"Jesus Judges Us Just"
Matthew 25:31-46
August 1, 1999
Saint Mark's, Watertown, WI
Pastor Karl Walther
Introduction: Previously We Prepared Ourselves for the Judgment
The Bible encourages us with these words: The Lord did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear fellow Christians-- approaching the end of the millennium, and anticipating the arrival of this world's final day:
Last week I described for you the final day. If Jesus Christ returns today, if Jesus Christ returns before the end of this worship service (and he might): Every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. He'll appear: like lightning that comes from the east and is visible even in the west. He will come: on the clouds of heaven, ...with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones. And we will hear from him: a loud command, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet call of God. And then, as I said so often last week, "the entire universe will expire by fire".
Theme: Jesus Judges Us Just
But one thing we did not cover last week is the event from which that final day gets its name. That final day is Judgment Day-- and we didn't yet talk about the judgment that's going to take place on that day. Let's remedy the situation today as we consider from Christ's own mouth the account of nothing less than the Final Judgment itself. As we do so, we'll discover that on that day: JESUS JUDGES US JUST. Jesus will judge us to be just: (1) BASED ON OUR RELATIONSHIP TO HIM, (2) DEMONSTRATED BY OUR WORK FOR HIM, and (3) CONTRASTED TO THE ENEMIES OF HIM.
Background: Judgment Day's Scene Itself
God's Word to us today begins this way: 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.... Jesus was really summarizing what Daniel said about this same day some six hundred years earlier: Thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
Now, just imagine that scene-- a scene that you will certainly see someday! Laid out before your very eyes are thrones-- huge and heavenly thrones. Among these thrones is one terrific towering throne-- so exalted you can hardly take it all in at one time! God's glory -- the brilliant billowing exhibition of all his holiness, righteousness, perfection, mercy, grace, and love! -- is surrounding and soaking into you. You're in the presence of angels: several hundreds of millions-- yes, several hundreds of millions! You're in the presence of the risen, ascended, exalted, reigning King of all Creation: Jesus Christ! Your eyes -- these eyes! -- are beholding him. And so is every set of eyes that has ever existed: several tens of billions of them-- yes, several tens of billions! Given a little bit of elbow room, we'll fill a space a hundred miles by a hundred miles-- that's from Milwaukee way past Madison, and from here up to Green Bay!
Part One: Jesus Judges Justly ... Based on Relationship to Him
And then what? It says then: He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the white, pastured, shepherd-led sheep from the dark, mountainous, headstrong goats. He will put his people the sheep on his right and his enemies the goats on his left.
And how is he going to determine which are his people and which are his enemies? By their works, right? I mean, he says: I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.... And so, what we Lutherans have said for hundreds of years is wrong-- right? We don't get to heaven purely by God's grace through Spirit-inspired faith in Jesus Christ. Finally, finally, it does come down to works: I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink....
No! No! No! No! No! Ten thousand times: NO! Look at what the Bible says-- even here, even when our proud sinful hearts want to find reason for our salvation in ourselves. First of all, notice it's the sheep who are God's people. And sheep don't make themselves sheep. God makes sheep to be sheep. So, it's God alone that makes his people to be his people.
Furthermore, Jesus says to his people: Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. So, secondly, notice it's the Father who is blessing his people. It's not their work; it's his work -- and his work alone -- they will be with him eternally. Thirdly, it says here he gives them an inheritance. No one earns an inheritance. It comes to people just because they are sons or daughters of the right person. God has made his people his sons and his daughters. It's he -- and he alone -- who has given them the inheritance of heaven. Fourth, it says here that this is a kingdom prepared ... since the creation of the world. Heaven was waiting long before anyone did any miserable little good work to earn it.
And fifth and finally, God later calls these, his people, righteous. And how do people become righteous anyway? Well, the Bible tells us people are righteous freely by God's grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Application One: Jesus Judges Us Just...
Based on Our Relationship to Him
So, what's the message? -- Jesus Judges Us Just ... Based on Our Relationship to Him. In other words if you've ever harbored the thought that you contribute the least little bit of anything to your salvation, for the Savior's sake and for your soul's sake, get rid of that thought right now! God (!) made you his sheep. God (!) has blessed you. God (!) made you his child. God (!) has prepared your place in paradise. And God (!) has made you right by him through Jesus Christ.
Part Two: Jesus Judges Justly ... Demonstrated by Work for Him
Okay, so now that we've got that all straight, we can conclude that God doesn't care if we do any work for him-- just as long as we have a relationship to him through Jesus Christ. No! No! No! He wants to prove to everybody that his judgment is just. He wants to prove to everybody, demonstrably, that we do have a relationship to him. He wants to prove our faith in Christ by the work we do.
Look at what Jesus will say on that day: 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.
And then the righteous, who are seeing Jesus face to face for the first time, will say in a flabbergasted way: 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?
But the King will reply: I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine -- especially then for the Christians and maybe particularly for Christian children -- you did for me.
Application Two: Jesus Judges Us Just...
Demonstrated by Our Work for Him
What a reason that is for you kids to befriend that kid who has no friends and gets picked on all the time. You are befriending ... Jesus!-- it says here. What an incentive this is for you adults to pick out some poor person you know, some likely less lovable soul. Have a meal with him every week and pay for it. Or go to the store with her and buy her some clothes. Or take them in, or put them up in a hotel, or treat them to tickets or entertainment they wouldn't otherwise have. You are treating ... Jesus!-- it says here. And what a reason all of this is for all of us to be sure to visit friends: lying in the hospital, or sick at home, or (yes) in prison (if they land there). We are taking care of ... Jesus! And: Jesus Judges Us Just ... Demonstrated by Our Work for Him.
Part Three: Jesus Judges Justly ... Contrasted to the Enemies of Him
But if you need any more incentive to serve Christ, consider the alternative. The Lord will say to the others, to those on his left: Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared originally only for the devil and his angels. Why? 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.
Of course: 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?
And because, as usual, they weren't listening the first time, he'll have to say: I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.
Application Three: Jesus Judges Us Just...
Contrasted to the Enemies of Him
So, what's the message? -- Jesus Judges Us Just ... Contrasted to the Enemies of Him. So: Don't give up trusting in Jesus-- the way God's enemies do! Don't give up listening to Jesus-- the way God's enemies do! Don't give up worshiping Jesus! And don't give up serving Jesus! Every time you serve Jesus by serving others, you are declaring that Jesus has made you his friend and not his enemy-- also eternally.
Conclusion: Preparing Other People for the Judgment
And so, to conclude: Then they will go away to eternal punishment, ...but the righteous to eternal life.
So, are there people in your life who are heading to eternal punishment? Are there people in your life who need to know Christ? Are there people in your life with whom you want to share eternal paradise? Tell them about Jesus their Savior. Invite them to hear him-- this week. Reach them-- before it's too late. Amen.
The Bible encourages us with these words: May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. Amen.