1 00:00:13,205 --> 00:00:16,416 Second question: David Hopkins 2 00:00:16,416 --> 00:00:18,407 "Where do you draw the line between 3 00:00:18,407 --> 00:00:20,272 one who is a Christian, 4 00:00:20,272 --> 00:00:21,932 but all their things are burnt up 5 00:00:21,932 --> 00:00:24,599 at the Judgment Seat, 6 00:00:24,599 --> 00:00:26,895 and one who is living in sin 7 00:00:26,895 --> 00:00:28,619 and who is not a true believer? 8 00:00:28,619 --> 00:00:30,804 David Hopkins is referring, of course, 9 00:00:30,804 --> 00:00:33,619 to 1 Corinthians 3:10 and following. 10 00:00:33,619 --> 00:00:34,897 Let me read them to you. 11 00:00:34,897 --> 00:00:37,226 "According to the grace of God given to me..." 12 00:00:37,226 --> 00:00:39,971 This is Paul speaking. "...like a skilled master builder, 13 00:00:39,971 --> 00:00:41,321 I laid a foundation. 14 00:00:41,321 --> 00:00:42,922 Someone else is building upon it. 15 00:00:42,922 --> 00:00:45,066 Let each one take care how he builds upon it, 16 00:00:45,066 --> 00:00:47,084 for no one can lay a foundation other than 17 00:00:47,084 --> 00:00:49,874 that which was laid, which is Jesus Christ. 18 00:00:49,874 --> 00:00:51,704 Now if anyone builds on the foundation 19 00:00:51,704 --> 00:00:53,289 with gold, silver, precious stones, 20 00:00:53,289 --> 00:00:54,634 wood, hay, straw; 21 00:00:54,634 --> 00:00:57,563 each one's work will become manifest. 22 00:00:57,563 --> 00:01:00,249 For the day will disclose it. 23 00:01:00,249 --> 00:01:02,762 Because it will be revealed by fire 24 00:01:02,762 --> 00:01:05,239 and the fire will test what sort of work 25 00:01:05,239 --> 00:01:06,393 each one has done. 26 00:01:06,393 --> 00:01:08,239 If the work that anyone has built 27 00:01:08,239 --> 00:01:10,049 on the foundation survives, 28 00:01:10,049 --> 00:01:11,477 he will receive a reward. 29 00:01:11,477 --> 00:01:15,211 If anyone's work is burned up, 30 00:01:15,211 --> 00:01:17,343 he will suffer loss, 31 00:01:17,343 --> 00:01:21,252 though he himself will be saved, 32 00:01:21,252 --> 00:01:24,170 but only as through fire." 33 00:01:24,170 --> 00:01:26,489 Now, David Hopkins asks this question: 34 00:01:26,489 --> 00:01:29,530 Ok, if you've got these people 35 00:01:29,530 --> 00:01:33,502 who are not building with the right materials 36 00:01:33,502 --> 00:01:35,961 and not building on the right foundation, 37 00:01:35,961 --> 00:01:38,167 it seems like, 38 00:01:38,167 --> 00:01:41,029 fire is going to come, it's going to test it, 39 00:01:41,029 --> 00:01:43,473 if their work is burned up, 40 00:01:43,473 --> 00:01:45,545 this person's going to suffer loss, 41 00:01:45,545 --> 00:01:47,108 though he himself will be saved, 42 00:01:47,108 --> 00:01:48,569 but only as through fire. 43 00:01:48,569 --> 00:01:50,465 So, what David is asking, 44 00:01:50,465 --> 00:01:52,275 if you've got a person who goes to 45 00:01:52,275 --> 00:01:58,952 the Judgment Seat of God in the end, 46 00:01:58,952 --> 00:02:04,186 and everything gets burned up, 47 00:02:04,186 --> 00:02:08,743 how is that different from a lost person 48 00:02:08,743 --> 00:02:11,191 who shows up at Judgment Day 49 00:02:11,191 --> 00:02:13,818 and has no good works? 50 00:02:13,818 --> 00:02:15,942 Because clearly a lost person, 51 00:02:15,942 --> 00:02:18,679 what's true of the lost? 52 00:02:18,679 --> 00:02:20,392 There's none good. 53 00:02:20,392 --> 00:02:22,281 They're children of wrath. 54 00:02:22,281 --> 00:02:26,644 There's none that seeks God. 55 00:02:26,644 --> 00:02:31,434 Right? 