Living for Eternity, Not the Moment
Most people live as if this life is everything, planning for comfort, success, and security here on earth, yet the Bible reminds us that life is only a vapour and eternity is what truly matters. Scripture tells us that every believer will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ, not to determine salvation, but to give account for how we lived after we were saved. Heaven is free because Christ paid for it at the cross, but how we will spend eternity is based on faithfulness, obedience, and motive.
This truth should shift our focus away from living for this world and toward living for what lasts forever, because what we do now will be reviewed then, and eternity should always come before the temporary things of this life.
1️⃣ THE CERTAINTY OF THE JUDGMENT SEAT
This is not optional, This is not symbolic, This is not for unbelievers.
📖 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (KJV) Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 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.
“We” = believers (context: saved people), this is not to decide salvation but rather, how we will spend eternity, because in eternity there will be things to do.
📖 Romans 14:10-12 (KJV) 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.
This verse is speaking about judging christians over our freedoms because a lot of christians like to place bondages upon the people of God, but we are free to worship God on any day, and we are free to eat anything, and so we shouldn’t judge christians based on things that don’t make us better as Christians, these are just man made traditions and laws, the main Goal is, God will judge us according to how we morally lived our lives to be an example unto others that aren’t saved and if we obeyed the great commission of warning people about eternity and hell.
📖 Matthew 5:16 (KJV) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
2️⃣ THE PURPOSE OF THE JUDGMENT SEAT
This judgment determines eternal reward, not eternal destination.
📖 1 Corinthians 3:13 (KJV) 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.
If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved…” Saved yet suffering loss of rewards or how they will spend eternity.
📖 Luke 19:17 (KJV) And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
This parable is about how God sees our life and what is going to happen at the end of our lives once we’re done here God is going to ask you “What have you got to bring to the kingdom, do you got eternal treasures?”, Jesus told us about this….
📖 Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
And notice that in this parable in Luke 19 people get different rewards based on what he done in this world this is called the reward system, and it makes sense that there is a reward system because there are christians out there doing the same old things year in and year out which isn’t fair on those who sacrifice their time and life to serve God, not that it matters because our eternity would be way better anyway.
But this reward system is important to remind christians that this life is a vapor and souls matter eternally.
📖 1 Corinthians 4:5 (KJV) 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.
3️⃣ THE PRIORITY IT DEMANDS
The Judgment Seat forces us to ask: What am I living for?
📖 Colossians 3:1-7 (KJV) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
So we see here that our focus should be on eternity and the apostle Paul points out some things are pointless and disobedience to God, that is fornication and covetousness, and these are things that stop people from seeking eternity.
In our day, many have turned their attention away from God and fixed it on pleasure, relationships, and possessions. Instead of living for the holy and eternal God, they pursue what satisfies the flesh and fades with time. The result is a life centered on the temporary rather than the eternal, even though only what is done for God will truly last.
📖 1 Timothy 6:7-10 (KJV) For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Scripture warns us that we entered this world with nothing and we will leave it the same way. Riches, possessions, and status cannot follow us beyond the grave, yet these are often the very things the unsaved worry about most. While they strive for security in material things, they overlook the truth that contentment is found only in God, and that what is gained in this life cannot be carried into eternity.
🧔🏻♂️ Moses
📖 Hebrews 11:24-26 (KJV) By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Refused Egypt’s pleasures but rather looked ahead to the recompense of reward, Moses was on to it, he knew this life was not the ultimate goal, he sacrificed this life to serve his God, and now he will be rewarded mightily in heaven.
4️⃣ THE DISTINCTION & TIMING
A common mistake people can get wrong is confusing this judgement with the great white throne judgement.
📖 Revelation 20:11-15 (KJV) 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. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
What we need to understand is this is for the “dead” now the Bible is careful to not call the saved “dead” because if we are saved we have eternal life and we can never die the second death “meaning the spiritually die”
📖 John 5:24 (KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Once we are saved by faith alone, “believing on Christ that he die for our sins and rose again the third day, if we believe this then we can receive that free gift of eternal life that Jesus paid for with his blood and we won’t have to face the great white throne judgement.
But the Great white throne Judgement is for Unbelievers only
Its a Judgment for their sins
The Outcome: lake of fire
This happens After the Millennium reign before the New Heaven and Earth in Revelations 21.
✅ Judgment Seat of Christ
Is for believers only and this happens after the return of Jesus at the end of this world but before the Millennium reign.
We are judge for rewards this is based on how we lived for God Almighty while on this earth. So we don’t want to get this mixed up, two completely different judgements, one for the unsaved and one for the saved. This is important to understand because people can say that the judgment is to determine our salvations? But that is wrong.
🔥 SERMON CONCLUSION
* The Judgment Seat of Christ is where eternity meets obedience.
📖 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (KJV) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
One thing we can learn from Ecclesiastes is this is written by King Solomon who had everything man could ever want, Women, power and money, yet at the end of Solomons life he looked back and realize it never made him happy?
🔹 Wealth & Power
📖 1 Kings 10:21-23 (KJV) And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
🔹 Women & Pleasure
📖 1 Kings 11:1-3 (KJV) But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
Solomon LOOKED BACK and Found It Empty, After experiencing pleasure, success, wisdom, wealth, and power, Solomon gives his conclusion:
📖 Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 (KJV) The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
📖 Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (KJV) And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
Solomon had everything we try and live for and it was a mistake, it never brought him peace because the peace wasn’t of the soul, the souls happiness isn’t the same as the flesh’s happiness, and we need to determine the fleshly wants from what is important to the soul.
📖 Romans 8:5-6 (KJV) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
