2 Corinthians 5:9-10
~19 min read
💭 Consider this: In light of this message, what are your resolutions for the new year?
TRANSCRIPT
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In about one and a half hours' time, we will be ushering in the year 2025. The year 2024 will soon be passed and gone forever. Today, the vast majority living in this world will be singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’, which is actually a Scottish rhyme made into a song. Basically, it means ‘time gone by’. It is about singing goodbye; it is about letting the past be passed.
For some people, the new year is a time to celebrate and to congratulate one another for what they have done. For others, it is a time to reflect on things they have not done or could have done better. For yet others, it is a time to make resolutions. Resolutions are things we are determined, resolved, and committed to keep — things we presume in our minds are good, necessary, and important for us.
What does the new year mean to you? A watchnight worship service like this is a time whereby Christians gather together to reflect upon the year that will soon be gone. It is a time to give thanks to God, a time to make confessions. It is also a time whereby God's people will prayerfully ask the Lord to bless all their plans, decisions, and endeavours in the soon-coming new year.
Dear friend, God has been so faithful to us in this year, and He has a purpose for that. If He allows us to have another year, He also has a purpose for that. If our Almighty God is in control of everything, if we truly believe in our hearts that He has a purpose in all things, then we must make it our ambition, motivation, and purpose to live this life to serve His sovereign purpose. There is no better way to learn than to consider His Word on how we ought to live in the year 2025, if the Lord will tarry.
Our text for tonight is taken from this passage, 2 Corinthians 5:9-10: "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For 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." I hope this will be ‘Our New Year's Resolution’, which is the title of our message. What can we learn from this passage?
I. The Labour
Firstly, we want to consider: ‘The Labour’. Beginning with the first part of verse 9: “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent". The original Greek word for “labour” comes from two words: ‘love’ and ‘honour’. The idea is that the work we do is both loving and honouring.
To be “present” means the soul is still present in the body, which means to be alive. To be “absent” is when the soul leaves the body, which means to be dead. When a person dies, the soul leaves the body and is absent. The soul is either with the Lord in heaven or in hell, separated from God forever. As believers, when we are alive in this world, we work — we labour to glorify and honour God, though imperfectly, because we are tainted with sin. When we die, our souls leave our bodies and are in heaven, where we glorify and honour God perfectly because there is no more sin. In other words, whether present or absent, alive or dead, whether perfectly or imperfectly, the Apostle Paul, who wrote this letter, had this overwhelming desire to glorify and honour his God.
Often, we hear people say, ‘I'm so busy.’ Indeed, we are a busy people, and most of us have worked hard throughout this year. Some have worked hard to provide for their families, to build a roof over their heads, to send their children to school, to buy a second home for investment, to save some money for their retirements, to go for holidays, etc. While all these things may not be sinful in and of themselves, the question is: ‘Do these things have anything to do with God and His glory?’ Today, people work hard for so many different reasons. Some work hard to be rich, others to be powerful, yet others to be popular, and so forth. Notice it is always forward-looking—they are looking forward to something they will potentially receive in the future. Obviously, we all know that those things will not last forever. They are only good for this world, and they will perish over time.
As believers, we also work hard for a reason. If God has called you to be a church leader, you work to serve the people whom He has placed under your care. If He has called you to be a father and a husband, you work hard to provide for your own family. Whatever profession you are in, you work hard to be a good testimony in your workplace. But it is not just forward-looking; it is also looking backward, looking inward, and then looking forward. What do we mean by that?
We look back to what our Lord Jesus has done for us on the cross of Calvary. He suffered, He was crucified, He died and shed His precious blood to save us from our sins. Then we look inward — we love the Lord with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our strength. Finally, we look forward to the day we will see Him face to face, and He will evaluate all our works and reward us accordingly. That is how you and I must make it our ambition to work to honour God, to labour for Him — looking backward, inward, and forward.
II. The Evaluation
Our second point is: ‘The Evaluation’. The second part of verse 9 says: "that … we may be accepted of him." To be “accepted of him” does not mean to be justified or to be saved because once we are justified, we do not need to keep on being justified. Something that is accepted of God is something that is well-pleasing to Him, and that implies there are things which are not well-pleasing and acceptable to God. If we want to know what things are acceptable to God, all we need to do is to look at the different times this word “acceptable” was used in the Bible. Allow me to give you some examples.
