What is Your Ambition in Life Part 2

Pastor Mike will be speaking on What is Your Ambition in Life Part 1. He will be reading out of 2nd Corinthians 5:9-10.

If God is not bringing up your past, why are you? Embrace the forgiveness of Jesus. Walk in the grace of God. Lift your head up and move forward in hope in Jesus Christ, knowing that it’s over. God took care of it on the cross, and I believe it is finished.

Well, how about that? We’ve made it to 17 years, and I want to welcome you to Hope Worth Having because this is the beginning of our 17th year, broadcasting the gospel of Jesus Christ, preaching God’s truth, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book.

And we are in second Corinthians today. We’re gonna be in chapter five, versus nine through 10, continuing our study, what is your ambition in life? That’s a great question to consider and reflect upon.

And I hope as you think about that, you will be able to follow the right ambition, which is to put Christ first in your life. So let’s get into our study this morning. [“The Jesus Always Did Those Things That Please the Father”] There are times you and I need to be strong in our faith.

I wanna encourage you to be firm in what you believe. And don’t worry about what others think. Don’t strive to please people. Don’t be afraid to speak the truth of God. What is your ambition in life?

The first thing we learn is to be pleasing to Christ. The second thing we learn is to be a fully devoted follower of Christ. We come back to our text in verse nine. And again, he says, therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absence.

Now let’s just stop right there. Therefore, we make it our aim, whether present or absent, if you’ve been with us, we’ve been going through 2 Corinthians together as a church family and how glorious and encouraging it has been, this letter of encouragement, this message of uplifting truth that is sustaining us even through these unique times that we are living in.

We have been feasting on the manna of God as we have sat at the table studying verse by verse, word by word, phrases by phrases, and we have just been enjoying all that God has for us. But the apostle says right in verse 9, therefore, every time you see therefore, you gotta ask, why is therefore, therefore?

Why is it there? Because he is connecting to what he has already taught us. He is bringing it together. The apostle loves to connect the dots. And what he is trying to teach us that as a result of, as a result of, what did we just learn last week?

We learned how to face death confidently because he tells us in chapter five and he tells us in verse six, he says, we’re always confident. Verse eight, we are confident. What are we confident about?

We’re confident. Look at verse six, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. Verse eight, we are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

As the Bible teaches us to live is Christ and to die is what church? For us, it’s a win -win. We win both ways. And we are called to live for Christ while we’re here. And if God takes us out and promotes us to heaven, it’s gonna be awesome.

It’s gonna be even better. As the apostle taught us, it’s far better. But the point I want you to get is that the apostle is connecting the dots in that his mindset is that when he is here, he’s all in.

And if he is taken out of this body, he is before God and he is all in. He is a fully devoted follower of Christ. Therefore, we make it our ambition. We make it our aim. We make it our desire to honor God.

We do it whether we’re present here on this earth or whether we are absent. The apostle was not duplicit. He was not one day living for Christ and the next day living for self. He was not one day behaving this way.

And then another day, he was totally a different person. But he was whether he is absent or present, he. all in for God. He is a fully devoted follower of Jesus. Romans 14 verse 8 says whether we live, we live unto the Lord.

Whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord. Jesus has bought you. He paid the price for you. The Bible teaches us that we are the Lord’s. We belong to Him.

He is our Savior. He is our master. He is our Lord. He is the one that we love and He is the one that we live for moment by moment and it doesn’t matter to us whether we are here or we are before the Lord.

It doesn’t matter because no matter what our mindset is that we’re all in for God. we’re all in. Too many Christians are riding the fence. Those who are sincere, those who love God, those who are committed to the cause of Jesus Christ, it is self -evident where they’re at.

My friends, we are not throwing caution to the wind. We are respectful and loving of our neighbor and careful because we do not desire that anyone would be sick or that anyone would have to deal with something that their body is not prepared for.

But either way, all of us should have it as our aim, as our ambition to be a fully devoted follower of Christ. And our ambition for God is not altered by our state of being. It is not altered by our circumstances.

