treasure, and talent, the question to you and I is this. Is it going to be wood, hay, and stubble? Someone better recognize me for this. Or is it gonna be gold, silver, and precious stones? I'm playing to the glory of the Father. And if no one says anything about it, Father, you know my heart. I pray that people will be pointed to your great Son and His blessed name. Now, I just used a very simple illustration of one One event. But what we're talking about tonight as we stand before the Lord Jesus Christ is the totality of our lives and ministry is basically refined in the fire. And it either comes forth as the someone better recognize me, wood, hay, and stubble, or father, if no one says anything, I want to play to your glory, gold, silver, and precious stones. Now, this is where I hope that it hits home with all of us, because I know we're familiar with the judgment seat of Christ. Yes, pastor, we've heard all of our stuff is gonna be tried at the judgment seat of Christ. Yes, yes, yes, yes, we've heard that. But I'm serious, folks. This is a weighty matter when you begin to think that we've been given time, talent, and treasure, and in this judgment, it's all put on the refiner's fire. So imagine, and it's not gonna be like this, but imagine that you and I come with this great pile of stuff. And we begin to, just everybody, just stand by. It's gonna take me a little while to shovel all this in. I mean, there's a lot, I mean. And we begin to shovel in what we think are just good, good works for the Lord, gold, silver, precious stones, and it comes out and we've got this, Itty bitty one carat, you know, what? Where is it all? I mean, think about all that I did. Well, that's all that's left in what you did for the Lord and what you did for yourself. That is weighty. So I look back at my life and you look back at your life and you begin to think right now, Lord, with my time, talent and treasure, what have I really done for your name's sake versus what have I really done for my name's sake? I pray that this is not an alphabetical judgment. If it is an alphabetical judgment, I hope there's an awful lot of aardvarks. I'm glad my brother and sister are ahead of me. My dad is ahead of me. My mom's ahead of me. I hope it's not an alphabetical judgment. I remember sitting in college and we had to sit alphabetically. Yeah. Okay, I'll take my seat. I know where it is. This is sobering. When we kind of look at our lives, we kind of think, well, I mean, I did give quite a bit in that vacation Bible school, aren't I something? Well, those kids pretty much have had the greatest Bible scholar teach them the stories of Jonah and the stories of Peter and Paul during this week of vacation Bible school. Perhaps no other children have ever been blessed so much as the kids in this vacation Bible school. And right there, I walk away and say, okay, I just added to my wood hands double. Now, I don't have time to really delve deep into this, but I tell you, one of the best things you can do is to not recognize what you've done. Don't walk away from service to the Lord saying, boy, I hope someone recognizes this and tells me how special that was. No, the best thing you can do is just keep your mouth shut and say, Lord, I hope you're the only one that recognizes what has been accomplished, because that's the best way. I've got to tell you tonight, I'm very, very, very nervous about standing before the Lord Jesus Christ and giving an account of the things done in my body. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 11 through 15, let me finish those verses there. Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. The fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 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 loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. I remember a dear preacher making statements like this before about other preachers. And one preacher would say about another preacher, he'd say, I hope that I'm close enough to see brother so-and-so with binoculars because brother so-and-so will be so close to the throne of Almighty God. And I tell you folks, when you read this and you begin to think about the things that you've done with your time, talents, and treasure, and the fact that it's all going to be clearly revealed. It is very, very sobering. Let me walk down through the five things rapidly. The five things that are mentioned by way of crowns. First of all, we have the incorruptible crown. So these are the things that we can attain or aspire to or labor for. 1 Corinthians 9, verse 25, the apostle Paul said to the church at Corinth, Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible." So that guy that's out trying to run the race as fast as he can is doing it to obtain a corruptible crown. It's going to go away. But he says we're in this because we want to obtain an incorruptible crown. And so he speaks of the incorruptible crown. This is the crown for the believer who has run well. If you're taking notes tonight, you might pair this with a passage in 2 Timothy 2, verses 1 through 7. In 2 Timothy 2, the