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So you're there in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, and what I'm going to preach on this morning is the judgment seat of Christ, the judgment seat of Christ. And we're probably going to be getting into other avenues because this is strongly linked with the resurrection and the resurrections, and so I'm going to be talking about that. But I wanted to talk about this because a lot of people, I think, unsaved people get this mixed up because they think of the great white throne judgment, and then they think about the judgment seat of Christ, and they don't realize there's a separation between those two, and that there are two different judgments, but also they don't realize that there is going to be a judgment for the saved. And so we need to be knowledgeable with that and know what the Bible teaches about that. So in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 10, it says, 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. So I'm going to show you the places where it talks about the judgment seat of Christ. Go to Romans chapter 14. Romans chapter 14. I'm going to talk about what's going on in the judgment seat of Christ, when that happens, and just what the Bible teaches about basically the timeline of these things, and some misconceptions that people have when it comes to it. There's a lot of false doctrines that stem out of judgment seat of Christ, and just different things that we're going to talk about. But Romans chapter 14 and verse 7, just to get some context here, it says in verse 7, it says, For none of us live it to himself, and no man die to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore die, we are the Lord's. For to this end, Christ both died and rose and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother, or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, said the Lord, every knee shall bow to him, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. So we see a little bit more information that we're giving account of ourselves to God that this is judgment seat. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, we see that we're going to receive things that have been done in our body, whether good or bad. And then in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, now, 1 Corinthians chapter 3 doesn't say that this is the judgment seat of Christ, but it is. It's talking about that event, it just doesn't call it the judgment seat of Christ. But we see that we're talking about taking account, receiving things, you know, receiving a reward. And even in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, when you look at the beginning of the chapter, it's talking about the resurrection. It's talking about getting a new body, talking about the house or tabernacle that we're in right now, and how we're going to have, you know, we're going to put off mortality and put on immortality, talking about the resurrection. So the resurrection happens, and then we're going to be judged according to what we've done in the body, whether it be good or bad. That's where people get into some false doctrines as far as the fact of, well, we're going to be judged according to our sins, or our sins are going to be brought up, there's going to be a big movie screen, and, you know, God's going to see all the sins that you've done. No, if you're saved, the Bible says that your sins are as far as the east is from the west, and your iniquities, or your sins and iniquities will be remembered no more. That happens the moment you get saved. So the judgment seat of Christ is not this recounting of all the sins that you committed, and we're going to get into that. I'm going to talk about that more. But 1 Corinthians chapter 3, actually, if I was going to look at the judgment seat of Christ, 1 Corinthians 3 is where I would really see a lot more clarity as far as what's going on during this judgment seat, right? We see that we're going to be given an account to God. We see that we're going to be given things, or receive things, whether it be good or, you know, of what we've done in the body, whether it be good or bad, talking about what we've done in the body is good or bad, not that we're going to receive something good or bad. Does that make sense? We're not going to receive something bad, okay? But in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 8, notice what it says. It says, Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own, what, reward according to his own labor. If I was going to sum up what the judgment seat of Christ is, it's getting rewards according to your labor, okay? In verse 9 it says, For we are laborers together with God, ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God, which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious 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. 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. So this, I believe, is talking about the judgment seat of Christ, but it gives a lot more clarity as far as this what's good or bad, okay? What's good or bad? And we're going to get into more detail about that here in a minute, but first I want you to see that before all the dead, all those that are in hell, we're going to get to them. All those that are in hell and that are going to be brought back up and that are going to be judged, it's a great white throne judgment, before that all the saved are going to be judged. Now there's going to be a judgment for the first resurrection, but there's going to be also a judgment for the saved after the thousand year reign, okay? And so you say, good night, what in the world are you talking about? Well we're going to talk about that, and again, when I talk about the judgment seat of Christ, I couldn't talk about it without getting into the timeline of resurrections because that'll give you a little more information as far as what's going on, but go to 1 Peter chapter 4, 1 Peter chapter 4, because I want you to know that our judgment comes before the unbelievers. The judgment seat of Christ will be before the judgment of the unbelievers, and they are separate judgments. The unbelieving, you know, the dead that are in hell, they'll be judged eventually, but they're not going to be at our judgment seat, and we're not going to be at their judgment seat. Okay? There's two different judgments. There's the judgment of the, you could say the judgment of the sheep and the judgment of the goats, but there's a separate judgment that's going to be taking place. Both are going to be dealing with works, but the difference is one's saved and the other one's not, and so after the judgment, one's going to, you know, go into life eternal, you know, and we'll have rewards with that, and the other one's going to go into hell, which a lot of them have already come out of hell, and they're going to be cast to a lake of fire. But in 1 Peter chapter 4, it gives a kind of a timeline as far as knowing that our judgment comes first. It says in verse 17, so 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 17, it says, for the time has come, the judgment must begin at the house of God, and if it first began at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator? And so we see here that the judgment must begin at the house of God, so it's beginning with the saved, the saints, and we're going to have a judgment seat of Christ before even the unbelievers, because it says, where are they going to appear? Well, they're all going to appear at the great white throne, and so what you've got to understand is the judgment seat of Christ is for the saved, for the believers, or for the quick. Now quick is just another term for alive, something that's quick, you know, the word of God is quick and powerful, sharp and any sort, it's talking about it's alive, it's living. The word of God liveth and abideth forever, right? But then you have the great white throne judgment, which is for the unbelievers, and the dead. You say the dead, you know, are you a Jehovah Witness, do you believe that you're going to go out of existence? No. Dead doesn't mean out of existence, dead just means that they're dead. They're not alive, and they're going to be dead, and they're going