”The Final Judgment”

(Matthew 25:46)

Introduction: The day of the Lord is coming at a time when Jesus said
no man would know the day nor the hour. Because of this, Jesus was
constantly warning His disciples to be ready. He said, ”THEREFORE BE ON
THE ALERT, FOR YOU DO NOW KNOW WHICH DAY YOUR LORD IS COMING. BUT BE
SURE OF THIS, THAT IF THE HEAD OF THE HOUSE HAD KNOWN AT WHAT TIME OF
THE NIGHT THE THIEF WAS COMING, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE ALERT AND
WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED HIS HOUSE TO BE BROKEN INTO. FOR THIS REASON YOU
BE READY TOO; FOR THE SON OF MAN IS COMING AT AN HOUR WHEN YOU DO NOT
THINK HE WILL. WHO THEN IS THE FAITHFUL AND SENSIBLE SLAVE WHOM HIS
MASTER PUT IN CHARGE OF HIS HOUSEHOLD TO GIVE THEM THEIR FOOD AT THE
PROPER TIME? BLESSED IS THAT SLAVE WHOM HIS MASTER FINDS SO DOING WHEN
HE COMES. TRULY I SAY TO YOU, THAT HE WILL PUT HIM IN CHARGE OF ALL HIS
POSSESSIONS. BUT IF THAT EVIL SLAVE SAYS IN HIS HEART, ’MY MASTER IS
NOT COMING FOR A LONG TIME,’ AND SHALL BEGIN TO BEAT HIS FELLOW SLAVES
AND EAT AND DRINK WITH DRUNKARDS; THE MASTER OF THAT SLAVE WILL COME ON
A DAY WHEN HE DOES NOT EXPECT HIM AND AT AN HOUR WHICH HE DOES NOT KNOW,
AND SHALL CUT HIM IN PIECES AND ASSIGN HIM A PLACE WITH THE HYPOCRITES;
WEEPING SHALL BE THERE AND THE GNASHING OF TEETH” (Matt. 24:42-51).
Jesus warned His disciples to be ready at all times because they did not
know when He was to return. His coming would be like a thief in the
night, unexpected. Those servants of Christ who are ready at His return
will be richly rewarded and will enter into the wedding feast with Him,
but those who are not will be assigned a place with the hypocrites where
the pain and agony of their torment is so great that the souls of the
damned are constantly weeping and gnashing their teeth.
It important that you too be ready when the Lord comes again, for
the Bible tells us that there will be no second chances. It is commonly
taught today in many churches that after the rapture at Christ’s coming
there will be a seven year period of tribulation, during which time
those who were not ready for Christ’s return will go through hell on
earth. Many, they believe, at this time, who refused to believe in
Christ, will come to their senses and be converted. They will have a
second chance to turn to Christ and be saved. But the problem with this
belief is that the Scriptures are constantly reminding us that once the
Bride Groom comes, the door is shut. As the parable of the Ten Virgins
reminds us, when those who were unprepared came to the door and said,
”LORD, LORD, OPEN FOR US,” the Lord replied, ”TRULY I SAY TO YOU, I DO
NOT KNOW YOU” (25:11-12). He again warns His disciples, ”BE ON THE
ALERT THEN, FOR YOU DO NOT KNOW THE DAY NOR THE HOUR” (v. 13). You,
therefore, must be ready as well, for after He comes, all opportunity to
repent and believe is forever gone. Then the Lord will move immediately
to the final judgment and the sentencing of your souls, and the souls of
all men for all eternity. This judgment is what we will want to look at
this evening. This is what we are to be ready for. And what I want you
to see is,

After the resurrection of all the dead, and the

transformation of all the living, comes the final judgment in
which the final destinies of all mankind will be pronounced.
First I want you to see the judgment of the righteous and
the infinite blessedness bestowed on them; and secondly, I want
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you to see the judgment of the wicked and the infinite horror
which shall be heaped upon their heads.

