Glorification

Glorification
Matthew 25:31-46

What is it like to be glorified? Jesus actually doesn’t tell us a whole lot about it. He doesn’t describe in detail what we will be doing, what we will look like, what we will be thinking. It’s a bit mysterious. We know it is going to be wonderful, we know it is going to be joyous and worshipful. But the emphasis is not on what we will be like, but on our preparation for it. We are called to live in such a way as to prepare for eternity.

Jess and I just came back from a trip to Louiseville, KY (two syllables). We went there to attend a Pastor’s conference Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, didn’t end up getting back till Friday. And we are so different when it comes to preparing. I find it best to not concern myself with anything that I can figure out when I get there. Jess is a civil engineer, enough said. Before we left Jess asked me a number of questions about preparation that I could care the least about. Things like “When is check in?” or “What time does the flight arrive?” or “What are we going to do with our luggage?” you know little things like that. After the conversation I was convinced that I should at least figure out how we are going to get from the airport to the hotel.

I can’t blame her though, it’s important to be prepared. When you are heading into something major, like being away from the kids for three days in a different state, you want to be ready. Well friends, what if you were heading into a new life of eternity, wouldn’t you want to be prepared? Shouldn’t we at least give it some preparation before it comes? We are heading to a new Kingdom, an eternal Kingdom? Shouldn’t we be ready?

Let’s look together at Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus gives us a description of what this eternity will look like. We are called to know and love Christ to prepare for an eternal Kingdom.

I want to look at two ways to prepare for an eternal Kingdom

I. Know the King

The most important way we can prepare for an eternal kingdom is by knowing a few things about the King. Here are a few things we need to recognize about the King in preparation for his eternal kingdom.

Recognize Jesus is the King

In this passage one thing is certain: Jesus is the King. He is the eternal King of the Kingdom. He will come in his glory surrounded by angels and sitting upon his throne. He gathers all the nations before him. This is serious power.

Jesus’ coming the second time will be very different than his first coming. The first coming is one in which he comes as the suffering servant. The second coming he comes with glory and power. Matthew Henry writes, “his first coming was under a black cloud of obscurity; his second will be in a bright cloud of glory.” In his second coming, there will be no mistake that Jesus has the right to rule. In preparation for eternity we need to recognize Jesus rightful rule over everyone and everything. He is King of all Kings.

Anyone here ever meet the President of the United States? Not just the current one, but any president of the United States? I think it would be awesome to meet the president and shake his hand (or her hand!). I’m not talking about politics here, Republican or Democrat, Liberal or Conservative, I would like to meet the President. Just out of respect for the Office I think it would pretty cool.

I would get dressed up. Make sure I’m clean shaven. When he walks by I would probably unconsciously stand up straight. My voice would probably drop a few levels “Hello, Mr. President, very nice meet you.”

Here’s what I wouldn’t want to do. Mistake his identity. Hello Mr…begins with a B. Bosh, Bish, Bush! I thought so, I knew it was George something. Your dad was president too right? Yeah. Gotcha. Same name.

That would not be a good way to start a relationship with the President.

In preparation for eternity, recognize Jesus as the rightful Ruler of the Universe. He will come and he will reign.


Recognize Jesus as Judge

Friends, not only will Jesus rule, he will judge. He separates all people one from the other as a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats. Sheep on the right, goats on the left. The sheep are the righteous ones and the goats are the wicked ones.

I remember I was talking about this passage to someone and I said, it is not as if Jesus has anything against goats, if he wanted to he could have switched it around and said the goats are the righteous and the sheep are the wicked. The person looked at me and said something like, “You don’t know much about goats” Well, I hadn’t then. But I visited Ingaldsby Farm last year a number of times, and they keep the sheep and goats in the same pen together. I have to agree with this person now. The goats are mean-spirit little devils. The kept head-butting the poor sheep. We would try to feed them and they were terrible little things. So I guess in hearing this in an agricultural society, this would make more sense than it did at first to me.

But Jesus perfectly separates all people into two categories. These categories are clear and unmistakable. We live in a time when people like gray areas. My friend is sort of a Christian. This girl I know is kind of saved. My co-worker she is like a Christian. In the end there will be no gray areas when it comes to Jesus’ judgment. And Jesus will make no mistake in his judgment. Again Matthew Henry writes, “This separation will be so exact, that the most inconsiderable saints shall not be lost in the crowd of sinners, nor the most plausible sinner hid in the crowd of saints, but every one shall go to his own place.”

