Please turn to Matthew 24. We will begin with verse 42.
Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.
But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
And shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Matthew 25:14 says:
For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Please turn also to 2 Corinthians 5, verses 9 and 10.
Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto Him.
For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Dear heavenly Father, we do want to praise and thank Thee for being so kind, so gracious, so good, so merciful to us. We thank Thee for bringing us to this last morning. We thank Thee for all Thy past grace and mercy, and we do trust this time into Thy hands.
We pray, Lord, that whatever yet needs to be done will be done this morning through Thy Word. We believe that Thy Word is power. We believe that Thy Word penetrates and divides. We believe Thy Word does slay and does heal. So we commit this morning into Thy hands and ask Thee, Lord, that Thou wilt speak; Thy servants hear. In the name of our Lord Jesus, amen.
We have been considering together Matthew 24 and Matthew 25. The King is coming. Every sign points to the imminent return of our Lord Jesus.
How we do look forward to the coming of the Lord—the Parousia, the presence of our Lord. He has been absent for so long. We have been waiting for so long. It is but right that He should come very soon. This is what we are looking forward to: His presence.
And we know that He has been waiting for very long. Even before He left us, He promised us that He would come back to receive us unto Himself. All these years, He has been waiting and waiting and waiting. He wants to receive us. He wants to take us unto Himself.
But unfortunately, we are not ready. The bride has not made herself ready, and that is the only reason why He is not able to come to receive us unto Himself.
Now, this morning, we would like to consider together before the Lord the judgment seat of Christ.
In Romans 14:10, the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, was speaking about how we should receive one another, even those who are weak in faith. Then he said:
But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? or thou again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God.
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, to Me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess to God.
So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.
We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. In 2 Corinthians 5:10, which we have already read, we find:
For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Here we find the judgment seat of God and the judgment seat of Christ. Actually, it is the same judgment seat, because we remember that in the Gospel according to John, the Lord said that the Father has given judgment to the Son. So the judgment seat of God is the judgment seat of Christ.
According to what we have read, we find that “we” does not point to unbelievers, but to believers. We must all be manifested before that judgment seat, to be judged according to the things which we have done in the body after we are saved, whether it be good or bad.
Now, brothers and sisters, we find among God’s people a beautiful thought: that we who have believed in the Lord Jesus will never be judged. Now, it is true.
We believe in the Lord Jesus as our Savior. There on Calvary’s cross, He bore upon His own body our sins, and He bore the judgment due to us. Because of this, we will not be judged.
In John 5:24, the Lord said:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth Him that sent Me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life.
Because Christ was judged for us on the cross, therefore we who believe in Him will not come into judgment. But remember, that judgment is out of death into life. In other words, we who were destined for death have been delivered out of death into life because of the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus. He has given us eternal life.
So we will not be judged in this matter of life and death—eternal life and eternal death. That has been settled. Praise the Lord.
One day, as we find in Revelation 20, this old heaven and earth will pass away. Then the great white throne will be set, and all who were dead will be raised and will stand before the great white throne. They will be judged in this matter of eternal life or eternal death.
But thank God, we who believe on the crucified Christ will not go through that judgment of the great white throne. This is sure and certain.
But this does not mean that we will not appear before the judgment seat of Christ. As God’s people, we will yet appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
Before we go into this matter, I think there is an issue that must be clear: we must distinguish between gift and reward.
In the Bible, we find the word charisma. This means a gift of grace. God is a Giver; He is the One who gives grace to all. Because it is grace, it is given freely.
Because it is grace, it is given universally. In other words, the grace of God is freely given to all who are willing to receive it. Being grace, it does not require anything from you. It does not require payment. All has been done. The Lord said, “It is finished.”
You cannot, and you should not, add anything to it. All you need to do is receive it with thanks. That is gift.
The Bible tells us that the gifts of God are without repentance. Romans 11:29. That means when God gives a gift to us, He will never take it back.
