"Are You Afraid Of The Judgment Seat Of Christ?" (Two Videos - One of Sermon by Leonard Ravenhill) - Inspirational Weekend

[Shark's Cove, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii]

"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."  -   2 Corinthians 5:10

Some call it the "Bema" Seat of Christ.  Most of us are more familiar with just the term Judgment Seat of Christ.  The term Bema comes from way back in Biblical times at the  Olympics then, where a judge  sat on what they called the Bema seat at the finish line of the races.  The judge would determine who came in first or second, and on down the line, and then give out the rewards accordingly.  It is a fitting example of when we face our Judge at the end of our life or right after the Rapture of true believers, when we receive our reward (or not) from the good Lord.  

If you are a born again true believer in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ and believe in and follow Him, there is no reason to be afraid of this judgment.   It is a time for Christians to receive their rewards.  It does not determine salvation; which was accomplished and determined by Christ's sacrifice on our behalf on the cross at Calvary and our faith in Him.  (John 3:16).

It is the Great White Throne Judgment of unrepentant sinners at the end of all things that wicked men should fear.  Please read about this Judgment at Revelation 20:11-15.  

Revelation 20:15 says, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

The following  by prophecywatchers.com is excellent information on this subject.  Host Gary Stearman interviews Sam Hoyt, an author who has written on the Judgment Seat of Christ.

I listen to pastors on line and watch their videos, and the ones that appeal to me most are the ones who are not afraid to "tell it like it is".  True doctrine, even if it hurts in its bluntness in order to correct a life gone astray.  One major problem in most churches today is watered down sermons, with no depth and no motivation for anyone to commit their lives in full surrender to the good Lord.  In other words, a watered down gospel to appeal to the masses and "tickle their ears"  -  giving the people what they want to hear instead of what the Holy Word of God admonishes us to do; what kind of life we should be living.   A holy and dedicated life to God and Jesus.  If my articles on this blog seem harsh sometimes, particularly where worldly professing Christians are concerned, it is because I belong to the school of telling it like it is, wheretheWord of God is concerned.  Its done out of love - tough love - so that no one loses their souls.  Many Christians do not read their Bibles and do not realize how God hates for us to be worldly.  (James 4:4)

If you are a true, born again believer in Jesus Christ the Savior, you cannot lose your soul  because the moment you believe in Him, you are sealed forever as a child of God.   But there are many who are not truly saved who profess to be Christians;  they think, perhaps, that just a head knowledge  (purely an intellectual concept) of Jesus will be all that is needed to get to heaven.  So they are worldly, and many do not know any better.   We need to mentor them and help them to a right relationship with the Lord. 

I took a long and winded way to introduce the next video by Leonard Ravenhill, a pastor who passed away in 1994.  He was from Britain and moved to the United States in 1950.  Ravenhill told the truth of God's Word with passion and accuracy and he did not water down the Holy Word. Here is a 12 minute sermon clip by him on the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Here are some quotes by Ravenhill:

"There are only two kinds of persons: those dead in sin and those dead to sin."

"No man is greater than his prayer life."

"I doubt that more than two percent of professing Christians in the United States are truly born again."

"A man who is intimate with God is not intimidated by man."

[Just a note here, my computer is acting up and will not let me correct errors    -  it especially will not let me separate words that are run together.  I apologize if it is distracting.]

Talking about the Judgment Seat of Christ at this time is very appropriate because Jesus will return very soon to rapture true Christians to heaven to be with Him for all eternity.  

Are you Rapture ready?  

To be ready for the Lord's return, you need to be a born again believer in the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary.  

You need to admit that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior.

You need to believe in Jesus with all of your heart and mind and soul; that He truly is the Savior of all who put their faith and trust in Him.

You need to call on the name of the Lord and commit your life to him.

Romans 10:9,10, 13 tells us  (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God  hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10)For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend....... and life !!

