Bema, Judgement Seat of Christ

Have you been to a mall, or hospital or a park and you´re trying to figure out how to go to a certain point because you are lost and you are ashamed to ask so you go to that huge map that shows you the lay-out of the entire floor and you try to pinpoint where you are.  It is obviously important to know first where you are in trying to find out where you´re going.  

Based on the eschatological timeline that we are following, we know the chronological arrangements of the end time events which start from the Rapture, followed by simultaneous events that will happen here on Earth and in Heaven. Then Christ will return to Earth the Second Time and of course, you see the rest of the events unfold as well.

The Bema or Judgement Seat of Christ is perhaps one of the most misunderstood end-time events especially by Christians.  The mere mention of Bema strikes fear among believers.  It seems to some of us, Bema is thought of as something unpleasant although necessary before we can experience Heaven and be with our Lord. Even after becoming Christians, we still sin.  Anyone here who stops sinning after receiving Jesus in their lives?  No one, right?  We are still in the flesh and we still sin.  The Apostle Paul said “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do."  

Realizing that one day, our deeds will be exposed and that we shall give an account of everything that we have done here on Earth – it gives us fear, and anxiety and dread!  We´re excited to receive our glorified bodies during the Rapture, we look forward to going to Heaven where there is no pain and suffering and we want to walk on that streets of gold but sometimes we ask the Lord, can we just skip Bema Judgement? If Jesus already paid for our sins and we have been redeemed, why do we have to be judged?   Can´t we just go straight to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, after all -- who doesn´t love a wedding feast?  Who doesn’t love to eat without worrying about cholesterol?

Our objective in this lesson is to understand what the Bible has to say about the Bema, the Judgement Seat of Christ.  
Is it something that should cast fear and worry to each one of us or is it an event that we should all look forward to and by understanding this event, we shall even be more encouraged to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord while we are here on Earth?

An important Biblical reference for this principle is the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16.  We learned from this story that after these two men died, they already went to two different places:  a place of comfort for Lazarus, it´s called in the Bible as Abraham´s bosom, sometimes it´s called paradise, or heaven.  The Rich Man ended up in a place of torment and between those two places was a great divide or chasm.  
We learned two important truths in this story:  
First, one cannot cross from the place of comfort to the place of torment, and vice versa, and --
Second, once you die there is no more coming back to the land of the living. 
Isaiah 40:8 says that “the grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” Let us read first from the letter of Paul to the Romans, Chapter 14 verses 10 to 12:

There is a cross-reference here to Isaiah 45:23.  
Now let us read from 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 5, verses 9 to 11:

It´s very clear that the Apostle Paul was referring to the believers when he said we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ.

The Apostle Paul was quite familiar with the Bema seat. This is where he was brought before Gallio, who was the proconsul of Achaia at the Bema seat in Acts 18:12, so it was used by a judge.

In the city of Corinth, a stone platform was constructed to support the Bema seat or the judgment seat for the local officials. The seat was used to give out awards to athletes of the ancient Isthmian or Olympic games. The contestants, usually runners, would compete for the prize under the careful scrutiny of judges who would make sure that every rule of the contest was obeyed and  also to determine the winners and the finishers-- and then to give out the appropriate rewards. 

The Bema or Judgement Seat of Christ is different from the Great White Throne (G.W.T.) judgement.  It is very important not to confuse the Bema judgement with the Great White Throne judgment as mentioned in Revelation 20:11-15. 

LESSON POINTS:

It makes sense that Bema Judgement happens after the believers have been raptured, after we have been translated and glorified.  Once we get to that point, there is no checking-in station like a USA border crossing where our passports are asked or how much we´re bringing in.  There is no waiting at the huge gate where St. Peter with his rooster looks at his logbook like a guest book in a fancy restaurant and if you are not listed there, he´ll point you to an elevator that only goes downward.  It doesn’t work that way.   When a believer dies, he is absent from the body and present with the Lord.  During Rapture, our souls reunite with our glorified bodies and then we face the Lord in His Bema Judgement.  

Our concept of Bema also supports pre-tribulation rapture in such a way that when Jesus comes back during the Second Coming as described in Revelation 19:18 with His bride, she is seen already rewarded and her reward is described as fine linen.   
It also makes sense that the believers who were raptured and were taken to heaven which tells us that Bema judgement happens “up there.”  
  
