November 6, 2005 Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Kids are especially focused when it comes to special days. It can be months before it ever comes, and a young child will ask, “when is my birthday?” It’s quite amazing if you think about that singular focus that they can have at times. Christmas, birthdays, vacation days - these are all days that some people count the days til.
I would venture to bet that Judgment Day is NOT one of those days that kids think about as much. Not too many people set aside this “Last Judgment Sunday” as the highlight of their church year. We put as our highlights Christmas and Easter - the birth and resurrection of Christ - not this day. That’s when even good old Uncle Fred who barely ever comes to church may show his face - but not for Last Judgment Sunday.
Why is that? Listen to what Jesus talks about - judgment! The same one who said “don’t judge” is coming to judge - and He’s making it clear! Those who think that Jesus was just a nice guy who talked about how to be nice to people - (which He does talk about in today’s text) - seem to forget that Jesus also talks about eternal heaven and hell - a final judgment! Jesus on a throne in ALL His glory. Wow. Big pictures here - pictures that make many people AFRAID. We simply can’t ignore these words of Jesus. It would be like taking out a chapter of an author’s book without his permission. Today we are going to do a daring thing and actually-
Look Forward to the Final Judgment
I. The nature of the judgment
Jesus draws a very vivid picture in this text of heaven and hell. Both are eternal. You can’t deny it. For those who would like to think that heaven is eternal, but hell is not - it can’t be done without tearing out the very words of God. Vs. 46 in today’s text lays eternal heaven and hell right next to each other, as two equally lengthy paths in opposite directions. Forever is a long time. Imagine, for instance one year of life in a one year old’s life, and a 90 year old’s life. To a ninety year old person - that year doesn’t seem too long. But to a one year old, it seems like an eternity. One hour in church seems like an eternity to some, while one hour of recess seems way too short. Time is relative to the one experiencing it. No matter where you are or how you feel, heaven and hell will be for eternity - whether it seems like it or not.
What is heaven and hell? It is described in today’s text as two polar extremes. To those on his right Jesus tells them to COME. To those on His left, He tells them to DEPART. Paul reflected this thought in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 as he describes hell by saying, “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and SHUT OUT from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.” Just prior to today’s text, Jesus said there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth out there. Revelation chapter 20 calls it a lake of fire - like a big lava pit basically. Imagine living without any of God’s love or presence for an eternity - an eternity of darkness and burning heat. But heaven is the exact opposite. It is living eternally in the PRESENCE of God’s grace - enjoying His majesty and provision for all time. Revelation 7 describes it beautifully -
Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
This very concept of heaven and hell seems to have it’s origins in eternity. Jesus said that heaven was, “the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” That’s kind of mind boggling if you think about it. Jesus doesn’t say the kingdom was prepared since the fall, but since the creation of the world. That would mean that God had the kingdom of heaven prepared for Christians who wouldn’t live until thousands of years later. There is a little difference though when he talks about the creation of hell. He calls it, “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Hell was not originally made for man. It was made for the devil and his angels. This shows that sin, death, and hell are not something that God pre-ordained - but something that Satan caused a need for. This was not something that God wanted to happen. Yet it is a part of his will - in that He now in His wrath causes the fire to burn eternally. These are the two ways that everyone goes - an eternity of happiness with God in eternal heaven or an eternity of sorrow and agony with Satan in eternal hell. There is no in between. This is what everyone will have to physically face on what we now call Judgment Day. Like it or not, it’s coming, and it’s real.
II. The grounds for judgment
The main question is not however, “What is heaven and hell like?”, but “Where are you going?” It’s amazing how many people think they will end up in heaven. Over five years ago I did a survey in McCook asking people where they thought they were headed. Out of the hundreds of people I asked that question to - only one person said he or she would end up in hell. Everyone else thought they were going to end up in heaven for one main reason - “I’ve been a pretty good person.” Some might even get that impression from this text. But let’s take a close look at what Jesus really says.
