Would you turn back to 1 Corinthians
chapter four? I want to read the last line
of verse five. And then shall every man have
praise of God. Did it say that? Yes, it did. On judgment day
shall every man. Now that's not talking about
anyone but believers, but it's talking about every believer
without exception. Then shall every man, every each,
every individual believer have praise from God when the Lord
comes on judgment day. Then shall every believer have
praise from God himself. Now that is an incredible thing
to think about. And if it wasn't written in here,
we couldn't believe anything like that. But here we have it. Then shall every man have praise
from God himself. If you're a believer, you're
going to have the God of glory say to you personally, you're
gonna hear these words from him, well done. Thou good and faithful
servant, enter thou in to the joy of thy Lord. And I know somebody's
thinking, how could that be? How in the world can that be? I see it's what the Bible says,
but how can it be? Now, if you're a believer, you
crave his approval. And that's a part of love. If
you love somebody, you crave their approval. If you love me,
you want me to approve of you. And if I, if, you love me, I want your approval. There's no one that's empty of
that, this thing of approval. And if you love the Lord, you
crave his approval. Now, concerning his approval,
his praise, I would like to have your approval,
but if I don't have it, But have the Lord's approval while I regret
not having yours. It's okay. If I have his approval,
if you have his approval and you don't have mine, it's not
going to hurt you much, is it? If you have his approval. Now, if I have your approval
and do not have his approval, what's your approval do for me?
Really nothing. And if you have his approval
and don't have my approval, it's okay. Every believer wants his
approval. Turn with me for a moment to
John chapter 12, hold your finger there in first Corinthians and
turn to John chapter 12. Verse 42. Nevertheless, among the chief
rulers, also many believed on him, but well, there's a rough word. But because of the Pharisees, they
did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue,
for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. They were more concerned about
men's approval than God's approval. It's what the scripture calls
the lust of the eyes. You remember that scripture,
all that's of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the father, but it's
of this world. The lust of the eyes is where I'm more concerned
about what you see than what God sees. Another word for it
is the fear of man. being more concerned about men's
thoughts, their approval of me, than God's approval of me. And the Lord said in John 5,
verse 44, how can you believe? Now listen to this question.
How can you believe which receive honor one of another and seek
not that honor that cometh from God only? Now, let's see what led Paul
to make this statement, then shall every man, talking about
every believer, personally, you're going to experience this. If
you're a believer on judgment day, God is going to praise you. Now, what led Paul to make a
statement like this? Back to 1 Corinthians chapter
four. Now, Paul told the Corinthians,
let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and
stewards of the mysteries of God. That's what he was, a servant
of Christ, a slave of Christ, a steward of the great mysteries
of the gospel. And here's the requirement. Moreover,
it's required in stewards that a man be found faithful. That's
the one thing that's important, that he's faithful to his commission
as a steward of the mysteries of God. But with me, now look
what he says here in verse three. But with me, it's a very small
thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment. Now, Paul had been judged. This is the Apostle Paul, and
this is a true church. He called it the church of God
that's in Christ Jesus. But many of the people in this
church had an unfavorable view of Paul. He said in the ninth chapter
of this same book, my answer to them that examine me is this.
He had people examining him, questioning whether or not he
was an apostle. They were critical of him. And I don't have any doubt that
it hurt his feelings. I think there's, I can feel his
feelings being hurt when he says it's this very small thing that
I be judged of you or man's judgment. He was accused by the Corinthians
of using likeness and purposing things after the flesh. They
said with regard to Paul, his bodily presence is weak and his
speech contemptible. Oh, his letters are wavy and
powerful, but look at it. He's contemptible looking. He's
not a good speaker. We don't get anything out of
his style of preaching. He said, I should have been commended
of you. And he says to this same church,
the more abundantly I love you, the less I'd be loved. Now he
said that to a true church. And that is the state of this
church at Corinth. And to be sure, the church of
Corinth did not treat Paul as they should have. They were always
questioning his apostleship. They're always questioning his
power. Now, Paul is saying, if I am
a minister of Christ and a steward of the mystery of God, and if
I'm faithful to this, and you judge me, He says, it's not really
that big a deal if I am being faithful to my commission. If
you judge me, if you criticize me, if you don't agree, it's
a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of man's
judgment. Paul says, in reality, look in
verse four, I judge not in verse three. He says, I judge not myself. What do you mean by that? Well
in verse four he tells us, I know nothing by myself or against
myself. Now is he saying that I don't
know of any sin in my life? Is that what he's saying? I was
listening to a preacher preach from this passage of scripture
and he said, Paul is saying there's no known sin or allowed sin in
my life. Is that what he's talking about?