56 00:02:31,434 --> 00:02:33,253 There's none righteous, 57 00:02:33,253 --> 00:02:35,787 and there's none that does good. 58 00:02:35,787 --> 00:02:38,652 And so, if a lost guy gets there 59 00:02:38,652 --> 00:02:41,414 and he's got nothing to offer, 60 00:02:41,414 --> 00:02:43,702 how is that any different than the guy over here 61 00:02:43,702 --> 00:02:51,066 who's a Christian and he's got nothing to offer? 62 00:02:51,066 --> 00:02:53,302 What do you think? 63 00:02:53,302 --> 00:02:56,562 (from the room) First of all I don't think everything is going 64 00:02:56,562 --> 00:02:59,432 to be burned up. 65 00:02:59,432 --> 00:03:05,467 This is basically creating a straw man. 66 00:03:05,467 --> 00:03:08,629 Do you know what a straw man is? 67 00:03:08,629 --> 00:03:10,260 A straw man is basically a man 68 00:03:10,260 --> 00:03:12,220 that you can construct, 69 00:03:12,220 --> 00:03:14,815 and then knock him down. 70 00:03:14,815 --> 00:03:16,961 You basically create a situation that 71 00:03:16,961 --> 00:03:20,223 really isn't real. 72 00:03:20,223 --> 00:03:22,356 And that's basically what we've got here. 73 00:03:22,356 --> 00:03:25,059 Listen to me. 74 00:03:25,059 --> 00:03:27,759 David is the one asking the question. 75 00:03:27,759 --> 00:03:30,017 What we don't want to do 76 00:03:30,017 --> 00:03:36,912 is decontextualize 1 Corinthians 3. 77 00:03:36,912 --> 00:03:38,435 What do I mean by that? 78 00:03:38,435 --> 00:03:39,836 Well, we don't want to forget 79 00:03:39,836 --> 00:03:40,821 what the context is. 80 00:03:40,821 --> 00:03:42,114 What is the context? 81 00:03:42,114 --> 00:03:44,164 What in the world's Paul talking about? 82 00:03:44,164 --> 00:03:47,933 What David is assuming is that 83 00:03:47,933 --> 00:03:51,198 this has to do with all Christians 84 00:03:51,198 --> 00:03:54,293 coming before the Judgment Seat 85 00:03:54,293 --> 00:03:56,366 and having all their works examined 86 00:03:56,366 --> 00:03:59,081 and potentially burned up. 87 00:03:59,081 --> 00:04:01,969 That cannot happen, folks. 88 00:04:01,969 --> 00:04:03,258 That cannot happen. 89 00:04:03,258 --> 00:04:04,925 And I will show you verses 90 00:04:04,925 --> 00:04:09,253 that absolutely show that cannot happen. 91 00:04:09,253 --> 00:04:13,057 What David is doing is he's taking this text 92 00:04:13,057 --> 00:04:15,733 and he's forgetting the context. 93 00:04:15,733 --> 00:04:17,777 He's forgetting what it is that's actually 94 00:04:17,777 --> 00:04:20,155 being spoken about here. 95 00:04:20,155 --> 00:04:22,662 Do you remember what was happening 96 00:04:22,662 --> 00:04:25,161 there at Corinth? 97 00:04:25,161 --> 00:04:26,938 Paul's concern is this: 98 00:04:26,938 --> 00:04:30,119 There are leaders at Corinth, 99 00:04:30,119 --> 00:04:31,157 are there not? 100 00:04:31,157 --> 00:04:33,137 There are leaders at the church there. 101 00:04:33,137 --> 00:04:35,563 Do you remember what was happening at the church? 102 00:04:35,563 --> 00:04:38,246 You had schism. You had division. 103 00:04:38,246 --> 00:04:39,766 And how were they dividing? 104 00:04:39,766 --> 00:04:41,901 In fact, Paul goes right into this chapter 105 00:04:41,901 --> 00:04:43,405 saying look, 106 00:04:43,405 --> 00:04:46,858 you've got Apollos, you've got me, 107 00:04:46,858 --> 00:04:48,307 you've got some watering, 108 00:04:48,307 --> 00:04:49,622 you've got some planting, 109 00:04:49,622 --> 00:04:51,030 and he says, you know what? 110 00:04:51,030 --> 00:04:56,611 God's the One in the midst of all this 111 00:04:56,611 --> 00:04:57,811 that's doing this. 112 00:04:57,811 --> 00:05:00,420 God is the One that gives the increase 113 00:05:00,420 --> 00:05:01,444 in all this. 114 00:05:01,444 --> 00:05:03,036 And you guys are totally wrong. 