a day to remember

mt. 25:31-46

 

Introductory Comments/Vision Statements

 

End Times

 

 

Sermon Introduction

 

My day in court as a kid – at the mercy of the court.  Fear, power, respect.  “all rise” .

That day!

 

Text

 

Matthew 25: 31-46 (ESV)

 

 

Central Idea:  The Return of Christ will bring with it the final judgement of all creation. 

On Judgement day the king will finalize his perfect justice.

This Judgement will focus all our attention on the reigning King as he deals out blessings or curses to each man and woman according to their deeds.

 

It’s about the King

It’s according to our deeds

It results in blessings or curses

 

1.      its about the king

Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

 

1.1.                   A Glorious King

The Wizard of Oz!

Scared as a little kid!

The Lion before OZ!

1.1.1.                       Judge

 

 

Not - Why should I let you into my heaven?

 

As agent of justice. One who establishes and upholds justice.

Closer to Good King Wenceslas than Judge Judy

Like Aslan in Chronicles of Narnia

 

Psalm 96 (ESV)

 Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

          sing to the Lord, all the earth!

2      Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

          tell of his salvation from day to day.

3      Declare his glory among the nations,

          his marvelous works among all the peoples!

4      For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

          he is to be feared above all gods.

5      For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

          but the Lord made the heavens.

6      Splendor and majesty are before him;

          strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7      Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

          ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!

8      Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

          bring an offering, and come into his courts!

9      Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

          tremble before him, all the earth!

10      Say among the nations,  “The Lord reigns!

          Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;

          he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11      Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

          let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

12           let the field exult, and everything in it!

     Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

13           before the Lord, for he comes,

          for he comes to judge the earth.

     He will judge the world in righteousness,

          and the peoples in his faithfulness.

 

Joyous, Reigning!  He is KING!

 

About His exaltation as ruler over all men.

Every knee will bow and every tongue confess!

 

Revelation 5:11-14 (ESV)
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

 

 

1.2.                   A Sovereign King

 

 

Stop lights with cameras.

 

·         The all knowing, all ruling One!

·         What actions do you walk in that would be different if someone here were watching?  If “Pastor Paul” were there?  If Dave Harvey were there?

·         The King sees and we can not escape Him who rules over all!!

·         Living with the stoplight cameras always on!

 

1.3.                   A Gracious King

 

32 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. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 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.

 

 

John 3:16-21 (ESV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.

 

·         He already has provided escape from His wrath.

·         No condemnation in Christ.

·         Those for whom He has planned mercy and justice.

 

Romans 3:21-26 (ESV)
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

 

·         God must be just!  Only those who cling to Jesus can escape.

·         Justice now means forgiveness for the believer.

·         No double jeopardy!

·         No condemnation.

·         Rom 8:1

Romans 8:1 (ESV)
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

·         Will you flee to His mercy?

·         Will you repent and believe the good news or will you try to stand on that day on your own merit?

 

 

 

2.      according to Deeds

Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV)
35 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, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 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…………. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 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.’ 44 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?’ 45 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.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

2.1.                   Deeds are measured.

 

Keith Greene.

~  “The only difference between the sheep and the goats was what they did and didn’t do”

 

2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

 

Revelation 20:12 (ESV)
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

 

1 Corinthians 3:8 (ESV)
8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

 

1 Peter 1:17 (ESV)
17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,

 

Revelation 22:12 (ESV)
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.

 

Ephesians 6:8 (ESV)
8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

 

Hebrews 6:10 (ESV)
10 For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do.

 

Matthew 12:36 (ESV)
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

 

Romans 2:16 (ESV)
16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

 

Romans 2:6 (ESV)
6 He will render to each one according to his works:

 

Matthew 16:27 (ESV)
27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

 

Berkouwer writes: “The Savior teaches that the great divorce in the final judgment is tied up with the concrete acts of man during his present life (Matt. 25:31-46).

 

2.2.                   Deeds Based on Grace

 

 

John 5:20-29 (ESV)
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

 

The reason the Bible teaches that the final judgment will be according to works, even though salvation comes through faith in Christ and is never earned by works, is the intimate connection between faith and works.  Faith must reveal itself in works, and works, in turn are ht evidence of true faith.  As John Calvin once put it, “It is .. faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone.”  That this is so will be clear from the consideration of such scripture passages as James 2:26 (“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.”) and Galatians 5:6 (“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love”). 