Romans 12:1 says if we live our lives as a living sacrifice, offering ourselves and dedicating ourselves to God on a daily basis, that is acceptable to God. The next verse Romans 12:2 says if we do not follow the pattern of this sinful world but instead sanctify our minds by reading and studying His Word to understand His will, that is acceptable to God. Ephesians 5:8-10 says before our conversions, we were unbelievers walking in spiritual darkness. But now we are believers, we should be walking in spiritual light, walking according to God's Word, and that is acceptable to God.
In Philippians 4:18, Paul says the Philippians were not rich believers, but poor believers. Despite their extreme poverty, they gave sacrificially to support him, and he received their gifts from the person called Epaphroditus. So Paul says, ‘To me, your gifts have supplied all my needs. I have more than enough because of what you gave. But to God, your gifts are a fragrant, sweet-smelling sacrifice.’ So whenever we give to support the Lord's work, whether it be the church, the ministries, or the missions, we are doing something that is acceptable to God. Colossians 3:20 says: ‘Children, when you obey and honour your parents, that is well-pleasing and acceptable to God.’ These are just some examples in the Bible. Basically, whatever God has commanded us in the Bible, when we obey, we are doing that which is acceptable to Him.
Dear friend, for the year 2024, you may have served as an usher, in the refreshment team, as a Bible facilitator, in the young people's group, the choir ministry, the PA ministry, etc. What is the driving force behind your labours? What causes you to press on and persevere? I believe there are times when you will want to give up. What is the driving force that kept you going and going on? Sometimes, people come up to me and say, ‘Pastor, I think so-and-so is struggling.’ Why is he struggling? Because he has done all these things, but you have not acknowledged him. I am sorry if I have overlooked your work or I have not acknowledged your services. I think we all need some form of encouragement and appreciation, but that should not be the driving force behind our labours.
Those who work only for man's acknowledgements, they have received their rewards. When men pat them on their backs and say, ‘Well done,’ they have received their rewards. But if they don't, they will soon fall away from the ministry. There should only be one driving force behind our labours — one reason why we do what we do — and that is to be accepted of God. God is the reason why we serve, why we press on and persevere, why we give of our time and resources — to be accepted of Him.
Look at verse 10: "For 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." Notice it is emphatic: “we must all appear”. Every believer is going to appear before Christ, whether you like it or not, it is inevitable. Every believer will appear before Him. This word “appear” is very interesting. It carries the idea of being stripped of everything. All outward facades will be removed, and the true reality of one's character will be revealed. The day will come when we must all stand before our Lord Jesus Christ, and everything will be revealed.
This does not mean that God does not know and on that day He will come to know. God is omniscient; He knows everything. But rather, it is for us to know whether or not we are truly genuine, whether or not we are truly faithful. The Judgment Seat of Christ is a future event where God's people will stand before the Saviour as their works are evaluated, judged, and rewarded accordingly. The Judgment Seat of Christ, sometimes known as the Bema Seat, was like a platform or podium where awards were given to winners in the ancient games, like the Olympics.
This Judgment Seat of Christ must not be confused with the Great White Throne Judgment, where Jesus will judge the wicked. Believers will not be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment — only the unbelievers, because of what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross of Calvary. That is the reason why Romans 8:1a says: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus". If you are in Christ Jesus, then you will not be condemned; you will not stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment. However, we will still be judged for all our works and services for the Almighty God. Most likely, the Judgment Seat of Christ will occur immediately after the rapture and the resurrection. At that time, not only our works but even the motivations and intentions behind our actions will be judged.
Today, we live and serve in the church. It is relatively easy to hide certain things and pretend. By that, I mean sometimes people can deceptively convince others that they are loving, they are caring, they are genuine — but in reality, they are not. But the true nature of our works will be exposed before the searching eyes of Jesus Christ at His Judgment Seat. Everything will be revealed.
How will God — our Lord Jesus — evaluate our works? If you have your Bibles, maybe you can turn with me to 1 Corinthians 3:12–15. Let me read for you: "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
Here, the Apostle Paul gave the analogy of a building to describe all our works and services. The foundation of the building is Christ, and every believer is building on top of this foundation. As we build, we use all different kinds of materials. We should only use the best materials — the top materials — because the best materials are worthy of our Almighty God. But sadly, some would use inferior materials. Just like some contractors would use inferior materials instead of high-quality materials to build your house, and you are frustrated and angry — you feel cheated and betrayed, right? How much more our Almighty God, when His beloved children do likewise!