Unbelievers will never go near the gates of heaven.  Remember that unbelievers have not been resurrected at this point and they shall face their final judgement after the end of the Millennial reign of Christ and it´s called the Great White Throne judgement.

Our second lesson point –

A person who faces Jesus Christ during Bema judgement has already been saved.  If he is not, he has no place up there in heaven and in front of the Righteous Judge.

Now, there is a school of thought that during this Bema judgment, God is going to punish believers for all the sins they did after they were saved or after they have received Jesus in their lives. They say that when you got saved, your sins are forgiven up until that time.  But at the Bema, all the sins you committed since you've been saved are going to be displayed on a wide screen for everyone to see. It's going to be like in a movie house with reclining seats and giant digital screen with IMAX sound, real 3-D, THX, Dolby, or , and here comes our first believer.   Look at all the crazy things he did, let us show his lustful thoughts, let us replay the recorded lies he said after he got born again.  

If Bema judgement is like that, it´s a horrifying thought! If you think about it, we wouldn't want to go to heaven anymore.  If this is true, if Jesus´ blood does not cover our sins -- past, present, future -- then it only tells us that the cross is inadequate . 
Hebrews 8:12 he says, "I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE!" 
And of course, our favorite verse 1st John 1:9 – “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us ours sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

The Bema Judgement Seat of Christ is a time of rejoicing!  The Academy Awards will probably look peanuts compared to Bema Judgement on that day.   You know what I imagine – I imagine that in heaven there will be some sort of a super grand ballroom, much grander that the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  There´s this loud voice,  and somebody will announce the name of each believer.
For example, Ladies and Gentlemen, our next crown goes to Brother Cesar, he preached and taught the Word of God in WCCC Maple Ridge even if his nose was bleeding.  The Lord Jesus Christ presents to him the CROWN of GLORY!  Isn´t that something that we should eagerly look forward to?

Our third lesson point –

The Bible assures us in Romans 8:1 that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” This supports the idea that at the Bema Judgement we won't be condemned for our sins.   However, listen to this… our present lives do affect what will happen at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  Our present lives will be miserable because of sin and disobedience and lot of Christians miss a lot of opportunities in life because of this.
  
The Heavenly Crowns

The Bible talks about future rewards in a form of certain crowns that God has in store for us in heaven.  There are five heavenly crowns mentioned in the New Testament that will be awarded to believers. 
The Greek word translated “crown” is stephanos which means “a badge of royalty, a prize in the public games or a symbol of honour.”   

FINAL THOUGHTS

We can spend Sunday after Sunday talking about end times, and judgement and Rapture and the glorious appearing of Christ --- but if we don´t live a Spirit-filled life here on Earth… we´ll missed those rewards that God has prepared for us even before we were born. 

Jesus said that we must store treasures in heaven, things with eternal value, things that we can bring with us to heaven… which by the way, are not things but Godly virtues such as love, compassion, service, mercy, faithfulness and so many others.

Jesus is not only a Savior.  If we make Him a true Lord of our lives here on Earth, He will also be a Great Rewarder in the end.

Prayer:

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.    Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC Maple Ridge during its Sunday service on  October 22, 2017

I apologise if there are grammatical and spelling errors. 

I also apologise if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any,  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:

 www.wordchristiancommunity.com

Don´t Be Left Behind

There´s one experience that I would never forget when I was about 9 years old.  It was Christmas Day and my brother was too lazy to go to his godfather.  Our culture in those days, during Christmas day, you go to your godparents and they give you money.  So I told my brother, I’ll go to his godfather on his behalf and just tell him that he cannot go because he’s not feeling well.  So I went to the godfather´s house, which was in another town. I had two friends with me who will also visit their own godfathers.  So we took the jeepney, and when we reached the terminal, we had to separate ways and agreed to meet after visiting the godfathers.  So I walked towards the house of my brother’s godfather – one thing I realized, I didn’t have money for transportation to go back home.  I didn’t worry because I was thinking the godfather will give me money or I will just borrow from my friends. but when I arrived at the godfather’s place -- it was a big house and there was a party going on, lots of people were there, loud music playing so I was so ashamed to come in. I felt so insecure.  So, I didn’t the courage to come in.  Instead, I walked back to the jeepney terminal hoping that I would meet my friends but maybe because of the time I spent walking back and forth – they were no longer there.  They left me.  I was left behind.  At this point, I made a decision to just walk back home.  It was at least 10 kilometers and I was only nine years old.  It was night time.  It was raining.  There’s thunder and lightning.  No cell phones or payphones yet.  I was crying.  I was so afraid. And I knew my parents were worried.   It was too dark, there were no street lights because I decided to avoid the highway but instead took the parallel irrigation road.  I was running and walking and sweating and that was probably the longest 4 hours of my life.  It´s not fun to be left behind. I could have done something in order to avoid that situation.