Sometimes you find children playing together with their toys. After they have been playing for a little while, strangely, it seems as if all the children have their eyes upon certain toys. Then you find one will grasp the toy and will not let it go. Sometimes another child comes and says, “This is my toy, not yours.” He wants to take it back to himself.
Now, brothers and sisters, sometimes we feel that our God is like a child. He gave us gifts. He gave us eternal life when He was happy with us, or when He was in a good mood. But when He is in a bad mood, or displeased with us, then He says, “This is Mine,” and He will take it back.
I am afraid that among many believers there is still that kind of childish thinking about God. Our God is not only not a child; the Bible says He is not a man, that He should repent. Whatever gift He has freely given to you, He will not take it back. Brothers and sisters, this is the assurance of our salvation.
But there is another word: reward. The Greek word is misthos. This word means wages, hire, and generally, reward.
Because it is a reward, you have to earn it. You have to be counted worthy of it. Reward is not given freely or indiscriminately. Reward is only given to those who are worthy, who deserve it.
Eternal life is the gift of God. Therefore, He will not repent of it. The kingdom, throne, crown, rule, and reign—these are rewards, given only to those who have proven themselves worthy. And they can be taken away.
You remember in Revelation 3 the word of God to the church in Philadelphia. Of course, the church in Philadelphia is the only church for which the Lord has no blame or reproach, only praise. But even so, there is a warning: “Hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown.” Revelation 3:11.
So, brothers and sisters, let us remember this: there is a difference between gift and reward. Gift is freely given, universally given, and never repented of. Reward is given only to those who have proved themselves worthy of it, and there is a possibility of it being taken away.
If this is settled in our minds, then we can go into this matter of the judgment seat of Christ. First, the word “judgment seat.”
According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the word “judgment seat” is bēma, not thronos. Primarily, it means a step, a pace, as in Acts 7:5: “to set his foot on.” Literally, it means a foot-rule.
It was used to denote a raised place or platform reached by steps. So, bēma is a raised place, a platform.
Originally, at Athens, on Pnyx Hill, where there was a place of assembly, orations were made from the platform—that is, from the bēma. The orators would step upon the bēma and give their speeches.
The word later came to be used for a tribunal. In the Greek law courts, there were two raised places: one for the accused and one for the defendant. Later, it was applied to the tribunal of a Roman magistrate.
You remember in Matthew 27:19 and John 19:13, you find how Pilate ascended to the judgment seat, or bēma. In some versions, you may have “throne,” because the translators at that time did not see the difference between bēma and thronos.
In two passages, this word is used of the divine tribunal before which all believers are hereafter to stand. We have already read these two places: Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:10.
There they will receive rewards for their faithfulness to the Lord. For all that has been contrary in their lives to His will, they will suffer loss. First Corinthians 3:15.
In 1 Corinthians 3, the Apostle Paul said that he was like a wise master builder—or, to be more exact, like a foreman—and he had laid a foundation. The foundation can be none other than Christ Jesus. But then he said, “See how you build upon it.”
In other words, every believer builds upon the foundation, Christ, throughout his life. After we have believed in the Lord Jesus, upon that foundation we are daily building, whether by our life, our work, our words, our deeds, our thoughts, or whatever it may be. Every day we are building upon that foundation, Christ.
He said, “Now, be careful how you build.” Actually, what he mentioned later is not how you build, but what you build. Some build with gold, silver, and precious stones; others build with wood, hay, and stubble.
For the day will come when the fire will appear, and then it will test every work of each person. If it is wood, stubble, and hay, it will be burned. Yet he himself will be saved. If it is gold, silver, and precious stones, he will be rewarded.
The judgment seat is to be distinguished from the premillennial earthly throne of Christ in Matthew 25:31. We know that after the Lord has come upon this earth, He will set up the throne of His glory. There all the nations that remain will come before His throne.
There will be the nations of goats and the nations of sheep. It will be the judgment of the nations that happens before the millennium. Now, the bēma, the judgment seat of Christ, is not that judgment.
Nor is it the same as the postmillennial great white throne judgment in Revelation 20:11, at which the dead will appear. So you find that the judgment seat of Christ is neither the throne of glory—the judgment of the nations before the millennium—nor the great white throne judgment of the dead after the millennium. It is something else.
