Living for Eternal Value: Pleasing God in All
Summary
In our journey of faith, we must remember that when we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, He will not only look at our highlights—the good deeds and moments of faithfulness—but at the entirety of our lives. The question is not just about what we have done, but what holds eternal value. Just as we would be insulted if served leftovers at a fine restaurant, God is not pleased with receiving the leftovers of our lives. He paid the highest price through His Son, and He deserves our best, not our remnants.
The Apostle Paul reminds us to live with the aim of pleasing God. This means offering Him our best in time, resources, and devotion, not just what is left over. Our works will be tested by fire, revealing their true quality. Gold, silver, and precious stones represent works of eternal value, while wood, hay, and stubble symbolize what is easily destroyed and of little worth. We must strive to build our lives on the foundation of Christ, ensuring that our actions and intentions align with His eternal purposes.
The story of Lot serves as a cautionary tale. Though successful in earthly terms, when judgment came, all he had was lost because he was too attached to the temporal. We are called to live on earth with a heavenly perspective, maximizing our potential in alignment with God's foundation. Our daily actions, words, and relationships should reflect what God can use for His eternal purposes.
Even if our past is filled with tapes of lesser value, God's grace allows us to create new tapes. We cannot erase the past, but we can strive to fill our lives with actions that please Him, ensuring that when tested by fire, what remains is worthy of reward. Salvation is secure, but the rewards are determined by the eternal value of our lives.
Key Takeaways:
- Eternal Value Over Highlights: Our lives are not just about the highlights but about what holds eternal value. God looks at the whole picture, not just the good moments. We must strive to live in a way that consistently pleases Him, offering our best rather than leftovers. [12:35]
- Quality Over Quantity: The quality of our works will be tested by God's discerning fire. Gold, silver, and precious stones represent works of eternal value, while wood, hay, and stubble are easily destroyed. We must build our lives on the foundation of Christ, ensuring our actions align with His eternal purposes. [03:23]
- Living with a Heavenly Perspective: Like Lot, we can become too attached to earthly success, losing sight of eternal significance. We are called to live on earth with a heavenly perspective, maximizing our potential in alignment with God's foundation. [07:23]
- Grace for New Beginnings: While we cannot erase past tapes, God's grace allows us to create new ones. We can strive to fill our lives with actions that please Him, ensuring that when tested by fire, what remains is worthy of reward. [13:44]
- Salvation and Reward: Salvation is secure, but rewards are determined by the eternal value of our lives. We must live with the goal of pleasing God, acknowledging our shortcomings, and striving to make new tapes that reflect His purposes. [14:18]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:08] - Eternal Value and Judgment
- [00:43] - The Insult of Leftovers
- [01:45] - The High Price Paid
- [02:17] - Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones
- [03:03] - Quality Assurance by Fire
- [03:57] - The Value of Effort
- [04:37] - Relationships and Value
- [05:11] - Reward for Eternal Value
- [06:07] - Suffering Loss
- [07:23] - The Story of Lot
- [08:14] - Building on the Right Foundation
- [09:14] - The Shrinking Burger Analogy
- [10:34] - Highlights vs. Whole Game
- [12:35] - Living to Please Him
- [13:44] - Grace for New Tapes
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1 Corinthians 3:13-15
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Observation Questions:
1. What does the Apostle Paul mean when he says our works will be "revealed with fire" in 1 Corinthians 3:13? How does this relate to the sermon’s analogy of gold, silver, and precious stones versus wood, hay, and stubble? [03:03]
2. In the sermon, the pastor uses the story of Lot as a cautionary tale. What were the consequences of Lot's attachment to earthly success, and how does this illustrate the sermon’s message? [07:23]
3. How does the pastor describe the difference between highlights and the whole game in our spiritual lives? What does this analogy teach us about how God views our lives? [12:35]
4. According to the sermon, what is the significance of living with the aim of pleasing God, and how does this connect to the concept of eternal value? [12:50]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. What might be some modern-day examples of "leftovers" that people might offer to God, and why are these insufficient in light of the sermon’s message? [01:45]