No, he's talking about his faithfulness to his commission. as a minister
of Christ and a steward of the mystery of God. And he says,
as far as I know, I'm not compromising my responsibility. I'm being a faithful steward
and a minister of the mysteries of God. As far as I know, I'm
not compromising. I'm not aware of anything wrong
that I'm doing. I know nothing by myself, but
yet am I not hereby justified? Just because I think that, that
doesn't make it so. Well, I think I'm being faithful. Well, good, but that doesn't
mean I am. My thoughts are not what is going
to justify or condemn me. I'm not aware of being unfaithful,
but that doesn't mean I'm not. Now look what he says in verse
four. I know nothing by myself or against myself, yet am I not
hereby justified? Well, I think I'm doing a good
job. Well, that doesn't matter whether you think that or not
or whether I think that or not. But he that judgeth me is the Lord. His judgment is all that matters. Do you believe that? His judgment is all that matters. And his judgment in reality is
all that is accurate. Therefore, verse five, therefore
judge nothing before the time. He's talking about judgment day.
Judge nothing before the time. Now, does that mean when I hear
preaching, I shouldn't judge it to see whether it's according
to the scriptures? You know, it doesn't mean that. Every time
I hear the gospel preached, I want to see if it's from the Word
of God. In that sense, I better judge, and you better judge.
I'm not talking about having a critical attitude or a critical
spirit, but I'm talking about when I hear somebody preach,
I'm seeing is what he's teaching from the Word of God. Is it the
truth of the scriptures? So you better judge in that sense.
And when it says, judge nothing before the time, it doesn't mean
you don't have an opinion about what's right and wrong. Of course
you have an opinion of what's right and wrong from the scriptures.
You better. You stand for what the scripture teaches. It doesn't
mean don't judge anybody in the sense of you shouldn't have a
judgment concerning what's right and wrong. Of course you do.
Well, what is he saying? Judge nothing before the time
until the Lord come who 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." Now when he's saying this, is he saying on
judgment day God's going to expose all the sins men have done in
secrecy? And the hidden things they've done in darkness? That's
not gonna happen to a believer on Judgment Day. I'm justified.
I stand before God without guilt. What that is saying is, until
Judgment Day, you can't look into my heart and know what my
motive is. I can't look into your heart and know what your
motive is. You can't really tell what is
driving me. You can't really tell what my
desire is. And I can't really tell what
your desire is. I can get an idea of it. And
you can get an idea of me, but when it comes to really knowing
what's going on, the motives, the hidden counsels of the heart,
if what I was doing was out of love for Christ and not trying
to promote myself, that's not gonna be brought out until judgment
day. That's the only time anyone will
be able to see anything like that. God's going to bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, the counsels of the heart. It's
gonna be brought out on judgment day with regard to every believer.
My motive was the glory of Christ. That's gonna be said of every
believer. My motive was the glory of Christ. I did what I did because
I loved him. There was a genuine love to the
Lord Jesus Christ and that's what caused all that. But you
and I can't see that right now. I mean, you can, if you're listening
to me preach, I'm sure that you hope, I sure hope I'm that way.
And perhaps to some extent believe I'm that way, but you can't see
everything. And I can't see everything. We are incompetent to make any
kind of judgment. Therefore judge nothing before
the time. On judgment day, it'll be seen
whether or not I was really serving Christ. whether my motive was
his glory, or whether I was promoting myself, or a professional preacher
doing this for a living. It'll be seen, and the same thing
will be seen of you. Everyone will be seen for what they are
on Judgment Day. And every believer without exception
on that day will have praise of God." This is not talking
about their sins being brought up and their bad motives being
brought up, because you've got plenty of them and I've got plenty
of them. There's no question about that. But that's not what
that's talking about. That's talking about these hidden
things that we can't see. They're going to be seen then.
And it's all going to be good. It's not going to be like I'm
going to be exposed as having bad motives and evil intentions
and the bad things I've done are going to be brought up on
Judgment Day. If that's the case, what's salvation? Salvation is
being saved from your sin. It's being justified before God's
sight. It's standing without guilt before
God's sight. And this is going to be said
of every believer. Their motive was the glory of Christ. They
did what they did because they, in their hearts, loved Jesus
Christ. Paul says, therefore, judge nothing
before the time. What did the Lord say? I wonder
what his motive was in doing that. You don't know. I hate
it when I try to judge somebody's motive. It's evil. It's wrong. Judge nothing before the time.
