2 Corinthians, 5:10
Bob Eckel · Dec 19, 2004
2 Corinthians (2004-05), No. 25
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4826231702796

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Okay, this is our last session in terms of looking at the judgment seat of Christ or the Bema. And we were talking about separating out all of the judgments and we looked at some of the major judgments in Scripture. We're looking at this judgment of strictly believers, strictly the church age believers. Those believers from Pentecost to the rapture of the church who put their trust and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, which are the called out ones. The called out ones called out from both Jews and Gentiles who trust Christ. And there's going to be this judgment. The judgment seat of Christ.

And so the big question is, is this judgment a tribunal? We're going to be judged. We know, looking last week, we're going to be judged for our works, whether they be good, whether they be bad, whether they're wood, hay, stubble, whether they're gold, silver, precious stones. And so this is what we're looking at. and I had put up a chart a couple of weeks ago which talked about the timing of the judgment, the place, the subjects, and then I had in here a basis of judgment. The fact, and I put in here, that we were going to be judged for our motives, and that our motives of our bad works are going to be judged.

And what else do I have in here? That some of the things that are going to happen is that we're going to be remorseful as a result of this judgment and ask you if you agreed with all that. And some said, well, I'm not sure. And so it was kind of a trick question, and I had the basis incorrect, and I had the results incorrect.

So what we've been doing now is looking at, trying to understand, what is the basis of this judgment where each believer is going to appear before the Bema? And what's its purpose? The key is, what's the purpose of this Bema? And what are the results going to be?

So, last week, we looked at the fact that in Romans 14 it says that we're all going to stand, which implied that we're going to have our resurrected bodies. and appear before the BMAP. We're going to be manifested. Things are going to be laid open and made visible, made known. And the thing is this, what's going to be made visible are our works, which implies that we have no clue right now, as you sit here and I stand here today, we have no clue as to the value of our works, whether they're wood-haste double, whether they're gold, silver, precious stones. But that's going to be made manifest or laid open, laid bare at the BEMA. So our works are going to be tested, whether they be one or the other. OK, so today we're going to take a look at points 3, 4, and 5.

We're also going to receive or be recompensed for the works done through our body, as 2 Corinthians 5.10 says. So the question is, what does all that mean?

What are we going to receive? What is going to be recompensed? with. Without looking at your notes, let me get a feel for what you think this recompense is going to be, what these rewards are going to be. How do you think you're going to be rewarded?

Crowns. Okay, so there are something like five crowns that are mentioned in scripture and there's no question in terms of if we receive a crown or two that the only thing that we're going to do is lay at his feet. Okay, what else? Okay? We're going to be clothed with righteousness. So where do you get to sit? Okay. Anything else come to your mind with respect to reward? Or loss? Fellowship. Okay. Good. Nothing could be greater. Nothing could be greater. Okay. We'll be with him. We'll be like him. Just as he is. Okay. And that's going to be glorious.

We're going to look at something this morning and see if you agree with this. But I think there's going to be something else in terms of a reward because what we'll get to it. In fact, we'll get to it on the very first point here. We're going to be recompensed. King James says we're going to receive the things done through our body. And the New American Standard says we're going to be recompensed.

The Greek word there is komizo. It just means to receive. But it's in the middle voice. It's to receive to oneself or to receive for oneself. Now, I'm going to highlight this because I think it's important that we're going to receive for oneself. In other words, what we're going to receive is going to be ours. If we receive crowns, we're going to lay them at His feet. But we're going to receive something for ourselves for all eternity.

OK, that's that's a that's a key. So the question is, what? What is what is it that will be right? Pence with. I had here somewhere. crowns, but I guess we'll get to it. But there's going to be rewards. Okay. Basically, there's going to be rewards and there's going to be loss of rewards. Okay. there's going to be rewards for the good works, there's going to be loss of rewards for the worthless works.

And we saw last week that that word bad, what is done through our body, whether it be good or bad, in 2 Corinthians 5.10, the word bad can be translated worthless. It just has no value to the Lord. Not that it's evil or wicked, but it's just that it's worthless to the Lord. So there's going to be rewards and loss of rewards. I'm not going to go through all, here's your homework assignment.

If you want to take a look in terms of some of these scriptures with respect to rewards and loss of rewards, look at it. But the one thing that we want to highlight is this. In 1 Corinthians chapter three, we saw last week that there's going to be rewards and those worthless works, those who perform worthless works, it says, suffer loss. And a very important point that suffer loss does not mean, it's not referring to salvation because the very words in that passage of scripture in verse 15 in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 says, but he himself shall be saved.

