(Note: To read Part 1, go to "Search by Author/Speaker" on the home page and search for articles by Mac Hammond. Click on the link to Part 1.)

What About the Judgment Seat?
Another eternal truth is found in 1 Corinthians 15:41–42:

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. (KJV)

Eternity will be pretty glorious for all of us, but the degree of glory from one person to another will differ. Why would that be? It could be because of the rewards that are meted out at the judgment seat of Christ, which are dependent upon the works done in this body.

Second Corinthians 5:10 says, “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 be bad” (KJV).

This isn’t an appointment we can miss. It will occur immediately after the resurrection because the degree of glory that is going to ultimately crown your resurrection will be dependent on this, the judgment seat of Christ.

The purpose of the judgment seat is that “everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad.” Now if that’s all you knew about the judgment seat, it might sound like a little bit of a scary experience. We’ve all done a lot of things in this body we would just rather not give an account of and certainly not receive something accordingly. We need to know more about the judgment seat which we find in 1 Corinthians 3:13–15.

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 abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (KJV)

This isn’t about who gets into heaven and who doesn’t; the issue of salvation was settled at the cross. No punishment is administered at the judgment seat. This is talking about getting a reward or not getting a reward. The greater degree of glory will come to those who have more works that He can reward you for.

Our Future Rewards
What are those works you get rewarded for? A lot of things have been preached about this. Today I want to show you the one passage of scripture that I can find in the New Testament that deals specifically with the basis of the reward system at the judgment seat. It starts in Matthew 25:14, where we find the parable of the talents.

The idea conveyed in this parable is that a lord is going on a journey to a far country and he entrusts all of his kingdom and possessions that represent his kingdom to his servants. This is an analogy for the Lord entrusting the Church and you as an individual member of the body of Christ with certain talents—gifts, abilities, financial resource, etc. He entrusts that to us until He returns and then an accounting will be taken.

The first two servants—one received five talents and one received two—produced an increase for their Lord. The Lord said, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many more” (KJV). The third did not produce an increase. The third was the one whose works got burned up and he suffered loss.

An important part of the reward system is our eternal assignment. The extent and the nature of that assignment is the ultimate reward you will experience for the things you do on this earth. The basis of measurement for reward is going to be whether or not you produced an increase for the kingdom of God.

The Importance of Increase
How did you use your gifts, your spiritual and natural talents, and your abilities? How did you use your financial capacity and resource? Did you use it for personal consumption or elevation of your own ego or fame or did you use your life’s resource to bring increase to the kingdom of God? That is the primary basis of measurement at the judgment seat.

Remember, increase in the kingdom of God only comes one way: through the principle of sowing and reaping. That principle governs increase in the kingdom. (See Mark 4:13, 26.)

As Jesus defines in Mark chapter 4, the soil is the human heart. The seed is the Word of God—not just a word off a page from the Bible but principles from the Word. God’s Word sets our perception of life and reality and our paradigm of what’s important and what isn’t.

When the principles of God’s Word are sown in the soil of the human heart, healing is produced. Deliverance is produced. Salvation is produced. Provision is produced. The kingdom is increased, and for that, you will be rewarded.

When you use your time to preach the Gospel and go on the missions field, when you use your talent, ability, and gifting to lay hands on the sick, when you use your money to support the preaching of the Gospel (that’s the only time money is called seed), you are increasing God’s kingdom.

“He Has More Than Me!”
God entrusts each of us with certain levels of responsibility. Don’t get bummed out if He only gave you two talents and He gave another guy five talents. We tend to look at the big TV preachers and say, “Man, they have a lot of reward coming because look who they get to preach to.”

I’ll tell you who is going to get the biggest reward. It’s going to be the ladies who sit in their prayer rooms and pray and believe God for His Word to bear fruit!

Don’t use your natural reasoning to figure this out. “Well, look at all that he’s got….” The increase you see on this earth has nothing to do with it. The question is this: what did you do with what He gave you? Did you use it to bring increase to the kingdom of God?

These things are really important. It’s what is going to make you more mindful of heaven. When you stand before your Lord to give an account for the deeds done in this body, with the desire to bring Him glory, it has an effect on the way you live your life.

So start thinking now about heaven and your part in eternity. Learn how to live in this world while remaining focused on heaven!