Notice carefully how he separates people. Not by race or ethnicity. All nations are gathered TOGETHER. Friends, Jesus judgment is colorblind when it comes to race. There are no whites, Hispanics, blacks, Asians, Canadians. There are only sheep and goats in the end.

Jesus decides the eternal fate of every human being. He decides whether they are blessed or condemned. He decides their destiny. Friends, Jesus is the Judge. Prepare for eternity by recognizing his ability to judge. Recognize this carefully. If we don’t, we will be sorely sorry about it.


Recognize Jesus authority to give

Notice what Jesus gives. He tells those on his right, his sheep, “Come, you are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” What a gift friends! What an inheritance! A kingdom prepared for us since the creation of the world!

I was with a group of seminary students listening to a fellow student give a sermon. In the sermon he mentioned that he had a rich grandmother who was dying, and was leaving all of her inheritance to him. As he was preaching, you could see the emotion welling up inside of him as he said “But I don’t even care about it, I just want my grandmother.” It was pretty emotional. What do you think was going on in the minds of all us seminary students? Remember seminary students are sinners too. My guess is we were all thinking “Boy he really loves his grandmother, and at the same time, lucky dog, I wish I had a wealthy grandmother who was going to leave her inheritance to me.”

Friends, if you are a Christian, you and I have an inheritance coming that is far greater than any inheritance in this world. If Donald Trump or Bill Gates were leaving everything to you it would not compare. We have an eternal kingdom awaiting us. And who is going to give it to us? Jesus. He alone has the authority to give. Recognize this.

But also beware. Not only does he have a blessing to give, he also has a punishment to dish out. Verse 41, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Friends this parable is a passage of great comfort or of great warning depending on who you are. For some it is about a mighty inheritance. For others, it is a terrible condemnation. And friends, this is not a temporary ordeal. It is eternal.

Notice how Jesus ends this description verse 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” These are eternal destinies. So, prepare for your eternal destiny by knowing the King.


II. Love the King

It is not enough just to recognize who Jesus is, we must also have a relationship with him. We need to love him. I think we might be surprised in how he tells us to do this.

Love the King by being one of his own

One thing is clear in hearing Jesus’ words. You want to be a sheep. You don’t want to be a goat. Be a sheep. Now, how do we become a sheep? The thoughtless answer is “By doing what a sheep does” feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. But think about that a little more. If a goat tried to sound like a sheep, walk like a sheep, and eat like a sheep, what would it be? A goat. A goat can’t make itself a sheep no matter how sheepish it is!

How does one become a sheep? How does one become a Christian? By turning in repentance and faith in Christ, the Shepherd. Through faith in Christ, God transforms us into a sheep. Remember the fruit tree analogy. Fruit trees bear fruit that reveals that it is a fruit tree. God must first make us a fruit tree, then we will bear fruit. In the same way, God must first make us a sheep, then we will begin to act like sheep.

We don’t become a Christian because we act like one, we act like a Christian because we have become one. And we become a Christian only through trusting in Christ by faith.

Now some people may hear that and say, “I don’t know. It really does seem like Jesus is saying we are saved by our works. Maybe what we do makes us a sheep”

A few things make it clear that that is not what he is saying. This is so important I think it is worth spending some time making this clear.

1. Jesus separates the sheep and goat before the judges their actions. Jesus separates them based on who they are not on what they did. What they did is the evidence that follows.

2. The Father has already prepared the inheritance. It is prepared specifically for the sheep since the creation of the world. If we can end up going either way, at one minute we’re a sheep, another minute we’re a goat, based on our actions, then how can there be an inheritance ready for us since the creation of the world?

3. Jesus judges us as a group: In this parable Jesus doesn’t judge each sheep and goat individually, he looks at them as a group. Sheep, you did what was right, heaven is prepared for you. Goats you did what was evil, Hell is prepared for you. If we are saved by works, then you would think Jesus would have to examine each one individual and weigh their works.