to be punished with eternal hellfire forever. And so those are the two types of judgments. Now if you're saved today, and you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you trusted him as your savior, then you don't have to worry about that great white throne judgment. But we do have to think about is the judgment seat of Christ, because that keeps being brought up, is that we're all going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Why does he bring it up? Because you should be knowledgeable about the fact that we're going to be judged according to what we do in this life as believers. Why? So you don't go to hell? No. It's so that you would get as much rewards as possible. So you don't suffer as much loss. When I think about the judgment seat of Christ, I think about the fact that I don't want to suffer loss, and I know I will. I think everybody is going to suffer some loss because we all fail at some points, we don't do everything we should be doing, but how much loss are you going to be suffering? Are you going to lose everything? Is everything going to be burned up? Are you going to lose half? And here's the thing. That's why when you're in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, it goes into 4, 5, and 6, talking about judging the brethren. It says, judge nothing before the time. It's not talking about don't judge anybody ever, because then he rebukes them in chapter 6 and says, is there no one in the church to judge you? You know, and you're taking it before unbelievers. So obviously we're supposed to judge each other according to the law, right? But here's what you're not supposed to judge, be like, Brother Eric, I'm going to get more rewards than you, because I'm a pastor, you know, and I'm winning such and such to the Lord, or you know, whatever, right? Do you see how that's judging before the time? And I'm already saying, like, what kind of rewards I'm going to have? So we're not supposed to judge our brother before the time when it comes to, you know, what we think our position is going to be in heaven, what we think our reward is going to be in heaven. No, just let that go. Just do what you need to do, do what the Bible says, and then we'll find out one day. You know, I'm not going to look, you know, and I love Pastor Anderson, and I love a lot of pastors and a lot of the brethren in Christ that do a lot of great things for God and in the world. But I'm not comparing myself to them. I'm not looking at them like, you know, I'm going to get more rewards than that guy. Or, you know, I can't attain unto him. You know, you know what I'm saying? You're not supposed to be judging yourselves among yourselves as far as what you're going to be doing, what rewards you're going to get. And so let God take care of that, and don't worry about it. But we also need, we need to realize that, hey, there is going to be this judgment seat, so are you going to suffer, are you going to have any rewards? How much loss are you going to suffer when it comes to that? Well, go to Acts chapter 10, and I want you to first see that Jesus is the judge, not only of the alive, but of the dead. Now we're the alive, right? We have everlasting life. We were dead in trespasses and sins, but he's quickened us. That's what I was talking about, being quickened, being made alive, right? Our souls were dead in trespasses and sins, but when we believed on Christ, we're made alive, so we're the quick. You know, and when our body dies, our soul's still alive, right? We never die spiritually. When an unbeliever dies, you know, their body dies, their soul's dead, and it's going to go to hell. And so that's why, you know, I want to show you the places where it talks about Jesus being the judge of the quick and the dead. In Acts chapter 10 and verse 42, it says, and he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead, to him give all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. So we see that Jesus was ordained. If you look up in that passage, forsaken time, I'm not reading the whole passage up there. Let's talk about Jesus and the fact that he rose from the dead, and God the Father ordained him to be the judge of the quick and the dead. Go to 2 Timothy chapter 4, 2 Timothy chapter 4, 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1, it says, I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Now there's something interesting there because now we see two different things there, at his appearing and at his kingdom, right, he's going to judge the quick and the dead because what we're going to see is that there's the first resurrection where you're going to have the judgment seat of Christ right before we go into the millennial reign, but then there's another, at the end, there's going to be another resurrection of the believers, but also a resurrection of the unjust. That's where you're going to have another judgment seat dealing with believers, and then you're going to have the great white throne. And so again, like I said, I can't really get around not talking about the resurrections and what the Bible teaches on that because that really does correlate with the judgments. And go to 1 Peter chapter 4, 1 Peter chapter 4, so I just want you to see where it talks about Jesus being the judge of the quick and the dead, I'm sure you believe me by now that he's judging both the living and the dead, but when it says this he's the judge of the quick and the dead, I don't believe in these contexts that he's talking about dead in Christ. Does that make sense? I believe he's talking about, you know, at the end, you're going to have the living that are in heaven or in New Jerusalem, right, or you're going to have the dead that are in the lake of fire, like those are the two subsets, right? And so when it says he's the judge of the quick and the dead, he's going to judge the saved, but he also is going to judge the dead, okay? And so in 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 3 it says, For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles. When we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, banquets, and abominable idolatries, wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you, who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. So we see here that, hey, both the believers are going to give an account to God and the unbelievers, and there's two different judgments that are going on there. But going back to 2 Corinthians 5, talking about this good or bad, okay, again there's this false doctrine out there that we're going to be judged at the judgment seat of Christ according to our sins, okay, what we've done in the body and according to our sins. It's not true. The Bible doesn't teach that, and we'll see, you know, that the Bible talks about that our work is going to be tried, not us, not us physically. Our work is going to be tried by fire. But when it talks about what's done in the body, whether good or bad, that's where people say, well, see, bad, that has to be like you committed a sin. You did some sin, and this is all going to be brought up to God and all this stuff. Listen, when you got saved, Jesus Christ's righteousness was imputed to you. There's nothing that they could bring up and say, hey, you've done it, no, because at this point when we're at the judgment seat of Christ, you know, the only way that you're even there is because you've been made righteous, okay? So the sins are all gone. The sins are gone the moment you believe, but your body still has sin in it. But that dies. I mean, if you're up in heaven, that body's dead. It's already had its judgment, for the wages of sin is death, right? It's had its judgment, and your soul isn't going to have the second death because you've been saved. But 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10, it says, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, notice that it's in his body, right? And that's why it's important that we put on the new man, put off the old man, right? And when you put on the new man, you're still in your body. It's not like you come out of your body and you start doing things, right? No, you're in your body, but you're under the influence of the Spirit. Therefore, your body is doing what the new man