The Bema Seat of Christ

Transcript

GR 425
12/6/1981
The Bema Seat of Christ
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

Second Corinthians chapter 5 in your Bibles. I mentioned this morning that I wanted to follow up on our consideration of the rapture of the church by a consideration of what transpires for the church following the rapture, I particularly want to focus in on the Bema seat of Christ which is the judgment of the church following its rapture from the earth. We were in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 in our consideration today and I thought we might look at these verses as background and foundation. Then at some of the analogies used.

Talking about the death of the believer, being absent from the body, present with the Lord in verse 8 of 2 Corinthians 5. He continues on to say, Paul does in verse 9, "Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him." Paul's summary statement. We have as our ambition. I like the way that's phrased, the way that’s worded. Because we talk about ambitious people today and we use that word in a good sense and a bad sense. And it can be used that way for us as believers. Some believers are ambitious, but not in a Biblical sense. But we as believers are to be ambitious in the sense of desiring to be pleasing to Him in all that we do. So Paul says, whether at home or absent. Whether we are in this body or at home with the Lord, we want to be pleasing to God.

"For," note verse TO. Paul says there is a motivation in this. "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." Paul said a motivation for us to be pleasing to Him is we are going to have to stand and give an account to Him. And our account and our judgement will in light of whether we have been pleasing to Him in our service. You note it’s all inclusive in verse 10 as well as individual. We must all appear. He's talking about believers in the context here. All of us as believers. That is the group he has been talking about in chapter 5. Every believer must appear. But you note, it's not going to be a corporate judgment. We're not going to stand there as a group, the church, and be judged. We must all appear before the judgment seat in order that each one may be recompensed. May be paid. May receive his just due. So we all will appear and individually be judged. Individually be recompensed. According to what we have done, whether good or bad.

The first thing you need to note here is the judgment seat. The word here used is "Bema". Would bring it over B E M A. The Bema seat of Christ. That's where we get the expression. We talk about the bema seat. The Greek word here for judgment. Not primarily dealing with sin. That's been dealt with for us as believers in Jesus Christ. When I came to trust in Him, my sin was judged and put under the blood. I cannot be called into account for sin, past, present or future. But this is a judgment seat of reward. A word that's used and we often use the analogy of the athletic judgment seat where those who were in a contest now appear before the judgment seat to be rewarded for their activity. We'll see Paul uses that metaphor in one of his passages of the judgment seat.

So we appear before the bema seat. Never do the unbelievers appear before the bema seat, there is a different word used for them when you talk about judgment and judgment seats. One of the difficulties in our English language, we carry some of these differing Greek expressions over into English by one English word,
But we do not appear at the same kind of judgment seat that the unbeliever does.
The unbeliever appears to be judged and condemned for his sin. I appear to be rewarded for ray service. Added emphases of grace. But Paul says this is a fearful thing, I am going to be rewarded for what I have done in the body. For our deeds in the body. For our works in the body. The way we have served Jesus Christ.
So this has to do with my life from faith in Christ. The time I came to trust Him down until I’m called before Him to give an account. This will be following the rapture of the church. When we're caught up to meet Him in the air, then we will be rewarded by Him. So those who have died in Christ and are in His presence now received their rewards. That will happen for us as believers following the rapture of the church with the resurrection of the body.

"Whether good or bad." Now again as you read this you might get the idea that ve1 re being judged for our sins. Whether I’ve done good things or wicked things. But the word here translated "bad" again is a different word than is used -when we are talking about moral evil and wickedness, sinfulness. The word here,"phalos", denotes worthlessness. Those things which are of no value to you. In one sense we may say that's sin. But it’s not sin in the sense of moral wickedness or sinfulness. Now I'm not being called in for account for sin in transgressing the law of God. But these areas which are of no value. They are worthless. So what is being judged here is, in effect, our motivation and the motives we've had in the service that we've performed. We must all appear before the judgment seat that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according to what he has done whether good or bad. And that word "all appear". All be made manifest. Be perhaps a more precise, concise way to translate it. We must all be made manifest, all be revealed for what we are. It is there that the sermons I preached in my own energy, for my own glory, will be unveiled as worthless, of no value. Activity that in and of itself is not evil, but .my motivation and drive in doing it did not make it acceptable before God and worthy of reward. Because it was not done for His glory.

