Okay, we're back today.
We're going to be talking about the judgment seat of Christ.
Last episode, we talked about what the judgment seat was not.
Today, we'll get into what the judgment seat of Christ is.
We'll go verse by verse and figure this thing out.
We don't have to pick and choose and cherry-pick parts of the verses.
Some are doing that today.
For instance, 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul was not attacking anyone here.
He's simply telling the God-breathed truth.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Now, if Paul were on YouTube today, some of the milquetoast Christians we have out there, oh, they'd be whining and crying about him reproving someone, about him rebuking someone, crying that he's attacking them.
They play the victim card.
And watch, Paul repeats this.
Don't stop here.
Don't stop in chapter 3.
Keep reading.
Next chapter, chapter 4. He says, preach the word, be instant in season, out of season. What's the next word? Reprove. He's repeating these things.
Reproval is so important, he repeats it.
We have some that claim to have seen certain things that others like you and I just cannot see, yet they themselves are hung up and just can't see certain words that are right here on the pages in front of them.
This being one of those words, they refuse to see these words because their favorite personality is the one it's being used on.
Reprove is to reprimand.
Correct.
Now, we should be gentle when we do so.
No physical violence necessary.
No need for yelling and screaming.
No need for cursing.
You shouldn't curse someone out.
Just open the Bible and give it to them straight, with candor.
Be frank.
Something that many will appreciate.
But, you know, it takes all kinds.
Some get their feelings hurt, or I should say pride.
So steeped in their pride that they've become callous and unable to accept correction.
Paul wouldn't have a chance with them.
Back to the verse, 2nd Timothy 4:2.
Next word from our apostle, you know, our pattern, or at least some of us consider him that.
Next word he uses is, rebuke.
Rebuke is to express sharp disapproval or criticism.
We've said it now for many years and will continue to do so.
Think critically.
Think critically.
The world will have us to believe that that's not loving.
It's not Christian to be a critical thinker.
And if you're not careful, you'll fall in for that.
You must stay on guard.
Be a man.
Stand up and protect those around you.
And you women, you do the same.
Hey, that's what we all left.
I didn't leave the religious denominational institutions to come to the
so-called grace camps just to fall back into it again.
Hey, I left it.
That was enough for me.
This is Truth Time Radio.
Lately, we're hearing from droves of new listeners.
Glad you're here.
Today, we're going to be looking into the judgment seat of Christ, verse by verse. Hang on, we'll get there in a moment.
Right now, we're looking at this passage here.
What's the next word?
Exhort.
Exhort is to use language intended to incite and encourage.
So you don't just reprove.
You don't just correct and rebuke.
You must also be equipped to exhort.
Now, when do you do that?
When someone gives you something to exhort him or her for.
You would be wrong to exhort a man who is spreading lies.
That deserves correcting.
You shouldn't exhort a man who adds to God's Word.
You know, it's kind of like being at a ballgame and watching your favorite team, and one of them gets up to bat, strike one, strike two, strike three.
You're out.
And there you are.
You jump up, stand in the middle of your section right in front of everybody, and start applauding and screaming, Yay! Yay! Great job! Exhortation! Exhort! Exhort!
The people around you are going to look at you like you're a nut.
They'll begin to wonder just whose side is this guy on?
What's wrong with him?
Has he lost it?
Some have become so myopic that they just cannot recognize what's going on around
them, even though they left their former religion, have yet to leave that mindset.
Just can't shake it.
Never totally came away from it.
They're like the foolish Galatians we read about.
Oh, no, Paul, you shouldn't call them fools.
I may have to mark and avoid you for not showing grace.
Remember, grace rightly applied.
Paul said rebuke, correct, reprove.
He called people fools.
Said he would turn a saved brother over to Satan.
He's just not loving enough for me.
Well, maybe not.
Paul called them fools because they had once believed the truth.
They were on their way down the right path, but then allowed themselves to be, what? Paul says bewitched.
Watch out, Paul.
You're going to make somebody cry.
The grace police might hear you.
If you were loving, you know you wouldn't accuse anyone of being bewitched.
Well, he did.
Bewitched because they let someone come along and sell them a lie.
Some will whine and cry and accuse you of attacking people because you exposed their
false teachings.