The Lord said, judge not. that you be not judged. Paul said, let us not judge one
another anymore. I love that script. For you know
something that ought to be before my mind and your mind all the
time with regard to judging? Therefore thou art inexcusable,
O man, whosoever thou art that judges for you that judges, doest
the same things. So with regard to this thing
of judging one another, Let's not judge one another anymore.
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the same judgment you
judge, you shall be judged. And what measure you meet, it'll
meet it out to you again. Now that doesn't mean if I have
a judgmental attitude toward you and I judge you, then God's
gonna judge me and condemn me. That's really not what it's talking
about. Judging is a horrible thing. It's wicked. Every one
of us are filled with it. And it's wrong on every level,
but that's not saying if I judge you, then I'm going to hell.
It's saying if I judge you, And you perceive that, you're going
to bring it back at me all the more harshly. And you're going
to judge me and you're going to criticize me. And you're going
to see every fault, every wart. You're going to, I mean, it's
all there. That's what happens when we judge one another. So
he says, judge nothing before the time into the Lord come. And he will bring to light the
hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels
of the heart, the desire, the motives of the hearts. And then
shall every man have praise of God." Now what a remarkable statement. And this is true of every believer
without exception. This is not talking about some
special group. They're going to have praise and others won't. That's just a misunderstanding
of the gospel. Then shall every man have praise
of God. Now, my question is how? It says every man talking about
every believer. If you're a believer, you're
going to hear the God of glory praise you. How can that be? And notice he doesn't say some
will have God's praise. It says, then shall every man,
every believer, every believer is going to have praise from
God, each individual. Now, if you're somebody that
Christ died for, somebody who believes the gospel of Jesus
Christ, God will praise you. I repeat, we wouldn't believe
that were it not written. But here it's written with regard
to every believer, God will praise you. And when he praises, it's
not flattery. You know, a lot of times when we praise people,
it's flattery. trying to butter somebody up
to get something out of them. And you usually know it when
you're being manipulated and flattered. But quite often among
human beings, praise is nothing more than flattery. God doesn't
flatter. When he praises you, it'll be
sincerely because you deserve to be praised by God himself. I repeat, how can that On judgment day, when all are
seen to be what they really are. I love that passage of scripture
in Revelation 22, 11. He that's unjust, let him be
unjust still. If you die unjust, you'll spend
eternity unjust. He that's filthy, let him be
filthy still. How you die, you will spend eternity. He that's righteous, let him
be righteous still. Every believer will be spending
eternity as utterly righteous before God. He that's holy, let
him be holy still. Now that is the description of
every believer, righteous and holy. And God is going to praise
everyone who is righteous and holy. What we are will be seen
clearly on that day. Turn with me to Revelation chapter
19. Revelation, the 19th chapter. Verse seven, let us be glad and
rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the lamb
is come and his wife, the church, every believer. If you're a believer,
you're included in this. His wife hath made herself ready
and to her was granted, graciously given, graciously bestowed that
she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness
of Christ imputed to the saints. Doesn't say that, does it? It
is the righteousness of Christ imputed to the saints. But what
does this scripture say? It's the righteousness of the
saints. Their actual personal possession of righteousness before
God. I've even heard people say, well,
this is talking about the righteous deeds of the saints. You got any deeds that are fine
linen, clean and white? Would any of your deeds pass the test?
Why, no. But this is the righteousness
of Christ, which is nothing else than the personal righteousness
of the saints. God is going to praise everyone
who is righteous. The Lord tells us in the parable
of the wheat and tares, that after the tares are removed,
And cast into the fire, the Lord says concerning the wheat, then
shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their father. Do you hear that? The righteous,
that's every believer. I'm gonna shine like the sun
in the kingdom of my father. That refers to every single believer. That's why God is going to praise
you. This is the great mystery of
the gospel. Christ makes us. What we are with no help from
us and then rewards us as having done it. Let me repeat that. God makes us what we are. I'm
no self-made man in any respect. God makes us what we are through
the gospel and then rewards us as us having done it. On Judgment Day, God will praise
us for literally being what He made us to be. He will praise
us for His work in us. And then He praises us for it. Then shall every man have praise
of God. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter
13. I'd like you to look at these verses with me. Verse 20, now the God of peace
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd
of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect. That's what he does. Make you
perfect in every good work to do his will working in you. That which is well-pleasing in
his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and
ever, amen. He works in you. That which is
well-pleasing in his sight. Turn to Philippians chapter two. Verse 12. Wherefore, my beloved, Philippians
chapter 2 verse 12, wherefore, my beloved, as you've always
obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Don't
have an apathetic attitude about the gospel of Christ. Don't be
indifferent about the gospel of Christ. You give every effort,
every fiber of your being to working at your salvation with
fear and with trembling. Don't have some kind of laissez-faire
attitude. Don't have some kind of indifferent, fatalistic attitude. You work out. Work out what God's
worked in. But look what he says next. He
says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it
is God which worketh in you. both to will and to do of His
good pleasure. Now, if that part of that verse
wasn't in there, it'd scare me to death. Work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling, but thank God for this, for it's
God that worketh. Oh, how powerfully He works.