Verse 11 ought to be connected here. "Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men." You note the contemplation of standing before Jesus Christ and being made manifest-^his motives being revealed—was a cause of fear. King James translates it, "the terror of the Lord". The fear of the Lord. Not a fear of being condemned. Not a fear of being judged for sin. But a fear of standing there and being revealed to have had a life of worthlessness. Unworthy service. You want to know some of the things that drove the apostle Paul? One of them was a fear of standing before the judgment seat of Christ and being made manifest. And now again, not a cowering fear, but that recognition, "I will stand there. I will be laid open. My motives will be seen. That moves me in my ministry," Paul says. We say, "Well that’s not a very good motive. You ought to be motivated for a desire to glorify God." You know it amazes me how many Christians become more spiritual than the "Word of God says they ought to be. Now, obviously they are not spiritual any longer. But, "Oh, I wouldn’t serve the Lord for rewards. I wouldn't serve the Lord out of fear. I just serve Him out of a desire to glorify Him." That sounds good. It probably indicates you aren’t doing much. We do want to glorify Him. That's basic in everything we do. But there are related areas tied clearly. Paul said a fear of confronting the judgment seat moves me to be ambitious to please Him in all that I do.

O.K. Look at a couple of figures with me. We are all going to appear before the judgment seat. Each one of us are going to be judged individually and personally, again not for sin, but to be rewarded in light of our activities. Look over in Romans chapter 14. Word Bema seat used in three different places in the context. Three different analogies, revealing something of our service and activities as believers, In Romans chapter 14 and verse TO. Verse 9, "To this end Christ died and lived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? Paul is dealing here with Christians looking down on other Christians. Christians passing judgment on the motives of other Christians. Not dealing with sinful activity here in the context of Romans .14, but trying to pass judgement on the motives of Christians. Oh, he was teaching a lesson there, but his motive was to his own glory. Says who? I need to be careful. When a Christian is involved in sin that must be dealt with, so I need to be careful in setting myself up as judge on your motives--what moved you in your activity or service to Jesus Christ. Note the last part of verse 10, "For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God." There’s the word bema seat again. Talking here about the believer standing before the bema seat of God. It’s the same thing as the bema seat of Christ. Because all judgment has been given to the Son and He is judge of all'—John chapter 5 talks about this matter. "For as it is written. As I live says the Lord. Every knee shall bow to me. Every tongue shall give praise to God." So then, each one of us, each one of us. Again you note how it’s balanced in verse 10. We shall all stand. Verse 12: Each one of us shall give an account of himself to God. You know what? When I stand before the bema seat, I’m going to give an account of myself to God, Why am I so concerned to judge your motives? To look on you with contempt. To pass judgment on how you served Jesus Christ? I’m going to give a personal account of me before the judgment seat. That ought to affect how we relate to one another. How we function with one another. So talking in the context of dealing the motives of fellow believers. We lose sight of this. Hear an awful lot in the body about believers passing judgment on other believers. Believers viewing one another with contempt. It’s not a good sign. I have to be careful about my own attitude. That I don’t begin to pass judgment on what is moving someone else. Why someone else is doing what they are doing. Now again, some believers get off the track and they say then when you are going to deal with sin in a life, "Oh now wait, You shouldn’t pass judgment on them." That’s not the context here. If you’re familiar with Romans 14, he's dealing with those areas which are not clearly laid out as right or wrong. Areas of liberty for us as believers. We need to be careful. We have stewardship committed to us. A responsibility before God, and to God we are responsible, not even to one another in the sense that he is talking about here. There is a sense we are responsible, but for our stewardship. What we have done with our lives.