apostle Paul says to Timothy that there's three arenas of life that have special overlap with the Christian life. the arena of being a soldier, the arena of being an athlete, and the arena of being a farmer. And he says, endure hardship as a good soldier. He says, I want you to strive for these things as a great athlete. And then he says, I want you to be a good husbandman, a good farmer. And so there's overlapping details in all three of those things. And this is what he's talking about, us striving for an incorruptible crown, a good soldier, a good athlete. a good farmer. The second crown is that of the crown of rejoicing. The crown of rejoicing, 1 Thessalonians chapter two and verse number 19. For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? What is this crown of rejoicing? It awaits the person who will be able to present souls to the Lord in that day. Let us all ask God to touch our hearts and help us to win souls for him. He will if we will only ask in sincerity. Psalm 126, verses five and six. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing. bringing as she's with him. Proverbs chapter 11 and verse number 30, the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and he that wins souls is wise. I have led a number of people to Jesus Christ, but I've not led all the people to Jesus Christ that I should have led to Jesus Christ. And I say that to my shame. It is a great joy to lead a young person to Jesus Christ. We were in a setting at the Wilds, and I had this teenager. He'd been on the bus routes in our church since he was about three years old. His mom had moved a number of times throughout the county. He had attended all kinds of schools and everything, but he was very faithful in church. He didn't miss on Sundays, he didn't miss on Wednesdays. And we went to the Wilds, and while we were at the Wilds, I got a phone call from the nurses station that I had a teenager that was sick. And so it was unusual to have one that was sick, but I was like, okay, someone's sick. So I went down and this boy's name is Justin, and I still have good contact with him. And I went in and I said, hey, Justin, what's wrong? And I was like, is it your stomach? Is it your head? What's going on? And he said, Brother Todd, it's none of those things. He said, I just need to get saved. And I was like, okay, well, let's deal with that. And he got saved. I mean, so he didn't have any physical issues. He just needed to be saved. And I was like, praise the Lord. This is fantastic. Young man trusted Christ as his savior. Another young man, big, tough football player. We were at the Wilds. I think this was a different year, but we were at the Wilds. And a big, tough guy. He was really, I mean, a middle linebacker. And just a great kid, but played for his public high school. And his family had come to our church from another local church and so forth. They had all joined at the time of coming. And so I just took for granted that they knew the Lord and everything like this. And I said, this young man's name was Jeremy. I said, Jeremy, after lunch today, we get one shot at riding the giant swing. And so I said to him, I said, hey, why don't we ride the Giant Swing together? He's like, OK, that sounds great. And so I've ridden it with a number of different individuals. And I was a little bit nervous about riding the Giant Swing with a big, tough football player, because I'm looking at our combined weight. But I said, I think we'll be OK. So he said, OK, let's ride. reunion at about one o'clock on that Thursday, and then we were gonna ride right after it was over with. And I was so excited, I was like, hey, this is a great kid, that we developed a good bond and everything like this, and I thought if I'm gonna go into eternity as a splatter on the pavement at the Wilds, you know, it'll be nice to end it with this young man. Well, lo and behold, we're getting ready to go ride together. And he says, uh, Brother Todd, before we go, can I talk to you? And I was like, sure. What's up? What's up? He said, uh, before we ride the giant swing together, I, um, I need to settle something. And I was like, okay. All right. All right. What is it? He's like, I need to get saved. And it's like, well, this is a prime opportunity to get saved. I mean, if this doesn't go well, this is a prime way to be mindful of your eternal destination. And so he trusted Christ right before the giant swing. And I was like, have you ever been scared into making the right decision? That kid was, he was. He looked as high as that giant swing went, and he looked at the two of us and our size, he looked at the cables, he measured it all up and said, we may not make it. And he trusted Christ as his Savior. Listen, it's a wonderful thing to see someone trust Christ. But I tell you what, it will be wonderful even more so, even more so, beyond what it is when we're just interacting with them here on this earth. What will it be like in heaven when they recognize and rejoice in the fact that you share Jesus Christ with them? Now again, we don't save anyone. We never want to imply or give