"The Final Judgment" Matthew 25b March 30 2025

“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.

(Pray...)

What is Genuine?

In Matthew’s timeline we are likely in the last week before Jesus is crucified

Since the beginning of Matthew, we have encountered various themes

One of the major themes in Matthew has been very evident these past few month - specifically the theme of what I call “What is Genuine and What Isn’t”

Another way to put it: Identifying the Sincere from the Superficial

Over and over Jesus has been teaching us the difference between those who are spiritually empty and those who are true followers of God

I would say during this final week of Jesus, that theme emerges several times:

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree (Mt 21)

Also in Mt 21, the Parable of the Two Sons and the Parable of the Tenants

Parable of the Wedding Feast (Mt 22)

Jesus touches on that theme in his Seven Woes to the Scribes & Pharisees (Mt 23)

And when Jesus gives us Signs of the End of the Age (Mt 24)

And at the end of Mt 24, when Jesus talks about that No One Knows That Day and Hour

Last week: The Parable of the Ten Virgins and The Parable of the Talents (Mt 25)

And now, we’re at the end of Mt 25 where Jesus talks about The Final Judgment

And I want you to consider that this same theme is present in the passage we’re looking at today

Sheep From the Goats

Even though this has elements that sound like a parable - it is parable-like

But this is not a parable

This is prophesy from Jesus, telling us what will happen in the last days

Jesus identifies himself in this by starting off saying, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory...”

This is not a parable about a bridegroom, or about a master who goes on a long journey -

Jesus is talking about himself during the final judgment that will happen in the future

He will come in all his glory, with all the angels with him, and he will then sit on his glorious throne

He will gather all the nations and he will separate all the people into two distinct groups:

The sheep and the goats

Notice it says he will separate all the people, “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats”

Jesus is the Good Shepherd - who tends to his sheep, and lays down his life for his sheep -

but the Good Shepherd will also deliver his wrath and judgment

And here is where that theme is revealed

The sheep on the right are the true followers of their Shepherd

The goats on the left are the unrighteous

Sheep need a shepherd to lead them

Goats are rebellious and independent

The sheep are the true, sincere followers of Jesus, the Good Shepherd

The goats are not

It couldn’t be any clearer

This is the simple criteria for the shepherd - the shepherd divides all the people from all the nations into two sections: The genuine followers, from those who are not genuine

Let’s continue - Jesus gives the sheep the reason why they are now on his right side and not his left

Verse 34 -

Matthew 25:34–36 ESV

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.’

The sheep are the sheep because they took care of Jesus

They showed their love for him

But the sheep are perplexed - when did they do all of these things for Jesus?

Let’s find out

Notice that those he previously called “sheep,” he’s now calling “the righteous”

Verse 37 -

Matthew 25:37–40 ESV

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.’

Question: What does Christ mean by, “the least of these?”

Do you suppose that part of what he means is that “the least of these” are the ones who are truly in need?

And - on some level, acknowledge that need?

And maybe sometimes, “the least of these” might refer to those who can be a challenge to serve and minister to?

And that maybe it can be hard to love “the least of these” because often, they can never personally repay you for loving them?

And maybe that’s the heart of what it means to be a Christian: to go out and love others, even if they’re unlovely

Let me be more specific: That the heart of Christian living is to love others in response to the infinite love Christ has shown you

And even if it’s difficult to do

To display God’s love to those who may not have the highest social standing in life

And display the love of God - even if it means you never get credit for it

Even to love your enemies and pray for them

A Survey of the Works of Jesus in Matthew

Maybe that’s why we’ve been learning from Jesus in this gospel of Matthew

Maybe that’s one of the reasons Jesus led by example and preached repentance - and gave us wonderful lessons, and taught us to pray, in the Sermon of the Mount

Maybe he was teaching us about “the least of these” when he healed lepers

And even that time when he healed the Centurion’s servant...who the Jews considered to be one of “the least of these”

And when he took the time to heal Peter’s mother-in-law - and then later, “with a word,” healed everyone who was brought to him

And then he showed love to “the least of these” when he healed two men who were possessed with demons

And then he took the time to heal a man who was paralyzed

He demonstrated his love for the “the least of these” when a ruler came up to him and told him his daughter had just died

So he took the time, and went out of his way to bring her back to life

And on his way, an outcast woman, who had been bleeding for years, took a chance...and ran up to him and barely touched the fringe of his garment

