Good to meet with you guys this Sunday and worship our Lord this morning.
Like Paul said, my name is Andrew.
Matthew 25, verse 31 to 46.
Let me pray for the reading and preaching of the Lord.
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much that your Word, the Scripture, is active, living,
and breathing.
And as we encounter your Word, it comes to life in our own lives.
Lord, this morning I feel so much inadequacy, so much weakness.
And ask for your help and power of your Holy Spirit.
Lord, won't your Word come alive this morning to speak to your people,
to clutch at our heartstrings,
to convict us of any sin,
and to fill us with encouragement and hope of the future that is yet to come.
Be with us this morning, Lord, by the power of your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Won't you please rise with me for the reading of God's Word.
Matthew chapter 25, verse 31 to 46.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory,
and all the angels with Him,
then He will sit on His glorious throne.
Before Him will be gathered all the nations,
and He will separate people, one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
And He will place the sheep on His right,
but the goats on the left.
Then the King will say to those on His right,
Come, you who are blessed by my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry, and you gave me food.
I was thirsty, and you gave me drink.
I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.
I was naked, and you clothed me.
I was sick, and you visited me.
I was in prison, and you came to me.
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,
Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?
And the King will answer them,
Truly I say to you,
as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,
you did it to me.
Then He will say to those on His left,
Depart from me, you cursed.
Into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry, and you gave me no food.
I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink.
I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me.
Naked, and you did not clothe me.
Sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.
Then they also will answer, saying,
Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty,
or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison,
and did not minister to you?
Then He will answer them, saying,
Truly I say to you,
as you did not do it to one of the least of these,
you did not do it to me.
And these will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous into eternal life.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
Do you love Jesus?
Eight years ago, I was on a church missions trip
to Baja California, Mexico,
when I was confronted by a little boy
who sprang this question up to me.
Do you love Jesus?
I was taken aback by his eagerness with the question,
but I confidently replied,
Yes, of course I do.
The boy then gave me a skeptical look.
And yelled,
Prove it.
He proceeded to run off,
and I was left dumbfounded and bewildered,
partly because I didn't have the Spanish vocabulary
to prove it.
And also partly,
I didn't know if I had the English vocabulary
to prove it either.
Fast forward to May 2026, two months ago.
I was attending my wife's graduation ceremony
for a master's program
at Gordon-Connacle Theological Seminary.
During the Bachelorette service,
one of our New Testament professors
gave a sermon of exhortation.
And his main piece was this.
The most important question
that we will ever have to answer
is this.
Do you love Jesus?
This question is so important
that Jesus asks it three consecutive times to Peter.
Peter, the chief disciple
who denied Jesus three times
and left him to be crucified and killed.
Jesus, after having resurrected from the dead,
approaches Peter,
his deeply ashamed disciple,
and asks him,
Peter,
do you love me?
Do you love me?
And Peter replies,
Christ,
you know that I love you.
You know that I love you.
And each time Peter replies,
yes, I love you,
Jesus commands Peter
to feed his sheep.
If Peter truly loves his master, Jesus,
he will tend to and shepherd
those who Christ calls his sheep
sheep for the rest of his life.
It's more than Peter's words.
It's his entire life going forward.
It's actions
that will be the evidence
for his love for Jesus.
Do you love Jesus?
If so, then you prove it.
Jesus doesn't ask this question
and issue this commandment here
as a mere mental and moral exercise.
And in that same way,
our answer to this question
and the evidence behind this
is more than just amusing,
a mere thought.
How we answer this question
with our words,
not just our words,
our actions
and with our entire lives
has eternal implications
for each and every one of us here.
Our passage in Matthew 25
this morning reveals that
Jesus,
the Son of Man,
who died on the cross
and resurrected from the dead,
and ascended into heaven,
he will come again.
In the second coming,
Jesus will bring
the final judgment
to the eternal,
to the entire world.
And he will judge
each and every person
based on their conduct
of how they have lived their lives.
Do you love Jesus?
On the final day,
on the final judgment day,
your life,
it will be truth
of whether you truly
loved him or not.
And whether your final verdict
is eternal life
with the Lord God
or eternal punishment
away from him.
And so this is our main point
for our passage this morning.
Be ready
for the final judgment
of the Son of Man
when he returns.
I'll put some four
different parts this morning.
First,
the authority
of the Son of Man.
Second,
the reward
of the righteous sheep.
Third,
the curse
of the unrighteous goats.
And fourth,
the eternal consequences.
First,
the authority
of the Son of Man.
We are in
the final part
of what is called
the Olivet Discourse
in the Gospel of Matthew,
where Jesus speaks
of the end times
and his second coming
to the earth.
In the past week's passages,
Jesus said that
when the end
of the age arrives,
it's unknown to us.
But when Jesus
does return,
we will be judged
for our preparedness,
making the most
of what God
has entrusted to us
in a Christ-centered
and gospel-driven life.