4. The sheep are surprised. What are they surprised about? Not that they are sheep, they know that. They are surprised that Jesus would commend their works. They had no thought that their works were earning salvation. They did them out of love not trying to earn salvation.

D A Carson writes, “The surprise of the righteous makes it impossible to think that works of righteousness win salvation...The sheep did not show love to gain an eschatological reward…” (Carson 522)

Friends, the most important way we can prepare for eternity is by becoming a sheep, becoming a Christian. The only way you can become a sheep who belongs to the Good Shepherd, is by trusting in Christ as your Redeemer. It is by grace alone through faith alone.


Love the King by loving your neighbor

How do we love the King? Well yes we do it by worship and prayer and praise to Jesus. But Jesus points out another way we do it. We do it by loving our neighbor.

Loving “these brothers of mine” Specifically fellow Christians (Jesus calls them his brothers, which is always a designation of Christians), This doesn’t mean we are not called to love everyone, but Jesus is probably referring to fellow Christians in this case.

“The least of these” he is referring specifically to the ‘least of these’ in this case. Jesus calls us to serve the down and out. Who needs your help? Those are the ones Jesus says when you love them, you love me!

How important is this? Very important. It is our way of preparing for eternity. Clearly in Scripture there is a calling for us to act. Christians are not merely those who have come to a certain philosophy. They are people who act like Christ. We are called to serve and love our fellow Christians with compassion and love. If you are not doing that, take heed. Beware! Examine yourself. Though we are not saved by our works, our works are examined as evidence. Jesus will look at our works as the evidence of whether or not we have truly believed.

Jesus gives us a list. Feed the hungry. Give a drink to the thirsty. Clothe the naked. Care for the sick. Visit those who are in prison. Have you fed the hungry in the last 30 days? Cared for the sick? This is very convicting for me.

Shouldn’t we just send money? Let the experts handle it. I mean we can do a lot more with our money than we can by serving ourselves. Well, definitely give generously, but it’s more than that. Think about it, how can you put a price tag on what God does in your own heart when serving? How can you put a price tag on the one-on-one relationships you will build when you serve someone? Right now 5 people from our church are heading out on the mission field in La Romana. Yeah we could have just send money, but that is not what God calls us too. We need to get down and dirty and serve. Jesus is saying visit prisons, feed hungry people, care for sick people. Serve, and in doing so we will find ourselves serving not just our neighbor but Christ himself. Storing up evidence for the day of judgment.

Prepare for eternity by loving the King through loving your neighbor.

Friends, it is of first important for us to be prepared for eternity. For the simple reason that everything else is temporary. Sure you can prepare yourself for a career: going to college, finding a job, saving for a house. You can prepare yourself for kids, buying all the cribs, strollers, and high chairs. You can prepare yourself for retirement. 401Ks, social security. That will last 20 maybe 30 years if you are really diligent. But what about eternity? Are you prepared for eternity? Are you ready to enter into an eternal kingdom?

Are you prepared? God is prepared for you. Notice God’s preparation. God is very careful in his preparation. There are in this passage two places prepared by God. One place is for sheep and one place is for the goats. The one for the goats is actually prepared not for them, but for the Devil and his angels. God didn’t create hell for human beings made for his glory. Nevertheless, Jesus tells us this is the destiny of those who reject Christ. They neither know the King nor love the King.

But there is also another place prepared by God. God has prepared a kingdom since the creation of the world. An eternal inheritance. It took a lot of preparation. In order to prepare this place for his sheep, God planned to send his Son into the world. And God planned to crush his Son by the sins of the world. In fact if you read the chapters following our chapter, 25, you will see how God has prepared this kingdom for you. God prepared it with the atonement of his own Son. God sent his Son into the world to prepare a place for you and God crushed his Son on the cross instead of you to prepare a place for you. God is prepared. He is prepared for an eternal kingdom. He is prepared to judge between the sheep and the goats, between eternal life and eternal punishment. God is prepared. Are you? Do you know the King? Jesus is the King, he will judge, he has the authority to give. And if you know him, do you love him? Do you love him as a sheep, a Christian, his very own. And do you love him by caring for your neighbor? This is not a 3 day trip to Louiseville, this is eternity? Jesus calls us to be prepared.

Prepare for it by knowing the King and Loving the King who has prepared a place for you.