The BEMA
The Judgment Seat of Christ
II Corinthians 5:6-9
Good Morning!
Welcome to a very special Sunday morning here at Gateway Community Church! For the next two weeks, we are going to be talking about Stewardship.
“Stewardship!” I can imagine some of you thinking, “They tell us this is going to be some special drama, and he’s going to hit us up for money?!”
NO, it’s not about money – I know that a lot of places will have “stewardship campaigns,” which translate into efforts to increase their financial base, but that’s not what stewardship is about. Biblical stewardship is actually much simpler – and much more complex. Simply stated, stewardship means “living for THE day – instead of living for TOday.”
“Living for THE day in stead of living for TOday.”
What does that mean? It means that we live the entirety of our lives with a perspective that sees beyond the immediate, or even the immediate future. We live our lives with our eyes on eternity – beyond this short life – with an eternal perspective. The Bible calls it “living for THE Day.”
So what is “THE Day?” It is referenced in several passages of Scripture, but most clearly in 2 Corinthians 5:6-10. The passage will be on the screen behind me, follow along as I read it.
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
One quick question, before we move on to the next verse – Who is Paul writing to here? Christians, right? This is written to the church at Corinth – people who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. OK, let’s keep going…
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
THE Day is that day when we will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ – the phrase “judgment seat” is a translation of the Greek word BEMA. A BEMA was the place where a ruler would be seated when he gave his verdict on a matter. In John 19:13 we have John’s account of Pilate sitting on his BEMA seat when he passed judgment on Jesus. It is called, in the NIV, the “judges seat.” When the judge sits on that seat, and gives his ruling, that ruling becomes the law – it is the final word. According to the Bible, we are going to stand before Jesus one day at a great seat of judgment.
“Living for THE Day,” then, means that we live our life TOday in a way that will keeps that judgment day in view – and that is biblical stewardship!
Now, we obviously don’t know exactly what that day is going to be like, but today we’re going to present to you a fictionalized account of what that day will be. It is based on the Bible, and two other sources – a book by Tim Stevenson called The BEMA, and a drama with the same title by pastor Pete Brisco.
Before we go any further, let’s pray. [Lights out]
[Lights up]
Boy, what a day this has been! I have never had a day like this one. In fact, I can categorically state that there has never been a day like this – and not just for me! There has never been a day in history like this day!
To tell you about it, I have to go back to the beginning. I got up at 3:00am – I had to get to my office early – I had my entire staff coming in before 6:00 and I wanted to be ahead of the game by the time they got there. I showered, got dressed and left – I skipped breakfast. I’ve actually been skipping a lot of things lately: breakfast, sometimes lunch, and my kids’ soccer games, date night with my wife, and yes, church. But with good reason! You see, I have this huge presentation coming up, and if I can land this client, well the boss says there’s a partnership in it for me! And with a partnership comes lots of money, and I’ll be able to take better care of the family, and have all the stuff we want, and I’ll make up for all the things I’ve been skipping – and then some!
So I get to my office, the sky isn’t even beginning to show signs of daybreak, park in my reserved spot, and enter the lobby. And there’s Joe.
“Good morning, Mr. Matthewson!” (That’s me – Daniel Scott Matthewson)
[Sigh] “Good Morning, Joe.”
“Has the Lord been good to you today?”
“It’s 4:30am, Joe! But yeah, the Lord’s great!” I push the button on the elevator several times, hoping to speed it up.
“Well, God bless you, Mr. Mathewson, and remember, ‘No temptation has taken you except what is common….’”
Oh my goodness! How can someone be quoting Scripture at this hour?
I finally get to my office – it’s a corner office on the 28th floor – and when I walk in, there’s Juanita, my cleaning lady.
“Juanita, I thought I asked you to be done before I got in.”
“Oh, I’m sorry Mr. Mattewson. I am trying, but you keep coming in earlier and earlier – I can’t keep up!”
Now, I’m a Christian, so I’m not going to throw her out. So I do the next best thing. I sit down at my desk, and start working - ignoring her.
Juanita is dusting the furniture, when she walked over and picked up a picture from my desk.
