Eternity 101: The Final Exam

posted on Mar 28, 2011 by T. Patrick Hudson

     On Feb. 9, amidst the atmosphere of celebrating Dr. and Mrs. Phil Roberts’ 10th year at Midwestern Seminary, Dr. James Merritt brought a chapel message entitled “Eternity 101: The Final Exam.” As a note of interest, the senior pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Ga., was also the first speaker in the chapel pulpit when Roberts began his tenure in 2001.

     As the former SBC president began his message, he recalled his relief at completing his doctoral defense. He said it was an incredible feeling to know that he’d never have to take another final exam. However, upon further review, he noted that according to 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 there’s still one “final” left for us all to endure.

     “It’s a unique final exam,” Merritt said. “You can’t study for it, cram for it or cheat on it. We take this final exam every day. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, from the moment you receive Him as Lord and Savior, you’re taking the final exam. You’ll never know your grade until the end of time, and only Jesus Christ can grade this exam, because He’s the only one who knows the right answers.”

     There’s a big difference between this exam and any other test, the chapel speaker added. “You can fail this exam without flunking out of school,” he said. “This exam doesn’t involve salvation – it involves service.” Merritt said believers are judged differently from non-believers. In fact, he says, non-believers will only be judged for one sin – failure to believe in Christ and receive Him as Lord. “As Christians, we won’t have to face that judgment,” he said.

     Merritt noted, however, that at the end of life, each believer faces a final evaluation in front of the “Professor of the Universe” of everything he or she’s done, and three things will be taken into account. Firstly, God will review the way we lived.

     Citing 1 Corinthians 3:10, Merritt cautioned the audience as to how they build upon the foundations that Christ laid for them. “Paul is saying, ‘You are the architect of your life,’” Merritt said. “You can build your life with any material you choose. When your building is finished, though, it’s got to pass code. The Bible says God is the Master Building Inspector.” The good news, he noted, is that everyone begins with the same foundation – Jesus Christ.

     “At our final exam, everyone will be judged equally and justly,” Merritt continued. “God will audit our thoughts and motives, and He’s concerned with every minute of your life. In your lives and ministries, God isn’t looking at the size of the work. He’s looking at the ‘how and why’ of your work.”

     The second aspect of the final exam is that God rewards believers for the work they’ve done. “This is where Christianity parts ways with every other religion concerning good deeds,” Merritt said. “Every other religion teaches that good deeds take you to heaven, but Christianity says the opposite. Christianity says good deeds follow you to heaven.”

     Merritt said 1 Corinthians 3:8 teaches that every person is rewarded according to his own labor. “If each one of us has his own reward to receive, that means each one of us has his own work to do,” Merritt said. “You shouldn’t be concerned with anyone else’s reward except your own. There’s no room for jealousy in the Kingdom of God.

     “Make sure that whatever you do (in ministry), you do it for God, because it doesn’t matter if anyone else sees it, knows it or hears about it. If God sees it and hears it, He will remember it and reward it!”

     Lastly, believers will regret any waste that’s left, Merritt concluded. 1 Corinthians 3:15 says that if someone’s works are destroyed by the fire, then he will lose everything; yet, he will be saved like someone escaping from the flames. “This is a picture of a man whose house catches on fire, and he only has time to escape with his life,” Merritt said. He encouraged audience members not to allow this to happen, saying that, when he dies, he wants to pass his exam “with flying colors.”

     Roberts described Merritt as an insightful preacher with a great heart for evangelism. “James Merritt’s preaching is text-driven, timely, accurate and thoughtful. He’s also great soul-winner. Among many other reasons, I love James Merritt because he’s a great family man and a wonderful leader in every sense of the word.”