Sermon for Saints Triumphant – Sunday November 17, 2019
Calvary/Marquette ● Soli Deo Gloria

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you 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 food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was 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, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting 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 take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him, 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?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” *

In the Name of Jesus, the Christ,
The Son of Man, The King, The Judge,
Through whom we stand as righteous,
Dear Fellow Redeemed by Faith in Him,

“Innocent…until proven Guilty.”

It’s a phrase that is familiar to most Americans because it is meant to be a single line description of our legal system. While people may be accused, judged and condemned in the so called ‘court of human opinion’ it’s supposed to be different in our legal system. No matter what some people suggest, people don’t go to jail for being obedient to the Law. People don’t go to prison based on hearsay. The death penalty isn’t given to those caught speeding. In our legal system innocence is assumed, guilt must be proven. Well, that’s the way it is supposed to work.

It’s a different matter before God. In His Word, God – who is perfect, holy and true – declares that we human beings are by birth and nature sinful. Ever since the first human beings disobeyed God and fell into sin, we are born corrupt. The simple and blatant disregard of Adam and Eve for God’s Command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil has turned the familiar legal statement on its head. We are sinful by nature. We commit sin in thought, in word and in action. When we must stand before God the Judge, we are…

“Guilty…until proven Innocent.”

In the Word of God before us this morning, Jesus the Son of Man describes in a picturesque way what will happen when He comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead. What should be an open and shut case against all of humankind will result in a division of humanity. All accused will be gathered before Him and those declared innocent will be proven innocent; while those declared guilty will be proven guilty. The righteous will receive eternal blessing, while the guilty will depart for eternal punishment.

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, no one knows the hour of your return, so I ask that you keep me always watchful and ready for that Day. Lead me daily to repent of my sins and to live my faith by faithfully serving you and my neighbor. As the signs of the end continue to intensify, take away my fear and allow me to lift up my head in joyful anticipation because my redemption is close at hand (Luke 21:28). Wake me from spiritual slumber and apathy so that I no longer indulge in the sinful deeds of darkness but be clothed in the armor of light (Romans 13:11-14). Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

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31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

There are times when we read certain passages in Scripture that we wonder, “Who is this talking about?” This is NOT one of those times.

Our Savior Jesus used this title to refer to Himself 80 times in the four Gospels. Most likely when we hear ‘Son of Man’ we probably think of the fact that Jesus was fully human. This title is much more than a reminder of Jesus humanity.
This title is also used of the Promised Savior in the Old Testament. When it is used in Isaiah and Daniel, it pictures the Savior, the Messiah both as a servant and as an exalted king. In fact, these words should remind us of one of the visions of the Prophet Daniel (7:13-14):

“I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

These words plainly refer to the Last Day. Jesus is the Son of Man (cf. Matthew 16:27, 19:28). He is the One who will sit on the throne of glory and judge the living and the dead, for He has been given authority to judge, as He Himself said (John 5:26-27):

26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.

Jesus explains how this will be done:

32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

All the Nations will be gathered before Him. Every human being who has ever lived and will ever live, whether dead or alive will be gathered, both the elect (cf. Matthew 24:31) and the unbelieving by the Holy Angels. They will stand before the throne of Christ (Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10).

He will separate them like a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. In Jesus’ day it was common for the sheep and the goats to be pastured together through the day and then returned to different pens at days end. It wasn’t difficult for a shepherd to distinguish between a sheep and a goat and neither will it be difficult for the Son of God to distinguish and separate the sheep (believers) from the goats (unbelievers) on the Last Day. Where we can only see the outer façade and the actions of others, the Son of God sees the heart.

Jesus often called His People, Believers, His Sheep. They will be set at his right hand. While even the goats belong to Him, they are not his chosen people. In a sense, this already is an indicator of the outcome, of the final judgment.

What should we expect the verdict to be when all of humankind are gathered before God? We should expect that all will receive the same judgment and the same punishment, for it is written (Romans 3:22b-23):

“For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

So then, brace yourselves. Jesus, the Son of Man, the King and Judge here tells us what he will say to those separated to his right hand. This is the first of two verdicts, listen carefully.

34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

After inviting them to draw near to him because they have been blessed by His Father – by our God – the King will bid them to take possession of and enjoy the Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. Well, that doesn’t sound like judgment at all, it sounds like a blessing. It is a blessing, the greatest blessing that can ever or will ever be given. It is a blessing planned long ago by God. It is a blessing finding its origin in the gracious Heavenly Father. It is a blessing carried out by the Son and then given and sustained by God the Spirit. For more than 2000 years God has been sending out His people – to invite every human being to come to him and freely receive this blessing through faith in His Son. He will continue to send out and to invite and enable others to come to Him to receive this blessing and gift received by faith until the Day here described dawns.

