Your King Will Come!
Matthew 25:31–46
[Jesus said:] “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.”
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, You first sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to redeem us by paying for the sins of all people on the cross. Because of His first coming, we can have hope at His second coming. For the King who comes to judge is also our King who graciously offered up His life so that we might live. Grant us humility and confidence only in Jesus, who is our righteousness! Amen.
Dear Fellow Redeemed,
There might be no more sobering words describing the end of the world than “Judgement Day.” It seems that churches tend to handle judgement day in different ways. On the one hand, some use judgement day as a scare tactic to encourage Christian living. One of my favorite things about car trips is seeing the billboards on the interstate. I saw one recently that had on the left side of the billboard a picture of flames and darkness and on the right-side clouds and sunshine with text on top that said: Judgement Day: choose wisely. This church is using judgement day as a scare tactic.
On the other hand, some churches ignore any mention of judgment day. These churches try to avoid talking about judgement, sin, and any other difficult topic because it might turn some people off. I once saw a sign in front of a church that said, “Jesus didn’t judge, neither do we.” This church was trying to ignore sin and the reality of God’s judgement.
One of the great blessings of the Historic Lectionary is that it keeps us grounded. Over the course of a year, we cover all the major teachings of the Christian faith. It prevents the pastor from getting on his hobby horse and only preaching on one thing—like judgement day. Instead, the Historic Lectionary covers all the major teachings of the Christian faith, in line with Jesus’ command to teach all things.
We are now entering the end of the church year—the end of the Trinity season, which focuses on the end of the world. While we don’t know when, we can be certain that the King will come. These words may sound like a threat, but for the believer they are a great comfort. For the King who is coming is also your King. The King who is judge, is also your Savior who gave himself for you. And that is why we can rejoice at the words, “Your King will come!”
Our lesson for today, along with the two preceding chapters about the end of the world, were brought about by the disciples’ question, “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). Jesus explained the signs that would accompany the end of the world—the wars, famines, persecutions and so forth. He points to many specific signs and then says, “But of that day and hour no one know, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
This is striking for two reasons. The signs that Jesus mentions could almost be applied every generation of Christians after Jesus ascended into heaven. There have always been wars, rumors of wars, and persecutions to a lesser and greater extent. But then he says that no one can know the day nor the hour. Why would he give us signs if we can’t know when he is going to return? So that we stay vigilant. To stay on guard and be ready for his return by abiding in his Word and receiving the Sacrament.
Why does Jesus want us to be ready? Because “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.”
It’s not a matter of if, but when. Jesus will come. And he will separate the sheep and the goats—the believers and unbelievers. He will welcome his sheep into heaven and send the goats to hell. But why are some saved and other not?
The Lord clearly teaches that he desires all people to be saved (John 2:16, II Peter 3:9, Ezekiel 33:11). God doesn’t delight in the death of the wicked. However, because people reject Christ, they bring judgement upon themselves. Therefore, he will come on the last day to separate his believers from the unbelievers. All nations will come before him. In this life only Christians regard Jesus as King. But in the judgement, all will acknowledge him as the King of kings.
Jesus warns us because he doesn’t want us to live in carnal security, but humble repentance. Jesus doesn’t want us to be consumed with trying to determine the “signs of the times,” but rather focus on proclaiming the Law and Gospel. He also wants the end of the world to be our comfort, not our terror. As the times get worse in this world, Jesus encourages us, “look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).
When you get to the end of your workday, it is a relief. When you finish a race, it is a relief. In a similar way, the end of the world is a comfort for Christians. Because it will be the end of sin, the end of suffering, and a new beginning of eternal peace, joy, and rest. But for those who reject Christ it will bring destruction and suffering—never ending separation from God and all that is good. And so, the Last Judgement is a warning for unbelievers. Yet even Christians can have some reservations about the end. Maybe, after hearing the text for today’s sermon, we may wonder if we are truly sheep. The topic of the Last Judgement, heaven and hell, leads us to the important question, “How will I be saved? Why would God let me into heaven?” Every Christian, at one time or another, has concerns about this great last day.