The title of the message is “Don’t Be Left Behind” and our reference verse is 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18.  

We are going to talk about one reality that is not commonly discussed in the pulpit. This is just a "scratch" on the surface because it’s a very broad and controversial subject. I’m talking about the RAPTURE.  

The Bible is God´s Word. “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."  

During the time of Paul, the believers in Thessalonica were very much concerned about their loved ones who had died. What if the Lord returns? What will happen to their deceased loved ones? Will those who are alive at His coming have an advantage over the believers who have died?  Paul answered their questions through his 1st letter to the Thessalonians. 

We know what happens when a person dies. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men to die once, but after this the judgment”.  We know that if the person is a believer, he is “absent from the body and present with the Lord.”  If we remember the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus told by the Lord Jesus Christ, a believer who dies goes to Abraham’s bosom or paradise or heaven, just like that thief on the cross.  If an unbeliever dies, on the other hand, we know that the person goes directly to a place of torment.  So there is no in-between.  There is no waiting period but in fact there is immediate judgment.  

Here are some Important Points to Remember:

Eschatology is the study of the teachings of the Bible concerning end times.  

Rapture is one of these end-time events.  The word “rapture” does not occur in the Bible but the concept of the rapture is clearly taught in Scripture based on 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18. It is not logical to say that simply because a word is not found in the Bible, it’s unbiblical.  Well, the word “Bible” is not in the Bible, but we keep on using the word Bible.   The word “Trinity” is not in the Bible, but it doesn’t mean there’s no Trinity and we use the word to describe the triune nature of God.  The concept is clearly taught in the Scripture.  The words “omnipotence and omniscience” are not in the Bible but we use these words to describe the attributes of God. 

Rapture refers to the time when Jesus comes back without warning and takes His bride, the church.

When somebody asks you about the Rapture, usually this verse comes into mind.    “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”   Matthew 24:40 is not the correct reference of the rapture

Rapture and the Second Coming are two different events.

These two events are often confused and interchanged because they’re similar.  They both talk about the coming of Christ.   

The Rapture is when Christ returns to remove the church or believers from the face of the earth.  The correct Biblical support of the Rapture is basically what our reference verse is for today, i.e. 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 and also you can read 1st Corinthians 15:50-54. 

So, believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected and, along with believers who are still living, will meet the LORD in the air.  This will occur in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye.

The Second Coming is when Jesus returns to defeat the AntiChrist, to completely destroy evil, and establish His millennial kingdom or the 1,000 year reign of Christ here on earth.  The 2nd coming is described in Revelation 19:11-16.

There are actually three popular views about the Rapture and it’s relation to the tribulation period.

Basically these views talk about the TIMING of the Rapture in relation to the Tribulation Period. 

Pretribulation view or pretrib believes that the Rapture will happen before the seven year tribulation.

Post tribulation view or posttrib believes that the Rapture will happen after the seven year tribulation.

Mid tribulation view or midtrib believes that Rapture will happen in the middle of the Tribulation Period.  

I personally support the pre-tribulation view and I this is what WCCC Pastors believe as well.  I want you to reflect on these things for a moment.  Why is it important to keep the rapture and the second coming distinct? If  the rapture and the second coming are the same event, believers will have to go through tribulation.  But what about the Lord’s promise to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:10? “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”   Note that the promise is not preservation through the trial but deliverance from the hour of trial.

The word “church” appears  in the first three chapters of Revelation, but the word does not used again until chapter 22. In other words, in the entire lengthy description of the Tribulation in Revelation, the word church is noticeably absent. In fact, the Bible never uses the word "church" in a passage relating to the Tribulation. The only logical explanation is that the Church or the believers are no longer here on earth at that time.

