You Can’t Take It With You, But God Can - Heaven Part 9

Man, today is just going to be a really, really good day and I'm

excited to share some amazing things about heaven.

Before we jump in, can you give up everybody's new one more

time. Love them, they love them.

I've seen some people back today have been a while and man, it's

really encouraging. I've heard some great stories

this morning already. What God's doing this last week

I was a group people I want to just really thank just humbled

by that. God's used in big ways.

It is launched into our 4th week of life groups.

And I've been so blessed for all these life group leaders that

have opened their homes and the word of God.

And there's this culture that's happening in our church where

there's men and women that are open the word of God every week.

I know it sounds crazy and praying and memorizing scripture

and just fighting forward for the things of God struggling and

obedience. And it's been amazing just to be

a part of that because our church can just grow closer to

Jesus, Amen. And so I want to say thank you

guys. All life group leaders, open

your homes, your hearts, transparency, open your fridge,

Amen, for a group. So give for a life group

leaders, Amen. Come on, give an update for

them. I can't believe I'm saying this,

but it's five Sundays till Easter.

We are not ready, but we're always ready, right?

I don't know. I don't know how this guy just

researched this, but the the first Sunday after the first

full noon after the spring solstice is Easter.

So the 5th of April is super early, but we're excited about

it and it's been one of those Sundays that you should bring a

friend. And I really encourage you to

start praying right now for somebody you can be investing in

and praying for that the hopes they come and potentially if

they don't know Jesus, know Jesus.

If not, maybe find a place we can grow closer to Jesus.

There's a lady in my life that I've been just working with in a

professional setting and I've been inviting her out and she's

mentioned a few times she'd come and has not come, but she comes

from a very hard situation to have a church.

They went every week. I mean, it was like that setup

team, right? 6:45 to two kind of hours and

they got burned out. It just kind of right footed

Christian fellowship. And so my heart breaks for her

because I've been there. I've been in some hard seasons.

And so my goal is to have her make it to Easter with her

family and her whole family's just been through all and kind

of give it up on church. And so I've been praying for

her. And so I'd invite you to pray

for as well. Her name is Heather and she's

just an amazing lady. Some of you might know her

behind the scenes, but she's fantastic.

But it's just floating without a church home, and God could use

it, Amen. So I encourage you guys who

could be inviting and praying for right now, and it could be

as simple as this. If you're at work and you're

just listening to somebody. And so would it help if I prayed

for you, just be simple, like it's not all or nothing.

You have to lead somebody to Jesus Amen.

You just need to plant the gospel and point in the Christ

and so there's people all around us.

I know for most of us we usually buy about two people a year.

OK so Easter is just be one of those Sundays we're taught the

resurrection power Christ you see baptisms.

It's one of things going to pull back the curtain Holy Spirit

moment and so encourage. Last year we had just shy of

600, which is pretty impressive for our church.

Like we've normally run about two 5300 and we're blown away.

We stripped back all our marketing and we're like, see

what God does. And we were absolutely floored.

And so it's just you guys bringing people how it makes a

difference. One simple thing you can do.

We have these amazing yard signs out front.

They cost $10. I'm just kidding.

They're free. But if you want to put $10 in,

we'll take that too. But they're free anytime.

They're out there every week. And there's a man in our church.

I don't know. Where's he at?

I'm going to find him somewhere. Where's Toby?

He's Toby. He may be out there still.

Where's he at? Oh, he's hiding over here.

So. So, Toby, how long have you been

coming? Four months?

Yeah, four months or so. He was walking down, it was a

sunset, OK, and and saw a sign. He's like, Lord, I need a

church. Saw the sign, showed up the next

Sunday. Over the course last four

months, he is jumped in in so many ways.

He comes up to the office on Tuesdays and says, what do you

guys need? And so he started.

He's actually called some of you, are you coming on Sunday

and you're like, who is this guy?

You know? But he's made himself available

for the work of God. He's showed me.

He'll deliver the car we gave away.

He shows, he shows up the office 2/1 day, two days a week, just

being a servant for God. He's helping out with

hospitality and with Brett White and is actually taking on the

whole second gathering some point in the next few months.

And so all because he saw a a sign.

And so you may think, man, I'm an introvert.

I can't make a huge difference, man.

We can't be the best kept secret in town.

Amen. And so if you don't have to sign

out, you want 2 signs take, we'll buy some more, Amen and

$10. Come on, somebody.

So anyway, I'm excited to preach about having the day.

You know, some, some of the people like people are

struggling. Like is there more to talk

about? And I'm like, man, I'm just

getting started, right? There is so much to talk about.

How many how many of this series has just changed your

perspective of heaven? At some level you just say,

like, man, there's there's something different.

And we've walked through some seasons.

I feel like maybe because I'm on this series and my mind and

hearts on this, but I've seen so much pain and loss and things

have happened and people have been around this last week.

There's a man I got to give actually this book to called

Heaven his son died 24 years old and be able to minister to him.

There's there's a man that's dying that used to go to church

and can't see Hospice House dying even right now with brain

cancer, all sorts of stuff 56 years old and it's just story

after story after story. And I thought they'll pass a

book out like once a month. I'm passing two or three books

out a week. I'm on Amazon.

I'm just I just send them to people mom passed away or

sibling or helping somebody who's walking through that

season of dementia or all these things.

And this this truth of scripture has been minister to people in

some very deep ways. Amen.

And I was going to dive into some stuff that you may have not

seen or ever like I don't have heard before from scripture.

And this will change how I preach.

