Matthew 25

Paul Bukauskas

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago • Presented a year ago

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Chapter 25

Read and summarize

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

Look for

— Prayers ( Blue )

— Promises ( Green )

— Warnings ( Red )

— Commands ( Purple )

Unbiblical thinking of the Return of Christ

A. “It isn’t going to Happen”

— This is a common world-view and irrelevant for many people

— Even mentioned in the NT

2 Peter 3:3-4 “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.””

— Some “Christian” unbiblical views of the Return of Christ

B. “It’s going to happen soon.”

— These words are chosen very carefully

— A biblical view would be “It could happen very soon”

— But to say you know that it will happen any day is not biblical

— Jesus didn’t know

Matt 24:36 ““But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”

— Paul didn’t know

1 Thess 5:2 “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.”

— Scholars don’t know

— Books, Pastors and websites tell us we are living in the last days

— People will look at what is happening in the Middle East and tell you that we are living in the end times

Jesus doesn’t know. Paul doesn’t know, scholars don’t know but we know. One group says that “Our mission: Proclaim the soon return of Jesus Christ.” You can find website after website of this kind of stuff where people look at what is going on in the Middle East or Ukraine and Russia, you pick your world event, and they will somehow try to tie it into something that they find in the bible. This group is very subtle, they say: We do not believe it is possible to know the date when Jesus will return. Be we do believe it is possible to know the season of the Lord’s return, and it is our conviction that we are living in that season.” I am going to encourage you to ignore and not waste your time with anyone who talks about the Lord coming soon and uses modern events to read the scriptures. This stuff has proven to be bankrupt again and again. In 1975 this was the rage and non of it panned out and it was very spiritually damaging

— The bible does not teach the return of Christ to stimulate our intellect and put together signs

— Not to stimulate our intellect but to challenge our ethics, to live as if Jesus could return today

C. “It Really Doesn’t Matter”

— The one thing that we as Christians can be certain about is the return of Christ

— But for many of us it doesn’t really matter in our day to day lives

— We live in such an affluent society and opportunities to enjoy the here and now that it doesn’t matter

The Gospel and how it impacts our world-view of eschatology

— Why the world is the way it is and what God promises to fix it

— Start with the human dilemma

Our Past: Sin and Alienation

The Now

Our Future - The unknown, worry and fear

— Think of your own personal past and future

— The bible looks at our past and says:

— All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ( Rom 3:23 )

— Our past is marked and scared by sin, rebellion and alienation from God

— And we experience the hurt of the sin of others when we have been on the receiving end

— This has a profound affect on the here and now and creates all kinds of relational stress and dysfunction

— In the Garden Adam and Eve are hiding, covering themselves, blaming each other and not taking responsibility

— The Bible also talks about the future in our unregenerate state

— If you take the return of Jesus Christ out of your worldview — there is nothing you can be sure of

— God has put into every man and women the knowledge that one day there will be a reckoning

— We live our lives in the here & now with:

— Our history of sin and alienation

— Fear and worry of the future

— The damage that the past brings into our lives and the fear of the unknown is the human dilemma

— Until our sin is dealt with and our future is certain, it is hard to live in the here & now

How do we handle the here & now

— We push the past 7& future out of our thinking

— Option #1 is medicate

— Drugs, alcohol and entertainment

— COVID forced us to live with the here & now because all of our distractions were taken away

— Option #2 is meditate

Paul summarizes this: “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” ( 1 Cor 15:32 )

The New Age approach to the Human Dilemma

— The Power of NOW by Eckhart Tolle, it sold over 5 million copies

— 50,000 Kindle readers highlighted this sentence: “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you will ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.”