Interesting.
If Paul were here, they'd have a field day.
They would accuse him of not showing grace to a brother in Christ.
Yet on more than one occasion, I mean, we need to compile a list here.
You would not believe some of the things that Preacher Rodney has said about other members of the body of Christ.
Truth Time did not start out to expose this man for his false doctrine on our own. Oh, no, we were contacted by multiple people asking us to straighten some of this mess out.
We even had one of our listeners to send us a screenshot showing one of Rodney's followers having a discussion with someone who doesn't believe like they do.
Well, his follower told her she should go kill herself.
Then we have a guy that shows up under one of our videos in our comment section.
This Australian nut job or oh, wait a minute.
Let me use a Paul word.
This Australian fool.
Is that OK?
Well, this fool come up under another man's comment and typed out a digitized picture back to him that has someone with a gun shooting him.
I mean, these are real fools.
I'm starting to question their mental health.
They also whine and cry about us exposing false doctrine when the guy they're trying to protect calls saved people morons.
On more than one occasion, we have heard with our own ears and had listeners send us this stuff where he calls people morons, spiritual bastards, and on and on it goes. Again, we might compile a list for you before long.
Now that's the pot calling the kettle black.
It's bad when almost every time someone opens their mouth, they break the law of non-contradiction.
That's what some of these fools are doing, but they don't even hear it.
They don't even recognize that it just goes right over their head.
Hey, they're not even going to hear it now.
They know what he said about saved people.
They know what he says, but they don't care.
Where's the broom?
Hurry up.
Somebody sweep it away.
It's like the little child putting their fingers in their ears and refusing to hear you.
La la la la la la la la la.
I can't hear you.
But see, that's how they do.
They overlook their leader.
What's right there in front of their face, they don't see, and they look out far beyond.
They look out at everyone else, not seeing what's right there in front of them.
Some who are getting these new revelations of truth probably shouldn't have eaten that pizza so late last night.
It made them dream up some new thing, a dream about seeing things that no one else sees.
Now that's how you get something started, isn't it?
I see things.
God's given me things that you can't see.
And then all I have to do is convince you that, hey, now you're seeing it too, huh? You're seeing the things that I see that no one else has seen, which means that now we both can see what no one else can see.
Aren't we special?
The elitist club.
We see something they can't see, and if they can't see it, just leave us alone and let us be persuaded in our own mind.
A verse that they totally ripped from its context, by the way.
So they've taken that verse, ripped it from its context, and now it has become their mantra.
Let's just take it and make it into something it's not.
Let's overuse it, misuse it, abuse it.
And they're the ones talking about hearing the whole matter.
This is classic.
I've seen this before.
I recognize it.
Where people accuse others of doing or saying the same thing they have a problem with.
Sort of reverse psychology.
Well, it don't work here.
Won't work.
We're a bit more discerning than that.
If they had paid attention to the context of that verse, they wouldn't be like a parrot.
Let every man be persuaded in his own mind.
Let every man be persuaded in his own mind.
If you did a bit of study for yourself, you should know that Paul is talking about minor issues, minor things that are of doubtful disputation.
Things of little importance, like what goes in the belly.
Esteeming one day above the other.
This guy over here says you can eat this.
Another says you can't.
So what?
Just be fully persuaded in your own mind.
That's the context.
Don't wrestle around over trivial issues.
Some give special attention to a day.
Puts one day above the other.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Now, that's how Paul meant for this verse to be used.
So you can decide today to do everyone a great service, a great favor, and stop misusing that verse and let it land where it's supposed to in its proper
context.
Now, if you'll do that next Truth Time podcast, I'll come on here and exhort you.
But until then, with Paul as my pattern, I have every right to rebuke, reprove, correct.
And it's funny how that some will say they mark and avoid you, yet they know everything you say.
Not much avoiding going on there.
Okay, for the thick-skinned who are still here, strap in and let's examine the judgment seat of Christ verse by verse.
We talked about what the judgment seat was not in our last podcast.
Today we'll look at what it is.
First, let's look at Romans chapter 14 verse 10. 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.
Now let's go through the entire chapter.
Let's start back here at verse 1.
And let's see, not cherry pick, but let's see if we can discern the context.
No eisegeting.
Let's just exegete.
