The Gospel of Matthew is the story of Jesus on earth written as a manual of life or maybe, a baptismal course for new Christians wanting to understand the good news thoroughly. So rather than being written in strict chronological order, the teachings of Jesus are gathered into four sections

1.     The Sermon on the mount Matthew  5-7   

2.     Authority and parables of the Kingdom Matthew 11-13

3.     Forgiveness & Kingdom values Matthew 18-20

4.     Second coming Matthew 21-25

Our Bible reading this morning is the final part of Jesus’ explanation about his Second Coming.

 We have already looked at the rest of the explanation.

The teaching springs from Jesus entering into Jerusalem. He weeps over the city because he knows that in 40 years it will be a place of utter horror, maybe a million dead, the city ransacked, the temple pulled down and the Jews impoverished. You can read the full horror of it in a book called “The Jewish War” written by Josephus who was a collaborator with the Romans.

But Jesus looks beyond AD 70 to a day and hour unknown when he would return. Picking up Matthew 24:30 we read

 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

And this is the underlying theme of what we have been considering recently. Today we return to the Second Coming as an event that will happen. The drama of Matthew is that immediately following today’s reading we jump into the story of the arrest, death and resurrection of Jesus.

 

 So lets read the text.

Matthew 25:31-46

 

 This is a certain event. It is Jesus who is speaking. There are no ifs and buts, maybes or possibilities. Jesus is clear WHEN the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.

This is exciting stuff for a Christian! Jesus is coming back! We have here a few details. First he comes in his glory. That would be understood as the glory shown to Peter, James and John at the transfiguration. The glory described in Isaiah 6. The glory John was yet to see in Revelation 1:12-16. Listen to this: Jesus is like this:

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

Whatever you make of that, you cannot but understand that John saw his friend and companion for three years in an amazing revelation of his greatness. But it is not just a visual effect, in  John 1:14 we read

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is not bling, he is solid gold in grace and truth. It is that that causes him to outshine the sun.

And he is coming again. Listen to some other scriptures on the same subject:

1Thessalonians 4:16 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

 

Daniel 4:16-17

¹³ “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

 

John 14:1-3; 28

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’

 

It is certain. It is amazing. Look forward to it, you will be there, if you have trusted Jesus for salvation, whether you live that long or not…  the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. You will be flying!

 

 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

 

 

 What is the difference between Sheep and goats?

 

Suggestions?

 

 1.A goat is more slender of the two, while a sheep is tubbier!
2.Sheep belong to the Ovas Aries species and have 54 chromosomes while goats belong to Capra Hircus species and have 60 chromosomes.
3.A goat’s tail is for most part stands up while a sheep’s hangs down.
4.A goat is a typical browser, feeding on leaves, shrubs, twigs and vines. A sheep on the other hand loves to graze on grass and clover.
5.Goats are curious by nature and are quite independent. A sheep on the other hand prefers to stay put in its flock.
6.Wild goats are found in abundance and by all accounts sheep are entirely domesticated.

 

When it comes to sorting out sheep and goats, it is best left to a shepherd. And the same applies to us when we will be sorted out before Jesus.

What is Jesus looking for?

This is spelt out twice. Both positively and negatively.

          I was hungry

I was thirsty

I was a stranger

I needed clothes

I was sick

I was in prison

What is it about these 6 conditions that Jesus draws our attention to? Why are they given as tests of righteousness?

 

 They reflect his grace. They are all about giving without expecting a reward. They are all about caring for people in a bad place. Why? Because if you have received grace through faith and are living by grace through faith then you will act in grace.

So do you feed the hungry? I know we vaguely support the foodbank, and we as a church provide food for those who are hungry, but would you give food to a drug addict or have you not received grace enough to understand that God loves you and Jesus gave himself for you when you were abusing the life he created you for.

Would you offer a drink of water to anyone who asked? Interestingly Jesus actually comments on this in Matthew 10:42  And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

It is not quantity that Jesus is looking for, it is motivation.

When you meet a stranger, is your concern for your own safety or theirs? Or are you too busy complaining that there are too many immigrants here already? This is a solemn warning, isn’t it? The test of you having received grace is that you care more for the stranger than the economy. Jesus demonstrated his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Hebrews 13: 1-2 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

 

What about clothing? Because we are wealthy we buy clothes beyond that which we need. So we generate second-hand clothing from our wealth. I hope you share that through some charity or other. But In Luke 3:8;10-11 John the Baptist  calls us to share our second coat and our food with someone who needs it.

8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

Caring for the sick

The strength of our nation lies in its National Health Service. It reflects the Christian tradition that care is given without charge. As we move away from that Christian tradition we see the NHS as a burden, the poor as a cost, care for the elderly as a low priority paying below the minimum wage and getting away with it.

As Christians we will have to find ways to care for the sick when the state fails to deliver. Whether the sickness is self-induced by life-style or not, we have received grace and we should give it.

 

We do not often have acquaintances in prison but if we do, grace would seek to visit them even if we despise what they did to get there. Clearly we have a way of expressing our love for Jesus in specifically caring for our brothers and sisters suffering persecution in any part of the world. Back to Hebrews 13:3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

 

So this is about whether you have responded to the love of God. The question is are you living as if you are saved by grace or are you living as if God owed you salvation as a favour for your being at church, being a good citizen, being lucky and avoiding sharing your wealth or poverty with others.

 

This is not a test you have to fill in at the second coming. Notice Jesus separates the sheep and the goats before the discussion as to why.  Heaven is not for the rich or the celebrity or the self-righteous. It is for those who received God’s love and in a response to it, have demonstrated that they understand grace is about giving to those who cannot give us anything in return.

 

 The revelation of verses 40 and 45 is simple:

 ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

 

So our caring for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the ragged, the sick and the criminal is an act of devotion to God. Think about when you are passing a beggar or meeting a stranger or receiving stuff from TEAR Fund or Barnabus Fund or Open Doors and so on. You can say thank you to God for saving you by responding to their needs.

 

 The conclusion of this teaching is simple.

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

This is an uncomfortable sentence because there is not let-out clause, you are either a sheep or a goat, there can be no cross-breeds. You have either received grace and been born of the Sprit or you are without grace, without live and doomed to eternal punishment. Choose life, choose Jesus, and having chosen Jesus, live as one who has received grace by sharing what you have with those who are ,for whatever reason, placed in your path to respond to the love of God in compassion by giving food and drink, a bed, clothes, medicine, care and your time.

 

Get excited about the second coming of Jesus! Whether we live or die we will be there and if you have received God’s grace as a free gift, you will find nothing but blessing when it happens. So live today for the day of the Lord, when the Son of man comes in his glory and God’s word for today is to feed the hungry, give the thirsty a drink, show hospitality to strangers, care for the sick and visit those in prison. Live out the grace you have received!

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