Another thought to ponder – this world and its ways, as we know it, has always been described as “flesh” and Christians as the “salt and light.”  Salt is used to preserved meat.  I believe this world has been preserved because of Christians, we are helping to preserve this world because we are the salt of the Earth. What happens when you remove the salt from a pound of meat? It starts to rot, it starts to decay – that’s what is going to happen during the Tribulation Period. 

If you would like to be a post-tribulationist and you can support your view with Scriptural references, then that’s ok,  you can stay here on earth during the TRIBULATION PERIOD.   Sabi nga eh – “magapatuka ka na lang sa ahas during Tribulation.” 

There are important lessons that we need to learn about the Rapture.

So it is not important whether you are a pretrib, a midtrib, a postrib … what is important is that you have a personal relationship with Christ and that you know that the Rapture is a real event and Christ is coming back and you don’t want to be “left behind.” 

I believe that unbelievers will be LEFT BEHIND to suffer the wrath of God during the Tribulation period. 

But this is important - the Apostle Paul showed that the doctrine of the Rapture can provide comfort to the brokenhearted, to those whose loved ones passed away.   He said -- do not be uninformed about people who die.  Do not grieve like the rest of the world who have no hope!  

In my 8 years of experience being a pastor, I´ve done quite a number of funerals.  Sometimes, people ask me where is their loved one or what will happen to them or will they see them again.  Church, this is the ultimate comforting words that we should hear.  If our loved ones are believers, when they die, we don’t really lose them…because we know where they are.  You only lose someone when you don’t know where they are. It´s like when you were in the Philippines and decided to migrate to Canada.  Your loved ones in the Philippines didn’t say “they lose you” because they are certain as to where you´re going.  

Same thing when a Christian dies, we are certain where they´re going.  A lot of people lost their loved ones this year.  Sis. Nora´s mom died this year.  My own mother passed away last month and so as Bro. Mico´s dad.  A lot of people died in that senseless shooting in Las Vegas.  If we believe they have Christ in their lives, we didn’t lose them.  We know where they are.  They are in the Lord´s presence.

  

By the way, Paul used the word “sleep” to those believers who died.   But he did not say that the soul went to sleep at death. Let’s be careful here.  The Jehovah’s Witnesses and even the 7th Day Adventist believe in soul-sleep.  But Paul made it clear that the soul of a believer goes to the Lord: “them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him” (1 Thess. 4:14).  He cannot bring them when He returns unless they are with Him. When a person dies, it is not the soul that sleeps; it is the body.   The Bible´s definition of death is given in James 2:26—“For as the body without the spirit is dead.” At death, the spirit leaves the body, and the body goes to sleep and no longer functions. The soul-spirit goes to be with the Lord, if the person has trusted Jesus Christ, this person is “Absent from the body, and … present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8).

 We should be like the wise virgins.  We should make sure our relationship with the Lord is true and genuine or we lose the opportunity to be with the Lord during the Rapture.

So what are the only warnings that we’ll get about the Rapture?  Three things:

1. A loud command

2. The voice of the archangel (this is Michael), and

3. Trumpet call of God

Imminent means that it can happen at any moment.  As Christians, we do not look for signs, nor must any special events transpire before the Lord raptures His saints. It can happen anytime.  It can happen tonight.  It can happen tomorrow.  But it doesn’t matter what the date is.  What matters is “are you prepared to meet Him?”  What are you doing with your life today?  If Jesus comes back today or if He comes back tomorrow, will He catch you in a bad timing? Will He catch you in a time that you’re doing something that does not glorify Him?  Maybe you’re in a bad relationship.  Maybe you’re committing a sin.  Would He be proud of what you’re doing at that moment He returns?

Believers in Christ should have this “eager anticipation” that soon we’ll meet Jesus and like what I said earlier, as comfort to those whose  loved ones died because if they are believers, we shall be with them during the Rapture.

About half a million 7th Day Adventists were led by William Miller – they waited for the end of the world in April 1843. Reporters were everywhere. Reportedly some disciples were on mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven. Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in union with their departed loved ones. Some high society ladies clustered together outside town. Obviously, it did not happen. They were very much disillusioned, a lot of them left their organization.

