156 - Les Feldick Bible Study Lesson 3 - Part 4 - Book 13 - Bema Seat - Great White Throne

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 3 * PART 4 * BOOK 13 BEMA SEAT: GREAT WHITE THRONE: NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH Now, please turn to II Corinthians; let's study the Bema Seat. You and I as believers are not going to be here for the Tribulation. The believers will be taken out before the Tribulation begins. So now turn to II Corinthians Chapter 5. And let's begin at verse 6. Paul, writing to you and I as Gentile believers, says: II Corinthians 5:6 "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body (this body of flesh), we are absent from the Lord:" The Lord is present in the person of the Holy Spirit, but we are not in His presence per se. Now verse 7: II Corinthians 5:7,8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." Now the question has come up recently, "What happens the second the believer dies?" The body is going to go into the grave the Apostle Paul tells us, to await the resurrection day. II Corinthians 5:9 If you want a happy home where everything is running along rather smoothly, your children must be pleasing to you. When a believer is obedient to what God expects of His children, then we are pleasing to Him. Now verse 10: II Corinthians 5:10a "For we (believers) must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;..." It was the Bema seat. Paul took that from the Olympics. Paul made many references to the Olympic games. So the Bema seat at an Olympic game was the place of the judges. Now in so many cases you could say the judge is sitting on the Bema seat. Now as Paul uses this analogy then, the Bema Seat, on which Christ will be sitting as the Judge, is not to determine heaven or hell. It's not to judge us for our sins, because the believers sins have already been judged totally and completely at the Cross. As a believer, the whole concept here is that we live a life well-pleasing now as a child, with the idea of gaining a reward for meritorious service. Finishing verse 10, we must all appear before the Bema Seat: I Corinthians 3:9 "For we are laborers together with God (now he points the finger at the believer and says): ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." You are something that God is working on. I Corinthians 3:10 "According to the grace of God which is given unto me (Paul is speaking in reference to his own ministry), as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation (Paul is speaking about a building situation), and another buildeth thereon. In other words the foundation is there. Now verse 11. Notice Paul doesn't claim to be the foundation: I Corinthians 3:11 I've told my classes, over the years, every single believer has at least one gift that can be used in God's service. Older people could literally turn a nation around if they would pray. Others may have accumulated enough wealth that they can judiciously give and further God's work. There's all kinds of places and ways to serve God. Now, as we serve, come to verse 12: I Corinthians 3:12 "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood hay, stubble;" As we enter into this life of the Christian walk or service, God provides opportunity for six building materials. Wood, hay and stubble; gold, silver and precious stones. Now, of course, a lot of believers never get anything more than wood, hay and stubble. I'm not talking about Hellfire, I'm talking about the Judge's eyes. He's going to have eyes of fire that are going to penetrate our works at the Bema Seat. It's the gold, silver and precious stones, whatever that may be. I Corinthians 3:13 "Every man's work (it's the masculine gender, but includes everyone as a believer. Then the penetrating eyes of Christ will burn off the draught showing if you have gold, silver or precious stones left): 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." I Corinthians 3:14 "If any man's work abide (survives His scrutiny) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive (not salvation, but) a reward." I know a lot of people are turned off by the concept of rewards, but it's very scriptural. The Scripture maintains that you and I are literally to work for rewards. Verse 15, but: I Corinthians 3:15 "If any man's work shall be burned (that has no reference to hell. Paul must have truly loved the Olympics. Here he's writing to you and I, the believers: I Corinthians 9:24,25 We wouldn't have so many of these health problems if people were just temperate). Paul says, "We don't run and work for something that is going to pass off the scene in short order. Incorruptible!" Have you stopped to think about God's rewarding for the believer at the Bema Seat, at the end. Now verse 26: The Apostle Paul then says: I Corinthians 9:26 #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible