This week I am staying with my daughter, son-in-law, and three granddaughters in Roseburg as I work in the area. It is always fun to be with them and the grandkids are especially a joy.While here the girls always show me the latest things they are learning, tell me what is going on in their lives and give lots of hugs and kisses. It’s wonderful!
After the girls go to bed each night Jessica and Jered make me play games with them on the Wii. Although I’m not into sports or competition that much I still enjoy playing.
Okay, I do enjoy sports and competition. A lot.
What I like are games where winning is clearly determined by the effort of the team or individual, not by the whim of some judge or official (like the 2006 Super Bowl debacle where the refs missed several calls causing the Seahawks to lose – and no, I’m not still sore about it).
If you are going to play a game the rules need to be clearly defined so everyone knows what they are and how winning is achieved.
What is true in sports is also true in life. Knowing the standard you will be judged by is critical to knowing how to live. This is especially fitting with the topic we are looking at in the Apostles Creed this week.
As we work our way through the Creed, we have already unpacked the first part of the statement on Jesus which reads, “I believe in Jesus Christ, [God's] only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried, He descended into hell and on the third day He rose again.”
This week we are looking at the last three phrases, “He ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”
When the Lord ascended into heaven, among other things, Ephesians 4 tells us He gathered all the Old Testament believers who were in Paradise (also called Abraham’s Bosom) and took them to heaven. [For more on Paradise / Abraham's Bosom see last weeks Blog.]
After His ascension Ephesians 1:20-22 tells us, God “seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church.”
There is a whole lot here to delve into, but space won’t allow it at this time since we want to contemplate the last statement – “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”
If you read that statement over a few times I’m sure your mind fills with various ideas and images.
Right off the bat we need to understand that only unbelievers will stand before the Great White Throne of Judgment and then be cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:11-15).
Believers of our Age will stand before the Lord not to be condemned (Rom. 8:1), but to receive rewards for the work we have done after salvation (I Cor. 3:10-15).
Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, our salvation is never in question but all our post-salvation works will be judged by fire. What we do for Him will come out as gold, silver and precious stones. What we do for ourselves will be burned like wood, hay and straw. Someone Sunday night said, “I sure hope I’m not standing next to Billy Graham when that happens.”
Several questions jump out at this point. What standard will I be judged by? How do I know I will have “gold, silver and precious stones not wood, hay and straw” when I stand before Him? Does He grade on a curve?
Although we could take many pages to identify the answers to those questions, I think one parable Jesus told will help us with a general understanding.
In Matt. 25:14ff Jesus tells of a man going on a trip who entrusted his possessions to three of his servants. The first he gave five talents, the second, two, and the third, one. While he is gone, the first two traded with their money and doubled it. The third one fearfully hid his in the ground.
When the master returned he had each one give an account of what they did with the money they received. The first two presented their master with twice what he left them. He was extremely please and said the same thing to both of them “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.” The interesting thing is the master (representing the Lord) only expected as much from each one as he had entrusted them. He didn’t expect the slave with two talents to have the same result as the one he had given five.
The point here is that although we all have the same standards of walking by faith, witnessing, growing in the Lord, etc., we are given different abilities, gifts, and opportunities. It is what we do with those things specifically given to us that make a big difference.
My “gold, silver and precious stones” will not be based on what I do with what God gave you, but solely on what I do with what He gave me. It’s not about me having the same knowledge, understanding, ministry and gifts as someone else, but how I use the knowledge, understanding, ministry and gifts He gave me.
Of course this brings you and me back to examine ourselves to see if we are using what God has given us to the best of our ability. Am I like the first two slaves who used what they received and saw it increase or am I like the last slave who hid what he was given, not using it at all?
God doesn’t grade on a curve. Our rewards will be based exclusively on what we do with what He has given us. Who knows, since Billy Graham was given a lot more ministry and opportunity from the Lord, maybe he will be glad he’s not standing next to you when the rewards are given out.
How are you using what God has given you?
Mark