the impression that we're something. Jesus Christ does all the saving. I think we're just given the very great benefit of being there when they trust Jesus Christ as their Savior. And I tell you what, the Bible says that there's a crown of rejoicing. Boy, it will be something when you enter heaven and you see those that you've won to the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a crown of righteousness, 2 Timothy chapter 4, in verse number 8, the crown of righteousness. The Bible says, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. And not to me only, but unto all them also that love is appearing. What's the crown of righteousness? Well, right before that, the Apostle Paul said, I have fought a good fight. I've finished my course. I've kept the faith. The crown of righteousness, as one commentator said, will be given by the Lord, the righteous judge. He's the perfect judge. He's the only judge who knows the truth about all men. And he says, he knows the heart of every man, he has seen every man every day and every hour of his life. The crown of righteousness will be given to all who love and look forward to the Lord's appearing. This is a striking truth. Who is it that loves the Lord's appearing? The person who loves the Lord himself. So we look forward to that timeframe in which the Lord will return. Let me have you put this in your notes as well, perhaps couple of verses for you to go back and study this week because this is very, very interesting. The Apostle Paul said to the church at Corinth, when they were making all kinds of external judgment calls about the Apostle Paul, he responded to them in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 4 and 5. And he said, for I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified, but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore, judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise of God." So down here on this side, we do a lot of praising, but up on that side, God, the knower of all mankind, will make the ultimate determination as to praise. The fourth crown is the crown of life. James chapter 1 in verse number 12, blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he has tried, he shall receive the crown of life. What is this crown of life for? It's for the believer who faithfully endures for the Lord's sake. He endures trials, he endures testings and temptations. And then there's a fifth one that is mentioned and it's called the crown of glory. 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse number 4, the apostle Peter said, and when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. What is this crown of glory? It is a crown for those that were faithful in shepherding the flock of Almighty God. So here's, here's five that are mentioned, okay? So you and I can strive to have a testimony like the Apostle Paul. Now here's the important thing to remember. The Apostle Paul said that I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. God has not called me to be you. He has not called you to be me. He has not called our two sons to be identical. They're not in comparison to one another. Why can't you be more like Him? Why can't you be more like Him? No, they are to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. So when you and I parent our children, let's always point them to Christ. We want them to be like Christ. In being like Christ, we want them to strive for the mastery. We want them to strive for the finish line of the successful Christian life as it is given to them. You know, many of you will go through much more difficulty in life than I'll go through. Or perhaps I may go through much more difficulty than you'll go through. We have missionaries through the centuries that have sacrificed way more than I can even begin to ask or think. You read the story of George Grenfell and how he sacrificed everything to take a ship and run it up and down the Congo in the heart of Africa so that people could hear the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Someone took time to pack up a ship into 800 different containers in his homeland and ship it to him in the Congo. And along with that shipment came someone that would put it all back together. And the someone that was gonna put it all back together died before he got it together. So George Grenfell called and said — he didn't call, he sent a letter — said, I need someone else. They came and they died. And George Grenfell wound up putting that whole thing together and then sailing that up and down the Congo that he might deliver the Gospel on the Congo to all those natives that stood in desperate need of salvation. What have I done? Oh, well, I sacrificed on that two-lane road in my air-conditioned car, and I waited in traffic for an extra 20 minutes to get me home. Aren't I something in my sacrificial duties for the Lord Jesus Christ? I haven't sacrificed at all. I mean, there are men and women that have literally given up everything, spouses, children, homelands, and even their own lives. But you know what, folks? I'm not running the race against George