It is not altered by what we are experiencing or not experiencing in our life. We are all in, absent or present. We are all in for Jesus Christ. That’s why I love the great verse, Romans 12 -1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present yourself, your bodies, as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Now you may be like Mike. Let’s pray not. And that is that every once in a while you find yourself getting off the altar. And God has to whack you upside the head and say, Mike, get back up on the altar.

Surrender to me. Be all in for me. That’s what I want to challenge us to be, is that in this day that we’re living in, that our ambition not be for us, but it would be to please Christ, our ambition would be to be fully devoted followers of Christ.

The third ambition that I want you to focus on this morning is to be transparent before Christ. It is to be transparent before Christ. You say, how do you get that, Mike? Look at verse 10. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done whether good or bad.

Now circle the word appear because it’s the idea of being revealed or to make manifest or to make clear. In essence he is saying we shall all be shown for who we are. That’s what he’s saying. We must all appear.

We’re all gonna be seen for who we really are. People wear… I didn’t even catch that. Yeah, people wear masks, but not literally, I’m talking about spiritually, okay? Sorry, I just came out, I didn’t intend that to be that way.

But here’s the thing, we have our facades, right? We hide behind them, and we may be able to fool people, and you can fool the pastor, and you can fool your friends, and you can fool so many people in your life, but let me tell you who really knows your heart, that is Jesus Christ, amen?

He knows our heart fully, and one day we as believers are going to be revealed to God Almighty. We as believers are going to appear before the judgment seat. The scripture says in 1 Corinthians 4 -5, therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and reveal the counsels of the heart, then each one’s praise will come from God.

I love this verse because so many times we misunderstand this verse, and the reason the apostle wrote these words in light and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God was because he was receiving criticism from the church at Corinth.

They were finding fault with his ministry. He was trying to help them to see that he is sincere, and that his heart has always been for their souls to be saved, and to grow, and to be encouraged in the faith, and so when he says to them in 1 Corinthians 4 -5, judge nothing before the time.

Don’t judge me, Paul is saying, until I fully stand before God, and when I stand before God, look at this in 1 Corinthians 4 -5, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness.

and reveal the counsels of the heart, the hidden things of darkness. He’s not talking about sin, but he’s talking about the things we don’t see, the motivation that Paul’s heart is gonna be revealed, that his desire was never to hurt the church, it was always to help the church.

They had misinterpreted his motivations, the things of darkness, the things that Paul did behind the scenes that never were lauded, never praised, the things that the apostle did to help the church to flourish for God, the things behind the scenes that were done so that the kingdom of God could move forward.

The hidden things of darkness reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then, here’s the key, here’s how you interpret the verse, then each one’s praise will come from God. Now, if he’s talking about unbelievers, or he’s talking about sin, God’s not gonna be praising that, right?

You see, when God reveals what has been done for him in darkness, what has been done for him behind the scenes, then each one’s praise will come from God. All that you and I have done, and are doing for God, and we may not get that certificate, and we may not get that clap, and we may not get that praise from men, but note that God is keeping score of everything that you are doing for his kingdom,

every prayer that is lifted up for him, every little piece of paper on his property that is picked up and thrown into the trash, every act of kindness that is made for him as you are helping the hurting and the hopeless in this season that we are living in, all of this will one day be fully revealed, and you, my friend, will receive praise from God.

Now, can we all be honest? We love praise, amen. Oh, we do, because we’re human. It’s okay. We love it when people brag on us. We love it when people say encouraging words to us. But how much more will you love when Jesus Christ is lavishing praise upon you because of your good work behind the scene?

You are gonna be so full. You are gonna be so filled with joy and encouragement and love for Jesus Christ because each one’s praise will come from God. And what Paul has in view in our text this morning in 2 Corinthians 5 is the same thing.