115 00:05:03,036 --> 00:05:04,047 You know what? 116 00:05:04,047 --> 00:05:05,368 Men are nothing in this. 117 00:05:05,368 --> 00:05:06,615 Men are nothing. 118 00:05:06,615 --> 00:05:08,297 But bottom line is, 119 00:05:08,297 --> 00:05:10,537 men's works in this ministry 120 00:05:10,537 --> 00:05:11,875 are going to be weighed out. 121 00:05:11,875 --> 00:05:13,139 What are they building with? 122 00:05:13,139 --> 00:05:14,316 And you know what he's talking about? 123 00:05:14,316 --> 00:05:15,674 He's talking about the church. 124 00:05:15,674 --> 00:05:18,021 He's talking about the foundation that was laid. 125 00:05:18,021 --> 00:05:20,026 There's only one foundation for the church. 126 00:05:20,026 --> 00:05:21,440 It is Jesus Christ. 127 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:24,577 And we have to build the church 128 00:05:24,577 --> 00:05:27,996 with the proper building materials, 129 00:05:27,996 --> 00:05:28,897 which is what? 130 00:05:28,897 --> 00:05:30,386 Not wood, hay, and stubble. 131 00:05:30,386 --> 00:05:32,183 That's the stuff that gets burned up. 132 00:05:32,183 --> 00:05:34,049 We need to build with precious stones, 133 00:05:34,049 --> 00:05:35,424 with gold, with silver... 134 00:05:35,424 --> 00:05:38,241 the whole situation here revolves around 135 00:05:38,241 --> 00:05:41,502 what we're building the church with. 136 00:05:41,502 --> 00:05:46,149 What this edifice looks like. 137 00:05:46,149 --> 00:05:47,826 And here's the thing, 138 00:05:47,826 --> 00:05:51,310 were the men leading Corinth 139 00:05:51,310 --> 00:05:55,588 building with good materials? 140 00:05:55,588 --> 00:05:57,041 Were they? 141 00:05:57,041 --> 00:05:58,583 Let me tell you something. 142 00:05:58,583 --> 00:05:59,736 1 Corinthians 5 143 00:05:59,736 --> 00:06:01,153 You know what we find the leaders 144 00:06:01,153 --> 00:06:01,970 were not doing? 145 00:06:01,970 --> 00:06:03,475 They were not disciplining sin. 146 00:06:03,475 --> 00:06:04,873 They were allowing sin there. 147 00:06:04,873 --> 00:06:06,350 That's some wood, hay, stubble 148 00:06:06,350 --> 00:06:07,796 that's going on in the church. 149 00:06:07,796 --> 00:06:08,973 I'll tell you something else. 150 00:06:08,973 --> 00:06:11,176 I'll guarantee you, it was even 151 00:06:11,176 --> 00:06:12,393 in the leadership there, 152 00:06:12,393 --> 00:06:13,496 that they were saying, 153 00:06:13,496 --> 00:06:15,640 well, we're after Cephas, we're after Apollos, 154 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,419 we follow Paul, we're the Christ bunch. 155 00:06:18,419 --> 00:06:19,923 You don't think that was also 156 00:06:19,923 --> 00:06:22,308 infecting the leadership there? 157 00:06:22,308 --> 00:06:23,725 I'll guarantee you it was. 158 00:06:23,725 --> 00:06:26,018 It wasn't just down at the bottom of the ranks. 159 00:06:26,018 --> 00:06:27,930 It was cutting through the whole thing. 160 00:06:27,930 --> 00:06:30,832 And that's why he's saying what he is here. 161 00:06:30,832 --> 00:06:34,139 You know what they were doing? 162 00:06:34,139 --> 00:06:36,079 They were making much out of men. 163 00:06:36,079 --> 00:06:39,119 Rather than making much out of Jesus Christ. 