THE CHRISTIAN - THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST – PART 2 OF 3
In the last study we opened up this subject to see both the joy and seriousness of it. This time we will consider more aspects of The Judgement Seat of Christ including what brings reward and the quality of deeds done for Christ. I will say again most emphatically, “Do not go trying to do Christian things so you get a reward one day.” That is not how it works. Motive is most important. We serve our Lord because He saved us and we must please Him in return.
Let us proceed -
[D]. THE QUALITY OF THE WORKS WILL BE EXAMINED
There is a vital passage that does enlighten the road for us. This is THE passage for the study of The Judgement seat. Some call this the BEMA and here is a note from Bible Hub:-
[[The ß?µa, or ‘judgment seat’ (trone, Wycliffe), is in Classical Greek the pulpit from which the orators addressed the assemblies. In the New Testament it is used of the judge’s seat, which in the Roman basilica or judgment hall was “a lofty seat, raised on an elevated platform, so that the figure of the judge must have been seen towering above the crowd which thronged the long nave of the building.” Stanley. This, he adds, was “the most august representation of justice which the world at that time, or perhaps ever, exhibited.”]]
This is the vital passage:- {{1 Corinthians 3:10-15 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it, but let each man be careful how he builds upon it, for no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon 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 upon it remains, he shall receive A REWARD. If any man’s work is burned up, HE SHALL SUFFER LOSS, BUT HE HIMSELF SHALL BE SAVED, yet so as through fire.”}}
This is a somber passage for the careless Christian as he will watch his failing efforts for Christ get all burnt up. He will be saved because at some time in his life he became a born again Christian (otherwise he would not be there) but he has no reward and I think that means has nothing with which to please the Lord.
Paul is saying that a foundation has been laid and we build upon it. There are several foundations mentioned in the New Testament but the one here Paul is speaking of, is the foundation of the work of Christ in salvation, and our part is to build on that, and the idea is service and profitability and fruitfulness.
[E]. THE FIRE WILL TEST OUR WORKS
There is a graphic picture given here relating to the judgment seat of Christ. “For the day will show it,” means the examination of our work in the day of judgment. Our work upon the foundation already laid, will be set on fire. When the flames have ceased, only what remains will indicate what was genuine and correct in service for the Lord. In the flames the straw will flare up and be gone. Straw (“stubble” AV) burns with catchy brilliance, but has no endurance. So much Christian work is superficial and without substance, looking good with a flashy brilliance, and with the Hollywood touch, but it is worthless, done in human strength and for the praise of man.
Hay burns well too but endures a bit longer, but alas, the flames consume it also. Are we making hay for the Lord while the sun shines? That will be of no benefit. All we will have to offer the Lord is ashes. My patio is made of belian wood that comes from southeast Asia. It is about as hard and durable as any wood can get. It makes saws go blunt. The Australian kauri and jarrah eucalypts are really, really tough. When subjected to the flames these hard woods take quite some time to ignite and last for a long time, much longer than pine as they have endurance, but alas, in the fire of judgment, they will be eventually consumed. Some of us will be surprised that our works of wood actually will become ashes. They seemed so good and so hard at the time. Wood, hay, straw, all will be lost; all will end as ashes.
[F]. WHAT GAINS THE REWARD?
Three other items remain: gold, silver, precious stones. These works are tried through fire and have remained. They do not burn up, but in the fire, they glow as they did not in normal conditions. I think that is because the Lord’s great joy is upon them and heaven testifies to their substance. They will indicate that the work for the Lord has been at His direction and leading, and have been genuine. The Lord has been pleased with His servant.
The work done and which remains through fire is well rewarded, but the work burnt up will result in the person suffering loss (of reward) even though that person will be saved, and part of the body of Christ and fully blessed by the Lord. What it will be like to be part of the redeemed and unrewarded, I do not know. No need to speculate. We just do not know. However we should be under the Lord’s direction all the time. I am sure all of us have wood, hay and straw, but what about the other three qualities? Do we have any of those? The Lord is generous and merciful and wants to reward us, but He can’t reward laziness or carelessness the “near enough is good enough” attitude.
I am in despair when I look at churches of various denominations. People in them deny the truth. Some make the effort to go on Sundays but for the rest of the week live as worldlings. Others can’t get their priorities right, and the lovers of pleasure seem to place that as their priority. All the churches need a great shaking up and that may well come very soon if the Rapture is delayed for there is a fast growing anti-Christian and anti-Jewish attitude promoted by many governments. My own nation is governed by Christ haters and haters of Christians and Jews. It is most serious.
