Judgement Comes with His Kingdom Coming - Thursday get_app

We can be excited about the coming Kingdom of God (and we should be!) but let’s not forget that with His coming in the future will also come His judgement. Today we are going to look at one parable Jesus taught about this.

Read Matthew 25:31-46.

• Who is the one who is seated on the throne and also separates people?
  (Jesus, the Son of Man)
• Is He only gathering believers before Him here? (no, all nations)
• What do those He chose inherit?
  (the kingdom prepared for them since the foundation of the world)
• How does He describe why He chose them? (v.35-36 and 40)

Let’s stop for a minute. We know that we must confess and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and follow Him with our lives in order to be His children. This parable is an illustration Jesus made to emphasize to us the reality of the last judgement that is coming. These details Jesus spoke to are acts. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary says this about it: “We are not to suppose that acts of bounty will entitle to eternal happiness. Good works done for God’s sake, through Jesus Christ, are here noticed as marking the character of believers made holy by the Spirit of Christ, and as the effects of grace bestowed on those who do them.”

In short, true believers are going to reflect works like these as evidence of their faith. James 2:14-17 is the support to this. Now back to the parable.

• What did He say to those that He did not choose? (v.41-43 and 45)
• What is the outcome for those not chosen? (eternal punishment)
• What is a logical conclusion to assume for the type of actions needed for us to be considered followers of Christ? (our faith will produce works or acts of righteousness)

While this parable may be uncomfortable to some of us, the truth is God is giving each of us the chance right now to hear His voice and follow Him. Once we hear His call to believe, we have the honor to share and care for “the least of these”. Are you doing this?

Pray today to see how you can care for others as an extension of your faith and look for ways to serve the Lord as His impending coming brings His judgement as well.

Watch “Facing a Task Unfinished (We Go to All the World)” again (we will be singing this as a congregation this Fall).