What did God bring to the table

— God replaces our sin with Forgiveness and Reconciliation

— Our past sins are as far as the East is from the West ( Ps 103:12 )

— God promises a future that is not unknown, but a future of Peace and Hope

— These doctrinal truths are supposed to influence our lives in the here & now

Look at how often the NT leverages the return of Christ to help us live in the here & now:

— A few examples from one writer, Paul & the Return of Christ

• refrain from judging others(Rom 2:5–16; 14:10–12; 1 Cor 4:5)

• endure suffering(Rom 8:18–25; 1 Thess 1:3; 2 Thess1:5–11)

• resist immorality(Rom 13:11–14; Col 3:6; Titus 2:11–14)

• avoid divisions in the church(1 Cor 3:12–15)

• love one another(1 Cor 13:8–12; Col 1:4–5)

• proclaim the gospel (2 Cor 4:16—5:11; 1 Thess2:19–20; 2 Tim 4:1)

• share generously with others(Gal 6:7–10)

• set our minds on things above(Phil 3:17–21; Col 3:3–4)

• act reasonably toward others(Phil 4:5)

• turn to God from idols (1 Thess1:9–10)

• be encouraged and not grieve (1 Thess4:13–18)

• remain alert (1 Thess5:1–11)

• not be alarmed by current events(2 Thess2:1–12)

• remain faithfully committed to the ministry(1 Tim 6:13–18)

• finish the race (2 Tim 4:8)

— Whenever the church met they would celebrate the Lord’s supper

— Paul says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

—This was the high point

— Do this until the Lord Comes

— Paul knew that only when we get the past & future right, does the here & now make sense and we can live in the way that God intends

— Living only in the hear & now is a new age view of Christianity

— Not much different from new age except we throw Jesus into the mix

— It is also representative of one of the first big heresies that the early church dealt with — Gnosticism

— Gnosticism believed that the material world was evil and the only way to salvation was to learn the “secrets” of the universe

— The Gospel of Thomas ( 200 A.D.) takes Jesus out of history that portrays Jesus as a personal deity that takes you thru your day to day

— Whether you look at the Greek mystery religions, Hellenistic philosophies, the civic religions like the worship of Jupiter or Zeus — all of them differed from the biblical worldview in one profound way: it was all about God in the here & now and there was nothing about God and salvation history, God at the end of history restoring things as the promise of Jesus in the NT.

Q: What is a more biblical view?

— Us making disciples

— And get ready: this is the focus of Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins

The Signs of Christ’s Coming — Part 8, The Fate of the Unprepared (Waiting for Christ’s Return ) ( 25:1-13 )

( 25:1-13 ) “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

— Jesus told the following parables to clarify further what it means to be ready for His return and how to live until He comes

— In the story of the ten virgins ( 25:1-13 ), we are taught the importance of being spiritually prepared to meet Christ when He returns to earth, because after He appears, unbelievers who are then alive will have no further chance for salvation

— The story of the ten talents ( 25:14-30 ) shows the necessity of using well what God has entrusted to us

— The parable of the sheep and goats ( 25:31-46) stresses the importance of serving others in need

— No parable by itself completely describes our preparation; instead, each paints one part of the whole picture

Ten Virgins

— This parable is about a wedding

— After chapter 12 Jesus only spoke in parables. A parable is a word picture. It is an elongated simile or metaphor. It can be short or long. Para means to lay alongside. So it is a story laid alongside a truth to demonstrate their parallel realities.

— On the wedding day the bridegroom went to the bride’s house for the ceremony; then the bride and groom, along with the great procession, returned to the groom’s house where the feast took place, often lasting a week

— These virgins were waiting to join the procession, and they hoped to take part in the wedding banquet

— But when the groom didn’t come at the expected time, five of them were out of lamp oil

— By the time they had purchased the extra lamp oil, it was too late to join the feast

— When Jesus returns to take His people to heaven, we must be ready

— Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed at the last minute

— Our relationship with God must be our own

Going Deeper

A Jewish marriage consisted of three parts

Part One was the engagement

— This was arranged by the father of the bride and groom and amounted to a contract

— The couple had little, if any, direct involvement

Part Two was the betrothal

— The bride and groom exchanged vows in the presence of family and friends

— At that point the couple was considered married and could only be broken by divorce

— If the husband died during the betrothal the bride was considered a widow

— At this point the marriage has not been physically consummated and the couple has not lived together

