The Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10)

So, welcome to 915 devotional. Um, we're at 9:17, so we're a touch late. We generally are. Uh, we we had some good conversation yesterday uh like we normally do and and today I want to uh I was led to talk about and this was literally I got this on the way to work yesterday like this is God wants me to cover this today. And so, and so here we're today. Let me go ahead and throw the scripture up. Share the scripture loading. Here we go. All right. So, today we're going to be, as you can read, 2 Corinthians 5:10. And this is Paul and this is a letter.

This is his se second letter that he's writing to the church at Corinth. And in this letter, let me read this. He says, "For we he just got done talking about um uh the body and and there's a heaven and and this is not our this is not our final uh uh dwelling place uh right here. These these these mortal bodies that we have." And so, he comes in here in 2 Corinthians 5:10. And he says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ." That's what Paul calls it. So that each of us may receive what is due us for the things that we've done in the body, whether good or bad.

And so I I want to dive into this a little bit. So as Paul's writing this, there's the the the Greek for this judgment seat is Beimma. And uh and that and every Corinthian would know this. It's where they sit you when they're going to pronounce judgment after having been in trial. And so every Corinthian would have been able to picture this in their minds what this judgment seat would look like. Now what Paul is saying is there's going to be a greater judgment seat and and and he is talking to those that are saved. And so let's make the distinction.

There is another well there's there's there's tons of stuff but but in in Revelation and chapter 20 they talk about the great white throne judgment. That's different. That is those people who are not saved standing in front and receiving their judgment, which is, hey, eternity in a in a lake of fire. And I don't know what that looks like. I don't know if that's like, you know, I don't know if that looks like uh like uh uh American Idol and it's like, "All right, well, I'm going to call your name and if you stand forward, these 17 people, okay, you guys are done.

You go that way." I have no idea how long that takes. what that judgment looks like. I don't know if that's if that's Christ talking to an individual person and it's it's three days long going all over the reasons why they don't have a seat in heaven. I have no idea. Doesn't matter to me. I don't know. We're going to put that aside. But this judgment is for all of us who are saved. Well, what do you mean judgment, Dwayne? Why do I have to I thought I was saved. What am I getting judged for? You are getting judged. You're going to stand before Christ and you're going to make an account of all the things that you did and do for the kingdom of heaven.

And we talk about in many places in the in scripture we talk about rewards that my you know my good and faithful servant. We talk about uh crowns that you receive. So what what we're told is that there are rewards for the things that we've done in heaven things that we've done on earth in heaven. What are those rewards? I I have no idea. I I I don't even know that we would recognize the difference between a reward we would see here on earth versus a reward that we would get in heaven. But the text is clear and and and like any good and faithful servant doing anything good, a a a god, an authority figure, your mom, your dad, your boss wants to reward you above and beyond the person next to you because you did a you did a great job.

You you had uh you didn't just have 15 pieces of flare on, you put 25 pieces of flare uh from that wonderful movie um The Office. So So we get rewards. what they are, I don't know. We shouldn't focus on what the reward is going to be. We shouldn't do the thing to get the reward. What we should focus on is that he has a he has a a work for us to do. There's a thing that he wants us to do. At the end of this verse, it says whether good or bad, uh we're all going to sin from the from from now until the time Christ comes back. That's the reason why we have grace.

And so we're going to have an accounting of that. But the bad in this text is not the bad that you think of. It's the thing that you did that didn't last. And so what Christ is going to say is, what did you do while you were here? What's that thing that you did that lasted? What was that good thing that you did? Each and every one of us has a work that God has intended for us to do. Have you discovered that? Have you looked for it? Are you actively pursuing it? Are you actively working it? We're not supposed to just be hearers of the word. We're supposed to be doers of the word.

And so this text talks about that judgment. And I think the reason why I had this yesterday was that I wanted because because it get it gets asked, right? Well, I I thought if we were saved, why is there a judgment? You're saved. Here's the one thing I know about the the story of Christ's crucifixion. There there are two thieves next to him. And in one account, the thief gives his life to Christ and Christ says, "On this day, you will be in paradise with me." What did that guy do for the kingdom of God? Nothing. Nothing. But yet, he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.

He's in heaven. He's in paradise that day. What does it look like for that guy in heaven compared to Billy Graham? I I have no idea. I I can't answer that question that we're not going to find that anywhere in the word, but it the word does say that there's going to be rewards for those who have done what they do. I don't know what that looks like, but again, we shouldn't be focusing on what the reward is. We should be focusing on pleasing our our master. We should be focused on pleasing the authority. We should be focused on loving our God and whatever it is that they have for us to do.