Go over in 1 Corinthians, chapter 4. Just after the book of Romans. Paul talks about this matter of being judged by others. First Corinthians 4. Again, you ought to note here, when he gets to chapter 5 he’s going to be telling the Corinthians they ought to be judging a believer in sin; but in chapter 4, note what he says, Verse 1: "Let a man regard us in this matter. As servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God," "In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted' but the one who examines me is the Lord." I'll say something about this overemphasis on introspection among believers. Some believers spend an inordinate amount of time in self-examination. The Apostle Paul says here, I don’t even examine myself, in this sense. It’s God who’s going to render the verdict. I set about serving Him.

Verse 5. "Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God." We have a stewardship. We are the stewards of God. Responsible to Him. My concern is to serve Him faithfully. When I stand before Him, He'll reveal the motives of my heart. He'll reveal me for what I am and what has moved me. And He'll do the same for you. We need to have that sense of stewardship in our service for Him. Do I see myself as a steward of God? Above everything else, it's found necessary that a steward be faithful. That's the key element in my stewardship. Faithfulness to Him. Now what do I care what you think about my stewardship? It doesn't really matter, you know. You say, "Oh, he's a wonderful preacher'.' Warms my heart. I love to hear it, that's true. But you know, what difference does it make? When I get to the bema seat I'm going to say, "Lord, look at all these cards I got with the good comments. Look at them all, I threw away the ones with the bad comments, but you want to see these good ones." He's not going to be looking on that. Why? Because your evaluation isn't going to make a difference at the bema seat. Now, keep this in the context. I think we ought to encourage one another. We ought to stimulate one another to love and good works. I think we ought to compliment and encourage one another. We've been talking here in the context of judgment in the final analysis. It's really only God's verdict on my life that makes a difference. It's only God's verdict on your life that really makes a difference. What men say about me doesn't really matter. That day when I stand before the judgment seat of Christ and it's just Him judging me. All that's going to matter is what He thinks. What He says. How He evaluates me. I need to keep that in mind in my service here. Someone says something about my ministry, about my preaching, about my service, and I get depressed, "Oh, they don't appreciate me" "Oh, they don't love me" "Oh, why do I go on?" Oh, rubbish. I mean who am I serving? What is the motivation? What is my ambition? To please these people? No, my ambition is to be pleasing to Him. We need to keep that before us all the time.
Why do I spend so much time worried about so and so and what is motivating him?
I don't think he's ushering because he really loves the Lord, I think he just likes to walk down the aisle and have everybody see him. What is motivating me? Why do I feel called upon to be his judge? Instead of saying, "Lord, I praise you that he's doing that. Pray that he might be doing it out of motive of a love for You." That's what Paul is talking about here. Stewards must be faithful. You ought to note verse 5, if you don't have it marked in your Bible, you ought to. He's going to judge the motives of the heart. That's the key. Why I did what I did. What moved me in my service for Him.

Another analogy used over in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. First Corinthians chapter 3. The concept of being stewards. A stewardship committed to us. Picture in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 of a building. Perhaps the most familiar in the pictures of the judgement seat. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and beginning with verse 11: "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." He is the only foundation. That’s the starting point for everyone. Every one of us as believers are built upon Him. He is the One, the only foundation. We came to trust Him. Our lives now are built upon Him. The issue in judgment at the bema seat will be "How have I constructed my life." Now for the unbeliever, they will be judged for not being founded on Christ, But at the bema seat we are only dealing with those who are founded on Christ. How have they built their lives, so to speak. How have they allowed God to mold and construct them? 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 will 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 by fire.