So the loss that is talking about at the Bema has nothing to do with salvation. We are secure in Christ, never ever to be taken out of Christ. All the rewards at the game are going to be based upon one's faithfulness, not one's talent, not your spiritual gift. And you may have one, you may have several spiritual gifts, but it's not going to be judged on how many gifts you have. But God is going to reward faithful service. So, okay, what is the reward?

A question came up last week, and it was this. Are we going to be aware of our worthless works and rewards that we've lost? What do you think? I gave you the answer. Let me go through the logic with respect to scripture, as to why I don't think we're going to be aware of any loss. Think about this.

We're going to appear at the Bema, and last week we saw that it's not before Christ, but it's by Christ. There's this intimacy, this fellowship that was talked about. And this is going to be an intimate thing. This is going to be a fellowship between us and Christ. And when we appear there, we're in our glorified bodies. We're going to be just like Him as 1 John 3 says. There's not going to be any sin. No shame. No guilt. All of that is gone.

How about the wrong motives? Because Doug brought up the question last week. How about our motives? Are our motives going to be tested at the BAMF? Are motives involved? Let's talk about incorrect motives. Motives that come out of the flesh that say, I'm going to do something for the Lord. I'm going to teach a Sunday school class. I'm going to sing in the choir. I'm going to do this or I'm going to do that. But it comes out from the old man trying to impress somebody or thinking that I've got to do something. I've got to be recognized in this place for something. So I've got to get busy. Let's say you had the wrong motive in doing a particular ministry. Question, is that an issue at the Bema?

Our sin nature is not going to be there. Our sin nature has been crucified. I don't know that it is. I don't know if our motive is. Because it says that we'll be recompensed for our deeds done in the body and according to what gets done. So, wrong motive is going to bring forth wrong deeds done in the body. So, the deeds done in the body are going to be what is looked at by Christ, not necessarily the motive. Now, the motive is inadvertently kind of involved there. What is the motive itself? What is specifically looked at? So, the key is, the wrong motive produced the bad work, or the worthless work, right? Tell me something about the wrong motive.

Was it out of faith in Christ? Exalting self. Would we call that sin? Would we say what is not out of faith is what? Is sin. Has sin been dealt with when we get to the Bema? Is there any sin that is going to be upon us when we appear at the Bema? Is every single sin forgiven when we appear at the Bema? So think about this.

As Sue said, the sin nature has been judged. Every one of our sins has been judged and paid for and we're forgiven. The only thing left are the works that come out of that sin nature. It's the product of the sin nature that is left. The source is gone, the motives are paid for, right? It's just the product that is still there, right?

So think of Bema as God now clearing the slate of everything that is worthless, the product. And so that we're not there to say, now hell, now look at this. Remember that time that you were going to do Your motive for that was incorrect. Is he going to do that? No, because the motives have been dealt with, right? Because the motives of sin, and sin has been dealt with. It's just that that product is still there. And so the Bema, then, is going to deal with just the product. So as I summarize this, to say this, that God's purpose at the Bema is what?

Rewards, rewards, rewards. It's not a tribunal. It's not a judgment in terms of judging one's motives. It's rewards, rewards, rewards. three places in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, it talks about rewards. Can you picture this? We're standing by the Lord Jesus Christ, next to the Lord Jesus Christ, with Him at the Bema. And there's this fire. And our observation, the advantage point that we have, is that we're not looking at what's going into the fire, but we're standing on this side of the fire and seeing what survives that fire. Could you see that as a picture? If you can't, I drew one. But I think it's going to look like this. Here's the Bema, or better terminology, the reward seat of Christ.

That going into that fire, built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, You have worthless works, the wood haste double. You have the good works, the works that were performed by the Lord Jesus Christ through us by faith, which is gold, silver, precious stones. And they go into that fire. We're with the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're looking at the output of that fire. We have no clue what's going into that fire. And we're looking at the output and we're seeing the gold, silver, precious stones, the good works, the works that were performed by Him because we were resting and trusting Him by faith.

Yeah, but in First Corinthians 315, it sounds different. Is that a translation problem? OK. Yeah. So through fire, it doesn't. It could be a reference to the first phrase. He will suffer loss for the second phrase. He himself will be saved. It seems difficult in this English to tie it back to works that are the opening phrase of any larger. Okay, so we're looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 3, and which verse?