164 00:06:39,119 --> 00:06:42,117 And he's saying, when it comes to your ministry, 165 00:06:42,117 --> 00:06:43,549 if you're in the ministry, 166 00:06:43,549 --> 00:06:49,201 if you're involved in the building of this church, 167 00:06:49,201 --> 00:06:52,322 he's sending a warning. 168 00:06:52,322 --> 00:06:54,833 You guys are building with wrong materials. 169 00:06:54,833 --> 00:06:57,134 Remember, Paul doesn't just come out of the blue 170 00:06:57,134 --> 00:06:59,120 when he talks about things. 171 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:01,995 He speaks based on the errors, 172 00:07:01,995 --> 00:07:03,330 based on the problems, 173 00:07:03,330 --> 00:07:04,629 based on the weaknesses, 174 00:07:04,629 --> 00:07:07,144 based on the sin that was evident right there. 175 00:07:07,144 --> 00:07:08,408 You can believe it. 176 00:07:08,408 --> 00:07:10,623 He's saying this because there were leaders 177 00:07:10,623 --> 00:07:13,687 in that church that were not building 178 00:07:13,687 --> 00:07:16,277 with the proper building materials. 179 00:07:16,277 --> 00:07:17,845 And so what we don't want to do 180 00:07:17,845 --> 00:07:22,484 is make this an overall evaluation for all Christians. 181 00:07:22,484 --> 00:07:25,049 And you know what? 182 00:07:25,049 --> 00:07:26,820 I don't believe at the same time, 183 00:07:26,820 --> 00:07:28,394 that if you ask Paul, 184 00:07:28,394 --> 00:07:31,238 Paul, do you really believe that a God-called man 185 00:07:31,238 --> 00:07:32,848 in the leadership of the church 186 00:07:32,848 --> 00:07:34,191 is going to get to the end 187 00:07:34,191 --> 00:07:36,563 and every single thing is going to be burned up? 188 00:07:36,563 --> 00:07:37,929 I think what you have here 189 00:07:37,929 --> 00:07:41,372 is a severe warning that's meant to throw 190 00:07:41,372 --> 00:07:44,265 and cast fear upon those men who are 191 00:07:44,265 --> 00:07:46,270 in those leadership positions. 192 00:07:46,270 --> 00:07:47,833 And his understanding is 193 00:07:47,833 --> 00:07:50,427 that when he wrote inspired letters to God's people 194 00:07:50,427 --> 00:07:51,628 who were erring, 195 00:07:51,628 --> 00:07:53,370 that the Spirit of God would take that word 196 00:07:53,370 --> 00:07:54,630 and correct the people. 197 00:07:54,630 --> 00:07:56,286 And when you get to 2 Corinthians, 198 00:07:56,286 --> 00:07:59,512 you see correction was definitely taking place. 199 00:07:59,512 --> 00:08:02,402 So I really don't believe that if you ask Paul, 200 00:08:02,402 --> 00:08:04,115 do you really believe that there 201 00:08:04,115 --> 00:08:05,495 are going to be people there 202 00:08:05,495 --> 00:08:07,836 that are God-called men, 203 00:08:07,836 --> 00:08:09,917 God-gifted men that are going to have 204 00:08:09,917 --> 00:08:12,805 absolutely everything incinerated. 205 00:08:12,805 --> 00:08:15,337 I think he would say, no, 206 00:08:15,337 --> 00:08:17,258 by the grace of God, there won't 207 00:08:17,258 --> 00:08:20,080 absolutely be people in that situation. 208 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:21,939 But I'll guarantee what he's teaching 209 00:08:21,939 --> 00:08:23,766 is that you can build in certain ways, 210 00:08:23,766 --> 00:08:25,346 and that these Corinthians had been 211 00:08:25,346 --> 00:08:26,940 building in certain ways that it was 212 00:08:26,940 --> 00:08:28,123 going to get burned up. 213 00:08:28,123 --> 00:08:29,988 It was no good. 214 00:08:29,988 --> 00:08:32,848 There were a lot of things happening there. 