Morning, saints. Can we just begin with a word of prayer?
Lord, as we continue in Your presence, the song said so much of what is on my heart. Lord, we want to, as one, humble ourselves before You now, confessing that You alone have the words of eternal life. Lord, our heart is that You would speak, and our heart is that we would hear.
Lord, we pray Your blessing on this time. We pray that there will be something of value that comes out of this time that will go into eternity. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I think most of you know what I am going to be speaking on this morning. It has probably been rumored around and whatnot. Several weeks ago, the brothers came to me and asked if I would be willing to go and share up in Bowling Green. As I considered it, this matter of the judgment seat of Christ was on my heart, in particular because of what was shared at the summer conference about the imminent return of the Lord.
It seemed fitting that this might follow up in a small way. So I did that, and now I am here. The brothers asked me if I would share here also.
We are going to look at a lot of Scripture this morning around this matter, and it will be interweaving and overlapping a little bit. But we want to begin with two passages that speak particularly of the judgment seat of Christ.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad.— 2 Corinthians 5:10
For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.— Romans 14:10-12
Notice that this version says “the judgment seat of God.” Some versions say “the judgment seat of Christ.” But it does not matter, because in John 5:22 we see that the Father does not judge anyone, but He has given all judgment into the hands of the Son.
I know of no more serious subject in the Word of God for the believer than this matter of the judgment seat of Christ. There we are going to find that every thought, every word, and every deed of the believer is going to be made manifest. We all shall come under that scrutiny of the Lord Jesus Christ.
His eyes are like a flame of fire, and He is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
There is no creature hidden from His sight,
but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him
with whom we have to do.— Hebrews 4:13
The question may arise, especially because of what was shared this morning by our brothers at the opening and at the table: Was not the judgment for the believer dealt with once and for all at the cross of Calvary?
There we find that the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, took upon Himself all the sins of the world. In fact, it says that He was made sin itself. There the wrath of God was poured out upon Him completely, thus satisfying God’s holiness and righteousness in the matter of the penalty of sin.
But we need to understand that the Scriptures teach of at least eight distinct judgments. For the purpose of clarity concerning the judgment seat of Christ, I would like to refer to three of them.
The first is the judgment of the cross. This is the judgment upon sin, effected by Christ when He said, “It is finished” in John 19:30. It is the basis of the believer’s salvation.
Christ has borne the sinner’s guilt. As a substitute for all on behalf of whom He died, sin has been judged in the person of the divine Substitute. The one who believes in Christ has been hailed to court, sentenced to condemnation, and executed in the person of his Substitute.
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word,
and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life,
and does not come into judgment,
but has passed out of death into life.— John 5:24
There is therefore now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.— Romans 8:1
Our brothers this morning spoke very clearly of this judgment of the cross.
The second judgment is the great white throne judgment. This last great assize comprehends the judgment of all the unsaved of all ages. You find this in Revelation 20:11-15.
The basis will be works, which evidently suggests differences in degrees of punishment. All who are not found in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire. This is called the second death, which means final and complete cutting off from God’s presence in a sin-cleansed universe.
The third judgment, which we are looking at this morning, concerns only Christians. It is not a judgment of sins which have been judged at the cross and with which the believer will not be faced again. Rather, it involves the divine appraisal of the Christian’s works in service. This will entail reward or loss of reward.
We need to be particularly clear concerning the distinction between the judgment of the cross and the judgment seat of Christ. Put another way, we need to be clear regarding the matter of gift and reward when it comes to the believer.
Gift in Scripture is always connected with eternal life. Reward in Scripture is connected with the kingdom—ruling and reigning, and crowns, of which the Scriptures speak of five.
We know that the basis of all God’s judgments is according to works. But in the matter of the judgment of the cross, which has to do with life and death—heaven and hell—we find that God judged sin at Calvary based on Christ’s completed work.
My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me
and to accomplish His work.— John 4:34
Eternal life is given as the gift of God purely by grace. There is no amount of works that we can do to gain it. In fact, any works that we do or try to do would be soiled by the corruption of our old nature, our flesh.