15. Okay, if any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss.

Okay? But he himself shall be saved, yet so by fire. Okay, so help me to understand the question now. Well, I think at first glance, and I know many people read that, you are going to pass Oh, oh, oh, that you, that you are going to pass through fire. It's an issue of what is the antithesis, the works or the individual. Okay. In the English, it's because of the way it's ordered, it seems to be of the individual. But it says, if any man's work, right? Any man's work shall be burned. So it's not about the work going through the fire versus the individual. Would you agree? Pardon me? Okay.

So the question is, what's the loss? And what's the purpose of the Bema? Rewards, rewards, rewards, right? And so the loss is going to be a loss of reward. Because that's the purpose. If that's the purpose of the BEMA, it's going to be your loss of reward.

That's exactly right. I don't think we're going to be aware of it. Maryland's concept, I think, is correct. Everybody is going to be satisfied. Because our foundation is laid by Jesus. And we'll see that in a minute. You're kind of jumping the gun here. But Bill, let's see, have we answered? No. Bill, I think so.

I mean, I'm still looking for a way to explain this to others, the non-believers, in particular the people who are believers, but for your example, in churches that don't accept I think the key Bill is like go back to verse 13 it says every man's work shall be manifested. OK. It's the work that is going to be laid open and made made bare. OK. I think that's the key. So it's it's it's the work. So that's why it's not the person passing through the fire. It's the work. With the works.

The subject of the whole section. Exactly. Reference to say, you know, insurance. Yeah. But even though he suffers loss of reward because because of the wood, a stubble, but it's loss of reward. But he himself shall be saved. Yeah. And the fire is referencing back to how the works are tested. I'm thinking, well, obviously, the fire there. Yet, so as through fire. That's how the works are being tested. He himself is saved. The works are being tested as through fire. I'm just kind of seeing how things... fire is related back to the works, not related back to him personally.

Does that make sense? Yeah. Isn't this where Catholics get a lot of the basis for the... Purgatory? No, I don't know if they use this passage in scripture or not. I know they get purgatory from the Apocrypha, but I don't know if they use this passage or not.

Yes, question. Is it a literal fire? Okay, question. Is it a literal fire? Is it a result of fire destroying? Okay. Or is it to send them for destroying? Somebody want to answer that question? Is it a literal fire? That doesn't mean I have all the answers. Mm hmm. Good work. Materials. Object. So. Say that again, Jack. Good works is not a. Material thing, you know. Yes. So far might not. But it's some kind of a. So this is mental screen that all these things are.

So what you would what would you would summarize that that good works are likened unto. gold, silver, precious stones, that bad or worthless works are likened unto Woodhase double. And they, and the test is fire for them. So, but since good works are not visible things that you can, that you can.

Anybody else? OK, we'll press on. Whether, you know, as Jack points out, you know, I think this is it. The list illustrative that in terms of works that these things can be tested by real fire. So there's going to be a test of our works, which are invisible. And and it's going to it is going to go through a test, his test, and whether that's going to be a little fire.

I don't know. And I at this point, I don't think so. Fire destroys. Yeah, but the point is, see the point I think the scripture is making is that the wood haste stubble are going to be consumed. They're going to be gone, gone, gone. Yeah, they're going to be burned. The precious stones and stuff are going to be burned. So I think that's the point. Bob?

13 through 15, it says, you know, not only are we going to save bodies by fire, but these works will be revealed by fire. And the letter says, for other foundations can no man lay than that which is laid. Right? In other words, from the heavenly perspective, that that is laid is Jesus Christ.

And I've often said this, and this is an ethical thing, not a biblical thing, maybe, I think the good works are things that we don't even notice. Because if we're noticing them, that means the motive can be questioned. Right? See, I mean, Jesus Christ and his eternity lived through us is a motive that is pure and clean and not accounted for.

And that's why fire is so relevant here, because, you know, helping You know, your neighbor is a good thing, quote unquote. But the question is, what value does that have if the motive is incorrect? Some of those prices. And when he's the foundation and even what appears on the surface to be good work is no longer apparent. And so here's the other question.

Is Jesus Christ a literal foundation? Is, we think, a foundation? And built upon it? You know, the scripture talks about foundation, building stones upon foundation. But it's an illustration to give us a picture that, you know, we understand what a foundation is. You know, especially a cornerstone. And he's the cornerstone. Well, is he a real cornerstone, like in a building?

No. but it's words to help us to understand. So, here's the question. What is the nature of our rewards? Are our rewards one or more of the five crowns that scripture talks about? And remember, when we talk about it, we're going to receive for ourselves a reward. And it's for ourselves. I think it's going to be ours. These crowns, yes, we're going to lay at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we're not going into crowns today. We're not going to be talking about crowns. But, you know, every time I go through Scripture, I always try to relate Scripture to God's eternal purpose. And I think that's a good way to think of when you're looking at scripture How does it fit into God's eternal purpose? And we've gone through this in terms of God's eternal purpose.