Note verse 15 before we go back. Everyone at the bema seat is saved. Even the one with all his works burned up, is saved so as by fire. Because you're saved by being on the right foundation. The issue here is rewards. What have you built upon this foundation? Now, our works are going to be tested by fire. So the picture here of those things which are durable verses those things which are not durable. Wood. You can build some nice buildings with wood. It's just not durable. It doesn’t stand the test of fire. It can look good. It can have good qualities, it just does not endure. So here are things perhaps that have value but not in light of eternity. Perhaps those morally neutral things that look good and have a nice appearance, but won't stand the test of eternity. The hay had value. Not for human beings primarily, but for animals. The straw or stubble—that has no value of any kind. So there’s all kinds of worthless materials. The test of fire though will reveal them. Gold, silver, precious stones, they’ll stand the test of fire. So when put to the fire. The end of verse 13: "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." So you see what happens? Praise God for his judgment. I believe it was Ironside who said, "Praise God the dross is burnt up." You know what. We’re going to dump it all out and set a torch to it. Praise God, I’m glad He's not going to build a monument out of my straw. I'd hate to have it for eternity. He's going to set the torch to it. And you know what? When the fire's done burning, what's left I'll be rewarded for. It consumed everything else. You see I'm not brought under condemnation. Everything else is gone. What's left is what I'm rewarded for for eternity. So a building. The quality of things I'm building with. Those things which I do in light of eternity. The control and motivation of the Spirit of God. But you note the responsibility here. Judgment entails responsibility. I am the builder. I am the one called into account for how I've built and what I've built with, I am the one rewarded. This is not to play down the ministry of the Holy Spirit, It's simply saying that upon the basis of my willingness to have the Spirit of God work in my life, these things are accomplished and I am rewarded for them.
Another analogy or picture. Again in _1_ Corinthians Chapter 9. (Pause)
First Corinthians chapter 9, (Pause) An athletic metaphor is drawn here,
Verses 24 to 27, Paul has been talking about becoming all things to all men that he might by some means save some. Verse 24, "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." Now, note that, Paul says we are in a contest and when you are in a race, one person comes in first and gets the prize. Now run to win. I take it if we had traveled with Paul, we would have found a very competitive person in the healthiest sense. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable reward, but we an imperishable. The analogy in athletic contests. They receive a perishable crown. That leaf kind of crown, woven for them. That didn't last very long. Now what are we running for? An imperishable crown. Therefore, I run in such a way as not without aim. The first metaphor he uses here—an analogy—is running a race. I know where I'm going. What kind of thing would it be if here you get out here and there is going to be now a mile race. You have a runner gets out here and he starts running around the infield, running the wrong direction, running back and forth. You'd say, "What's wrong with him? He doesn't know where he's going." Well Paul says, "I run with an aim. I have a goal. I want to win." He's not setting himself up here in competition with other Christians in an unbiblical or unchristian kind of way. But there is an intensity about him. It matters. Some Christians sit back and say, "Look, I’m saved, I'm going to heaven. What more could I want?" Well, I could want the rewards that God gives to those who excel in their service. I'm not satisfied just to be going to heaven. Praise God that's more than I deserve, but He's offered me more. He says, run to win. You know I just want to sit back and say, "I'm going to heaven, what difference does it make?" You know I don't know what difference the rewards are going to make if you want to know the truth. But I know that God says enough about it for me to realize they are going to matter. That what I am doing with these few short years here is going to make a difference in eternity. What I do with my life here. I am going to be rewarded with things which are eternal. Now I may not understand all that those rewards entail, all that they involve, but I know that I am spending my life here and the result of how I spend my life is going to result in rewards which are eternal. Now I don't know any more about it perhaps than that, but that's enough to move me and motivate me.

