THE CHRISTIAN - THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST – PART 3 OF 3
This is the vital passage regarding the Judgement Seat of Christ:- {{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.”}}
With Part 3 the study ends. Last time we considered the testing of our works by fire. That will be a serious time and there is no place for flippancy or carelessness in serving the Lord; to do so makes you unfaithful. We have all failed but it is important we do not keep failing. We must anchor tightly to the faithfulness of God who keeps, and is the Rewarder of small things done in His Name.
Let us begin with a poem I wrote for this message:-
BEMA – THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST
Let us not sin, for sin’s a disgrace;
Clouds our communion and hides the Lord’s face.
Sin’s an affront to Jesus our Lord,
And it breaks the link of fellowship’s cord.
His hand can’t be seen; his voice not heard;
Peace is disrupted, and distant His word.
This is not what God desires for you –
A life controlled by sin that is not true.
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Blessed is the Lord and on Him we wait.
Praise the LORD God whose compassions are great.
The path back to Him by sin confessed,
Is forgiveness for all, and by Him, blessed.
Majestic love wrought our salvation,
And gave to us eternal elation.
Saved we are, but an account is there,
Maintained by our Lord whose judgement is fair.
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The Judgement Seat of Christ – joy or fear:
Fear of failure as each Christian draws near.
The loving Lord will not dispense grief
But gives to each, joy, and their hearts, relief.
No condemnation is present there,
As the Lord studies service, and will share
Rewards for His children through His grace:
Joys freely given and not one disgrace.
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The fire is lit and will burn until
All is consumed, like the coals in a grill.
Wood, hay and straw flare up and they’re burnt,
Gone forever, wasted, as if they weren’t.
But to God’s glory, gold will remain,
With silver and gems wherein is no shame.
Blessed is the one who receives rewards;
To his Lord, His faith always looked towards.
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What is examined before Christ’s throne?
Commitment and faithfulness from His own!
What of your service? Has it been true?
Have your efforts for Christ been only few?
Take stock now and turn that right around.
Work for your Lord with a mind that is sound,
Else at His throne you will be ashamed,
For on earth you left Christ’s honour unnamed.
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Glorious Christ on the rewards’ throne
Scrutinising all that His saints have sown.
His precious rewards He wants to give,
Undeserved, with love, and supportive.
Not for rewards do you serve that Name,
But with gratitude. He removed your blame.
Work for the Lord’s approval, who’ll say,
“Well done, good and faithful servant,” one day.
26 May 2025 Ron Ferguson AABB etc. 9-10 throughout
[I]. UNCONFESSED SIN AT THE JUDGEMENT SEAT
This is a difficult one, again through scriptural silence, so all we say is what we can assume. It is not for disputation, as some people love to latch onto something like leeches and try to be argumentative about it, especially when the matter is misconstrued and misunderstood.
What about unconfessed sin? Sadly we are sinners, though saved by grace. We are not sinless. We are perfect in God’s eyes for we are viewed as having the righteousness of Christ. One of the most noble passages in the bible, and I am so GLAD it is there, was written by John in 1 John chapter 1 – confession and cleansing as a necessary part of the Christian walk - 1 John 1:9-10. There are some who hold to a holiness doctrine that teaches we are capable of attaining sinless perfection here, and others who say if we die or the Lord comes back, and we have sin in our life, our salvation’s lost. The Bible does not tell us those things. They are man-made.
I think sin (all the failures) will be dealt with at the judgment seat of Christ but only in the matter of expunging it from us forever (possibly burnt up with any wood, hay or straw we have). We are not judged for it. We won’t be condemned negatively for it. We are there to be examined for rewards. Nevertheless any careless attitude to sin is not in order and we are commanded to be holy as the Lord is holy.
Christians who are – to use the bible description – carnal, fleshly, walking in the course of this world with the old nature, hanging on to sin, are dishonouring their Lord and Saviour. If we are honest, we can probably identify periods in our lives that happened even when we were Christians, and are ashamed of that. When confessed, they are all gone. If they are unconfessed, they will be burnt up at the judgement seat. Paul’s advice is sound – {{Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, LET US ALSO LAY ASIDE EVERY ENCUMBRANCE AND THE SIN WHICH SO EASILY ENTANGLES US, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”}}
[J]. WHAT IS SIN THAT ENTANGLES US?
I jotted down a few ideas about sin some months ago.
[1]. Sin is lawlessness.
[2]. Sin is missing the mark.
[3]. Sin is the walk that moves away from God.
[4]. Sin is the indulgence of the flesh.
[5]. Sin is walking in Satan’s shadow.
[6]. Sin is eternal death while still alive.
[7]. Sin is walking to path of destruction.
[8]. Sin is the ugliness of the human heart.
[9]. Sin is deception in angel’s dress.
[10]. Sin is transgression of righteousness.
[11]. Sin is the pleasure the old self loves.
[12]. Sin is the carriage transporting people to hell.
[13]. Sin is the darkness that creeps through the light.
[K]. THE VIEWPOINT OF ANOTHER
I would like to supply a section (selections made) of a reasoned article by Steve Shirley in Florida posted on the Internet. These are Steve’s ideas and I add them here for another perspective for your interest. The full article is here - https://jesusalive.cc/believers-sin-at-judgment-seat/
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<< QUOTE BEGINS >>
I came to find that there are basically 3 positions regarding sin at the Judgment Seat:
[1]. No sins will be brought up.
[2]. Sins will be brought up, but not judged or punished.
[3]. Sins will be brought up, including unconfessed sins, and there will be judgment, and possibly even some punishment.