wants you to do, and therefore, that's why you can do something good compared to bad. And it says, according to that, he had done, whether it be good or bad. Now this is where people say, well, bad, that means sinful. Well, go to Jeremiah chapter 24, Jeremiah chapter 24. I want to talk about that word bad, okay? Just because something's bad doesn't mean that it's sinful. And this goes into evil, too. We'll see that as well. Is there evil in the city and the Lord hath not done it? The word evil doesn't mean sinful. And you kind of look at it this way, all sin is evil, but not all evil is sin, because evil just means harmful, or something that's bad, right? We'll see that there's an equivalent to this. But obviously, sin is bad, right? But not all things that are bad are sinful. And so if I said there's batteries, I changed out the batteries, the batteries are bad. Man, they need to get saved, right? You know what I mean? And so obviously, inanimate objects, you could say, are bad, or not good, right? And so that's what we need to understand, is that the Bible will actually define this as not being necessarily sinful, but something that's not profitable, or something that's not good for use, okay? And so go to Jeremiah 24 and verse 2, Jeremiah 24 and verse 2, notice what it says. It says one basket had very good figs. Even like the figs that are first ripe. And the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten. They were so bad. Notice in verse 3, then said the Lord unto me, what seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, figs, the good figs, very good, and the evil, very evil, they cannot be eaten. They are so evil. Man, these are some simple figs, right? Now, what this is saying, obviously, is talking about naughty figs. You just think about something that's naughty, right? You know, it's something, here's the thing. When you find fruit and it's bad, right? It's not simple, it's just not good to eat. It's not profitable, right? And you need to throw it out. And so that's what we're talking about, is the fact that bad doesn't necessarily mean sinful. And when we're talking about the judgment seat of Christ, we're not talking about sins being put up there. And actually, when you go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 3, we'll see that it perfectly shows us an illustration where it's very clear that you're not talking about, you know, things that are unsimple and things that are simple. Okay? You're just talking about what's profitable or what's going to last compared to what's not going to last. What's eternal compared to what's temporal, right? So that's what we're looking at when we're looking at judgment seat of Christ. When we're saying good or bad, you're talking about whether you did something that was for eternal value or something that you did that's just for the temporary value. Okay? And so 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 11, it says, for other foundation can no man lay than that is lay, which is Jesus Christ. This also shows us that the foundation is salvation. If you build nothing on your foundation, nothing, I'm saying even not even wood hay and stubble, okay? You're still saved, okay? Let's say there's like, there's nothing even to light on fire. You just did nothing, right? You just sat like a lump on a log. You didn't even like go out and get a car, okay, or get like things to go places or do anything, right? You're still saved because it's by faith that you're saved. But if you don't build anything, if you build things that are of eternal value, have a reward, if you don't, then you're going to suffer loss. Notice in verse 12, it says, 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. What sort it is, whether it's good or bad. Now is there something simple about wood, hay, and stubble? I mean wood, hay, and stubble is just a material, right? It's an organic material that we burn, right? We use it for a fire. So is the wood, hay, and stubble going to make it? I mean obviously not. I mean that's going to be the kindling, if anything, is the wood, hay, and stubble. But we see that with gold, silver, and precious stones, what? Gold and silver is what? Purified in a furnace of earth. Purified seven times. Talking about the word of God. Silver is purified in the furnace of earth. That's what we're talking about. Tried gold in a fire. Tried silver in a fire. Precious stones in a fire. And what does that do? It purifies it, but it doesn't destroy it. But with wood, hay, and stubble, what's it do? It destroys it. It's gone. And it's going to be lost. So that's what we see here is that when we're talking about the judgment seat of Christ, we're not talking about like, hey, you're just got this big monitor and like go through all your sins because we're going to be there for a while. You know, it's depending on how long you lived, right? We're simple people. And when we get saved, we're still sinning. We're still going to sin. We still have the old man. And until the resurrection, you're going to have that simple state that's with you. But when it comes to the judgment seat of Christ, when you're up there, you're not recounting your sins. You're recounting your life as far as what you did though. Now will you weep? Me? You know, it talks about at the very end, He's going to wipe away all tears. So at that point, it sounds like until the new heaven, new earth, they're still going to be weeping. There may be weeping when you see lost loved ones being cast into the lake of fire. You know, it doesn't say that you won't be weeping for that. But what I want you to see here though is that if you're weeping at the judgment seat of Christ, it's not because you're going over your sins. It's not because you're being recounted or being chastened. That's one thing that I've heard a lot too. You're like, well, you're not going to go to hell. People like that, the unsaved will be like, well, you're not going to hell, but you're going to be scourged at the judgment seat of Christ. Now did you read anything about being scourged? Did you see anything about being punished? Actually, the only thing that's burned up is the works, right? The only thing that's even tried is the works. It doesn't even say that we are tried. Now it says that we ourselves are going to be saved, yet so as by fire. And so we're saved, you know, we're not being touched. We have the foundation. That whole building can burn to the ground, but we still have the foundation. And so we're still going to be saved and nothing's going to change that. But we suffered loss. And so we need to think about what's eternal, what's temporal. Go to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. And there's no coincidence that 2 Corinthians chapter 4 at the end of this chapter is going right into 2 Corinthians chapter 5, and you're talking about the resurrection in chapter 5. Because we know, we believe that we're going to have the, you know, the Daniel 70th week. That's the next thing that's coming up in Bible prophecy, right? We're going to have the tribulation. And Jesus is going to come in the clouds. At that moment is when we get resurrected. And so, but the judgment seat of Christ actually, I'm going to show you the timeline of this. The judgment seat of Christ happens a little bit right before the thousand year reign. So we're talking like a very minimal time, but obviously God's pouring out His wrath. So there's an amount of time of that going on to where we're going to be judged and we're basically going to be given positions of authority to rule and reign with Him for a thousand years. That being said, you know, we need to, we need to, we'll see that you see in chapter 4 here, things that are eternal, temporal, goes right into chapter 5 talking about having a, you know, getting clothed upon, you know, and then talking about the fact that we have a house, we have a tabernacle, right? And Peter talks about how he has a tabernacle that's going to be dissolved in 2 Peter chapter 1. Then it goes right into the judgment seat of Christ. See, it's even in order as far as what he's talking about here. As far as you're living here in the life, do things that are eternal, not temporary. Resurrection, judgment seat of Christ. But