Why will there be division? Why do not all receive it? It is because the enemy has deceived many into rejecting and turning away from this greatest of blessings.

Wait, how can He give to them a Kingdom? How can a just and holy God give to sinners eternal blessing? Have not all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? How then can they be allowed to see and share in the Glory of God?

This is a public judgment and declaration and therefore the findings of the Judge will also be made public. This is not some colossal cosmic favoritism. This is justice based on grace, supported by evidence. Even as in a court of law men are proven guilty or innocent by evidence, so it will be on that day.

So, let’s hear the verdict.

‘Come, you 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 food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink;
I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

Wait, so people will go to heaven because of what they did? What are we doing here, we had better get to work providing food and drink, hospitality and clothing; we better start visiting the sick and those imprisoned!?

NO…no…no! Haven’t you been listening? This gift is given by God’s grace through faith in Christ. It was planned and made ready by God before any of us existed, to ‘do’ anything. This gracious gift has been reserved for us by a gracious God, it is not payment for a life of good deeds. It is a gift and status received by sinners through faith in Christ.

Still, this is a public proceeding…and only God can see faith in the heart. So, the King who is also our advocate (1 John 2:1), the one who intercedes and speaks in our defense, will also bear witness to the evidence of faith in the heart.
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These are not mere acts of charity, but acts of faith, for it is written (Hebrews 11:6):

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

These are not grand or sensational acts. The King will not say, “I was hungry and you gave me a grocery store; I was thirsty and you satisfied my every need; I was a stranger and you made me part of the family; I was naked and you gave me the keys to Getz’s; I was sick and you healed me, in prison and you broke me out!” The King will not say, “You always and without fail did these things.” These are the often-unnoticed acts of faith, unnoticed by men but recognized by God. They are not done for personal glory or recognition. They are often not even noticed by those who carry them out.

They are done in faith; they are done for Jesus.

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

When the Holy Spirit granted simple trust in Jesus and caused us to be spiritually born again in the Sacrament of Baptism we were given all we need to stand before God. We were, by faith, counted as righteous by God (Genesis 15:6, Galatians 3:6-7). Jesus’ perfect, sinless life was credited to us as if we were those in whom the Father was well pleased. God saw us at Baptism as righteous. In life, God the Holy Spirit sets before us opportunities to do good to others, a living thank you to Jesus who has redeemed us by His Blood.

The reaction of the righteous also reminds us that true good works are neither pre-meditated or chosen by us. Those counted as righteous by faith will not say, “Look at me! Yes, that’s right Jesus – bring it in here…we were two peas in a pod.” The reaction of Believers is – one of humility. When did we do anything for you, Lord? When we look at ourselves, we feel sinful pride, we see sin and weakness. When we look at Jesus, we see the one perfect child of God, whose life is credited to us. Faith is a gift, and even good works God prepares beforehand for us, as it is written (Ephesians 2:10):

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

When we help Jesus’ people in need, we serve Jesus. This service is an act of faith. Where there is no faith, there is no reaction.
There will be a second verdict of the King on that Day. It is directed toward those on his left hand, and it is the opposite verdict of that given to those on his right. It is a verdict – not of pardon and blessing – but of condemnation and punishment. Instead of urging these to ‘come’ to him for blessing, the King will say:

“Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Depart…not because He never wanted them or because he elected them to damnation. Depart because they rejected his invitation and blocked the door of their hearts when the Spirit of God came with blessing. They are left to stand before God in sin, without forgiveness. There is only one thing a just judge can do, pronounce judgment and punishment.

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 take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they also will answer Him, 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?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

The Scripture declares plainly (Hebrews 11:6), “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Where there is no faith in Christ, there can be no acts of faith for Christ. The Judge doesn’t mention any terrible deeds but simple inactivity, the absence of evidence of faith. The King will not say, “For your crimes of murder, rape and blasphemy you are forever consigned to hell.” There is only evidence of sin, no evidence of faith in Christ.

Now this does not mean that the unbelieving never did anything good or kind for anyone. They will have had compassion and showed mercy…but it was not for Jesus, not an act of faith, but something done for themselves. There will be no account of any deed done for Jesus.

They will not like it, but God’s verdict against them will be proven just. Then their sentence will be commuted and the blessing of the righteous forever realized.

“And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

We are by faith in Christ, even now, ‘Saints Triumphant.’ We are cleansed of sin and declared righteous saints by faith in Jesus. Our verdict is already now revealed. The King would have us win others destined for the left hand, by proclaiming the purpose and benefit of His suffering, death and resurrection. There will be those condemned to eternal punishment, but the King would prefer there be none.

We – you and I – have work to do. Let’s be all about Jesus…not ourselves. God help us to be His witnesses that others may be saved from condemnation to stand with us in joy everlasting.

“Guilty, having been proven innocent.”
Amen.