Part Three the wedding feast

— The feast could last a week

— It began with the groom coming with his groomsmen to the bride’s house

— Together the bride and groom and their attendants would parade through the streets; the procession was generally begun at night, and lamps and torches were used by the wedding party to illuminate their way and to attract attention

— At the end of the feast period, a close friend of the groom, who was like a best man, would take the hand of the bride and place it in the hand of the groom, and the couple would be for the first time left alone together

Jesus’ focus

— As the parable unfolds, Jesus focuses first on the bridesmaids, then on the bridegroom, and finally on the warning that the parable is given to reinforce

Q: What is the primary lesson of the parable of the ten virgins ( 25:1-5 )?

The Bridesmaids ( 25:1-5 )

( 25:1-5 ) “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept

— Jews considered the number ten as representing completion

— The attendants were virgins because it was the custom that bridesmaids be chaste young women who had never been married

— The bridegroom is Christ Himself

— The ten virgins are professed disciples of Christ who claim to love the prospect of His appearing and who demonstrate outward readiness for entrance into His kingdom

— In appearance the ten were indistinguishable (remember the tares & the wheat 13:24)

— They were all dressed appropriately in wedding garments and all had the required torch to carry in the wedding procession

— But they are not all alike, which is the point of the parable

— A torch without fuel is worthless, and a profession of faith in Jesus Christ without a saving relationship to Him is infinitely more worthless, because one is left in spiritual darkness (cf. 2 Tim 3:5; James 2:17 )

Q: Who is the Bridegroom and what time did He come ( 25:6-12)?

The Bridegroom ( 25:6-12 )

( 25:6-12 ) “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

— At midnight most people are typically deep in sleep, just as the bridesmaids were

— The bridegroom’s arrival at that time underscores the unexpectedness of Christ’s return

— The foolish bridesmaids had no oil

— It was not that they were unaware; they were unconcerned

— They had ample opportunity; they knew He was coming; nothing can excuse their failure

— The point of the wise bridesmaid’s response was not that they were selfish; their own oil was not... enough to share

— Just as one person cannot transfer physical life to another person, neither can he share spiritual life

— When the Lord appears at the end of the Tribulation, many professed Christians will frantically realize their lack of spiritual life

— They will not have heeded Paul’s advice to the Corinthians, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” ( 2 Cor 13:5 )

Going Deeper

— All of the bridesmaids knew the groom would be coming soon and they were gathered at the bride’s house waiting for him

— They were well aware that the engagement and betrothal periods were over and that the final festivities were about to begin

— But they did not know precisely when He would arrive

— In the same way, people living during the end of the tribulation will have seen all the signs of His coming and will know that His appearing is imminent

— But they will not know the moment of His arrival until they see Him “coming on the clouds of the sky” ( 24:30 )

In the parable of the ten virgins ( 25:1-13 ), we see the importance of being spiritually prepared to meet Christ when He returns to earth, because after He appears, unbelievers who are then alive will have no further chance join the wedding procession (in this case a symbol of salvation). This is much like the time of Noah when he "preached" for 100 years, then the flood came and it was too late. (xref Genesis 6 and Matthew 24:38). There comes a time when it is too late to be ready for Jesus return.

What does it take to be ready? The story of the ten virgins uses as an example the necessity of having "oil for their lamps" (having the Holy Spirit) as a prerequisite to join the wedding procession. The Bible speaks of oil, (usually olive oil) over 200 times. The connection as a metaphor of the Holy Spirit’s presence and action is clear in the ritual of anointing prophets, priests, and kings. For example, when the prophet-judge Samuel anointed David with oil to be the new king of Israel, the next statement is that “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam 16:13 nasb).

This leads us to the conclusion that having the Holy Spirit (oil for the lamps) is essential for becoming ready to meet Jesus. What does this mean for us?

It is important to understand that we can exhibit all the trappings of being Christians, but unless we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit it is all for naught.

