We are Blessed to Inherit God’s Kingdom based on Matthew 25:31-46

I. Prepared for your arrival.

II. The return of Jesus as Judge.

III. Jesus has plans for us. Today, we hear that Jesus has made plans for us when He returns. To those on His right hand, those who are faithful and are counted righteous, Jesus says, “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.”

IV. Fear of end of the world. Jesus “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

V. Scapegoat in Leviticus 16. And yet many people still refuse to believe in the saving work of Jesus and are compared to goats in today’s Gospel lesson in Matthew 25. Why are they compared to goats? Leviticus 16:20-22, 26-27 gives us the following clue: “And when (Aaron) has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.… And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire.”

VI. Sheep and Psalm 23. Why are those who believe in Jesus compared to sheep? Psalm 23 gives us a clue. Psalm 23:1-6 states, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Like sheep, believers in Jesus look to Him for daily guidance, protection, and help.

VII. We can look forward eagerly to Jesus’ return.

VIII. Matthew 25:31-46. Matthew 25 gives us a glimpse of the Final Judgment Day. Jesus, identifying Himself as the Son of Man and the King, states, “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.”

IX. We are blessed to inherit God’s kingdom prepared for us. Our Lord tells us that He prepared a kingdom for us to comfort us. We need not fear His return. Because He has forgiven all our sins, we will be found at His right hand. We will receive the kingdom that He has prepared for us. And He loved us so much that He planned our salvation and our reward before the foundation of the world. We are blessed as guests our Lord has been waiting to receive for a long time, in fact, since the creation of the world. Amen.