Jesus said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone" (Matthew 24:36). 

So here’s the warning: If somebody talks to you about the day when Christ would return, you know he’s a false preacher or a false prophet.

It happened again on September 23, 2017.  A numerologist named David Meade, who calls himself Christian spread information that the Rapture will happen on that day.  Well, we´re still here so we know it was a hoax.

I want you to take note of this 3rd point.

This is the reason why we are teaching these things to you.  It´s time for each one of us to revisit our priorities. Do we live our lives with eager anticipation that Christ can come any moment?  Learning about the Rapture encourages us and we should encourage one another as well.

And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1st Thessalonians 4:17b-18

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

Death is a fact of life. Everyone dies.  The only way we can escape death is to be alive when the Lord Jesus Christ returns.   For a believer, death is not a tragedy or an accident; it is an appointment:  The Bible says “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). 

Our doctrine of resurrection assures us that death is not the end. The grave is not the end. The body goes to sleep, but the soul and the spirit goes to be with the Lord (Phil. 1:20–24). 

When Jesus Christ returns in the air, He will call to Himself only those who are saved through faith in Him. This is called THE RAPTURE.  In the Jewish custom, the metaphor used here was like that of a wedding feast where the Groom initially left the bride to prepare a house in his father’s place where he and his future bride will live forever. After leaving for while, the Groom returns and claims His bride.

Then, for those who are still alive and are believers, He will changed them in an instant. 

Like what we have learned, three unique sounds will be involved in this event: the Lord’s shout, the sound of the trumpet, and the voice of the archangel. 

1.  Lord’s Shout:  Jesus Christ will give “a shout of command,” just as He did outside the tomb of Lazarus when He shouted “Lazarus Come Out!”  The Bible says those “in the graves shall hear His voice”  

2.  Sound of Trumpet:   The Jewish people were familiar with trumpets, because trumpets were used to declare war, to announce special times and seasons, and to gather the people for a journey (see Num. 10). In the Roman Empire, trumpets were used to announce the arrival of a great person.  

3.   Voice of the archangel ” The only archangel who is named in the Bible is Michael (Jude 9), who apparently has a special ministry to Israel.  One thing is for sure,  the angels will share in the victory shout when Jesus Christ comes.

Let's make sure we are ready for Him when He returns.  Let’s make sure we have shared the Gospel to our loved ones as well.   

There are certain things that can happen.  We can die before the rapture.   If you are a believer – your soul & spirit returns to the Lord as your body goes to sleep.    If you are an unbeliever, you go to a place of torment – just like that rich man in Jesus’ story.   

If rapture happens, if we are a believer then we’ll be “caught up” in the air and we will meet the Lord there.  Our bodies will be changed in an instant to a glorified body. And then the most awaited wedding ceremony in heaven will happen, where Christ presents His bride to the Father and reunites with her.

If rapture happens and you are not a believer, you will be “left behind.”  Being left behind means to suffer the full wrath of GOD during the TRIBULATION PERIOD.  You can decide before it´s too late.

Do not be "left behind," turn your life to Christ!

Prayer:

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.    Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC Maple Ridge during its Sunday service on  October 8, 2017

I apologise if there are grammatical and spelling errors. 

I also apologise if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any,  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:

 www.wordchristiancommunity.com

Judging Others

When you're in the airport waiting for boarding, you’ll get to observe different kinds of people.  There are families, groups of friends, there are sports team, high school students, church missionaries,  single individuals, business executives, etc.  They do different things – some sleep, some read books, they use the computers, some eat, text, call, argue, some are happy, some are impatient, some are angry, some couples are kissing and hugging.

I read a story about a lady in an airport who bought a bag of cookies.  She sat in the terminal and started reading her book. A very plain looking man sat one seat away from her and to her surprise he was slowly opening her bag of cookies on the seat between them!  She could hardly believe it when the man started eating her cookies. She was so mad but she tried to compose herself.  She reached into the bag and took one cookie herself. The man didn’t say anything. He just smiled and took another cookie. The lady was furious and thought she was not going to let this man eat all of her cookies, so she took another one. Then the man took another, and then she took another … racing against the man in eating the cookies.   Finally, one cookie was left, the man quickly reached into the bottom of the bag, broke the cookie in half, ate it and left.  The lady could not believe this man’s arrogance. Soon the boarding announcement came and the lady boarded the plane, still very mad at the audacity of that man. She sat down, buckled her seat belt. She opened her purse to get a tissue, and to her surprise and shame,  her bag of cookies was there, unopened.  She was eating the man’s cookies all this time!