“Oh, Mr. Matthewson, you have such a wonderful family – your children are just beautiful!”
“Uh, yeah, thanks Juanita.”
“And your wife was so kind to me and my children at the company picnic last summer…”
“Uh huh, whatever…”
She got the message – she put the picture back on my desk, and walked to the door. Then she turned and said, “Mr. Matthewson, you’re a good man, and I want you to know that I pray for you, and for your family.” And she left.
Great! That’s all I need – a load of guilt piled on everything else! But I don’t have time for guilt – I’ve got my whole staff coming in here, and I have to have everything ready before that! Soon they start trickling in – bringing in the graphics, the spreadsheets, the cover art. I make minor changes changes, proofread, tweak it here and there, and by noon, there it is! Done! And it looks great! It’s beautiful! The deal is in the bag! I can almost taste it…no wait a minute – I’m actually hungry!
So I’m going to treat myself to lunch – so I go out to my car, and start driving to the Subway down the road – there’s a beautiful manager there!
And then it happened!
The Rapture! One minute I’m driving my Beemer – the next, I’m in heaven! Wow, how do I describe it? There were millions of people, all jubilant and ecstatic – have you ever seen pictures or film of a ticker tape parade, like when the Bears win the super bowl? No, you can’t remember that? Oh, well it’s like this great party – everyone hugging and laughing and celebrating!
And there’s people reuniting – I saw people that had died decades ago that I had forgotten to miss! And loved ones that I had missed dearly! It was amazing and overwhelming! In fact, I suddenly knew that I needed to take a moment by myself to just soak it all in. So I found a place to sit, and catch my breath…but I didn’t feel alone – it just seemed like there was someone with me. I looked around, and didn’t see anyone, but the feeling was so strong that I finally just called out, “Is anyone there?” [Lights brighten]
There was – he was magnificent! He was about 9 feet tall, and looked like a man made out of hollow light! I asked, “Who or what are you?”
“I am Uriel,” he replied, “and I am a heavenly messenger.”
“You’re an angel?” I asked. “Yes, Daniel.”
“You know my name?”
“Yes, I know all about you. I have been assigned to you since you were born, to watch over you.”
“You are my Guardian Angel?”
“Well, Daniel, we don’t use that terminology here, but yes, you could say that.”
”Wow,” I said, and tried to give him a hug.
He said, “I am here to teach you about heaven, and what is about to happen.”
“Oh, please, I want to learn everything.”
“All right. First – transportation is different here.” And he picked me up by my arms and flew all around with me – it was terrifying at first, but after I got used to it - it was great! He set me down. “You will be able to fly as well after you are glorified,” he said. “Your eyes are different, too.”
“Really?”
“Yes. See that building off in the distance – about three miles away? Focus on it and try to ‘zoom’ in on it.” I did, and WOW! I was able to see it like it was right in front of me! I could zoom in and out at will! That would have come in so handy during hunting season on earth!
“Communication is different too.” Uriel said. “It is? “Yes. You don’t have to verbalize. You can communicate by directing your thoughts to me.” And Uriel and I had a conversation without speaking – it was amazing – I just knew what he was thinking and he knew my thoughts.
“Now,” Uriel said, “I need to explain the upcoming judgment to you.”
“Oh, I know all about that!” I said. “I don’t have to go through judgment! There’s this great white throne judgment, and God separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep are those who trusted in Jesus as their savior, and they go to heaven. The goats are those who did not believe, and they are sent to hell for all eternity. Well, I trusted in Jesus – so I don’t have to face any judgment. I even remember the verse – Romans 8:1 “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…”
Uriel looked at me a bit bewildered. “No one ever told you about the BEMA?”
“The what?”
“The BEMA. The Judgment Seat of Christ. You don’t remember hearing or reading about it in your Bible?”
I felt a streak of terror run from the sole of my feet to the top of my head. “No.”
“It’s there. It’s the place where every believer will give an account of his life to Jesus – but it’s not punitive.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a place of reward, not punishment. You remember your Olympic games?” “Yes.”
“And the winner stands on a platform?” “Yes.”
“And the judge places an award around their neck?” “Yes.”