His purpose is to declare, to reveal, and to share His glory. That's His eternal purpose. And then, in turn, to be glorified. So that's His eternal purpose. We looked at good works with respect to his eternal purpose. I want you to think of God's eternal purpose in your life. In terms of declaring, revealing, and sharing his glory.

Some of you can remember, some of you came to the Lord late in life, like myself. I was 33 years old. So, God declared His glory to me. in terms of just looking at the heavens, right? Because the heavens declare the glory of God. Every day in my life, up until 33 years old, I mean, God was declaring his very glory to me, his eternal power in his Godhead, by just looking at the creation.

Did I respond? Nah. Because in school I learned the whole evolutionary system, and this was caused by the Big Bang, And there was no first cause. OK. So. But then he put me to work for the senior scientist who was some kind of a nut. Right. Because the first day I went to work for him, he come walking down the hallway with a black book under his arm. And I asked one of the guys, And the guy said, yeah. I said, is that my new boss? He says, yeah. I said, is he okay? Yeah, he's okay.

But through him, God revealed the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. I never opened the page of Scripture. I could tell you more about Christ than probably most people. I could tell you of His love, His grace, His compassion. I could tell you all of those things about Christ because He revealed Him to me through my boss.

So I knew about Christ. comes a point in time where God lovingly convicts you of sin, and you put your trust and faith in Him, that Christ died, paid the penalty for your sin, and was resurrected for the day, so you believed. But through that process, God was declaring His glory, and He was revealing His glory. Now you become a believer. And isn't it wonderful? Now you start reading scripture. You find out that you are a totally new creation in Christ. Your history in Adam has been terminated. You have a new history in the Lord Jesus Christ. So you're a new creation.

And then what God does in our life as believers What does he do? He reveals his glory and he shares his glory, right? The very first thing he does is to share his glory. Because, remember in John 17, 22, the Lord Jesus Christ, his prayer to the Father. He says, Father, the glory that you have given me, what? I have given them perfect tents. The moment we believe the very glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, His glory, He gives to us. He shares His very glory with us. Do we have any clue of that when we became a believer? When you became a believer, did you understand that you share the very glory of the Lord Jesus Christ positionally? You didn't have a clue, right? And I didn't have a clue.

And then what the Lord does is that he starts revealing the person of Christ, right? And it's through his word. And then as we behold the Lord Jesus Christ in his word, we grow in the very grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. So conditionally, we start becoming who we are positionally. He shared his very glory with us, but in our condition now, we start growing in that position, and we start coming to know Him.

And the only thing, our only response in that whole process every day is what? Our only response to what He reveals to us is to glorify Him. There is no other response, right? But to glorify Him. When we say glorify, What do we mean by glorifying the Lord? Praising Him, thanking Him. One way to look at it is to be magnifying His very essence. Glorifying the Lord is to be magnifying His very essence. His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His compassion is to be magnifying His essence.

Now, but the Lord has created us for a purpose. What's that purpose? Okay, but one of the things is that we are his handiwork created in Christ Jesus unto what? Good works. Are His good works consistent with His eternal purpose of declaring, sharing, and revealing His glory? You betcha. It's got to be. So now, guess what He does?

He declares His glory through us as we come to know Him. He declares His very glory to us. We looked at that in another class. I don't think we looked at it in this class. Let me see if I can find it here. Why don't you just take a look. You don't have to turn your Bibles. I've got it.

Ephesians 3.10.11. to the intent now that unto the principalities and powers, and I think the New American Standard says rulers and authorities, in heavenly places might be known by who? Who's the church? We? Us? The manifold what? Wisdom of God. according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So just think about this. We looked at this in our trials and suffering class, that through every single trial, that every circumstance that we go through, that as we rest and trust in Christ and rest upon Him in the circumstance or in the trial, that we're declaring God's very glory to principalities and powers.

Isn't that incredible? That is, I think, incredible. So now the plan of good works, He's utilizing us to declare His glory, to reveal His glory. How do we reveal His glory? Exactly. A perfect illustration. And the Lord will use us the exact same way. As we walk by faith in Him, Christ will be manifested. And as Bob says, we're not even going to know it. We won't even be aware of it. Because if we are aware of it, then you have to start thinking, what's the source? And so we're revealing his glory and then we're sharing his glory. How are we sharing his glory? How do we share his glory? Could be spoken, unspoken.