The gold, silver, and precious stones represent high-quality materials. The wood, hay, and stubble represent inferior materials, which are worthless. Men may not be able to tell the difference, but God is able to, and He allows them to use whatever materials. But one day, He will judge. As long as we — the believers — are alive, we are building. We are contributing towards the building through our life, through our worship, through our Christian fellowship, through our services. Believers will contribute one way or another, more or less. The question is not about whether believers are building or not, but what kind of materials they are using. Here, the idea is that everyone appears to be worshipping, serving, singing, giving, praising God — but what is the motivation, intention, and attitude behind those actions?
Verse 13 says: "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." The day will come at the Judgment Seat of Christ when all our works will be evaluated for what they really are. They may appear to be genuine — but are they real or not? Just like gold, silver, and precious stones — are they real? Or are they just wood, hay, and stubble, painted and decorated to look like the real thing? Everyone worships. Everyone sings. Everyone gives. Everyone serves. But are they genuine or not?
So, God will judge all our works and services, and even the motivations and intentions behind our actions. If I can give you examples: when we visit the elderly residents in the Monash Gardens Home, why do we do that? If we go because others are going, the majority are going, so we do not want to be left out, or we want to be seen as kind, loving, and caring — then that would be wood, hay, and stubble. But if we visit the elderly residents because of love, we want to share the gospel with them, and we know that without the gospel they will be lost for all eternity — then that will be gold, silver, and precious stones.
When we give our tithes and offerings, why do we do that? Because it is part of the routine, or just to fulfil certain obligations? Or we want others to think that we are wealthy? ‘Look, when I'm around in the church, the offering goes up. But when I'm away for holidays, the offering goes down.’ Then that will be wood, hay, and stubble. But when we give sacrificially, willingly, and cheerfully, so that the gospel of Jesus Christ can be advanced, souls can be saved, and missions can be supported, then that would be gold, silver, and precious stones.
It is very interesting that Paul uses the expression that everything “shall be revealed by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15) because Revelation 1:14 tells us that the eyes of the Lord “were as a flame of fire”. You can imagine the picture — all Jesus Christ needs to do is to take one glance, and that is enough. If our works are real, they will endure; if our works are not real, they will be burned up. All it takes is just one glance — poof! — and everything will go up in smoke.
Please take note that the fire does not test the man; the fire only tests the work. It is to test the building — the works, the services, the giving, the preaching, the teaching, the singing, the playing of the piano — of what sort it is. What kind of material is it?
You see, the fire is not meant to destroy. The fire is not meant to punish. Fire has a purifying effect. It purifies the matter; it removes the impurities. Some of our works are impure — most certainly you will agree with me, right? They are tainted with pride, jealousy, envy, self-righteousness, self-centredness, and self-glorification. Therefore, it is needed for the fire to remove all these impurities so that only the pure work will remain. So, there will be an evaluation of our works and services. Some will be gold, silver, and precious stones. Others will be wood, hay, and stubble—they will be burned up.
Interestingly, our text in 2 Corinthians 5:10 says some of our works and services are good; others are bad. Now, the word "bad" is not necessarily evil or sinful. It simply means worthless or useless. As one theologian puts it, it is something that has a good-for-nothing value—it is something that has absolutely no eternal value. If I can give you an example, like taking a walk in the park, going shopping, driving along the beach, pursuing an advanced degree, painting pictures, or cooking a nice meal — many of these things are not sinful in and of themselves, nor do they have any eternal value. You see, in life there will always be events, situations, and circumstances: happy moments, sad moments, times of rejoicing, and times of tears. The question we need to ask ourselves is: ‘What have these things got to do with God and His glory?’
Dear friend, if you are going through a struggle today, it can just remain as a struggle that has nothing to do with the glory of God. If you have found a new job, or received an increment or promotion, or go on holidays, it can just be an event that has absolutely nothing to do with the glory of God. But do you realise that we can turn the events, situations, and circumstances of life into opportunities for us to glorify our God?
How can we do that? When we go through a struggle, we respond to it as the Bible teaches us. We pray to God, we trust Him, we become patient, we depend on Him, we look to Him, we press on and persevere — and we have glorified God. When we have found a new job, the first thing we do is to thank the Almighty God, and we testify to others that He has answered our prayers — and we have glorified God. When we go on holidays, we not only enjoy the scenery, but we also take time to visit the local churches and support the local ministries, especially if they are in third-world countries — then we have glorified God.
