First Baptist Church: Sermon

by Pastor Glenn Layne

February 23, 2003
(2 Corinthians 5:10)

Eternity Makes All the Difference: Part 3
Standing before Jesus:
How Believers will be Judged

Ever been sued? Hauled into court? Accused of a crime? I'm thankful that while I've been on the far edges of a few lawsuits over the years that I've never been the target. (Oops. I just gave somebody an idea! "I'm suing you for defective sermons! There was no warning label!")

My experience was thankfully from the other side-as a juror. Who here's been a juror? The trial was settled mid-way, and I'm glad. I saw it as an open and shut case for one side, and then as I was talking to another juror-after the settlement-he saw it as open and shut for the other side!

The Bible, particularly the New Testament, is full of trials. The most significant was the series of trials endured by Jesus in the last hours of His earthly life. Then there are a whole series of hearings and trials mentioned in the book of Acts. One of those minor trials involved the apostle Paul, and it occurred in the mentioned in 18th chapter of Acts.

Paul before Gallio (Acts 18:12-17)

12While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. 13"This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law." 14Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law--settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." 16So he had them ejected from the court. 17Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Now there are two interesting things here. First, it may be of interest to you to know that an inscription has been found in the city of Corinth confirming that the Bible is right in saying that he was indeed the proconsul of the province of Achaia (southern Greece). This man was actually very well known in the Roman empire-born in Spain, a step-brother of the philosopher Seneca, and so popular that he was murdered by Nero, who feared his popularity about 13 years after these events.

The passage mentions that Paul was "brought into court" (vs. 12, NIV). Literally, it reads that Paul was brought to the "judgement seat", the bema of Gallio. A bema was a raised platform from which a judge gave sentence. To be brought "to the bema" meant to be hauled into court; it meant that you are on trial. It means that you stand before a judge and that your future lies in his hands.

The Bema of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Gallio was not the only person mentioned in the NT who had a bema. Listen to 2 Corinthians 5:10:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat [bema] of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Jesus has a bema too! Let's think through what God's word says here about this crucial truth.

1. All believers (and believers only!) will stand before the Bema of Christ

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…

The "we" here in this passage is not "all we humans" but rather "all we believers. As a matter of fact, only believers will stand before the bema of Christ. The Bible depicts a completely different kind of judgement for non-believers.

You see, we will not be judged after death to see who enters heaven and who doesn't. That's not an "after-death" issue to be solved. That issue is determined here and now. It determined by whether or not you place your trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Master and King-now. You don't have to wait until you die to find out if you do or don't get into heaven.

If that's the case, why do we stand before the bema of Christ?

2. Each one of us will receive what is truly due us based on our stewardship of our years on earth.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body…

The purpose is to be judged-evaluated-for what we've done with our lives. It's not to see if we are "good enough" to get into heaven. That's an open and shut case-nobody is "good enough"! That's what there was another judgement-of our sins on the cross of Jesus! Your sins were judged there!

But that doesn't mean you get off scot-free! God still wants an accounting of how we've used our lives. And what's the basis of this judgement?

3. The basis of our judgment will be whether our deeds are good (agathos) or worthless (kakos).

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Paul uses interesting terms here. Our deeds will be declared by Jesus to be either good (agathos, the standard word for good) or bad (not the standard word-the Greek word kakos). As a matter of fact, this word is only used three times in the Bible, all by Paul. The idea is more "worthless" than "evil." The things you've spent your life at-was it "worth it"?

A Parallel Passage: 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

A similar passage is found in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15:

12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Again, the idea is not that "wood, hay or straw" is evil-that they represent sins. It's that they represent the investment of our few short years in trivial pursuits-in things that are, on the scale of eternity, a waste of time-kakos things, worthless things.

Then…

What is the basis of our Judgment at Christ's Bema?

How will Jesus Christ evaluate your life then when you stand before His Bema? Bruce Wilsonson's excellent little book A Life God Rewards does a great job of summarizing the basis of our judgement in what we might call the Seven Ss. As you will see, not all apply to all people.

1. Did you seek Him in prayer and fasting (Matthew 6:6; Hebrews 11:6)

Matthew 6:6

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

God's word promises reward on whether or not we have sought God in prayer and by faith. The Father rewards those who seek Him in secret; real faith is faith not only in a God who exists, but who rewards those who seek Him.

God's word promises rich rewards here and now in peace of mind for those who seek after God. Is it a surprise that God's word also promises eternal reward for the person who truly seeks after God?