And especially when someone sees Jesus Christ in us, you know what they're going to do? They're going to ask us for the hope that's in us. It's just like I told you this guy in the next bed in the hospital when I had these three stints put in my heart. He came over and he says, I want to understand. I want to understand the love that you have and the peace that you have. Where does this come from? George, sit down. Let me tell you.

So we can share the very glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. With fear and trembling. And then guess what? Is God glorified through that? You know who is glorified by? Those who we share with. Because when we went through that passage in 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 4, that the thanksgiving of many may redound unto the glory of our Lord. or abound to the glory of our Lord."

I think it was 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 15. So, do you see the process? That's the process. So now, the question is this. What's the nature of our rewards? As indicated, our reward will be in accordance with God's eternal purpose and his predetermined plan of good works. Declaring, revealing, sharing his glory. Something else. The focus in eternity will be the glory of our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

And all you have to do is just go through some passages in Scripture here, like look at Romans 11.36 for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory when for how long forever and ever and ever amen to God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ for how long forever Galatians 1 5 to whom be glory How long? Forever and ever.

Ephesians 1.14, which is the earnest of our inheritance unto the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of His glory. It's all about glorifying the Father and the Son. That's what we're going to be doing in eternity. So, I think then our reward at the Bema will be the capacity to glorify our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. because that's what we're going to be doing in all eternity, and that's what we're going to receive unto ourself or for ourself, the capacity to glorify the Father and the Son.

Here's the point. The greater the reward, the greater one manifested the glory of Christ in this life. The less of the reward, the lesser one manifested the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in this life. So the greater the reward, the greater the capacity to glorify the Lord in eternity. I think that's the reward that we receive for ourself.

Does that make sense? Just a quickie, we only covered one point. When it talks about confessing to God, and a couple weeks ago I said, is this confession of sin? I want you to look at the word. The word confessed is ex homolegeo, which literally says, to say the same, out from.

You know in 1 John 1.9, it says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. The word confessed there is homolegeo. Legeo means to say, homo, we get a word homogenized, milk, means the same, right? We used to have cream on top, right, in the olden days, and now we have homogenized, it's the same. So homolegeo is to say the same. So if we confess our sins, we say the same about our sins that God says, that it's sin. means to say the same out from. And the out from, I believe, is out from our hearts.

But this word is used two ways in scripture. It's used to confess as confession of sins. It's also used to thanks or to praise. So the New American Standard has the word praise. King James says confess. I think the word praise is the better translation. And the reason is this, because it's quoting, it's taking a quote out of Isaiah chapter 45. and verse 25, and praise is the context.

So think about this, that we're going to confess, we're going to confess, we're going to say the same about the Lord out from our heart, all that He is, we're going to magnify His essence. And the capacity to do that is going to be dependent upon our reward. So, the other word in Romans chapter 14 was the word account, that we're going to have to give an account. And that word account simply means this. It's words used in expressing the knowledge of someone. We're going to be expressing our knowing Him.

You know, like in Philippians 3.10, that I might know Him and what? And the power of His resurrection. And, I mean, isn't it what this life is all about? It's for us to know Him. So, we'll express out from our hearts the magnificence of His essence. That's what we're going to be doing. And we'll be doing that at the Bema. What's the Bema? Is it a tribunal or is it a reward seat? As you go through scripture, here are all the uses of Bema. It's used as a judgment seat in every case, or a tribunal.

It's never used as a reward seat. But if you go through a word study on this and look how it has been used, let me just read something to you by Harrison. In Grecian games in Athens, the old arena contained a raised platform on which the president or umpire of the arena sat. From here he rewarded all the contestants, and here he rewarded all winners. It was called the bema.

Or the reward seat, it was never used of a judicial bench. Isn't that interesting? So I think as you go through the summary meeting with respect to BEMA, that it's not a tribunal, but it's a reward seat. Okay. I filled in this chart that's in the handout. Any questions? We're drinking from a fire hydrant again. Okay, let's close in a word of prayer.

Our Father and our God, we are just ever so thankful for your word. And as we, Father, as we read your word concerning this Bema to come, we are just thrilled in terms of that. will be rewarded. And that reward will be the capacity to honor and to glorify you. And Father, we are just so thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ, who has made all of this real in our life. And we just thank you for your eternal purpose in each and every one of our lives. And I pray, Father, that as we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto you, that your work would be accomplished to fulfill your wonderful purpose. And we ask this in Christ's name. Amen.