The King Is Coming - 2

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Sunday School Series entitled "The King is Coming." Based upon a sermon series by Dr. Lee Roberson.

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Introduction: We live in the age of deception. Unfortunately, people are “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness…” (Ephesians 4:14)
The Word of God has warned us to beware of such deception.
John warned in His first epistle of false prophets.
False prophets are those that teach contrary to the Scriptures.
I John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
They are those who spread confusion.
Every century since the beginning of the church there have been false Christ’s and false prophets.
False Christs are those who attempt to claim they are the Messiah…a “savior”…The antichrist is a false Christ.
But then there are false prophets.
False prophets claim to walk for God and proclaim false truth. They teach damnable heresies designed to lead people astray.
In Acts chapter 5:36-37 we have a record of these false prophets and christs from the mouth of Gamaliel who observed this, “36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. 37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.”
Peter in his second epistle mentions these false prophets:
II Peter 2:1 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”
And before either of these the Lord warned the apostles that they would face false prophets among the flock.
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Matthew 24:11 “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”
The best way to deal with a lie is with the truth.
There are those that teach there will be no millennial reign of the Lord. This is contrary to what the Bible teaches.
There are those who teach that the church will go through all or part of the tribulation. Again, this is contrary to the Bible.
There are those teach that teach that Satan is just a metaphor for evil and sin. This too is contrary to the Word of God.
Along with these and many other heretical ideas:
There are some that teach that there will only be one consolidated judgement of man by God. And yet as we will discover today that this is contrary to the Word of God.
The question we are dealing with today is, will the lost and saved stand in the same judgement?
Let’s pray.

I. Will the Lost and the Saved stand in the same judgment?

In the New Testament the word ‘judgment’ is found 76 times.
And so the subject itself is spoken about frequently.
We enjoy talking about God’s love and His mercy. Along with those tremendous subjects we need to discern what the Bible says about God’s judgment.
In the Old Testament, there are at least 218 instances of the word judgment found.
You and I according to Titus 2:13 ought to be “13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
And I pray you are!
We understood in our last lesson that you and I can stand upon God’s Word concerning the Coming of the King.
It has been said that all 5 chapter of I Thessalonians end with the coming of the Lord for us.
I Thessalonians 1:10 “10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
I Thessalonians 2:19-20 “19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? 20 For ye are our glory and joy.”
I Thessalonians 3:13 “13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”
I Thessalonians 4:17 “17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
I Thessalonians 5:23 “23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We could say that this certainly is a major theme in Thessalonians and given to us to encourage us.
But when we think of the coming of the Lord, we ought to also realize that there is a time of judgment coming as well.
The subject itself, as I said earlier is spoken about often in the Bible.
And I would submit to you, because of the mystery age in which we live, the nation of Israel during the Lord’s earthly ministry were fixated on what we would call the millennial kingdom and the judgment associated with the Lord’s return.
There are many judgments spoken about in the Scriptures. And I would like this morning to give you a few.
The first is found in Hebrews 9:26 “26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

A. The Five Judgments

1. The Judgment of the Believers Sin on the Cross of Christ

Dr. Lee Roberson had this to day, “When Christ bore our sins in His own body on the cross, the result was death for Christ and justification for the believer.”
This particular judgment of sin on the cross of Christ is crucial to understanding the future judgments that are given in the Word of God.
One of the important principles we cover with new believers is this wonderful truth concerning our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Secondly, the Bible speaks about the judgment of self.

2. The Judgment of Self

I Corinthians 11:31 states, “31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
As we think about this verse we understand that this letter was penned to the church of Corinth.
Understanding that, we know that we are dealing with Christians.
For this Christian, the Bible teaches that the Lord chastens His children for correction.
“Self-judgment” for the believer “avoids chastisement.”
When we read in the book of Hebrews concerning this, the Bible says in Hebrews 12:11-14 “11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”
God chastens His children in righteous judgment to correct and help us.
We should not confuse the chastening hand of God, with the rod of judgment from God.
Those who are His children by God’s grace through faith are free from that condemnation through Christ.
Those that reject Christ during the tribulation will experience the wrath judgments of God.
So we have the Judgment of the believer’s sin on the cross, the judgment of self, but thirdly,

3. The Judgment Seat of Christ

I want to read a few passages that deal with this subject, and we will come back and speak of this judgment in more detail.
Romans 14:10-12 “10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
I Corinthians 3:11-15 “11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
II Corinthians 5:10 “10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
Another judgment that is spoken about in the Scriptures is:

4. The Judgment of Living Nations

This particular judgment has to do with the nations that exist at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
When the Lord returns, He will reign.
The Bible tells us in Matthew 25:32 “32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:”
The test of this judgment will be how the nations dealt with the Jewish remnant during the tribulation.
As you read through that passage in Matthew 25, the Lord provides examples of faithful acts of service that were rendered to God’s people, and the Lord counts them as unto Himself.
Those that are considered ‘goats’ are the ones who did not treat the remnant well.
This judgment differs from the Great White Throne judgement in location, subjects, basis, result, and the resurrection involved in the latter and not the former.
The last judgment, which I just alluded to is:

