The King Judges Us Part 1

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. In ancient Corinth, you can see a platform where judges once sat.

On the front is a nameplate, Thema. That's the word Paul uses regarding the judgment seat of Christ, where all believers will give account of their deeds. Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, we've both seen the Bema Seat in ancient Corinth, a stark reminder of a future appointment for every believer.

First of all, Dave, I want to tell you that I remember very clearly when you were with us on that tour. And there we stood, and we saw a wall, and we saw what looked like a stool made of stone. And then we saw the plaque that said, Bema, judgment seat. And just to think that when the Apostle Paul wrote the book of Corinthians, he actually referred to that, and people would understand what that meant. Now, I believe that the judgment seat of Jesus Christ is a very serious matter.

Many Christians think it'll be easy because we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ, but I point out that even though we have legal forgiveness and we are justified in Christ, we will still give an account. You know, to all who are listening today, I hope that you do take out time to call friends and invite them to listen to the ministry of Running to Win. And if we are a blessing to you, it's because other people have invested in this ministry.

Would you consider becoming an endurance partner? That's somebody who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts. Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com.

When you're there, click on the endurance partner button or call us at 1-888-218-9337. I'll be giving you that contact info again because right now, I want all of us to concentrate on the day of judgment when we will stand before Christ. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. That's what we read in the book of Revelation. But the question that we have to ask ourselves is a very frank question, namely, what are tears doing in heaven anyway? Why would God have to wipe away all tears?

Well, there are two answers that are generally given. One is that we will regret the fact that there are people whom we hope to be in heaven who will not be there. And well might we weep when that takes place.

But there's another explanation, and I think possibly I prefer it, and that is we will weep when we think of the regrets that we have because of the selfish lives that we lived in light of all the blessings that God gave us and all the opportunities that we had and because we did so poorly when we stood before the Lord at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that all Christians shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ as we shall see. There are two massive judgments in the Bible. One is a judgment of all unbelievers, and we shall deal with that in a very future message because this is a series of 10 messages entitled When He Shall Come. And within time, we'll talk about the tribulation and the antichrist, but this message is devoted to us as believers.

And for those of you who aren't believers, you need to listen in as well. Now, I need to say that the next message also is going to be on the fact that we are going to be with Jesus Christ in what is called the marriage supper of the Lamb. I believe that the judgment seat of Christ that I'm talking about today is going to take place after the rapture of the church. So as we spoke about the rapture last time, the judgment seat is next for you and for me. Now, there are many misconceptions about this judgment seat. Some Christians say, well, since it doesn't determine whether or not I'm going to heaven, it only has to do with rewards.

The way in which I live isn't really that important. And furthermore, doesn't Calvary cover it all? If Calvary covers it all, I can live whatever kind of a life I wish to live and I'm going to come out okay. So let me explain, it is true that Calvary covers it all. When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, our sins are forgiven legally, past, present, and future. But this doesn't mean that we can live as we wish.

God disciplines us when we become disobedient and He judges sin wherever it is found. You know, in the book of Acts, there's the story of Ananias and Sapphira. You remember they told a lie. And as a result of that, God had them killed.

They just died. I can imagine that they arrived in heaven and they said, what is this? We were believers and we thought that Calvary covered it all. Well, yes, if they were believers, Calvary did cover it all. That's why they are in heaven. But we need to distinguish that from the fact that God deals with us as individual Christians and He desires that we live holy lives. There's another misconception and that is when we talk about such things as being rewarded, that is selfish motivation. You've heard that said. And then there are people who say, well, isn't it true that when we receive these crowns, we're just going to cast them on the feet of Jesus anyway, implying it's really no big deal. We do poorly. We only get one crown, but we cast it at the feet of Jesus and then go on into eternity and forget about the way in which we lived here on earth.

It's not quite that simple. For one thing, I don't believe that the rewards are medallions that we cast at the feet of Jesus. Now we may receive crowns that we cast at the feet of Jesus, but if we do, we're going to pick them up again because we're going to rule with Christ forever and ever.

I believe that rewards has to do with positions of responsibility in the coming kingdom. Faithful in that which is little, you rule over little. Faithful in that which is much, that is to say that you are very faithful in what God has given you and that you have a larger responsibility in the coming kingdom. One day, a man who claimed to be a Christian said to me, you know, I'm a Christian, but I'm backslidden. I'm just doing my own thing. And then he said, you know, if when I get to heaven, as long as I make it into the backseat somewhere, I'm going to be happy, which always makes me look at those of you who are in the backseat.

I want to know whether or not you're happy and whether you're listening. I said to him, you know, that sounds so humble. You know, you're just willing to just be in the back row in heaven. But what if Jesus intended that you be in the front row to use your analogy?