"Faith,Hope, And Perseverance In The Last Days" (Charles Spurgeon Video ) - Inspirational Weekend

Yellow African Tulip trees, such as in my photograph above, are not as plentiful in Hawaii as the bright red-orange ones, which are my favorite.  But because something is more common or more widely viewed, does not mean it is necessarily better.   Take, for instance, religious views - or lack of any religious views.  What is popular does not indicate that it is better, or to be preferred.  Remember, religion can be dead wrong.  Look at all the various religious cults, for instance.

I prefer to think of Christianity as a loving, intimate, strong relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ; and that it is  is very true.  How do we attain this intimate relationship; what do we need to do to be strong in the love and guardianship of the Father?

 We need a strong and vibrant relationship with the good Lord to communicate with Him effectively, and to enable us to grow ever closer to Him and to not be afraid of these horrific world events and lawlessness that is prevalent in our world today.  We must pray daily, without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and we must study and read the Holy Word - the Bible - daily in order to grow to know the Lord intimately.  With Him by your side, you can rest assured that you will be strong to face whatever this old world throws at you; whatever the devil stirs up to try to tear you down.

Charles Spurgeon has said, "I know the devil can blow very hard, but I don't believe he can blow out the candle that God lights, much less that he can blow out the bright sunshine of the Gospel."

We have the threat of another world war looming over us, for one thing.  Just yesterday, March 28, 2019, President Trump signed an Executive Order proving an EMP cyber attack could be a serious soon threat.  If you are keeping up with current events, I do not have to go over and over what threats and concerns the USA and the world faces today.   My intent is to focus on good things, but I need to mention the bad to stress the good which we have to look forward to -  that is, if you are a born again believer in the Savior, Jesus Christ.

I had intended to stress fear in this post and the cure for fear, but I have written several articles on fear in the past.  Just go to the search  box on the right hand side of this page, and type in "fear" and several posts will appear for you to read.   There is no need to repeat all that I have written before; however, I will repeat certain Scriptures that are pertinent to our faith and walk with Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon has a different take on fear.  He says that many true believers are afraid that they may, perhaps, not be truly saved.  He also says that , "He that fears the most, believes the most."  Following is  a 14 minute sermon audio video of Spurgeon that goes into more detail:

In the sermon above, Spurgeon repeats the fact that all true believers are familiar with: "... it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him."

We need strong faith to persevere in this old, evil, and chaotic world we find ourselves living in;  this last hour of the last days, according to Bible prophecy.  Speaking about prophecy, many things spoken of in the Bible concerning the end times are occuring right now!  Or are at least, some of them, are precursors to said prophetic events.

Remember, we need faith to please the heavenly Father.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." -  Hebrews 11:6

If we have a deep, abiding faith in the good Lord, we will not be consumed by anxiety and fear.  

"Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests  be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  -   Philippians 4:6-7

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee."  -  Isaiah 26:3

True believers need to be like the determined tree in my photograph above.   Despite what seems like an insurmountable obstacle (the precarious angle of the land in which it has its roots reaching out every which way), it has the determination to hang in there and grow strong and tall.  Things may not be perfect for it, but the tree has adapted and has reached for the sky above where it thrives in the light of the sun.  We, as Christians, need to be as determined as that tree, as we look above to the Son for growth and sustenance; as we have a faith that overcomes all obstacles. 

   I enjoy my time with you as I write to you each week.  I pray that if there are any out there who are not born again, not a true believer in Jesus Christ the Savior, that you turn to the Lord now in repentance and faith in Jesus.   He loves you.   You do not  have a guarantee that you will even  be alive tomorrow.  Turn to the Lord now, before it is too late.

Romans 10: 9,10,13 tells us:  (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"Jesus said unto her,  I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believest thou this?"   -   John 11:25-26

"Jesus saith unto him,  I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."  -  John 14:6

Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend..... and life !

"How To Become Christlike" - Inspirational Weekend

To unbelievers, becoming Christlike seems like an impossibility.  To true believers, who have become new creations in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17) and have been sealed  by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), their very lives testify to the fact that they are in the process of becoming Christlike.   Being imperfect humans, not perfect like God and Christ, we will occasionally mess up, sin, and have the need to pray for forgiveness. But overall, as we grow to spiritual maturity, we will develop, with the Holy Spirit's help, a Christlike attitude.  