As is presented in the parable, a torch without fuel is worthless, and a profession of faith in Jesus Christ without a saving relationship to Him is infinitely more worthless, because one is left in spiritual darkness (cf. 2 Tim 3:5; James 2:17 )

You can belong to a church You can believe that Christ is Lord and divine You could believe and anticipate the return of Christ And yet, you might not be a true Christian

The lesson of the parable: It doesn’t matter how zealous you are for the return of Christ. That does not prove that you are not a foolish virgin. Even though you may be looking forward to His return, that may be the day of doom for you. Let us remember to examine ourselves (2 Cor 13:5-10) to be sure we are in the faith.

Q: What was Jesus’ warning ( 25:13 )?

The Warning ( 25:13 )

( 25:13 ) “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

— Be alert because they do not know the day or hour

— The previous day Luke records that Jesus said, “Be on guard” ( Lk 21:34-36 )

The Signs of Christ’s Coming — Part 9, The Tragedy of Wasted Opportunity ( Working until Christ’s Return ) ( 25:14-30 )

— This is the second of two parables related to the Kingdom of Heaven

— The parable of the virgins ( 25:1-13 ) focuses on readiness manifested in waiting

— The parable of the talents ( 25:14-30 ) focuses on readiness in working

— The five virgins with oil in their lamps represent believers who have saving grace

— The two faithful servants who invested their talents represent believers who exhibit the serving life

— Together the two parables represent the balance between anticipation while living in preparedness for His coming through faithful service

— Saving faith is serving faith

Q: What criteria did the master use to divide the talents among His servants ( 25:14-15 )? How would you explain the parable of the ten talents to a new Christian?

The Parable of the Talents ( 25:14-15 )

( 25:14-15 ) “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

— The parable of the talents illustrates the tragedy of wasted opportunity.

Q: Who is the man in this parable?

— Talents were not a specific amount of money but weight. A talent of silver was less valuable than a talent of gold. A talent was a considerable amount of money (up to a year’s wages). The fact that today’s meaning of the word talent implies ability is to erroneously apply this parable to stewardship of one’s natural gifts.

— The parable of the talents illustrates the tragedy of wasted opportunity. The man is Christ, and the slaves represent professing believers given different levels of responsibility. Faithfulness is what He demands of them but the parable suggests that all who are faithful will be fruitful to some degree. The fruitless person will be unmasked as a hypocrite and utterly destroyed.

— The master divided the money ( talents ) among his servants according to their abilities

— No one received more or less than he could handle; the actual worth of the talents is irrelevant

— Jesus mentions only three levels of responsibility (stewardship), but those are suggestive of the extremely wide range of individual abilities among His people

— Are abilities vary in natural talent, intellect and other capabilities

— They also vary in opportunity and privilege; some are born into a Christian home while others have only childlike faith

— Believers are also given spiritual gifts by God and they vary from person to person ( Rom 12:4-8; 1 Cor 12:4-11 )

—The point of the parable is what each person does with what we are given

— The noblest motive would be to accomplish as much as possible until Christ returns; not equal return from each but relative return based on our abilities

— We are to be stewards of everything we receive from the hand of God

RC Sproul

How can you have even a cursory ready of the gospels and not see the emphasis that our Lord put on productivity. On fruits. The tree that doesn’t bring forth fruit is worthy only to be cut down and cast into the fire. By their fruits you shall know them, not by their words but by the stewardship of the faith that hey profess to have

Going Deeper

— The fact that Jesus refers to these as His servants reinforces the idea that Jesus was illustrating the church, composed of those who allege to belong to Him, and not mankind in general

— Many people were referred to as Christ’s disciples although some of them proved to be false

— Such were the disciples who were offended at His teaching about eating His flesh and drinking His blood ( see John 6:52-66 )

— Even those false followers have been entrusted with certain possessions of the Lord

— The implication of the parable of the talents is that, even in the millennial kingdom and throughout eternity, the redeemed will continue to have different levels of responsibility

Q: What did the servant with the five talents do with his talents ( 25:16-18 )?

The Reaction We Have ( 25:16-18 )

( 25:16-18 ) Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.

