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[Music] Welcome back to our look at Matthew chapter 25. This is day four of our
look through this chapter and it is a final story that Jesus tells us about how
to be prepared for his return. We've heard about the days of Noah and a thief in
the night and two out in the field and being a good manager and some virgin
bridesmaids and five and two and one talents and now we come to the story that's
really more than a story.

Jesus here is telling us what's going to happen in the future. He lays out for
us what's going to happen at the end of time. To help us to be prepared for
what's going to happen, he lays out for us what's going to happen.

So listen to what Jesus taught us beginning in verse 31. "When the Son of Man
comes in his glory and all his angels with him, he will sit on his throne in
heavenly glory. 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. And then the king
will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my father, take
your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you
invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me.

I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. '
And then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink?

When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe
you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? ' And the king
will reply, 'I tell you the truth.

Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
' And then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me. You are cursed
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me
nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not invite me in.

I needed clothes and you did not clothe me. I was sick and in prison and you did
not look after me. ' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or
thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and did not help
you?

' And he will reply, 'I tell you the truth. Whatever you did not do for one of
the least of these, you did not do for me. ' And they will go away to eternal
punishment but the righteous to eternal life.

' These are verses that talk about serving. They talk about as we're waiting, we
need to be serving. They talk about the value of ministry as we wait for Jesus'
return.

These verses also teach us a lot about the afterlife. As Jesus talks through
here what will happen, we get some very strong teaching from Jesus about
judgment, about heaven, about hell. We're going to look tomorrow at the value of
ministry.

Today we're going to take a look at what these verses teach us about the
afterlife. Jesus here teaches us about judgment, about hell, and about heaven.
First he teaches us very clearly about judgment.

He teaches us that at the end of time there will be a time of judgment. This
scene that happens here is what many call the great white throne judgment. Jesus
sitting on his throne judging all the nations.

Now this is different. By the way in the New Testament there are two separate
judgments. There's also a judgment that some call the Bema judgment.

That's from the Greek word for that judgment. And that's the judgment that has
to do with only believers. That's the judgment that has to do with the rewards
we get for the faith that we've had as believers.

That's not the judgment of separation that's happening here. The separation of
the sheep and the goats. Now it's obvious here who the sheep are and who the
goats are by the way.

The picture we sometimes have of this judgment is that the great white throne is
sitting at the pearly gates and you're in a long line that's winding its way up.
And you're not sure if you're a sheep or a goat until you get to the front. And
you hear well you're a sheep go this way go to the right.

Nope you're a goat you got to go to the left. That's the picture that we often
see in movies and television and that you may have even in your mind. That's not
the picture that Jesus gives.

The truth is if you're a sheep you've already become a sheep and if you've not
become one you're a goat then it's clear at the end. Jesus tells us in John
chapter 5 that we've already passed out of judgment into life if we're believers
in Christ. So this idea of a fearful judgment where you're not sure it's nowhere
in the scripture.

But there is this judgment moment that is an awe-filled moment. And it's a very
fearful moment for those who have not who have not decided they want to spend
their eternity with God. Who decided instead they want to be separated from God.

And in the end God will say to those who want to be separated from him you can
have your will. Your will be done. In the end as C.

S. Lewis said one of two things is going to happen. Either I'm going to say to
God your will be done and I'll spend eternity with him because I've chosen him.

Or he's going to say to me your will be done because I've chosen to spend
eternity with myself and be separated from him. God is not going to force anyone
even at the end force anyone into a relationship with him. To the very end God
is going to honor our choice.

So Jesus tells us here very clearly there's going to be a judgment. He also
teaches us clearly here some things about hell. He teaches us the truth about
whether hell is a real place.

Jesus here talks about hell as a place of judgment. And Jesus who understands
eternity better than I do. Jesus who is God in human flesh.

I'm going to trust him above anybody else. Anybody else that talks about this.
The truth of the matter is there are more verses in which Jesus taught about
hell than he taught about heaven.

There is a place of separation from God. Jesus says they will go away to eternal
punishment. Eternal punishment.

That punishment is a place of separation. Not being with God for all of
eternity. C.