Grenfell. If I can bring it into modern day vernacular, I'm not running the race against Pastor Kenny Baldwin. Thank the Lord. He'd beat me in a foot race, he'd beat me in basketball, he'd beat me in preaching, he'd beat me in singing, he'd beat me all the way down to decathlon. But I'm not running against him. What am I running? I'm running the race that God has given to me. And this is the wonderful thing about it. God just wants you and I to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ. And we arrive home in heaven, we don't have some kind of tick mark down here where we say, okay, I've won that, and we get the badge. We just arrive home in heaven, and the Bible says our works are made manifest. And there'll be a full accounting. Because the righteous judge will make the decision in that day. Can I tell you about a dear man? He pastors what the world would say is a small church in a little back road in East Tennessee. The same time he's been pastoring that church, he worked a full-time job. sometimes upwards of 60 to 80 hours a week, because that's what his secular employment demanded of him. And he was faithful every single Sunday and every single Wednesday night to be in the pulpit and preach the truth of God's Word, even when he was tired, even when he was physically worn out, and he did that all the way until the day of his retirement age. You know that little church in East Tennessee has collected thousands of dollars and sent it to Africa so that they could help with village churches that were being started and being built. Missionary would go into a new village and would have the desire to reach that village for Jesus Christ and they begin meeting under a big tree and under the shade of that tree. And this little church in East Tennessee would hear of the need, and for just a few thousand dollars, they could send the money to Mwanza, Tanzania. And they could put together brick, and they could put together a roof, and they'd raise up a building, and they did that over and over and over again. You know, this man was a bivocational pastor. And if I could just refer back to what I've heard other great men say, I just hope that I'm close enough to the throne of God that I can see that dear pastor with a pair of binoculars. Because I look a lot of times at the stuff that we've been blessed with and the stuff that we've been given, and I think to myself, my, I don't know that I've really had to sacrifice too much to do what God would have me to do. And I look at that dear man, he's still pastoring, he's still, or he's now well beyond the age of retirement, but he's in the pulpit every single week preaching the truth of Jesus Christ. You see, I'm not running against you and you're not running against me, but we all have the opportunity to use our time, our talent, and our treasure so that on that day that the chief judge reveals everything, we're the beneficiary of a race that's been run well. Let me give you three things as it relates to these things, as it relates to these five crowns and as it relates to the bema seat. The first one is this, there will be a time to lay the crowns back at the feet of the Lord. I've said this to you before. But heaven would not be heaven if it was a place for braggadocio, okay? If we all got there because of what we have done, I don't wanna be there. You know what I'm talking about. Oh, it would be terrible. I deserve to be here. I gave $50,000 to the church, aren't I something? I never miss Sunday school a day in my life, you know? I mean, we... That'd be terrible. The glory of heaven is that we all arrive and say the same thing. I'm only here because of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It leaves no room for boasting. Where do I have room to boast save in the cross of Jesus Christ? But then we think, oh yes, goody, goody, goody, I can win crowns, this is fantastic. Through the years, some of you have become acquainted with a ministry called Neighborhood Bible Time. You ever heard of that? Anybody? All right, all right. I know NBT. It's Bible time, it's Bible time, it's Bible time in our town, okay? We had evangelists come. Boy, we'd have a great time, had a wonderful week. They'd have the long ribbons flowing and these kids would come in and they'd have to win their super duper jumbo pencil and all this kind of stuff. And they'd just come in with such enthusiasm and everything like this. But I pity the parent. who has a child that deserved one more rank of ribbon than what they got. And as I was directing the NBT with the two evangelists, they'd come in and they'd give me the what for. I can't believe you didn't recognize my child for this or that, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, okay, have the pencil for crying out loud. It's okay, don't blow a gasket. segue into sports. And I don't know if they have this in the Fairfax area, but in East Tennessee, we had coach pitch baseball. And at K-5 and K-6, your kids started with coach pitch baseball. And I mean, there were some parents, like literally, this is like their child is the next fill in the