“Heaven” – Part 3 – Matthew 25:31-46

You know what bugs me?  You know what drives me crazy?  Railroad crossing arms.  You know how it is.  You’re driving along, minding your own business when you come up to a railroad and the crossing arms are down and the lights are flashing and a bell is ringing.  Sometimes there is even a train going by but I can’t go where I want to go because those stupid arms are blocking my way.  Who does the railroad think they are to keep me from going where I want to go, when I want to go?  I’m a licensed driver and I deserve to be able to drive where and when I want to!  Don’t you agree?  No?  Why not?

Those crossing arms are there for a warning, aren’t they?  They are protecting me from being hit by a train and that would sure ruin my day, wouldn’t it?  In fact, if those crossing arms weren’t there, life would be a lot more dangerous, wouldn’t it?  I’m amazed at some of the warning labels I see sometimes.  Everything has a warning label on it.  I saw this one the other day on a child’s sweater.  It says, “Wash in cold water.  Remove child from sweater first.”  I really thought they should have put the second sentence first but what do I know?

Why do we have warning labels and crossing arms and lights and sirens and signs that say, “Stay Out”?  It’s for our protection, isn’t it?  Do you know that the Bible has some warning signs in it?  As we continue our look at what Heaven is like, we have come to an intriguing passage in the Gospel of Matthew that tells us something about Heaven but it also encourages us and gives a warning.  Turn to Matthew 25:31-46. 

We talked last week about the Rapture and what we can expect on that day.  What is the Rapture?  What is the difference in the Rapture and the Second Coming?  In simple terms, the rapture is when we, as Christians, meet Jesus in the air.  He will come back for us but He will not come all the way back to earth.  At the Second Coming, Jesus, along with all the angels and all of us that are with Him in Heaven, will come back to earth after the Tribulation.  That’s the simple difference.

Now, my goal in this sermon series is to see what Heaven is like and what we can expect to find and do and see.  My goal does not include a thorough study of eschatology which is the study of end times.  We did that a while back and we saw what happens when and what happens to unbelievers and so we are just focusing on Heaven for a few weeks so don’t get bogged down in too many details about the stuff that won’t affect us as believers.

But the Second Coming will affect us in that we will be there as Jesus leads us from Heaven back to earth for what is called the Millennium which happens right after the Tribulation.  Make sense so far?  Good.  So, here’s the timeline and a set-up for the passage we are about to read.  The rapture could happen at any second.  All true believers will go to the present Heaven while the Tribulation goes on here on earth.  Then after seven years, Jesus will lead us back to earth at the Second Coming.  That’s what is happening in our passage in Matthew 25:31-46.  Let’s read that now. 

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³²All 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. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴"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. ³⁵For 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, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'LORD, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I 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.' ⁴⁴"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?' ⁴⁵"He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' ⁴⁶"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Last week I mentioned that there are two ways to get to Heaven, either through death or the Rapture, but either way, there is only one ticket and that is by grace and through faith in Jesus.  There is only one ticket but did you know that ticket is a round-trip ticket?  Yep, we are coming back to earth and that is what this passage is talking about.  But why are we coming back to earth with Jesus?  So He can dole out judgment.

I recently read the story of a woman who walked into a Haagen-Dazs ice cream store in Kansas City.  After she made her selection and received her ice cream cone, she turned around and suddenly found herself face-to-face with the legendary actor Paul Newman.  He smiled and said hello to her, but she froze up and was unable to speak.  The woman finally managed to pay for her ice cream cone, and she left the store with her heart pounding and feeling embarrassed at being unable to speak.

After she regained her composure, she realized that she didn’t have her ice cream cone, so she went back to the Haagen-Dazs store.  As she opened the door, Paul Newman was walking out, and he asked her, “Were you looking for your ice cream cone?”  Still unable to speak, she just nodded her head yes.  He smiled at her and said, “I happened to notice that you put your cone in your purse along with your change.” (Jeff Lasseigne, Unlocking the Last Days, page 74)

Now, can you imagine the look on people’s faces when this day comes and they look up and see Jesus?  Every nation on earth, every city, every family, every person on earth from the youngest to the oldest; every unsaved church member, every atheist, every agnostic, the kings and presidents, the smug and secure congressmen, the filthy singers and entertainers; every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.  But I think at this moment when they all look up and each one recognizes Jesus coming with His bride and the angels; I think the first word that comes to mind is probably going to be… “Uh-oh!”

“Uh-oh, we have made a big mistake!”  But it’s going to be too late.  Jesus will start separating the sheep and the goats, the believers from the unbelievers, those whose names are written in the Book and those whose names are absent.  He will judge right then and there with heavenly, holy and righteous judgment and He will start with the believers.

In the ancient Middle East, as in much of that land still today, sheep and goats were often herded together during the day.  At night, they would usually be separated because they didn’t get along in close quarters because the sheep are pretty much gentle and docile and the goats are rambunctious and unruly.  Similarly, when Jesus comes back, He will separate the believers from the unbelievers by putting the believers on the right and the others on the left.  This, too, is symbolic because the right side has always been a symbol of favor and blessing and the left side of disfavor and rejection.

Now, look at verse 34 again. 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.  Have you ever inherited anything?  Maybe when your parents passed or some other family member passed, you inherited something from them.  It might have been money.  It might have been bills.  It might be a good name or a bad name but when Jesus tells us to take our inheritance, what do you think it means?

In 1 Peter 1, Peter says our inheritance is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away and reserved in Heaven for you and ready to be revealed in the last time.  That sounds pretty good, right?  It’s kind of vague but sounds nice.  I’m looking forward to it just because Jesus says it’s going to be great and we know that ultimately the inheritance is Heaven.  We will see in more detail in the next few weeks about what that means but here Jesus says that it is the kingdom that has been prepared for you since the creation of the world.