I. First, I Want You to See that the Righteous Shall Be Judged

First.
A. After the Resurrection, Our Text Tells Us that All of the
Nations Will Be Gathered into Two Groups.
1 . The time of this judgment is the Second Coming of
Christ, "BUT WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES IN HIS GLORY, AND
ALL THE ANGELS WITH HIM."
a. We saw last week that the resurrection occurs when
Christ returns.
b. There will only be one such return of Christ when
all of the dead in the tombs shall hear His voice and
come forth (John 5:28-29).

2. At that time all of the nations will be gathered and

separated .
a. The nations here refers to everyone who has ever
1ived.
b. Among them, there are the sheep, who are Christ' s, who
have been gathered from all nations, tribes, kindreds
and tongues, and the goats, who are those who never
received the knowledge of the truth so as to be saved.
C. The righteous sheep will be put on His right hand,
which in the Bible is always the place of blessing.
d. And the wicked goats will be placed on His left
hand, which in the Bible is the place of cursing.
e. As you can see, there are none who are not judged.
All nations of both the living and dead are
separated into these two groups.
f. And you should see from this that the Bible only
recognizes one kind of distinction in the N.T. age,
that of the sheep and the goats. He does not judge
anyone by their race, or color, or language, and
neither should we.

B. In this Judgment, Which Is the Same as the Great White

Throne Judgment, Mentioned in Revelation 20, Jesus Tells Us
that The Righteous Will Be Judged First.
1 . That which is the basis upon which they are judged,
interestingly enough, is not their profession, but their
works.
a. Jesus tells us that they are blessed because, "'I WAS
HUNGRY, AND YOU GAVE ME SOMETHING TO EAT; I WAS THIRSTY,
AND YOU HAVE ME DRINK; I WAS A STRANGER, AND YOU INVITED
ME IN; NAKED, AND YOU CLOTHED ME; I WAS SICK, AND YOU
VISITED ME; I WAS IN PRISON, AND YOU CAME TO ME.' 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
INVITE YOU IN, OR NAKED, AND CLOTHE YOU? AND WHEN DID
WE SEE YOU SICK, OR IN PRISON, AND COME TO YOU?' AND
THE KING WILL ANSWER AND SAY TO THEM, 'TRULY I SAY TO
YOU TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU DID IT TO ONE OF THESE
BROTHERS OF MINE, EVEN THE LEAST OF THEM, YOU DID IT TO
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ME’ ” (Matt. 25:35-40).

b. These sheep, who are standing before the throne, are
commended for what they did, not for what they said.
C. What they did was minister to Jesus personally, but
Jesus as He dwells in His people. They didn’t
merely talk about it.
d. This is not talking about their acts of kindness in
general, but their acts of kindness to their
brethren.
e. Though we are required by Scripture to do good unto
all men, we are especially required to good to the
household of faith.

2. But it is not as though their works saved them. That is

not the point at all. Rather, their works reveal what
kind of a person they are.
a. Jesus said in Matthew 7:16-20, ”YOU WILL W O W THEM
BY THEIR FRUITS. GRAPES ARE NOT GATHERED FROM THORN
BUSHES, NOR FIGS FROM THISTLES, ARE THEY? EVEN SO,
EVERY Goon TREE BEARS Goon FRUIT; BUT THE BAD TREE
BEARS BAD FRUIT. A GOOD TREE CANNOT PRODUCE BAD
FRUIT, NOT CAN A BAD TREE PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT. EVERY
TREE THAT DOES NOT BEAR GOOD FRUIT IS CUT DOWN AND
THROWN INTO THE FIRE. SO THEN, YOU WILL W O W THEM
BY THEIR FRUITS.”
b. Their works reveal what is at the root of their
hearts. The good person does good works, and the
bad person does bad works. They are there for all
to see.
c. It is important to realize, however, that Jesus is
not here referring to absolutes. It is not that the
good tree never bears any bad fruit, but in both
cases it is referring to a pattern of life. The
good tree will habitually bear good fruit. And this
is what is going to distinguish the good tree from
the bad on the day of judgment.

