One day when we least expect it, it will happen. Jesus Christ will come back and every true Christian will instantly find themselves wearing an immortal body in the presence of the Lord. Earthly life will abruptly end. Earthly service for the Lord will be finished. It will be too late to witness to family and friends or to quit a sinful habit. Good intentions to pray more, read the Bible more, and begin giving our tithes and offerings to the Lord, will be left unfulfilled. God’s trumpet will sound while some Christians in the midst of watching a filthy movie, listening to godless music, or living an ungodly lifestyle. The call from heaven will happen so quickly there will be no time to make last-minute corrections. Most Christians will wish they had lived more for eternity and less for this life. Regret will plague our minds, but it will be forever too late. In that condition we will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

This evening I want to begin a brief series of messages on the Judgment Seat of Christ. I preached a similar series back in 2008, but I believe the Lord would have us study this topic again. In each message we will look at an aspect of the event. Read together 2 Cor 5:8-11.

Transition

In this message I want to answer several questions that will help us get acquainted with the Judgment Seat of Christ.

What is the Judgement Seat of Christ?

  1. It is a future accounting for every Christian
    1. Note the word “all” in v. 10. No Christian will be missing.
    2. The term “judgment seat” comes from the Greek word “bema”, which refers to a raised place mounted by steps; a platform, tribune; used of the official seat of a judge. During the ancient Grecian games in Athens the judge or umpire sat on a bema to watch the contest. He then rewarded the winners when the contest was complete. But the bema is not just a time of reward.
      1. Pilate sat on his bema to judge Jesus (Mt 27:19).
      2. Herod sat on his bema to address people (Ac 12:21).
      3. Paul was brought before Gallio’s bema (Ac 18:12).
      4. Paul testified to Festus seated on his bema (Ac 25:6).
    3. The Bema Seat of Christ is a coming judgment when Christ will judge the earthly life and service of every Christian.
  2. It is NOT a judgment that sends some to hell.
    1. All unbelievers will stand before God’s Great White Throne Judgment after the Millennium. At that terrible judgment every unbeliever will be sentenced to the Lake of Fire for all eternity (Revelation 20:11-15).
    2. No true Christian will ever be condemned to hell for his sin. All his sins – past, present, and future – have been paid for by Christ man’s perfect substitute. (Romans 5:9) “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (John 5:24) “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
      1. When Christ died to pay for our sin, he paid for all sin. (1 John 1:7) “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” No person is saved by doing good, nor can any Christian keep himself saved by doing good. Jesus paid it all. Salvation is “Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:9)
      2. Though every sin is paid for in full, we do not have a license to sin. (Romans 6:1-2) “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” We will not be sent to hell if we sin, but we will give an account to our holy Lord who paid our debt.
  3. It is a time of reward or loss.
    1. The judgment seat of Christ will be a time when a Christian will “receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
    2. It is not just a time of reward. Christ will give out both rewards and rebukes. Some works will abide while others will be burned (1Co 3:14-15). In another message we will go into more detail, but for now just note that we will all give account to Christ. He will reward any service we do truly for him and rebuke our sins and failures. “All that was done through the energy of the flesh will be regarded as worthless for reward, while all that was done in the power of the Holy Spirit will be graciously rewarded.” Bible.org
    3. Christians (represented by the 24 elders) will cast their rewards at Jesus’ feet as a token of their thankfulness to Him (Rev 4:10-11). Those with no rewards to cast as His feet will be ashamed before Him (1Jn 2:28).

When and Where Will this Judgment Take Place?

  1. This judgment will be after the Rapture.
    1. It appears that this judgment will be immediately after the rapture when Christ takes Christians to heaven.
      ☆ (Luke 14:14) “And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”
      ☆ (1 Corinthians 4:5) “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
      ☆ (1 John 2:28) And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
      ☆ (2 Timothy 4:1) I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
    2. The Judgment Seat of Christ will take place right after the Lord raptures Christians, if not before they enter heaven, then sometime during the seven-year Tribulation.
  2. The Bema will be in the air or in heaven.
    1. Because all Christians will “be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” at the rapture, the bema must be somewhere up there in the heavenlies.
    2. Presently Jesus Christ is seated on his throne on the right-hand of the Father. (Colossians 3:1) “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” If Christ’s throne will be His bema seat, then it will be in heaven.

Conclusion

Because the judgment seat of Christ is yet future, we are still running the Christian race. We still have time to do our best. We can still lay aside the weights of sin and run the race properly. But it appears that the race is nearly over. Time is running out. We must live reward-worthy lives if we expect to be rewarded. Certainly this includes maintaining a flourishing relationship with God, striving to live sin-free lives for the glory of the Lord, obeying the clear commands of the Bible, studying the Scriptures, praying, telling others about Christ, and faithfully attending church.

If you know there are things in your life that displease God, confess them as sin and get them out of your life. You cannot hide them from God, and you will give account to him for them.

Are you actively serving the Lord? Have you been baptised and become a church member? Are you using the talent He has given you to advance His kingdom until he returns? If you have been slack, now is the time to get busy.

Perhaps you have never received Christ as your Saviour. Unless you do, you will never stand before the bema. Instead, you will stand before the great white throne to be sentenced to the Lake of Fire. Christ loves you and died for you so you would not have to go to hell, but you must receive His payment.

Song: Cleanse Me – 166
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Judgment Seat of Christ
What? When? Where?
26 April 2015 pm – 2Corinthians 5:10 – Bema – Scott Childs