Judgment day was the preacher's theme, and he thundered about God's wrath, sin and the day of judgment. A seven-year-old boy listened closely, tugged at his father's sleeve, and asked, "Will they call school off?" He was asking, "What's in it for me?"

Judgment day is on Christ's mind here in Matthew 25:31 and following verses. He is describing that fateful day soon "when the Son of Man comes in his glory" (v. 31). All the angels will be with him. Jesus will sit on a throne (v. 31). And before him will be gathered all the nations of the world (v. 32). There Jesus will divide the sheep from the goats, the righteous from the sinners.

To the righteous Christ will say, "Come" (v. 34). To the wicked he will say, "Depart!" (v. 41). The righteous will enter a "kingdom prepared" (v. 34), "eternal life" (v. 46). But the unredeemed will be "cursed" to "fire" with the "devil and his angels" (v. 41). And this punishment is "eternal" (v. 46).

Hey! I'm not making this up! This is what Jesus said about it! And, yes! They will call school off that day. No one will be discussing weight loss or the weather. None of us will be asking how the stock market is doing. We won't care about the November elections. For all of our attention will be focused on the Judge who is seated upon the throne!

Do We Earn It?
Who is the person that pleases God? How is it one can stand with God's sheep and enter into paradise? Who is the person Christ condemns? On what basis does Jesus say "Come!" to some and "Go!" to others?

At first glance it seems one is favored by good works - feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick, and clothing the poor. Indeed, a lot of people believe the deeds we do go into big piles. In the end if our good outweighs our bad we'll go to heaven. I was talking to a country boy on the dining room steps of East Carolina University. I'd inquired of his philosophy of life. He told me, "It's really very simple. Life is like a trip to the Super Wal-Mart store. Everybody gets a shopping cart and a chance to walk through the aisles of life. On the shelves are all these good things - fishin' lures, shotgun shells, t-shirts, snack foods, and Waylon Jennings CDs. Why, you just go through, pick out what you want, and pay for it at the end.

"If you've been good, you get to go to that 'Big Wal-Mart in the Sky' and shop forever. If you've been bad, God'll sit your butt in a hot car out in the parking lot and you won't get out for all eternity!"

But I remind you, salvation is not a prize we earn. It is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states, "For by grace we are saved, by faith, and not that of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any should boast."

Faith In God

Actually, the key to understanding this passage is the phrase, "Come, O blessed of my Father ..." (v. 34). The important word is blessed. And to understand it we have to go back to the first of Matthew's Gospel. There, when Jesus first opened his mouth to preach, he said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit ... those who mourn ... blessed are the meek ... and those who hunger and thirst ..." (Matthew 5:1-12). We call these sayings the Beatitudes. And they tell us plainly what sort of person Christ is looking for.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit," that is, those who understand their total spiritual bankruptcy before God. Those who know they are hopeless sinners.

"Blessed are those who mourn." I'm spiritually poor and I care. I wish it weren't so. And I grieve before God.

"Blessed are the meek." This means I am approachable by God. He can talk to me and I will listen. He can teach me and I will bend my will to his.

And, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." When God makes provision for my salvation, when he offers me himself who is become my righteousness, I receive him gladly. I trust him. I do not want a mere nibble, but the whole of what he offers!

These first four attitudes are as fine a description of faith in Christ Jesus as you'll discover in the New Testament. Faith is not just an intellectual consent that Jesus is Savior, but a living relationship, an active attitude that turns from self to God for hope, for provision, for redemption from sin. Faith is trusting Jesus and receiving what he offers.

This is hard for so many. Just go into a bookstore. Check out the topical sections. The biggest one is called the "self-help" section. There you'll find books on feeling good about yourself, how to fix your marriage, on stopping worry, on becoming a dynamic leader, and more. You see, we humans do not want to admit we're spiritually bankrupt and must throw ourselves on God's mercy and provision. We're convinced we can fix things. All we need is a little more time.

But Jesus said those who are "blessed," those to whom God says, "Come!" are those who've turned from self and sin and prideful striving to simple trust in Christ.

Service To Others

In the text, Jesus makes it clear that the best way one can love God is to love the people he makes. "Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me."

Look at the second half of the Beatitudes. Matthew 5:7-12 shifts from our faith attitude toward God to our faithful behavior toward people: "Blessed are the merciful ... blessed are the pure in heart ... blessed are the peacemakers ... blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake...."

Be clear about it, if one lives before God poor in spirit, mournful, meekly, and hungrily, then it follows one will live mercifully, pure, and a peacemaker among people.

But be careful to notice that as Christ rewards his saints for their good deeds among men - feeding the poor, ministry to the sick, visiting the prisoner - they seem to be unaware of what they did. "Lord," they argue, "when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?" And Jesus will say, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me" (v. 40).

On that day Jesus will say, "Stephen, remember that pastor who publicly slandered you? Remember Howard?" And I'll say, "Yes, Lord, I remember him." Then Jesus will point out, "You were hurt, but you didn't sue him or try to get him fired. You met him with kindness. You just went on with your life, gave him the benefit of the doubt. In short, you were merciful."

"And Stephen," Christ will say, "does the name Mr. Knotts means anything to you? He's the man who came to your church for four years then quit to look around. You read in the paper how he was on cocaine, had raped a waitress, and was in jail. You visited him on Christmas Eve in 1986 in prison. You told him you cared. When he put his hand on the prison glass, you put yours on his and cried, too. Stephen, you were pure in heart. He couldn't pay you back or join your church. Your only motive for going to him was my love."

Then Jesus will say, "Remember that pastors' conference you did in Myrtle Beach, October of '97? You'd just had an award-winning book published and were riding high. You were teaching about fifty clergy couples. There was a one-talent pastor and his wife there laboring in a small rural parish. He was depressed and thinking of quitting. She was overweight and nervous and insecure. You sat to eat with them. You listened. You told her you could see the love of God in her smile and eyes. That meal gave them the hope to carry on. You were being a peacemaker, Stephen."

And I will bow my head and worship Jesus! "Lord, I didn't know what you were doing through me. Blessed art thou, O God! And blessed art people through your Word and Spirit in ministry through your servants!"

For those who are empty, Jesus is our fullness. And for those around us, we are conduits - God pours out his blessings through us. What we receive we pass along - mercy and peace and love.

Conclusion

The sheep and the goats. Those to whom Jesus says, "Come!" and those to whom Jesus says, "Depart!" Those who are so self-absorbed they live without God and with no service to others, and those who in humility become God-aware, trusting, and servants to others: These are the two sorts of person in our world. They are the two who will stand before God at the last day to be judged.

Which person are you?

Suggested Prayer: I am poor before you. And I care. O make me meek and hungry as I trust in your provision. Amen.