The Judgment Seat Of Christ

Welcome to Running with Horses, a podcast devoted to inspire you concerning a relationship with Almighty God that empowers you to accomplish things you never thought possible. Shirley Weaver wants to take you there.

And now, here's today's episode. Shirley Weaver, when was the last time you heard a sermon on 2 Corinthians 5, 10, specifically, the judgment seat of Christ? We don't get many of those sermons, do we?

You know, it's pretty chilling, really. The English Standard Version, 2 Corinthians 5, we'll pick it up in verse 9 and go through verse 11. So three verses in 2 Corinthians chapter 9. This again is referring to explaining the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment seat of Christ. Verse 9.

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. Verse 10. 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 11. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. So the writer here is conveying the plan that the Lord has in place for the believer to acknowledge, to meet on our meeting with the Lord. There is this encounter, and on its face cannot be minimalized because it's so, in just a few verses, obviously very weighty. And something Tozier wrote, I've mentioned before, I'm a fan of A. W. Tozier, something he has written, and this is a quote, before the judgment seat of Christ, very little will be heard of numbers or size.

Moral quality is about all that will matter then. And then he goes on to say, for not all religious activity is accepted of God, not even when it appears to produce the results we want and to get things done. The Lord sees, not as man sees, end quote. So Tozier says that motive is all important. And if you need the reference, by the way, I highly recommend anything written by A. W. Tozier. This reference comes from the next chapter after the last.

The next chapter after the last, that's the title, pages 69 through 70. For it is motive that gives to every moral act its final quality. So the reminder here, the whole purpose of today's episode of our podcast is really as a reminder that before the judgment seat of Christ, that thought, that concept inspires in us a reverential fear of the Lord.

And thinking on that thought, thinking that way, almost said thinking on that thought, obviously you're thinking, you're thinking on a thought, but thinking that way, you realize, I mean, and this is not a huge jump. It's more very, very natural that there is here given to us an admonition to really live our lives and serve the Lord with this in mind that this encounter exists. It is an eternal way of communicating reward and also an assessment of lack.

It's both. We love the rewards, but those places where I'm just thinking of a parent-child relationship, you know, chastening is never pleasant, right? But after the period of time where that chastening is applied, the fruit of righteousness is the result. So we say in this episode frequently that we have, well not frequently, we say it every time we get together in each episode because to say that we have the mind of Christ means that we can think as He thinks.

We can. We may not always think His thoughts, obviously, but the possibility is there. And the reason we should study the judgment seat of Christ, be aware, be reminded, consider the Lord's words here about this encounter is so that it affects our life now, our judgments, decisions, experiences, not because we want to trick Him, to impress Him with something other than what is in the heart because honestly nothing in my heart is hidden from Him. And on that day or moment or whatever period of time this will be because it's an eternal, it is a heavenly way of thinking, this appointment that I have to meet with the Lord Jesus at His judgment seat, to be mindful of that appointment because it's sure, it's certain for every believer, not for the non-believer, we'll get to that in a minute, for the believer.

So the point today is to remind you, and I encourage you, 2 Corinthians 5, 9 through 11, go there, consider the context, consider what is being said in the passages ahead of those verses, the passages after those verses, take a look, bring attention to this appointment that each believer has with the Lord. And just two more events, needful to interject right here, the first is 1 Thessalonians 4, 17, sort of known as the rapture, the catching away of God's people, reading from 1 Thessalonians 4, 17, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. So this is the way that some of God's people will go to meet with Him. Those that have met with Him in death, who are now in the grave, they are the them referred here, caught up together with them, those who have died ahead, those who have died previously, will be caught up first, and then those of us who are alive and remain here on earth, on terra firma, we are caught up to meet the Lord in the clouds, to meet Him in the air, so that we will always be with the Lord, and you can understand easily here, from the wording, why this is the great joy of the church, the great promise, the great expectation of the church, Jesus said to occupy until He comes, and this is His coming. This is the coming He refers to, for the catching away of His people. Then there's another event, Revelation 20, verses 11 through 15, referred to as the great white throne judgment. We began today on the judgment seat of Christ, which is an encounter reserved just for the born again believer, no one else, no one else, not the agnostic, not the unbeliever, only the born again believer in the blood atonement for sin by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The great white throne judgment, on the other hand, is reserved for everyone else. Revelation 20, beginning verse 11, this is the English standard version. Then I saw a great white throne, and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them. And each person was judged according to what they had done. Verse 14, then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

So this judgment is quite severe, obviously. Reserved for those who reject the Lord Jesus. This is not something of God's doing. This is not His choosing, not His choice at all.

It is the choice, the free will of the individual to choose. So these two, the judgment seat of Christ reserved exclusively for the encounter of each born again believer with the Lord Jesus Christ. There's an appointed time, an appointed moment or minute or hour or day, whatever, you know, in that span of time that the Lord knows. I don't know that.

I don't know what measure of time that will be. But believe me, and I'm just being honest here, transparent if you will, to think that I will give an account of my life to Him is very sobering, indeed. And again, out of verse 10, 2 Corinthians 5, for we all must appear before that seat so that each one can receive what is due them for that which was done in the body, whether good or evil. You and I are forgiven.

We are encouraged and strengthened for every good thing. And for any evil activity, wrongdoing, as we repent and acknowledge the status of our actions is good, is not good, is evil, is sinful, we are forgiven. But there's also clearly here a place made for the Lord to speak with us about that. The Bible says that God has forgiven us and that He has forgotten our trespasses as far as the East is from the West.

That is clear. So there's no contradiction here. This is just a matter of a moment before a holy and sinless Lord where an account will be given. And you know, I haven't really thought about this before, but isn't that where we get the way that we value when something is not right or something is done that is not just or is wrong, when someone else is harmed, that something on the inside of us just demands really requires, expects accountability.

See, that's where we got that concept. Proceeding from the Lord who is perfectly just and pure and righteous, we receive this expectation of accountability. So until justice has been restored, you can't really say that accountability has happened. So is it any wonder that here you and I are made aware, reminded of, again, my purpose today, reminding us that there's an accountability on our lives, though we are forgiven, though we have an eternal placement with the Lord, even seated with Him right now in heavenly places, according to the book of Ephesians.

Still, there is an accountability. Wouldn't that motivate us? Wouldn't that motivate us to even be more intentional about why we do what we do for guarding our heart, guarding the heart so that we don't allow wrong things in that ultimately tempt us and lead us away?

So all of these things are so important. The judgment seat of Christ, the catching away of the church, and the great white throne judgment, a very difficult, difficult judgment. Father, today we see from your word that you have appointed times and seasons, and you are mindful of the thoughts and the deeds of your creation. We pray right now for an ability to think like you think, to activate that ability, and to really employ the promise that we have the mind of Christ so we can, we can, we release our faith today concerning all that we've heard today.

And Lord, give us the ability to reach out to our fellow man so that no one, all can escape that harsh judgment, and rather spend eternity in your presence through the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior. Amen. Blessing on you today. You know, these things are so important. We need to be reminded. And I thank, I thank the Lord that He does not let us go without a reminder. Blessing on you on your day.

Love you. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support this podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or leave a rating and review. Don't forget to check out the show notes or visit acleartrumpet.org where you can subscribe to Shirley's email list. Download the ministry app and purchase your very own copy of Shirley's 365-Day Devotional, Running with Horses. Thanks again, and we'll see you next time.