Let's pull from God's word and let it land in its proper place.
Romans 14:1, Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
What are doubtful disputations?
Paul explains verse 2, For one believeth that he may eat all things. Another who is weak eateth herbs.
Verse 3, Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him.
You see, the weak in the faith is the one who places dietary restrictions on himself. Paul says, don't argue about this.
It's just a doubtful disputation.
Verse 4, Who are thou that judges another man's servant to his own master? He
standeth or falleth. Yay. He shall be holding up for God is able to make him stand. Here, Paul makes the comparison to servitude, a person who has placed themselves on a dietary restriction when actually all things are clean and acceptable to eat.
The person who places themselves on a dietary restriction is a servant to that dietary restriction.
However, this person believes that they are doing this unto the pleasing of God. Verse 5, One man esteemeth one day above another. Another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
This is not let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind about who Paul taught, about who's in the little flock, about mixing people up on who's going to be at the judgment seat of Christ, and telling others that Paul taught works for salvation in the book of Acts.
Oh no, you're not going to find where Paul would just come along behind that sort of thing and say, oh, oh, it's okay.
Let's overlook that and just let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
This is not at all what the context of the verse is saying.
Should a person be fully persuaded in their own mind concerning what they
believe?
Of course, if they aren't fully persuaded, then they never really believed.
However, this verse is referencing the custom of celebrating certain holy days.
Paul is saying for every man to be fully persuaded in his own mind about this, not about correct doctrine.
Esteeming certain days is not doctrine.
Doctrine is doctrine.
And while we should be fully persuaded in our own minds about doctrine, doctrine is not up for private interpretation for one person to see it one way and another to see it differently.
No, that's why Paul said, I beseech you, brethren, that ye all the same thing.
Oh, but they overlooked that one.
Okay.
You see, right is right and wrong is wrong.
And teachers like myself, I'm not the only one.
We are not mean and nasty, despicable, unloving, ungraceful, and we're not attacking for simply pointing out the difference between right and wrong.
Hey, we don't have to judge.
The Bible does that.
I have no power to judge anyone.
It's this word of God.
It's the powerful two-edged sword.
It's capable of doing all the judging itself.
Paul would never tell his audience to be persuaded in their own minds to believe false doctrine.
Never.
Verse 6, He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
Basically, what do these things matter?
So long as God is thanked in all of it.
That's the point here.
Verse 7, For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
Verse 8, For whether we live, we live unto the Lord. And whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
You see, the Lord is the Lord of all, both in life and in death.
As the next verse explains.
Verse 9, For to this end, Christ both died and rose and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living.
Verse 10, But why does thou judge thy brother or why does thou set it not thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
This is concerning judgments made about what Paul calls, doubtful disputations.
It isn't about doctrine.
It isn't about the gospel.
It's all about things that have no bearing in this dispensation of grace and will not affect anyone eternally.
Doubtful disputations.
Things that shouldn't be an issue between members of the body of Christ.
Esteeming certain days and dietary restrictions.
These aren't works that will matter at the judgment seat of Christ.
Verse 11, For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God.
Verse 12, So then every one of us shall give an account to himself, to God.
Now, Rodney says, these two verses are not for us.
Need to lay off that late night pizza.
Hey, as Christ lives and he does live, he's alive.
Every knee shall bow to him.
You can mark that down.
I don't know how much plainer that can be.
Christ doesn't say that every knee in the little flock shall bow to him.
No, just as in most of the places that Paul visited, there were a mixture of Jew and Gentile believers who were saved by Paul's gospel.
So Paul was speaking to both when he wrote to the audience at Rome, every knee,
every tongue shall confess to God, and every one of us shall give an account of himself to God.
Don't run from this.
Just learn how to face it head on.
This is about accountability, folks.
We are accountable for what we do with this free gift of grace that has been given to us.
We're accountable for how we handle the word of God.
We are accountable for our ambassadorship.
Accountability is a good thing, and I'm not sure why anyone would want to remove it,
unless they don't care whether or not they're an effective witness of the gospel of the grace of God, or if they don't esteem God's word highly enough to, to be certain that they handle itcorrectly.
Maybe ambassador is too large of a title with too many responsibilities.
Maybe reconciliation doesn't mean much to them.