This message day is going to be some new things for me and I

believe it's going to be some very new things for you.

But today's dedicated really to those of us that feel like we're

at the the nice guy finishes last.

Like you may have done all the right things that didn't

workout. You may be the season in your

business or maybe like if you call vocational ministry and

things are going well and the rug rips out and like you just

have to walk away. This is one season, like, you're

weary of doing good. You may wonder, like, why are

you showing up to work? Like, is it all going to work

out? I think about last night even or

Saturday night even into yesterday.

And I don't know. I don't typically watch the

news, but, you know, seeing what happened in Iran.

And I was like, man, like, what's going on?

And you start to think like, that's it.

Like, I could have been in the airport in Dubai because I fly a

lot. And that could have been me,

right? Like, just wrong place, wrong

time. And is it worth, like, is it

worth the effort of all the things we do because you guys

work hard. You may be burned out.

You're wondering, is it going to matter?

Like doesn't even matter anymore.

And I think for a lot of us, we kind of struggle finding our

purpose in our job, in our work and may lose sight of why we're

here. So people think like we in life

and everything just slips into oblivion like nothing on this

earth truly matters, like our labor is in vain.

It's always been some extra time today diving into this topic and

it's it's a real interesting topic.

But the restoration, no, we called the resurrection of our

deeds, but the restoration or the reconstitution that God is

going to keep some of our works and deeds.

And so this is going to be a whole new topic.

How many of you heard a top I mentioned on this topic before?

Well, good. So I can say anything I want.

I was kidding. It's in the Bible.

It's in the Bible. So turn to 1st Corinthians 15.

We got it 1558. This is what it says.

It says, therefore, this is Paul talking.

My dear brothers and sisters, help me out what to say?

Stand firm. You know most of the Bible is

honestly written around these two words.

Stand firm in your faith. Like be the voice between heaven

and earth. Like don't give up on what God

is doing. Look at the next line where it

says let nothing what? Be unmovable.

Like just be stubborn for the will of God.

Like do what God's called you to do, like live in the in between.

Don't be weary. It says always give yourselves

how fully to the work of the Lord.

This is really interesting. Always give yourself fully man.

That's a call like in everything we do, give yourself fully to

the work of Lord. And so I think the first

question you ask yourself is I'm, I'm not doing the work of

the Lord. Like it's what I'm doing, the

thing that God's asked me to do. And I want to be really like set

some boundaries here. When we talk about this, we're

not talking about, am I in vocational ministry?

Am I getting paid? I think there's this thing in

the Christian, in the American church, like if you're not like

going to Bible college or on a platform and you're getting paid

to do something for God, you're really not doing full time

ministry. And I just want to encourage you

to like debunk this completely that we were all in full time

ministry, Amen? Like there's not a thing you can

separate. If the Bible says you eat or

drink to all for the glory of God, then everything you do is

for the glory of God. Jesus needs some amazing

computer programmers, Amen. Where would the church be today

without the care of some good ones?

He's a mechanic. I was kidding.

Where would the church be today without the gospel going out

digitally? Like where would the church be

today without you version? How many guys have the user in

Bible app? How many guys read the Bible on

your phone? How many do a a discipleship

thing on your phone like a Bible study or like you read the

scripts to phone? How many guys research a

scripture through your phone? I mean, we all do right?

Like where would we be if there wasn't computer programmers for

Jesus? Amen.

Like you think about like there's probably more people who

have come to Christ because of digital influence in the last 20

years. Then maybe in the last 2000.

There's languages that have been translated by just thousands of

new languages being put out across the world because nobody

has the Bible in the language. We used to have to go and all

these things and all of a sudden it's all coming together.

I mean, you think about what we do matters for Christ.

It's it's not just you have to serve as a leader in the church

to be doing ministry. I think sometimes like, well, if

you don't hold a microphone and you're not on stage and you

don't, you're not professional Christian, then we just kind of

show up. And that could not be farther

from the truth, Amen. Like, like we're all playing a

major part, a lead story in what God is doing.

And it's your story, Amen? Like you're not writing my

story. You're doing the task that God

is assigned to you. Paul himself, who wrote third

New Testament, he was a tip maker, you know that he, he

travelled and built tents. So he wasn't a burden on the

church. He was like the first portable

guy. Come on, somebody.

I mean, he built the tent and it's like, go, go, right.

Like it's, this is what it is. Like we leverage what we have

for Jesus. And it's not just we leverage it

like, well, I want a business and so I'll, I'll do some

philanthropy work and that's for God.

That's not true. That part, yes, that kidney

ministry, but the rest of your business is ministry.

Amen like somehow we're like you didn't you didn't add value to

people like when you roof their house.

You didn't roof like for Jesus, like you could roof a house for

Jesus. Your integrity and your

character and how you lead it speaks because I'm doing this

for Christ. I'm the roof this house just

like it's Christ roof. You can do that Amen and it's

called integrity. It's the the power of God

through your business. It doesn't have to be well, I do

this extra things on the side which you can.

So when I think fully, that's when I kind of describe this

because this will come full circle and talk about deeds.

But it says you give yourself fully to work of the Lord.

What what I'm thinking is, is that every person that you come

in contact with in your life, you point to Jesus.

Like I think that's a big part of it.

It's not just the work of your hands and the things you make,

but the work that God is doing Kingdom work.

It's it's about people, Amen. Like we, we don't just rearrange

chairs, like we're setting up for the things of God.

And so when you run your business or you're, you're

serving your business, you're an employee or you're walking

through Walmart, God, God bless you.

