Daily Radio Program with Charles Stanley - In Touch Ministries - The Final Exam - Part 2

Episode Date: February 23, 2026

God desires to reward us for living lives worthy of a heavenly reward.Donate: https://store.intouch.org/donate/generalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the In-Touch podcast with Charles Stanley for Monday, February 23rd. Life changes so fast it can be hard to know what truly matters. Today we'll focus on what never loses its value as we continue Dr. Stanley's series Countdown to Judgment. This is the message in our series on Countdown to Judgment. And you'll recall we said in the very beginning, the moment you were born, the countdown started. every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every year, until one of these days God's going to call you home to give an account for your life. There'll be no excuses, there'll be no late, there'll be no early, you'll be right on time.

And you'll stand in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the just eternal judge, and he and you will deal with the final exam of your life. That's what I want to talk about in this message, and I want to talk about in this message, and I I want you to turn, if you will, the 1st Corinthians chapter 3. So I want you to begin with me, if you will, in verse 5. What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.

Our planet, Apollus watered. But God was causing the growth. So then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the grove. Now, he who plants and he who waters are one, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You God's field, God's building, speaking of the church there. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder, I laid a foundation and another is building on it, but each man must be careful how he builds on it. For No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Now, if any man, a woman, of course, likewise. Now, if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, or precious stones, or wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident. That is, it's going to be shown, declared, manifest, reveal. For the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself, will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work, which he has built on it, remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved yet so as through fire. So let's think about the gold,

silver, and precious stones for a moment. A person who's building on the foundation of Jesus Christ, that is their salvation experience, is the person who's doing this. You, you know, You are studying, listening, applying the Word of God to your life. You're building into your life the principles, the statutes, the commandments, the laws, the will, the purpose, the plan of God in your life. You're building that into your life because you want your best for yourself and for the kingdom of God. You're building that in. And so on this foundation, what's happening is that God is allowing us and directing us to build on the foundation a lifestyle that is consistent. with the foundation. Jesus did not lie, still cheat, nor was he lazy? Not he did he ignore other people

and passed by those who were in trouble. That is, what you and I to do, we had to build on this foundation those characteristics that are like his. Every day of our life, we have the awesome privilege of building on our life and instilling within our life those activities that what? that God sees as those things that are consistent with the foundation, and He's going to reward us for every single one of them. That's why godly living is so very important, besides the fact that's who we are. So when we live a godly life,

when we do those things that are simple and commonplace and oftentimes things that you and I wouldn't even think about being rewarded for, that's who we are. That is, we don't have to sit down and say, if I do this, this, this, this, this, Jesus is going to reward me. No, watch this. Because you and I are end-dwellp of the Holy Spirit. When we obey the promptings of the Spirit of God, we'll see that person who's in need. We'll sense that person. We can give them something that will help them. We will sense the Spirit of God convicting us to talk to them about Jesus Christ.

Listen, think about this. He sent his son to the cross to die for you and me, that you and I could be godly, that you and I could take his place in this light. That's why he said, the church is the body of Christ. We're here, our eyes, our hands, our feet, our resources, our gifts, our talents, our skills, doing what? Doing the work that he called us to do because he's seated the Father's right hand. Then, of course, there's wood hay and stubble. I don't have time. or things that we do with the wrong motive, or just passing right by somebody in need.

And I could name a whole bunch of sins, but that's not necessary. In other words, we're either going to build on this foundation things that are right and good and holy and righteous, things that are consistent with who he is and who we are or we are not. So it really falls into two categories. You might want to jot it down. My actions are either worthy or they're worthless. They're either worthy or they're worthless. If they're worthy, I'm going to be rewarded.

If they're worthless, I'm going to lose reward. And so when I see so many people who claim to be Christians and members of churches and who seldom go, just so their name is on the roll and they think, well, you know what, God doesn't expect that. Let me tell you what God expects. He expects you and me to do our best. Will we do our best all the time? No, because sometimes you're sick and sometimes a person's going through some difficult and

hardship. But listen, he knows exactly where we are. He knows exactly how you think. He knows his plan for your life. He has a plan for your life. And part of that plan is to reward you for all eternity. And so he wants the best for us now. He wants the best for us for eternity.

And short-sighted people only think about, well, you know what, as long as long as you I'm not worried about it at John in the future and it turned it to somewhere. I don't know about all that. Well, it'd be a good idea of you to figure out what's all about. Because one thing is certain. The Bible says it's a point of the man wants to die, and after this, the judgment, period. Not if I like it, not if I don't like it, not if I don't want it. I'm going to die, you're going to die, we're going to face the judgment.

For those of us who believe us, the judgment seat of Christ, salvation is not in question. You wouldn't be in that particular judgment. but now it's a matter of being tested. So what I want to do is I want to turn you to two or three passages of Scripture. But first of all, I want you to read with me this verse again. Look if you will in verse 13. Each person's work will become evident. That is, it's going to be revealed.