Who goes to heaven and who goes to hell? Jesus refers to those on the left as having been “cursed”, while he says that those on his right “are blessed.” He also mentions that those who end up in heaven have received an inheritance, and calls them “righteous.” God’s Word talks about the curse very clearly in Galatians chapter 3. It says,
Galatians 3:10-12 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”
Here Paul clearly distinguishes what it means to be righteous and what it takes to be cursed. Those who are under a curse are that way because of what they RELY on - observing the law. For instance, imagine if someone told you that you inherited a million dollars and it was at the Fort Knox Bank. Some crazy fool might think to himself, “I don’t believe it. But I could break in to steal the million dollars.” The thick walls and the security system would make such a break in impossible. No matter how much he studied the layout and planned the hoist, if he tried to do so, he would inevitably be caught and end up in jail for the rest of his life. This is the curse a majority of people are under. The law promises the riches of heaven - but the only way to get at it is to obey everything the law says. When they try to follow the schematics and try to find away into heaven without setting off the alarms, they end up under the curse of God’s wrath for even the slightest error.
The principle that brings life is that the righteous will live by faith. Faith is simply a trust in the promise of an inheritance already prepared and given. Paul goes on to explain this in Galatians 3:13-14 -
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
When Jesus took on the curse of the law on the cross, he paid for our salvation free of charge. The sacrifice was planned from the creation of the world and prepared for us long before we were ever born. Like an inheritance, this is nothing we earn, but something we simply inherit when God makes us children of God through baptism and faith. When Jesus calls the sheep “righteous”, he is referring to His own righteousness He would give them through faith. Either you will trust that this is enough to get you to heaven, or you will not trust it - and try to work your way there.
Most judges look for evidence prior to making a judgment. However, if you notice in today’s text, the sheep and goats are separated prior to any evidence being presented. God knows those who are His. He can read the heart. He knows who has faith and those who don’t. He knows if you are trying to work your way to heaven or if you have repented and admitted that you are a sinner and have solely clung to Christ. On Judgment Day, you won’t be waiting in a long line to find out what the evidence presents. You’ll know right away where you are headed, because God will know your heart.
The evidence does come, but afterwards, almost as an after thought. You would think that the Judge would point to great things done by those who inherit salvation - you know - like starting a mission, or memorizing a ton of Bible passages - or giving thousands of dollars to the poor. The evidence that the Judge uses is so much more simple though - visiting someone in prison, putting food in a little baby’s mouth, putting clothes on a toddler, or taking care of a sick person. These are such mundane and seemingly simple every day tasks. Yet these are the things the Judge mentions as evidence of faith. The King says, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
I noticed something - maybe it’s not a big point - but it seemed to hit me while reading this, that He doesn’t mention the “brothers of mine” - to those who end up in hell. When they served people, they weren’t serving Jesus’ brothers. They were serving Satan’s brothers. Jesus mentions a similar point in Matthew 10:40-42,
Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”
Within this context Jesus makes special mention of doing things for people especially in view of faith - because they are fellow believers in the Lord. Again, the distinguishing aspect in the works is not necessarily the object of the works but the reason for the works - as if doing something nice to a believer were “better” than doing it for an unbeliever” (God wants us to let our light shine to unbelievers as well) - but that these works were specifically done out of faith and love to the same believers in the Lord. This is proof of faith - when you are willing to do even the most menial tasks for Jesus’ brothers out of faith.
Think about how important this is in the way you view your tasks. Moms, the most thankless job is taking care of a toddler or an infant. You can have a little boy who wakes you up in the middle of the night and demands a glass of juice. You get it for him, tuck him in, give him a kiss on the cheek, and all he does is roll over and go to sleep. But God sees how you’re treating him. He knows you’re doing what you’re doing out of faith and thanks to Him. Your thankless tasks are giving God proof that you’re really the Christian you claim to be. God sees the times you clean the messy bedrooms. He sees the prayers that you pray - which nobody else knows about. He watches as you throw ball with your son. He sees how hard you work at work, even if your boss thinks you’re the laziest person on this earth. He knows those thankless little tasks you’re performing to the glory of His name. He knows - and when you do them out of love to your Savior - He accepts your works as evidence of your faith.
III. The attitude of the judged
Do you remember the story of the prodigal son? The one son goes off and wastes his money on wild women and alcohol and God knows what. When he gets back with nothing but the clothes on his back, having wasted his inheritance - do you remember how the BROTHER reacts? He’s mad as all get out, right? Why? Because he tells his father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.” (Luke 15:29) He was the first to mention to his father all of the works he had performed for his father - how he SLAVED away for him.
