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Have you ever had to stand before a judge or a group of people to bring a defense of why you have done something? If so, what did you feel like? Were there others there watching what was happening? I can remember the time we, the church, were called before the VC town council to answer for the reason we put a cross on the tent without their permission. We went with much prayer to see why they were threatening us with a fine of $500.00 a day if we did not take it down. Because God was in it all the way we had a peace in our minds and hearts but butterflies in our stomachs. God had led us to use the hymn the Old Rugged Cross to explain why we felt the cross was exempt of Town regulations and sign permits. We explained, while many looked on at the proceeding, that the cross is a symbol of our faith in what Jesus did for us so that we, sinners, could be saved by His work on the cross. After we had presented our case before them they said they would take it to their legal counsel and get back to us. I pictured a long drawn out process of court battles ahead over this issue, which we were willing to go through. But one day, not long after our hearing, the Town Counsel told us that they were not going to make an issue of it with us. We rejoiced in the Lord for this finding in our favor. The day is coming when every Christian will be called to give account for what they did with their lives in Christ. All will stand before the judgment seat to have their lives tested for how they lived. There in heaven witnesses from every nation and every generation of the faith will watch with eager anticipation. It will be the end of the church age and at that time all who have not died will rise to come before the judgment seat to receive the payment due them for how we lived out our lives for Christ here. Who do the Mormons believe will judge them? Who do you think would be the best person to judge us and why? It must be one who understands the truths of heaven and the justice of it as well. It must also be one who understands what it is like to be a human, one who has lived here on earth and experienced all that life can dish out to us. There is only One person who truly fits this description and the requirements needed to be our judge. Heb. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. John 3:12–13 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man, is the only One who knows what is like in heaven and what life is like on earth as well, so He alone is the best judge of what we did with our lives here for Him. He also told the disciples that He alone is the one the Father has given this authority to. John 5:22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, So the day is coming when we will stand before Christ to be judged for how we lived for Him. Is it a day we are looking forward to or is it a day that we are fearful of its coming? The Apostle Paul was looking forward to it with great anticipation; 2 Timothy 4:8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. No one will get a pass at being there for the judgment. Everyone will come and stand before the seat of Christ to receive their apodidomai, repayment, for what little things they have done. No one writes in detail more about this day in the NT than Paul. It most likely had to do with the event he had faced in Corinth a few years before he wrote the 1st letter to the Corinthian believers. Acts 18: 12-17 In the ruins of Corinth today there is a raised marble platform still visible where scholars believe Paul stood before Gallio for judgment. The platform in the Greek is called a bema, the Greek word for judgment. The bema represented authority, justice and reward. Men say it is no big deal when it really is. As Paul stood before the bema his enemies argued against him, accusing him, demanding punishment. But Gallio stops the proceedings and judges that no law has been broken and Paul is set free, knowing he can go on preaching Christ without worry of consequences from the Romans. Then about 3 years later Paul writes to the Corinthian believers and in his letter he mentions another bema seat in which all believers will stand before to be judged. You can be sure that many if not all the believers there in Corinth remembered the incident a few years before. It would have been a familiar scene to them only with greater ramifications. 2 Cor. 5:6-10 Paul makes it clear that each of us will be judged independently of others and each will receive reward or repayment for what we did, the little things, with our lives for Christ. We will be judged for what we did here in the body, even though this judgment will take place in heaven before the bema, the judgment seat of Christ. A few years later Paul writes to the Roman believers with the same idea in mind, the bema seat; Rom. 14:10–12 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ ” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. When you were younger did you ever get caught doing something and you had to confess what you had done? How did you feel? In the Rom. Passage Paul is telling us that we will all stand before the judgment seat and have to give account of our lives before Christ. What does it mean though to give account? This brings us to our passage for today: 1 Cor. 3:10-15. This passage gives us some insight into what Paul meant. Here he pictures a building not a bema. The building represents the works of our lives being tested by fire. The foundation we are building upon is Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior. His death on the cross for our sin debt and our now submitting our lives to Him alone as Lord in love because of all He has done for us and continues to do. Vs 12-13 Paul tells us that the fire will make clear to all, revealing, what we have done for Christ and what we did out of selfish self-centeredness. He calls it the Day, meaning the judgment day of Christ, because on that day what we have done for God will be revealed and completely evident. Vs 13-15 The second part of the test is where we receive repayment for what we have done. A few things we need to understand here; what is being tested by the Lord is our works, the things we did for Him building on the foundation of His lordship over us, the gold, silver and costly stones we use, the little things and big things done in love for Christ. 1 Peter 1:7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. These works done in faith will be tested by fire so to shine brighter for us or to reveal the self-centered things they were, the wood, hay and straw which will be burned up leaving us no reward. Daniel 12:2–3 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Something we must be careful about when looking ahead to that day is not to judge the works of others because only God knows the heart and will judge them for it. This is why Paul warns that we not judge what others are doing for the Lord. 1 Cor. 4:1-5 Only the test of fire will determine what was done for us and what was done for the Lord. There and only there will we see how a person’s life added up to eternity. The fire will make the truth obvious to all. When we see what makes it through the fire we will completely agree with Jesus about His judgment and the loss or reward that follows. Some will come through only as a stick being pulled from a burning fire. Amos 4:11 You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire,” declares the LORD. Which will we be? How can we make sure we are not that stick but a bright shining star as Daniel spoke of, receiving more reward than loss? This is what we will look at next time, how we can test ourselves now to be prepared for then. Psalm 127:1–2 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.