You know, like every person you get to point to Jesus.

And in our world, like, I don't know what it is, but like, for

whatever reason, it's like black or white, like, OK, I'm going to

do nothing or I'm going to lead him to Christ.

You ever felt that way? And I'm not qualified to do

that. Well, you are.

You just don't know that yet. But that's not the goal, OK?

The goal isn't, I mean, you ask, you want them to know Jesus, but

your goal is to administer to them.

You plant seed, you water seed, and God grows.

God grows. You do not grow people.

I love, I don't really love going to churches that think

they grow people. I've been a part of those

churches. The churches that think they

grow people, yell at people all day and want them to be a

certain way. But God grows people.

Amen. I see the church like us as the

body of Christ, The church itself, we, we're like a, we're

like a, we set up the garden, like there's soil and there's

seeds and there's water and then God grows people and that takes

the weight off my shoulders. Like, man, I didn't lead into

Jesus, man, I'm not doing good work like I've got to do that

person's really struggling to sin and they got to get right

the Lord. That's the Holy Spirit's job.

Amen. So my job is a little different.

And so just think about what could it look like just to be a

minister. So here's some questions you

asked about a little bit earlier.

It's not very long listening to somebody walk through a hard

season. If you just ask a question, how

are you doing today? And usually it's going to be

like, I'm a fine service answer. Is there anything you got you

anything new or or like what's on the hard you're struggling

with? And then if you know them at

all, they'll start talking about their family and things going

on. You just ask them, Hey, would it

help if I prayed for you? Not can I pray for you?

Would it help? I pray for you.

And you simply just pray with them.

Even if you don't pray in that moment, you're praying for them.

Like that's just something your coworkers at work.

You can add a little salt and you just start praying for your

coworkers. Amen.

You can just carry their culture there.

I love just this simple line. It seems like you've got a lot

on your mind. It seems like you've got a lot

on your mind and people just tell you what's on their mind

and you just say last two words they finish with and they'll

continually going. You could do it for 20 minutes,

right? Like Lily, man, it's been a hard

week. A hard week.

Oh yeah, duh, duh, duh. I'm you.

Lily. Just be good at listening and

then pray for people like just don't make it about you.

And you're going to see that today.

But give yourself fully so every person you point to Jesus, Amen.

Like what if you intentionally like think that as leaving here

today and every person you intentionally walk by and is

surrounded with you just give them something towards Christ.

It could be a smile. It could be, hey, I just want to

know God's love you. I'm just doing this for Jesus.

You're roofing a house, you're running a business.

Like, hey, the reason we work so hard doing it right is because

we know Lord just plant seeds, Amen.

Just make it about Christ. One thing you can do is you can

leverage, you can leverage your career for Christ, not just show

up 100 o'clock and come home and separate your calling from your

minute, from your work life, but all of it's part of your

calling. And like I said, you got to ask

yourself, Lord, is this where you want me?

Like you got to know that you got to trust the Lord that a lot

of times you don't think that's it, like we're always looking

for the next thing, but grow where you're planted right now,

Amen? Like God has put you there on

purpose and you may be learning a skill or something.

You don't know why yet, but God will use it.

You learn in those seasons, you don't necessarily feel like this

is the thing, but God is going to redeem and use things and

teach you skills and mindsets and shifts in that ministry.

And so I would say when you're at work and say, you say you own

a company, how many, how many guys actually own a company?

Show of hands. How many guys own a company real

high. Don't be ashamed of your

company. Come on, Somebody, somebody,

some of the front rows of the company.

I believe you do, right? He's like, I forgot that one,

right? It's easy, right?

He's thinking about what Holly's cooking up already at home.

Got some ribs or something right.

But a lot of such companies right?

We, we, when you own a company, you, you control the culture of

your company. Like you set it maybe not

control, but you set the culture, right.

So let me just tell you some like interesting things like I

met a guy we're down in Houston last week.

A guy drove us to the airport and I was just, you know, you

want to talk about us? And I was like, Hey, what's,

what do you do and stuff? And he installs like A's and,

and and those words restaurants and like for hotels and

Starbucks and Bank of America and does all these little

pieces, all the refrigerations, all these things.

Major company, like the company that owns Aramark, he does it

for them as their whole thing. So this isn't like a small

company. This is, this is hundreds of

$1,000,000 company. And I'm talking to he works a

lot of blue collar guys still, all the guys install and he

says, you know, what's really cool about our company is that

every morning, and this is like nationwide, if not worldwide, we

have, we have a time of prayer every morning across our

company. So we get every person in our

company, every worker in our company, every construction

person in our company, they all dial in, you know, where they

call out and they all go on the phone and they pray together for

10 minutes. That crazy.

They're like, oh, wow. So, so, so your work is your

ministry. When you own the business, you

set the culture aim in. There's another guy I met been a

year ago at the same conference and just blown by this guy.

He owns AI don't know what he call it.

It's like a airplane repair station in Fort Lauderdale

called Banyan Airways and it's the largest airplane repair

station for like small planes, you know, Cessna, stuff like

that. And he sells private Honda jets.

I didn't know Honda sold a jet, you know, and there's a long

story of that, but he's largest seller of Honda jets in the

world. And I was just, what is so

different about your culture? And he said, well, we do

something really special every Tuesday and Thursday.

We have a we have two chaplains on our staff team.

They come in on Tuesday and Thursday, both of them, and they

walk around our entire work area.

And if they're mechanics, this blue collar, come on somebody,

they're spending wrenches on airplanes and they walk around

the floors for her employees and they just minister to people.

