"JUDGMENT IS COMING"

What do you think about when you hear the word “judgment?”

Proposition - This morning we are going to look at 1) the foundation of the parable, 2) the response of those on His right, and 3) the response of those on His left.

Interrogative question - Which side are you on?

1. The Foundation of the Parable - vs. 31-33

Matthew 25:31–33 NASB95

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

What is the time frame of this event?

25:31 He will sit on the throne of His glory. This speaks of the earthly reign of Christ described in Rev. 20:4–6. The judgment described here in vv. 32–46 is different from the Great White Throne judgment of Rev. 20:11–15. This judgment precedes Christ’s millennial reign, and the subjects seem to be only those who are alive at His coming. This is sometimes referred to as the judgment of the nations, but His verdicts address individuals in the nations, not the nations as a whole (cf. v. 46) MacArthur, J., Jr., ed. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1442). Word Pub.

Who is the Son of Man?

What does the phrase “all the nations will be gathered? mean?

What is the significance of the sheep and goats?

This passage uses figurative language (shepherd … sheep … goats) drawn from Ezk 34:17–19 in Mt 25:32–33, but the rest is too literal to be classified as a parable. The passage is therefore best taken as a literal description of the final judgment. Quarles, C. L. (2017). Matthew. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 1545). Holman Bible Publishers.

2. The Response to those on His Right (sheep) - vs. 34-40

Matthew 25:34–40 (NASB95)

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 ‘For 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;

36 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, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

Who is the “King?”

What is the imperative command in vs. 34? (inherit the kingdom)

What do you think Jesus point is?

The parable shows that mere profession of one’s belief that does not lead to love and concern for people is useless. Cabal, T., Brand, C. O., Clendenen, E. R., Copan, P., Moreland, J. P., & Powell, D. (2007). The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (p. 1450). Holman Bible Publishers.

D. A. Carson says similarly, “True disciples will pass an examination not because they are trying to pass an examination but because they will love his brothers and sisters—and therefore Jesus. Goats will fail because, of course, they will not particularly care for Jesus’ brothers and sisters, and thus will be rejecting the Messiah himself (10:40–42)—just as Saul, in persecuting Christians, was actually persecuting Jesus (see Acts 9:5).” Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 541). Baker Books.

The first is whether we believe that Jesus is God come in human flesh (1 John 2:20–23; 4:2–3; 4:15; 5:1). The second is whether we obey Christ’s commands (1 John 2:3–6; 3:4–10; 5:2). The third is whether we love other Christians (1 John 2:9–11; 3:14; 4:7–21). This last test is the one on which the story of the separation of the sheep and goats depends, for the issue is whether we love and care for Christ’s followers, hence, whether we love Christ. This is what determines our destiny. Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 541). Baker Books.

3. The Response to those on His Left (goats) - vs. 41-46

Matthew 25:41–46 (NASB95)

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;

43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’

45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Who is on the left side?

What did these people do in order to be on the left?

What is the point that Jesus is making?

25:46 everlasting punishment … eternal life. The same Gr. word is used in both instances. The punishment of the wicked is as never-ending as the bliss of the righteous. The wicked are not given a second chance, nor are they annihilated. The punishment of the wicked dead is described throughout Scripture as “everlasting fire” (v. 41); “unquenchable fire” (3:12); “shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2); a place where “their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44–49); a place of “torments” and “flame” (Luke 16:23, 24); “everlasting destruction” (2 Thess. 1:9); a place of torment with “fire and brimstone” where “the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever” (Rev. 14:10, 11); and a “lake of fire and brimstone” where the wicked are “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). Here Jesus indicates that the punishment itself is everlasting—not merely the smoke and flames. The wicked are forever subject to the fury and the wrath of God. They consciously suffer shame and contempt and the assaults of an accusing conscience—along with the fiery wrath of an offended deity—for all of eternity. Even hell will acknowledge the perfect justice of God (Ps. 76:10); those who are there will know that their punishment is just and that they alone are to blame (cf. Deut. 32:3–5). MacArthur, J., Jr., ed. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1442). Word Pub.

Let’s notice one other thing as well. The wicked are condemned in this story not because of some great positive evil they have done but for their simple neglect of doing good. Or to put it in other terms, the people spoken of here are not the great sinners of the world, like Adolf Hitler or some serial killer. They are the good people who occupy the pews of churches and serve on philanthropic boards. Therefore, when the judgment comes, they are astonished. They are like the foolish virgins who cannot understand why the groom will not open the door for them or the servant who cannot perceive why the Lord is not satisfied by his zero-growth performance. Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 543). Baker Books.

John Ryle was no alarmist, but he wrote:

Who shall describe the misery of eternal punishment? It is something utterly indescribable and inconceivable. The eternal pain of body; the eternal sting of an accusing conscience; the eternal society of none but the wicked, the devil and his angels; the eternal remembrance of opportunities neglected and Christ despised; the eternal prospect of a weary, hopeless future—all this is misery indeed: it is enough to make our ears tingle, and our blood run cold. Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 545). Baker Books.

SO WHAT?

An inconsistent life invalidates the profession, however sincerely it may be expressed. Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 542). Baker Books.

William Hendriksen is on target here when he says, “In the case of any given individual what matters is whether he has during his earthly life given evidence of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; therefore, of a life in harmony with Christ’s commands and example.” Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 542). Baker Books.

R. V. G. Tasker says, “As in the previous parables of the ten virgins and of entrusted wealth, so in this picture of the great assize, it is not so much positive wrong-doing that evokes the severest censure, as the utter failure to do good.”9 The desire to do good comes from receiving the life of the Lord Jesus Christ within, which is regeneration. Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 543). Baker Books.

Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, “Not one goat will be left among the sheep, nor one sheep with the goats.… There will be no middle company in that day.” Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 544). Baker Books.