Therefore, they don't see a point in ministering it to anyone.
Who knows?
But we are accountable whether we want to be or not.
Looking the other way won't make this disappear.
Why is accountability such a bad thing all of a sudden?
I don't know.
Everyone is accountable to something or someone to some degree.
If you're an employee, you're accountable to your employer.
If you own your own business, you're accountable to your customers for services rendered.
You're accountable to the IRS.
If you commit a serious crime and get caught, you're accountable for it.
This is just how life works.
Are we going to just suppose that these same principles don't apply to us spiritually?
We are spiritual citizens of heaven.
There are expectations of us as ambassadors, representatives of Christ to perform a spiritual service, work, as members of the body of Christ.
Those works or lack thereof will be judged and only those things that are of Christ will remain.
Are we going to be judged for dietary restrictions or esteem in one day over another?
No.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
That's the context.
And that's the exhortation from Paul in Romans concerning the judgment seat and judging one another.
These things don't matter eternally.
These things have no bearing on our spiritual standing.
Do not judge each other on these things.
Verse 13, Let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
So instead of judging one another based on doubtful disputations, judge whether or not you are creating doubtful disputations.
Use discernment.
Verse 14, I know and I'm persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitable? Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died.
This passage should be self-explanatory, but here's an example just in case anyone needs clarification.
Let's say there is a person who calls himself a Jew by heritage, culture, lineage. This person and their family choose to continue with dietary restrictions, such as not eating pork, no shellfish, and purely because it is their tradition that has been passed down throughout generations of their family, they choose to celebrate and
honor Jewish holy days.
Now let's say this person and his family also believe Paul's gospel for their salvation. They are saved by grace and believe that Jesus is who he said he was, and
that he came and died on the cross, and that God has forgiven them all trespasses, and that Christ is risen.
This family believes that they're not under the law of Moses, and that these customs
that they have are not works they must do in order to go to heaven.
They just enjoy doing them as a family, and as far as the dietary restrictions, they believe that that's what God calls unclean and is not very healthy for their bodies, and therefore they believe that in doing these things they are honoring God.
Would you, knowing that this family understands and believes Paul's gospel, and knowing that they are fellow members of the body of Christ, would you walk into their home carrying a ham and a lobster, or condemn them for celebrating Hanukkah, and proceed to tell them how wrong they are for carrying on their cultural traditions? Even worse, tell them that God isn't pleased with their actions when in fact he doesn't care that they're practicing these things.
You see, now that would be a prime example of doubtful disputations.
Okay, let's move on.
Verse 16, Let not your good be evil spoken of.
Verse 17, For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Verse 18, For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men.
Paul is saying, leave these things alone.
Serving Christ is what matters here.
The pride of being right, and the condemnation of others in things that are of no eternal consequence, is self-serving, not Christ-serving.
Service to Christ is the only thing that will have any eternal value.
Self-service will fade away with the flesh.
Self-service, pride, will only cause the good things of God to be evil spoken of.
Be a good ambassador, one who reflects Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.
Verse 19, Let us therefore follow after things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
Verse 20, For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense.
Verse 21, It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
Verse 22, As thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
Paul is really driving it home, basically saying, mind your own business about these things.
Verse 23, And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Now this is one of those verses, one of those problem verses, that some don't want to study out, because Paul uses the word, damned.
Some will say that this is referring to loss of salvation.
Oh no, if we read the entire passage as we just did, then we notice that this has nothing to do with losing salvation, and everything with causing someone to stumble on their own doubt.
The doubt that you would be responsible for in creating a doubtful disputation concerning their dietary restrictions, do not cause unnecessary doubt for the weaker brother.
With spiritual maturity, not your condemnation, he will figure these things out for himself.
Before I go, I want to say, it's been so encouraging to come into the office, open up
emails, and see scores and scores, a flood of people, who have now decided to study with us verse by verse, and have had that light bulb moment, deciding to just agree with God, agree with Him, and just stand on His word.
Agreeing with His word as it says it, and to whom it says it, verse by verse, with no wiggle room to change the distinctive black words on the clear white pages.
We love seeing those who are waking up to God's unadulterated, unperverted truth.
Remember, you only get two educations, the one you're given, and the one you give yourself.
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