Can you see when we do that, we have turned the events, situations, and circumstances of life into opportunities for us to glorify our God? As believers, we don't just live through the moments without any rhyme or reason. We live through every moment of our days considering how we can please our God by what we do, say, or think. If it is not glorifying to God, we will not do it. If it is not well-pleasing to God, we will not say it. If it is not acceptable to God, we will not think it. Why? Because there is the Day of Reckoning—a day of evaluation. What we do, say, or think must be good and acceptable to God. Then you and I will be rewarded.
III. The Reward
This brings us to our final point: ‘The Reward’. With the evaluation comes the reward. Look at the second part of 2 Corinthians 5:10: "that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." In other words, whatever you put in, you will receive. Remember, this is not the judgment of sin; this is a judgment of rewards. If we serve with a self-centred motivation, or a self-glorifying purpose, or we go through the events of life with no consideration for God and His glory, then it will be burned. We will receive nothing.
It is easy to fool ourselves into thinking that anything we do in the Lord's name will be accepted by God simply because we are sincere, hardworking, or successful in the ministry. But what looks like gold to us may be stubble. That is why we must always examine ourselves: Why do I do this? What is my motivation? Is it to please God, or to please men, or to please myself? Why do I attend this fellowship? Why do I not attend this fellowship? Why do I choose this and not that? Is this the right approach and attitude to live my life according to God's standard, according to God's Word? Everything must be evaluated.
What are the rewards? The New Testament describes our rewards as crowns — different kinds of incorruptible crowns, which means they will remain with us forever and ever. Recently, I went back home to visit my parents in Singapore. When I was much younger, I received some trophies, and I realised that they have thrown them away. I wasn’t that sad. After all, we all know that those things will not last. But the crowns we receive from our Almighty God will last forever and ever. The Bible calls them incorruptible crowns (1 Corinthians 9:25).
For those who have true saving faith, according to 2 Timothy 4:8, there will be the crown of righteousness. For those who faithfully declare the truth, according to 1 Thessalonians 2:19, there will be the crown of rejoicing. For those pastors and elders who watch the flock faithfully, according to 1 Peter 5:4, there will be the crown of glory. For those who endure trials and temptations, trusting in the Almighty God, according to James 1:12, there will be the crown of life.
Different crowns! Dear friend, what kind of crowns do you think you will receive from God? The crown of righteousness, the crown of rejoicing, the crown of glory, or the crown of life? Do you look forward to receiving these crowns from your Saviour? Do you make it your ambition to want to receive these crowns from Him?
Some people may think, ‘Well, as long as I’m a believer, I’m safe. Who cares about these crowns? As long as I can go to heaven, who cares about these incorruptible crowns?’ Do you know what the Bible says? The one who is truly saved — genuinely saved — is the one whose ambition is to produce fruit to glorify his God. And when you produce fruit to glorify your God, you will receive your reward.
Jesus said in John 15:8: “[This is how] my Father is glorified,” — How? — “that ye bear much fruit” — not some fruit, not a little fruit, much fruit! — “so shall ye be my disciples.” ‘You want to be My disciples? You want My Heavenly Father to be glorified? Then you must make it your ambition to produce much fruit.’
If we do not make it our ambition to glorify God, if we do not have this desire to receive the reward from our Lord Jesus when He comes at the Judgement Seat of Christ, something is wrong with us. Dear friend, please do not wait until the day we are lying on our deathbeds, and then we reflect on the events, situations, and circumstances of our lives, to our horror, discovering they have no eternal value at all. They have absolutely nothing to do with God and His glory.
Just like the old Puritans used to say, our lives will be just like taking a walk in the park. We ask for a new job. When a new job comes, we start to work on Sundays and forsake the Lord’s worship service. We ask for our children to get into good universities. When they get into good universities, they pursue their degrees and become so busy that they have no more time for God. We ask for marriage. When we get married, we become so burdened that we only come to church on Sundays, and even then, our minds are on the things of the world.
Do you think God does not know? He knows! He knows everything about us. He knows us more than we know ourselves. And He wants us to know that He has brought us to this place, given to us this passage, to remind us: ‘My son, my daughter, this is not how you should live your life. You have one life to live. Live that life labouring for Me. One day My Son will come. You will stand before His judgement seat. All your works and services will be evaluated and rewarded accordingly. Do not waste that one life you have to live. Live it for My glory. I have allowed events, situations, and circumstances into your life — not without rhyme or reason — but I want you to respond to them by considering Me and how you ought to respond in a way that will glorify Me.’