S. Lewis once said that hell, one definition of hell, is nothing but yourself
for all eternity. And of all the other punishments I read in the scripture, a
place of torment or a fire, to me that is the most chilling of all.

It's a place of separation. It's a place of departure. Being apart from God.

Jesus also teaches us here why hell was created. He tells us in these verses
that it was originally created for Satan and his angels. Depart from me you who
are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Now these are the angels who followed Satan when he tried to lead a rebellion
against God in heaven. We call them also demons. And they are not going to be
with God in heaven.

They've already decided as well. We want to be separated from God. So God
prepared a place for them.

A place called hell. Well eternally there will be separated from him. Hell is no
accident.

You might notice the word prepared there. Hell didn't happen by accident. It's
not some edge of creation that God didn't know about.

God prepared this place. And he prepared it. You might also notice the word
depart.

Depart from me you who are cursed. He prepared it as a place where people could
depart from him. That tells you why God would prepare such a place.

Satan and his angels originally lived with God in heaven. They left God's
presence by choice. And once again God's going to allow them to have their
choice for eternity.

And because there are human beings who have made that same choice, he's going to
allow them to have that choice for all eternity. Contrary, by the way, to
popular opinion, two things. First, Satan is not already in hell.

He's on earth, the Bible says. He's affecting us. He's influencing us here on
earth.

And second, Satan is not going to be the ruler or the leader or the tormentor in
hell. He's going to suffer as much as anyone else. More than anyone else because
of what he's brought on so many people.

Satan can live apart from God while he's on this earth. He can be apart from God
even as many in this world are apart from God, separated from God while they're
living on this earth. That's the choice that Satan has made.

But when this earth is no longer here, one day when there's a new heaven and a
new earth and there's no place to be separate from God in that new heaven and
new earth, then God's going to give Satan, God's going to give people their way.
He's going to cast Satan and death and Hades into the lake of fire, a place of
separation from God. Nothing in the new creation will be separated from God.

Everything in hell is separated from God. Jesus also says something to us here
about what hell is going to be like. He says it's a place of eternal death.

It's not a place of non-existence. It is a place of eternal separation from God.
That truly is eternal death.

To not know God, to be separated from him. I don't want that for anyone. You
don't want that for anyone.

I pray for everyone to instead understand the truth and the love of Jesus Christ
so that they enjoy what Jesus also taught us about here. He also taught us about
heaven. As he talks in these verses, he talks about this place of blessing.

He says heaven is a place of God's blessing. And he says in these verses that
that blessing can be seen in God's inheritance. It's a place of enjoying God and
who he is for all eternity.

But there's this inheritance that God wants to give to us that we're going to
enjoy. The same inheritance that he's giving his son, Jesus. As incredible as
that is.

And he tells us here that heaven, this inheritance that he is giving to us, is
come and share, he says, the kingdom prepared since creation. I don't know all
that that means. But the idea that God has been preparing since the moment of
creation.

Since even before we fell, he has been preparing this place where for all
eternity I'm going to enjoy who he is, enjoy the glory of who he is. That's an
awesome, awesome blessing that we're going to face for all eternity. Jesus said
this personally to his disciples in the upper room when he said, I'm going to
prepare a place for you.

And if I prepare a place for you, I'm going to come again and receive you to
myself. And here in this parable, in this story, he teaches this to us very
powerfully. When he says, God has been preparing this kingdom since before the
creation of the world.

That's what heaven's going to be like. Heaven is a place of eternal life,
capital L. All the life that you can imagine pouring out of you forever and
ever.

That is the hope that we're looking forward to. And so Jesus says we pray today.
We pray for more people to be in heaven.

We pray for more people to escape, to be rescued by you from the separateness,
the death of hell so that they can enjoy the blessing, the inheritance, the
kingdom prepared since creation, the eternal life that you want to give to us.
Lord, help us to look forward, help me to look forward to that eternal life
today, to live my life today knowing that this promise of eternal life, because
of what you've done, Jesus, this promise of eternal life is out in front of me.
I pray this in your name, Jesus.

Amen. Well, tomorrow we're going to look at what this story that Jesus told us
has to do with the way that you and I minister to other people.