WHEN IT’S TIME TO REPORT 

II COR 5:1-11 

            It is said that II Corinthians was written by Paul to respond to certain people who were questioning the authenticity of Paul’s ministry.  By the way, those who were opposing Paul all claimed to be Christians, but because of various doctrinal beliefs they were encouraging the Corinthian Christians not to continue following the beliefs taught by Paul.  In response to their opposition we find Paul saying in Chapter 3:1 do, we now need a letter of recommendation in order to preach to you.  You are our letters.  For you have come into the knowledge of Christ because of how we came and ministered to you. And in verse 6 of that same chapter saying, “It is God who has made us able ministers of the New Testament.”  Paul opens chapter 4 with a description of his ministry activities. 

2 Cor 4:1-5 – Paul says, “seeing that God has made us ministers of the New Testament, we came to your in honesty, not trying to deceive you in words or actions.  We did not preach to you glorifying ourselves, but rather we glorified Jesus and presented ourselves as His servants.   

As Paul nears the end of chapter 4 and moves on into chapter 5 he digresses from talking about his own ministry, and reminds his opposers that as Christians we are all seeking the same thing: to leave this earthly world and to be found with Christ.  He says, when our bodies fade away we want to able to put on a new eternal body in fact we are groaning to do so.  But as Christians we don’t just want to be present with Jesus we want more. 

II Cor. 5:9-10 

Paul says, as Christian we work, so that rather we are in these bodies or absent from these bodies (alive or dead) we are found acceptable unto to Him.  Why is this so?  Paul says because we will all one day have to stand before Christ and give an account of what we have done with our lives, whether good or bad. 

If I had to give a title to today’s message it would be WHEN IT IS TIME TO REPORT. 

Most times as Christians we are accustomed to reminding sinners that they will one day have to give an account to God.  We are quick to remind then that one day every knee is going to bow before Christ and that one day they will be judged for their sins.  However, as Christians, we rarely think about the fact that one day we too must make a report to Christ on what we have done with our lives.  For the Christian our report will be presented at the Judgment Seat of Christ. 

I Cor. 3:11-15 

The Judgment Seat of Christ is a judgment of the believer’s works.  This happens in Heaven and will determine the rewards received by the believer.  This judgment will not determine whether you will be saved or not.  All who are present at this judgment will already be saved and have eternal life with Christ.  This is a judgment of our works. 

Paul uses an analogy here of building a house and I want to play with that analogy just a bit. 

We always talk about our mansion in Heaven.  

John 14:1-3  This scripture is the one that generally gets us talking about living in our heavenly mansion.  I have a question.  Did Jesus say he was going to prepare a mansion for us?  He said He was going to prepare a place.  Now this is just food for thought.  Suppose a place means not a mansion, but a vacant spot for your mansion.  And let’s just suppose that the works we do here on this earth for Christ are the building blocks for our mansion. 

I Cor. 3: 11-12  Now as Christians we have all laid a firm foundation for our mansions.  That foundation is Jesus Christ.  Accepting Jesus as our savior puts a foundation on my plot of land.  But how and what I build on that foundation will be determined by the work I do for Christ. 

Now all work is beneficial and will store up one type of building material or the other.  But some work is more beneficial than other work.  How important the work is, and thus the reward that should be received, is determined by the employer and is based on the assigned job responsibilities. 

Example:  Claude at school.  Counselor – Send out transcripts, make sure students take appropriate classes, serves as a resource for students and parents in preparing for college. 

Spends all day picking up trash.  Comes to school dressed all professional.  Gets out of his car and immediately pulls a burlap bag from his trunk and swings it over his shoulder.  Then he pulls out a pointed stick and proceeds to pick up trash.  At some point during the day the Principal will remind Claude that he is a counselor not a janitor.  Couple of days later --- outside painting trim on the windows and doors.  In fact about 2 to three times a week the principal finds Claude doing the janitors work.  Now the work is beneficial, but it is not what he was hired to do.  No transcripts have gone out.  His students are taking wrong classes.  Parents are upset because he is never in his office. At the end of the year when it is time for Claude’s performance review, do you think Claude will be getting a raise?  Now Claude may think that he has done a great job and people driving along the street, not knowing that he is not the janitor, might even agree with him.  He helped to keep the school beautiful and clean.  But the principal, recognizing the responsibilities assigned to Claude will not be happy. 

Sooner or later, on our earthly jobs, our work is evaluated, we have a performance review, an annual report, a progress review, etc.  And that evaluation determines our reward.  When it is time to report to Jesus, will your employer find your work pleasing? 

How does this fit into the wood, hay, gold, or silver?  Some in the church are doing no work in fact some don’t even have the foundation laid (= no building materials).  Some in the Church are doing the wrong work (= wood hay or stubble).  Some in the church are trying to carry out the job requirements of being a Christian (= gold, silver, precious stones). 

Now some will say, “I don’t know what I should be doing,” or “God has not yet given me a specific task.” And I believe you are sincere in what you are saying.  But as with all jobs there are some general tasks that are expected of everyone.  You are expected to come to work, to show up at the appointed time, to dress professionally, to respect authority, etc.  So it is with being a Christian. 

Matt. 28:16-20

          A basic job responsibility of Christians is sharing the gospel.  Now some Bible scholars will say, “Jesus was talking to the 11 disciples there” and they would be correct.  But does the fact that we were not present with the original disciples, relieve us from the responsibility of witnessing for Christ? (Was Eve excluded from the consequences of sin because she was not there when God gave the command? No)  We Christians are now the disciples of Christ.  Acts 11:26 - And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.  

II Cor. 5:17-19 – Are you born again?  Are you a new creature in Christ?  If your answer to these two questions is yes, then the ministry of reconciliation has been given to you.  Now some of us will say, “I don’t talk a whole lot about Jesus, but I make sure people can see Christ in my life.”  Yes, living upright is a responsibility for Christians and so living so that others can see Christ in you is good.  But the Bible declares in Romans 10:17 - So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. As Christians we must verbally share the gospel.  1 Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

Acts 1:8 – The church is stuck in Jerusalem.  We are stuck within these walls preaching to ourselves, ministering to ourselves.  Our Judea, Dover Park, and Washington Terrace, have not even seen us or heard from us.  Our Samaria, Southeast Raleigh and Garner, have never even heard of us, and to our utter most parts of the world, North Raleigh, we don’t exist.  Why? Because our ministry is within these walls.  If the sinner would only come to church he could hear the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and be saved.  The sinner must come to church because church refuses to go to the sinner.  Yet Jesus commissioned us to go.  The basic job responsibility of the Christian is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

When it is time to report, what will your report look like?  You know on our earthly jobs, when it is time for review, if we are not ready sometimes we can reschedule or sometimes we are late because we are trying to type that last sentence at the last minute.  But we will not be able to reschedule the Judgment seat of Christ.  John 9:4 - I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.   We have to work while we are alive, because death will come and work time will be over.

You are building your mansion by the work that you do here.  Are you sending up wood, hay or stubble, that will burn in the fire or are you sending up gold, silver and precious stone that will endure the fire.  I believe that sharing the gospel and winning souls to Christ is gold in the eyes of God. Luke 15:7 -  I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.   God is more pleased when one sinner comes to Christ than when 99 righteous people show up at church.

When it is time for you to report, will you report simply show the number of church hours you have logged in or the number of church activities in which you were involved.  Will your report speak only of that which is done within these walls or within serving our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Or will there be a section in your report on ministry beyond the wall, to the masses of unsaved for whom Christ died. 

When it is time to report, what will your report say?

 

 

9/21/2002