We Must All Appear Before The Judgement Seat

We Must All Appear Before the Judgment Seat

2 Corinthians 5:1-11 For we know that if our earthly [a]house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our [b]habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as [c]a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

Paul is giving a reason why he and his fellow-laborers did not become weary and faint in their work. He answers the previous verses of the apostles willingness to suffer such harsh affliction and persecution, “we are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed”. The reason was that they knew that even if their body should die, they had an inheritance reserved for them in heaven. The expression “we know” is the language of strong and unwavering assurance. They had no doubt on the subject.

And not only did Paul know that heaven awaited him, he operated in the fear and reverence of the Lord because he knew that he would answer to the only wise king  and judge Jesus for his life and his work. This was the reason he disciplined his flesh and fought hard to stay focused on the prize.

What does it mean to you?

Your body is a tent. 

You are not here forever, only a short portion of time. This word “tent” means a booth, or tent – a movable dwelling. The use of the word here is not a mere redundancy, but the idea which Paul designs to convey is that the body is not a permanent dwelling-place, but is of the same nature as a booth or tent, that was set up for a temporary purpose, or that was easily taken down in migrating from one place to another. It refers here to the body as the frail and temporary abode of the soul. It is not a permanent dwelling; but is liable to be taken down at any moment. 

We are not promised tomorrow. You are here in a temporary dwelling. Are you living your life with this understanding? Today you could be here listening to this sermon and tomorrow you could be in the presence of the Lord. 

Ephesians 5:15-16 See then that you walk [a]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Redeeming your time. Make the most of your time on the earth. This does not mean that we eat, drink and be merry because tomorrow we die. It is asking, “Are you living like you could be taken at any moment? Knowing that you will give an account of your life?”

James 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow [a]we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

Redeeming the time- Make the  most of your time with your family. Make the most of your time in your marriage. Make the most of your time with your brethren. Make the most of your time serving the Lord. 

Get your house in order. One of the things I like to do before we leave for vacation is to do a deep clean because I like coming home to a clean house, that smells good and not musty or stagnant, or God-forbid we forget to take out the trash. Also, if I die, my house is in order and not a mess. YOU should live every day like we are leaving and not coming back. Then when you do come back, you find your house in order and not in chaos. 

Fix the things that need to be fixed. Love your spouse, love your children every day. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Do not leave things undone or unsaid. Make things right before you hit your pillow at night. 

Be sure you are in a right relationship with the Lord every day. Talk to Him. Repent. Seek reconciliation. I guarantee you that you will not wish that you watched more television or played more on your phone, or worked more hours. You will wish you spent more time with those you love, you will have regrets about not doing all the Lord gave you to do. These are the things that matter.

We should long to be with Jesus

This was the whole heart of Paul. He says, “Not for that we would be unclothed”, meaning “Not that we are impatient, and unwilling to bear these burdens. Not that we merely wish to lay aside this mortal body. We do not desire to die and depart merely because we suffer much, and because the body here is subjected to great trials.”

This is not the ground of our wish to depart. We are willing to bear trials. We are not impatient under afflictions. Paul writes that we may be afflicted much and suffer long in this world, but this should not be the principal reason why we should desire to depart. The anxiety of Paul to enter the eternal world was from a higher motive than a mere desire to get away from trouble. He longed to be with Jesus.

Philippians 1:22-24 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I [a]cannot tell. 23 [b]For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

There have been times and seasons in my life that I wanted to depart to escape suffering, but even more so because I want to be with Him. I want to see Him face to face. I am so thankful for His great sacrifice. I had a season of my life that I so longed to be with them that the Holy Spirit had to tell me to stop asking to go to heaven. It was not my time.

WE should desire heaven because that is where He lives. It is His kingdom. People want heaven for wrong reasons- they want to ride their Harley and float on a cloud playing a harp. Our heart’s position should be a longing to be with Jesus. Do I want to escape suffering? Yes. Do I want a place where there are no more tears and no more pain? Yes. But above all I long to see Jesus. I long to be with Him forever. My heart’s desire is to sit at His feet.