— Traded with them carries the idea of doing business

— He took full advantage of his resources while his master was away

— Although the second servant was given less than half as many talents as his fellow servant, he also doubled what he was given

— The percentage of increase was the same for both servants

— The third servant hid his talents in the ground; hardly a sensible way to carry on business or make a profit

— Even though he received only a single talent, he had the same obligation to use what he had to his maximum ability

Q: What does the Lord say to the first man who had five talents (2 5:19-27 )?

The Reckoning We Face ( 25:19-27 )

( 25:19-27 ) After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

— The Lord demands faithfulness. Both the man with 5 talents and man with 2 talents received the same reward. The reward is based on faithfulness not results

— When the Lord commended the first man who doubled His five talents

— It is remarkable to contemplate that the holy, just and perfect Lord will praise His true disciples for their faithfulness, imperfect as it has been

— Yet that is the glorious prospect of every child of God who, like Paul, loves Christ’s appearing ( 2 Tim 4:8 )

— The master not only praised his servant but highly rewarded him, entrusting even greater earthly tasks

— The last man did not misuse his talent on immoral and selfish pursuits like the prodigal son or embezzle it like the unmerciful servant of Matthew 18:23-35

— He simply disregarded the stewardship he had been given

— He also charged his owner with being unmerciful and dishonest

— He represents the professing Christian who thinks of God as distant, uncaring, unjust and undependable

— We must not make excuses to avoid doing what God calls us to do

— When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished

Our ultimate Joy

( 25:21b ) ...Enter into the joy of your lord

— Our ultimate reward for a faithful life is to enter into the joy of the Lord

The Reward We Gain ( 25:28-30 )

( 25:28-30 ) So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

— The person who diligently prepares for it by investing his or her time and talent to serve God will be rewarded

— A true Christian who wastes his abilities, spiritual gifts, and opportunities will have his work “burned up, [and] he shall suffer lost; but he himself shall be saved, yet as through fire” ( 1 Cor 3:15 )

— Those who bear no fruit for God’s kingdom cannot be expected to be treated the same as those who are faithful

— The third slave was utterly worthless, and his fate was to be cast out… into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

— There is a great principle in this parable for us. And it was given in the light of the fact that all of us are going to have to stand in the presence of God and give an account of how we have used what He has given to us. The Lord is not going to ask us how much we have done for Him but how faithful we have been to that which He wanted us to do

— For the child of God there are two important things: (1) Find out what God wants us to do; that is, determine what the talent is that He has given us, and then (2) be faithful in the use of it. To some of us God gives a very small ministry, and that may be upsetting to us; but if we are one-talent people, God expects us to be faithful with that

Judgment of the Nations ( 25:31-46 )

( 25:31-46 ) “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.”

— Jesus used sheep and goats to picture the division between believers and unbelievers (but not a parable)

— Sheep and goats often grazed together but were separated when it came time to shear the sheep

— The OT also spoke of the separation of the sheep and the goats ( Ez 24:17-24 )

— All sin is known to God and all sin must be punished

— Moses declared, “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” ( Num 32:23 )

— The writer of Proverbs wrote, “Evil pursues sinners” ( Prov 13:21 )

— The Psalmist said, “ You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.” ( Ps 90:8 )

— In other words, what may appear to be in secret is actually in the full clear view of God

— One day all of our sins will be shouted from the rooftops ( Luke 12:3 )

— No sin and sinner is exempted from God’s judgment and punishment

— Not even the Christian is exempt; but the marvelous reality is that the punishment for all of our sins was placed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who died as the substitute for sinners

— But those who do not receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior must bear the penalty for their own sins

Going Deeper

God’s judgment is repeated in the OT and NT

— With a few exceptions, OT judgment is temporal

— Destroying cities, afflicting individuals because of their wickedness

— The NT judgment is eternal and lasts for eternity

— No one in Scripture spoke more about judgment than Jesus

— He spoke of sin that could not be forgiven ( 12:31-32 )

— Of the danger of losing one’s soul forever ( Mark 8:36 )

— Of spending eternity in hell ( Rev 14:11; 20:15 ) where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth ( 22:13 )

Earlier in our study of Matthew 5 we asked the question, “Does God hate the sinner?”