Our passage this morning,
then,
concludes this Olivet Discourse
with Jesus explaining
what exactly
will happen
on this day
of the final judgment
and the criteria
in which Jesus
will judge
all the world.
But first,
we must examine
on what grounds
does the Son of Man
have the authority
to do this?
Who is he
to separate
and sort
all the nations
and peoples?
In verse 31,
Jesus says
that the Son of Man
will come in glory,
accompanied by angels,
and he will sit
on his glorious throne.
The term Son of Man,
as we have seen
in Jesus'
referred to himself
many times
throughout the Gospel
of Matthew,
is referential
to the prophecy
in Daniel 7,
where one,
like a Son of Man,
comes to the Ancient
of days,
and is given
an everlasting dominion
that all peoples,
nations,
and languages
should serve him.
That title,
Son of Man,
highlights Jesus'
kingship and authority
based on this
Daniel 7 prophecy.
Jesus' authority
as the Son of Man
is also displayed
that when he comes
in glory,
all the angels
will accompany him.
The entire army
of angels,
spiritual beings
created by God
to worship him
and accomplish his will,
will leave their posts
in heaven
to follow up to Jesus,
not as his equals,
but as his subjects.
1 Peter 3.22
says that Jesus,
when he had resurrected
and had gone into heaven,
has angels,
authorities,
and powers
subjected to him.
Here in our passage,
Jesus says that he will
return with all
of these celestial beings
leading them to earth
in his final return.
And once he returns,
Jesus will sit
on his glorious throne
with all the nations
gathered around him.
Just the throne imagery,
it evokes
kingly authority.
Though here and now,
Jesus sits at the right hand
of the throne of God
the Father in heaven,
reigning over heaven
and earth.
In his second coming,
when Jesus comes again,
Jesus will return
to establish his kingdom
and throne on earth
so that his kingship
will be in plain sight
to everyone
in the world.
It's remarkable to think
that as Jesus is foretelling
this glorious return,
that future one,
who will sit
on his glorious throne
surrounded by his angels
and all the nations,
he sits in this passage,
perhaps on a little stone,
a meager stone
on the Mount of Olives,
surrounded by his
motley crew of disciples,
knowing that one disciple
will betray him,
another will deny him
three times,
and all will forsake him,
leaving him to be crucified
over the three days.
This is Jesus,
the Son of God,
who humbled himself
in the form of man,
that the Son of Man
would be delivered
to earthly authorities
to be rejected,
to be mocked,
to be flogged,
to be crucified.
And yet,
even in the humblest,
perhaps most humiliating
of situations,
Jesus looks towards
the eternal realities
of the day
when he will return
in glory
and power
and majesty
as the supreme king
and judge of all.
And so when he returns,
he sits enthroned
with all nations,
all people
coming before him.
When an official,
a governor,
or a king
arrives to the city,
the citizens
are expected
to greet him
and gather before him,
a symbol of their loyalty
and subjugation.
When a king is crowned,
the people are called
to gather
in commemoration
and celebration
of his coronation.
The king is at
the center
of his people's attention.
For example,
during the 2023
coronation
of King Charles III
of the United Kingdom,
there were over
2,000 guests
who were invited
to view the ceremony
at Westminster Avenue,
representing over
200 countries
and including
other nations'
royalties,
world leaders,
religious leaders,
and other prominent
figures of power
and influence.
Let's blow this number
up just a little bit more.
Within the United Kingdom,
over 20 million people
on that day
viewed the ceremony
on television.
Let's blow that figure
out even more.
Within the entire world,
globally,
there was an audience
of approximately
2 billion people
across 125 countries
that tuned in
to King Charles III's
coronation.
One-fourth
of the entire world
had their eyes
on King Charles.
Church,
when Jesus returns,
it will be exceedingly
more than that.
All nations,
all people
will be gathered
before him
as he sits
on his throne.
This is not just
all present
living people,
but all nations,
kingdoms,
civilizations
that ever existed
in the world.
Revelation 20
says that even
the dead
will be brought
forward to the throne
of Jesus
to be judged.
Billions upon
billions
of people.
And Jesus commands
their attention,
authority over all,
whether they believe
in him or not.
Philippians 2,
9-11 says,
Therefore God
has highly exalted
him and has
sowed on him
the name that is
above every name,
so that at the name
of Jesus
every name should
bow,
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth
and every tongue
confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord.
Revelation 1-7
says,
Behold,
he is coming
with the clouds
and every eye
will see him,
even those
who pierce him.
And all tribes
of the earth
will wail
on countenance.
Every person,
whether or not
they acknowledge
the Son of Man
before,
whether they embrace
Jesus
or pierce him,
will see Jesus
and they won't
be able to help
but confess
that he is Lord
over all things,
all people,
when he returns.
And so,
this is the great
authority that Jesus
has over all the earth
and it is by
his authority
that Jesus
judges the nations
and separates
the sheep
and goats
from one another.