C. Their Works Will Reveal that They Are Christ’s, And They
Shall Be Rewarded Accordingly.
1 . Their works also form the basis of their rewards which
shall be graciously granted them in Christ.
a. Paul says that God, ”WILL RENDER TO EVER MAN
ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS” (Rom. 2:6).
b. He further says, ”EACH MAN’S WORK WILL BECOME
EVIDENT; FOR THE DAY WILL SHOW IT, BECAUSE IT IS TO
BE REVEALED WITH FIRE; AND THE FIRE ITSELF WILL TEST
THE QUALITY OF EACH MAN’S WORK. IF ANY MAN’S WORK
WHICH HE HAS BUILT UPON IT REMAINS, HE SHALL RECEIVE
A REWARD” ( 1 Cor. 3:13-14).
c. These works of the saints really do not earn
anything, but Christ will graciously reward each of
His saints ”ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

2. And then the Lord will bestow on His people many

wonderful blessings.
a. After they face their judgment, and are openly
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acquitted of all of their guilt and received by

Christ, they also will join Christ in judging the
reprobate men and angels. Paul says, ”OR DO YOU NOT
KNOW THAT THE SAINTS WILL JUDGE THE WORLD? AND IF
THE WORLD IS JUDGED BY YOU, ARE YOU NOT COMPETENT TO
CONSTITUTE THE SMALLEST LAW COURTS? no YOU NOT KNOW
THAT WE SHALL JUDGE ANGELS? HOW MUCH MORE, MATTERS
OF THIS LIFE?” ( 1 Cor. 6:2-3). The saints will
become judges.
b. After they have judged other men and angels, then
they shall be received into heaven, the eternal
kingdom of God. Out text tells us, ”THEN THE
KING WILL SAY TO THOSE ON HIS RIGHT, ’COME, YOU
WHO ARE BLESSED OF MY FATHER, INHERIT THE KINGDOM
PREPARED FOR YOU FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD”
(v. 34), and then the righteous will go away into
eternal life (v. 46).
C. There, they shall forever be freed from all the sin
in this life and its accompanying misery, that
Christ ”MIGHT PRESENT TO HIMSELF THE CHURCH IN ALL
HER GLORY, HAVING NO SPOT OR WRINKLE OR ANY SUCH
THING; BUT THAT SHE SHOULD BE HOLY AND BLAMELESS”
(Eph. 5:27; cf. Rev. 14:13).
d. And then they shall be perfected and will enter in
to the very blessed company of the saints and angels
who dwell. as the author to the Hebrews tells us, on
Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22-23).
e. But the greatest blessing of all will be the
beatific vision, the blessed sight of our Lord Jesus
Christ, He who died on the cross for our sins, He
who is glorified and exalted far above all
principality and power. We shall behold Him for all
eternity. Now we see Him only in a mirror dimly,
but then we shall see Him face to face, and when we
do, we shall be like Him ( 1 John 3:2; 1 Cor. 13:12).

II. Secondly, I Want You to See the Judgment of the Unrighteous.

A. After He Has Blessed the Righteous With Their Reward, Then
the Unrighteous At His Left Shall Be Judged.
1 . They too shall be judged according to what they have
done.
a. Notice in this passage their corresponding works of
omission: those things which they didn’t do.
b. Jesus says that they are cursed ”’FOR I WAS HUNGRY,
AND YOU GAVE ME NOTHING TO EAT; I WAS THIRSTY, AND
YOU HAVE ME NOTHING TO DRINK; I WAS A STRANGER, AND
YOU DID NOT INVITE ME IN; NAKED, AND YOU DID NOT
CLOTHE ME; SICK, AND IN PRISON, AND YOU DID NOT
VISIT ME.’ AND THEY THEMSELVES 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 TAKE CARE OF YOU?’ THEN HE WILL ANSWER
THEM, SAYING, ’TRULY I SAY TO YOU, TO THE EXTENT
THAT YOU DID NOT no IT TO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE,
YOU DID NOT DO IT TO ME’” (Matt. 25:42-45).
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2. Their works as well will indicate what kind of persons