We got people here don't know Jesus, stuff like that.

But you know, they're not pushing on people.

But how can I pray with you? What's God doing or how's your

family? And they just minister to people

all day long. I said, well, how's what's your

turnover rate like? He goes, people only leave when

it's catastrophic. Pretty crazy.

He set the culture, Amen. And in your business, you can

set the culture. Now most of us, a lot of us are

employees, right? We can shape the culture.

Amen. You, you can, you can bend it.

Like did somebody tell you couldn't pray, right?

Did somebody tell you you couldn't take an extra little

minute and and have a conversation?

Did somebody tell you can have a spiritual conversation?

Did did somebody tell you you can't just serve side by side

and not soul to soul? Did somebody stop you yet?

Like we can do that, Amen. It is an accident.

You're in your workplace. No, but sometimes we say, well,

this is how I make my money and then this is my ministry over

here. It's all the same, Amen.

Give yourself fully to the work, O Lord, And sometimes you have

those seasons where you can do something outside of like you

can do something with that work, right?

Like my dad, who is a union electrician 124.

He was worked for somebody before capital.

I can't remember. And they used to do this thing

called Christmas in October and we show up somewhere in Midtown

of people in need and we'd go to their houses and just pro bono,

right. And I was real young and he

would, you know, reinstall a a service entry or do do a panel

or fix whatever electrical thing.

And they didn't know Jesus, Amen.

But they served like you, you can do that with your business

too. You have this maybe extra time,

you have skills and you can leverage it for Christ.

There's a man I'm going to meet with on Tuesday and we'll get to

the Bible, OK, But but there's a man I'm going to meet with on

Tuesday. And this is so unique.

I've never seen this before. And I was like, yes, he, I don't

think maybe he still is, but a financial advisor.

But at the time, this was like probably early 2000.

He, he, he moved to South Africa because he felt God called him

there to do ministry with these people in South Africa.

And so I was like, how did you do this?

He goes, well, I just didn't tell my clients.

I moved to South Africa and I would minister during the day

and because of time change, I administered to my clients at

night and then I would fly back to the United States a couple

times a year and they had no idea that was in South Africa.

Is that credible? Now here's what's even fat

crazy. He's stateside now, but now he

travels all across the, there were three or four places in the

world where he does this ministry that we're looking to

connect with, where it's ministering to thousands and

thousands and thousands of people.

Because he just said, look, I'm going to use my business as

leverage for the Kingdom. Is that cool?

You ever thought about that before?

This is mind blowing, right? Like I could do all this for

God. So why do we leverage?

Just we're going to get into it. Why do we leverage?

And this is the next part of the verse.

OK, so we go all the way back to way back to the last verse.

It was a long time ago. That's my cue for the guys on

the screen so you can find it still not there.

We're getting it OK, right, because you know OK, we give

ourselves fully to work Lord, because you know that you're

what labor in the Lord is not in what it's not in vain.

It's not wasted like Jesus is going to leverage everything for

His Kingdom and you're going to see a day that what carries over

from earth to heaven is way more than you think.

And some of our deeds carry over for eternity.

This is what JB Phillips says about First Corinthians 15.

This is Zach's verse. He puts it this way.

Let nothing move you as you busy yourself in the Lord's work.

Be sure to know nothing you do for Him is ever lost or wasted.

How would we show up every day if we knew that what we could be

doing could be, could be done and used for eternity?

Will that, will that change how we work?

I get excited about that. Amen.

It just like man another day to do something for eternity.

Think about this. Every Kingdom work will find its

place in the Kingdom of heaven. Every Kingdom work, every public

thing, but every private thing as well.

There's going to be so many stories of what people have done

in obedience and sacrifice and suffering.

Every honest intention, every stumbling word of witness.

Thank you. Jesus is going to be in heaven.

The resistance to temptation, a motion of repentance, A struggle

towards obedience. This Is Us.

Amen. All these effort is not wasted.

Every mumbled prayer, every gesture of concern, literally

everything which flows out of faithful relationship with Jesus

will find its place in heaven. I'll show you First Corinthians

3. We're starting verse 5 says what

after all is Apollos. That's a weird question because

you'd think it's a who, after all, is Apollos, but what's

Apollos now? Apollos, there's a church

started in Corinth and Paul launched it and Apollos came

behind. Paulus is a great orator, a

great speaker and people this division that's happened to the

church, like I'm a Peter, I'm of Apollos, I'm of Paul and really

they find out we're all of Jesus, Amen?

But what is the Paul's after all, and what is Paul?

Look what it says only what the only servants.

They are not the King, they are not the foundation, they are the

servants since through him you came to believe as the Lord has

what assigned to each his task. So that means there's a race we

each run. What you do and what I do are

not called to be the same thing. Like there's a task given, Amen?

So we're not going to compare like, oh, what's your Sal?

Well, who makes more money to do that?

And what's just over here? Who's popular over there?

Who's who knows? It's that person.

Oh, I don't have no foundation because I'm not in that seat.

You've given a task, Amen. But we like the spotlight.

But are we OK with ambiguity? Do the task.

Verse six, I planted the seed. So I'm appalled.

I planted the seed. Apollos watered it, but God has

been making it grow. Wow, this is amazing, he says so

neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is what you

ain't special. So he's saying we can't take

credit for what Jesus doing. He says, but only God who makes

things grow. Listen, this you you can't take

credit for anything like your best effort without God produces

nothing. Amen.

That takes the weight off our shoulders.