And so,
when he returns,
the Son of Man
will separate people
one from another
as a shepherd
separates the sheep
and the goats.
The people listening
to Jesus at this time
would have been
very familiar
with the image
of the shepherd,
sheep and goats
that Jesus presents
here.
In ancient Palestine,
shepherds would keep
their sheep and goats
together in the same
pastures during the day
since their grazing
habits were pretty much
the same.
However,
because goats
tend to require
warmer temperatures
to rest in the evening,
before nightfall,
the shepherds
would bring the flock
to the resting quarters
and would separate
the sheep and goats
from one another
by hand.
The sheep and goats
would walk
single file
through a mare of sheep
and the shepherd
would swing a gaze,
sorting the sheep
or goats
one by one,
ensuring that
each animal
ends up
with this appropriate
long time.
And let me tell you,
I went down
this unnecessary
rabbit hole
trying to search
what do Palestinian
sheep and goats
look like.
It's so hard
to tell them
they look so
good for them.
And just the thought
of having the shepherds
swinging the egg
right and left
and trying to pinpoint
with their eyes,
okay, this one's a sheep,
this one's a goat,
this one's a sheep.
Oh, no, no, no,
go, go, go, go, go,
you gotta look.
It's a strenuous,
it's a painstaking process
of being so careful
in sorting
the sheep and goats
their properties.
Just as painstakingly
and personally
the shepherd
sorts his sheep
and goats
one after another,
so will our Lord Jesus
closely and personally
place each individual
person in his
or her properties,
whether that is
among their fellow sheep
or among their fellow goats.
And Jesus says
in verse 33,
the shepherd places
the sheep on his right
but the goats
on the left.
There will be
no middle group,
no third group,
no goat among sheep,
no sheep among goats,
only two rigid categories.
Those who are the sheep
and those who are the goats,
right and left.
From here, Jesus,
reveals what exactly
these cattle is.
Sheep to his right
goes to his left.
Verse 3,
verse 34,
the son of man,
now the king
who sits upon
his glorious throne
says to those
on his right,
come,
you are blessed
by my father,
inherit the kingdom
prepared for you
from the foundation
of the world.
Come,
inherit the kingdom.
Jesus continues to describe
some of the things
these people have done.
Verse 35 to 36,
they gave Jesus food
when he was hungry.
They give him drink
when he was thirsty.
When he was a stranger,
would that home or shelter
be welcomed him?
When Jesus was naked,
they clothed him.
And when he was sick
or imprisoned,
they visited him.
When Jesus was in physical need
or misfortune,
these blessed ones
attended to him
and cared for him
as their own.
And Jesus calls them
blessed by my father
and calls them
to inherit the kingdom
into eternal life
and fellowship
with the Lord.
Jesus preaches
this most twice
only to be met
with confusion.
The righteous
will answer him
and say,
Lord,
when did we see you
hungry,
thirsty,
a stranger,
naked,
sick,
or in prison
and when did we care
of him?
Imagine the bewilderment
of these people.
They received
this glowing commendation
from the most glorious
Jesus.
They're called blessed.
They're told that
they will inherit
the kingdom
of the Heavenly Father.
They're told that
they attended
to Jesus' needs
on earth.
But they can't seem
to recall
for the life of them
when they did
any of their sins.
They must have
looked so timidly
at Jesus.
This is the glorious
Jesus,
enthroned
in all this glory,
wondering if he's
made a mistake
if he's got
the wrong guy.
Jesus,
my Lord,
pardon me.
My memory
might be a little
spotty
around the door.
I don't think
I've ever
did any of these
things for you.
Lord Jesus,
quite frankly,
I don't even know
if I've ever
met you in person.
Jesus answers
their bewilderment
so patiently
and says,
truly,
I say to you,
as you did it
to one of the
beasts of these,
my brothers,
you did it to me.
Anyone who cared
for the beasts
of Jesus' brothers
has done the same
to Jesus.
Jesus.
What Jesus
says here
bears resemblance
to what he told
the disciples
in Matthew 10,
verse 40 to 42.
Whoever receives you,
receives me.
And whoever receives me,
receives him
who sends me.
And whoever gives
one of these
little ones
even a cup
of cold water
to receive his
disciple,
truly,
I say to you,
he will by no means
lose this reward.
These little ones,
as Matthew 10 says,
are Jesus' disciples.
In Matthew 12,
Jesus stretches out
his hand
towards these
same disciples
and says,
here are my brothers.
For whoever does
the will of my
Father in heaven
is my brother
and sister
and mother.
And so whoever
receives these
little brothers
of Jesus,
his disciples,
whoever clothes them,
feeds them,
shelters them,
gives them even
a cup of cold water,
also does so
to Jesus.
Why does Jesus
specifically highlight
the actions of
feeding these brothers
who are so hungry,
those who are thirsty,
those who needed
shelter, clothing,
comfort, companionship,
because each of
these actions
requires great
sacrifice
and selflessness
of time,
resources,
energy.