in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 17 it says, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. The things which are seen are temporal, and the things which are not seen are eternal. You don't have to turn there, but in Romans chapter 8 and verse 18 it says, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. So what we need to think about, when you're thinking about what's the gold and the silver and the precious stones, what's the wood, hay, and stubble? We know it's not talking about like righteousness and sin necessarily, right? Because obviously things that are bad aren't necessarily sinful, and we're not going to be judged according to our sins, but what's that talking about? Eternal? Temporary. Right? You say, well, what's things that are eternal? Soul winning, winning people to Christ, doing things for others that are of eternal value, raising your kids up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, loving your wife, your children, pastoring a church. That would be things of eternal value, teaching people the Bible, right? Those are things of eternal value, to where you're teaching the Bible so that they go out and do likewise. Being fruitful, that's of eternal value. What's not of eternal value? Just living for the things of this life, big house, boat, cars, you know, stuff like that. And here's the thing, we all have vehicles, we got here, right? Is it wrong? Is it sinful to have a car? Obviously no one's going to be getting here to church, especially in the day we live in as far as transportation goes, unless we have some of these temporary things. But are any of those vehicles out there going to last? They're going to be all burned up with fervent heat, right? All the elements of the world are going to be burned up with fervent heat. So am I tied to that vehicle? Am I like just holding on to that thing, like, ah, I don't want to let that thing go? And now it's going to fall apart. My truck's already falling apart, you know, if anybody knows me knows how many times I've had to fix this recently. All I have to say is that we need to realize that we're going to have some temporary things in this life, but is that your focus in life? Is that what you're striving for? Are you striving for the unrighteous mammon of the world? Are you striving for the true riches which are in heaven? And so try not to be, you know, at least be balanced with that, okay? I'll say this, at least be balanced, like you have the things of this life, you have the things of God, but it should be more so that you're going for the things of God more than things of this world, right? Have so much of an unbalance that this is just for necessity, right? This is just, you know, I have a vehicle to get point A, point B, I have a house that serves a purpose, right? I'm doing things with that house, right? And you know, this isn't about being rich or anything like that, there's nothing wrong with being rich, but are you living to be rich? Do you love the money or are you using it for, you know, purposes, right? And so there's plenty of people that have, you know, money, but they're doing something with that money, right? They're not just holding it back, storing it up for whatever, and then, you know, that fool this night, that soul is required of the, you know, kind of mentality. And so that's what we're talking about when we're talking about judgment seat of Christ, the things that are eternal compared to things that are temporal. And so we need to keep that in mind. That's why it talks about a lot of times in the Bible, take hold on eternal life. It's not saying like, we need to hold on to it so we don't go to hell, you know? He that endureth on the end, the same shall be saved, therefore, I need to hold on to that, like hold on to it, like it's like moving around, I got to make sure I go to heaven. No, what it's talking about when it's taking hold on is basically, remember we were talking about how Paul says that I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead? Not as though I'd already attained, either we're already perfect, but I follow after that I may apprehend that, which also I'm apprehended of Christ. Meaning that I know I haven't attained to that, I'm striving to attain unto the resurrection of the dead, even though I'm not really going to attain to it until Jesus comes and changes my vile body. But we need to be in that mindset of like, hey, I'm taking a hold of that. I'm trying to take a hold of the resurrection, I'm trying to take a hold of eternal life, meaning that this world, we're just pilgrims and strangers in this world, and the more you take hold on that eternal life and say, you know what, I'm holding on to it. You know, Jesus is eternal life, right? Take hold on Christ, and follow him and do what he's doing. Take part in his sufferings and the eternal weight of glory, there's nothing to be compared to it, the Bible says. And so that's when we're talking about the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment seat of Christ is the end, okay? At that point you can't do anything else. But what you can have is in the forefront saying, I know this is going to happen, I know I'm going to have this judgment seat of Christ, I know I'm going to have this time where I'm going to have to give a count of things that I've done in the body, you know, I want to go up to it and be like, man, I tried my best, you know? I know I'm going to suffer loss. But I'll say this, I believe that the whole building's not going to be burned down. Does that make sense? Like, it's all going to, there's going to be things that are going to be burned. I guarantee it. I would be prideful to say any otherwise and say, oh, it's just all gold, silver, and precious stones. My life is just filled with the fruits of God and I'm just walking in the Spirit at all times. No, that's prideful, that's arrogance-y, and it's just not true. But it'll also keep you in your game. If you're not, if I thought that, then I'm not going to be up in my, you know, like the soul winning, I'm not going to be up in my Bible reading, I'm not going to be challenging myself at all, I'm just going to be like, I arrived. Well Paul the apostle didn't arrive, Paul the apostle didn't attain, and I think that I'm nowhere even close to where he's at, so I have a long ways to go. If he hasn't attained unto the resurrection of the dead, I haven't attained unto the resurrection of the dead, and it's time to get serious about things of God. Now let's look at this timeline, you know, because we're talking about when's our resurrection, okay, and when's our judgment seat of Christ going to be, and go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I believe 1 Corinthians chapter 15 gives us a good outline as far as events, starting with the resurrection of Christ. So we get our point of reference from the resurrection of Christ, because I want to talk about the resurrections here for a minute, just so you kind of understand like what's the timeline, because if I don't talk about the resurrections, you're going to be lost when I start talking about the timeline as far as when the judgment seat of Christ happens. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 20, it says, but now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. So we see, this whole chapter is talking about the resurrection, but it says now is Christ risen from the dead. So what, he's now the firstfruits of the resurrection. So that's already happened, and obviously he's still risen from the dead. He's still alive, but in verse 21 it says, for since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead, for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order, so here's the order of events here, Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming, then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. So we see, what you can see here is almost kind of like three different resurrections. You have the resurrection of Christ, which is the firstfruits, meaning he's the only one. Christ right now is the only one that is physically, bodily resurrected from the dead. That doesn't mean that in the Old Testament people didn't go to heaven, because the souls went to heaven, the bodies are still in the grave. And that's still the same today. The bodies are in the grave, souls are in heaven. But Jesus is the only one that has a body, a spiritual body, that's what we're waiting for. So that's why it says, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming, so the second coming of Christ, that's when the trumpet's going to sound, and it says the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together within the clouds, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. So at his coming, all from Adam up to wherever this happens, we could already be dead. We might be in the dead in Christ. We don't know when all this is going to go down. I think it could happen soon, but you never know. But let's say we're already dead. We could be in the dead in Christ. We're going to rise first with the dead in Christ from the foundation of the world up to that point. And then, so that's what the Bible calls the first resurrection. And then there's the then cometh the end. So there's another one. Now this is the one, now this is where it gets confusing, where people get confused about this because we talk about the resurrection, Jesus coming in the clouds, we're resurrected. But then there's passages in the Bible where it talks about how not only the just, but also the unjust are going to be raised. Now that's where it's talking about the then cometh the end. Now this happens after the 1,000 year reign. So when you read in those passages, which I'm going to go to, where it talks about the resurrection of the just, or the resurrection of life, or there's different ways that it says it, but it mentions both of them. That's talking about the very end. That's talking about after the 1,000 year reign. And that's dealing with believers and unbelievers. So the first resurrection, I want to show you that. Go to Revelation chapter 20. Because the Bible calls it the first resurrection. OK? I didn't just make that up. But here's the thing, if there's the first resurrection, that means there has to be another one. Or it would just say the only resurrection, or the resurrection. But the fact that it says the first resurrection implies that there's another one. That's why it says then cometh the end. So everyone in his own order cries the firstfruits. They go to Christ at his coming. And then come at the end. So there's three different events that we see there. One's already happened when Christ rose from the dead. One's going to happen when it comes to when he comes in the clouds. And then the other one's going to happen after the 1,000 year reign. And it kind of explains this. In Revelation chapter 20, in verse 4, it says, and I saw thrones, and they sat upon them. And judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ 1,000 years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the 1,000 years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him 1,000 years. So we see that the first resurrection, now it can be a little confusing on how this is worded here. It's not saying that the dead that live not again until 1,000 years are finished are the first resurrection. It's talking about the ones that are in verse 4 there. It's just stating a fact. Now, what does this mean by that? Well, we're not talking about unsaved people there. Because are the unsaved ever going to live again? So when it says the dead, the rest of the dead shall not live again until the 1,000 years are expired. You're talking about saints that have died. Because what happens when Jesus comes back? The dead in Christ shall rise first. We'll rise up with him in the resurrection, right? What about people that got saved after that? Because I do believe that there's a purpose why the 144,000 are there and why the two witnesses are going to be witnessing in Jerusalem. I believe people are going to get saved. It talks about them being afraid and giving glory to God. And so I do believe people are going to get saved. But either way, there's going to be people getting saved in the 1,000 year reign. What's going on during the 1,000 year reign? But the gospel's going to be preached and all that stuff to them in the 1,000 year reign. So there's going to be people living and dying, living and dying, living and dying. And what it's saying is that from the first resurrection to the very end of the 1,000 year reign, those people that die, their bodies are going to be dead until that 1,000 years expired. But you know what that means is that when the 1,000 years expires, they're going to be raised as well. Does that make sense? So it kind of explains this first resurrection. Then you go on, then come at the end. And so I know it kind of wards it a little confusing there, and when you first read it, it's kind of a little confusing. But what we believe is the fact that when Christ comes a second time, you're talking about the first resurrection. And so now the dispensationalists and all of the pre-Tribbers, they always try to pull out all these different resurrections, like there's a resurrection for this group of people. There's a resurrection for the Jews. There's a resurrection for this. There's a resurrection in the middle of it. There's a resurrection after this. Well, we're all the way at the end. Going into 1,000 year reign, it's only mentioning one resurrection, the first. So there's no other resurrections that could have happened up to this point. And the only other one that's going to happen is after the 1,000 years has expired. But go to Matthew chapter 19, because you may say to yourself, well, in verse 4, what's it talking about when it says, I saw thrones and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them? Again, I'm not saying I have all the answers for what's going on at this time. Because we only have a little bit of information when it comes to these areas. So I'm only going to talk about what I see and know here. But it's like heaven. What's all going on up in heaven? Well, we can only go with what the Bible says about it. And at that point, we're speculating after that. But notice what it says in verse 28. So Matthew chapter 19, verse 28. It says, and Jesus said unto them, verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. So we see in Revelation chapter 20, you see thrones. And you also see judgment being given. They sat upon them. So we're not talking about just Jesus. So what's this talking about? Well, in the regeneration, obviously the 12 apostles were given this honor that they're going to judge the 12 tribes of Israel. You say, why? I don't know. That's what Jesus said. But that's just what the Bible teaches on this. And so there may be other thrones. There may be other things that you think about the parable that says, well done, thou good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a few things. I'll make thee ruler over many things. And so maybe as far as we're going into the 1,000 year reign, and we're going to rule and reign with Christ for 1,000 years, that's only for the first resurrection. The first resurrection, according to Revelation chapter 20, verse 6, it says, blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. And it says, on such the second death hath no power. But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him 1,000 years. So all those, all the saints from the foundation of the world up to the point of when Jesus comes in the clouds, we're all going to rule and reign with Christ. But obviously, there's different offices based off what you do, right? Just because you got saved doesn't mean that God's going to make you ruler over 50s or over 10s. That has to do with what you do in this life. And that's where the judgment seat comes into place, I believe. Obviously, there's going to be rewards. But at that point, there is an idea as far as what position you have when we go into this 1,000 year reign. It's almost kind of like a judgment seat where you're kind of declaring how this is going down going into the 1,000 year reign. Does that make sense? Because there's going to be people ruling and reigning with Christ. But to what capacity? I believe all believers will be there doing this. Nowhere does it say it's only the Jews or only the 12 tribes of Israel. So it's not just them. It's all of us. But