Judgment  Seat  Of  Christ

Hebrews 4:13

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight:

but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him

with whom we have to do.

If unsaved, you will miss this judgment.  If saved, you will be here for sure.  If unprepared, you might wish you could miss it.

After the rapture, the saved will be in heaven and the judgment seat will happen right away.  There is no reason for any delay.  Millions of saved people are to be judged and there is no more preparation for it.  The tribulation, which will be controlled by Christ, is starting soon.

The relative details of our judgment have already occurred.  We just need to get our test grade from the One whose eyes are as a flame of fire.

It's  About  Works  After  Salvation,

It's  Not  About  Salvation

Christian #1:  confessed Christ as a youth, got saved, went astray as a teenager and never lived for Christ in any way.

Christian #2:  confessed Christ as a youth, got saved, lived entire life for Christ in all ways.

Christian #1 will have no good works and therefore will have no rewards.  He/she will not be ruling and reigning with Christ throughout eternity.  He/she is saved (contrary to the belief of virtually all wolves) and he/she will be where Christ is, but there will be intense regret.  He/she scored a zero.

Christian #2 will have many good works and therefore will have many rewards.  He/she will be ruling and reigning in high places with Christ throughout eternity.  He/she will be eternally happy with his/her earthly decisions.  He/she scored a hundred.

I urge you to climb up the scale and lawfully strive to be as close to a hundred as you can – you will be eternally happy with your earthly decisions.  This is why good works are important in the Christian’s life.

You were created unto good works:

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus unto good works,

which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

II Timothy 3:17

that the man of God may be perfect,

throughly furnished unto all good works.

God wants you to eternally rule and reign with his Son and that will give him great pleasure (Revelation 4:11).  So your life on earth is a test, but you have been given all the answers in writing ahead of time.  Just get your flesh out of the way.

Good Works

What are good works?

Anything that pleases God is a good work.

The New Testament has scores of instructions for Christian living.  Just follow as many as you can and you will be pleasing God at all times in all ways.

You have been given a gift, or gifts (Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, & Ephesians 4).  Find it/them and use it/them.

Be willing to make your body a living sacrifice for God and God’s will for your life will be revealed to you.  

Romans 12:1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Don’t agonize over it; just open your heart and get to work.  His will shall come to you.  Do not presuppose what it is.  Take it when it comes, whatever it is.  Be sure that it will include being unashamed of the gospel.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:

for it is the power of God unto salvation

to every one that believeth;

to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Forgiven  Sins

First, understand that the judgment seat of Christ has nothing to do with sin.  Your sins were judged at Calvary.  Christ died and God was satisfied with the payment.  

Isaiah 53:6

All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

You were justified by His death and made alive by His resurrection.  You are now a reconciled, adopted child of God, never to be left nor forsaken.

   S A L V A T I O N    I S   F R E E   

The judgment seat of Christ is only about your works since you were saved.

• Did they please God?
• Were they done for God?
• Were they done by the power of God?
• Did God get the glory? 

If so, eternal rewards will abound.

• Did you work to please yourself?
• Did you work to get recognition?
• Did you take the glory?

If so, you have already gotten your reward and all is for naught.

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Second, understand that by rightly divided scripture, Matthew 7:15-23 and the fruit thereof is not about 21st century people; it is not about you.  It is about false prophets.  Preachers that use Matthew 7 fruits as a test for salvation, and there are plenty of them, are wrongly dividing scripture.  

Matthew 7:15-16

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Matthew chapters 5-7 are the rules of the kingdom of heaven (which isn’t here yet) that Jesus was preaching to Israelites.  “By their fruits ye shall know them” in verse 20 has nothing to do with 21st century salvation.  It is only about the false prophets in verse 15.

If a person asks Christ to save them and has no fruit in this age does not mean they never asked Christ for salvation.  It means they have no fruit and will therefore have no rewards.

They are saved by grace through faith, not by fruit.  

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace are ye saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves:

it is the gift of God:

not of works, lest any man should boast.

They can’t lose their salvation that is owned by God, no how, no way.  The blood of God trumps the fruit of man every time, just like birdies trump pars every time.

People are going to be quite shocked at some names called out at the heavenly roll call and equally shocked at some names that are not called out.

Your  Judgment  By  Christ

Romans 14:10

…… we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

We = Christians, like Paul, that's it; no Christian is exempt from the judgment seat.  There will be no absences on that day.  We will all have glorified, incorruptible, immortal bodies – so no sick calls.

II Corinthians 5:10-11

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

that every one may receive the things done in his body,

according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; ……

This is why today you are to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)  You are going to be judged on the things done in your body.

Your mortal body (flesh) is at war with your saved soul.  If your soul wins the spiritual battle and your flesh follows, you will be rewarded.  If your flesh wins the spiritual battle and puts your soul down, you will lose rewards.  And the Lord will be terribly dissatisfied, rightfully withholding from you the rewards of ruling and reigning with Him and giving them to another (Luke 19:12-26).