It's not about your performance. It's about your humility and

letting God do the work. You just show up.

You're faithful to the task that God's given you.

Verse 8, it says the one who plants and the one who waters

have one purpose and has to do the task, and they will each be

what help me out, rewarded according to their own labor.

I love that I'm not going to be rewarded based on other people's

labor. Amen.

I'm, I'm rewarded based upon my effort, my ability, what God is

giving, my stewardship of the things of the Kingdom.

Verse 9 For we are what coworkers in God's service.

You are God's field. This is interesting.

You're God's field and God's building.

When it says you're God's field, it begs the question, who made

your field grow? You did not grow yourself, God

grew you. Amen.

It's it and you have no ability to grow in the house.

You can only give all glory to God.

And it says that you're God's building, which is going to talk

about here in a second more in depth, but it begs the question,

who built you? I, I, I mean, I hate to say

this, but in ministry, I've been around a lot of self-made

people. And to be real honest with you,

there's no room in the level of leadership for self-made people.

It's only God made people. Amen.

God is the builder and he builds you.

He's the grower and you're his field.

Verse 10, it says by the grace, by the grace God has given me, I

laid a foundation as a wide wise builder and someone else is

building on it. So he's he's building the church

in Corinth. And then Apollos came and built

upon the foundation. He said we're working together

in tandem, but God grew it. But each one should build with

care, for no one can lay any foundation other than the one

already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the foundation for all of your good works and deeds.

It's not your ability. It wasn't like you funded it and

you gave towards it and you put your energy into it.

It's your creative design and you dreamed.

Well, it's only God. Amen.

Your gifts and talents and calling and task is built on the

footing of the cross. Like we're not that special to

think we're going to build it on ourselves.

Verse 12, you can see our deeds and rewards.

It says if anyone builds on this foundation, foundation of

Christ, Lucas says using gold, silver or costly stones and

wood, hay if you're old King James, it says straw but

stubble, right? So their work shall be shown for

what it is because the day will bring it to light.

Now what day is this going to be?

This is interesting like the day.

This is the evaluation day of our deeds and works some kind of

connect it to like the Bema seat of Christ, where we as

Christians that know Jesus, we're in heaven and God is going

to evaluate what we did. So salvation is given, but these

rewards are really not even earned because it's not your

ability, it's not based on you, it's based on your obedience.

And So what you did for Christ is going to be evaluated this

day and it's going to show what it is to be brought to light.

It says to be revealed with what?

Help me out with fire. Anybody getting nervous yet?

When you read the scripture, it will make you nervous and it

probably should to some level. It'll reveal with fire and the

fire will test the what? The quality of each person's

work. This is such an interesting

passage. We're going to talk about a

little deeper. What is this fire?

But at some point when we're in heaven, our good deeds and our

not so good deeds are going to go and God is going to evaluate

them and test them through fire. The quality of the work is it,

is it gold, silver or precious stone or wood, hay and stubble?

And we're going to talk about what the difference is here in a

second. But just know there's a day of

proving if this is from God or not.

It's interesting. The first time that God purified

the earth was in the flood. The story, no, right?

It says that every thought and intention of the heart was

wicked beyond all deceit. There's also a major thought

process that angels had cohabitated with humans, and God

is purifying the earth from sin. And from these angels he's

Nephilim. And so God sends this flood and

he saved some things, two by two, all the animals, right?

Christie told me she goes, she had a picture and it was a lion.

He said, hmm, that was good. I had meat meals, two by two all

day. There's just a lion sitting next

to the ark. Oh, that's pretty good, you

know. But he saves all the animals,

right? And he saves Noah and his

family. I believe there's eight people

he saves, right? And the rest, the world just

purified because they're wicked beyond all deceit.

And the second time God purifies our works in the world is not

through water, it's through fire.

It's pretty interesting, isn't it?

Like how God is trying to create righteousness.

And so he says it's about the works.

He says verse 14, if what has been built, what somebody say

survives, survives, this is going to be very important for

this message. If what has been built survives,

the builder will receive a what? A reward.

Now we could go a long time on the words.

You might have heard a message on the rewards.

We could do one, but I'm not going to go deep in the rewards,

but I want to talk about what you do.

If it's for God, it's for his glory.

It survives the fire. It actually survives.

Amen says right there, verse 15. If it is burned up, the builder

will suffer loss, but yet will be saved, even though it's one

escaping through the flames. So let's just talk through what

this looks like because this at this point, how many guys are

sweating a little bit because you're thinking about last week?

You're like, hmm, what did I do for the Lord?

You know, So what? What is this fire?

So this fire is God's holy evaluation.

I want you to understand this is not God's wrath, This isn't God.

This isn't like hell being cast down on your deeds.

This is like your deeds getting into God's presence.

If you want to call it a holy exposure, like there's nothing

unrighteous that gets into heaven from earth.

Like that's why our soul is made righteous by Jesus and it goes

immediately to heaven. Saw somebody last week they

thought wouldn't like the soul sleep and I'm like, you don't

read the Bible. You know, there's no soul sleep,

brother. Like after the body present,

Lord, it just happens, man. It's a continuation.

You're not like you don't disappear for something, you

know, but we're right in heaven. But everything in heaven is

righteous. So imagine you put your

imperfect work and your broken work and is it built on Christ

or built on yourself is on your foundation or Christ foundation

and the presence of God, which is an all consuming fire is on

top of your work. Will it survive the presence and

holiness of God? And we're cheering on like, yes,

Lord, I hope it does right, because was this me or was this

you? Like was I seeking you?

