The Last Sunday of the Church Year 11/23/08 Text: Matthew 25:31-46
The Last Sunday of the Church Year
11/23/2008
Text: Matthew 25:31-46
Title: What is your answer?
Today is the last Sunday of the church year. It is fitting then that today our Scripture readings all deal with the Day of Judgment. For the last several Sundays the Gospel readings have all focused on being prepared for the Judgment day. In the parable of the wedding banquet we found that it does make a difference in what we believe; that all spiritual roads do not lead to the true God. The man caught at the feast without the proper wedding clothes, that is the righteousness of Christ, was thrown out. He was surprised because he thought his clothing; that is his belief in God was at least as good as the righteousness of Christ. There is, contrary to what people want to believe only one way to forgiveness and eternal life with God and that is faith in Jesus as one’s Savior.
We then learned in the parable of the Ten Virgins that you have to make sure that your faith is kept strong by reading the Word of God, attending Holy Worship, for without that there is a danger that at the final day Christ will find you without faith. You say, that won’t happen, well it does happen. It was just a month ago that a member of this congregation who quit reading the Word of God and started to reading other spiritual books told me that she rejects Jesus as the only way to heaven, that she did not believe that Jesus is the Savior.
This is very distressing, but what is even more distressing is that she is not the only one that has admitted to me that they don’t believe Jesus is the only way to receive salvation. When God comes, she and others like her will be found lacking the oil of faith and will be shut out of God’s presence.
In the parable of the talents where we learned it is not what we do with our money, but what we do with the forgiveness so lavishly given to us by God. We saw that depending on how a person views God they will use the forgiveness in different ways. The person that believes God is a God that must be pleased, even after Jesus died on our behalf, will bury that forgiveness under the Law, and in doing so they will have that forgiveness taken away. On the other hand that person that views God as a just God who after giving them forgiveness expects them to do good things with his forgiveness will be held in honor by God.
Today’s Gospel reading tells us again what will happen on the last Day. It shows us using the examples of a sheepherder separating the sheep and goats which was done at night, that Jesus will come on that Judgment Day to separate those who have accepted his forgiveness trusting in him as their Savior from those who rejected his forgiveness.
Jesus uses the example of the sheep and goats like he used the example of the wheat and tares to show us that in the visible Christian church there are those who are saved and those who are not. Just like the man that was thrown out at the wedding feast there are those who believe that there are other ways to God and in doing so will not have any excuse on the day of separation.
On that day when Christ returns he will call all people to himself. Those who have died will be called out of their graves to be reunited with their souls. Those who are alive will join them before the throne of God. At that time, depending on their faith, the body and soul will be judged. Those who did not believe in Jesus as their Savior will be sent to hell, that place of eternal separation from God. Those who have died in the Lord, trusting him as their Savior, will be joined with their souls to spend eternity with God in the new heaven and earth.
There are those who are going to be surprised on Judgment day, for they had done the same thing as those who believed. They had fed the hungry, given water to the poor, shelter to the homeless, clothing to those who were in need of, say winter coats. They helped those who were sick by helping them to get medical help and had some contact with those in prison.
They did all those things, for you don’t have to be a Christian to do good deeds, yet they find themselves being cast into eternal punishment. What is the problem, why is it that those who do the same things that Christians do are told that they have not done anything and so deserve to be thrown into eternal punishment?
The problem first of all is that they did not believe in Jesus as their Savior. They knew about Jesus, but they did not believe in him. For it is not enough to have intellectual knowledge of Jesus, for we all must have that. We must believe in him, that is trust him to do what he says, for no one can enter the kingdom of heaven without being forgiven. As you have heard me say time and time again it is all about Jesus and his taking the punishment from God that we all still deserve.
We see in verse 34 that this text is not about our doing good so that God loves us and accepts us. God who is outside of time has known who is to be saved from the very beginning. He alone has given us the gift of salvation. The word inherit is a key word for you cannot earn an inheritance. It can only be given to you as a gift upon the death of someone. In this case it is the death of Jesus
In verse 40 a key word is “brothers”, meaning that when a Christian does good to another Christian it is the same as doing good to Jesus. In verse 45 he says the same thing to those who are not Christians, for the word “these” refers back to the “brothers” that is Christians in verse 40.
Both believers and non-believers say the same thing. Neither one thinks that they have done anything for Christ. The difference of course is that the believers have helped their fellow Christians thus they have done good to Jesus, because as Christians we are united with Jesus through our baptism. We are one with him and the Father.
On the other hand those who might intellectually think of themselves as Christians, but really don’t believe and trust in Jesus as their Savior have not helped out Christians in their time of need, thus they have rejected Jesus.
This passage does not say that Christians are not to help others out, those outside of the faith, for that is how we are to share the Word and love of God. What it is addressing is that one cannot be saved if they do not help out fellow Christians in need. Now before you get excited and say that I have just said you must do good works to be saved I have not. The good that Christians do toward each other come from their being saved, not as a way of being saved.
You just cannot separate how one lives one’s life from the gift of forgiveness. Forgiveness motivates a person to do good. If there is one fault in the Lutheran faith it is that we are so scared of corrupting God’s grace, his gift of forgiveness that we don’t do the good that we should. Forgiveness comes first, then the life of doing good, particularly the life of doing good toward fellow Christians.
Looking back to last week’s Epistle reading Paul told the Christians at Thessalonica that the life they were to live as they wait for Christ’s return is to “encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Today we add; feed the hungry, cloth those who are in need of clothing, visit the sick, and minister to those in prison.
Is this the complete list? Of course not, for we are told elsewhere in God’s Holy Word that we are to also to care for widows and children plus go and Baptize and teach all people about God. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ that is what being a Kingdom congregation is all about, for when we do those things individually and collectively as a Congregation we are doing it for Christ. Amen.
