THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST (PT.2)
What is the outcome of this evaluation? REWARDS!!!
Revelation 22:12 (NLT) 12“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.
What are these rewards?
1) The Lord’s commendation:
Matthew 25:21 (NKJV) 21His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
2) Crowns:
1 Corinthians 9:24 - 25 (NKJV) 24Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
These crowns will represent our Lord’s lasting recognition and commendation of His people’s good works.
a) Soul-winners Crown (1 Thess. 2:19)
b) Crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8) for those that eagerly wait His coming, and who overcome trials.
c) Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4) for humble servers or pastors
d) Crown of life (James 1:12) for those that endure suffering.
e) Victor’s Crown (1Cor. 9:25) for all his righteous people.
The Casting of Crowns (Rev. 4:10, 11). Because Christ alone is worthy and because we can only be fruitful when we abide in Him allowing His life to fills ours, we will all cast our crowns before Him in recognition that all we have done is by His grace.
3) An Engraved white stone (Rev. 2:17);
Revelation 2:17 (NKJV) 17“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’
Similar to our trophy cup, this tablet of white stone was engraved with the victor’s name, and it certified his victory. The Lord will personalize His honoring obedient people by giving them new names, engraved upon white stones.
4) A White Garment (Rev. 3:5);
Revelation 3:5 (NKJV) 5He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Overcoming believers will cloth themselves in white garments, whose fabric will consist of their righteous deeds (Rev. 19:8):
Revelation 19:7 - 8 (NKJV) 7Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb (Jesus) has come, and His wife (the Church) has made herself ready.” 8And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
5) The Lord’s granting greater responsibility.
The extent of one’s authority will be determined by the amount of profitable reward that one receives.
Remember in Matt.25:21 He told the servant I will make you rulers over many. This reward of administration will happen during the Millennial kingdom.
We should remember the principle of faithfulness in small duties prepares us for greater responsibilities. Are you faithfully fulfilling your present duties, regardless of how small they may be? All that the Lord gives us to do, regardless of its quantity, is important.
THE BOTTOM LINE TO OUR LIFE HERE ON EARTH:
Romans 12:1-21 (NLTSE)
A Living Sacrifice to God
[12:1] And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. [2] Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
[3] Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. [4] Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, [5] so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
[6] In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So, if God has given you the ability to prophesy (see footnotes #1), speak out with as much faith as God has given you. [7] If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. [8] If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
[9] Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. [10] Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other. [11] Never be lazy but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. [12] Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble and keep on praying. [13] When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
[14] Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. [15] Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. [16] Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!
[17] Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. [18] Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
[19] Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
"I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,"
says the LORD.
[20] Instead, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads."
[21] Don't let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good.
Another version from the Message Bible.
Romans 12:1-21 (MSG)
Place Your Life Before God
[12:1] So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. [2] Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
[3] I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
[4] In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. [5] The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, [6] let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; [7] if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; [8] if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
[9] Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. [10] Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
[11] Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, [12] cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. [13] Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
[14] Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. [15] Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. [16] Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.
[17] Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. [18] If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. [19] Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. “I'll do the judging,” says God. “I'll take care of it.”
[20] Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. [21] Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
UNPROFITABLE REWARDS:
Now lets take a look at the unprofitable rewards, or works that do not meet the Lord’s approval. Wood, hay and straw.
1) Our unchecked sins; Sinning brings us the irrecoverable loss of time, effort, and opportunity, which could have been used more profitably.
However, if we would judge our own sins and repent (turn and go the opposite way), the Lord will not have to judge these acts of the flesh at the Bema seat
1 Corinthians 11:31 (NKJV) 31For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
2) Things done from the soul realm: These are things done with the wrong motive, or approval from the Holy Spirit. These can be good things such as, Giving to the poor, working in the church, or volunteering for a non-profit.
Example;
If the Holy Spirit has told you to give to the church that you attend, and spend time with your husband and kids, but you decide to give to your favorite TV evangelist and spend all your extra time with the women group at the church, the work that you are doing is considered wood, hay and stubble.