Church,
it takes time,
it takes resources,
it takes energy
for us
to provide
meals
for fellow
brothers and sisters
through the meal
train,
just like Todd
has said.
It takes time
to trek to the
hospital to visit
our sick friends
and family.
It requires
sacrifice for us
to go out of our
way to comfort,
encourage,
and uplift
heartbroken
brothers and sisters.
But we are
willing to sacrifice
because we see
that there is a need
amongst our
brothers and sisters
and we're stirred
up by Christ's
love to serve
them.
The disciples
were among
the lowliest
of men,
without home,
without secure
food or drink
on the day by day,
with barely a
cloak to cover
them from the
elements.
They were so
severely in need,
but I'm sure
that many people
would have seen
them in their
poverty and hear
them talking so
boldly about
the Messiah as
Jesus,
whose fears of
controversy in the
public,
and they would
have just
dunked their
heads and
hurried away
by making
excuses about
why they are
not able to
provide
their least
examples.
However,
if anyone
were to be
stirred up
by the love
of Christ,
they will
pay heed
to the
least of
these.
Jesus
brought us
and care for
them and
receive their
words,
and doing so
also care for
Jesus and
receive his
words.
And that is
what Jesus
commends these
chiefs for,
for paying
heed to the
needs of his
disciples and
receiving them
welcomingly,
and thereby
receiving Jesus
as their own
as well.
What Jesus
is not saying,
mind you,
is that our
kindness and
generosity should
be closed off
to unbelievers.
Galatians 5.10
exhorts us to
do good first
to the household
of faith,
but then also
to love our
needless as
ourselves by
doing good to
them.
God,
whether it's
the homeless
or the sick,
our neediest
friend or our
harshest enemy,
we are called
to honor even
the least of
these neighbors
because they
have been created
in the image
of God and
bear that dignity
to be treated
as such.
However,
the way we
treat and
receive fellow
believers has
an important
significance because
it reflects how
we treat Jesus
himself.
Whoever receives
the words of
Jesus'
disciples and
accepts them
also receives
and accepts
Jesus and
is saved by
faith.
And Jesus
commends them
and rewards
them and
says,
come,
inherit the
kingdom.
Now,
some people
will read this
passage and
come to the
conclusion that
these people
of Jesus'
right received
the kingdom
of God because
they fit the
home, because
they helped
the poor,
because they
sheltered the
homeless,
visited and
imprisoned.
some will
conclude that
eternal rewards
for the
righteous hinge
on their
concern for
and the
prioritization of
the social
welfare of the
world.
The hungry
need to be
fed.
The disenfranchised
and marginalized
need to be
restored.
Wealth needs
to be redistributed
in order for
God's kingdom
to manifest.
The way we
love others
certainly has
eternal
significance.
However,
we cannot
conclude that
our salvation
depends on
our inactive
peace acts
of mercy.
There will
be a fatal
mistake and
the conclusion
itself is
not consistent
with what
Jesus says
all throughout
his life
and ministry
and what
God's word
says.
Jesus is
not suggesting
that anyone
can inherit
the kingdom
of his
father based
on their
works.
Within our
passage, there
are several
clues that
indicate that
Jesus is
not saying
that those
on his
right will
inherit the
kingdom because
of their
good works.
Let's go
back to
verse 34
for a moment.
It says,
Come, you
who are
blessed by
my father,
inherit the
kingdom prepared
for you from
the foundation
of the world.
First, the
verb inherit
is not used
for something
that is
earned.
When you
inherit something,
it does not
come at a
price.
It is freely
given as a
son inherits
his father's
laws.
The son
doesn't have
to toil
away in
order to
receive his
father's
position.
He simply
receives it
because he
is the
son of
his father.
In the
same way,
the inheritance
of God's
kingdom is a
gift that
cannot be
earned, but
is given
freely to
those whom
the father
calls his
own children.
Secondly,
the kingdom
is not just
haphazardly
given to
those blessed
ones.
After Jesus
sees that,
they do all
these good
deeds.
Rather,
the kingdom
was prepared
for them
from the
foundation
of the
world.
From the
very beginning,
it was God's
plan that
these people
would receive
his kingdom.
Their God
elect,
as it says
in Ephesians
1,
for those
whom he
chose in
him before
the foundation
of the world,
that they
should be
holy and
blameless
before him.
God already
knew that
these people
would inherit
his kingdom,
and the way
he cared for
the least of
Jesus'
disciples was
a testimony
of this.
And third,
Jesus'
description of
the good
deeds that
the people
on his
right hand
had done,
in verse
35 and
36,
should be
viewed as
a statement
of evidence,
not
causation.
In other
words,
Jesus is not
saying that
these people
have inherited
the kingdom
because of
their good
works,
but rather
that their
inheritance of
the kingdom,
their salvation,
is evidenced
by their
good works.