He has the believer’s life and the believer’s service in view and seen in light of the judgment seat of Christ. Now, this is a different judgment church. It’s not the judgment of whether you are a saved or unsaved, it’s not the judgment where God is hammering down on those who have rejected him and have lived lives that are selfish and immoral, but rather this is the judgment seat of God that is literally translated as the Bema seat of God.

It is in the Greek language an elevated platform where the athletes who were victorious were recognized and they were praised and they received their crowns for what they accomplished in the Olympics.

So when I come to chapter 5 and verse 10, God is not hammering down on me, but he is reminding me. He is reminding me. to be transparent before Him, He is saying one day I am going to reveal all that you have done for the cause of Christ.

I am going to reward you before all for all that you have given for the Lord, all you have done for the Lord, all you have sacrificed for Christ, all that you have tirelessly accomplished for Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16, 27, Jesus said the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels and then He shall reward every man according to His works. Reward. Listen church, you have a reward that is waiting for you as a believer.

God knows us and He knows us thoroughly. There are some people who do not know us. They mischaracterize us. They misjudge us. They misunderstand us. But there is one who knows your heart and He knows your motives and He knows your plans and He knows your ambition.

Let your ambition be transparent before God and know that one day though others may not notice it nor recognize it, there is a Savior in heaven who is standing up from His throne and He is applauding everything you are doing for Jesus Christ.

Oh yes, you will be rewarded, church. Romans 2 6 says God will render to every man according to His deeds. If our deeds and our ambitions and all of our efforts are for God, what is there to be afraid of church?

What is there to worry about? Why should we have any anxiety to stand in the Bema seat before God Almighty? Why should we be afraid? We should look forward to the opportunity to be rewarded for what God has called us to do on that day, that day that we stand before God.

The full truth about our lives is going to be made clear. There’ll be no misunderstandings. There’ll be no judgments relating to being unclear, but the clear truth will be fully exposed. Now, I want you to understand something, because there is so much misunderstanding in the body of Christ about the judgment seat of God.

And I want you to remember that those who have placed their faith in Christ will never face condemnation when they stand before God. Why? Romans 8 .1 gives us this promise, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

But there’s no condemnation. Here’s what I want you to know, is that your sins are already under the blood of Jesus Christ. They were judged on the cross. Christ took your judgment for sin on the cross.

And therefore, it’s not this idea that has been promoted out there of that somehow we’re gonna stand before God and he’s gonna play a video of our entire life. No, my friends, God has already washed away your sin and your sin is cast as far as the east is from the west.

To be what church? To be remembered no more. Oh, we stand accountable to God. We are very much accountable to God and that’s why we should be transparent. But I want you to remember church, that your sins are under the blood of Christ and listen, if they are to be remembered no more, God is not bringing up your sins.

He is not bringing up your failures. He is not bringing up your times that you fumbled the ball or that you faltered. And if God is not bringing it up, why are you? If God is not bringing up your past, why are you?

Why are you beating down on yourself? Why are you finding fault with yourself? Why are you having a pity party? Listen, embrace the forgiveness of Jesus. Walk in the grace of God, lift your head up and move forward in hope in Jesus Christ, knowing that it’s over.

God took care of it on the cross and I believe it is finished. Jesus said, it is what church? The devil likes to bring up our past, doesn’t he? But you just remind him of his future. It ain’t looking good for the devil, but friends, it is looking great for you as a believer in Christ.

Now I want to note another phrase in verse 10 that I think is important for us to make sure we fully and properly interpret. So at the end, he says that according to what he has done, whether good or bad, whether good or bad.

Now here’s what I want you to note. He is not referring to the moral goodness and moral bad or moral evil. But rather this word for bad could be translated worthless. It is understood in the Greek language as being something that is worthy or worthless.

So again, when you interpret verse 10, it’s not that God is judging. every failure of Mike, every sin of Mike, every infirmity, every weakness of Mike. That’s not what he’s doing. I’m on the Bema seat standing before God.

All of us as believers standing before God, getting ready to be rewarded. And what he is looking at our life is all that we have done. Was it worthy, honorable, pleasing to God? Or was it worthless? First Corinthians 3 tells us all that is worthless, wood, hay and stubble is burned up, dissolved.