These unprofitable rewards will bring Reprimand, and loss of responsibilities in the millennial kingdom.
Remember: Having done both good and evil during our Christian lifetime, we shall receive our Lord’s commendation for our good works and His reprimand for our un-judged evil works.
In Re-Cap:
We who are saved are subject to three divine judgments.
1) As sinners we were judged at the cross in the person of our beloved substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of His sacrifice, we were acquitted of all charges and were justified, never again to be divinely condemned because of our sins.
2) As God’s children we are now subject to His parental corrective chastisement when we fail to deal with known sins in our lives during our Christian lifetime.
3) We will be evaluated by our Lord for our behavior during our Christian lifetime.
Observation regarding the Appraisal process:
1) We shall not lose any rewards that we actually have gained. The loss will be of those potential rewards that we could have earned had we been faithful, and/or had the right motives.
2) While all believers will receive the same kind of rewards, they will not receive the same amount
1 Corinthians 3:8 (NKJV) 8Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
3) We can earn more reward by being more obedient to the Lord today and hereafter.
4) We can lessen the Lord’s reprimand by faithfully dealing with our sins by repentance and confession (1 John: 1:9).
5) Your authority during Christ millennium kingdom will be determined by your rewards at the Judgement Seat of Christ.
6) Some saints will be ashamed at Christ’s coming because they have not dealt with unresolved sins, and have continued to live based on fleshly desires.
1 John 2:28 (NLTse)
[28] And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.
7) Many saints will rejoice at their evaluation, think about it, how nice it will be to hear the Lord say “well done good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things now I will make you ruler of many”.
Remember these 4 areas of the appraisal process:
1) Were the works done in keeping with God’s will for me?
2) Were the works done in association with Jesus and the dependence of the Holy Spirit?
3) Were the works done heartily as unto the Lord?
4) Were the works done unto the Glory of God?
Motivation provides us with the drive for action. The prospect of this coming appraisal is a legitimate motivation for godly Living.
John 15:5 (NKJV) 5“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Ephesians 6:5 - 8 (NKJV) 5Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
Hebrews 13:20 - 21 (NKJV) 20Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in £you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
John 15:2 (NKJV) 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He £takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Revelation 22:12 (NKJV) 12“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Footnotes:
#1: Question: "What is the spiritual gift of prophecy?"
Answer: The spiritual gift of prophecy is listed among the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:10 and Romans 12:6. The Greek word translated “prophesying” or “prophecy” in both passages properly means to “speak forth” or declare the divine will, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known in any way the truth of God which is designed to influence people. Many people misunderstand the gift of prophecy to be the ability to predict the future. While knowing something about the future may sometimes have been an aspect of the gift of prophecy, it was primarily a gift of proclamation (“forth-telling”), not prediction (“fore-telling”).
A pastor/preacher who declares the Bible can be considered a “prophesier” in that he is speaking forth the counsel of God. With the completion of the New Testament canon, prophesying changed from declaring new revelation to declaring the completed revelation God has already given. Jude 3 speaks of “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”. In other words, the faith to which we hold has been settled forever, and it does not need the addition or refinement that comes from extra-biblical revelations.
Also, note the transition from prophet to teacher in 2 Peter 2:1: “There were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you”. Peter indicates that the Old Testament age had prophets, whereas the church will have teachers. The spiritual gift of prophecy, in the sense of receiving new revelations from God to be proclaimed to others, ceased with the completion of the Bible. During the time that prophecy was a revelatory gift, it was to be used for the edification, exhortation, and comfort of men (1 Corinthians 14:3). The modern gift of prophecy, which is really more akin to teaching, still declares the truth of God. What has changed is that the truth of God today has already been fully revealed in His Word, while, in the early church, it had not yet been fully revealed.
Christians are to be very wary of those who claim to have a “new” message from God. It is one thing to say, “I had an interesting dream last night.” However, it is quite another matter to say, “God gave me a dream last night, and you must obey it.” No utterance of man should be considered equal to or above the written Word. We must hold to the Word that God has already given and commit ourselves to sola scriptura—Scripture alone.