And that action healed her - and then Jesus turned around and ministered to her

All this, while Jesus was heading somewhere else - but he took the time with these lowly people

Jesus always ministered to the outcast-type of people

Like when he healed two blind men -

or when a mute, demon possessed man was brought to him - and he healed him and cleansed him

I don’t recall Jesus ever telling someone that he was too busy

Not once did he ever say, “Don’t bother me”

And Jesus was never embarrassed to do his Father’s work

Even when he healed a man, inside the synagogue, on the Sabbath

Jesus loved people - even if it meant a stain on his reputation

Jesus didn’t care - to him, loving “the least of these” came first

And then the man who baptized Jesus, the friend and cousin of Jesus was murdered

And while he was grieving the death of his beloved John the Baptist - Jesus saw the needs of the crowds - and fed many thousands

Jesus healed many - even great crowds who were brought to him - because he took his eyes off of himself, and served others

He also fed great crowds - never once, considering the social status of these people

It didn’t matter to him - even when a Gentile, Canaanite woman came and begged him to heal her daughter - Jesus loved her and her daughter was healed instantly

On and on - over and over - Jesus ministered to “the least of these” everywhere he went

The Ones on His Left

So, Jesus talks to the sheep on his right

Now, Jesus deals with the ones on his left

Verse 41 -

Matthew 25:41–46 ESV

“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.”

Final Observations

A few things I want you to notice

“...into the eternal fire...” Jesus can be referring to nothing else except hell. Its description and purpose in this passage, is explicit

The language used in this passage is unambiguous and leaves little room for alternative interpretations.

I’m not a fire & brimstone guy

But when Jesus preaches on hell - I’m right there to point it out

There is a heaven and there is a hell

And every person - from all nations - will go to one of those two

Notice that Jesus uses an interesting word here

This eternal fire has been prepared - almost every Bible translation has this word

Take a look at who this eternal fire was prepared for - for the devil and his angels

According to Jesus, this awful place was prepared specifically for “the devil and his angels,” not for unrighteous humans. But it would appear there is plenty of vacancy for them

If you spend your entire life in rebellion to God, who sent his Son to die for you - then you will end up in this place

Notice, earlier in this passage...[Verse 34 slide]

Jesus uses “prepared” twice in this passage

God prepared another place

Verse 34 says, “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.”

God’s kingdom was prepared for you!

Close

Let me ask: Do you think that loving the least of these, is a requirement for salvation?

That it’s a salvific requirement?

What about investing talents?

Is that a salvation issue?

What about having oil in your lamp - in order to be saved, do you have to have oil, like the five wise virgins?

The answer is obviously, most assuredly NO

There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation

We are saved by grace, through our faith - nothing else

We get to heaven only by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross

Rom 10:9 doesn’t say, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord - and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead - and if you love the least of these - you will be saved.”

So why did Jesus share these stories??

Jesus said all of this to demonstrate the outward result of a saved person

These are examples of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian

Again - the theme is genuine faith in comparison to a false faith

There are many details in this passage

Again, notice in this passage

The definition of giving him food when he was hungry - and giving him drink when he was thirsty, etc, etc

Is that these sheep did that to one of the least of these

Verse 40: ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

I don’t think this is meant in a legalistic way

“Well, I gave food to a homeless person once, so I’m good”

“I once gave a poor person $5, so I’m in the club”

I think it’s really meant to say, “Did you help anyone, from your heart, out of your love for God...because he has loved you?”

Based on the rest of the Bible, that’s how I understand this passage - and how it applies to us

The sheep are the righteous because they now have a changed heart

And that heart was changed only because of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life

And in a bigger picture - do you love Christ?

And if you love him, have you endeavored to obey him?

Does your love for Jesus motivate you to love others?

Are you a changed person?

If God has regenerated us - and made us a new creature - then we are indeed different

If you are a Christian, then the Holy Spirit lives within you

And he will display his fruit through your life

And what made you a true follower of Christ is your faith in him

My message today is not meant to make you feel bad

There is no list of things to do in order to be a genuine Christian

Jesus is teaching us what a genuine life looks like - and he’s certainly demonstrated that in his own life on earth

Allow God to work through you

(Pray...)

Communion

(Pick one…)

Matthew 26:26–28 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Luke 22:19–20 ESV

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

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