“That’s what the BEMA is like.” “I don’t understand.”
“The Christian life is like a race, and you’ve finished it. So now Jesus is going to reward you for the things that you did that had eternal significance – that had an impact on His kingdom.”
I was suddenly racking my brain trying to remember anything I had done of significance, and I found myself praying that Jesus memory was better than mine!
While lost in thought, I suddenly heard a fanfare off in the distance.
“What was that?” “It’s the summons to the BEMA.” And Uriel picked me up, and we began to fly, along with millions upon millions of others toward a structure way off in the distance. I was able to zoom in and see that it was a stadium – but as we got closer, I could see that it was immense – the size of a huge city!
Uriel lowered me in front of a gate, and said, “go on in.” “Aren’t you coming with me?” I asked. “No, this is only for the bride of Christ. I will be with the other angels in a gallery watching this great event. But if you have any questions, simply direct you thoughts to me…” and off he went.
[Stepping up] Over the gate it read, “The BEMA.” Oh, boy…. I entered in – and the place was huge beyond imagination. It looked like a great coliseum – but larger than anything you have ever seen – miles away, in the center, was a platform, and I zoomed in and saw someone putting the finishing touches on a great throne. I realized that the place was filing up, and I looked over and saw a place to sit, and made my way over.
I sat down next to a man. He smiled and said, “My name is Indira Jenske, where and when are you from?” I had never heard that question before, but then I realized that this place was filling with the entire history of the Christian church! More than 2000 years of believers were gathering in one place – so the question was appropriate!
“My name is Daniel Scott Matthewson, and I lived in the United States at the beginning of the 21st Century.”
“Oh, that must have been a wonderful time and place to live!” He said.
“And where and when are you from?” I asked.
“I lived in Japan, in the 17th Century.”
“Japan,” I said, “I didn’t’ know there were Christians in Japan in the 1600’s!”
“Oh, yes!” he said, “The great wooden trade ships that brought goods from Europe also brought missionaries, and one of them came to my small village, and told us about Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, who died a terrible death to pay the penalty for my sins. It struck a chord with me, and I believed him – as well as a lot of my family members. Even some of the Samurai, the village rulers, believed – but not the Samurai of my village. He hated Christians, and he persecuted the church, and had some of us put to death.”
“Some of us? Were you…”
“Yes, I was crucified along a road leading from our village. Next to me was a Samurai from the next village who had also believed. He had also believed. He had been a ruthless man, but Jesus transformed him – and as he hung there, he told everyone who passed by of the love of Christ, and he said he counted it an honor to die for Jesus!”
As he talked, I hung my head. “What is wrong, Daniel?” He asked. “Oh,” I said, “I never suffered like that. I’m sure I could have never endured such persecution.”
“Don’t concern yourself, Daniel,” he said, “It is the Lord who gives grace to those who are chosen to suffer – if God did not chose to allow you to suffer – that is a blessing, not a shame!”
As we talked, I noticed that the entire place had filled. There was not one empty seat, and no one was left standing – every spot was filled. And then from the rear, a great angel walked to the platform. He never identified himself, but he looked like what I always thought Gabriel or Michael might look – he was about 18 feet tall – he had flowing golden robes, his face was like sculptured marble. He had deep compassionate eyes, and a smile that I could have seen from this distance even without my zoom eyes!
He was carrying a staff that was probably 15 feet tall, and he rapped it 5 times on the platform.
[Rapping]
Before the third thump, the crowd had fallen absolutely silent. There was tension and anticipation in the air. Maybe 3 billion people gathered, but you could have heard a pin drop! The angel spoke:
“Welcome to the Bride of Christ! I have come to announce the presence of your Groom! Jesus of Nazareth, The Prince of Peace, the Alpha and Omega, the creator and sustainer of all things, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”
And Jesus entered the platform. He smiled and said, “Oh, my Bride! I am so glad you are here! We are going to have such a great time! My Father, Yahweh, will preside over this gathering, and He is entering now…”
How do I describe what I saw? I understand now why Revelation was so hard to read and understand in the Bible! John trying to put into human language the things he saw in heaven! But I will try.