And the reason that you are in the back row is because you displeased him. The apostle Paul says we live to please Christ. Therefore, he says, we shall all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. The reason that you will be quote in the back row to use that analogy is because of unfaithfulness and you didn't please Christ. By the way, sometimes there are those who say, oh, you know, when I get to heaven, as long as I have some little shack up there, I'll be satisfied. Have you ever noticed that sometimes the people who say that, who say that they're going to be satisfied with a shack in heaven are not satisfied with a shack on earth?

Have you ever noticed that? My friend, go for rewards. Jonathan Edwards said that he was going to use all the energy that he had to gain as many rewards as possible because the more rewards you get, that means the more pleasing you were to Jesus. So go for it.

Go for rewards. Two passages of Scripture, and you need to turn to both. The first one is 1 Corinthians chapter 3 as we warm up to the topic. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, where the apostle Paul is speaking about rewards and speaking about lives and foundations and so forth. This is what he says in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. He says in verse 5, in verse 5, what then is Apollos and what is Paul, servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has signed to each? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth, so neither he who plants it nor he who waters it is anything but only God who gives the growth.

Oh, it'd be so tempting to stop and comment on that, but I shall continue. He who plants and he who waters are one and each will receive his wages according to his labor, for we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

First of all, he begins with an architectural reference and then he begins to talk about agricultural first, I should say, and then architectural. You'll notice he says in verse 10, according to the grace God has given to me like a skilled master builder, I laid the foundation and someone else is building on it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now, if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest for the day will disclose it because it will be revealed by fire. The fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built upon the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. What the apostle Paul is saying is we should think of our lives and as our ministries as either gold or silver or precious stones or wood, hay, stubble, and then when God torches it, the truth will come out as to what kind of people we really were and who we really served when we were here on earth. Many years ago after there was a fire in Colorado, Rebecca and I were there and we drove past some of the homes.

It was just unbelievable. There was nothing left except the chimney because it was made of brick. In the very same way, the apostle Paul says there is some people who will make it to heaven, but their works will be burned up. You'll notice he says they shall be saved, but so is by fire. Dr. Harry Ironside who occupied this pulpit during the 40s said that there are some people who will make it to heaven, but will smell as if they were bought in a fire sale.

They will just make it. The imagery is that their lives will collapse behind them. Everything goes up in smoke, but they do make it into heaven. That's what Paul says, saved so as by fire. Well, today we're going to learn how to build upon a foundation that lasts.

All that actually by way of introduction. My text today is in 2 Corinthians and you need to turn to it also. Very important, 2 Corinthians 5. Paul says in verse 9, so whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. And that is talking to you and to me as believers. No wonder he goes on to say in verse 11, therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. Today's message is a very serious message.

It's easy to speak the words, but to visualize what this is going to be like, that takes the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God. So I hope that your mind is open. I hope that your heart is open in a very honest way as we look today at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. Couple of comments. First of all, three characteristics of the judgment and then three life changing lessons.

That's where we are going. First characteristic is simply this, we will be judged fairly. We will be judged fairly.

You say, well, where is that in the text? Well, remember this is the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. He who died to redeem us now lives to judge us. Jesus is going to want us to do well. After all, he is our brother.

He said to Mary, he said, you ascend to your father and to my father and to your God and my God. And so because of the fact that we are united to him, Jesus is going to take into account because he knows all things, all the contingencies. He's going to take a careful look at your life, but also how you are impacted by others, the effect of other people's behavior on you and so forth. And there you will stand with Jesus and his evaluation is going to be immensely accurate. You say, well, Pastor Lutzer, will we be able to argue with Jesus? Well, you'd be free to, but hear it from here, you won't. You and I will be absolutely convinced that what Jesus is saying is just and right and true and reality as it exists.

You're going to be overwhelmed and I will be too by his meticulous justice. Also you're going to be judged from the standpoint of when you receive Jesus Christ as savior from that time on. I don't believe that the life that you lived before you were converted is going to be part of the evaluation. You say, well, where do you find that in the scriptures? The apostle Paul intended to do well, even though he was doing terrible things before his conversion, involved in the persecution of the church, involved in even putting people to death. And yet he expected to do well at the judgment seat despite his sordid past. One day a woman wrote to me after she heard me speak about this on the radio and said, do I have any opportunity to do well at the judgment seat? She said, in my pre-conversion days I was involved in some pornographic movies and even now they are still being played and she said the evil influence that I am having continues.

I wrote back and I said, sister, I want to give you a word of encouragement. Yes, if you are faithful with what God now gave you, living a life that glorifies him, you too can do well at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. We're going to be judged fairly.

But now it even becomes more personal. We are going to be judged individually. Your Bible is open. For we must all appear, by the way, everybody's going to show up. You're going to be there.