2. How does the pastor’s analogy of the shrinking burger help us understand the process of God’s judgment and the testing of our works? What does this imply about the quality of our spiritual lives? [09:14]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that God's grace allows us to create "new tapes"? How does this concept offer hope for believers with a past filled with lesser value actions? [13:44]
4. How does the pastor’s discussion of rewards and losses challenge common perceptions of heaven and the afterlife? What implications does this have for how we live our lives now? [06:43]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your daily routine. Are there areas where you might be giving God "leftovers" instead of your best? What changes can you make to prioritize offering your best to God? [01:45]
2. Consider the relationships in your life. Are there any that resemble "wood, hay, and stubble"? How can you invest in relationships that have eternal value? [04:37]
3. The sermon emphasizes living with a heavenly perspective. What practical steps can you take to ensure your actions and decisions are aligned with God's eternal purposes? [07:23]
4. Think about a past action or decision that might not have eternal value. How can you use God’s grace to create a new "tape" that reflects His purposes? [13:44]
5. Identify a specific area in your life where you feel you are not living to please God. What is one tangible step you can take this week to align that area with His will? [12:50]
6. The pastor mentioned the importance of acknowledging our shortcomings. How can you incorporate regular self-reflection and confession into your spiritual practice to stay focused on pleasing God? [13:30]
7. How can you encourage others in your community to focus on building lives with eternal value? What role can you play in supporting them in this journey? [05:11]
Devotional
Day 1: Eternal Value Over Highlights
In our spiritual journey, it's crucial to recognize that God evaluates our lives not just by the highlights but by what holds eternal value. This means that while our good deeds and moments of faithfulness are important, they are not the sole focus. God looks at the entirety of our lives, seeking what consistently pleases Him. Just as we would be disappointed if served leftovers at a fine restaurant, God is not pleased with receiving the remnants of our lives. He deserves our best because He paid the highest price through His Son. Therefore, we must strive to live in a way that consistently offers our best to God, rather than just the leftovers. [12:35]
1 Corinthians 3:12-13 (ESV): "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you tend to give God the leftovers instead of your best? How can you begin to offer Him your best in that area today?
Day 2: Quality Over Quantity
The quality of our works will be tested by God's discerning fire. In this context, gold, silver, and precious stones symbolize works of eternal value, while wood, hay, and stubble represent what is easily destroyed and of little worth. Our lives should be built on the foundation of Christ, ensuring that our actions and intentions align with His eternal purposes. It's not about the quantity of our deeds but the quality and eternal significance they hold. We must be intentional in our actions, ensuring they reflect God's purposes and withstand the test of time. [03:23]
1 Corinthians 3:14-15 (ESV): "If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."
Reflection: Consider a recent action or decision you made. Was it driven by eternal value or temporary gain? How can you ensure your future actions align with God's eternal purposes?
Day 3: Living with a Heavenly Perspective
The story of Lot serves as a cautionary tale about becoming too attached to earthly success and losing sight of eternal significance. While Lot was successful in earthly terms, when judgment came, all he had was lost because he was too attached to the temporal. We are called to live on earth with a heavenly perspective, maximizing our potential in alignment with God's foundation. Our daily actions, words, and relationships should reflect what God can use for His eternal purposes. By maintaining a heavenly perspective, we can ensure that our lives are built on a foundation that lasts. [07:23]
Colossians 3:2-3 (ESV): "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
Reflection: What is one earthly attachment that might be hindering your heavenly perspective? How can you begin to shift your focus towards eternal significance today?
Day 4: Grace for New Beginnings
Even if our past is filled with actions of lesser value, God's grace allows us to create new beginnings. While we cannot erase the past, we can strive to fill our lives with actions that please Him, ensuring that when tested by fire, what remains is worthy of reward. God's grace is abundant, offering us the opportunity to start anew and align our lives with His eternal purposes. By embracing His grace, we can create new tapes filled with actions that reflect His love and purpose. [13:44]
Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Reflection: Reflect on a past mistake or regret. How can you embrace God's grace to create a new beginning in that area of your life today?