Our sermon is entitled JUDGING OTHERS and it’s taken from Matthew 7:1-6.  

Why do you think these TV shows are getting more and more popular?
Show Picture of American Idol

One reason is because of the judges.  The more frank and mean and brutally honest the judges are to the contestants, people like it more.
Theologians are saying that there is a Bible verse that is getting more popular nowadays than John 3:16.  That is the verse we just read, Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
Many people criticize Christians for being “judgmental and intolerant” when they take their stand against certain issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, premarital sex, homosexuality, etc. These critics refer to the passage in Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” They say Christians cannot judge because the Bible simply commands us NOT to judge.

We live in a world that increasingly promotes the idea of tolerance, but in reality this world is actually becoming more and more intolerant of Christian principles.  When we take a stand, they call us judgmental.
Their definition of  “tolerance” is that truth is determined by each individual, not by God and that there are no absolute truths or absolute morality, whatever one person or society believes to be true or moral becomes the standard. We call it moral relativism which is a philosophy that asserts there is no global or absolute moral law that applies to all people, for all time, and in all places.  
Here in Canada, murder is illegal and we Christians are told to love our neighbours. But in other culture, in the remote villages of the Amazon Jungle, it's acceptable to eat your neighbour for dinner. So is morality relative? Of course not! Morality is absolute because there is a Moral Law Giver who gives us the discerning spirit to know what is morally right or wrong.  If it´s morally wrong to murder someone in Canada, it must be wrong to murder someone in any other place here on earth.
Sometimes people develop their own ideologies, theologies or principles, and pick up a Scripture out of context to support their theology.  It’s like putting the cart ahead of the horse.   The right way of doing it is to read the Scripture and develop your theology based on what is written.
If you read Matthew 7:1 only, then yes, you’ll be led to believe that Christians are prohibited from judging in an absolute sense.  But one principle of good hermeneutics or interpreting the Bible is when you allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. What does that mean?  
It means if one verse in the Bible communicates an important principle, it must be supported by other verses because if we believe that the Bible is God’s word and it is infallible, logic tells us that the Bible will not contradict itself because God will not contradict Himself.  
Let me give you an example:
Matthew 7:1 says: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.   

Now if you read John 7:24, Jesus was teaching in a feast, He said:
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment,
So are we NOT to judge?  Or is it all right to JUDGE?

I don’t think so.  Not at all!
John 7:24 tells us that we can judge but there is a condition, it has to be a righteous kind of judgement.  Amen?  Another word for righteous judgement is DISCERNMENT! On the other hand, the command in Matthew 7:1 which tells us “do not judge” is a kind of judging that is not the same as the one in John 7:24.  We can call the one in Matthew 7 as “unrighteous” judgement.  Are you with me on this?  This is what we call “interpreting the Scripture by another Scripture.”  God cannot have contradicting principles in the Bible because as I have said earlier, God will not contradict Himself.  

The word “judge” came from the Greek word “krino” 
It means:
-  to pronounce an opinion concerning  right or wrong
-  to pronounce judgement or censure
-  to rule or govern
So same Greek word was used in Matthew 7:1 and John 17:24, same technical meaning but it boils down to the intentions of the heart.  Matthew 7:1 is hypocritical while John 17:24 is righteous judgement.

POINTS TO PONDER UPON:
I said earlier that we are all guilty of the sin of judging.  In our minds, many times, we judge people.  We may not verbalize it but God sees our hearts.  Just like any other sin, we judge others because we are in the flesh, we can’t help it sometimes.  Christians have the tendency to judge others because of this prideful spirit that we feel superior than the others but obviously this is not what Jesus wants us to do. He said do not judge according to appearance.