they were.
a. ”THE BAD TREE BEARS BAD FRUIT”, Jesus said (Matt.
7:17).
b. By their persistent life of withholding mercy that
was due, as well as many other works of wickedness,
they demonstrate that they were far from the grace
of God.
C. And they were far from His grace for no other reason
than that they would not come to Christ that they
might have life.
B. Christ Shall Then Pronounce His Judgment Upon Them.
1 . As with the righteous, their works shall be the basis
upon which they shall be punished.
a. All who are judged here will have the full knowledge
that they have sinned against God (Rom. 2:15-16).
(i) ”ALL WHO HAVE SINNED UNDER THE LAW WILL BE
JUDGED BY THAT LAW” (Rom. 2: 12-13).
(ii) And those who do not have the Law shall be
judged by their consciences, for God’s Law is
written on that as well. ”FOR WHEN GENTILES
WHO DO NOT HAVE THE LAW DO INSTINCTIVELY THE
THINGS OF THE LAW, THESE, NOT HAVING THE LAW,
ARE A LAW TO THEMSELVES, IN THAT THEY SHOW THE
WORK OF THE LAW WRITTEN IN THEIR HEARTS, THEIR
CONSCIENCE BEARING WITNESS, AND THEIR THOUGHTS
ALTERNATELY ACCUSING OR ELSE DEFENDING THEM, ON
THE DAY WHEN, ACCORDING TO MY GOSPEL, GOD WILL
JUDGE THE SECRETS OF MEN THROUGH CHRIST JESUS”
( w . 14-16).

b. Those who have sinned against greater light will

receive a greater punishment, but even those who
have sinned against less must still suffer eternally
in hell. Again, we are told in Luke 12:47-48, ”AND
THE SLAVE WHO I(NEw HIS MASTER’S WILL AND DID NOT GET
READY OR ACT IN ACCORD WITH HIS WILL, SHALL RECEIVE
MANY LASHES, BUT THE ONE WHO DID NOT W O W IT, AND
COMMITTED DEEDS WORTHY OF A FLOGGING, WILL RECEIVE
BUT FEW.”

2. And after being judged, they shall be conveyed by the

angels into the fiery lake and be tortured forever and
ever without end.
a. They shall have their portion in the furnace of fire
which burns throughout the rest of time.
(i) ”THEN HE WILL SAY TO THOSE ON HIS LEFT, ’DEPART
FROM ME, ACCUSED ONES, INTO THE ETERNAL FIRE
WHICH HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS
ANGELS’” (v. 41).
(ii) ”AND IF ANYONE’S NAME WAS NOT FOUND WRITTEN IN
THE BOOK OF LIFE, HE WAS THROWN INTO THE LAKE
OF FIRE” (Rev. 20: 15).

b. Their torment shall be away from the presence of the

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Lord and of all of His saints and holy angels.

(i) Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, "THE
LORD SHALL BE REVEALED FROM HEAVEN WITH HIS
MIGHTY ANGELS IN FLAMING FIRE, DEALING OUT
RETRIBUTION TO THOSE WHO no NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL
OF OUR LORD JESUS. AND THESE WILL PAY THE
PENALTY OF ETERNAL DESTRUCTION, AWAY FROM THE
PRESENCE OF THE LORD AND FROM THE GLORY OF HIS
POWER, WHEN HE COMES TO BE GLORIFIED IN HIS
SAINTS ON THAT DAY."
(ii) It is eternal destruction, it is not
annihilation. They will have to endure the
agonies of hell forever and ever. As Jesus
said, "THESE WILL GO AWAY INTO ETERNAL
PUNISHMENT" (v. 46).
c. And in this eternal punishment, they shall
experience the most excruciating pain and agony for
all eternity, for though they may be separated from
the blessed presence of the Lord of Glory, Jesus
Christ, they are not separated from the presence of
God, for He is everywhere at once, and it is His
very presence in the fullness of His wrath that
creates the furnace of fire which will burn for all
eternity.