There was a cube, filled with light and shapes, colors that I had never seen before. I somehow realized that God is a spirit, and that this must be just a partial manifestation of His glory entering the stadium as it sometimes did in human history in a pillar of fire or smoke, or a cloud. The cube was being carried by winged creatures, that looked like half animal, half angels, and as they carried it they were saying, over and over,
“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.”
“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.”
“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.”
And we all bowed before the Lord. And we began to sing along with the angels,
Ø WORSHIP IN SONG:
o Holy, Holy, Holy
o How Great Is Our God
o How Great Thou Art
o Holy Is The Lord
o The Doxology (acappella)
After singing for what might have been a thousand years on earth, we went back to our seats, and I thought, “Oh, I never sang like that on earth! Most of the time I just stood there, with my hands in my pockets, looking at the ceiling, mouthing a few words – waiting for it to be over. I guess I just never realized the presence of God in that worship – but, WOW – if I could go back, and do it again, I would sing knowing that God is there!
Jesus came to the center of the platform, and said, “It’s time. But before we begin, let me just make sure you understand what is going to be happening here. You are not on trial! Your sins have been forgiven! As your life is reviewed, I will not see your sins – they have been separated from you as far as east is from west – never to be remembered against you! So RELAX!” And we did! You could just feel the tension leave the place!
He said, “Today you will be rewarded for your service to My kingdom – those things you did in my power. The judgment will be base on three criteria:
“In addition to the treasures you have sent ahead, some of you will receive crowns. We will be giving out the Crown of Righteousness to those who lived for this day. The Crown of Glory will be given to those who shepherded my people – and I don’t mean you pastors – you will be judged more strictly – and don’t say I didn’t warn you – I had my brother James spell it out for you! No this crown is for those who gave service to my people without pay – out of love for them and for me. The Crown of Life will be given to those who were persecuted for my sake. The Crown of Faith will be given to those who trusted in me to the end – who persevered through thick and thin in an exceptional way.
“In addition, some of you will receive a verbal commendation. I will say to you, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’ My highest award.
“ALL of you will be glorified – each of you will receive your heavenly body today – the culmination of the process of salvation that began when the Holy Spirit first drew you to me, and continued as you walked with me until this day, when you will receive your glorified body. It’s going to be GREAT! So let’s get started! Prepare your hearts…”
As Jesus turned to take his place on the great BEMA seat, we all sat there. Billions of people, and everyone of us was sure we were going to be the first. The large angel came to the center of the platform, and announced the first name by rapping three times.
[3 raps, booming offstage voice] “Timilus Gerimaticus”
An angel swooped down from the gallery, and retrieved Timilus from his seat, depositing him at the base of the platform, and returned. Timilus walked up, and stood before Jesus. They began to talk – and an amazing thing happened. We couldn’t hear what was said, but we were all able to see Timilus’ life. He was born in the 3rd Century in Lyon, France, under chaotic Roman rule. He was a poor man, a smith by trade, and served as a deacon at a small church. He gave what little he had to the poor and oppressed believers in his church, which was severely persecuted. Timilus, in fact, was a martyr. He was “scraped,” which means that the skin was pealed from his body. Then he was placed on a rack, and his bones were broken and dislocated. Then he was thrown to wild animals and as they attacked him, he cried out, “My name is Timilus, and I belong to Jesus!”
Timilus fell on his face before Jesus, and Jesus rose from his throne, raised him up, put his hands on his shoulders and said, “This is Timilus, and I am so proud of Him!” He gave Timilus the Crowns of Righteousness, Glory, Life and Faith – he got all four! There were treasures piled all around him. Jesus said in a loud voice, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Be glorified!” And Timilus shone brighter than the sun – and he flew back to his place with all his treasure with him and as he took his place he looked like the North Star shining in a black sky!
The angel thumped three more times,
[3 raps, booming offstage voice] “Pompenea Gracinia”
Pompenea had lived in first century Rome – before Paul had even arrived there. She was from the Senatorial class but had become a believer. Her husband ridiculed her, but she kept a consistent testimony, and eventually he became a follower of Jesus, too. They planted a church in Rome that met in their house, and lasted until the third century. She received the Crown of Glory for her service to the church, and was glorified, and flew back to her place.