Was I humbled I was I living for you?

What's done for Christ is set apart for heaven.

What's done for our pride or ego ourselves with Bishop is burned

up. And so Paul classifieds them

gold, silver, precious stones survive and wood, hay and

stubble are burned. I had a youth leader when I was

growing up all the time. He said don't be don't deal with

wood, Hey, and stubble, don't build with wood and stubble just

beat in my head all the time, right, Because we're always

tempted to do that, right? The temporary, the now, the fun,

the easy. And now what does Christ want?

I have to ask the question is this for Christ?

And what's burned up disappears forever.

And so that's the loss we suffer when it says you'll suffer loss

like some of y'all grew up in church.

We're like, go to heaven. And they've got to wipes for

your tears, which is true, but it's not yet because there's

going to be some tears when we look at our works and some of

them don't make it. Probably the majority of our

works won't make it because it wasn't for Christ.

And we had this loss of like the reward we could have got, the

impact it could have made, that what could have been is now gone

and that what we had isn't there for eternity.

There is that loss of like, Lord, I, I missed it.

I missed it, Lord. And we'll have to live with that

now. It doesn't mean you're not

saved. Amen because he himself is

saved. But it says it's one that barely

escapes the flames. But our salvation is on Christ.

So we're in heaven, but we're watching awards and it it says

as one escaping through the flames.

Now this is interesting because you're like, dude, this sounds

pretty hard, you know, and what it's saying is it's this picture

like if your house burned down and you run out the front door

and your your clothes singed. Like when I was building the

Hope Center, I was cutting the lentil for the door with well, I

was holding the piece of metal and Barry was cutting the lentil

and all the sparks were throwing on me.

But I was looking at the way because I don't get in my eyes

and I was like, man, it's getting hot.

I looked over. My arm is on fire, right?

And I still wear the jacket. Come on, somebody, so I can show

off where I burn, you know? But you just barely escape, you

know, you can smolder and you can smell it, but you escape.

And it's like you leave the house and you just have nothing.

But you're alive, right? And it'll be those of us in

heaven. They get there and we'll look at

this fire. It'll consume almost everything

we did then we, maybe some of us, like we knew Jesus, but we

weren't surrendered to Jesus like God had asked us so many

times to just make a shift or to be a part of that or change the

culture or find your identity or step into your call or be

strong, courageous. And we just stood back and we'll

sit there and we'll watch it, but we'll be saved.

We'll be in heaven but have nothing to show for it.

That's what I'm saying. You you didn't bring anything

with you like you barely made it here yourself.

And is the reality of like what we do really, really matters.

And for so long, I think we've reached this message that has

not been, I mean, guilty as could be that the only things in

heaven are the Bible and souls. You guys ever heard that before?

I mean, I've preached it a million times, right?

That's the only thing that makes it that's just not true.

Like you even have your works have already made it into heaven

and then God has to evaluate them.

What was your life about? But God, he doesn't destroy the

earth. He destroys the things that

these displease him, that things were done for his glory.

But here's the exciting part. Because with that you can be

negative, but he also can be like, do you thank you, Jesus,

because I can build on your Kingdom right now.

Like I can start putting some treasure up in heaven.

Literally, literally, literally treasure.

Like how many guys thought that was just a figure of speech?

Like, oh, there'll be treasures in heaven, like based on this,

Like you can bring it with you for his glory.

And so it gets really exciting. So your deeds survive.

The ones that do survive, everybody say survive.

Notice he didn't say it was destroyed.

Why did God purify your deeds just to destroy him?

He doesn't. Amen.

They follow us to heaven. Paul's talking not just about

the rewards, because that's what we talk about all the time, but

what carries over to the next life.

And scripture is clear, like in some form or another that what

we do for Christ and it makes it through the fire will last for

eternity. So I'm supposed to imagine,

because if, if this is the standard, this changes

everything like like just imagine, like a child writes a

note to Jesus. Would that be in heaven?

And maybe it's destroyed like it was like 2000 years ago or

something, right? Or like 2000 years now or

something. Maybe Jesus rewrites it in the

kids handwriting. It's recreated.

Like I don't think he resurrects it for say, but God can move

molecules, Amen. He moves the molecules of our

dead bodies and raises from the dead.

Why couldn't he make the note again?

And maybe some pure hearted, faith filled child writes a note

to Jesus and God says, you know what?

I'm going to put that in my handwriting.

Or maybe it's in the child's. Can God do that?

You think about this, Jesus is working in his Father's workshop

and he's whittling or cutting and building chairs and tables

and furniture. A Carpenter would do.

Would it be insurmountable? Think that those items are in

heaven, that God brings them back together.

He is building a house, by the way, Amen.

Do you think he may bring some furniture?

Just kind of put some things in there just just now?

You look like I'm crazy. Like, is this guy crazy?

What about works of art and literature?

Do you do you think like the Chronicles and Arnie might make

it? Just saying, why not?

It's rooting for God's glory, Amen.

Do you think maybe like the Jesus film could make it?

Do you think maybe like your, your, your Bible that's chocked

for your notes? Do you think God may just be

like, Hey, I'm going to get you back your your OG Bible and you

can see forever the praise you'll give me for the story you

wrote as you struggle with that time on earth.

That would be amazing. Amen.

I mean, just think about the level which God could do.

I mean, think about if God can reconstitute and recreate and

bring things that make it through the fire.