That parable marks the difference in attitude between the believers and unbelievers towards their works. The one group - whose works are accepted - doesn’t think that they did anything worth mention, while the other group - those whose works were not accepted - doesn’t think that they were negligent with their works in any way. They are angry at such an accusation of the LORD on Judgment Day - they seem to think they’re getting a raw deal. They felt that they did everything they could see to do. It’s rather ironic, isn’t it? Those who think they should be recognized aren’t, while those who don’t want to be recognized are. You can see the same attitude of John the Baptist. When some of his disciples were leaving John and going to Jesus, John said, “I must decrease, He must increase.” When Paul was forced to talk about how hard he had worked with the Corinthians, he said, “I am a fool for speaking this way.” He felt embarrassed to talk about all he had done. He didn’t even want to mention it.
When you have a child at school that is constantly doing things to be noticed, we call such a child an apple polisher. You know they are only performing their works to try and get the pat on the back or the better grade from the teacher. All the other children despise them for their self seeking motives. God responds the same way. When people live their lives trying to impress Him so that they’ll get a special spot in heaven, He sees that all they’re trying to do is selfishly get ahead with Him. He knows their heart. They aren’t feeding the poor or helping the sick because they really care for them or love their Lord - they’re doing it because they want God to notice them. The most appalling thing to an apple polisher is when you he does things to get attention, and he gets NO attention. “Why, haven’t you noticed how much money I gave? Haven’t you noticed, God - how I spent time feeding the poor? I’m doing all you ask of me! If I see more, I’ll do more!” God pays no attention to what they’ve done.
Here’s the key - something that sounds completely contradictory. If you want to be recognized on Judgment Day - then don’t seek to be recognized. That’s sounds crazy. It takes faith to believe. The only way you can approach Judgment Day this way is if you recognize two things. First of all, Isaiah says that “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6) If we think it would be nice for God to recognize our works, then we need to remember that even the best of our works are like filthy rags in God’s holy eyes. Even if you do the nicest thing you’ve ever done - give ten thousand dollars to a poor family, and sacrifice your whole life to spreading the Gospel - it’s still a filthy rag - tainted with sin. There are false motives, complaints, and fear intermingled with your works, that taint them and make them not so beautiful in comparison to the holiness of God’s judgment. Second of all, remember how this parable starts - with the King saying to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” The kingdom of heaven is already yours as an inheritance - a free gift - based on the work of Jesus Christ’s life and death and resurrection - prepared since the creation of the world. If you already know you have heaven as an INHERITANCE, what does it matter if God recognizes anything you do? If that’s your goal - to get to heaven - and He’s going to GIVE it to you - what does it matter if He recognizes anything you do here on earth or not? Instead, your attitude would be, “all I want to recognize is what YOU have given ME, Lord - not vice versa - on Judgment Day.”
If you’ve ever met somebody famous, it’s kind of a weird thing. Every time I see Grant Wistrom on TV I remember that I shook his hand back in Norton, KS about ten years ago. I remember when I met him, I thought he would be about two feet taller than me and a huge hulk of a man. Surprisingly, he wasn’t - not back then anyway. He was barely taller than me, and just a lot more muscular. He wasn’t huge though. It kind of surprised me - I guess I was just expecting a bigger person.
When you meet Jesus Christ, you will not be disappointed. He will be a hundred times more glorious and majestic than you could ever imagine. He’ll be sitting on His glorious throne coming down from heaven above - and every eye will see Him. Most people would rather not meet such an awesome figure - a holy figure - God Almighty Himself. You have no choice in the matter. But Jesus says to His believers in today’s Gospel, “don’t be afraid.” Why? Because if you believe that Jesus lived and died to make you holy in God’s sight, then you are one of the RIGHTEOUS. Jesus is coming to GIVE you an INHERITANCE that He has been preparing for you through the creation of the world. Your eternity is not based on what YOU do, but on what Christ has done. He won’t look at your past sins. Instead, He’ll even go the extra step and even MENTION things you did out of faith to Him. This seems impossible. But this is what Jesus promises. So Look forward to this Final Judgment in faith. Amen.