Lutheran
theologian
H.D.
Haman provides
a hopeful
illustration in
his commentary
of the gospel
according to
Matthew.
I can say,
it has
raining for
the atmospheric
conditions were
right for
raining,
or it has
raining for
the streets
are wet.
The for in
one case gives
the reason
for the rain,
and in the
other case,
the evidence
for it.
It is in
the second
sentence that
the for of
verse 35
is understood.
The judge
points to
the works
of verses
35 and 36
as evidence
for the
position assigned
to the
sheep.
The people
to the right
of Jesus
are called
righteous by
him.
They're called
blessed.
They're called
inheritors of the
kingdom for
their good deeds
give evidence
that they have
been saved by
Jesus on the
cross and
transformed by
the Holy Spirit
dwelling inside
them.
by grace,
it has
become part
of their
DNA,
their inner
being,
as sheep
who belong
to Jesus
that they
desire to
do good
works.
In other
parts of
scripture,
we'll find
that same
idea that
we are not
saved by
our human
strivings and
deeds.
Just as we
read in our
assurance of
pardon,
Ephesians 2,
8 says,
by grace,
you have been
saved for
faith.
This is not
your own
doing.
It is the
gift of God,
not the
result of works
so that no
one may
boast.
Romans 11,
6,
but if it
is by grace,
it is no
longer on the
basis of
works,
otherwise grace
would no
longer be
grace.
Or Titus 3,
5,
God our
Savior saves
us not
because of
works done
by us in
righteousness,
but according
to his own
mercy.
Our salvation
does not
depend on our
good works
or our
meaning of
certain quota
of good deeds
and service.
salvation is
fully by
grace and
grace alone
through faith.
It is by
grace through
faith that
the woman
with the
alabaster jar
was saved
in Luke 7,
not because
she broke
the perfume
jar and
kissed Jesus'
feet,
but because
she was
given faith
to believe
that Jesus
was her
Lord and
King and
treat him
like
sin.
It is by
the Lord's
mercy that
the Samaritan
leper in
Luke 17
was saved,
not because
he followed
Jesus'
directions
perfectly to
be healed
of his
leprosy,
but because
he came
to believe
that Jesus
was the
promised
Messiah and
ran back
to Jesus
to bow
before him
in prison.
It is by
the grace
of Jesus
dying on
the cross
for our
sins that
whoever
believes in
him is
saved.
Not because
we earned
such sacrificial
love by any
marriage,
but because
God was so
rich in
mercy to
look at
our sorry
and sinful
sins and
still say,
you are
my blessed
ones,
and for
your sake
my son
will die.
Notice
how
impregulous
the sheep
on the
right were
to receive
this
commendation.
Their
kindness and
generosity to
Jesus'
little ones,
it wasn't
premedicated.
They weren't
scheming for
their salvation.
Their
surprise was
genuine.
They were
not expecting
any reward
for their
deeds and
were acting
out of
genuine
faith and
love in
their hearts.
When they
selflessly and
joyfully received
and cared for
the least of
Jesus'
brothers,
they were
also selflessly
and joyfully
receiving the
Lord Jesus
unbeknownst to
them.
Such good
works were
not what
caused for
salvation,
but rather
the fruit of
evidence that
was born from
their salvation
and sanctification.
God
is
God
is
dead.
God
is
dead.
Someone who
is saved by
the Lord Jesus
Christ will
show evidence of
their salvation
naturally by the
way that they
conduct themselves,
by the way that
they restrain and
discipline themselves,
by the way that
they sacrifice their
own interests for
the interests of
others.
themselves.
And rather than
coming from a
place of anxiety
and nervousness,
of having to
work for their
salvation,
try to earn it,
these works will
instead come from
a fullness of
joy and gratitude
evidence that the
Holy Spirit is
indwelling.
And this is a
decisive factor of
the sheep that
God, that Jesus
calls to on his
right side.
They have faith in
Jesus Christ.
They have a
relationship with
Jesus.
And their joyful
and self-forgetful
desire to care for
even the least of
Jesus' brothers,
his disciples, is
evidence of this
relationship and
their salvation.
And these sheep,
who themselves have
become Jesus'
little ones, are
giving commendation
to the eternal
kingdom.
Brothers and
sisters, with
what sort of
attitude do we
go about serving
God and his
people?
Do we go about
our service and
create anxiety and
fear that we're
not doing enough
to win God's
favor?
Do we see
ourselves as too
little, too
unable, too
unpopular, too
unnoticed, too
unworthy, too
broken, to serve
God, let alone be
in his presence?
us.
Do we
want to
join in
freedom,
knowing that
our salvation has
already been
purchased by the
blood of Christ?
hearts?
I'd like to say
that I do
this myself, but
if I'm being
legally honest,
well, not even
legally honest, if
I'm being just
being honest, my
wife Kathy knows
it much better
than I do.