I read a story of a young couple who moved to a small city called Maple Ridge.  Living next door to this new couple was Jun and Mary.  One morning while Jun and Mary were eating breakfast, Mary looked through her glass window and saw her new young neighbor hanging out her laundry.  “That laundry is not clean,” she told Jun. Our young neighbor does not know how to keep her clothes clean.  Jun was just quiet looking at his Facebook account. Every time her new neighbor hangs her laundry to dry, Mary would make the same comment.  Jun continued to say nothing, he was busy changing his profile picture.  A few weeks later, Mary looked through her window and was surprised to see a nice, fresh and clean row of laundry hung out to dry by her neighbor.  In surprise, she told Jun “Look she finally learned how to clean her laundry.”  I wondered what she learned, Mary asked.  Jun said, Honey I might have an answer for you.  I got up early this morning and washed our glass windows.  I guest we finally learned how to wash our windows.  There was nothing wrong with our neighbor´s laundry.

What kind of windows do you look through?  This is where we sometimes fail. This is the reason why we are disqualified to judge.  We judge people based on what we can see or based on what we feel. Usually we don’t know the other side of the story and we cannot see the heart of the person. This is because we are not God, we are sinful human beings saved by the grace of the Lord. The reason why we should not quickly judge somebody else is because… 

In most cases, the person who is critical or judgmental of others has a much bigger issue to deal with in his/her own life. (v.3)
Jesus said "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?
Jesus used an important metaphor here.  I call this the “speck and log metaphor.”  A person is being judged by another because he has an issue, and Jesus compared the person´s issue to a SPECK on his eyes.  The King James version used the word “mote” which is a dry stalk or twig, or a chaff.  Parang puwing.  Mote -- probably this is where the word “muta” came from. 
On the other hand, Jesus says that oftentimes, the person who is judging has a LOG on his eyes. The King James version used the word “beam” which is a long, sturdy piece of timber used to support the roof of a building.   Did you notice how big of a difference between a speck and log?  Using these metaphors, Jesus made a very clear point.  In most cases, the person who is critical or judgmental of others has a much bigger issue to deal with in his own life. (v.3)  
This is the reason why sometimes we judge others because we tried to camouflage our own issues by being critical of other people. Look at the person beside you, look at him in the eyes… and see if he has a “mote.” Baka may muta.  
So it’s common sense, how can we make righteous judgement if we have bigger issues to deal with?  It’s like the BLIND leading the BLIND!
This leads us to our second point:

Lesson 2.  We must continually reflect on our own lives and deal with our own issues in full submission and humility before the Lord. (v.5)
Christ is reminding each one of us against making judgments in a hypocritical or condemning manner. This type of self-righteous judgement is a characteristic often associated with the Pharisees and the religious people during the ministry of Jesus. 
Those people who love to quote “judge not” from Matthew 7:1 fail to notice the command in Matthew 7:5, when it says, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” 
The point Jesus emphasizes here is to judge yourself first before you make judgments about others. As Christians, we must continually reflect on our own lives and deal with our own issues in full submission and humility before the Lord.   It’s a process called sanctification wherein we are  transformed day by day into the image of Christ. 
Jesus is saying that if we ourselves are not personally repenting of our sins, we are not in a position tell others how sinful they are. Here you can also see that Christians miss a lot of opportunities to share the Gospel simply because they don’t lead a blameless life.
How can someone have credibility in telling someone else that he is a sinner and he needs Christ in their lives if they can see that the person sharing the Gospel with them is not living a holy life and is not  practicing what he preaches? No credibility, right? Remember that the first Bible that an unbeliever will read is your life.  
Lesson no. 3, this is very important --

Lesson 3. We exercise righteous judgement by discerning those who will ridicule, mock or abuse us especially when we are sharing the Gospel 
In verse 1, Jesus commanded us not too judge with the wrong motives because He knows that those people who are self-righteous and those who likes to judge others are not really doing it to help the other person, they are doing it so they will feel good about themselves… but Jesus said, well, look at yourself first in the mirror.  You may even have a bigger issue, you may even be in bondage to a more serious sin.  
If you read verse 6, Jesus said “ Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”   
I call this the dogs and swine metaphor. This is an allegorical statement wherein Jesus called certain groups of people as “dogs” and “swines”  Here Jesus is telling His disciples -- do not give what is holy to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine... He is actually telling His disciples and to us to make a certain kind of judgment.   
He wants us to identify who are the dogs and the swines and do not share anything holy with them.  Isn’t that judging?  It is!  Otherwise, how can you make a decision whether one person is a dog or a swine? How can you segregate them from the rest if you won’t exercise judgement?