Being justified as a gift by His grace
through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.— Romans 3:24
For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.— Ephesians 2:8
For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.— Romans 6:23
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
— Romans 11:29
The Greek word used in these verses for gift is dōrea. It can be translated “without price” or “without cause in us.” This gift does not generate with us; it is totally without cause in us. Once given, it is irrevocable. It does not require payment. All has been done. Nothing can be added to it or taken away from it.
Eternal life is the gift of God. So we need never again be concerned in this matter of acceptance before God, reconciliation to God, or atonement of sin before God. In this matter of life and death, it has been settled once and for all at the judgment of the cross.
All that is required of the individual is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish,
but have eternal life.— John 3:16
There is another Greek word, misthos, and it means wages or reward. Because it is a reward, it has to be earned. It is given only to those who are accounted faithful, who deserve it. The matters of service and faithfulness—what we have done in our lives after becoming believers—are all tied up in this matter of reward.
Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me,
to render to every man according to what he has done.— Revelation 22:12
Considering the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures of Egypt;
for he was looking to the reward.— Hebrews 11:26
Knowing that from the Lord you will receive
the reward of the inheritance.
It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.— Colossians 3:24
Now he who plants and he who waters are one;
but each will receive his own reward
according to his own labor.— 1 Corinthians 3:8
This matter of rewards for the believer is going to come up at the judgment seat of Christ. We read in the beginning that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, each one to receive according to the deeds done in his body.
Christians will be judged on the basis of works, with a view to showing whether they have overcome or been overcome. In Revelation, we see the Lord Jesus speaking to the churches: “I know your deeds—your works.” Then comes the pronouncement: “He who overcomes” will receive the particular blessing promised to those who have been faithful.
What is this judgment seat of Christ? The Greek word for judgment seat is bēma, which primarily means a step or footrest. It came to denote a raised platform reached by steps, and later the tribunal of a Roman magistrate, such as Pontius Pilate.
The word is not to be confused with thronos, which we find in Revelation 20:11 and which has to do with the great white throne judgment. The bēma is a judgment seat for the investigation of disciples, not a throne for the arraignment of rebels.
The judgment seat of Christ is a final investigation of the whole church of God. Those examined are Christians only. It is not the judgment of the lost, nor is it a judgment for life, because the believer was crucified with Christ and, on Calvary, the penalties of hell were exhausted.
The process is individual.
So then each one of us will give account of himself to God.
— Romans 14:12
We must all appear. It is inevitable. “All” means it is universal. To be made manifest means it is public. The judgment seat is judicial. We shall stand in resurrection. Each one will give account. It is responsibility to God; it is divine.
Face to face with Christ—no hiding, no opportunity to put a better spin on what you did, no attorney to represent you. The look in His eyes says it all. Like it or not, standing before Christ is precisely where you and I shall someday be.
We will not lose our entrance to heaven if we are believers. But what we do in our earthly life will determine our standing in the eternal kingdom. There are eternal consequences to what we do. Jesus will not wink at our disobedience. He does not play favorites. We will be rewarded according to our faithfulness.
There is no exception and no special deferment. When God calls our name, we will be there. We cannot hide, for God will find us. We cannot scheme to make ourselves look good, for God shall see us. We cannot excuse ourselves, for God knows us.
My primary function at my job is that I perform audits on IT projects. In particular, I perform an audit called Sarbanes-Oxley. Those of you who have worked in big corporate America know what Sarbanes-Oxley is. It was a set of controls put in place after the crash of Enron and companies like that, to provide more regulation around financial institutions.
In my company, we have nine Sarbanes-Oxley controls that I audit against all IT projects. Though I score the audit, my goal is primarily to get these projects in shape for the true audit that may come in from the outside world.
One thing I have done is create what is called a checklist. This checklist basically spells out for the project practitioner what he or she needs to do to make sure the project is compliant. When I engage with a project at its initiation, the first thing I do is set up audit dates and hand them this checklist. I tell them, “If you follow this, you are going to be okay. If you do not, it is going to bite you down the road.”
Having said all that, we want to dive into a few more Scriptures. Though we will stand before this judgment seat of Christ, God is not going to have us go in there blindly. There are checklists, if you will, in the Word of God that speak clearly of how we can be prepared on that day.