Our Lord’s words to those at his right hand bring wonderful comfort to you and me. He says, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Jesus says to those who are blessed by the Father, “inherit the kingdom.” God sometimes speaks about salvation in courtroom terms like justification or as an undeserved kindness, but here Jesus describes it as an inheritance.
Earthly inheritances are often given to family and loved ones. People scrimp and save, sacrifice time and effort, so that they can benefit others when they die. Anything that we receive from an inheritance is because of the sacrifice and work of someone else.
Consider what your Savior did for you to receive the greatest inheritance of eternal life! The inheritance was secured by the precious blood of Jesus. He lived a life of love and mercy, which led him to the cross where he would be beaten, mocked, and abandoned by God. Jesus sacrificed his own life, so that we might inherit eternal life! On the cross, Jesus earned an inheritance that will not fade away! And he won this inheritance for all people. The One who will come to judge all nations is also the One who first shed his blood for all nations—all people.
Scripture says, “[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (I Timothy 2:4–6). Think of the love of Jesus! His love for the world is so great, that he died for all people—so that anyone who would believe in him could receive a full inheritance in his kingdom. The death of our Jesus on the cross brought about our inheritance of forgiveness, life, and salvation.
Jesus says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The heaven that Jesus has prepared for his Church—all believers—was prepared before time began. What a comfort! Our efforts do not contribute to us inheriting the kingdom, for the kingdom was prepared before any of us had the opportunity to do any works good or bad. The inheritance of the kingdom is freely given by God’s grace alone!
If Jesus teaches us that heaven is an inheritance—a gift, we might wonder why he mentions our good works. Jesus mentions many acts of mercy that they did to him. How do we explain this? What is the connection between faith and good works?
I remember my seminary professor asking this question: “Are good works necessary for salvation?” To which he would answer, no. Then he would ask, “Are good works necessary?” And he would say, yes. Good works are not necessary for salvation, but they are necessary. Martin Luther put it this way: “Faith alone saves, but faith is never alone.”
Our good works do not save us. Only Jesus saves. However, our good works do matter for this reason: they are evidence of the faith we have in Jesus. When a person lives a loveless, judgmental, and unrepentant life, it is evidence of unbelief. Faith without works is dead. Jesus mentions the good deeds of those who fed, clothed, and showed him kindness, because “A good tree bears good fruit.” Good works do not make you a Christian, as Scripture teaches, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” However, a person who has faith in Christ does do good works.
But notice the simple deeds that Jesus mentions. These are actions anyone can do under normal circumstances. They might be works that go unnoticed by the world, but not by Jesus. The time you stayed up with your sick child, Jesus says you did it to him. The time you showed mercy to your neighbor who had hurt you in the past, Jesus says you showed it to him. The time you listened to a friend who was struggling, provided a meal, or visited someone in the hospital, you did it to him. Jesus considers the kindness you’ve shown your children, parents, brothers, sisters, friends, enemies, as kindness done to him. “Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.” Our imperfect works of kindness, those “chores,” and “things we want or ought to do” for others take on a whole new perspective.
Our lives have not always overflowed with good works. We have all sinned and failed to show mercy or kindness when we could have. But Jesus has paid for those sins too. By faith, the Lord covers over our imperfections with his perfect righteousness, and he makes our works holy and pleasing to him. His Word tells us, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26–27).
Did you notice that Jesus didn’t mention any of the sins of those at his right hand? That is because their sins have been forgiven. And when God forgives sins, he also forgets them. And so, the only thing that remains are the small and simple kindnesses that we have done for others, which Jesus counts as mercy shown to him. And the same is true for you. Jesus has forgiven all of your sins. He promises, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” While Satan tries to condemn you by holding up your sins, they have been forgiven and forgotten by God. And that is why, the words: “Your King will Come” are a great comfort. Because that means he is coming to take you home, not to condemn you. He is coming to deliver you from this world, not leave you in it. He comes to wipe away your tears and welcome you to the inheritance of his heavenly kingdom.
Take heart dear Christians, your King will come! And what a wonderful day that will be. Lord, come quickly! Amen.