go to 1 John chapter 3. And this is something that we've talked about before. That we get our new bodies the moment we're resurrected. But if you know the timeline of events, we're resurrected. But then he pours out his wrath. And then we're judged going into the 1,000 year reign. And so I just want you to see that, that I do believe that the moment we're resurrected is when we get our new bodies. And so in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 2, it says, beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. So when are we going to see him as he is? When he shall appear. Or when shall we be like him, is what I mean. And Philippians chapter 3, you don't have to turn to all these, but Philippians chapter 3 at the end of the chapter there, it says in verse 20, for our conversation is in heaven, for whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. So we see, when's our vile body going to be changed? When he appears in heaven, right? And 1 Corinthians chapter 15, same thing. So I just want you to see that, OK, that I'm not saying we get our new bodies right before the 1,000-year reign. I believe it's when we're caught up into him in the clouds, we're going to be changed in the moment of twinkling of an eye. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 51, it says, behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, for we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. So when are we going to be changed? When the dead are raised incorruptible. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So I just wanted to give you that little information as far as, I believe we're going to be resurrected. Spiritual body is the moment Jesus comes in the clouds. We're going to be changed in the moment of twinkling of an eye. But the judgment seed the Bible is showing is happening right before we go into the 1,000-year reign. Satan is bound in hell into the boneless pit for 1,000 years. And then it says, I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. And then it says, this is the first resurrection. So it's talking about who's there, right? It's not saying that's when the resurrection happens. And I've heard people say that, too, where they say, well, this is when the resurrection happens, when you're changed. This is when Jesus comes in the clouds. I'm like, I don't remember ever seeing anywhere in there where Jesus is coming in the clouds at that point. But they'll try to say something like that. When it says, this is the first resurrection, it's just saying, who takes a part of this? The first resurrection takes part of this. It takes part of this judgment seat of Christ that I believe is talking about in Revelation chapter 20. But then come at the end. Now, this is where, like I said, people get confused when they think about, OK, there's passages where it's talking about not just the saved being resurrected, but also the unsaved, or the unbelievers, right? So go to Daniel chapter 12. Daniel chapter 12, and I'm going to show you these passages where it says this. But I'm going to basically state to you that this is talking about after the 1,000-year reign, because nowhere in the Bible is it talking about the dead being judged or resurrected until Revelation chapter 20, after the 1,000 years have expired. Nowhere does it say that. So that being said, when we see these passages where it talks about the resurrection and the adjustment of the unjust, that means that we're talking about the very end. And sometimes you say, well, the end, talking about the end of the world is talking about the tribulation and all that stuff, right? Well, yeah, sometimes it is. But there's other types of ends, right? There's the end, and then there's the very end. And so when it says, then come at the end, we're talking about after the 1,000 years, because it even says, he shall deliver up the kingdom, for he must reign until he hath put all enemies under his feet. So when it says the end, what's the end of? The 1,000-year reign, the end of the kingdom that's here on the earth for 1,000 years, then that's what it's referring to as the end right there. But in Daniel chapter 12 and verse 2, and I know this is kind of deep for a Sunday morning. I know this is more like a Bible study. But I just wanted to get into this as far as what the Bible teaches on this and maybe clear up some of these harder passages as far as what people may get confused. And if you have any questions about it, you can talk to me afterwards and stuff like that. But in Daniel chapter 12 and verse 2, it says, and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. So what in the world was that talking about, right? We always hear about the resurrection of the saved, the rapture, right? Well, go to John chapter 5, because this is mentioned in the New Testament as well. John chapter 5. And so I believe when it talks about this resurrection of damnation or the resurrection of the unjust, we're talking about the great white throne judgment. And that happens after the 1,000-year reign. I don't see how anybody could dispute that the great white throne judgment happens after the 1,000-year reign right before the new heaven, new earth, and all that. But in John chapter 5, verse 24, I'm just going to read this because it's one of my favorite verses. 24 doesn't really have to do as much with what we're talking about, but I like it. And it's right before what I was getting into. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believed on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this. For the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. So you see two different resurrections here. And people will get caught up on this. I'm sure the work salvationists will come in and be like, well, see, you have to do good to get the resurrection of life. No, it talks about that I have the righteousness of God, which is of faith, which is of God by faith. I don't have the righteousness which is of the law. So when it says they that have done good, yeah, I have done good because I've been imputed with the righteousness of God the moment I believe. And that's probably why it's important that he has verse 24 right before that. So how do we have that everlasting life? How do we have righteousness? How are we good? Because there's none good, no, not one. There's not a just man upon earth to do a good and sin is not. And Jesus said, there's none good but one that is God. So unless you have God's righteousness imputed unto you, then you can't be in this list where it says, they that have done good, right? But my Savior's done good and his righteousness is imputed on me. So that's why, you know, we're in that resurrection. Okay. And obviously they have done evil because all Irish have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. So, you know, obviously we've all done evil. The only reason that we would be in the resurrection of life is because we've been saved. But we see that there are two different resurrections. There's a resurrection of life and it's stating this that the hour is coming. So it's saying that this is a point in time, right? I don't believe that this is stating, well, that's the resurrection, you know, like talking about the rapture when Jesus comes in the clouds. And then there's this other resurrection over here. I believe this is happening at a moment in time where at the thousand year finish, when it expires, you're gonna have this where all the graves, or all that are in the graves are gonna hear his voice and they're all gonna come out, one to the resurrection of life and one to the resurrection of damnation. And so go to Acts chapter 24. Acts chapter 24 talks about the same thing. So you get called, you know, we would be the first resurrection, there's no getting around that, right? We're already alive. But I guess you could call the one that happens at a thousand year reign the second resurrection. I mean, you know, it doesn't say that, you know? People will probably tear that apart and be like, oh, what are you talking about? Then what's the resurrection of the unjust, you know? Is that the fourth resurrection, you know what I mean? But I just look at that, that this is the resurrection of the just and the unjust. You know, you