But each man must be careful how he builds on it.
For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ.Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident;
for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire,
and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.If any man’s work which he has built on it remains,
he will receive a reward.
If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss;
but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.— 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
Notice that we are exhorted to be careful how we build. Every believer is building every day, whether you know it or not. You are building through your every thought, word, and deed. But the question is: How are we building? Or, more accurately, with what are we building?
Each man’s work will be tested by fire to reveal what quality it is. Remember Ephesians 2:10:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.— Ephesians 2:10
If you are a believer, God has prepared some good works for you to walk in. We need to be careful that the works produced out of our lives are according to those materials that can go through the fire: gold, silver, and precious stones. These materials will only be refined by fire.
But if we build with wood, hay, and straw, the fire will consume them, and there will be nothing left afterwards. Gold, silver, and precious stones speak of the character or nature of Christ and the works produced out of that life.
I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire.
— Revelation 3:18
Buying speaks of transactions. We are all to have transactions with the Lord in all areas of our lives. We are to be about the business of trading and trafficking with the Lord, allowing Him to work in and through our lives.
Gold refined by fire. Peter said, “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come upon you.” Trials are tests used by the Lord to reveal what materials our lives are built of. They show us areas in our lives where we need to have more transactions with the Lord.
Put another way, trials reveal where we need more of an exchange of our life for His life. Then, by His life—the gold worked in us—we will be able to produce works that are redemptive in nature and lasting in value: the silver and the precious stones.
If we do not have these transactions with the Lord, if we do not endure through trials, if we do not cooperate with Him here and now and allow Him to work in and through our lives, we can only build with wood, hay, and straw. These speak of the nature of the old man, the self-life, and the works of these will all be burned up.
Those materials which are not by nature eternal shall be consumed by the fire, and they will not go into the kingdom. Though the works of an individual may all be burned up, that individual will be saved, yet so as through fire.
We also want to turn to Matthew 6. This portion of Scripture is part of what we commonly call the Sermon on the Mount. Here the Lord sets forth principles of the kingdom of God.
When you read the Sermon on the Mount, what is your reaction? Do these words cause despair in your heart? They will if you approach them in the wrong way—as a bunch of do’s and don’ts. The reason is that there is really only one Man who was ever able to live according to these principles: the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the very embodiment of them.
Why are you doing what you are doing when you are doing it? What is the motive behind your actions?
Beware of practicing your righteousness before men
to be noticed by them;
otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.— Matthew 6:1
Our Lord Jesus sets forth a principle here about all works of righteousness produced out of the life of the believer: they should be done unto the Lord, not unto man.
So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,
so that they may be honored by men.
Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing,
so that your giving will be in secret;
and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.— Matthew 6:2-4
When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites;
for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues
and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men.
Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.But you, when you pray, go into your inner room,
close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret,
and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.— Matthew 6:5-6
Character can be defined by what is done in secret. Whatever is done in secret is the true revealer of character.
Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do,
for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men.
Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face
so that your fasting will not be noticed by men,
but by your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.— Matthew 6:16-18
There is no doubt as to the meaning of our Lord’s words. He declares that there are two places where you can be rewarded. It is either here and now, in this world, as one seeks the praise of man and seeks to exalt and gratify self; or later in heaven, when the Father who sees in secret rewards those who have done the deed out of simple love to Him.
Do we not find it true how we desire to have the best of both worlds? Yes, we desire to serve the Lord, but do we not often find that we desire to please ourselves also? The reality is that we cannot straddle the fence. We need to be single-eyed, like the Lord.
It was said of Him that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. In other words, His utter desire and motive was to please the Father and do His will.
Do you not find it frustrating when you interact with somebody who is on the fence, flip-flopping between yes and no? Yet we find that our Lord calls ones like this lukewarm. We need to humble ourselves and allow the Lord to examine our hearts.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
try me and know my thoughts;
and see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.— Psalm 139:23-24
As a word of encouragement, because these verses are very heavy:
Whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones
even a cup of cold water to drink,
truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.— Matthew 10:42
The smallest deed done unto the Lord will not go unrewarded. He uses the simple illustration of a cup of water.
The Gospel of Matthew is really the Gospel of the King, and much of what the King has to say is about the kingdom. Just about every parable has some reference to the kingdom.
Therefore be on the alert,
for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.For this reason you also must be ready;
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
when you do not think He will.— Matthew 24:42, 44
Who then is the faithful and sensible slave
whom his master put in charge of his household
to give them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.— Matthew 24:45-47
Faithful is simply to be responsible to the Lord and to walk according to His will. Sensible is to be aware of the Lord’s will.
So then do not be foolish,
but understand what the will of the Lord is.— Ephesians 5:17
The household here speaks of the church. The Lord gives responsibility to those within the household, and we are to be our brothers’ keepers. We are to give them their food. Every one of us, as born-again children of God, can give food to one another because the food is simply Christ. We are to share the life of Christ with one another.
But if that evil slave says in his heart, “My master is not coming for a long time,” and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards, there is a serious progression. When we fall into dullness concerning the Lord’s coming and put it far out there instead of recognizing that it is imminent, we may begin to mistreat one another.
Eating and drinking speaks of fellowship, and fellowship with drunkards speaks of fellowship with the world. The master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour when he does not know.
To be “cut in pieces” speaks of the severity of the matter and the consequences of being classified as an evil slave. There is much to lose by being unfaithful. To be assigned a place with the hypocrites—the two-faced, the actors in life—will mean weeping and gnashing of teeth: much regret over lost opportunities.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins,
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.— Matthew 25:1-2
The foolish took their lamps but took no oil with them. The prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. While the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout: “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.”
All the virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the prudent answered, “No, there will not be enough for us and you too. Go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.”
Notice that all ten virgins had lamps, and all had oil. Lamps speak of the testimony of the believer—the fact that they are the Lord’s. Oil speaks of the Holy Spirit in Scripture. But the difference between the foolish and the wise was extra oil.
The wise had extra oil. Put another way, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, controlled by the Holy Spirit. There is a cost involved in being filled with the Holy Spirit. The cost is yourself. You have to deny yourself if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
While the foolish virgins were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.
Later, the other virgins came, saying, “Lord, Lord, open for us.” But He answered, “Truly, truly, I do not know you.” This means that they were not known of the Lord in an intimate way. They did not pay the cost, follow the Lord, or seek after Him. Thus, they were shut out.
For it is just like a man about to go on a journey,
who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.— Matthew 25:14
Every one of us has been entrusted with something of the Lord. To one He gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his own ability. The one with five talents traded with them and gained five more. The one with two talents gained two more. But the one who received one talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents brought five more, saying, “Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.”
Well done, good and faithful slave.
You were faithful with a few things,
I will put you in charge of many things;
enter into the joy of your master.— Matthew 25:21
That in itself would be reward enough: “Enter into the joy of your master.” The one who had received two talents received the same commendation. The reward was based on faithfulness, not on the amount entrusted.
But the one who had received the one talent said, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man.” Is that sometimes our opinion of the Lord? Do we see Him as a hard man when difficult things come into our lives?
You wicked, lazy slave.
You knew that I reap where I did not sow
and gather where I scattered no seed.
Then you ought to have put my money in the bank,
and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.— Matthew 25:26-27
“Wicked and lazy.” I think that is something we really have to be careful about, particularly this matter of laziness in spiritual things. We need to be faithful before the Lord.
Therefore take away the talent from him,
and give it to the one who has the ten talents.
For to everyone who has, more shall be given,
and he will have an abundance;
but from the one who does not have,
even what he does have shall be taken away.— Matthew 25:28-29
Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness;
in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.— Matthew 25:30
Are we profitable in the hands of the Lord? Has He been able to deal and work in our lives so that there is profit that can come?
This expression, “outer darkness,” appears three times in Scripture, all in Matthew’s Gospel. It points to a particular place of darkness outside a particular place of light. The illustration is a royal wedding feast held at night inside a lighted banqueting hall, with a darkened courtyard outside.