Top's coming off. For the day that is the day of judgment will show it, declare it, manifest it. bring it to light, we'll show it. And he says, because it is to be revealed with fire. And the fire itself will test the quality of each person's work. If the work remains, it'll receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved yet so through fire. Now, what does that mean? that we're going to be tested. Very evident that there's not going to be any question about what's real, what's not real,

because we just read a few moments ago, he will bring to light the things that are hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts, and then each man's praise will come to him from God. What is the fire? How's he going to test us? Remember, he's not testing the foundation. He's not testing us as a person, whether they're going to heaven or not. He's testing our works.

What have we done or failed to do since we trust the Jesus? So I want you to turn, if you will, to the first chapter of Revelation. First chapter of Revelation. I want us to look at about three verses here. First chapter of Revelation. And let's begin in the 12th verse. This is John the Beloved now, the Isle of Patmos receiving the revelation from God. Verse 12.

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lambsstands, and in the middle of the lambsstands I saw one like the son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across his chest with a golden sash. His head and his hair were white like white wool, like snow and his eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when he has been,

made to glow in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand, he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man, and he placed his right hand on me, saying, Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. Here's what I want you to see. Back to verse 14.

His head and his hair were white like white wool, like snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire. Intense, absolute, omniscient. Now, second chapter of Revelation, look at that, if you will. And the 18th verse, and to the angel of the church in Thyotira write, The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet, like Bernice Bronze says this, I know your deeds and so forth. Verse 23, and I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

Now, what does that mean? Simply this. We stand in the presence of holiness, and things that are wrong and evil, things that are wrong, and evil, things that are not right. Anything that is unrighteous and ungodly cannot stand in the presence of Holy God. He makes it clear in the book of the Revelation that nothing will enter heaven, that is evil in any way, unrighteous in any way, so that when you and I stand before him, it isn't going to be what we say. It's going to be simply this. When we look into the eyes of the Son of God, We're going to see ourselves just the way he sees us.

We're going to see the things that are composed of wood, hay, and straw. We're going to see the things that he sees that are worthy of gold, silver, and precious stones. And in that moment, when we see him, we look at him and we see in his awesome eyes, we will agree 1,000 percent that what he sees is absolutely true. and everything that is wood, hay, and stubble will vanish in a moment. And only what is left will we be rewarded of. No question, no doubt, for omniscience knows everything. Standing in the presence of holiness is beyond our comprehension.

And what happened to John was simply this. He said, when I saw him, I fell in his feet like a dead man. And he placed this right hand on me saying, not be afraid, I'm the first and the last. Every single one of us will stand in the presence of Jesus Christ and gaze into the eyes of righteous, holy omniscience. And all the stuff that is made up of wood, hay, and straw vanish in a moment, gone in an instant, and only what is left will be that for which you and I will be rewarded. Imagine living your life carelessly indifferent to God.

Oh, you got saved maybe when you were 16 years of age. Maybe no one taught you. God will have that in store. That is, he will judge, as you recall, in the light of three things. How much truth? How much light did we know? How much opportunity did we have? And what did we do with it?

And so his judgment is going to be perfectly righteous. imagine getting saved early in life and never going forward with it, never learning the ways of God, but just saying, well, I'm saved and that's it. Standing in the presence of Jesus Christ, the righteous, holy son of God, and all of a sudden, most everything evaporates, and you have little reward. You're not going to be there. and when we look into his eyes, there's not going to be any argument, no excuse, no defense. We in the presence of holiness will be an absolute agreement with him, what he sees and what he does not see.

And what will we do? I don't know what we'll do, probably what John did. I feel at his feet like a dead man. Place his right hand upon us. Can you imagine how fearful and fearsome that'll be? Can you now imagine how much shame we'll feel at the moment? How much regret we'll feel? But when all of that wood, hay, stubble lifestyle is gone,

he will reward us. He says he'll wipe our tears from our eyes and he will grant us our reward for all eternity. Will everybody's reward be the same? No, that's going to be the next message. What's it going to be? How's it going to be? The issue right now is this.

What kind of structure, spiritual structure, are you building on the foundation of Jesus Christ who is your heart and your life? It's foolish not to think about the future. It's destructive not to think about it. their consequences for not living a godly life here and now

and my prayer for you is that you'll stop and do some thinking about your life are you serving God in any fashion you say well excuses don't count it's up to you and me to find those places and how we can serve

to be sensitive and to give of ourselves listen God will show you how and when and he'll empower you to do a good job whatever he calls you to do what he's looking for is your surrendered will to say to him, all to Jesus I surrender, all to him I freely give, I will ever love and trust them and in his presence daily live. He'll show you what to do.

There are only two types of rewards, and the consequences of both is eternal. And you and I are the ones who make the choice about how we live. and he will make the choice of what our rewards are. Don't play the fool and ignore the Son of God in your life and die without Christ. But there is another judgment coming, and that is a judgment we don't even want to talk about at this moment.

But for the believer, you want to stand before him, with all of our faults and their failures and their sins and mistakes in life, but with pure motive. Having done our best, as best we know how, and we know that he will reward us in an awesome way. Amen?

Thank you for listening to Part 2 of the final exam. For more inspirational messages like this one, visit our online 24-7 station. And if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In-Touch Ministries, stop by in-touch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In-Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.

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