11/23/2008
Text: Matthew 25:31-46
Title: What is your answer?
Today is the last Sunday of the church year. It is fitting then that today our Scripture readings all deal with the Day of Judgment. For the last several Sundays the Gospel readings have all focused on being prepared for the Judgment day. In the parable of the wedding banquet we found that it does make a difference in what we believe; that all spiritual roads do not lead to the true God. The man caught at the feast without the proper wedding clothes, that is the righteousness of Christ, was thrown out. He was surprised because he thought his clothing; that is his belief in God was at least as good as the righteousness of Christ. There is, contrary to what people want to believe only one way to forgiveness and eternal life with God and that is faith in Jesus as one’s Savior.
We then learned in the parable of the Ten Virgins that you have to make sure that your faith is kept strong by reading the Word of God, attending Holy Worship, for without that there is a danger that at the final day Christ will find you without faith. You say, that won’t happen, well it does happen. It was just a month ago that a member of this congregation who quit reading the Word of God and started to reading other spiritual books told me that she rejects Jesus as the only way to heaven, that she did not believe that Jesus is the Savior.
This is very distressing, but what is even more distressing is that she is not the only one that has admitted to me that they don’t believe Jesus is the only way to receive salvation. When God comes, she and others like her will be found lacking the oil of faith and will be shut out of God’s presence.
In the parable of the talents where we learned it is not what we do with our money, but what we do with the forgiveness so lavishly given to us by God. We saw that depending on how a person views God they will use the forgiveness in different ways. The person that believes God is a God that must be pleased, even after Jesus died on our behalf, will bury that forgiveness under the Law, and in doing so they will have that forgiveness taken away. On the other hand that person that views God as a just God who after giving them forgiveness expects them to do good things with his forgiveness will be held in honor by God.
Today’s Gospel reading tells us again what will happen on the last Day. It shows us using the examples of a sheepherder separating the sheep and goats which was done at night, that Jesus will come on that Judgment Day to separate those who have accepted his forgiveness trusting in him as their Savior from those who rejected his forgiveness.
Jesus uses the example of the sheep and goats like he used the example of the wheat and tares to show us that in the visible Christian church there are those who are saved and those who are not. Just like the man that was thrown out at the wedding feast there are those who believe that there are other ways to God and in doing so will not have any excuse on the day of separation.
On that day when Christ returns he will call all people to himself. Those who have died will be called out of their graves to be reunited with their souls. Those who are alive will join them before the throne of God. At that time, depending on their faith, the body and soul will be judged. Those who did not believe in Jesus as their Savior will be sent to hell, that place of eternal separation from God. Those who have died in the Lord, trusting him as their Savior, will be joined with their souls to spend eternity with God in the new heaven and earth.
There are those who are going to be surprised on Judgment day, for they had done the same thing as those who believed. They had fed the hungry, given water to the poor, shelter to the homeless, clothing to those who were in need of, say winter coats. They helped those who were sick by helping them to get medical help and had some contact with those in prison.
They did all those things, for you don’t have to be a Christian to do good deeds, yet they find themselves being cast into eternal punishment. What is the problem, why is it that those who do the same things that Christians do are told that they have not done anything and so deserve to be thrown into eternal punishment?
The problem first of all is that they did not believe in Jesus as their Savior. They knew about Jesus, but they did not believe in him. For it is not enough to have intellectual knowledge of Jesus, for we all must have that. We must believe in him, that is trust him to do what he says, for no one can enter the kingdom of heaven without being forgiven. As you have heard me say time and time again it is all about Jesus and his taking the punishment from God that we all still deserve.
We see in verse 34 that this text is not about our doing good so that God loves us and accepts us. God who is outside of time has known who is to be saved from the very beginning. He alone has given us the gift of salvation. The word inherit is a key word for you cannot earn an inheritance. It can only be given to you as a gift upon the death of someone. In this case it is the death of Jesus
In verse 40 a key word is “brothers”, meaning that when a Christian does good to another Christian it is the same as doing good to Jesus. In verse 45 he says the same thing to those who are not Christians, for the word “these” refers back to the “brothers” that is Christians in verse 40.
Both believers and non-believers say the same thing. Neither one thinks that they have done anything for Christ. The difference of course is that the believers have helped their fellow Christians thus they have done good to Jesus, because as Christians we are united with Jesus through our baptism. We are one with him and the Father.
On the other hand those who might intellectually think of themselves as Christians, but really don’t believe and trust in Jesus as their Savior have not helped out Christians in their time of need, thus they have rejected Jesus.
This passage does not say that Christians are not to help others out, those outside of the faith, for that is how we are to share the Word and love of God. What it is addressing is that one cannot be saved if they do not help out fellow Christians in need. Now before you get excited and say that I have just said you must do good works to be saved I have not. The good that Christians do toward each other come from their being saved, not as a way of being saved.
You just cannot separate how one lives one’s life from the gift of forgiveness. Forgiveness motivates a person to do good. If there is one fault in the Lutheran faith it is that we are so scared of corrupting God’s grace, his gift of forgiveness that we don’t do the good that we should. Forgiveness comes first, then the life of doing good, particularly the life of doing good toward fellow Christians.
Looking back to last week’s Epistle reading Paul told the Christians at Thessalonica that the life they were to live as they wait for Christ’s return is to “encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Today we add; feed the hungry, cloth those who are in need of clothing, visit the sick, and minister to those in prison.
Is this the complete list? Of course not, for we are told elsewhere in God’s Holy Word that we are to also to care for widows and children plus go and Baptize and teach all people about God. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ that is what being a Kingdom congregation is all about, for when we do those things individually and collectively as a Congregation we are doing it for Christ. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 6:10 AM
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