Servants shown faithful will be privileged to participate in activities surrounding the marriage supper of the Lamb and will subsequently be positioned on the throne as co-heirs with Christ. Servants shown unfaithful will be denied the privilege of attending the marriage festivities and participating in the subsequent reign of Christ.
We can see the seriousness of this matter of being faithful unto the Lord and following Him.
We have covered a lot of Scripture, and you have all done well to bear with me. I would like to look at just a couple more verses that simply sum up what God requires of the believer.
Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in Your name,
and in Your name cast out demons,
and in Your name perform many miracles?”And then I will declare to them,
“I never knew you; depart from Me,
you who practice lawlessness.”— Matthew 7:21-23
What is necessary to be prepared for the judgment seat of Christ is doing the will of the Father. What is this will of the Father?
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine
and acts on them may be compared to a wise man
who built his house on the rock.— Matthew 7:24
Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them—that is the will of the Father, simply put. Did He not say, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him”?
We have mentioned the necessity of being careful how we build, watching, being ready, being faithful, being wise, and striving to abound in the will of the Lord.
Now, little children, abide in Him,
so that when He appears,
we may have confidence
and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.— 1 John 2:28
Beloved, now we are children of God,
and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.
We know that when He appears, we will be like Him,
because we will see Him just as He is.And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him
purifies himself, just as He is pure.— 1 John 3:2-3
The Word instructs us to abide in Him. That word “abide” means to dwell or make your home where you have been placed, which is in Christ. How do we do this? We do it simply by walking in agreement with Him every day and allowing Him daily to let His light shine upon us.
When He shines His light upon us, we need to respond and deal with anything in our lives that is contrary to Him. We need to confess our sins as they are exposed. Let us not wallow in them, and let us not excuse them.
The word “confess” means to agree with. So we agree with Him, stating whatever that sin is by its name. You hear the expression “little lie.” People say, “Oh, it is just a little lie.” It is a lie. Let us agree with God on that. If you lie, you lie. Let us confess it to Him and have it put under the blood.
All that is put under the blood of the Lord Jesus is not going to come up at the judgment seat of Christ. It will be dealt with.
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb
and because of the word of their testimony.— Revelation 12:11
Notice that the blood of the Lamb is the first thing mentioned concerning overcoming.
What was Paul’s attitude concerning the judgment seat of Christ? What did Paul do in light of this?
I do all things for the sake of the gospel,
so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.Do you not know that those who run in a race all run,
but only one receives the prize?
Run in such a way that you may win.Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.
They then do it to receive a perishable wreath,
but we an imperishable.Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim;
I box in such a way, as not beating the air;
but I discipline my body and make it my slave,
so that, after I have preached to others,
I myself will not be disqualified.— 1 Corinthians 9:23-27
Paul said, “I do all things for the sake of the gospel.” Listen to that. Do we do that? Do we get up in the morning and say, “Lord, I want to do all things for Your sake”? In many ways and areas of our lives, that sounds foreign to us. But look at Paul’s heart.
We are in a race now. Every believer is in a race. We are striving. The word “wreath” can be translated “crown.” Paul ran with aim and purpose. Do you have aim in your life? Do you have purpose? Is that purpose the Lord Jesus Christ?
Paul speaks of disciplining his body and making it his slave. Those in the games went through tremendous discipline and exercise for their physical bodies. Paul is talking about spiritual exercise. He did not want to be disapproved at the judgment seat of Christ. He wanted to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
I want to say that it is not our Lord’s desire for the judgment seat to be a thing of terror. It is our Lord’s desire that our gathering unto Him should be a glorious time.
Think about it. It is going to be the time when the saints are finally rewarded. You are going to be rewarded for what you have gone through, for all that you have persevered through, and for all that you have gone through for Him.
Think of all the suffering, the misunderstandings, and the mockings. Finally, there will be vindication before the Lord. We will get to hear the sweetest words that our ears will ever hear:
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joy of the Lord.— Matthew 25:21
Our prayer is that our ambition and motivation will be like Paul’s.
Therefore we also have as our ambition,
whether at home or absent,
to be pleasing to Him.— 2 Corinthians 5:9
And that is really what it is all about.