The judgment seat will be a tribunal held in His Parousia—that is, in His presence with His saints, after His return to receive them unto Himself.
A writer has said that the tribunal before which disciples appear is peculiar. It is bēma, not thronos: a judgment seat for the investigation of disciples, not a throne for the arraignment of rebels. For the Judge is a certain King who will make a reckoning with His servants. Matthew 18:23.
It is the first of our Lord’s three judgments: Romans 14:12, Matthew 25:31, and Revelation 20:12. At His return, judgment begins at the house of God.
Those examined are all Christians—only Christians. Only believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. “We all” means those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that call upon the name of our Lord in every place. First Corinthians 1:2.
It is a final investigation of the whole church of God. No book of life is produced, for it is not the judgment of the lost. “The wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” Psalm 1:5.
So remember: at the judgment seat of Christ, only believers appear. It is the final investigation of the house of God. It has nothing to do with unbelievers.
Nor is it a judgment for life. We have already read John 5:24. The believer was crucified with Christ, and on Calvary Christ exhausted the penalties of hell. On that ground, he can be judged no more in this matter of life or death.
The process is individual, so that each one of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:12. “We” means Christians. “Must” means it is inevitable. It is universal. “Made manifest,” or “stand,” means it is public. The judgment seat is judicial. Each one is individual, and each shall give account. It is responsibility to God; it is divine.
There is another illustration we can use concerning this matter of the judgment seat, the bēma. You know, in the Orient, we have big families and clans. From time to time, there will be a family gathering.
All the members of the family are gathered in one place. In that room, there will be a raised place where the elder of the family, or the head of the clan, sits. All the members of the family stand before him.
Because this is a family gathering, none but family members can attend. If you are not a family member, you are excluded. If you are a member of the family, you must attend. So every member of the family will be there.
What is it for? From time to time, the head of the family will dispense either reward or punishment. If a member of the family has done something that brings honor and glory to the name of the family, before all the members of the family he will be commended and rewarded.
But if any member of the family has done something that brings shame and disgrace to the family, then before all he will be reprimanded. He will be punished according to what he deserves.
So it is a family matter. It is not a judgment of life and death. When you attend that bēma, you will never be excluded from the family. Once you are born into the family, you belong to the family, no matter what.
But as a member of the family, you have certain responsibilities to the name of the house. Therefore, there will be days when we will be either commended or reprimanded. Now, this is the bēma, the judgment seat of Christ.
Let us put the Parousia of the Lord, the rapture of the saints, together with the judgment seat of Christ, because they happen together.
Brothers and sisters, we have already mentioned how we look forward to the Parousia of our Lord, the presence of our Lord. How we long to be taken, to be raptured into His presence, and there to be with Him.
This is the day for which we are all looking. This is the day we look forward to with expectation and anticipation. This is the day of Christ, as Paul mentioned in his epistles. Oh, that we may appear before Him in the day of Christ. We look forward to that day with joy.
This is the day that we shall be in His presence. His presence shall be with us, and we will all be together. What a gathering that will be! This will introduce us into the marriage feast of the Lamb. This will open the way to the millennial kingdom, to reign and rule with Christ.
Brothers and sisters, this is the day that we all are looking forward to. Even in our songs and hymns, we are singing of that day. Praise God for that, because this is what it ought to be.
It is the will of God that when the Parousia comes, when the rapture happens, it shall be a joyous day. It should be a day of great rejoicing. It is a day in which we will enter into everything that God has prepared for His own, even before the foundation of the world in Christ Jesus.
But, brothers and sisters, I do want to point out to you that at the Parousia of the Lord, when we shall all be taken up and gathered together in His presence in the air, this is the time of the judgment seat of Christ.
Before the appearing of the Parousia of our Lord upon this earth, before He comes down to this earth, before He begins His rule and His kingdom upon this earth, when we are gathered together in His presence, we will all be manifested at the judgment seat of Christ.
