10-18-2026 A Christian’s Most Important Appointment

Test: II Corinthians 5:10

                We live in an age where it’s practically impossible to live without a calendar.  There are always appointments with doctors, dentists, mechanics, pet groomers, and even birthdays and other special events that are important for us to remember.  Sometimes these appointments are cancelled or rescheduled.  But this morning I want to share an appointment that every Christian will be required to attend and it can’t be rescheduled.

                Our text is found in II Corinthians 5:9 10 where Paul writes:  “ (9) Wherefore we labor that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him [Jesus].  (10) For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he had done, whether it be good or bad.”  This is the appointment that will be required by every Christian.  It won’t be canceled nor will it be rescheduled.  Depending on the individual, this could be a time of fear or joy.

                This is an individual appointment only for believers.  Revelation 20:5 tells us that unbelievers won’t be judged until after the great Tribulation.  How do we know that this appointment isn’t one Christians will be excused from?  Because that’s what the words ‘we must all’ mean in verse 10 of this morning’s text.  And who we will be meeting on that day?  This is our day of judgement when we will be face-to-face before Jesus Christ, the One who came to our world to save us, the One who endured the Cross for us, the One who rose from the grave for us, the One who has taken away our sins, and the One who has heard our prayers throughout our Christian life. 

                We’re told in Ephesians 2:2-9 that eternal life is a gift given by the grace of God.  This is true but along with that gift from God is the requirement for each one of us to be judged by Jesus Christ.  This judgment will determine the rewards given to each one us for how we have lived out God’s gracious gift of salvation. God’s gracious gift doesn’t free us from the requirement to live a life of faithful obedience.  Every Chrisitan will be required to give an account on the day of judgment for how we have lived.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:27 that He will come in God’s glory with His angels to reward each person according to what they have done. 

                Our text reminds us that we are required to stand before Jesus to give an accounting of how we lived as a Christian and then we will be judged by Him.  Jesus tells us in John 10:27 that His sheep listen to His voice and that He knows them by name because they follow Him.  On this judgment day, nothing will be able to be hidden from Him.  We won’t be able to bluff our way through our appointment before Him because Jesus knows what occupies our minds, what we read at home and at work, how we spend or give our money, the degree of our dedication to our Chrisitan life, and the secret desires of our hearts.  So we should always be taking stock of our own lives with the goal of make needed adjustments in our priorities and goals to prepare for that appointment with Jesus.

                Paul tells us in Romans 14:10-12 that each person is accountable to Jesus – not to other people.  The Church – meaning all believers - must be uncompromising in our stand against activities that are expressly forbidden by Scripture which includes but isn’t limited to adultery, lying, cheating, and theft.  This means we are forbidden to create additional rules and regulations and give them equal standing with God’s law.  We can’t base our moral behaviors and judgments on our personal opinions, dislikes, or cultural bias rather than on the Word of God.  When we do this, we show that our faith is weak and we don’t think that God is powerful enough to guide His children.  On that day we stand before Jesus to give a personal account of our lives, I can promise you none of us will be worried about what our Christian neighbors have done.

                Jesus Christ forms the foundation of the Church that is made up of all believers.  Paul teaches in I Corinthians 3:10-15 that nothing and no one else is part of this foundation because any other materials would make a weak foundation causing the building to fail.  Our foundation as Christians is Jesus Christ.  He is our base and our reason for being.   Everything we are and everything we do must rest on the foundation of His life and His Word so we have to be careful about how we build our faith and live our lives.  It can only be built on Jesus.  Not any other person or principle.  He will evaluate each person’s contribution to the life of the Church, and the day of judgment will reveal the sincerity of each person’s work toward that end.  Good work will be rewarded; unfaithful or inferior work will be discounted.  The fire and flames referred to in I Corinthians 3:15 are flames of refining and purging that will assess the quality of the work every Christian does in this earthly life.  The builder may suffer loss but will be saved as one escaping through the flames.  In other words, even believers who are ineffective in their work for Christ will still be saved just like people escaping from a burning building but with few or no eternal rewards waiting for them.

                Every Christian has been commissioned to serve Jesus.  II Corinthians 5:20 tells us that we are to be ambassadors for Jesus.  Acts 1:8 requires us to be witnesses for Jesus.  Philippians 2:15 tells us that we are His lights in a dark world.  And Revelation 22:12 tells us that rewards will be determined at this appointment for how well we did these things. 

                What are the rewards we could receive?  I Thessalonians 2:19 speaks of the Crown of Life for our work to win souls to Jesus.  II Timothy 4:8 tells of the Crown of Righteousness for loving His appearing.  James 1:12 speaks of the Crown of Life given for our suffering.  And I Peter 6:4 tells of the Crown of Glory for feeding God’s people.  The rewards we will receive will be affected by how we lived our lives and what we have done – both good and bad.

                So, the judgement seat of Jesus will follow the rapture of Church.  And when we look around us, we can see that the signs of the Lord’s return are increasing.  This means that our most important appointment before Jesus is getting closer every day.  So we should be living our lives preparing for that final appointment where we will be judged before Jesus on how well we did.  And once Jesus judges us, it will be God the Father who will make the final pronouncement on how our eternal lives in Heaven will be lived. 

                Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.