2 Corinthians 5:10
Introduction
“The Judgment Seat of Christ” will take place shortly after the Rapture of the Church. No one will be present who has not trusted Christ as Lord. This judgment concerns rewards, not sin. It will relate to what the Christian accomplished in life, and the words good and bad refer to value, not morality. Hebrews 9:27-29 makes this clear. Christ judged sin at the cross. For this reason, sins will not be an issue. The focus will be on what we have attained that is worthwhile to Christ’s Kingdom.
Thesis: Christ will judge each Christian’s contribution to His Kingdom’s work.
The Christian Life as a Building Whose Foundation is Christ, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
A. Each Christian builds his life on Christ, v. 12.
B. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, the building will be tested by fire. Whatever survives will be the basis for reward.
C. Building materials:
- Materials of Eternal Value
a. gold refers to the Glory of God
b. silver refers to redemption
c. precious stones refer to all other things God deems worthy
2. Materials of Carnal Value: wood, hay, straw = different standards of worth to man, but fire destroys them all because they do not have eternal value.
The Christian Life as a Race, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
A. The Human Race and Athletic Training
Dress lightly, avoid hindrances, starting when the starter says go, staying on track, not being deterred by anything, and finally winning the crown. Only one wins the race and a trophy that decays with time.
B. The Christian Race
- Discipleship–mentoring new believers in the Christian life.
- Every Christian can win because we will be judged, not by our competition with others, but according to what we do with what God has given us. Even a Christian with small talents and no significant attainment will win God’s “well done” if he uses well what God has provided.
- Five Crowns of Scripture
a. Incorruptible Crown for those who keep the old nature in subjection, 1 Corinthians 9:25.
b. Crown of Rejoicing for those who bring others to Christ, 1 Thessalonians 2:19.
c. Crown of Righteousness for those who love/anticipate Christ’s appearing, 2 Timothy 4:8.
d. Crown of Life for those who maintain their love for the Lord in the midst of trials, James 1:12.
e. Crown of Glory for those who are good shepherds of God’s flock, 1 Peter 5:4.
C. Paul expressed his concern for losing Christ’s reward, v. 27. Every Christian should consider carefully that a wasted life will seem foolish when one stands before Christ on that day.
The Christian Life Is a Stewardship of God’s Possessions, Romans 14:10-12
Each one of us will give an accounting of what we did during our lives. The more talent, the more wealth, the more ability to serve that a Christian receives, so much greater is his responsibility. We will be required to account for everything we have done for Christ in proportion to what God provided us. See Ezekiel 33:12-13.
It is true that what we do during our lives does not affect our salvation if we are genuinely born again. But on the other hand, how we live our lives will affect our rewards. Even the most obscure Christian who seemingly has accomplished little for God can have something in his life that God will consider worthy of reward.