have Christ the first fruits, you have the first resurrection, that are they that are Christ that is coming, then come at the end, which is the resurrection of the just and of the unjust. And so in Acts chapter 24, verse 14, it says, but this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I, the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets, and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. So we see here the same thing, talking about the fact that there's gonna be a resurrection of the just and of the unjust. Well, let's look at that. Go to Revelation chapter 11 first, then we're gonna go back to Revelation chapter 20. So I wanna talk about this, the end, what happens at the end. So Revelation chapter 11. We're gonna look down at verse 18. Revelation 11, verse 18. And if you know, if you go up in this passage, the seventh trumpet has sounded. So the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ. So we know that this is the finale, right? And in this passage in verse 11 here, it's going through a lot of different things that are gonna be done, right? But it does kinda talk about this, about the dead being judged and stuff like that. So in verse 18, it says, and the nations were angry and thy wrath has come. In the time of the dead that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants, the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. So there's a lot of information in here. So he's basically stating what's gonna happen after this, right? He's kinda stating a lot of information, okay? And it doesn't necessarily have to be in order, because a lot of times in the Bible, when it states information, it's not necessarily in order of events, okay? There's plenty of places in the Bible that do that, but it does talk about the fact that at the time of the dead, they should be judged. So that's kinda getting there on the timeline. It's gonna be after this seventh trumpet. We'll go to Revelation chapter 20. And Revelation 20 is clearly after the seven trumpets, the seven vials. Satan's bound for a thousand years. There's a thousand year reign. Satan's loosed after the thousand years have expired. And then you have the battle of Gog and Magog. And then Satan's cast into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet are, okay? That's where we've gotten to when we get to this passage in verse 11, okay? So in verse 11, it says, And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man, according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death, and whose heart was not found, written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. So we use this a lot outsold, right? Dealing with showing people hell, showing them that this is the second death. But this is the finale. This is the finale as far as who's being cast in there. But it's talking about the dead. Notice that it didn't ever say anything about anybody living there. But what we do see here is that the dead are brought up out of the sea. The dead are brought up out of hell. And this is where, when Jesus said, fear not him that is able to kill the body, but is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. This is what it's talking about. So when he's talking about hell there, he's talking about the lake of fire. Because when people die, if they die without Christ, their body just goes into the grave. But this is where the body, and you say, well, what's the resurrection of the unjust? What's the resurrection of damnation? Their souls are in hell right now, right? Their body is gonna come back to their soul, but they're not alive, why? Because the spirit, the body without the spirit is dead. And there is a difference between the soul and the spirit. And as soon as we get saved, we're sealed, meaning that our spirit goes with our soul to heaven. But the unsaved, their spirit goes to God that gave it. It returns unto God that gave it. And when they go to hell, their soul is down there with no spirit. They're dead. And when their body comes back to their soul, they're still dead. They're not alive, but they're standing before the judgment. So they're not out of existence. This whole Jehovah Witness, people perish and they just go out of existence. That's not there. And sorry to break it to you, but people that are in hell are gonna be there tormented in fire, and they're not gonna have rest day nor night forever. And they're only brought up to be judged according to their works, and then they're gonna be cast into a lake of fire, and they're gonna be without an outer darkness for all eternity. And what's interesting about this is the fact that this is where their soul and body's going to be cast into hell. At this moment, it's body, right? And even Korah, when the earth was opened up, his body was just disintegrated, right? But that body, that's why it says the dead came out of hell. Well, there's some people, their bodies actually are gonna have to come out of hell because some of them dropped alive into the pit. But what's interesting about this is the fact that a lot of people that believe you can lose your salvation and they speak against eternal security, and I have no patience for people that preach against once saved, always saved. Because those that preach against once saved, always saved, they are enemies of the gospel, and it's hard for me to believe that they had ever any hope of being saved. You know, Paul was ignorant in unbelief. He was ignorant in unbelief, and that's why God had mercy on him. These people that openly preach against once saved, always saved, they're reprobates. They're against the gospel. And they wanna be judged according to the works, well, they're gonna be judged according to their works. You know, they're always like, oh, you know, I gotta do good works to go to heaven. It's faith plus works. It's faith without works is dead. Faith without works is dead. Well, you're gonna be dead for all eternity then. And you're gonna be judged according to those works, and you're gonna be cast into the lake of fire because your name's not written in the book of life. Because only those that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and believe it's not by works, and trust in him alone for salvation, they're the only ones going to heaven. And the thing is is that I've seen these tracks where it's like someone's burning in hell, and they're like, man, they told me that it was once saved, always saved. That infuriates me. Because you know what they're saying? It's not just Jesus. It's not just Jesus that's getting me to heaven. It's Jesus plus going to church. It's Jesus plus being baptized. It's Jesus plus not killing somebody. It's Jesus plus not committing suicide. No, it's either Jesus or it's not Jesus. It's either by grace or it's of works. And if by grace then it isn't no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. And if it be of works, then it isn't no more grace, otherwise work is no more work. You can't have it both ways. And if you're trying to have it both ways, this will be your judgment. And you'll stand before God, and every knee will bow at that judgment. Every atheist, every false prophet that's preached against the true gospel will bow their knees and plead for mercy, but it will not be given to them. They'll be shown out of the law, Moses will judgment, and all those Christ-rejecting Jews out in Israel will all bow down before him and pray for mercy. But they'll be judged according to Moses because they didn't believe Moses. Because if they would have believed Moses, they would have believed him. And only if they believe on Christ will they go to heaven. Amen. And this is their end. When anybody ever tells me, well, no, you got to do the works, this is your end. Because I'm not being judged according to my work to go to heaven. The judgment seat of Christ is for rewards. The judgment seat of Christ is for positions of authority as far as after you're already saved. You already have the foundation. This great white throne judgment, there's no good news out of this great white throne judgment. And you say, well, why do they have the book of life opened? You know, why are they doing that? To show why they're gonna be cast into hell. And judgment wants to begin at the house of