The first important event is found in the previous chapter (24), Jesus tells his disciples about the end times, and his promise to return. And he warns us to be good and faithful servants, and to be watchful for the signs of his coming.

Jesus is telling his disciples that it is time to go to the cross. The disciples want to know when Jesus will return, what will the signs be for the end of this age.

And Jesus tells them about famines, and earthquakes, and nations rising up against nations.

And he tells them to beware of false prophets, and false teachers who will lead them astray from the truth he has told them.

And then he tells them, "The Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come." Jesus is talking here about the Great Commission. He's talking about spreading the Gospel to ends of the earth.

The second important event surrounding chapter 25 is found in the next chapter (26), when Jesus and the disciples share the last supper together.

So, now in chapter 25, just before the passover meal where we learn the meaning of the bread, and of the wine, and just after Jesus told his disciples that the Gospel must be preached throughout the whole world, we find Jesus teaching his disciples about the Kingdom of Heaven. He does this through parables. The first is the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, and the second is the Parable of the Talents. And this chapter concludes with our reading for today, where Jesus is telling of the Final Judgment, where all the nations are gathered before him, and he separates the people of these nations, one from another. The sheep on his right, and the goats on his left.

Now keep in mind, what Jesus just got through telling us in chapter 24… he is going away. And while he is away, we are to beware of false teachers. We are to be good and faithful servants. We are to be watching for the signs of his return.

In the parable of The Ten Bridesmaids, the bridesmaids are waiting for The Bridegroom. But in context with the previous chapter, where Jesus has gone way, and we are waiting for his return, The Bridegroom in this parable is Jesus. And the bridesmaids are separated, much like the sheep on Jesus's right and the goats on his left. Some are prepared, and watchful, and go with the Bridegroom to the Wedding Feast. Others, are unprepared, and busy doing other "more important" things, and are left behind.

In the parable of the Talents (which I'm sure you know from last week's sermon), three servants are entrusted with large and small sums of their master's wealth, and they are asked to invest it. The one who invested well upon the master's return was rewarded well. The one who invested some, was also rewarded appropriately. But the servant who had nothing to show in terms of growth and good stewardship over the master's loan was chastised by the master upon his return. He was told he was lazy, and that the amount he was in charge of should be taken away and given to the one who had invested well. And Jesus said in this parable, "For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more, and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him."

Now in this chapter of Matthew, Jesus switches gears. At first he is illustrating how one enters the Kingdom of Heaven through the telling of parables. The focus is on preparation for his return, and on investment of our talents. We are to be good stewards over all the Lord gives us. But now Jesus delivers his apocalyptic depiction of what his return and final judgment will be like at the last day. And here we read:

(Read Matthew 25:31-46)

I think we are all very tempted to reject the harshness of this passage of scripture. I think we are quick to say, "The God that I know would never condemn people that way. After all we worship a God of love, not vengeance".

But this teaching method of showing us how to be good and faithful servants, and then following with a warning, is very consistent with the teachings of Jesus. In Matthew 7:12 we find Jesus teaching the golden rule… "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". He said, "This is the teaching of the laws of Moses in a nutshell".

But then he goes on to say that there will be a separation. He says that, "Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate!. The highway to hell is broad, and it's gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it."

Folks, most people are not on this straight and narrow road to heaven.

The question is, how can we help them find and stay on that narrow road into the Kingdom of God?

Jesus told everyone he came in contact with that He is the way, the truth and the life. That by accepting him as our personal savior, we become new creations in his name, and that by placing our faith in him, our place in Heaven is secured.

There are three things that I would like us to think about as we meditate upon today's scripture:

First, we will all some day stand before Jesus and be judged according to our works. For those of us who know Jesus, our sins are forgiven and then forgotten. For those of us who know Jesus, we are identified by our service to Jesus, not saved by it. We are identified by the fact that we are good stewards over the gifts and talents he has given us. We are identified by the fact that we do these things in his name. And Jesus has given us his promise that we will be rewarded in heaven, according to our good deeds and service toward others while here on earth.

