Untitled Sermon (3)

Intro: The Four Last things (3)

Advent — means the coming

During this time, we focus on two key events, one in the past, and the other that is coming in the future

One, was the first coming of Jesus Christ The other, the future coming of Christ What comes to might when you think of advent

Hopefully more than advent calendars with chocolates The birth of Christ

Wreath’s and candles as we count down the weeks of You likely think of the following four topics. Hope, peace, joy, and love

But we are doing something quite different this year for Advent. Our four weeks of advent are going to cover the last four things.

Very different subjects from what we might normally think of during advent Certainly different from what the world would have you think about during this time of the year.

After death, comes judgment

Hebrews 9:27 27 … it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

We confess this every week when we recite The Apostles’ Creed together…

Our text this morning from Matthew 25 describes the final judgment that is to come.

Matt 25:31-33 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 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.

The imagery being described here is that of King Jesus, sitting on his throne to execute justice.

King Solomons throne wad described as such

1 Kings 7:7 7 And he made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the Hall of Judgment.

I. ✅ Prepare for advent by anticipating Christ’s second coming as the Judge (10)

i. ✅ Christ’s judgment is just (3)

Illustrate — Lady justice

Balanced scales — every person will be judged with equity Blindfolded — every person will be judged apart from biases — rather they will be judged according to what they have done Wielding a sword — She is ready to execute justice as it is deserved In a human court of law — this is the ideal, but justice is not always executed perfect Demonstrate in Scripture

The justice that human courts aim for are but a reflection of the perfect justice of God. Listen to the words of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, when the judges of the land;

2 Chronicles 19:6-7 “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. 7 Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

Human status isn’t going to sway God’s just judgment

Jew and gentiles

Rom 2:8-11 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

Masters and slaves alike

Eph 6:9 9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

Christ’s judgment will be executed with perfect justice

To the Jew and Gentile The rich and the poor Male and female Young and old

ii. ✅ Christ’s judgment is inescapable (5)

You cannot hide from God’s judgment

Universal judgment

Matt 25:32 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations,

You cannot hide from Christ’s judgment, anymore than Adam and Eve could hide from from God when they sinned against him in Eden

You cannot hide your sin Christ’s judgment

Ecc 12:14 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

You might be able to hide your sins from other people… you might think you’ve gotten away with what you have done. But every secret sins will be exposed at the final judgment, because God is omniscient — he knows everything and nothing is hidden from him!

It’s not just the secret sins we’ve done with our hands that will be brought into account.

Even the secrets sins of our hearts will be brought to light at the final judgment.

when the Lord comes, he will…

1 Cor 4:5 5 … bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart…

Jn 2:24-25 ….[Jesus] knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Matt 9:3-4 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

1 Sam 16:7 …the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.

iii. ✅ Christ’s judgment eternal and final (2)

Here in our text, those on the left and on the right are given their due… to the wicked…

Matt 25:46 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Plenty more can be said about both heaven and hell… and much of what can be said will have to wait for the next two weeks. But for now, it’s worth noting the word eternal… and there it is final.

In the human court of law — mistrials can happen. Because evidence men are so often unjust. Or because men may not see all the evidence that is needed in order rightly administer justice. But God is just… and he knows everything… so with this, his judgment is final.

The guilty plead their case… and try to persuade the Judge…

Matt 7:22-23 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

you can even beg for mercy — but the decisions will stand. Such was the case for the rich man in Luke 16:19

Lk 16:24-26 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

Transition

Just as certain as death is… so too, judgment day is coming. And Christ’s judgment is just, inescapable, eternal, and final. In light of this, we ought to examine ourselves and our standing with Christ while we there is still breath in our lungs. Because Christ is coming soon, and when he does, he judge the living and the dead.

II. ✅ Prepare for advent by examining yourself before you are judged (10)

i. ✅ Only two categories of people that really matter (3)

There are countless ways that we might categorize people.

Jew or Gentile Young or old Male or Female Rich or poor You can even go further by categorizing people by their various Myers-Brigs personality types But at at the final judgment, none of these categories will ultimately matter.

While there will be a great variety of peoples before Christ’s throne on the day of Judgment as every nation is gathered to be judged. There are only two types of people on the final day of judgment.

Matt 25:32-33 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.

Most people spend more time thinking about their position in society, but not their position on that last day… but let us make sure that we examine ourselves carefully. Because at the end of the day, distinction that can be made about you.

Are you a sheep… or are you a goat….

To put it are you in Christ — or not This distinction is of the utmost importance each of us

because the differences distinguishes those who will receive eternal life and blessing in the kingdom of God where Christ is… from those who will be cast out into the eternal punishment with Satan and his demons.

Matt 25:34 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.

Matt 25:41 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.

Jesus’ second advent is surely anticipated by those who are sheep… but for those who are goats, it will be the most dreadful day.

How can we tell what we are?

Listen to the traits of the sheep

Matt 25:33-36 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. 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.’