We will all be judged according to what we have done in this body after we are saved, after we become children of God, after we become members of the family of God—whether it be good or bad.
Now, do you look forward to that day? You know, the judgment seat of Christ ought to be a joyous time. Why? Because in the judgment seat of Christ there will be reward.
There will be reward for those who are watchful and pray in every season; for those who keep the word of His patience; for those who overcome by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and who love not their soul-life even unto death.
There will be reward for those who deny themselves, take up the cross, and follow the Lord; for those who willingly receive the discipline of the Father; for those who are led by the Spirit of God.
Brothers and sisters, the judgment seat of Christ is a day of vindication for them. All their sufferings, all that they have given up, all that in the eyes of people made them appear foolish—in that day, at the judgment seat of Christ, they will be vindicated.
But those believers who are not watchful, who are not praying, who are anxious to get everything they can get in this world, who cannot wait for the future, who do not keep the word of His patience, who insist upon their rights here and now on earth—they are defeated.
Their hearts are occupied with feasting and drinking and the cares of life. They may be seen by other people as wise, but at the judgment seat of Christ they will be found out. To them there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Dear brothers and sisters, I do not intend to pour cold water upon you, but I feel there is a need for warning. There is a false concept which thinks that when the Lord comes and we are gathered together unto Him, we will all be crowned, we will all sit upon thrones, and we will all rule and reign with Christ.
Whether we are prepared or not, whether we are ready or not, whether we are mature or not, we think it is automatic. But if that is our concept, what is the use of saying, “Watch and pray”? Why should we keep the word of His patience?
Why should we not get the best of two worlds? Today we try to get everything we can in this world, and tomorrow we will reign with Christ. Brothers and sisters, do not be deceived.
It is important how we live after we are saved.
Now, it is true: we cannot work to gain salvation. It is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 says:
For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
We cannot work for salvation. But in Ephesians 2, in the same vein, it says that we who are saved by grace through faith are created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.
In other words, we cannot work ourselves into salvation because all our works are dead works, done by dead persons. They are all like filthy rags and will not cover us.
But after we are saved, after we have the life of Christ in us, the new life and the new nature in us, it is right that this new life and new nature should be developed into new character.
It is right because we live—not we, but Christ in us. Therefore, there should be good works. We should do the will of God.
How we live and what we do after we have received Him as our life will determine, at the judgment seat of Christ, our destiny: whether we will be rewarded or whether we will suffer loss. But that does not mean that you will lose your salvation.
No, it is the gift that knows no repentance. But you may lose the kingdom—the rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years.
A. J. Gordon, a dear servant of God, said:
Just as the legalist resents the doctrine that good works can have no part in effecting our forgiveness, so the evangelical recoils from the idea that they can constitute any ground for our recompense.
You know, the legalist resents the doctrine that he cannot do anything to gain forgiveness, because he thinks he can. He wants to gain forgiveness and eternal life by his own works. But we know he cannot.
But then you turn to the evangelicals, those who believe that it is by grace through faith that we are saved. You find that among evangelicals, they recoil from the idea that works can constitute any ground for reward. Both positions are wrong.
We are saved by grace through faith. But afterwards, as members of the family of God, our heavenly Father does expect us to behave like His children.
That is the reason why, in Matthew 24, the Lord says:
Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.
You know not. We do not know when the Lord will come—the hour and the day we do not know. But one thing we do know. He said, “But know this.” This is something you should know: if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken through.
In other words, we do not know when He is coming, but we know He is coming. So we are watching, prepared, and ready for Him at any time.
If we are waiting and watching for Him, then His coming will not surprise us. We will not be caught unaware, not because we already know the hour of His coming, but because we know He is coming. So we are ever ready for Him.
Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Be ready. In view of the coming of the Lord, we should be ever ready. You may be ready after this conference. You may go home and be ready for a week, and then you are not ready.
Now, if the Lord should come back in that week, praise God. But if He does not? So we should be ever ready. Yet, in a strange way, we feel that we are never ready. This is the way to be ready: ever ready and never ready—not the reverse.