Verse 1-5 tells us NOT to exercise unrighteous judgement but verse 6 tells us to basically judge righteously who are the dogs and the swine. He is now telling us that we must exercise discernment and righteously judge that the message of the Gospel is not going to be wasted or trampled upon.    
In biblical times, dogs were not those cute and cuddly Chihuahuas and Chowchows that we have today.    DOGS in those days refer to those dirty, greedy, snarling, vicious, diseased animals wandering on the streets and scavenging for food.  No responsible Jew would throw meat that was used in the temple for sacrifice to these dogs since it’s not even allowed to be eaten by man.  SWINE, like these wild dogs were greedy, vicious and filthy.  Swine is the epitome of uncleanliness as far as the Jews were concerned.  Dogs and swine represent those people who are greatly perverse and ungodly and they refuse to have anything to do with the holiness of God.  What they do is trample upon the Gospel of Jesus on their feet , just like pigs, they don´t like pearls, they don´t see its value and they tear God’s people into pieces.  

It doesn´t mean we refrain from preaching the Gospel.  Jesus is saying, beware! You don’t just share the holy things of God with anybody – sometimes we are just too overeager to share the Gospel that we don’t exercise our gift of discernment anymore. Jesus is basically saying, hey guys --- it’s quality not quantity. Our job is not to shove the gospel down people’s throats. There’s no sense in preaching the value of pearls to pigs. The message of the Gospel is a pearl. Your time, energy, and abilities are God's pearls. As good stewards, we must take care of God´s pearls.  It is possible to waste them either by using them when we should not… or not using them when we should.

FINAL THOUGHTS
In the final analysis, each one of us must recognize that ...

God is the supreme judge of everyone and He alone has the authority to determine our right or wrong motives.
Sometimes, these things happen even in the church.  How many times have we looked at another person and judge them. We sometimes criticize how another Christian prays or why they don’t pray as often as we do, how another Christian performs in the ministry, we sometimes criticize how spiritually immature they are, we criticize how they raise their children or how they relate to their spouses.  We play different roles in the ministry but one person is not inferior to another, anyway, we are all servants of God.  The Apostle Paul tells us –

Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. Romans 14:4 NIV
Don’t get me wrong, we are not talking here of a  righteous kind of judgement but we’re talking here of a self-centered condemning attitude.  
Jesus wants us to rebuke our fellow brothers but in humility, in love and in edifying words.  We confront the sin of others with meekness and not pride because one day we ourselves will face 

Christ who is the supreme judge. 
We will all face judgement at the judgement seat of Christ.
Romans 14:10–12 says, “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. . . . So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God”  

The Bible tells us that there are several kinds of judgement:
    
First, when a person dies, judgement happens because those who are in Christ go to a place called paradise, otherwise, you go to a place of torment awaiting for the final destination.  The book of Hebrews tells us that “as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Second, after the Rapture of the church, and if you believe in pre-tribulation like I do, there will be judgement of believers in heaven, this is called BEMA where Christ will judge believers based on their lives here on Earth.  At the judgment seat of Christ, believers are rewarded based on how faithfully they have served Him.  This is not for salvation, this is for rewards. While there is an ongoing tribulation on earth, the judgement of believers is happening in Heaven. 

Third, there is the judgement of all nations which will happen after the seven year tribulation where God will separate the sheep and the goats in order to determine who shall enter the millennial kingdom or the 1,000 year reign of Christ.  

Fourth, finally the Great White Throne judgement  which will happen after the Millennium when Christ will judge the unbelievers of all ages and they shall be consigned to the lake of fire for eternity.  

No matter how many kinds of judgements there are, the important thing is for us to know that JESUS is the supreme judge and one day, we shall meet Him face to face and definitely He will ask us, “how did we treat the least of our brothers.” 

Are you ready to be judged?

Let us pray.

Prayer:

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.    Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC Maple Ridge during its Sunday service on  September 24, 2017

I apologise if there are grammatical and spelling errors. 

I also apologise if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any,  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:

 www.wordchristiancommunity.com