He uses another analogy here. I box in such a way as not beating the air.
I'm not just out here swinging around. That's the way some Christians live their life you know. Just dancing around, poking away. Not at anything special. No, Paul says, "I have a goal. I buffet my body and make it my slave." Interesting here,
"I buffet ray body" means to beat it black and blue. Hit under the eye, beat black and blue. Now it ties to what he said up in verse 25, "Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control," self-discipline. Now Paul says, "I beat my body black and blue and make it my slave." You get the idea this body is not always going to want to do what I know I ought to do in light of eternity. In light of what God offers and promises me? You know some Christians say, "Oh, I'm just too tired, I just—you know. My body just doesn't have the motivation." Well beat on it a little bit. That’s what Paul says. You think Paul always felt like going to the next place and preaching. Maybe he wanted to sit down and watch the athletic contests. He says, "I decide for my body." I don't say, "Oh, I've got a ache over here, maybe I'd better not witness for the Lord today." I beat my body black and blue. (Turn tape over). It doesn't matter what my body wants to do. I tell my body in light of who I am and who I serve. Lest possibly after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. Now what he means there is not lose his salvation, but be disqualified from the prize. Remember like the ones saved so as by fire in 1 Corinthians chapter 3? Here's someone who is disqualified. He did not run as he should. You know it's not the one who gets to the finish line first, it's the one who gets to the finish line first according to the instructions, you say we're going to have a race. Here's the mile oval. And they start out, and you cut across the center and get to the finish line. You say, "I'm first. I win." You say, "You're crazy. You're disqualified." You know what Paul says? I discipline my body because I don't want to get to glory and find out I was preaching away, but I've been disqualified from the prize. I've been found unworthy because I let my body control me. I let my body tell me. I exercised no self-discipline, no self-control. I didn't bring my body into control. I didn't discipline it, and thus I would be disqualified. You know the apostle Paul thought he could be disqualified from the prize. Not from heaven, but from the rewards that God offers. I wonder, how self-disciplined are we? What kind of discipline do we have as believers? You know it always amazes me how easily we as Christians are discouraged. How easily we give up. "Well, I’ve done this job for three months and I think it’s time someone else should do it." Well, maybe it is. But you better be sure God's saying, "I've got something else for you." Not just, "Oh I'm a little weary, I'm a little tired." That's when I have to remind myself, what am I doing this for? Who am I doing this for? Why am I doing it? We won't take the time to look through the crowns of Scripture as I'd planned this evening because I don't want those in the nursery to be getting more crowns than they desire this evening. But you can go through and study the "stephanos", the crowns promised to the believers. Let me just give you the Scripture passages. 1 Corinthians 9:25; 1 Corinthians 9:25 where we've just been. 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; James chapter 1 verse 12; James chapter 1 verse 12; 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 8; 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 8; 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 4; 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 4. Those are five specific stephanos crowns promised to the believer. I mention stephanos because there's two different words. There's the diadem. We sing the song, "bring forth the diadem and crown Him". That's the crown of a ruler, we get the crown of the victor for service. Stepahanos crowns.

One passage} then we're done. Revelation chapter 4. Verse 4. Throne room scene in heaven following the rapture of the church. You and I are here. The twenty-four elders. Picture the church talking about us. "And around the throne were 24 thrones, and upon the thrones I saw 24 elders sitting. Clothed in white garments." And the white garments are the righteousness of the saints we're told. "Golden crowns," the stephanos "On their heads." They've been rewarded. Down to verse 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.’'' Say the only motivation I have is to glorify God, then you better be striving, toiling in your service for Him to acquire the crowns that He offers. Because they tie to your ability to glorify Him through all eternity. Because these Stephanos crowns in glory are cast down before the throne of Him who alone is worthy of the praise and the glory. All that they entail, I don't understand. Why God should add grace upon grace to offer me rewards and crowns for serving Him when He saved me by grace, I don't understand but I know what He says, and I want that to be the controlling, motivating factor in my life. That drives us that we might be ambitious to be pleasing -; to Him in our activities and service this week. It will make a difference in how you do your job. It will make a difference in your boldness to speak for Jesus Christ. It will make a difference in the way we relate to one another as His children.

Let's pray together...