Now listen to the traits of the goats

Matt 25:41-43 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. 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.’

A few things to note about these lists of works that are either present or absent in the lives of the sheep and goats…

We often think it’s that it’s the worst of sinners that are deserving of hell — these are hardly the sins that we would consider significant.

In fact, what they failed to do, was to do good. And it they weren’t great works that they failed at… but simple and small works.

While these sins are mentioned, these are not all the sins that will be judged on the last day…

Gal 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We’ll talk about theses lists of works in a moment… but this brings up an important question

ii. ✅ Are we saved by works? (3)

The obvious answer is no

Eph 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

If we are not saved by works, then what’s going on here? And many other Scriptures that speak of judging our works?

First, Jesus separates the sheep from the goats (v 32)

The separation is by species of animal It’s not what they do — but who they are And who they are is made evident by what they do And then his judgment of who they are is based on what they have done. Judgment is not done merely on the basis of what you’ve done — but it’s on the basis of what you are.

What we do reveals what we are

Jas 3:11-12

Jas 3:11-12 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Matt 12:33

Matt 12:33 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.

Matt 12:34-37 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

"If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

So it is with the sheep and the goat… what you do, reveals what you are

iii. ✅ The need to examine ourselves (2)

So if a tree is known by it’s fruit… then we have good reason to examine the fruit of our lives.

Personal examination

Paul put it this way when writing to the Corinthians

2 Cor 13:5-6 5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.

And I might add — there is no sense in not being honest with yourself when you examine your life.

You might try to justify your sin You might try to hide your sin But if recognize your sins, and you don’t repent of your sins — you need to understand, you are playing with eternal hellfire When Christ comes in judgment, he will not justify you of sins that you self justify.. He will not cover the sins that you tried to hide. Instead he will judge you for your sin.

Let me go a step further and talk about the need for a kind of corporate examination

the writer of Hebrews talks about a kind of corporate examination

Heb 10:24-27 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. 26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

And again, when Paul instructed the Corinthians to discipline the man who was living in unrepentant sin he wrote

1 Cor 5:5 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

When Church discipline reaches the point of excommunication, we are portraying what will ultimately happen on the Day of Judgment enacts if that person does not turn and repent of their sins.

This might seem harsh and even extreme, but I assure it is a gracious thing to do in light of the seriousness of one who may die in their sin.

So I encourage you — examine your life. Do you bear fruit in keeping with repentance? I would encourage you further, invite others to examine your life with you and even rebuke you if they recognize that you are living in unrepentant sin.

iv. ✅ What are the results?

Upon examining yourself — what would the judgment be? Would are you a sheep or a goat?

if you examine yourself and think yourself to be a sheep — you have good reason to look forward to the return of Christ! And until he comes

Gal 6:9-10 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

In other words… if you are a sheep, then keep doing what sheep do

That’s my exhortation for those who think they are sheep

But what if you think you are a goat? What should you do?

Start behaving like the sheep?

Should you start feeding the hungry and giving a drink to the thirsty? Should you start welcoming the stranger and clothing the the naked? Should you start visiting the sick, and those who are in prison? Do these behaviors transform a goat into a sheep?

Illustrate: Putting a shirt on a dog

Does putting a shirt on my dog make him my son? And doing a bunch of good works will not turn a goat into a sheep.

Isa 64:6 Our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment

Matt 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Do you remember what happened to Ananias and Sapphira when they gave far more than a drink of cold water to those who were thirsty — they sold a piece of property — but they did it to be seen by others. And the outcome of their greedy gift was both of their death. The same will be for the goat who tries to act like a sheep.

III. Prepare for advent by looking back to Christ first coming when was judged (10)

i. Christ was judged in his first coming

Remember the position of a king when he comes to judge?

He comes, and he sits on his throne Well when Christ first came, it was not to assume the position the throne to judge the nations. When he came, his enthronement was on the cross, where his blood would save the nations.

Jn 19.13

Jn 19:13 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha.

Pilate is taking his position as the judge — and it is Jesus who is on trial before Pilate

Christ was innocently condemned by men

Even when judged — he was found guiltless

Jn 18:38-40 After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Notice the difference between Jesus and Barabbas…

Jesus, the guiltless one, unworthy to be condemned — even in the sight of Pilate

Barabbas, was the one who was guilty

Jn 19:1-4 — [an unfortunate chapter break] Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”

Three times now, Pilate has said that he finds no guilt in Jesus

Jn 19:12-13 12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha.

Here it is — Pilate, the judge is about to make his judgment

Jn 19:14-16 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

Christ, the king — who had no fault, is about to bear the worst punishment a criminal could face. Unjust trial by an unjust judge — against the king of kings

ii. Christ was judged in the place his church

2 Cor 5:21 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Do you want to be a sheep? — then believe in Jesus, and you will be saved from the judgment that is to come!

iii. How can you not love Christ upon seeing his love for the world?

iv. The second commandment is like it

Conclusion (2)

John 3:16-21 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 works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”