Text: Matthew 25:31-46
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, You are coming to be our judge, but first you came to be our saviour. Have mercy on us, and grant us your blessing, so that on the day of judgement, we will be counted not only as blood-bought sheep, but dearly loved, and loving, children, to the glory of Your holy Name, Amen.
So many in this world are under the illusion that it doesn't matter what you do, and it doesn't matter what you believe, because God will open his doors of heaven, and say, 'welcome, everyone!' Our text shows clearly that on the last day, there will be two groups. Some will inherit eternal life, and the rest will be sent away from God, into eternal fire. It's not pleasant to think about people being sent to hell. It's frightening to think, 'what if it happened to me?!'
The Bible makes it clear that God wants to welcome everyone. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, St Paul urges God's people in 1 Timothy 2, verses 1 and 2, to pray for everyone, and then he continues: "This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
One of the best known verses of Scripture declares: "God loved the whole world, that he sent his one and only son, so that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. (John 3:16).
God wants all people to be saved. Our first reading for today, Ezekiel 34, shows the loving heart of God. There the Lord says, "I myself will search for my sheep and look after them." Earlier in the same book, he cries out, "Why will you die, O house of Israel?! For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord." (Ezekiel 18:31-32)
God wants all people to be saved. But in the sermon on the mount, our Lord makes it clear that not everyone will be. He says, in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven." (Verse 22 continues), "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' (Verse 23:) "Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evil-doers!'"
What matters is not great achievements in Christ's name, but whether or not Jesus knows us. In other words, does he have a personal relationship with us? As we hear Matthew 25:31-46, we may jump to the conclusion that the will of the Father is that we should get out there, and do all those good things Jesus mentions: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty; welcome the stranger, clothe the needy, tend the sick and support those in prison. God's will and command is that we love our neighbour, and care for them in all these ways, and more. But it is not on the basis of doing these things, that we will be saved, because so many other passages of Scripture clearly point us not to our own works, (which are always faulty and never sufficient), but rather to the work of Christ.
Ephesians 2:8 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." Romans 5:1,2 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
God assures us in these and many other passages, that eternal peace is his gift to us, freely available to all who trust in Christ. He will not turn around and contradict himself by requiring us to qualify for heaven by performing a series of good works.
It may look as though he is doing this in the passage before us today, but he is not. Look closely at the first words he speaks to those on his right, the sheep: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you, since the creation of the world."
Before he speaks of what they have done, he declares who his sheep are. They are those who have been blessed by the Father. At the start of the sermon on the mount, Christ says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Another word for this blessing, is grace. It is God's free, undeserved gift of forgiveness, acceptance, cleansing, and a place in his family. Christ's work has secured this blessing for us, and we enter this state of blessing, through faith in him. But even our faith in Christ is a work of God's grace, as Jesus declares in John 6:44 "No-one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. A few verse earlier, in verse 37 he says, "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away."
In Matthew 7:21 our Lord told us, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven." In John 6:39,40 he tells us: "This is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
If you have come to the Son, and have faith in him, you are blessed by the Father. You are a sheep, bought for God's eternal flock by the blood of Christ, our Good Shepherd. Even better than this, you are a child of God, born into God's family though the gift of baptism. As God's child, you have become his heir, and you may look forward to a wonderful inheritance. God has prepared this for you, from the creation of the world, because you are his child.
As his child, you love him. Your love may not be perfect, it may not be consistent, but you love God. Now, hidden under everything you do, there is love for God, which is the fruit of the Spirit's work in your life. This love makes your service to others, also a personal and loving service to Christ. Our Lord appreciates what we do in love for him, however faulty and unimpressive it may be in the eyes of others. Our Lord will not be judging us by our work, because he already knows and accepts us as his forgiven, much-loved sheep. Rather, he will receive all that we do, with the delight and joy of a parent who receives the efforts of his or her kindergarten child. Such pictures can't compare with the work of great artists, but they mean more to parents and grandparents, because they have been painted by a child whom they love, and who did the work in love. Our work is meaningful, and acceptable, even delightful to God, because we are acceptable, and delightful to him.
Those who reject Christ's love, have no access to God's blessing, and so remain under the curse. Those who are outside of Christ, cannot please him. However many good things they do, there is no love for Christ behind them, and there will never be any love for Christ, apart from the Father's blessing that comes through faith in Christ. How terrible, to hear Christ say, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evil-doers!'
What we believe does matter, and what we do, also matters. But what matters most, is God's love for us. All who come to God through Christ will find his door open, and a ready welcome! There is no need for anyone to remain under the curse, since Christ our Saviour has removed the curse for all who believe in him. He gives us peace as we stand on the edge of eternity, and enables us to live meaningful lives of love, inspired by his perfect love for us. God's Word is true. Amen!
May the peace of God, which is beyond our human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.