DO you long to see Him? If not, then why? It may just be you love this world too much. 

Labor to be well pleasing  

The word labor used here means: to love honor; to be ambitious to do anything; to exert oneself; to strive, as if from love or sense of honor. Paul made it a point of constant effort; it was his leading and constant aim to live so as to be acceptable to God, and to be pleasing to Him wherever he was. 

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;

Our aim in this temporary life is to please God alone. We do not live to please man, this will lead us down the road to humanism. What pleases God?

Faith. Everything we do must operate from faith in Him.

Psalm 147:10-11  He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. 11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy.

This means that all our efforts to please Him apart from faith in Him, is futile. Our strength, our ability to do something, our strongest effort and work for Him is useless, if disconnected from faith in Him.

Hebrews 11:6-7 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Noah built an Ark, but it was only by faith in God’s ability to deliver him form the wrath to come. Notice in the story of Noah, he didn’t build to save the people, he built to obey God. He was ridiculed and ostracized for 120 years as he built. But he built to please God, not man. And in the process of pleasing God, he saved mankind.

This will be a huge thorn in your flesh if you do not get this right. You must live to please God, not man. This will mean you will do and say things that others will reject. 

Galatians 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Humanism lives to please man. The world is bowing down to the humanist agenda. If you are not steadfast in living to please the Lord, you will be washed away with the world’s agenda. Make it your AIM to be pleasing to Him. The church is bowing down to the humanist agenda. People pleasing will be a snare to your soul

I remember in the early days of the church, I ran the children’s ministry. If a parent wanted things a certain way, I changed what I did to please that parent. There was a time when we had the children sit in worship before they went into their classrooms. Parents complained, “I can’t worship with my kid in the room”; so we changed it. Somebody complained about Bible study, so I changed the way I did bible study. You get the picture. I had to come to the realization that if what we are doing is to please the Lord, then what someone else thought of our method was inconsequential. 

Because of my low view of myself, I would do things for someone else’s approval. I want people to approve me. I want validation. But I had to get to the place where all that mattered was what He thought of me. Ex: worship, raising my hands in a new church 

HE is in charge of my life, not me. I do what He says, when and how He tells me. 

Obey Him in all your ways. Hold fast to faith in Him and in His Word. Take up the shield of faith- this is what stops the enemy’s arrows aimed for your heart.

 For we must all appear before the judgment seat. 

This is not hyperbole. I have heard people say, I will not have to give an account of my life because of Jesus. This is antinomianism. Your sins are under the blood, but be sure you will give an account of your life and there are rewards in heaven based on the work you do for Him.

This fact is another reason why it was necessary to lead a holy life, and why Paul gave himself with so much diligence and self-denial to the afflictions and persecutions for which he suffered. WE MUST ALL APPEAR, it is necessary that we should appear at the judgment seat to give an account. For we are here on trial: we are responsible moral agents; we are placed here to form characters for eternity. Before we receive our eternal rewards it is proper that we should render our account of the manner in which we have lived, and used our talents. 

ALL will give an account. Both Jews and Gentiles; old and young; bond and free; rich and poor; ALL of every class, and every age, and every nation. None shall escape. You cannot buy your way out of this judgment. It doesn’t matter who you know. 

Revelation 20:12-13 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before [a]God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

Paul and his fellow-laborers devoted themselves to untiring diligence and fidelity that they might be accepted in that great day.

We must appear before Him. The word “appear” means: to make apparent, manifest, known; to show openly. Here it means that we must be manifest, or openly shown; we will be publicly tried. We must not only stand there, but our character will be seen, our heart will be known, our trial will be public. All will be brought, from their graves, and from their places of concealment, and will be seen at the judgment-seat. The secret things of the heart and the life will all be made manifest and known.

1 Timothy 5:24-25 Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. 25 Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.

What Paul tells timothy is that there are some sins that can be clearly seen by all, you will recognize their fruit. These men are not fit for ministry. But some sins are hidden, no one can discern them; but they will be revealed on judgment day at His throne.