Could you bring back those things you were holding

righteous all time? So like you may have given a

flower arrangement to somebody that was sick in the hospital

and that arrangement like sparked some return to God or

some moment of righteousness. He's brought somebody back to

the fullness of God because you're mind with their purpose

and story. And God just takes that flower

arrangement and says here, this means that this can be on your

table. Like why couldn't God do that?

Amen. Or how about a song or a book

that was written for his glory? But some of you guys written

some songs you'll never share with anybody, right?

And you're like, oh, it's not a big deal.

I'll never make it. It's not going to sell anything,

but God sees it. Some of you guys have some

amazing poetry, Amen? And you have some amazing

writings, amazing thoughts, all these things.

Why can't God bring him? How about a blanket that was

made by your grandma and she prayed over you as you're in the

womb of your, of her daughter, right?

Or great or dog in law and she's just weaving together,

crocheting this amazing blanket. Why?

Why couldn't God bring that back, Amen?

I mean, I don't know what, what's going to be on our fridge

in heaven, right? There may be some things on your

fridge right now that's done for the glory of God.

And it could be that picture of this moment or it could be this

thing, something made in your family or something your kid do

some some finger painting and God says, dude, that's true.

My glory. Why not Amen?

Like we, we, we have just downplayed the resurrection to

like souls in the Bible and it's so much bigger, Amen.

It's so much bigger. You can go take a little

farther, not just even deeds, but you, you can almost take it

to animals. You really can.

Like, why couldn't God bring back animals?

You actually see camels in heaven, Isaiah 65.

Look it up. There's camels in heaven.

Amen. Why can't God bring all these

animals back? I mean, you think about bringing

animals back. So like, think about Genesis 3.

The serpent was craftier, more craft than the other animal.

So were other animals crafty too?

Like they had higher levels of intelligence.

Maybe they have now. I'm the serpent was pretty

intelligent, you know what I'm saying?

He could talk and if you read the Bible, it wasn't like he was

surprised. She didn't seem too afraid that

the the animal spoke. That wasn't too crazy for her.

So do do animals speak in heaven?

Just throwing out there. That would be crazy, wouldn't

it? You actually see this in the

Bible. How many how many guys know you

see an animal speaking in the Bible outside the serpent?

You guys know this. There's there's a story of of

Balaam and he's going from this king.

I think it's Malik. And he's either going to curse

Israel and he sends them on his donkey and they're riding down

the road and this Angel Lord's in the road, but Balaam can't

see it, but the donkey can. The donkey sees the Angel and

he's like, I ain't not going through that stubborn donkey.

And so Balaam starts beating them and he tries to get him to

go this way and slams against the wall and tries to go that

way and you won't do it and tries to at least lays down

under the angel's feet like he can't go.

Balaam had no idea there's Angel Lord just standing right there.

And then God opens the Balaam's eyes after where he does this

first. Balaam beats the donkey three

times, by the way, and then he opens the donkey's mouth and

this, I put this verse on the screen says so cool, says the

Lord opened the donkey's mouth and it being the donkey said to

Balaam, what have I done to you to make you beat me these three

times? What if your pet could speak?

You know, I mean, it's pretty amazing there, there there's a

pastor. I hope I don't offend anybody

about this, but it was a fundamental church, fundamental

Baptist Church, right? And he he he read this verse one

time he preached a whole mess with this.

He said if God can use an ass, he can use you.

I was like, thank you. Don't want to say that, you

know, appreciate it, right, But you think about this donkey like

are these the words of God that he just gave the donkey or did

he just open his mouth and these are the words of the donkey.

You got to think about it and do we think like I just trying to

you say all he truittized resurrection or something like

no, I think I'm elevating the resurrection like I think I'm

elevating God's Kingdom, Amen. Like this is way bigger thinking

than most of us have ever imagined.

Here's the point I'm trying to tell you regardless of the

animals, but the deeds God rewards with eternal permanence.

What is precious to his heart. It's a pretty cool reward, Amen.

And that we get to play a part of that story and what's

precious to God's heart. So words make worlds.

We talk about this, how many guys are saying right now

dreaming of heaven, Me saying that you missed it a few weeks

ago, dreaming of heaven. I caught myself the other day.

I was like living the dream. I was like, no, no, no, no,

dreaming of heaven. Somebody asked me, I was doing

it at Lowe's dream, living the dream.

No, I was dreaming of heaven. It's like, what's wrong with

that guy dreaming of heaven, man?

It's just one of the days, which is every day looking forward to

heaven, man. But words make worlds.

They've been. If you look at the scripture,

you can no longer say things that we've always said.

We say these things all the time.

You can't take it with you. Really.

Like, I don't have to take it with me because God already did,

Amen. So there's no, there's no U

hauls attached to hers. Have you heard that before?

No U hauls, right? Well, why don't a U-Haul if

God's already going to bring it, Amen.

Like I don't need to worry about that.

Like, so thank God I don't want to bring it.

There's too much to bring, right?

I've heard this, man. It won't matter in 100 years

anyway. Won't matter how many years

were. It's like, yeah, you're right.

It won't matter in 100 years because it will matter for all

eternity. Amen.

Like what you do actually matters.

And sometimes you go to work, you're like, oh, this is this.

And I, I, I can't stand this. It's like, are you doing what

the Lord has you to do? Is this the work he has for you?

And are you doing it always fully for the work of Lord?

Because you may be surprised when you get to heaven and

you're like, oh, I wish I would have done it better.

That's what he's saying. You can't take it with you.

All his things in the Heaven Bible and souls.