Ephesians 1:17, 18 tells us:   (17)  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:  (18)  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,"

The above 2 verses are all about getting to know Jesus better, to have wisdom thereby, and to understand spiritual things.   This takes much prayer and Bible study.  We learn about Jesus' character and attributes by reading the Holy Word.  That in turn teaches us how to follow Him and to imitate Him as best we can.  

They say you are what you think about.  I like what Proverbs 23:7a tells us:

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he;"

In other words, if you are filling your mind and heart with godly things, reading and memorizing Scriptures, and are constantly in prayer, you will quite naturally begin to reflect Christ in your life and speech and conduct.  To put it another way, if you think in your heart that you are Christ's, and seek that He shall come in and abide with you, then the victory is being won, and Christ will come and claim you for His own. You will begin to bear "fruit".   

Jesus speaks of this at John 15:16 ,  "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you."

This reminds me of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22,23:   (22)  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

All of the above mentioned fruit Christ had super abundantly, and as we grow towards spiritual maturity, we may exhibit them in our lives as well.

It is the law of human nature that whatever we habitually, intelligently, and lovingly contemplate gives a color to our minds, and affects our character for good or evil.  When Christ is viewed lovingly, the viewer becomes Christlike.  If we would be transformed into the image of Christ, we must associate with Him, must take Him as our constant companion.  Remember how often He said, "Follow Me".  We must live with Jesus.

"Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me."       John 15:4

To abide in Jesus is the law of the Christian life, and the way by which we become Christlike.

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord."   -  2 Corinthians 3:18

One commentator tells us the following:  "There is a Greek fable that tells us of a very remarkable temple erected to the honor of a certain idol, and it says that those wishing to enter it had first to look at themselves in a glass placed at the entrance, and that this mirror was so constructed that at first the beholder only saw his own natural image, but that by degrees his countenance was changed into the form of the idol which he worshiped.  Paul, when he wrote 2 Corinthians 3:18, apparently knew of this story, and he gave it a spiritual meaning of absolute truth.  He writes to the Corinthians, who knew all these stories very well.  They were the learned people of the N.T. whom he wrote to, full of Greek myths, Greek history, and Greek idols until now, but they had cast them away."

Paul says then that the gospel, the grace of God, is that mirror which they who desire to enter the temple of heaven must look into first.  They begin well by looking into the gospel, into the character of Christ, and then, as they continue to look into it, Christ's  image is so impressed upon them that it becomes prominent in their character and conduct.  That is the idea which he puts forward.....that we all with unveiled faces reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord are transformed into the same  image.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new."      -   2 Corinthians 5:17

I mentioned the above Scripture, without quoting it, at the beginning of this post.  It deserves our attention here because it stresses that if you are a true believer in Jesus, then you are like a  new creature.  The old is gone; the old will is gone; whatever had  been worldly and carnal is now new and spiritual.  When you are truly converted, everything should change dramatically.  Nothing is new physically; he is the same person, he has the same faculties: but all things are new qualitatively:  he is renewed in the spirit of his mind.  Where the new creature is, there all the saving graces of the Spirit are, as a pledge and an earnest of glory and happiness.

Beware of only repeating a previously prepared "sinner's prayer" or making a head decision to follow Christ.  That doesn't save you.  Only a true repentance and faith and belief in Jesus as your Savior; a sincere prayer for forgiveness, and a true "about face" change in a surrendered life to the Lord; wanting His Will above your own.....all this is a heart change, a radical makeover, so to speak. 

Now is the time to make that decision for Christ if you haven't already.   We are living in the last hour of the last days; Jesus could come for true believers at any time to Rapture them to heaven to be with Him.   Those left on earth will face the horrific 7 year Tribulation.  Turn to the Lord now before it is too late.

He loves you !   

He will hold you tight in protective arms of love and forgiveness if you turn to Him now in repentance.


"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."     -  Romans 12:1-2

"(For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"  -   2 Corinthians 6:2