Signs of the Times:Are You Demonstrating Your Faith?•
A Sermon by Dr. Bob Griffin, Teaching Elder at Sovereign Grace Church (very slow to upload; please be patient)
I. SETTING OF THE JUDGMENT
A. FOR THE MESSIAH
1. RETURN
Mt 25:31a When the Son of Man comes
(also) Matthew 24:30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
2. REALM
Mt 25:31b in His glory and all the angels with Him.
(also) II Thes 1:7-8 When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Col 3:4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory
3. RULE
Mt 25:31c then He will sit on His glorious throne.
(also) Is 9:7 “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.”
Luke 1:31-33 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Joel 3:16-17 “The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy
Acts 1:11 “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
B. FOR THE PEOPLE OF EARTH
1. REFINE
Mt 25:32 Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats
2. REMOVE
Mt 25:33 placing the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.
II. SEQUENCE OF JUDGMENT
A. FOR THE REGENERATE
1. REWARD
Mt 25:34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’
(also) Romans 8:16 “fellow-heir with Jesus”
I Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
2. REASONS
Mt 25:35-36 For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’
(also) Mt 6:2 “When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward”
Eph 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”
3. RESPONSE
Mt 25:37-39 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’
(also) Mt 11:4-6 Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
4. REVELATION
Mt 25:40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’
B. FOR THE UNREGENERATE
1. REWARD
Mt 25:41 Then He will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’
2. REASONS
Mt 25:42-43 For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
(also) James 2:15-17 “If you see that a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
I John 3:17-18 “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
3. RESPONSE
Mt 25:44 Then they also will answer, 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?’
4. REVELATION
Mt 25:45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
5. RESULT
Mt 25:46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
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ADDED STUDY: This is NOT the Great White Throne Judgment
Different time. The Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20:11-15 clearly happens after the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ and His saints. The Judgment of the Nations of Matthew 25 happens immediately after the glorious return of Jesus (Matthew 25:31-32).
Different place. The Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20 happens in heaven; the Judgment of the Nations of Matthew 25 happens on earth
Different subjects. The Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20 emphatically includes all unredeemed men and women. This is only “nations” (Gentiles)
Different basis. As Gentiles judged in large measure on their kindness and care towards [in part] the Jewish people (My brethren).
Different reason. “What happens with all these people – perhaps 3 billion or more – who survive the Great Tribulation and Armageddon?” This judgment of the nations answers that question