2. Did you submit to authorities as a faithful steward? (Matthew 24:45-47; Ephesians 6:8; Colossians 3:22-24)

Now this is kind of subtle; let's listen to three passages that speak to this:

Matthew 24:45-47

45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions."

Ephesians 6:8

…because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

Colossians 3:22-24

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Now put these together. Another category of promised reward is when we honor the Lord and other authorities in our lives-even, as in Paul's day, when a slave honored a master.

Why is that something that God rewards? Because our interactions with authorities have the potential to train our hearts to be submissive to His authority. This is such a crucial lesson that God promises to reward it in heaven. Not only that, the reward seems to involve a greater degree of authority in heaven itself.

3. Did you deny self in your service of Him? (Matthew 16:24-27)

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Here Jesus links self-denial here to God's reward there. A Jesus-follower is like a condemned criminal: our lives here are already spoken for. The pursuit of much here leads to the loss of much there.

But whatever's lost will be made up: He says that when He, the Son of Man returns, he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Jim Elliot's famous saying reflects this: He is no fool to give up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.

What then is now self-denial God transforms into rich reward; what is lost now, God turns into great gain!

Think about it: every time you say NO to some sinful impulse, every time you give of your money or your time, it is as if you are making a deposit in the Bank of Eternity. No wonder Jesus says in this same chapter, Matthew 6:19-20, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."

4. Did you serve those in need in His name? (Mark 9:41)

41I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

Another promised reward revolves around simple acts of service. Again, this will not go unrewarded at the Bema of Christ.

So take heart, you who make dinners for hungry youth groups! Rejoice, you who teach Sunday school and VBS; you have a reward awaiting you in heaven.

5. Did you suffer for His name? (Luke 6:22-23)

Not all are called to suffer-and even die-for their faith. But Jesus makes it abundantly clear that there is a reward for those who do:

22Blessed are you when men hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.

23"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

6. Did you sacrifice for His cause? (Luke 6:35, Matthew 19:29)

True sacrifice involves the conscious decision to give up something for a greater cause-the greatest cause being that of the kingdom of God. But again, Jesus promises that that sacrifice will come back to us. He says something similar in Luke 6:35:

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

And again, in Matthew 19:29, a favorite passage of mine:

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

7. Did you share of your time, talent and treasure to further His kingdom? (Matthew 6:3-4; 1 Timothy 6:18-19)

Matthew 6:3-4

3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

1 Timothy 6:18-19

18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

So what does God reward? He reward those who seek Him; those who submit to authority; those who deny self and serve in His name; He rewards those who suffer for Him and who sacrifice, and those who share what they have to further His kingdom.

In his little book, A Life God Rewards, Bruce Wilkenson tells about a nine-year old boy named Will whom he met at a weekend conference in Kentucky. Will was raising money for a mission project and asked Bruce to make a donation.

Bruce told him, "I have a rule. I'll give to your project if you give first. Then he wrote out on a card:

If you give $1-5, I'll double it.
If you give $6-10, I'll triple it.
If you give $11-20, I've give four times as much.

Will's eyes were wide as saucers, and then crestfallen. "What's wrong?" asked Bruce. "I can't do any of that. I already gave everything I had."

"Everything?" he nodded. "So more snacks or anything for the rest of the conference?" He nodded again.

"In that case," said Bruce, "if you gave everything, I have a rule: I need to give everything." He looked in his wallet to find that he had over $100 on him. He gulped and gave the money.

I think God is like that. They'll come a day we stand before Him and we'll discover that everything we've given-things and deeds and even money-we've long forgotten about-will come rushing, gushing back to us. God is a rewarder!

But we're not home yet. Like the missionary who returns from 40 years on the field to be met by no one, we can make the mistake of thinking that if there's no reward here, then we have been forgotten. But no! We are not really home yet, and when we get home, we will not be forgotten, but rewarded.

What will that day be like for you? I cannot emphasis this too much: you only have now, these incredibly short years we call life to lay up your treasure in heaven.

And one day you will stand before the glorious bema of Christ. While your eternal destiny is not on the line (the bema is the place only of the judgement of believers), your life will be reviewed. How much will be like garbage, just clutter not worth a dime? How much will be like gold and silver? How much is good-and how much is trivial?

You are making a record of what's what right now. And tomorrow and the next day. You will stand before Him. Will it be with shame and regret or with the joy of knowing that you have run the race well?