Romans 2:16  in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

You will not be able to point a finger at anyone. “They made me act this way”. You cannot compare your life to anyone else’s. “But I wasn’t as bad as that man!” You will stand alone before Him and give an account of what you did or did not do. Let no one deceive you.

Romans 14:10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of [a]Christ.

Every man shall receive an appropriate reward for the actions of this life. All the deeds done in the body; for all the thoughts, plans, purposes, words, as well as for all the outward actions of the man. All that has been thought or done must come into review, and man must give an account for all.

Matthew 12:36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

Every word- gossip, cursing, disgruntled words, foolish words, doubt filled words, all will be scrutinized by the King. If there is one thing I am learning from Proverbs, it is to watch my words

There will be one of four things that will happen on judgment day:

#1 You are not born again. You do not have the blood of Jesus applied to your life. You never repented of your sins, turned away from the world to follow Jesus.

John 3:1-5 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Without Christ, you have nothing to stand on. Nothing you have done is good enough. No amount of good deeds, feeding the poor, helping others out, being a “good human” will matter. 

The only entrance allowed is for those who have white robes washed in the blood of Jesus.

Acts 4:11-12  This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

You can be born again tonight by repenting of your sins and calling on the name of the Lord to save you and redeem you.

#2 You have deceived yourself into thinking you know Christ, but HE never knew you.

I shared this with the ladies, I once knew Val Kilmer

Matthew 7:21-23  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

 

This always perplexes me. These are people that THINK they know Him, and even call Him Lord. But something is off. They have deceived themselves, possibly by a false gospel. These are those who were never converted. They accepted Christ with no change in their lives. They never turned from their sins, (practice lawlessness) but served Him on their own terms and therefore continued to live a life of sin. They may have started off well, but they will not finish well.

You must repent and turn from your sins!

#3 You will be in heaven, but your work will burn up

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day (judgment day) will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

There is a reward system in heaven and it is not “fair and equal”. It is according to His laws of justice and judgment. 

There are two sorts of builders. One holds nothing but the truth as it is in Jesus, and preaches nothing else. Others build on a foundation that will not stand the test. They build according to their own hopes, desires and dreams, for their own glory. We may be mistaken in ourselves and others; but that day coming will show our actions and motives in the true light, without covering or disguise. 

Those who build on Jesus, His Words, His doctrines with a pure heart to glorify and please the Lord will have work that will abide in the great day, and they shall receive a just reward. 

There are others, who may truly know Him, but their work is to edify, glorify and please themselves and others. This work cannot stand the test and will be burned up on the judgment day.

None of the above 3 are what I want for myself or others. I want #4

#4 You are the good and faithful servant

Matthew 25:20-28  “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

We are not all given the same talents, or even the same amount of talents; be the faithful servant does all His Lord gives him to do.

The faithful servant works with joy as unto the Lord and not unto men. The faithful servant is humble and diligent to never give up and never quit. The faithful servant is obedient and has no demands but to follow Jesus and please Him all the days of his life.

We persuade men.

What do we persuade men of? 

There is a judgment day and we will give an account of our lives.

Acts 10:42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

For those of us in Christ- make it your aim to please Him. Operate in the love and the fear of the Lord. These are not mutually exclusive- they work in conjunction with each other. The Love of God and the fear of God have the same purpose- to produce a righteous and peculiar people, set apart for Him and for His glory. Paul said, Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men

The love of God will keep you in His arms, the fear of God will keep you on your toes.

For the lost- they need to hear the truth. Paul preached these things that made people tremble:

Acts 24:25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”

People are under the wrath of God without the blood of Christ applied to their lives. Paul preached and taught the whole counsel of God- not just the things people wanted to hear.

Acts 20:26-28 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent[a] of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not [b]shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church [c]of God which He purchased with His own blood.

BE BOLD! Do not be a people pleaser. Be faithful! We must be about our Father’s business.

Romans 13:12-14 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk [a]properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.