The angel announced the next name.
[3 raps, booming offstage voice] “William Carey”
I knew this name – but I wasn’t sure why. It turns out that there was probably no less likely hero of the church than William Carey. He was a poor shoe maker in England – but he became a great world evangelist. He had a heart to reach the world for Jesus at a time when the church didn’t share that vision. He went to Malta with no support, and later went to India, and he impacted England and the western church so much by his work that he was known as “The Father of Modern Missions” by the late church.
Jesus did something amazing with William. He rose form his seat, turned William around to the crowd, and said, I want everyone who is here today due to the impact of William, either directly or indirectly, to stand – and around the coliseum nearly a billion people stood! William fell to his knees. Jesus said, “Well done! Be glorified!” And Carey flew back to his place.
The angel rapped again.
[3 raps, booming offstage voice] “Angela Moser”
There was a fluttering of wings in the gallery, so I directed a question to Urial – “What’s going on?” “Oh!” he said, “It’s Angela’s turn! She is so well known to us all!” “WOW,” I said, “did she evangelize more than William Carey, or suffer more than Timitus?” “No,” Uriel said, “She worked behind the scenes…”
As her life unfolded before us, we could see that Angela had remained single by choice, to care for her sick mother. But the thing that made her known in heaven was her prayers. She prayed feverishly, without ceasing. She prayed for her pastor, for sick people, for the lost people in her city and country. Jesus embraced her and said, “Oh Angela, I am so proud of you! Thank you for your great faith.” And she received her treasure and it seemed to be greater than all the others I had seen to that time – and she was glorified, and returned to her place.
The angel called out another name…
[3 raps, booming offstage voice] “Joseph Ray Robinson”
Joe was born in the south during the depression – not an easy life for an African American man. He was not permitted to attend school, but taught himself to read by studying the New Testament. The man had memorized 2/3 of the New Testament! His lack of education prevented him from getting any great job – but he supported his family by working faithfully as a chauffer, delivering papers, and as a security guard at an office build…
Hey! It’s Joe from my office! I didn’t recognize him! But it’s him!
Jesus invited everyone in the stadium who was there because of Joe’s influence to stand, and I saw over a hundred people stand, including a bunch that I recognized from my office building! I thought, “here’s this guy that this morning I had no time for, and now I doubt that I am worthy to shine his shoes!” Jesus said, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Be glorified!” And Joe flew back to his place with his treasures.
The names continued…
[3 raps, booming offstage voice] “Juanita Perez”
My cleaning lady.
I never had taken the time to really care about Juanita – but I learned in heaven that she had been abandoned by her husband and had raised her three kids alone, working day and night. She was another prayer warrior, and I saw how much she prayed for me and my family – I realized that she had had more of an impact on my kids lives than I had! And she was glorified, and went back to her place.
As I looked around, I realized that about ¾ of the stadium had been glorified – my turn must be coming soon – and sure enough, after a few hundred thousand more names,
[3 raps, booming offstage voice] “Daniel Scott Mathhewson”
Uriel swooped down and lifted me up, and set me before the platform.
[nervously] “Oh, boy!” “Oh boy!”
[Fade to black – Screen reads “To Be Continued…”]
[Lights up]
Next week, you will witness the judgment of Daniel Scott Matthewson. Be prepared! You may see yourself there!
This week, in preparation, I want you to take the time to read the following passages:
Ø 2 Corinthians 5
Ø I Corinthians 3
Ø Romans 15
Ø Matthew 5, 6&7
Let’s close in prayer.
NOTE: This material is based on a message by Pastor Pete Briscoe of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship, 4141 International Pkwy, Carrollton, Texas 75007. A DVD of Pastor Briscoe's presentation may be obtained from their web site at www.btbf.org. I am grateful to Pastor Pete for his work and willingness to share. Pastor Briscoe references The Bema: A Story About The Judgment Seat Of Christ by Time Stevenson, Fair Havens Publications (January 31, 2001) ISBN 0966480317. The book is available at Amazon.com.