That's what we want to do. when you were a child and you did that thing for mom and dad and they patted you on the back and hugged you and told you you were great. You wanted to do that again, not for the $2 allowance that you got. You really did it because of the love and adoration that you got back from the authority figure. And that's what God wants for us. He wants us to listen, to obey, and to do the work that he has prepared for us. So, if you are wondering whether you're going to be called to account for all the things you did after you got saved, you are right here.

Second Corinthians 5:10. And so, what that does is it also puts a little bit of eternal weight on how we make how we walk our lives today. It's not like, oh, I'm saved and so this is all done and gone and so when I get to the new place, this won't matter. Well, clearly what you do here today does matter. It carries a little eternal weight for you. And so, we should be honoring God. We should be obeying God. We should be trying to find that perfect job, that work that he has for us. I think someone's left me a chat. I'm just going to open it up here.

Oh, good to see you, Jared. Okay, that wasn't for me. All right, so let me go ahead and open up for thoughts, comments, uh, suggestions. Throw them out there. He may have to get Billy Graham a coffee. We won't let Noelia do it. Don't worry. Anybody thought comment? Was this a mic drop? It was I guess it leaves us in that that the unknown of a lot of things that we walk by faith not by sight. So, uh, we just keep doing what we we understand what the scriptures tells us and what revelation has given us and focus more on on the being the righteous person of God than trying to figure out what the rewards are.

A Amen. Amen. Amen. Yeah. Verse seven. For we live by faith, not by sight. Thank you, Cornelio. All right. Anybody else thoughts, comments? Uh, I was just going to say, I think it's Dallas Willard that says, uh, grace is not without effort. Um, which is, uh, you know, the gospel that's out there that says, hey, you can pray a prayer and then just keep doing whatever. But really, there's a an important piece of of surrendering and making Jesus Lord. Um, and that's that's what it means to follow Jesus. And so when you think about end judgment and things like that, it's, you know, it's heart posture.

You know, who's Lord of your life? Is Jesus Lord of your life or are you still in control? So I think that's that's that daily sacrifice that Paul talks about that we are to surrender our lives to the Lord daily um in order to faithfully follow. Amen. Yeah. I just had a I just had a picture of, you know, getting saved is not just punching your ticket on the bus. right? Where you just sit and you just hang out and you have no there's nothing for you to do just but to ride along. It's not that it's not a bus ride, right? When you when you get saved, there's there's that's just the beginning.

There's now a work to do, right? Yes, we're covered by by his blood and we have graces renewed every day, but he has something for each of us to do. There's we're saved with the grace essentially. Yeah. We're saved unto good works and the good work good works are merely proof of our salvation, you know. So if we don't have the good works, you know, you question yourself. I mean, that's the point of James, isn't it? You know, if your brother is naked and and hungry, you you give no clues clothes to wear and food to eat and say, "Be clothed and be well fed.

How have you helped him?" Even so, faith without works is dead. So, you know, you claim to have faith, but there's no no works in that. You know, it's it's dubious. I mean, you might be saved. God God might have saved you, but we don't know. We can't see externally. But the the works themselves aren't salvific in any way. They're just merely proof and evidence that you are saved. Yeah. You'll know them by You'll know them by their fruit, right? Amen. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Anybody else? 30 seconds. All right. Well, uh Jared, thanks for popping in.

Jared's our our good uh pastor friend who was here for a while and now he's on to a new church in in Texas. And so, we wish him well and him and his family and Cristiano and and the kids and just awesome to see him. So, let's let's pray. Father, thank you so much for today. Lord, I pray that that every single person on this call, if they if they don't know what that assignment is, Lord, that they would they would take the time to pray, that they would they would ask the Holy Spirit, "What what is it that you have for me? What what work am I to do in for your kingdom?" Father, I just I pray that each of us would know that and and and to know that maybe that might change over seasons as well, too.

what you have for me today may not be what you have for me next week or next month or or three years from now. But but but Lord, just to know that there is something for us to do, a work, Father. Our salvation is secure. We've accepted you. We love you. Uh we we know we're in heaven, but Father, we know that we have a work to do here while we're on this earth to promote your kingdom and and and the love that that you offer to us. And so, Father, we just thank you for that. Watch over us today. Guide us. allow us all to get back here tomorrow. Uh give us an opportunity to display that fruit in all of the people that are around me, whether we're at work or we're we're at school or we're at the gym.

Father, wherever wherever life takes us, Father, allow us to be that good fruit. Father, we love you. We praise you. And as always, in your son Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. All right. All right. All Amen. Amen. See you guys tomorrow. D. Thanks, boy. What's up?

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly edited for readability.