She notices that
sometimes my heart
isn't in the right
place when I serve.
Sometimes my heart
is just so self-absorbed
in itself, and I'm
looking at the work
set before me.
When I am most
self-absorbed with
myself, my thoughts
are this.
I need to pick
some good songs
for some service.
I need to figure
out some good
talking songs for
CT.
I need to cook
a delicious meal
for my life.
I need to deliver
the serving
well.
I need to
cook.
there's this
pressure of needing
to perform well,
to do things
right, that we
can voluntarily
stack on through
the works set
before us, that
actually takes
away the glorifying
God, and instead
makes it about
ourselves.
However, when we
remind ourselves
that we are already
counted as righteous
by God through
Jesus' sacrifice
on the cross, our
posture will
lie, our attitude
will change, and the
works set before us
will be done out of
the joy of being
able to serve our
Lord Jesus and his
disciples.
Wow.
I get to worship
God with these
songs that we sing.
I get to delve
into God's word with
my fellow brothers
and sisters at CT
and pray with me.
I get to love and
care for my family
by God's provision
and grace.
grace.
I get to delight in
God's word and
deliver it to his
people.
What on the
Father?
And over time, we
won't need to remind
ourselves so
constantly.
The Holy Spirit will
sanctify us more and
more that the joy of
the Lord will so
naturally ingrained in
our work and be a
part of our identity
with Christ.
Christ.
And so my prayer is
that we would all
surely transform in
this way by the
power of the Holy
Spirit, that this
would be the evidence
of our salvation in
the eyes of the
Supreme Judge, Jesus.
And now we turn to
the ghost on the
other side of Jesus.
Verse 42.
The Son of Man then
turns to those on
his left and says,
depart from me,
you cursed.
Into the eternal
fire prepared for the
devil and his
angels.
While Jesus beckons
the sheep on his
right to come, he
now says to the
ghost on his left
to depart from me.
He calls the right
blessed by my
Father, but he
calls the left
cursed.
And while those
on the right will
inherit the kingdom
prepared for them
from the foundation
of the world, those
on the left will
instead be cast into
the eternal fire
prepared for the
devil and his
angels.
In Revelation 20.
10, the devil is
cast into the lake
of fire and then
after the final
judgment, everyone
whose name is not
written in the book
of life is thrown
into the lake of
fire.
The eternal fire
of punishment was
prepared specifically
for the devil and
his angels, spiritual
forces who rebelled
against God.
God.
But now, those
who participate in
those same acts of
spiritual rebellion
against God, who
continue to be in
unrepentant and
unbelieving sin, they
participate in the
work of the devil.
And they are cast into
the eternal fire because
they are children of the
devil, crucified in
1 John 3.
10.
And Jesus describes in
detail the deeds of
those who are cursed
into the eternal fire.
In verse 42 to 43, they
did not give Jesus food
when he was angry.
They did not give him
drink when he was
thirsty.
They did not welcome
him as a stranger,
clothe his nakedness,
nor visit him his
sickness and
imprisonment.
Essentially, the
opposite of what the
sheep have done.
Those to the left of
Jesus will be confused
and bewildered as
well.
They ask him, Lord,
when did we not see
you and not minister
to you?
They cannot recall
times when they saw
Jesus in need and not
take care of him.
Like the sheep on the
right, they may not
even recall ever
encountering Jesus in
person.
Jesus, like he did with
the sheep, is so
patient to answer that
go over the minute in
verse 45.
Truly, I say to you,
as you did not do it to
one of the least of these,
you did not do it to me.
Again, Jesus is not
teaching here that these
people will be condemned
for being uncharitable
to the poor and needy,
since that would be the
same principle as
salvation by works.
However, the fact that
these people did not
receive and care for the
least of Jesus' brothers,
his disciples, means that
they also did not receive
and care for Jesus
himself.
Because they rejected
his disciples and the
word, they have also
rejected Jesus.
peace and his word.
And just as the faithful
disciples' deeds of care
was the evidence of
their salvation, the
unfaithful one's lack of
care was the evidence
of their demise.
When a king sends a
messenger to a foreign
country for diplomacy, the
messenger is an emissary, a
representative, an
ambassador to the king.
Whatever way the messenger
is treated translates in the
same way to the king
himself.
If another ruler is polite
and kind when directly with
the king, but then is
secretly cruel and hateful to
the king's messenger, he has
dishonored the king also.
To reject the king's lowly
messenger is to reject the
king himself.
Those who neglected Jesus did
exactly that.
By neglecting to care for the
least of these brothers of
Jesus, they also neglected to
care for Jesus himself.
Perhaps if they saw Jesus face to
face in their lifetime, out of
self-preservation and pride, they
would have received him readily
intended to his knees.
But when they are in the most
private of moments and they
encounter his unassumably made,
lowly disciples, they turn their
hands away, refusing to care for
them or to receive whatever
they may have to say on behalf
of their master.