5. The Great White Throne Judgment

This last terrible judgment is given to us in Revelation chapter 20.
It is here that the lost dead, both small and great will be judged. The books will be opened and they will be judged out of those books.
Revelation 20:11-14 “11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
The result is that whosoever is not found in the book of life is cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death.
Revelation 20:15 “15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
This is a terrible scene. But this judgment is just as real as the other judgments written about in the Bible.
As we think about these different judgments given to us in the Scriptures, we want to take sometime and understand the judgment seat of Christ.
This is the judgment of believers’ works.
And so the question becomes, when will this take place?
It will take place after we are caught up to be with the Lord.
Revelation 22:12 exhorts us with these words, “12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
People often times get distracted by the service or lack of service of others.
Or even sometimes the appearance of faulty motives of others when they serve.
I Corinthians 4:5 gives us the understanding that nothing is hidden from the Lord, even the motives of the heart are seen by Him, “5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
What Will Be The Result Of This Judgment?
Dr. Lee Roberson had this to say, “When we stand before Christ at the judgment seat, we will be there in our resurrection or translated bodies. We will stand before Him as those who have been redeemed by His precious blood. We will stand there to be judged, not for our salvation, but for our works.”
Knowing this, we should understand then that this has to do with Christians only. It is evident therefore that the saved and lost cannot be judged in the same manner.
The saved are eternally secure because of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Their sin was dealt with on the cross of calvary.
However, no Christian will escape the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Our works according to the Bible must be tried.
The Bible tells us they will be tried by fire.
I Corinthians 3:12-13 states this, “12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”
Our works, according to this passage, will be tried based on quality not quantity.
We see in this passage the example of different qualities of works.
Some gold, some silver, some precious stones…
The Word of God gives us three categories that abide and three that do not.
The idea is simply this:
Some will receive a reward.
So will not receive a reward.
I Corinthians 3:14 -15 “14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
I believe our understanding of this should cause us to do some evaluating concerning our time of sojourning here in this world.
In Dr. Roberson’s message he listed four different characteristics we should look for when evaluating our works for the Lord.
No work will abide that is not done in love.
When we look in the Gospel records and the book of Romans as well as John’s epistles, there is an emphasis on Christians acting in love for the Lord, His children, and others in the world.
If God’s actions, which are perfect and pure, are declared to us to have a grounding in His perfect love, why would we think God would judge us in a different fashion?
That wonderful verse in John 3:16 exemplifies this, “16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 13:34 our Savior, who is the judge states, “34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
2. Works done for the praise of men or selfishly will not abide.
In Matthew 6:1-2 we find this example given to us of the Lord, “1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”
We notice in this example it is not just the praise from men that disqualifies this reward, but the selfish intent to garner the praise of men.
The Lord concludes that such that perform in this manner have received their reward.
There are some folks that tell you about everything they do “for the Lord” solely to receive the praise of men.
And there are other who I believe are just trying to give glory to God.
Still there are others who safely do not reveal to others all that they have done for their Savior.
3. We must labor willingly.
The Bible gives us an interesting admission by Paul the apostle, which is applicable to you and me.
Look with me in I Corinthians 9:16-17.
Notice what Paul states, “16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.”
When we think about the commission of the church to preach the gospel and disciple others, we understand that God has committed these things to us.
That commission has been given and we are responsible.
In similar fashion there was a mission that was entrusted to Paul.
In Acts chapter 9 verses 15 and 16, after Paul met the Lord on the road to Damascus. The disciple of the Lord, Ananias had some apprehension of laying hands upon Saul of Tarsus for him to receive His sight.
The Lord stated this in verse 15 and 16.
Acts 9:15-16 “15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
These were the works that Paul was given by the Lord.
These works included suffering.
Paul had a choice, he could go the way of the Lord willingly, or just because He knew he had to. Either way, the Lord had set aside these works for Paul to accomplish.
If Paul did these things unwillingly, he would lose his reward, but if he did them willingly, he states, “I have a reward...”
Lastly, I believe a huge factor in our judgment will be faithfulness.
4. Our labors must be characterized by faithfulness.
Remember we are looking at quality work.
I Corinthians 4:1-2 “1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
Matthew 24:45 tells us, “45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?”
There is an interesting poem given in the book, The King Is Coming as someone was thinking about the judgment seat of Christ.
It goes something like this:
When I stand at the judgement seat of Christ,
And He shows me His plan for me;
The plan of my life as it might have been,
Had he had His way and I see---
How i blocked Him here and I checked Him there;
And I would not yield my will--
Will there be grief in my Saviour’s eyes--
Grief though He loves me still?
​
He would have me rich, and I stand there poor,
Stripped of all but His grace,
While memory runs like a hunted thing,
Down the paths I cannot retrace.
When my desolate heart will well nigh break,
With tears that I cannot shed;
I shall cover my face with my empty hands,
I shall there bow my uncrowned head.
Lord, of the years that are left to me,
I give them to thy hand,
Take me and break me, mold me to
The pattern —thou hast planned.
Let’s pray
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