215 00:08:32,848 --> 00:08:34,767 They were putting a lot of emphasis 216 00:08:34,767 --> 00:08:37,983 on spiritual gifts in a way that he had to correct. 217 00:08:37,983 --> 00:08:39,701 There were so many errors there. 218 00:08:39,701 --> 00:08:40,995 Things he had to deal with. 219 00:08:40,995 --> 00:08:43,422 When he says that they were acting carnal, 220 00:08:43,422 --> 00:08:45,754 I believe that he was talking from the very top 221 00:08:45,754 --> 00:08:46,583 all the way down. 222 00:08:46,583 --> 00:08:48,555 They were building with carnal materials, 223 00:08:48,555 --> 00:08:50,633 they were building with wood, hay, and stubble. 224 00:08:50,633 --> 00:08:52,148 They weren't really laying Christ out 225 00:08:52,148 --> 00:08:53,324 as the foundation. 226 00:08:53,324 --> 00:08:55,518 They were putting emphasis on things 227 00:08:55,518 --> 00:08:59,652 where emphasis was not at all proper. 228 00:08:59,652 --> 00:09:01,947 Emphasis on gifts, emphasis on certain men. 229 00:09:01,947 --> 00:09:04,340 They were allowing sin to go unchecked. 230 00:09:04,340 --> 00:09:07,170 There certainly wasn't an emphasis on purity. 231 00:09:07,170 --> 00:09:09,707 When you're letting a man continue in the church 232 00:09:09,707 --> 00:09:12,791 living with his father's wife. 233 00:09:12,791 --> 00:09:14,271 You've got people in the church 234 00:09:14,271 --> 00:09:15,610 suing one another. 235 00:09:15,610 --> 00:09:17,305 The rich people coming together 236 00:09:17,305 --> 00:09:18,714 and not waiting for the poor 237 00:09:18,714 --> 00:09:19,798 in the Lord's Supper. 238 00:09:19,798 --> 00:09:22,656 They're not building on foundations 239 00:09:22,656 --> 00:09:28,972 of love and humility and graciousness 240 00:09:28,972 --> 00:09:30,852 and Christ-likeness. 241 00:09:30,852 --> 00:09:37,786 They're not building with Christ. 242 00:09:37,786 --> 00:09:41,778 Remember what Christ said, 243 00:09:41,778 --> 00:09:43,892 many are going to say to Him that day, 244 00:09:43,892 --> 00:09:44,993 Lord, Lord... 245 00:09:44,993 --> 00:09:48,288 And what's He say? 246 00:09:48,288 --> 00:09:50,838 It's not everybody that says to me, "Lord, Lord." 247 00:09:50,838 --> 00:09:54,051 Isn't it amazing how often we come back to this text. 248 00:09:54,051 --> 00:09:56,465 He said, it's not everybody that says, 249 00:09:56,465 --> 00:09:58,693 "Lord, Lord," that inherits the Kingdom of Heaven; 250 00:09:58,693 --> 00:10:00,697 it's those that do the will of the Father. 251 00:10:00,697 --> 00:10:02,200 Now look, I guarantee you this, 252 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:07,702 nobody's over here inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven 253 00:10:07,702 --> 00:10:10,369 who didn't live a life that was consistent 254 00:10:10,369 --> 00:10:13,222 with doing the will of the Father. 255 00:10:13,222 --> 00:10:14,760 Right? 256 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:18,792 And so, there is no pastor, 257 00:10:18,792 --> 00:10:20,764 truly God-called and truly God-saved, 258 00:10:20,764 --> 00:10:22,894 that's going to get to the end of his life, 259 00:10:22,894 --> 00:10:24,368 and he's going to come there 260 00:10:24,368 --> 00:10:26,317 and the fire's going to hit him 261 00:10:26,317 --> 00:10:28,465 and nothing in his life is going to be 262 00:10:28,465 --> 00:10:30,565 according to the will of the Father. 263 00:10:30,565 --> 00:10:33,125 That's an impossibility, right? 264 00:10:33,125 --> 00:10:35,138 Clearly impossible. 