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The Book of Second Timothy:
Message Thirty Six
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
A man of
yesteryears used to say, "I often go to hear
Rowland Hill because his ideas came red-hot from the
heart." Dr. John Mason was asked what he liked
best about Dr. Chalmers. "His
blood-earnestness," he replied. A Chinese
convert said to a missionary, "We want men with
hot hearts to tell us of the love of Christ."
If ever there
was a man with a hot heart that told of the love of
Christ, it was the apostle Paul. The heat of his
heart is felt in the words that are recorded in 2nd
Timothy 4:1, "I charge thee therefore before
God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the
quick and the dead at His appearing and His
kingdom."
In the charge
he reminded Timothy that Jesus is the Judge. Some day
our attitudes as well as our actions are going to be
tested, our motives as well as our motions. For the
Bible says, "We must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive
the things done in his body, according to that he
hath done, whether it be good or bad." The Great
White Throne Judgment is for the unsaved. But the
judgment seat of Christ is for the saved. Let's look
at it through the eyes of Dr. F. E. Marsh. "A
son who's in his father's business, who has a special
department under his control, has to give an account
to his father and his father's partner at the end of
the year, as to the discharge of the trust committed
to him. The reckoning isn't to determine whether he's
the son of his father, but to see how he acted as a
servant to the firm. Thus, we stand before the
judgment seat of Christ. It's not to determine
whether we're sons or not, but to reckon with us as
servants."
"When I
stand at the judgment seat of Christ, and He shows me
His plan for me,
The plan of my
life as it might have been had He had His way; and I
see
How I blocked
Him there, and I checked Him here, and I would not
yield my will.
Will there be
grief in my Savior's eyes, grief, though He loves me
still?"
"He would
have me rich, and I stand there poor, stripped of all
but His grace,
While memory
runs like a hunted thing down the path I cannot
trace.
Then my
desolate heart will well-nigh break with the tears I
cannot shed.
I will cover
my face with my empty hands, I will bow my uncrowned
head."
"Oh, Lord
of the years that are left to me, I give them in Thy
hand;
Take me, and
break me, mold me to the pattern that Thou hast
planned."
In the charge,
the apostle Paul reminded Timothy that Jesus is the
coming Conqueror. He came the first time to take away
the sins of many, but when He comes the second time
it's to take the Christians home to heaven. Then
we'll appear before the judgment seat of Christ. It
may be that you're asking, "When will He come to
catch away the Christians?" Of that day and
hour, no one knows. So be ready. A preacher-friend
and his wife were fond of gardening, and they entered
their garden in a contest arranged by the newspapers
of London. Mr. Glegg said to his gardener,
"We're going in for the prize. The judge may
come at any time. We don't know when.
So you'll have
to keep the weeds down." Every time he'd see his
gardener he'd ask, "What about the weeds? Is the
lawn nicely cut today? Are the edges straight? What
about the border?" Each day they waited in
readiness for the judge. One day he came, and they
won the prize. My friend what about the garden of
your heart? Is your life straight? Are you keeping
out the weeds? Is your life clean? To you and to me
our Lord says, "Be ready at all time! For I, the
Man of Glory, will come when least expected."
In the charge,
the aged minister reminded the young man of the
ministry that Jesus is the King of kings. He said,
"I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His
appearing and His kingdom." In the time of
England's danger, in 1805, Lord Nelson wrote home,
"If I fall on the glorious occasion of battle,
it shall be my pride to take care that my friends
shall not blush for me. These things are in the hands
of a just and wise Providence, and His will be done.
My mind is calm. Whatever happens, I have run a
glorious race." He did, for his king and his
country. The day will come when the kingdoms of the
world will be the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So live that you'll bring honor, not dishonor to the
King of kings; and that you'll hear His "Well
done." Be strong with the strength He gives you.
Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of
Jesus Christ. Fight the good fight of faith.
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version.
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the book of Second Timothy.
This series of messages on the
books of the Bible were originally written for
broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The
Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