Now, it’s as if Jesus anticipated the argument that we are saved by doing good works instead of by grace and through faith because before He mentions the good works, He stresses that this inheritance is not for doing these good works but was determined at creation.  We do not get there by our good deeds but because we are blessed by the Father.  Typically, a child doesn’t earn an inheritance but receives it on the basis of being in the family.  In exactly the same way, a believer does not earn his way into the Kingdom of God but receives it as his rightful inheritance as a child of God and a fellow heir with Jesus.  (MacArthur Commentary, page 122)

It’s the amount, the size and the prestige of the inheritance that is affected by the good deeds.  I have mentioned before that not everybody’s Heaven is going to be the same.  All believers get to go to Heaven but some people are going to have better experiences – eternally better experiences – than others.  Jesus lists six areas of need.  Do you want to have some idea of your rewards in Heaven?  Do you want some idea of how big your part of the inheritance is going to be?  Then how well do you do in ministering to those with these needs?

Hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and in prison.  You know, I wish I knew of a place that really specialized in ministering to those kinds of people.  I wish I knew where I could go to be part of that kind of ministry because that is how we store up our treasures in Heaven and I don’t have a lot to give but I want my time, talent and treasure to be invested in something that will last forever.  Does anybody know where I can go to find that?

What?  Christ Fellowship?  Why, isn’t that the place that is called to minister to the poor, the addicted and the incarcerated?  Isn’t that the place that the guy in jail once told me is the place that “really cares for people”?  That’s the place that has a food pantry that gets used every week and a long list of inmates that would love an encouraging note.  It’s a church in a community that has lots of people who need a ride to church or to the doctor or to the store.

Now, I know that Christ Fellowship isn’t for everybody.  No church is perfect for everybody. But I believe that one of the reasons that this church stays small is that so many people want to just go to church and blend in to the wallpaper and not have to do anything and not be noticed and be able to get a little pick-me-up on Sunday morning and not show up but once a month and nobody will notice.  That’s not us and I don’t make any apologies for that.

But if you want a place where you can store up real treasures in Heaven; if you want a place where you can serve and make a difference for eternity by ministering to who Jesus called the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick and in prison and who we call the poor, the addicted and the incarcerated, then Christ fellowship is the place to be.

I Corinthians 3:12-15 says God will test our good works by fire.  ^12”If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. ¹⁴If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved-even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

So, if you want to just barely squeak into Heaven with clothes that smell like smoke, then that is your eternal choice, but if you want to really be blessed for all of eternity, then Christ Fellowship is a good place to be a member and a good place to volunteer and serve.  I will quote Ephesians 2:8-9 again.  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Good works do not get us to Heaven.  The Bible makes that clear.  But it also makes clear that the evidence for assurance of true salvation is not found in a past moment of decision but in a continuous pattern of righteous behavior. (John MacArthur)

I’ll tell you what fascinates me about this passage.  First off, Jesus calls us “righteous” in verse 37 but then He goes on to list a bunch of common, everyday needs that have been met.  He doesn’t say, “Because you donated the money for the hospital to add on a new surgical wing…” or “because you and Billy Graham led thousands of people to Christ…”  No.  It’s because you had compassion on people who would never be able to pay you back and because you did it without telling anybody else and because you got no earthly glory or reward for it that you will get an eternal reward and eternal glory from Jesus Himself.

I think that is awesome news and a really good deal for us as believers.  But here’s the bad news.  Here’s the warning, the flashing lights and sirens that I told you about.  Look at verses 41 and 45-46.  "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' ⁴⁶"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Jesus will turn to the masses on His left and tell them that time is up.  It’s too late.  You had your chance and we know that Jesus doesn’t want any to perish as it says in 2 Peter 3 but He is talking to those who refused to truly believe in Him and trust in Him.  Some of these may very well have been doing these good works that He is talking about.  This isn’t punishment for not doing good works any more than we are saved by doing them.

I’m sure this is painful for Jesus to have to say.  It’s painful for me to say but I have to preach the whole council of God and I wouldn’t be a good shepherd if I didn’t warn the goats along with the sheep about the danger that lies ahead.  Hell is a real place just like Heaven is a real place.  Jesus describes Hell as eternal fire.  It is eternal separation from God.  It is being eternally without His goodness, love, wisdom, patience and forgiveness.

I’m not a “hell-fire and brimstone” kinda preacher but truth is truth and I know that just like the righteous will be amazed at the Lord’s words about Heaven, the unbelievers will be shockingly amazed as well at His words about their eternity. 

Again, just like Jesus rewards the common, everyday good deeds, there is punishment for not doing them.  He doesn’t say, “All you mass murderers, rapists and bank robbers are going to Hell.”  Just like earlier in this chapter the five foolish virgins who had no oil for their lamps were shut out of the wedding feast, not because they were horrible people but because they were unprepared for the Bridegroom.  The reason people go to Hell is not for being bad people, but because of their lack of faith in Jesus as being the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no one gets to the Father but through Him.

Heaven is going to be greater than we can ever imagine and Hell is going to be worse than we can ever imagine but you make the choice here in this life and you may not have another day.  Maybe today you feel Jesus drawing you to Himself.  You don’t have to understand everything.  Nobody does.  All you have to understand is that you are a sinner.  Romans 3:23 says we are all sinners.  Romans 6:23 says because we are sinners we deserve eternity in Hell.  All sin will be punished.  Either you suffer the punishment or you accept the punishment Jesus endured on the cross for you.  Make the decision today.