265 00:10:35,138 --> 00:10:36,412 John 15:16 266 00:10:36,412 --> 00:10:38,409 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you. 267 00:10:38,409 --> 00:10:41,772 And appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, 268 00:10:41,772 --> 00:10:45,406 and that your fruit should abide." 269 00:10:45,406 --> 00:10:46,185 You know what? 270 00:10:46,185 --> 00:10:47,827 Jesus chooses people. 271 00:10:47,827 --> 00:10:51,549 He's got a certain people for His own personal possession 272 00:10:51,549 --> 00:10:54,159 to be zealous of good works. 273 00:10:54,159 --> 00:10:57,479 We are His workmanship. 274 00:10:57,479 --> 00:11:00,963 How many of you know Ephesians 2:10? 275 00:11:00,963 --> 00:11:03,815 Who can quote it? 276 00:11:03,815 --> 00:11:05,420 "...God prepared beforehand 277 00:11:05,420 --> 00:11:06,984 that we should walk in them." 278 00:11:06,984 --> 00:11:08,521 Is that not what it says? 279 00:11:08,521 --> 00:11:09,976 Does the Scripture not say 280 00:11:09,976 --> 00:11:13,566 that God has specific works, specific fruit 281 00:11:13,566 --> 00:11:15,730 for the life of every one of His children, 282 00:11:15,730 --> 00:11:17,630 and He's prepared them beforehand that 283 00:11:17,630 --> 00:11:18,784 you would walk in them. 284 00:11:18,784 --> 00:11:20,874 Does He not say that? 285 00:11:20,874 --> 00:11:23,727 And so there's nobody that's going to get there 286 00:11:23,727 --> 00:11:25,241 that's going to be truly saved 287 00:11:25,241 --> 00:11:26,932 that did not have works 288 00:11:26,932 --> 00:11:28,253 that were appointed to them 289 00:11:28,253 --> 00:11:30,061 that God's going to make absolutely certain 290 00:11:30,061 --> 00:11:31,121 that they carry out. 291 00:11:31,121 --> 00:11:31,832 Listen to this. 292 00:11:31,832 --> 00:11:32,759 John 15:18 293 00:11:32,759 --> 00:11:34,361 "By this My Father is glorified, 294 00:11:34,361 --> 00:11:36,238 that you bear much fruit, 295 00:11:36,238 --> 00:11:39,371 and so prove to be My disciples." 296 00:11:39,371 --> 00:11:41,076 So, if you don't bear much fruit, 297 00:11:41,076 --> 00:11:42,856 then what? 298 00:11:42,856 --> 00:11:45,649 You don't prove to be His disciple. 299 00:11:45,649 --> 00:11:47,446 How do you prove to be His disciple? 300 00:11:47,446 --> 00:11:48,503 By bearing much fruit. 301 00:11:48,503 --> 00:11:49,748 I guarantee you this, 302 00:11:49,748 --> 00:11:51,304 there's going to be nobody there 303 00:11:51,304 --> 00:11:53,547 that didn't bear fruit. 304 00:11:53,547 --> 00:11:55,361 Do you believe that? 305 00:11:55,361 --> 00:11:57,539 So basically, what happens with 306 00:11:57,539 --> 00:12:00,104 1 Corinthians 3 passage 307 00:12:00,104 --> 00:12:02,626 is that people take it out of context. 308 00:12:02,626 --> 00:12:04,397 Saved so as by fire. 309 00:12:04,397 --> 00:12:05,857 And they immediately see 310 00:12:05,857 --> 00:12:09,174 this pathetic Christian come there 311 00:12:09,174 --> 00:12:12,775 and gets hit by this fire. 312 00:12:12,775 --> 00:12:17,308 And he's totally incinerated. 313 00:12:17,308 --> 00:12:19,313 It's all gone. 314 00:12:19,313 --> 00:12:21,393 But that just simply conflicts 315 00:12:21,393 --> 00:12:23,061 with so many other texts 316 00:12:23,061 --> 00:12:24,356 in the Scriptures. 317 00:12:24,356 --> 00:12:26,140 So many others. 318 00:12:26,140 --> 00:12:28,833 And so 1 Corinthians 3 read in context 319 00:12:28,833 --> 00:12:30,460 is definitely dealing with men 320 00:12:30,460 --> 00:12:32,357 who are building the church. 321 00:12:32,357 --> 00:12:37,285 And I think it needs to be taken in that context.