Luke 19:26

For I say unto you,

That unto every one which hath shall be given;

and from him that hath not,

even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

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I Corinthians 3:10-15

10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  (Your foundation is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The foundation has done concreted up and is ready to build on.)

12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones (good works that survive the test of fire), wood, hay, stubble (bad works that do not survive the test of fire)

13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is (what sort it is means done for God or done for self).

14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward (good works – gold, silver, precious stones - abide fire).

15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss (bad works - wood, hay, stubble – do not abide fire): but he himself shall be saved (You cannot lose your salvation, even at the judgment seat of Christ); yet so as by fire.”  The fire is not literal fire.  The text says “as by fire”.  The fire is a metaphor of the word of God and the Word of God’s eyes.

Jeremiah 23:29

Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord;

and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

Revelation 1:14

His head and his hairs were white like wool,

as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

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OK, here’s some homework for you.  Check your concordance for the word “crown”.  When you find the word “crown” in the New Testament, check for the names of the crowns.  And you are off on a real Bible study!

There are five crowns that you can earn in addition to gold, silver, and precious stones.  Gold, silver, and precious stones are not limited and are representative of individual good works.

There are only five crowns and they are each representative of a body of work.  The implication is that the crowns are necessary to rule and reign at the highest level.  All kings have crowns, but lords may not (see Revelation 19:16).

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It’s really very simple – live for God and reap rewards; live for yourself and lose rewards.

Galatians 6:7

Be not deceived; God is not mocked:

for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

And we thought that verse only applied to earthly skeletons in the closet, didn’t we?

What goes around comes around!

Your ship has sailed!

The Bible is the source of many common sayings.  Why?  The Lord is going to get truth out one way or another.  Why?  The word of God is not bound.  Just for laughs, check out Job 19:20.

So,

• Would you rather be the fisherman or the bait cutter?
• Would you rather rule or be ruled?
• Would you rather walk on the floor or sweep the floor?
• Would you rather dine with the King or wash the dishes?

Pick your own contradiction and “govern yourself accordingly”.

Revelation 1:13-16

13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

This is Christ your judge at the judgment seat of Christ – eyes as a flame of fire and out of his mouth a sharp twoedged sword (which is the quick and powerful word of God).

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful,

and sharper than any twoedged sword,

piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,

and of the joints and marrow,

and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

His eyes will “burn” your works to their essence (sort).  He will use His own words, which you now have, as the standard of judging.  Are you ready?  Probably not, neither am I.  Get to work, get it?

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Now listen carefully.  If you don’t get anything else from this smart-aleck site, get this:

There are many preachers who know how to preach the right plan of salvation – belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ + nothing.  And that has to be the first message, the only foundation that can be built upon.  But it only takes a few minutes every now and then to preach that message in any church – maybe 5% of the total material taught should be about the simple plan of salvation (my opinion).  The other 95% should be mostly about the word of the kingdom and how to live your life so it produces eternal benefits for you and eternal pleasures for God.

    9 5 %    

There are only a few pages out of a 1,000 page book that pertain to simple salvation.  The rest of the book is about the word of the kingdom.  If you are under a preacher that has never taught you the details and consequences of the judgment seat of Christ, you are under a lazy preacher who is stealing your eternal happiness.

The happiness of your eternal soul is totally dependent upon your test score at the judgment seat of Christ.  Learn about it and find a preacher that knows about it and preaches about it.

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Just to show one example of how unpreached and unlearned this essential, all-important, absolutely necessary message on the judgment seat of Christ is, look at the statistics of the website www.sermonaudio.com.  This is a voluminous site with 497,000+ sermons recorded with 30 million views per month.

But guess how many sermons are entitled “Judgment Seat of Christ” or something close to that?  As of 2/13/12, 21 are listed, of which 4 are not available, leaving 17.  One is by a Calvinist (more later) and a couple are by Presbyterian ministers that have no idea when it is going to happen.  Most put you on a pious guilt trip for the death of Jesus.

There are only a couple of honorable mentions of the everlasting kingdom and your potential reward of ruling and reigning with Christ in his kingdom.  Side note – When you actually do find the message in a real church, you have probably gotten the message from a pastor that is after the truth, not your pocketbook.

So, 17 out of 497,000 sermons - that is 1 sermon with a title like “The Judgment Seat of Christ” out of about every 29,000 sermons recorded.  There are, no doubt, other sermons about the judgment seat of Christ without the name in the title, but you get the picture.  The loaf has been leavened (altered or transformed).  

Matthew 13:33

 Another parable spake he unto them;

The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took,

and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

When you find a preacher that actually knows about and preaches about the judgment seat of Christ, you should stick around for awhile.  And if he actually explains that rewards equate to ruling and reigning with Christ in the kingdom of heaven, you probably found a good shepherd that feeds his flock with highly nutritious spiritual food.

Recommended  Reading

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