Hoekema, TBATF, p. 261

 

This judgment, in other words, is not an investigation of the lives of the “sheep” to determine whether they have done enough good works to merit the kingdom prepared for them, but rather a gracious decision about their final destiny which is followed by a public revelation of the reasons why this decisions is right and proper.  .. Their surprise reveals that hey were not doing these  things in order to merit eternal life, but rather as a spontaneous way of expressing their true devotion to Christ by shoeing love to Christ’s brothers.  Their works were the evidence of heir faith.

Hoekema, TBATF, p. 262

 

 

Smoke and fire analogy – James and Paul.

 

… the sins and shortcomings of believers will be revealed in the judgment as forgiven sins, whose guilt has been totally covered by the blood  of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, as was said, believers have nothing to fear from the judgment – though the realization that they will have to give an account of everything they have done, said, and thought would be for them a constant incentive to diligent fighting against sin, conscientious Christian service, and consecrated living.

Hoekema, TBATF, p. 259.

 “How could God consider anyone worthy of reward ‘unless his infinite goodness had abolished all their demerit of punishment?’ Good works have a part in obtaining a reward only through ‘their acceptance by the divine mercy.’ He who concerns himself with the relation between works and reward must keep a steady bearing on God’s mercy. Otherwise he will lose himself in a maze of legalism and works-righteousness.”141 Rewards can only be understood in relation to the foundation, Jesus

140 G. C. Berkouwer, Studies in Dogmatics: Faith and Justification (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), pp. 105-106.

 

2.3.                   Deeds Proven In Relationships

 

 

There is overwhelming evidence that his expression does not refer to everyone who is suffering, but to Jesus’ followers who are suffering.  The emphasis is not on generic compassion  (as important as that is elsewhere), but on who has shown compassion to the followers of Jesus who are hungry, thirsty, unclothed, sick, or in prison…. Real followers of Jesus will go out of their way to help other followers of Jesus, not least the weakest and most despised of them; others will have no special inclination along these lines.  This is what separates sheep and goats.

DA Carson, For the Love of God, V1, Jan. 25

 

·         How we treat each other.

·         How are your deeds?

 

3.      Resulting in rewards

 

Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV)
…. 32 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. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 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. …………. 41 “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. ………….. 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

                                                    

3.1.                   Blessing or Curse

 

3.2.                   Different degrees.

The most detailed passage in the New Testament regarding the future judgment of believers and rewards is 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. Paul says that “no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (v. 11). Paul says that good works are built on this foundation (v. 12). The foundation of Christian ethics is the person and work of Jesus Christ. One must already be saved before one can do works which please God which in turn will receive a reward. This point is supported throughout Scripture.

Justification by Faith - Part V: Judgment According to Works - Brian Schwertley

 

The Protestant doctrine that the heavenly rewards that God gives Christians for good works are gifts of grace does not mean that believers are not valid secondary moral agents; nor does it mean that believers do not actively cooperate in their sanctification; nor does it mean that there is not a direct correlation between the good works done on earth and the rewards given in heaven. God is just and not arbitrary in bestowing these rewards. The point that needs to be emphasized is that these rewards are based on God’s promise, a promise which flows from God’s grace and mercy. God is obligated to give these rewards only because He of His own good pleasure decided to set up a system of rewards for good deeds upon earth. The whole idea of merit implies an obligation on God that apart from His own promise is simply not there. God does not owe man anything. Good deeds apart from grace merit nothing. Calvin writes: “Only let us not imagine a reciprocal relation of merit and reward which is the error into which the sophists fell, for want of considering the end which we have stated.... Nothing is clearer, than that the promise of a reward to good works is designed to afford some consolation to the weakness of our own flesh, but not to inflate our minds with vain-glory. Whoever, therefore, infers from this that there is any merit in works, or balances the work against the rewards, errs very widely from the true design of God.”150 God receives all the glory. When the saints worship God in heaven they “cast their crowns before the throne” (Rev. 4:10

Justification by Faith - Part V: Judgment According to Works - Brian Schwertley

 

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (ESV)
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

 

The three little pigs and my sons. Build well!!

 

Luke 19:11-27 (ESV)
11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’ ”

4.      Conclusion Applications

 

"I have only two days on my calendar, today, and That Day. Live today for That Day." – Martin Luther