Judgment Seat of Christ CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

When we started this series on Christian Growth, we started with the two things you need to grow: the milk and meat of the word of God and your workout, whereby you do what the word of God says.

Then we taught on Body, Soul and Spirit.

Today, we are going to teach on the Judgment Seat of Christ, which is the place where Sons are judged.  Sin was judged at Calvary, Sins are judged daily in our lives and Sinners are judged at the White Throne Judgment.  So, the judgment seat of Christ is just for God’s children and it is a judgment that determines your rewards, not the place where you will spend eternity.

Once you are saved, your soul is secure in Jesus and you will be in heaven when you die.  However, after you are saved, the Lord wants you to live for him and to do good works, Eph 2:10 [compare Titus 2 and 3].  And he wants to reward you for your work, Col 3:22-25.

You can tell the main areas of service that he desires by the rewards that he offers.  Look at these scriptures:

• Crown of Rejoicing – 1 Thes 2:19-20 – this is a “soul winner’s crown”
• Crown of Righteousness – 2 Tim 4:8 – this is the crown for loving the Lord’s appearing and living in righteousness in anticipation of his imminent return
• Crown of Life – Jas 1:12 – this is the crown for enduring temptation, equated with the martyr’s crown of Rev 2:10
• Incorruptible Crown – 1 Cor 9:25 – this is the crown for temperance, keeping your body in subjection
• Crown of Glory – 1 Pet 5:1-4 – this is the pastors’ crown, for feeding sheep

These crowns are additionally accompanied by gold, silver and precious stones, 1 Cor 3:11-12.  Gold is given for things done for the glory of God, 1 Cor 10:31, Rev 21:18, Ex 25:11, 17, 24, 31.  Silver is the ransom money of the Old Testament and is given for telling others about the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, Ex 30:12-16, 38:25.  Precious Stones represent souls that you lead to Jesus, Zech 9:16.

Not only will the Lord reward you for serving him, but he will also recompense the wrong in your life.  You can’t live as you please without adverse consequences, 2 Cor 5:10-11.  Look at these sinners in 1 Cor 6:9-11 and Eph 5:5-6.  They don’t lose their salvation; they lose their inheritance.  If you choose to go back to being and doing what you were before the Lord saved you, you are still saved but you will suffer the loss at the judgment seat of Christ, 1 Cor 3:11-15.