Ever ready, never ready. This is the way to be ready for His coming.
In verse 45, we read, “Who then?” Underline the word then. It gives the time. You find that the parable which our Lord Jesus speaks refers to this particular time. It refers to the coming of the Lord.
Because the Lord is coming, therefore He challenges us. He asks the question, “Who then?” If you read this parable, do not think that there are two servants here. Actually, there is only one. This one servant represents all of us.
You are either the faithful and wise bondservant, or you, the very same person, become the wicked bondservant.
Brothers and sisters, so far as the grace of God, the gift of God, and the life of God are concerned, we are all children of God. But at the same time, so far as our responsibility and service are concerned, we are all bondservants.
We are all bought with a price. We are not our own, and we are to serve our Master. So here you find Christian responsibility. We who have received the grace of God have a responsibility to that grace.
He is now absent, but He commits to us His household. The household here is the household of God. Brothers and sisters, we are in the household of God.
Our Master is now absent, but He has committed to us the affairs of the household. He wants us to see to it that we provide food to the household in due season, that we nourish and build up His house. This He has committed to us.
What is faithfulness? Faithfulness is to carry out the will of the Master diligently. That which is required of a steward is faithfulness. God is looking for faithfulness among His people.
What is prudence, or wisdom? It is knowing the will and the heart of the Master. Brothers and sisters, we as bondservants of Christ ought to know the mind and heart of our Master.
We ought to understand how our Master loves His household. He loved the church and gave Himself for it. We need to know His expectation for that house: how He nourishes and cherishes it, how He purifies it, and how He expects that house, that body, to grow up into full maturity, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
He desires to receive her as His bride—a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, holy and without blemish. You know, this is the heart of the Master. We ought to know it, and knowing it, we should be faithful in carrying out that will.
We as bondservants in the house of God need to faithfully serve, dispensing food in season. Of course, the food here is Christ. He is the bread of life.
We who have had Christ, we who have experienced Him, should contribute. We should share the Christ that we know with the household—to nourish them and to help build them up. We should provide them food in season.
This is our responsibility. Unfortunately, we find that most believers do not fulfill their responsibility in the house of God.
There we are, waiting to be served. We never even have the idea that God has committed the house to us, that we have a part. We have to contribute. We have to share with our brothers and sisters the Christ that we have known.
We are not to be the Dead Sea, only receiving and giving nothing. Actually, the more you give, the more you receive. It is more blessed to give than to receive.
If all the brothers and sisters in the house of God would be faithful and wise, and if all, according to the direction of the Head and the leading of the Holy Spirit, would contribute food to the house, God’s people would not be hungry anymore.
But today, God’s people are starving—not only because only a few are functioning, but also because what we give is not Christ.
That is the reason why we must know Him: know the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, and be conformed to His death. Not for ourselves, but that we may build up the house of God in love.
Then we will be faithful and prudent servants. Brothers and sisters, when the Master shall return, He will put into the hand of the faithful and prudent servant all His substance.
Our brother has already mentioned Daniel. You find that not only when Christ shall come will He possess the kingdom, but the saints of the Most High shall possess the kingdom.
But the very same person can become a wicked bondservant. Why is he wicked? He begins with a thought, and the thought is this: “My lord delayeth his coming.”
Brothers and sisters, if we have that evil thought—that He delays His coming, that there will be many days, many months, and many years yet to come—then we do not need to be careful, watchful, or diligent.
Then you find that this same person becomes wicked, and he begins to beat his fellow bondservants. You know, brothers and sisters, if we do not have love for the church, if we do not serve our brothers and sisters, then when we are disturbed and displeased, we will beat our fellow bondservants.
Look at how the people of Israel treated Moses and Aaron. Not only that, they will eat and drink with the drunken. In other words, they will befriend the world.
If one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Even though he is saved, a believer, yet he behaves like an unbeliever. He makes his brothers and sisters his enemies; he makes the world his friend.
You may do that, but beware. In the day and hour that he does not expect, the Lord comes. And then what happens?