When all of us do that, then we will be able to stand before our Lord Jesus and be rewarded accordingly. This is the life God wants us to live. This is the resolution He wants us to have for the New Year. In conclusion, I hope we will read these two verses again, let them sink into our hearts and minds, and be the resolution for the year 2025. Let us read these two verses: “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For 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” (2 Corinthians 5:9–10). A blessed new year to all of you.
THE BOOK OF 2 CORINTHIANSGod of All ComfortGod of All Comfort2 Corinthians 1:1-7
The Recipients of ComfortThe Recipients of Comfort2 Corinthians 1:8-11
The Soul’s Warning AlarmThe Soul’s Warning Alarm2 Corinthians 1:12-14
Defending Against False AccusationDefending Against False Accusation2 Corinthians 1:15-24
Why Do We Do What We Do?Why Do We Do What We Do?2 Corinthians 2:1-4
The Need to Confront SinThe Need to Confront Sin2 Corinthians 2:5-11
Our Victory in ChristOur Victory in Christ2 Corinthians 2:12-17
Our Sufficiency is of GodOur Sufficiency is of God2 Corinthians 3:1-6
The Exceeding GloryThe Exceeding Glory2 Corinthians 3:7-17
Transformed Into His ImageTransformed Into His Image2 Corinthians 3:18
How To Preach The WordHow To Preach The Word2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Treasure in Clay JarsTreasure in Clay Jars2 Corinthians 4:7-12
Be Strong and CourageousBe Strong and Courageous2 Corinthians 4:13-18
The Believer’s ConfidenceThe Believer’s Confidence2 Corinthians 5:1-8
Our New Year’s ResolutionOur New Year’s Resolution2 Corinthians 5:9-10
The Believer’s AmbitionThe Believer’s Ambition2 Corinthians 5:9-10
What Kind of Church Do We Have?What Kind of Church Do We Have?2 Corinthians 5:11-15
What Kind of a Christian Are We?What Kind of a Christian Are We?2 Corinthians 5:16-17
Ambassadors for ChristAmbassadors for Christ2 Corinthians 5:18-21
Living As Examples of the BelieversLiving As Examples of the Believers2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Do We Have True Christian Love?Do We Have True Christian Love?2 Corinthians 6:11-13, 7:2-4
Why Do We Need To Separate?Why Do We Need To Separate?2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
How Do We Mend A Broken Relationship?How Do We Mend A Broken Relationship?2 Corinthians 7:5-16
How Do We Abound In Our Giving?How Do We Abound In Our Giving?2 Corinthians 8:1-8
The Principles of GivingThe Principles of Giving2 Corinthians 8:9-15
Biblical GivingBiblical Giving2 Corinthians 9:1-5
God Loveth a Cheerful GiverGod Loveth a Cheerful Giver2 Corinthians 9:6-11
The Blessedness of GivingThe Blessedness of Giving2 Corinthians 9:12-15
Lessons on Faithful StewardshipLessons on Faithful Stewardship2 Corinthians 9:16-24
Christian WarfareChristian Warfare2 Corinthians 10:1-6
Understanding Spiritual AuthorityUnderstanding Spiritual Authority2 Corinthians 10:7-11
How To Evaluate Our MinistryHow To Evaluate Our Ministry2 Corinthians 10:12-18
The Importance of Christian LoyaltyThe Importance of Christian Loyalty2 Corinthians 11:1-6
Is the Church Gullible?Is the Church Gullible?2 Corinthians 11:7-15
Do Not BoastDo Not Boast2 Corinthians 11:16-21
When Boasting is NecessaryWhen Boasting is Necessary2 Corinthians 11:22-33
The Purpose of TrialsThe Purpose of Trials2 Corinthians 12:1-10
The True ServantThe True Servant2 Corinthians 12:11-19
The Need for Repentance and DisciplineThe Need for Repentance and Discipline2 Corinthians 12:20-13:4
Examine Whether You Be In the FaithExamine Whether You Be In the Faith2 Corinthians 13:5-6
Message 2: Examine Yourselves Whether Ye Be In the FaithMessage 2: Examine Yourselves Whether Ye Be In the Faith2 Corinthians 13:5
For Your Sake, I am WillingFor Your Sake, I am Willing2 Corinthians 13:7-10
For the TruthFor the Truth2 Corinthians 13:8
A Spiritually Healthy ChurchA Spiritually Healthy Church2 Corinthians 13:11-14
Morning Devotion 2Morning Devotion 22 Corinthians 15:58