God. So even in this case, when we're talking about this resurrection of just and unjust, what happens first? Well, judgment must begin at the house of God. Then that means the saved that were resurrected at the end happened before this. You say, well, it's not in there. Well, the Bible says judgment must begin at the house of God. So, and it's interesting because if you go to the next chapter, it gives that dichotomy of the saved and lost. Okay, as far as how, you know, those that are saved are gonna inherit all things. Those that are not saved are gonna be cast to the lake of fire. So in Revelation chapter 21, it says in verse five, and he that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, right for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of water of life, freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son. Well, who's that talking about? The saved. Who is he that overcometh? He that does works unto the end? He that endureth unto the end? This is the victory that ever cometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that ever cometh the world? But he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God. That's he that overcometh. But then it says, but the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars try their part in the language of burn of the fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Those are the two groups. Those are the two judgments. Now, obviously in this passage, this is after the great white throne, but he's recapping it because he's going into new heaven, new earth. All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. Even the earth, even the heavens have been regenerated, right? So it's not just the body, but the whole, everything that you see is all going to be burned up with fervent heat, but it's going to be regenerated. If we go to Revelation chapter 22, anytime you see something at the end of Revelation, especially when it's calling out to the audience or calling out to the reader, you should perk up your ears because this is the last thing that's written in the Bible. And in verse 12, notice Jesus is talking here. It says, behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. That's you, Christian. He's coming and his reward is with them. But it's according to your labor. It's according to the works that you do in this life. And what's the point of doing good works? The judgment seat of Christ. What's the point of doing good works? To see people saved because people are dying and going to hell? You say, well, is that a reward? Well, it says in 1 Thessalonians that it's our crown, that ye are our crown in joy and rejoicing. That's what Paul said. What? Those that he won the Christ is his crown. And so that's what we need to be looking forward to. We need to be thinking about that so that we don't suffer loss. And this church is not a church. It's like the typical church that just comes to church and just sits here and you go through the motions, you sing the songs, read the Bible, hear like a one verse, a poem and a prayer, have an altar call, right? No, this is a church where it's for the work. We're here to do the work. But isn't it interesting that the church is, that the church that does the most work, and I'm not saying we do the most work because we don't, okay? Well, obviously we're trying to. But the churches that do the most work believe that salvation is the freest. Isn't that interesting? You know, if I had a nickel for every single time someone told me you're giving someone a license to sin, why would they ever do anything for God? It's like the people, first of all, the people that believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith, that believe they could do anything and still go to heaven, are the ones that are living more godly than anybody, they're dressing better than anybody, they're winning more people to Christ than anybody. Where's all the other church? Where's the church of Christ? That's down here saying you gotta be baptized to be saved, saying you gotta repent of your sins to be saved. I haven't seen him out soul winning. Where's the Trinity assembly of God at? The tongue-talking, devil-possessed people that they are, that have all their stupid stuff that they say you have to do to be saved? Where are they at knocking the doors? When it says go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Go ye into all the world and teach all nations. Where are they at? If works are so important for them to get saved, why aren't they on their knees and just crawling to people to get them saved? Why aren't they doing all the works that they should be doing? Why isn't the people that believe salvation is free actually do more work than anybody else? Because we actually have the true gospel, because we are actually filled with the Spirit of God. Amen. Amen. But we need to remember that because, you know, we don't wanna, you know, it says take heed, flesh ye fall. We need to be reminded of these things unless we slip from them. It says in Hebrews chapter two. Like I said, some sermons are more so of a precautionary sermon, right? It's not really a sermon like, oh, well, we need to get this right. Everybody repent, you know, we need to get right, get this on track. No, this sermon is just to remind us, hey, you know, this is, you know, this is one of the big reasons why we do it. You know what the other reason that I keep the works of God or try to keep his commandments? Because I fear the chastening of God. Because whom the Lord loveth, he chastens his courage to every son whom he receiveth. But that shouldn't be your, once you, you know, grow in Christ, it shouldn't be, I'm going out sowing because I don't wanna be chasing by God, right? It's kinda like when you have your kids, do you think I want my kids to do what I tell them to do because they're afraid of a spanking? Now, ultimately, hopefully they do it because they're afraid of a spanking, right? But I want them to do it because they love me. And they actually wanna do right, right? And so that should be our mentality is the fact, hey, I'm going out sowing because I don't wanna see anybody go to hell. I actually care about people. I love God. I love the brethren. I wanna come to church because I actually love his word. I like hearing it preached. I like reading it. I like reading around God's people. That should be the reason. So the judgment seat of Christ, something to keep in view, things that are eternal. You know, we don't wanna suffer loss. We don't wanna be just weeping because our whole building burned down. We wanna have something, you know, to say, Lord, this is what I've done for you. Do you wanna be one of those that cast your crown, crowns at Jesus' feet? Well, you gotta earn those crowns first. And you know, there's gonna be some people that aren't gonna have any crowns. You know, the thief on the cross probably doesn't have any crowns to throw at Jesus' feet. Now, praise God, he's in heaven. But you know, that's something that, you know, of course we're going out soul winning to accomplish that. You know, if that's all that happens, amen. But don't you wanna be able to show your Savior, hey, this is what I did with the short amount of time I had. You know, this is, I had a short amount of time. I was living by faith, not by sight. You know, this is what I did. And I'm sure anything that God gives us will rejoice for it. You know, and if I didn't get anything, I would praise God for being there, okay? Because, you know, the fact of what's in store for us in heaven is not to be compared with anything else, so. But let's end with a word of prayer here, Heavenly Father, we thank you for this morning, and pray that you be with us as we go out soul winning. And I pray that you be with the fellowship time. I pray that you'd lead us to people that wanna be saved. I pray that you would deliver us from any unreasonable or wicked men. And Lord, that your word would have free course. And Lord, we just pray that you would open the hearts and minds of those like you did with Lydia and the book of Acts. And Lord, just thank you for a beautiful day. And I pray that you be with us again. And we love you and for all this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.