Barry did a great job preaching the message years ago, maybe

took the Monopoly game. You guys remember this, This is

all ends in the box, right? And he put everything in the box

and the reference like with ends in the coffin, right?

I started thinking about this and I was I was a man.

And Barry, by the way, that was a great message.

But what actually ends in a box? What does your deeds in a box?

Do you really think everything that we did on this earth just

just put in the six feet of dirt and it's no more forever?

Do your deeds in a box. Does your soul end in a box?

No. That's right.

That isn't right. Does your body end in a box?

Does it? No, it it says in the Bible that

you're buried mortal and raised to immortality.

You're a seed being planted almost springtime.

Some of you guys, I know when you put down these bulbs,

where's my gardeners where the bulbs go down?

You plant the bulb, get some beautiful come out of it.

Amen. That's what the Bible says about

our bodies. It's a seed being planted so

even your body doesn't end in a box raised to immortality.

I'm like, there's a box end in a box if it is used for God's

glory, Amen. I'm just here to tell you, just

set the record straight. I've changed my theology.

Nothing ends in a box, Amen. Amen.

I mean, this is a different level.

We've never thought this way, never seen it this way.

Here's an amazing verse, and I'll end with this because I

could go on really forever because we'll be here forever.

Ephesians 210 blow your mind. Feastin says we are God's

handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do what good works not

not just our works, not just what I want, not my Kingdom, but

good works, which what? Who should say God prepared in

advance for us to do this is insane.

So before we're born, maybe before we knit together in the

womb, and maybe even before the foundation of the earth, God

gave us works to do, not just salvation.

He gave us tasks. He gave us roles.

He gave us thanks to spend our life on, should say, invest our

life on. And those works are prepared in

advance, and then God calls you into them.

So the foundation of your works is Jesus created the works.

The foundation you do in the works is that Jesus died for

you. And you build your works on

Jesus. And then the works last forever.

And the foundation of the new heaven, new earth, after God

purifies the earth through fire. And so from foundation to

foundation to foundation, Jesus has placed you and put you here

on purpose to do his good works, which by God's grace become our

deeds. That's amazing, Amen.

If we would just stop trying and just start trusting and say,

Jesus, what would you have me to do with my life?

I don't care when, how much it pays, or where we're going.

God am following you. You might be surprised where you

take to heaven, Amen. And so, Father, we come before

you. I pray for our church to be bold

for you that every day, God, we would have to evaluate.

Am I doing this fully for your work, Jesus?

Always fully giving ourselves to the work of the Lord, knowing

that our labor is not in vain. God help us to wake up every day

knowing that what we're doing isn't wasted, even though it's

hard and it's not seen and that's not on Facebook with a

million likes. I don't give the validation.

Nobody knows the story. You see it for your glory, God.

So just give us boldness to step into your works, which involve

people and culture and your gospel and how we lead.

It matters. This is slipping away, but that

lasts forever. Give us that discernment and

that wisdom and that direction, that confidence, that boldness

to do the things you call to do God with this race, this little

dash called life. Don't pray for those in the

house that say I know Jesus and you just said God, I want to be

fully devoted to your work. You might have been run your own

direction, but your heart's just calling out today.

I'll be fully giving myself to the work of the Lord today.

If that's you just put your hand high and say that's me.

I want to fully give myself the work of the Lord.

I don't just give partial credit.

I don't just do my thing. One foot in the world, 1 foot in

the other Kingdom. I want to be all for the

Kingdom. God help us know what that is.

God you've promised us we'll be transformed.

We know the perfect, good, acceptable, pleasing will of

God. Then each of us you've given a

task to give us those confidence.

Help us to wrestle out your will and to be bold every day.

This isn't worthless. How I raise my kids and what's

happening in secret and the things I struggle with the

things are taken away. God, you're going to

reconstitute and use these things.

It's way bigger than ever thought I imagined.

I pray for one of group people in the house.

That's those of you that say, no, I I need this Jesus because

right now my life is not built on the foundation of Christ like

my life is all about me. There's nothing I've done for

God. I've never called on him.

I don't know him. And that's why we're here.

That's why our church is here because we're going to bring the

footing of Christ to this city. So you could know Jesus.

And so today, if you need to know Jesus, if you need to walk

out of here forgiven under the blood of Jesus as we sang the

song, you're sitting as far as E is from the West that Jesus died

on the cross for you. And those who know the name of

Jesus are forgiven by blood lame.

Think how much Jesus must love you if the trials of fire, pure

fire works. Think how much Jesus loves you

that he would down a cross and he would take the punishment for

all of your sin. Just to know you.

If our works go through fire, what did Jesus go through and

the suffering he went through so we could have his righteousness

exchanged for our unrighteousness.

Thank you Jesus. And so if you need Jesus also

you call name of Jesus. We saved, forgiven and made you

today. That's you and he's calling you

and the Spirit of God is drawing you.

We just raised your highest place.

I need Jesus today and then walk our relationship with Christ

today. See your hand name else I need

Jesus today. That's why we're here.

See your hand, that's you. Just pray this prayer, the

prayer and save you, but your heart towards him say thank you

Jesus for dying across my sins. God, thank you for your word.

God I sense your spirit. God I humble myself before you.

God on build my life on you, not on my ability but what you do on

that cross. God I'm a Sinner in need of a

savior. God my righteousness does not

give me to heaven. God know it to you, I lay down

my life before you. God I will live for you.

God I am today for the first day ever fully giving myself to you.

And I pray this in Jesus name and the church said Amen.

Give it a big forgotten Amen. This is the end of this podcast.

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