Notice also that Jesus is not
pulling out those on the
south for atrocious sins and
wrongs they have committed before
neglecting to do right and
neglecting to do good specifically
towards Jesus' disciples.
These people could have countered
Jesus and said, Lord, we never
murdered your disciples.
We never stole or coveted from
them.
We never lied to them.
However, their neglect to care for
Jesus' disciples was also a
rejection of Jesus.
And this was evidence for their
spiritual unbelief.
Even if they had been righteous
indeed all their life, even if
they were the most philanthropic
and generous speakers in society,
even if they had a clean record
to their name, they did not
accept Jesus.
And they did not receive Jesus'
disciples.
This is evidence for their
spiritual death, for their
unbelief in Jesus as their Lord
and Savior, and their decisive
seal for the eternal flames of
punishment on the final judgment.
To my fellow brothers and sisters,
though we do not earn our
salvation by works, we still need
to keep our hearts in check.
Do we follow God's commandments
like a two-do list, marking off
all the sins that we have not
committed, but forget the heart
behind each command?
In the Sermon on the Mount, in
Matthew 5, Jesus tells us that the
law says, you shall not murder, but
that even those who harbor anger
at their brother will be liable
to judgment.
The law says to not swear and
go falsely.
But Jesus pushes that envelope,
saying to just let your yes be yes
and your no be no.
All of these laws that Jesus
fulfills in his sermon are for the
purpose of loving our neighbor as
ourselves.
Simply not murdering your neighbor
is not necessarily a fact of love.
You can't just walk up to someone
and say, I love you so I won't
murder you.
It doesn't sound very lovely.
But to forgive them of any wrongs
that may have breached you gets to
the heart of loving them well.
Simply not swearing and don't
falsely to your neighbor is not
necessarily a fact of love.
You can't just walk over to your
wife and say, I love you so I'm not
going to lie.
There's more to it than that.
There's more to the heart of the
command.
Holding fast and following through
with what you say to them is at the
heart of the command.
If we fall into the habit of just
checking off what we have not done,
and yet if we've left to do what is at
the heart of God's commands, we too
will lack true love for our brothers
and sisters and for Jesus.
In the same way that those on the
left of Jesus lack love for Jesus
and his disciples.
And so fellow Christian, be on guard
over your hearts that you do not
fail and fall into neglecting your
fellow brothers and sisters and
neglecting the heart of our Lord Jesus.
To those of you joining us this
morning, when we not consider
yourself a Christian, please hear
these words of Jesus carefully.
Jesus is judging to those who
must have sighted to be a bronze
and steal.
Jesus, the Son of Man, who has all
authority to judge the whole world
on final days, is saying that those
who do not receive his disciples and
care for him also do not receive him
and care for him.
Our final verse, verse 46, makes clear
what these consumments are.
These will go away into eternal
punishment of the righteous into
eternal life.
To reject Jesus' disciple is to reject
Jesus' disciple.
And to reject Jesus is to reject his
lordship over your own life and to be
cast into the eternal fire, the eternal
punishment when that final judgment day comes.
You can be as good in your actions and
conduct as you can.
You can be as generous to others as you want
in your lifetime.
But even the noblest of deeds done apart
from faith in Jesus is, as theologian
John Calvin calls it, splendid sin.
Because they lack any Christ-glorifying vote.
To the unbelievers who may be in our lives, I
don't say this to trap you.
But this morning in our Sunday service, you are
surrounded by Jesus' disciples, fellow brothers
and sisters of Jesus who are asking you,
imploring you, to not reject our word, to not reject
Jesus' word, to not reject Jesus as your lord and
savior, and to instead put your faith in him and come
into eternal life with him.
We ask you so desperately not to reject our word and not to reject Jesus
because we don't know when Jesus will return and bring that final judgment to the world.
But the fact that there is still time now is in itself a marvelous grace from God.
Because it means that you still have time here and now to set Jesus as lord and to identify with his sheep
destined for eternal joy rather than identify with the goats destined for eternal demise.
When Jesus comes, when he returns, there will be no extra time to settle your accounts.
There's no adverts to make, no just one second to make amends.
He will judge each and every one of us based off of our comment right then and there.
of whether we truly loved him through his disciples, the least of his brothers and sisters.
And just as the sheep and goats were strictly categorized into right and left,
Jesus, the supreme judge, will separate us strictly into eternal life and eternal punishment.
There are cosmic, eternal consequences to the decision that you make whether to follow Jesus or reject him.
I share this with you now, knowing full well that there are some of you here who do not believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
And I share this with you, knowing full well how hard it is to believe this.
Because I too have always been there.
Many of us in the church have been there, if not all of us.
We too have once rejected Jesus and his disciples and instead sought to make a name for ourselves.
To be Lord and King over our own lives.
Maybe it was finding success in our wealth.
Maybe it was desired influence amongst our friends and co-workers.