blank with your favorite major league baseball player. And their five-year-old just happens to hit a ball that can't be fielded by anybody out there because nobody knows what's going on in the field. Kids are playing in the dirt, playing in the grass. Oh yeah, the ball's hit. Run, Johnny, run, you know. Oh, my kid hit a triple. They're the best player in the league. And I'm like, okay, all right, you know. Well, they can't have all-star teams anymore. Why? Because too many parents complained. You didn't pick my kid to be on the all-star team and they're the best ones out there. Really? It's coach pitch. I mean, come on. You know exactly what I'm talking about when some kind of a crown or reward is put out there and we look at it from a carnal perspective. If Sister Bertha Christian won that crown for what she did, man, wait till I get up there. I mean, she did a few things now and again, but it doesn't even really begin to compare to what I did. Again, folks, is that gonna be a pleasure? Is that gonna be wonderful in heaven? No, it's gonna be, it'll be terrible. The point of this whole matter of running the race well is not for our glory, laud, and honor, but it's so that in the end, we walk away laying crowns at his feet because he's the deserving one. So the first matter is we lay the crowns back at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, Revelation chapter four, verses nine through 11. Then the second thing we understand, again, right from this passage in 1 Corinthians 3, if you're still there, the second thing that we understand is that there will be an individual or more that will suffer. Look at verse number 15. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer, and how's he gonna suffer? He's gonna suffer loss. Okay. Have you ever heard someone describe heaven, and they'll say it this way, When you arrive at the pearly gates, Peter, the apostle, will be standing there. And as he's standing there, he will say, why should I let you into heaven? Now, I know we use that as an illustration at times to possibly lead someone down the path of understanding their need for Christ. I've used it myself. But in truth, as we recognize all the people that are at the Bema seat are saved and that is not going to change. Oh no, all of my works were wood, hay, and stubble. Can I ask you this question? What will the thief on the cross present to the Lord Jesus Christ at this time? The thief on the cross will be in heaven. Of course, Jesus Christ said, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. He went to heaven upon the last breath that he breathed here on the earth. So he was saved, but literally he got saved on his deathbed. We've actually seen that here at FBT. I think it was late 2016 or early into 17. We had a gentleman that trusted Christ on his deathbed. And literally with his last words, he said, I believe. He got saved. What does he have that's gold, silver, and precious stones? Nothing. But the fact of the matter is, the sufferer comes in the fact that there's nothing to be presented back to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not a determination of whether or not you're going to be able to stay. The very fact that you're at the BEMA seat demonstrates that you are a saved individual. But I tell you what, we sure don't wanna be there at that time and then suffer loss. And then let me give you number three, just practical applications for these matters at the BEMA seat. Here it is. Our faithfulness on this side will result in usefulness during the millennial reign of Christ. Our faithfulness on this side will result in usefulness during the millennial reign of Christ. So again, you can imagine how long this Bema seat will take with all the believers from the church age that will be judged at the Bema seat. This is not just like, okay, it's done. We are still on a time clock. Now, please do not leave tonight and say, oh, we're gonna be looking at the heavenly clock. No, it's not like ding, midnight or anything like that. But I mean, in one sense, we are on a clock because we do have the return of the Lord Jesus Christ with his saints, Revelation chapter 19. And that will come. But for a better part of this timeframe, as we reflect on what's going on in heaven, we have this matter of the Bema Seat. And what we've done here on this side will result in usefulness during the millennial reign of Christ. Now, let's just quickly walk through this. We'll touch on it in coming weeks. Revelation chapter 19, the Bible says that the Lord comes in the clouds with his army. That's believers, we come with him, he's robed in white, he hath on his vesture a name that is written King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So we're coming with him at the end of the reign of Antichrist as the Antichrist has gathered all of his forces together there in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's gathered all of his forces in the Valley of Megiddo and this one final battle against the God of the Jews. We're coming back with him and then the Bible says that he begins his 1,000 year reign. It's a 1,000 or millennial reign of Christ. But God is going to reign and believers that have been faithful will be utilized in reigning around the globe. Now, you say where does that come from, Pastor? Well, we have the illustration in Matthew chapter 25, verses 19 to 21. Before the Lord Jesus Christ ascended, or before He was slain on the cross, buried and then rose again, He gives the illustration, He says the man with five talents was faithful with those five talents. God gave him more talents. The one that was faithful with two, God gave him an added two. And he says to them, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou in the joy of the Lord. 2 Timothy chapter two and verse number 12. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us. Revelation chapter five and verse number 10. And has made us unto our God, kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. Revelation chapter 20, verse number six. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no more power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. Now, I'll close with this. Boy, I surely wanna be used by the Lord. I surely wanna be found faithful on this side. And I wanna be found faithful and be used of the Lord in that millennial reign. Now, I don't know about you, but I've kind of begun just thinking, Lord, if we're gonna reign with you, of course we know what the Bible says, Christ will reign from Jerusalem. His co-regent is King David. But if we're gonna reign, I'm kind of looking out at some spots. Is that unfair? Is that okay? I'm looking at a couple of Caribbean islands. They survived the tribulation. Spend a little bit of time in one of them. I'd love to have maybe the mayor's position, right? Ah, maybe a nice little quaint village in the mountains of Switzerland. How would that be? That'd be fantastic. That'd be wonderful. All joking aside. It's not as though we're mapping out a chart and saying, okay, God, I'm gonna do for you here because I really wanna be something there. It's just you and I saying, Lord, you've given me time, talent, and treasure. It's all a gift. I don't know how much time I have, but I wanna use every bit of my time, every bit of my talent, every bit of my treasure, so that on that day where the righteous judge is recognizing our labor for Him. Our labor for Him is not to get saved. Our labor for Him is in turn for what He's already done on the cross. We don't do it for the stuff. We don't do it so that people would recognize us. We do it because our great Savior is worthy. You and I have heard much about the crowns, we've heard much about the Bema Seat, but I would hope that tonight we would personalize the nature of this Bema Seat. In your devotions in this coming week, turn to the end of Hebrews chapter 11, and then continue reading through the chapter division into chapter 12, wherefore, Wherefore, based on everything that I've told you about chapter 11 in this great hall of faith, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. Boy, there's a lot of people cheering us on. Stay the course. Do what's right. Run the race well. Use your time, talent, and treasure for his glory. Boy, when we think on those kinds of things, folks, I pray that it would challenge each one of us individually to be exactly what God would want us to be. The Bible says we keep our eyes on the author and the finisher of our faith. I'm not running in competition against you. I'm running to be what Jesus Christ would have me to be, so that I hear him say, well done thou good and faithful servant, and I take whatever crown may be given, and I lay it back at the feet of my great God. Let's pray. Father in heaven, thank you for our time together tonight. Would you bless these dear folks for their investment here? I pray that this has been a help for each one and a challenge to us. Lord, every time I think about the Bema Seat, I get very, very nervous because the Bible says my labor is going to be revealed and it will be tried. And I think back and I think to myself, boy, was I doing that work for the Lord in my own strength and in my own flesh and under my own power? Or was that preaching time in the power of the Holy Spirit of God? Was that teaching time in the power of the Holy Spirit of God? Was I looking for recognition? Was I waiting on recognition? Or am I content to just say, Lord, you reveal what you know to be the truth on that day of revealing? I pray for each one right now in the quietness of this moment. It's entirely possible that there are those that have lived their lives to this point, knowing you as their Savior, but really living for themselves. So all of their time, their talent, their treasure has been used. for their own sake. Would you convict each one of us tonight? May we strive for that which matters most. And what a joy it will be to hear the Lord say, well done thou good and faithful servant. You've been faithful in few things. I'm gonna use you in greater things. When the Lord returns, will he find us faithful? Thank you for our time together tonight. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.