III. Uses.
A. God Calls Us Through This Passage This Evening to Examine
Our Own Works to See What the Nature of Our Heart Is.
1 . How do you treat your brethren in Christ?
a. Do you love them, do you care for them?
b. When you become aware of their needs, do you say to
them, "Be warm and filled," or do you give them what
is necessary?

2. How do you treat your neighbors?

a. Are you doing good to all men, not just the
household of faith?
b. Didn't Jesus say, "LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF"?
c. Do you really love your neighbor as yourself?

3. What is the character of your life? Is is characterized

by good fruit or bad fruit?
a. Is your life a continuing pattern of godly works
which are becoming more and more pronounced?
b. Or would one have to look hard and long to find any
good fruit on your tree?

4. Remember, you are not saved by your works, but your

works do reveal what kind of a person you are.
a. You or I or anyone else are only saved by believing
and trusting on the Lord Jesus Christ, which means
that you must also turn from your sins.
b. Your works cannot save you, they can only
demonstrate what is already true about your life.
c. And this is why Jesus said to His disciples, "BY
THIS IS MY FATHER GLORIFIED, THAT YOU BEAR MUCH
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FRUIT, AND SO PROVE TO BE MY DISCIPLES” (John 15:8).

d. And so what kind of a person are you?

B. The Reason that You Must Examine Your Works Here This
Evening, Is So that You Will Be Ready When Your Lord Returns
and He Takes You into Judgment, and There the Truth Is Known.
1 . Christ could come at any time. His return is imminent.
2. And when He comes the door to salvation will be forever
shut to you if you have not entered it. There is
no seven year Tribulation following where you will
have a second chance.
3. Are you ready for your Lord’s return? And when He
returns will you be ready to go out to meet Him as the
wise virgins were?
a. Make sure that you are found in Christ on that day,
for many, the Bible tells us, who believed that they
were in Christ, will find out that they were
seriously mistaken. Jesus said, ”MANY WILL
SAY TO ME ON THAT DAY, ’LORD, LORD, DID WE NOT
PROPHESY IN YOUR NAME, AND IN YOUR NAME CAST
OUT DEMONS, AND IN YOUR NAME PERFORM MANY
MIRACLES?’ AND THEN I WILL DECLARE TO THEM, ’I
NEVER KNEW YOU; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE
LAWLESSNESS’” (Matt. 7:22-23).
b. Jesus said that this would be true of not a few, but
many!
C. I can’t tell what’s in your heart, nobody can but
God.
d. Even you may be wrong about the condition of your
soul.
e. You must always be sure that you judge it according
to the Scriptures, and not by your ideas, for the
Scripture is an infallible guide to lead you into
all the truth, while your mind may easily lead you
to hell.

4. But lastly, are you helping your friends, your neighbors

and loved ones to prepare for judgment?
a. You doubtless have many that you know who are not
believers in Christ, or those who say that they are,
but their lives do not show that their professions
are true.
(i) They might even be the nicest people you know.
But no one has ever been saved on account of
their niceness.
(ii) If they are outside of Christ on that day, they
will be forever lost in the lake of fire.

b. People of God, this day is coming. Nothing that you

or I do can forestall it even for a moment.
(i) One day you will be standing before the throne of
God to be judged, as well as all whom you know.
(ii) The thought of this should weigh heavier on your
heart and mind than anything else in the world.
(iii) When you are with others who are outside of
Christ, does your heart ache knowing what is
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going to happen to them if they are apart from

Christ on that day?
(iv) Knowing this do you seek to bring Christ to
them, or do you treat them as though they were
in no danger whatsoever?
(v) Do you seek with all your might to live godly
before them, to speak to them about the condition
of their souls, to pray earnestly that God might
yet deliver them from their sins for His glory?
(vi) If you continue to be silent, then they may
very well curse you on the day of judgment,
because you did not warn them.
(vii) Do not be silent; tell them about their sin and
their only hope of escaping judgment. Call out
to God for those without Christ. Call out for
yourself, that God would give you the strength
to make a difference in their lives.
(viii) And make sure that you are ready to meet the
Lord as well, when you too stand before Him on
that day. Amen.