Day 5: Salvation and Reward
Salvation is secure, but the rewards are determined by the eternal value of our lives. We must live with the goal of pleasing God, acknowledging our shortcomings, and striving to make new tapes that reflect His purposes. While our salvation is assured, the rewards we receive are based on the quality of our lives and the eternal significance of our actions. By living with the aim of pleasing God, we can ensure that our lives hold eternal value and are worthy of reward. [14:18]
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (ESV): "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you can strive to please God more intentionally? How can you begin to make changes in that area today to reflect His purposes?
Quotes
"How can Jesus have paid this high a price and we give him leftovers? How can he given us the gift of eternal life and we give him leftover time, leftover money, leftover attention, leftover faithfulness? God, if I got it left, I got it for you, but thank you for the high price you paid. We wouldn't appreciate it, and neither does God appreciate giving up his son for leftover saints." [00:01:45]
"He says gold, silver, precious stone—that which is indestructible and valuable—wood, hay, and stubble—that which is very destructible and has little or no value. He tells you how this is going to work. He says back in Ephesians, um, 1 Corinthians chapter 3, he says verse 13, it will be revealed with fire. The fire itself will test the quality of each man's work." [00:02:17]
"The fire is the Discerning Eye of God's judgment, and the Discerning Eye of God's judgment will reveal what was legitimate, what was illegitimate, what was fake, what was real, what was acceptable, what was not. And out of that judgment, it will determine what God can use because it had eternal value attached to it or what was useless." [00:03:03]
"Many Christians are satisfied with wood, hay, and stubble, stuff that's on the ground. They don't have to do anything with it. No, it doesn't take any effort to do that. But if you're looking for something valuable, you're going to dig for that because that's got some value to it. We want valuable people in our lives." [00:03:57]
"If a man's work which he built on remains, he will receive a reward. So he's going to reward that which he can use because it had an eternal value attached to it, to the smallest thing—a cup of water—to the big things. He says you will receive a reward." [00:05:11]
"He will suffer loss. So his eyes, the fire of his eyes, zero in, and he will suffer loss. Two things: he'll lose something he should have had, she'll lose something she should have had, because you can't have a loss unless you lost something. So something you should have gotten, you won't get, but you will also suffer loss." [00:06:07]
"Lot was very successful businessman in Sodom, very successful. His name was known. He was living large. Bible talks about all the cattle he had, all the land he had. He had the stuff of this Earth. But when God came down and judged Sodom and Gomorrah, everything he had was burnt up, including losing his wife and two sons." [00:07:23]
"The question is, what are you giving God that he can use on a daily basis? And what you say, what you do, how you relate. So the idea is that your tape is rolled, the fire of his Discerning Eye sets it aflame, and what is left is rewarded." [00:08:14]
"When you and I stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, he's not just looking at our highlights—the time we did something good here and did something there good. That's all going to be in the tape, but he's looking at the whole program to decide what he can use because it has eternal value attached to it." [00:10:34]
"It's my goal to please him. Now, we're not perfect people. We fall short every day. That's why it is very important that we have a mindset that says when I get up in the morning, 'Lord, today my goal is to live in a way that pleases you.' That is my goal. When I fall short, when I fail, I will acknowledge that." [00:12:35]
"The beautiful thing, as you'll see later on, is that the grace of God, since he still left us here, will allow us to make new tapes. And so we can make new tapes. Can't cancel old tapes, but we can make new tapes. And if we can get enough time and enough effort to make new tapes, we can still have enough on that day to get a reward." [00:13:44]
"He says, but he shall be saved just as so by fire. Just as so by fire means by the skin of his teeth. Yeah, yeah, means I'm not going to take his salvation away. Yeah, I am going to take away his reward." [00:14:18]
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