— Yes, God abhors the wicked and yet nothing Jesus said was inconsistent with His gracious love

— He wept over the impending punishment of Jerusalem ( Luke 19:41-44 )

— His warnings of judgment were acts of love, divine appeals for men to turn from their sin

— One of love's supreme desires is to protect those it loves from harm; in His infinite love and grace He did not wish for any to perish ( 2 Pet 3:9 )

The Setting of Judgement: the Judge, the Time, the Place and the Subjects ( 25:31-33 )

( 25:31-33 ) “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.

— The Sheep and the Goat judgment is only found in Matthew because at His return He will manifest Himself as King

— For the same reason Matthew places much more emphasis on Jesus’s second coming than do the other gospels

Q: We hear the Son of Man or the Son of God, what do these titles mean ( 25:31 )?

The Judge

— The Son of Man will be the judge

— The most common title used of Jesus of Himself

— The title affirmed His humanness in His incarnation, His identity with mankind

— It reflected His humiliation, submissiveness, His meekness

— This is a stark contrast of His title at His second coming

— But, there is also a messianic reference: A reference in Daniel 7:13-14

The Time

— The time of judgment will be when Christ returns

— We know that this will happen “immediately after the tribulation” ( 24:29 )

The Place

— The place of judgment will be the earth where He will sit on His glorious throne

— The angel said to Mary that her son would sit on the throne of David ( Luke 1:31-32 )

— Therefore, Jesus will reign in Jerusalem

The Subjects

— The subjects of Christ’s judgment will be all the nations

— During the seven years of the tribulation many people multitudes of Gentiles ( Rev 7:9, 14 ) as well as surviving Jews ( Ro 11:26 ) will be brought to faith in Christ

— Those who are alive on earth when He returns includes both saved and unsaved represented by the sheep and the goats

— Children will be born during the millennial but they themselves will not be redeemed — any more than children born to believers necessarily become believers themselves

— At the end of the millennial kingdom there will be many unbelievers who participate with Satan and rebel against God ( Rev 20:7-9 )

The Inheritance of the Saved ( 25:34-40 )

( 25:34-40 ) 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.’

— Jesus makes it clear that no one would inherit the kingdom based on works ( 34-35 )

— Those who enter come not by service but because of their being blessed by the Father

— The good deeds commended are the fruit, not the root, of grace

— He will judge according to works only in so far as those works are or are not a manifestation of redemption

Chris Cordell

“It’s not what it says, it’s what it means”

Q: The Lord identifies six areas of need, what are they ( 25:34-40 )?

6 Areas of Need

— Hunger; thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick and in prison

— The kingdom is for those who have ministered to such needs in the lives of God’s people

— Such ministry is a demonstration of true, living faith ( James 2:15-17; 1 John 3:17-18 )

— The good deeds mentioned all deal with common, everyday needs, day-to-day kindness that help meet the needs of fellow believers

— These acts do not depend on wealth, ability, or intellect; they are simple acts freely given and freely received

— We have no excuse to neglect those who have deep needs, and we cannot hand over this responsibility to the church or government

— Jesus demands our personal involvement in caring for others’ needs ( Is 58:7 )

( 25:37 ) Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

— The king addressed them as the righteous not simply because they have been declared righteous in Christ but because they have been made righteous by Christ

— Their works of service to fellow believers give evidence that they are themselves the product of God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” ( Eph 2:10 )

Chris Cordell

“Walk and find the next thing that God puts in your path”

— The King is addressing these people who were served by believers as brothers of Mine, which gives further evidence that they were already children of God

— Believers during those seven years, especially during the last three years ( The Great Tribulation ) will have great need for the basics that Jesus mentioned

— Because of their identity with Christ, they will often by hungry, thirsty, without clothing, sick and imprisoned

— Few believers will be able to give out of our abundance; but their divinely inspired generosity will have set them apart as the Lord’s people

Q: But wait! I thought that these passage was about believers ministering to anyone.