And may I simply throw in the fact that I think you're going to be there on time. He says we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done, each one. Let me give you a passage of scripture that is even clearer. Romans chapter 14, we read these words, why do you judge your brother? Paul says, why are you judging your brother? Let's suppose that you are in the church or you have some Christian friends and you're very critical of them.

You don't like them and so you're critical of them. Paul says, don't you dare judge them. They may do better than you in the judgment seat of Christ. He says, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and now I'm quoting, that each one may give account of himself to God.

Could that be any clearer? I went to a small Bible school in Canada that was so small that everyone who attended the Bible college sang in the choir. There were about 60 of us. The only requirement to get into the choir was to be there and having enrolled in the Bible college. I'm not such a bad singer, but there were some songs that were maybe a little difficult or maybe I didn't know the words, so I just mowed them because I knew that everybody else would carry me. When you and I stand before Jesus, we all have to sing a solo. Nobody to hide behind, no attorney to put the best twist on it, no opportunity or willingness to say, now, you know, if you really knew about this, you would understand why I did that. It's just one on one you and Jesus, and there you are, and you know that he knows everything. Is this judgment going to be public? You say, I sure hope it's not. Some people think it's going to be like in a large stadium, everybody watching. You say, how embarrassing, how humiliating can it possibly be? I've thought about this for a little while and concluded that I don't know whether it's going to be public. There are some parables that Jesus told that indicated it might be.

You remember when he said, take the talent from one and give it to the other? I mean, all that was public. Well, you know something?

If it's public, two things. First, you'll all be in the same boat. And second, I don't think it'll matter. When you are one on one with Jesus, the only thing that will matter is the expression on his face. The only thing in all the universe that you will care about, the whole universe can be watching. The question is, do you hear well done or don't you hear well done?

That's the only thing that'll make any difference. It is a personal judgment. You as a Christian are going to go one on one with Jesus, each one of us giving an account of himself to God, nobody else.

You won't be expected to account for your wife or husbands. It's you and Jesus. First characteristic is we're going to be judged fairly. The second is we're going to be judged individually. And now you're going to begin to squirm. We're going to be judged thoroughly.

Notice what the text says. Your Bible is open. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ.

The Greek word is phanorau, which means to reveal, to be revealed before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. One commentator says that it means to be laid bare. You remember when we were kids and we were playing with other kids, somebody would say, oh, you know, you have some money in your pocket. No, I don't. No, you do.

I don't believe you. And then we'd pull out our pockets and we'd turn them inside out, revealing even the last little piece of lint. You know, in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, the passage that we just read a moment ago, it says there that we shall be made manifest. The same imagery is used there. After all, the fire is rather thorough, isn't it? This is the final judgment. And John Murray, a famous theologian, says that Christians will desire it to finally see and magnify the grace of God and finally forever be done with the whole question of the way in which they lived here on earth.

Let me give you an example. Here's a Christian man who finds somebody else that he'd rather live with other than his wife. So he abandons her and the children and he marries somebody else and he goes live somewhere else. He doesn't really play any important role in the life of the children that he left behind, maybe sending them a birthday card once in a while, sending them a little bit of money, but he's not involved. And then, of course, there's a lot of animosity, a lot of injustice.

You know how ugly those situations become. And then Jesus returns and his wife, who's a Christian, she goes to heaven with Jesus and she goes up in the clouds and he does too. What do you think Jesus is going to do? Is he going to say, well, now let's just let bygones be bygones. The two of you just hold hands and walk into eternity and pretend that all that happened on earth just doesn't matter. You think that's what he's going to do?

Absolutely not. This is the final place where adjudication takes place. If you think I'm exaggerating, what about 1 Corinthians chapter 4? Paul says don't judge anything ahead of time because he says the Lord will come who will judge even the motives of men's hearts.

Can you get any more thorough than that? And it's there at the judgment seat that finally these matters are going to be resolved. My friend, this is Pastor Lutzer. I hope that you are sobered by these truths. I am.

I hope that you are also. I want to thank the many of you who support the ministry of Running to Win because messages just like the one you are listening to and the one that you have heard, we are in 20 different countries in three different languages. And it's because of people like you that we can do that, that we can expand the ministry. Would you consider becoming an endurance partner, someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts?

I like to think of it as joining the Running to Win family. Here's what you do. Go to RTWOffer.

Of course, that's all one word. RTWOffer.com. Click on the endurance partner button or call us at 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60614. Running to Win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Many believers go about life unaware that their every deed, good or bad, will be reviewed.

Every argument, every unkind word, every impure motive. We'll all stand before Jesus to answer for how we lived our lives. Next time on Running to Win, more on the judgment of believers. This is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.