It’s gone. It’s useless. It cannot be used. But all that is worthy, honorable, and glorifying to God, the gold, the silver, the precious stones that pass through the fire, the testing of God. All that is what God is going to reward us for.

Revelation 22, 12 says, behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me. To give every man according as his work shall be. All of us are gonna stand before Christ at the day of judgment and the Bema seat to receive various degrees of reward for what we have done in this life.

That’s why you need to be transparent before God. And you need to say, look, I want to do everything I can for him while I have time on this earth. And our rewards that we receive in heaven are gonna be in proportion to our faithfulness to the Lord.

And whether you are faithful to God behind the scenes in front of the church, or you are the person who behind the scenes is making things happen, God is going to reward you. the things that are worthy unto Him.

And so this begs of me this morning, the thought and the contemplation of where am I spending my energy, my time, my resources. I encourage you church, spend most of your energy, your time, your resources on what is eternal.

That is what you will be rewarded for. That is what will matter most in this life. That you will stand before that beam of seat and God will look at your works. Were they worthy? Were they worthless?

All that is worthless fades away. All that man thought was important fades away. All that is temporal fades away, but all that is eternal, and all that is honorable to God, all that brings glory to Jesus Christ, it stands like a beaming light.

As you are on the beam of seat, being rewarded for your faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ. And may each of us strive that in our life, that our ambition has nothing to do with us. Because see, if anything this season has taught us, that in one moment, all that man has built can be gone.

Can’t it? In one moment, the rug can be pulled from underneath us. In one moment, all that we were secure in, and all that we felt safe in, all the little kingdoms that we had built. Came crashing down.

And really only thing that lasts is what is honorable and eternal to God. And made this day forward, all of us have the ambition that it is our aim to please Him. It is our aim to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, absent or present.

It is our aim to be fully transparent before God, seeking to be faithful to Him, not looking for the praise of men, but serving God, knowing one day we will be rewarded for all that we do for Jesus Christ.

Would you pray with me, church? Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed. There are times as we serve God, we may feel alone, we may feel like no one cares, no one acknowledges. Re -adjust your thanking this morning.

The Savior’s watching everything you do for Him. He’s got His eye on you, and He is applauding you. Thank you for those of you who prayed for me this morning. Thank you for those who have already been a blessing to the body of Christ.

You came in with a smile. You encouraged others. You listened. Thank you for being on the team and looking out for each other. God notices it. He sees it happening. Thank you for that deed of kindness that you did.

No one saw it. Maybe help someone with some gas money. Help someone with some food. I tell you, this season has really shown whether God’s people are going to love others. or not but you did thank you church be encouraged and make it your ambition commit your heart this morning to please him father in heaven we come asking you to continue to cleanse us wash us make us pure before you through the power of the blood of christ we come today god desiring to just honor you forgive us god if we have done anything selfishly for our own promotion realign our ambitions and goals for you god and i pray lord that you will continue to help us to seek to advance your kingdom in these days help us god to be fully dedicated to you we again crawl back on the altar and say lord here’s our life we are a living sacrifice yielded to you lord i pray for anyone here who may not know you god draw them to you help them lord to receive your grace and forgiveness in their life may they fully accept you as their savior and lord of their life we pray all this in the name of our lord and savior jesus christ amen jesus didn’t come to be popular he came to save souls and in his effort to reach out to so many sometimes he was unpopular and we try to be popular because we want everybody to like us but the truth is when you’re out there doing the work of God sometimes the devil gets angry the world gets upset and you got to be committed that he is your ambition he is your focus he is your commitment so i hope today that as you’ve been studying the scriptures you are committing your heart to him completely i want to encourage you to make sure that you give us your prayer requests at the open door church we love to pray for God’s people and if you have a special request go to hopewithhaving .com hit the contact button and let us know your prayer requests and we’ll take time to pray for you this week this is pastor mike sanders reminding you that in christ there is hope worth having.