— Jesus is teaching that believers who are alive at the sheep and goat judgment will be judged on how they ministered to fellow saints

Brothers

— There has been much discussion about the identity of the “brothers”

— Some have said they are Jews; others say they are all Christians; still others say they are suffering people everywhere

— Such a debate is much like the lawyers earlier question to Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” ( Lk 10:29 )

— The point of the parable is not the who, but the what — the importance of serving where service is needed

— The focus of this parable is that we should love every person and server anyone we can

— Such love for others glorifies God by reflecting our love for him

Q: On what basis are the goats condemned ( 25:41-46 )?

The Condemnation of the Unsaved ( 25:41-46 )

( 25:41-46 ) “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.”

— Jesus condemns the goats not because they failed to serve Him ( 25:34-35 )

— These are accursed because they rejected Christ, just as those who enter the kingdom are righteous ( 25:37 ) because they accepted Him

— To fail to serve Christ’s people is to fail to serve Him, and to fail to serve Him is to prove one does not belong to Him

— It is significant that the marks of lostness Jesus mentions here are not gross sins committed but rather simple acts of kindness not committed

— The five foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps were unprepared ( Matt 25:1-13 )

— The slave with one talent did not embezzle but failed to invest his master’s talent

— In the same way the person who is shut out of the kingdom is not condemned because of the greatness of his sin but because of the absence of his faith

— The day of judgment (Matt 25:31ff) is not an ordinary judgment as we understand it

— Usually when a judge tries a case the purpose is to discover the situation

— When this judgment occurs it is to reveal what the situation is; this judge knows perfectly

—This judgment is the sentencing

— The final judgment when all mankind is summoned either from hell or from heaven together with those who were alive at Christ’s return and are judged on the spot

— The public judgment follows the private judgments that have been going on for centuries; the verdict is rendered

— The public judgment establishes the final condition of both groups; those in hell and heaven are in spirit only; in that day we will be complete ( John 5:28-29 )

— The righteous will go away into eternal life

— The accursed will be slain on the spot and go immediately into eternal punishment of hell

Going Deeper

— Eternal punishment takes place in hell ( the lake of fire, or Gehenna ), the place of punishment after death for all those who refuse to repent

— In the Bible, three words are used in connection with eternal punishment

( 1 ) Sheol, or “the grave” is used in the OT to mean the place of the dead, generally thought to be under the earth ( Job 24:19; Ps 16:10; Is 38:10 )

( 2 ) Hades is the Greek word for the underworld, the realm of the dead

— It is the word used in the NT for Sheol ( Matt 16:18; Rev 1:18; 20:13,14 )

( 3 ) Gehenna, or hell, was named after the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem where children were sacrificed by fire to the pagan gods (2 Ki 23:10; 2 Chron 28:3 )

— This is the pace of eternal fire ( Matt 5:22; 10:28; Mark 9:43; Lk 12:5; James 3:6; Rev 19:20 ) prepared for the devil, his angels, and all those who reject God ( 25:46; Rev 20:9,10 )

— This is the final and eternal state of the wicked after the resurrection and the last judgment

— When Jesus warns against unbelief, he is trying to save us from agonizing eternal punishment

Additional Resources

MacArthur, John. Matthew 24-28. Moody Press, 1989.

MacArthur, John. Matthew 16-23. Moody Press, 1988.

MacArthur, John. Matthew 8-15. Moody Press, 1987.

MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.

Bible Study Questions: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Luke/Luke%20Chapter%2021%20Continued.html

Gerstner, John. The Proofs of Salvation: Parable of the Ten Virgins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1nO539_J2k

Life Application Study Bible. Zondervan, 2011.

William Hendriksen. Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973.

Sproul. R.C. Parable of the Talents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqgGcnGYvvQ Hellerman. Joe. Preparing for the BIG TOMORROW. Oceanside Christian Fellowship, July 2, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA2jC_mcwtg