We only have to examine the church in the old Soviet Union and in China; in increasing parts of Africa and in the Middle East to see that those who suffer for their faith and in fear of their lives, with more and more dying under satanic Islam, are the genuine believers when the unbelieving professors of faith have been stripped away. That is what our western churches may need and it could very well come because the prophecy of the last days of the Church era is for “difficult/perilous times”. 2 Timothy 3:1-4.
[G]. A GOD OF SMALL THINGS
Personally, I think God is eager to reward us but some of us think we have to accomplish great things to have reward. Missionaries, great preachers and those in service like the musicians (and I love The Cathedrals Quartet of a few decades back), are considered ones who will have the rewards while the “lesser folk”, the nobodies, don’t have much to do in service. God rewards faithfulness! God rewards commitment! He is a God of little things. From those believers He has greatly equipped, He requires great responsibility. I want you to look slowly at these verses following, to notice the simple things and the correct things that God takes account of, and it mentions rewards. God wants simple service and faithfulness.
(a). {{Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practising your righteousness before men to be noticed by them, OTHERWISE YOU HAVE NO REWARD with your Father who is in heaven.”}}. (Live humbly as true servants. Be right before the Lord God and not hypocrites or pretenders. Attend to those small things you believe God wants you to do. Humility will have its reward.)
(b). {{Matthew 10:42 “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.”}} (Just meeting small practical needs of Christians or of others; helping an elderly brother or sister; doing their shopping or tending to needs - doing it as unto the Lord. Going that extra mile to transport a believer; to visit a lonely Christian; to visit a Christian in hospital – these are the small things noticed by the Lord. There will merit His reward.)
(c). {{Luke 6:22-23 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracise you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, YOUR REWARD IS GREAT in heaven, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”}} (Suffering genuinely as a Christian, being persecuted and abused, or for example, not being promoted in your job, but being defamed; being called names or mocked because you are a Christian, etc).
(d). {{Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, AND YOUR REWARD WILL BE GREAT, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”}} (This may be a surprising one, but it is the Lord who said it. Take note! Some of us find it hard to reward the nastiness of people with good. Some of us are reluctant to give of ourselves such as in lending especially when there may be not return, as the verse says. As for loving those who have taken evil actions against us and abused us and cut the ground from under us because they hate us – it is so hard for many of us to show love. This is a difficult verse if it is just operating on human strength.).
(e). {{2 John 1:7-8 “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, THAT YOU MIGHT NOT LOSE what we have accomplished, BUT THAT YOU MAY RECEIVE A FULL REWARD.}} (Another interesting one where we are asked to be true to the faith and to correct doctrine. Guard your Christian heritage and apply the scriptures that you receive a full reward. Be on guard and stay close to the Lord in walk and doctrine. Maintain sound doctrine. The roaring lion prowls everywhere with his trained demons.).
Does it trivialise the judgment seat of Christ to put emphasis on the small things done by Christians? A camera is never made without small components and even those components are made of smaller ones. All are important. All works done for Christ are important, every one! The cup of cold water in His Name is important but considered small by the doer when the question was asked of the Lord in Matthew 24. You know, I think more to the point, it is not works or actions that are rewarded as much as faithfulness in doing what the Lord leads in.
God is rewarding faithfulness for out of faithfulness comes service, that willingness of joy and peace, and from service comes the reward. Never go TRYING TO DO things for the Lord. Things will fail. NEVER do anything with a reward in mind. Be faithful. Just forget about rewards. That is what each of us must do. If you concentrate on rewards you will be led astray in where your heart should be. We remain faithful and God uses us, and out of that His reward will come down the track. “Well done, you good and FAITHFUL servant.”
[H]. EVEN HELPS!
{{1 Corinthians 12:28 “God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, HELPS, administrations, various kinds of tongues.”}}. Look there at the mentioned gifts, and one is “helps”. We may not do great things but we do what God has enabled us to do. Some may have been given 10 talents or 5 talents and you were given just one. You double your one talent, and you have done better than the one with 10 who made only 8. God wants faithfulness and commitment, but most of all, for us to love Him.
Helps are small – doing the church flowers, writing to missionaries, make a cake for a sick Christian, sweeping or cleaning the church, driving a person to church, visiting a Christian friend in a nursing home, doing some work on the house or in the yard of an elderly Christians incapable of those chores, attending a bible study when you might be tired, or have not eaten, to support the teacher, etc. etc.
This is a plea for FAITHFULNESS. It is not a challenge to go out and work for Jesus! We can’t do that. We will go in the strength of human man, not through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Be faithful and available, and God will use you at that point in your lives.