Maybe it was desired to find security in our family.
Maybe it was possible.
Maybe we wanted to start a legacy built on our own outlets.
Or maybe our life goal was to saturate ourselves in worldly pleasure to the point that we become numb from it.
Whatever the case, I too, we too, did not care for Jesus at one point.
At one point we did not love Jesus.
He had no business in my life, nor I in his.
But the more that I tried to climb up this endless ladder of self-driven success,
the emptier I felt.
The hungrier and thirstier I got.
The more estranged and alienated I became from others.
The more naked and exposed I felt of my weaknesses.
The sicker I felt in my stomach and my feathers.
And the more imprisoned I felt in my own mind and in my own life.
I felt hollow and empty and left to think,
if this is all that there is to this life,
it's not my privilege.
But God, in his infinite love and kindness,
showed me how mistaken, how broken of a sinner that I was
to try to play master over my own life.
And in that same love and kindness,
God sent his only son, Jesus,
2,000 years ago,
to come into this world of the humble poor man.
Not only to live on his stuff,
but to serve as the lowest,
the lowliest servant,
the least of these,
and to die,
though he was without sin,
to die the sinner's death on the cross.
For our sake.
That we would be saved and redeemed of our enslaved
into sin and death.
On that cross,
it was finished.
It was done.
Whatever we may have been working for ourselves,
no more death we have.
It was paid full
at the cross.
And when Jesus died
and resurrected from the dead,
he defeated that bondage of sin and death
that shackled us for all of our life.
And Jesus did all this
for the joy set before him.
Even as the world despised him
and shamed him,
even as they treated him
as the least of these,
Jesus died
with the joy set before us,
knowing that his sacrifice
would not only redeem us
from sin and shame,
but ultimately bring God
the utmost glory.
Anyone who believes in this
and believes in Jesus
will not face eternal punishment,
but instead
inherit the everlasting life.
2 Corinthians 5.17 says,
Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation.
The old has passed away.
Behold,
the new has come.
For our sake
he made him to be sin
who knew no sin,
so that in him
we might become
the righteousness
of God.
You can ask
any other Christian
here in this room
that believing in Jesus
as our Lord and Savior
was the moment
that transformed us
forever.
Anyone who puts their faith
in Christ
is a new creation
and will be counted
as righteous
in the eyes of God
by the blood of Jesus.
they will be called
blessed by the Father
and they will inherit
the kingdom prepared
for them
from the foundation
of the world
an eternal reward
infinitely better
than all the riches
of the earth
because they bear
the fruits,
the evidence
of their salvation.
And so please,
if you do not believe
now,
please receive
this invitation
from the least of these
Jesus' brothers
and sisters
and accept Jesus'
wonderful gift
of salvation today
while you can.
If you do accept Jesus
as your Lord
and Savior,
when that final day
of judgment comes,
when the Lord Jesus
returns in glory
and sits enthroned
on his glorious throne,
we will stand
before him
as our supreme judge
and he will give
a faithful account
of our deeds
and our conduct.
In the words
of English Pastor
Charles Spurgeon,
they fed the hungry,
but sovereign grace
had first fed them.
They clothed the naked,
but infinite love
first clothed them.
They went to the prison,
but free grace
had first set them free
from a worst prison.
They visited the sick,
but the good physician
in his infinite mercy
first came and visited them.
They did good
for Christ's sake
because it was
the sweetest thing
to do anything
for Jesus.
Your Lord
will accept
what you do
because he's doing
out of love to him.
And at the last,
while you blush
to hear it,
he will tell it
to the angels
and to the listening hosts
of earth and heaven
and swing wide
the gates of immortal bliss
and let you in
according to the promise
of his grace.
And so I ask you
this question,
this most important question
that will need to be
answered in your life.
Do you love Jesus?
I pray that as we confess
with our mouths,
our lives and our conduct
towards the least
of Jesus' little ones
would give evidence
of this love
until the day
that Jesus returns.
what's right?
O Lord,
what is the matter
that you would mind?
O Lord,
who are we
to lord over our own lives
to claim that we
are masters of our own faith?
when you are
the infinite God,
the almighty God,
the infinitely holy
and righteous
and just God
who knows far better
than we could ever imagine.
Yet out of your
infinite kindness
and mercy,
you give us grace
through your son of Jesus
that we could be
counted as righteous,
that we could be
called blessed,
that we would not need
to earn our salvation
but instead
inherit it
as our children.
But what gift of grace
that you are our redeemer?
And so stir our hearts
with,
fill our hearts
with affection
towards you,
remembering
that great
and costly sacrifice
that you are
that your son of Jesus
paid for our rehab.
And we pray
for those
who still lack
in their belief.
We pray
that you would
soften our hearts,
that you would
give them eyes
to see
and ears to listen
to truly witness
your wonder
and your majesty,
your grace
and your mercy.
Now,
we pray for all of us
in the holy name of Jesus.
Amen.