Second, the identification of good works and the separation at the final judgment should never be perceived by us as a threat. Jesus is not intending to force us do good works because we have been threatened.

Instead, he would like us to see that it is not the spectacular or the unusual that is important, but rather the comings and the goings of ones every day life. In short… it is consistency in our lives, the little things, the every day things, that count toward our reward in heaven.

Third, it is not for us to judge service to Christ by our own human criteria. All may be surprised in that they have served or failed to serve Christ on some way. But we are to be prepared for his return by being watchful for opportunities to minister to others. You know we are all ministers. The definition of ministry is fulfilling unmet need. We are to be receptive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are to be sensitive to the opportunities we encounter to share the love of God with others. We are to be in service to one another. We are to be looking for ways to fulfill unmet need.

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There was a young boy who had developed a rare form of cancer. His body was slowly being ravaged by the spread of thousands of tiny polyps and tumors. He had undergone many surgeries to remove affected areas of his stomach and intestines, in order to control the spread of the disease.

His widowed father had taken him from hospital to hospital. From specialist to specialist.

After compete sets of tests and invasive procedures, the answer was always the same… "I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson, there's nothing we can do. This is such a rare form of this disease that there are only 3 laboratories in the entire country who can test for it. Even if we able to identify the cause and a cure, I'm afraid that it's just too late to help Tommy."

Tommy was tired of all of the testing. He had lost a lot of weight, and he had lost almost all of his strength. He didn't even seem to have the energy to smile anymore. And through it all, his father was by his side, and it was breaking his heart to see his son go through such an ordeal.

One day, Mr. Johnson came into the cancer ward at the hospital, and found a man dressed in brightly colored clothes, standing at the foot of Tommy's bed. The man was telling a story, except he wasn't reading anything. He was sort acting it out, assuming the roles of each character as the story unfolded.

When the story was sad, the man cried, …and so did Tommy. When the story was happy, the man smiled, …and so did Tommy. And when the story was funny, the man laughed out loud …and difficult as it was for him …Tommy laughed too.

Tommy's father watched all of this from the doorway of the hospital room and there he experienced every emotion along with the two of them.

When the story was over, the man placed his hand on Tommy's arm and told him that he enjoyed meeting him. He asked if he could come back and visit again sometime… "Maybe next week… would that be okay?".

Tommy nodded with wide eyes that showed a clarity that his father had not seen in a very long time.

As the man was leaving, Mr. Johnson stopped him in the hallway… "Sir I must thank you", he said. The man was very humble about the whole thing. He said that he liked to tell stories, and it seemed to cheer up some of the kids there, even if only for a little while.

Mr. Johnson said, "Mister… you don't understand."

The man quickly replied, "It's okay, really, I like kids, and I like to help out where ever I can".

Again Mr. Johnson said, "No… Sir, you don't understand… it's not just Tommy that you've helped. You see, I haven't seen Tommy smile for about three months now, and as you were telling your story, when he smiled, I smiled. It's been almost a year since I've heard Tommy laugh, and when he laughed, I laughed.

Mister, I have been at the end of my rope for a long time now. There have been times that I've been afraid that I'll take my own life after Tommy is gone. But, I feel now as though I have the renewed strength I need for Tommy, and you've shown me that God is still alive and that he cares about us. Thank you for coming… and giving such a precious gift.

What I want you to know is that you didn't just help Tommy today, because when you were doing this to Tommy, you were doing it to me."

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Friends this is how God feels when we help others.

Jesus wants us to know, that when one is in service to another, one is in service to Him. This is not a strategy to gain one's salvation. It is rather an invitation to share with others Christ's love and presence in our lives. It is an invitation to joyfully serve Christ, rather than simply meet human need.

What could be more Christ-like than to care for others who are afflicted, or lost, or alone?

It is through our own giving and service to others that we receive reward, both here on earth, and also in heaven.

And for this we are eternally grateful to our Lord and Savior. For it is though Christ that we receive not only our reward but our example of how share this reward with others.