The 2nd view is called a moderate view, and that is the position I hold. Let me explain why I hold this view.
[[Steve then quoted the Corinthians verses about the judgement seat.]]
These verses tell us two things I would like to examine. First, if there are “bad” things, and things that will be “burned up” at the judgment, this certainly isn’t things of which God approves. If God doesn’t approve of them, that tells me they are sin, and therefore, sin will be brought up at the judgment.
In addition, the word “appear” in (2 Corinthians 5:10) comes from the Greek word “phaneroo.” According to Strong’s, this word means “manifest as opposed to what is concealed and invisible; to be revealed in one’s true character.” This is what will happen to ALL believers at the Judgment Seat Of Christ. Christ is going to TOTALLY examine our lives.
{{(Ecclesiastes 12:14) “For God (Jesus) shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”}}
{{(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 (motives) of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”}}
EVERY aspect of our lives will be brought into the open. All secret things, and things hidden in the darkness, will be brought to light. According to (Romans 14:10-12), “every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” When we do, many of us will be ashamed (1 John 2:28).
MANY things will be burned up. For example:
** Things we did with wrong or selfish motives.
** The deeds we did to be seen before men (Matthew 6:16-17).
** Things we did not do faithfully.
** Wasted opportunities to bring God glory.
** Missed opportunities to bless someone less fortunate.
** Wasting our God given gifts.
Yes, this will be a sad moment as we see those rewards we could have had. However, I also believe we will fully understand just how AWESOME the grace of God is, and how much we needed it. We will understand that even while our lives are being examined, we have TOTAL assurance that we will not be condemned, nor judged for these failures. We will NOT lose our salvation! Judgment and punishment for ALL of our sins was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross.
<< END OF QUOTE >>
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[L]. WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE REWARDS GRANTED BY CHRIST?
Maybe we should not get caught up so much with rewards and what “WE GET” as that is not correct thinking. There is a hymn that has passed out of usage in the Australian churches (can’t speak for American churches) but it has a message for us and we ought to take heed. It is called “Something For Thee”:-
Saviour, Thy dying love
Thou gavest me,
Nor should I aught withhold,
Dear Lord, from Thee;
In love my soul would bow,
My heart fulfill its vow,
Some off’ring bring Thee now,
Something for Thee.
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Give me a faithful heart—
Likeness to Thee,
That each departing day
Henceforth may see
Some work of love begun,
Some deed of kindness done,
Some wand’rer sought and won,
Something for Thee.
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All that I am and have—
Thy gifts so free—
In joy, in grief, through life,
O Lord, for Thee!
And when Thy face I see,
My ransomed soul shall be
Through all eternity,
Something for Thee.
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What are these rewards, in fact? Are people going to be moving around in heaven with decorations like medals on them as emblems of their achievements? I don’t know that answer but I’d be rather shocked if that was so. That is man’s exaltation so all can see and contribute to the owner’s pride, not God’s, but the following I do know –
** 1. We are all worthless sinners.
** 2. Any good we have, or are empowered to do, is all through the working of God’s grace in us through the Holy Spirit.
** 3. Nothing good we have done for the Lord has ever come from ourselves, but we are merely the pipes through which God’s good deeds flow.
** 4. Therefore, no reward is of our own doing, or to our own credit. It is all God’s equipping.
** 5. Therefore, these rewards are not rightfully ours, and maybe all we are, are custodians of those rewards.
Have a good look at this verse:-
{{Revelation 4:10 “the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, AND WILL CAST THEIR CROWNS BEFORE THE THRONE, saying . . .”}}
The verse seems to be saying that the crowns these elders have (probably the 12 sons of Jacob and the 12 Apostles), even these are too much for unworthy men, and the crowns are cast before the Lord, because they are rightfully His anyway. Any rewards we get are not ours; they are His and He alone is worthy to receive all our rewards, for it is He who enabled them.
You who are listening or reading today – consider the attitude of Paul to be your own so that Christ may dwell in you fully – {{Philippians 3:7-8 “but whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I COUNT ALL THINGS TO BE LOSS in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ.”}}
Just one last verse as a reminder of what lies ahead. {{1 Peter 1:17 “If you address as Father THE ONE WHO IMPARTIALLY JUDGES ACCORDING TO EACH MAN’S WORK, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth,”}}. This was written to the dispersed Christians (probably Jews) and Peter addressed the practical issues – God is impartial in judgement; He will judge each man’s work; therefore we must act and behave in the fear of God.
Having said that, I don’t know how it will all be played out but can we take time to consider 3 stanzas of this hymn very thoughtfully:-
By and by when I look on His face,
Beautiful face, thorn shadowed face;
By and by when I look on His face,
I'll wish I had given Him more.
More, so much more,
More of my life than I e'er gave before
By and by when I look on His face,
I'll wish I had given Him more.
By and by when He holds out His hands,
Welcoming hands, nail riven hands;
By and by when He holds out His hands,
I'll wish I had given Him more.
(Author – Grace Reese Adkins)
[M]. JUST SOME VERSES TO END ON –
Rejoice and be glad because of insults – {{Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, FOR YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN IS GREAT, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”}}
Don’t forget that cup of cold water – {{Matthew 10:41-42 “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 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.”}}
Be planting or watering for God – {{1 Corinthians 3:8 “Now he who plants and he who waters are one but each will receive his own reward according to his own labour.”}}
AND LASTLY, THE LORD IS COMING WITH HIS REWARD – {{Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and MY REWARD IS WITH ME, TO RENDER TO EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO WHAT HE HAS DONE.”}}. That will be for good or bad.