Among God’s people, we dare not even speak on these passages. We try to avoid these messages. Sometimes when we speak on such passages, we say, “Oh, that refers to unbelievers. They are not for us.”
But if you are a bondservant of Christ, if you are bought by Him, then all these refer to believers.
It says in verse 51:
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Of course, it is a picture. If a person is cut in two, what does it mean? It means death—death—and having his portion with the hypocrites, because he acts like a hypocrite.
On the reverse side, he is a believer, but he acts like a worldly person. So in the eyes of God, he is a hypocrite. In other words, during the kingdom time, he cannot enjoy life. It is death to him. It does not mean that he loses eternal life.
In Scripture, there are a number of places that tell us that in the age to come, for believers, there is a possibility of not enjoying life.
As in Revelation, it is promised to the overcomers that He would not blot out their names from the book of life. That refers to the kingdom age. In the kingdom age, the name of one who does not overcome may be covered, because he is cut in two.
There are many Scriptures I could quote. It is very serious, brothers and sisters. The weeping and gnashing of teeth will be great regret: that for the love of a little ease, pleasure, gain, and the little time we live today, we lose the great weight of glory that God has destined for us.
We do not have time to go into the parables of the virgins and of the servants. But in concluding, we would like to consider what we have read in 2 Corinthians 5.
Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto Him.
In view of the fact that we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, therefore we make it our aim. Different words are used in different versions. Some say, “We labor.” Others say, “We strive.” Or, “We are ambitious.”
You know, brothers and sisters, we should be ambitious. In view of the coming of the Lord, in view of the judgment seat of Christ, we should have an ambition.
What is our ambition? Whether present or absent—that is, whether we live or die—we want to be agreeable to Christ. Or, in some versions, we want to be pleasing to Him.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord is coming. The King is coming. He is coming with glory. He is coming with His kingdom. He is coming to judge His saints. He is coming to reward those who are faithful.
If we know this, are we not to be zealous? We cannot afford to be lukewarm. Are we not to strive and labor? We cannot be lazy and slothful. Are we not to be ambitious—not passive, not negative?
There should be a burning desire within us. Oh, because He is coming in glory, we want to live pleasing to Him. We want to please Him. We want to do everything that will make Him happy.
If we do, then when we appear before Him, we shall not be put to shame, and He will not be ashamed of us.
So, brothers and sisters, what we need to do is simply this: we need to live daily in the light of the judgment seat of Christ.
Every day, let the light of the judgment seat of Christ shine upon us. Do not allow a day to pass by with something remaining: a sin unconfessed, a disobedience not dealt with, a controversy not settled.
Brothers and sisters, we live daily in the light of the judgment seat of Christ as if the judgment seat of Christ is now. Let that light shine upon us.
Let every day, all our failures, all our sins, and all our faults be confessed. We are not perfect, but let all our sins and faults be confessed and put under the blood of the Lamb.
Whatever is under the blood will not be brought out at the judgment seat of Christ. But anything that is not under the blood, at the judgment seat of Christ, everything will be publicly and openly announced and declared.
Oh, the blood of the Lamb—how we need the blood.
If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Let us walk daily in the light of the judgment seat of Christ. Daily, let us deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. Daily, let us do His will—not to please ourselves, nor even to please other people, but let us live to please Him.
As our Lord pleased His Father all the days of His flesh, if we do this, brothers and sisters, there is no need to be afraid of the judgment seat of Christ. On the contrary, you will look forward to that day because you know you have pleased Him, because you know everything will be vindicated.
So, brothers and sisters, I do not want to leave you on a negative note. It should be positive. The judgment seat of Christ happens in that glorious day of His presence and of our being gathered together.
My dear brothers and sisters, may it be glorious when He comes.
Dear heavenly Father, our prayer this morning is that because we have learned to please Thee today, we can look forward to the day of Christ, when we shall appear before Thy judgment seat, knowing that we have pleased Thee. There is nothing to be fearful of.
Lord, we do ask Thee that we may daily live in the light of that day, that when that day comes, it may truly be a glorious day. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.