We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them.
Now work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it's
God that worketh in you, both the will and to do his good pleasure. Listen to this statement by the
apostle Paul, by the grace of God, I am what I am. First Corinthians
chapter 15, verse 10, by the grace of God, I am what I am.
What are you, Paul? Well, according to the scriptures,
I'm holy. I'm unblameable. And I'm unreprovable
in His sight. Colossians 1.22. I'm holy. I'm unblameable. I'm unreprovable
in His sight. Maybe not in your sight, but
his sight. And his sight is the sight that
counts, isn't it? How he sees things is how they
really are. You and I never see, well, as
long as we're walking on this planet, we're never going to
see things as they really are. I mean, we see through a glass darkly.
We're in a fog, but he sees very clearly. And by the grace of
God, I am holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. You see, that's what the cross
accomplished. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ
put my sin so much away and gave His righteousness so much to
me that I literally am. This isn't some kind of forensic
term. I am holy, unblameable, and unreprovable
in His sight. Turn to 1 John chapter 4. Verse 17, herein is our love made perfect
that we may have boldness, confidence in the day of judgment. Now,
what in the world would give you confidence? I mean a well-grounded
confidence. So you can stand before God,
the God of glory and judgment and have boldness. Well, here's the answer. Because as he is, so are we in
this world. How is he? Does he deserve the
praise of God? Will he have the praise of God?
Does the father look at him and he's, oh, he's so pleased with
him. He's pleased with everything
about him. He's altogether lovely to the father. As he is, so are
we right now in this world. Now, if that's so, and it is,
I can have bulletins on the day of judgment. Turn with me to
Romans chapter two. Romans chapter 2, verse 28. For he is not a Jew, which is
one outwardly, neither is that circumcision, which is outward
in the flesh. Now I wish we would listen to
what this is saying. That man that considers himself
a natural Jew, he's not a Jew. That man who has been circumcised,
this proves I'm a Jew. He's not a Jew. Now just get
that down. The whole, the nation of Israel,
they're not Jews. They're not Jews. Well, who are
the Jews? But he is a Jew, verse 29, which
is one inwardly And circumcision is that of the
heart in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not of
men, but of God. God praises the true Jew. You see, it's his work. That's
why he praises. It's his work. He's pleased with
what he has done. Every believer will be rewarded
and praised on judgment day as having never sinned. Look at his perfection. I praise
this man. I praise this woman. They never
sin. Now understand this about justification. I think it's so sad when people
present justification almost like it's a piece of paper that
gives you this legal standing before God. You're justified,
but not really. You're still, no, every believer
will stand before God on judgment day as having never committed
a sin, as having always done that which is pleasing to God. And they will have God's praise. I'm gonna hear him say to me,
well done. Thou good and faithful servant,
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Now, can I get my head
wrapped around that? No. Do I believe it? With all my heart. Because the
righteousness of Jesus Christ, the life of Jesus Christ is so
much mine. I know God will praise him for
that, but his life is mine. And that makes every believer
praise. Oh, we ought to have a, we do
have a great reason to rejoice in the thought of judgment. Now,
when we're getting ready to take the Lord's table, when we take
that bread and drink that wine, which represents the shed blood
and the broken body of the Lord Jesus Christ, this is a celebration. I'm celebrating the fact The
fact that I stand before God justified, without guilt, and
I'm going to have the praise of God himself. And we take that by faith. Who's
to take the Lord's table? Everybody who believes. If you
believe the gospel, if you believe that what Jesus Christ did is
enough to make you praiseworthy before God himself, and you're
relying on him, the Lord's table is for you. Do you fence the
tables? No, the gospel does. But as far
as some man deciding, well, I don't think they ought to take the
Lord's table. They're not living. That's such an abuse of the Lord's
table. It's for everyone who believes. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
gospel that makes us actually praiseworthy in thy sight. And
Lord, we confess from the depths of our hearts, we know it is
all thy son. How we thank you for having his
righteousness, how you think that we thank you that you're
called the Lord, our righteousness. For Lord, indeed, you are our
righteousness and how we Praise you and thank you that
what we've just considered is so through the great mystery
of the death of thy son what he accomplished and Lord enable
us as we take the bread and wine to do this in remembrance of
thy dear son. In his name we pray. Amen.