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Before we dive into this text, I want to remind you of something important. This is not a Black church. This is the church of Jesus Christ. We thank God for this mixture of melanin—white, black, and brown. There is no Black church here; it is only brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is what heaven is going to look like. I want you to love each other deeply, no matter the color of your skin. We will never make skin color an idol or a god. Your skin is not an idol, nor is it a god. Love one another deeply, no matter what we look like. Amen, church.
If you're a guest to 2819, we welcome you to this multiethnic, multigeneral gathering of brothers and sisters where we are serious about the spread of the gospel and the multiplying of disciples. If you are one of our digital disciples watching us live right now from across the nation and around the world, we welcome you to 2819. We love you. We pray for you. You are our family.
If you're not a follower and you crept up in this room, we are glad that you're here. We welcome you to this family. You could belong before you believe. And I pray with tears in my eyes that you will be brought aboard the ark of safety before time has run out on you. For time is running out.
We have come to the end of one of the most important series in our study through the book of Matthew. A study that has taken us three years with no rush as we are unpacking the final prophetic words of the Lord Jesus Christ and the final actions of the Lord Jesus Christ in the final days of his life.
Our text today comes from Matthew 25:31-46, and the title of this message is When Christ Comes.
This is a text so serious, so graphic, so important that I could barely study it. Every time I looked at this text this week, I burst into tears. There are drips of tears all over the pages of my Bible. As I'm reading this text over and over, my Bible carries the stain of my tears.
Matthew recorded the final eschatological words of Christ before he was crucified. Hear the words of your Savior carefully today. The Lord said, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all of the angels with him, he will sit down on his glorious throne" (Matthew 25:31).
I want to draw your attention to the word when. This is not hyperbole. This is not a parable. This is a prophecy of Christ. When means no one will stop this event from happening. He is coming again.
There are too many people living life who don't know what happened, don't know what's happening now, and don't know what's about to happen because they don't have a biblical worldview.
For those of us who are followers of Christ, we should have a biblical worldview—that is, you should see the world through the lens of a biblical context. To see the world through a biblical worldview, you will understand five things very importantly:
First: Creation. In the beginning, God created a perfect world. That world was spotless and without blemish.
Second: The Fall. Mankind rebelled against God. Because of their rebellion, sin and death entered the world. Because of that, we deal with sickness and disease, murder and war, insecurity and violence, shame, rape, and molestation. We deal with all of that. How could a loving God exist while mankind is suffering? Because you don't have a biblical worldview. A loving God exists when you understand a biblical worldview.
Third: Redemption. We're living right now in an era called redemption. This is the era between when Christ came all the way through the end of the tribulation period. All God is doing right now is issuing invitation to human beings. People who are hearing that invitation are coming aboard the ark of safety. They're being saved. And this generation, this invitation eventually will go silent.
Fourth: Consummation. What is coming next is the end of all things as we know it. The next thing on the clock is consummation.
Fifth: New Creation. Following consummation is the brand new heaven and the brand new earth that only the redeemed will live in.
When we have a biblical worldview, oh my God. When we have a biblical worldview, you understand that the breath you're taking right now is in the era of redemption. And the thing that is most important to God now is the fishing of men. The harvest. There is nothing more important to him.
So if we ain't about that with him, what are we about? If we're not partnered with him in our prayers and our labor and our giving, if we're not partnered with him, then what is your Christianity about right now? It is fluff. It is boring devotionals. It is dumb books. It is conferences that have no meaning. It's us going to service and then going to dinner and then not caring about this until next Sunday.
If your heart and your giving and your life and your prayers and your mind is not partnered with God in the redemption of souls—if that is the thing that is most important to him right now—and we're not about that life, then what life are we about as Christians?
The reason we're not about that life is because you're too attached to right now. When was the last time you were in prayer and said, "Lord, I look forward to the day that I will be with you"? You've never said that because you're too attached to right now. You think this is the best that God has to offer. But the Lord prophesied that all of this is coming to an end.
When is it coming to an end? When the Son of Man comes. How will he come? In glory.
The sun will be darkened. The moon will not give its light. The cosmic powers of the heavens will be shaken and the stars will fall from heaven. The world will be in blackness. Everybody staring at the sky, confused and terrorized during the tribulation period.
And then the sign of the coming of the Son of Man. We will see him. Every eye will see him coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, with flashes of light and thunder and lightning. He will burst the sky and everybody will see him coming in the sky with power and great glory, and the world will mourn and tremble.
He will not be alone. He will be coming with millions and billions of angels—an army coming behind him. And with those angels, you and I who would have been raptured will be coming with him behind him on the clouds of heaven, riding on our horses in glory.
But when he comes, what will he come and do? He will sit down on his throne. To sit down on a throne is to communicate to everyone alive at the end of the tribulation: I have all authority now. The antichrist no more. Your favorite president no more. I, Jesus, am on the earth now. I will be the last president on the earth.
The Lord Jesus is not a spook. I just want to remind you theologically he has a physical body. And I just want to remind you theologically he is seated somewhere right now. According to that book, he is temporarily—watch the word temporarily—seated at the right hand of the Father on a throne.
But the throne he's seated on now, according to Hebrews, is a throne of grace. It's a throne where the unbeliever can cry out, "Save me," while there's still time. It's a throne where the unbeliever can repent while there's still time. It's a throne where God might hear the cry of the unbeliever while there's still time. It's the throne where the believer can go to him about any problem in life—any issue, any financial issue, marital issue, anything you're dealing with in this life.
Hebrew tells us it's a throne we could come to boldly in times of need for what? Mercy. And what? Grace.
So right now, that throne is open. But when he comes, he will switch thrones. When he comes, he will switch seats from a throne of grace to a throne of judgment.
He will switch seats from a throne of grace to a throne of judgment—a throne where there is no second chance. There is no more grace. There is no more crying out. There is no more "Lord, help." There will be no more. When he sits on that second throne, everybody's fate will be sealed.
Mankind better take advantage of where he's sitting now. Because where he's going to sit, they're not going to be ready for it. While you're playing church, keep playing church. He will switch seats and he will sit on a throne of judgment.
And before him will be gathered all the nations, the ethnos. And he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. And he will place the sheep on his right hand, but the goats he will place on his left hand. (Matthew 25:32-33)
The Lord prophesied that when he comes back from heaven to the earth, he's going to set up his kingdom on the earth. The scripture teaches us it will be a millennial kingdom—a thousand years—before he recreates everything. He will dwell as the final president on the earth. He will reign from Jerusalem on a throne of judgment.
And when he comes, somehow supernaturally by the power of the Spirit, he's going to summon all the people groups of the world to his presence. And now, with everybody standing before the Lord as he's seated on the throne of judgment—no second chance, no grace, no arguments—he's going to divide humanity in half.
On his right hand, which is the hand of honor, he's going to put the sheep. On the left hand, which is the left hand of disgrace, he's going to put the goats. In the first century, the right hand was the hand of favor. They didn't have toilet paper. In the first century, they wiped their behind with their left hand and washed it in running water. This is the hand of disgust, the hand of disgrace.
So he will separate the world into only two groups. The only two groups that exist today are the saved and the unsaved. You could claim "I'm Christian. I'm Muslim. I'm Buddhist. I'm atheist. I'm agnostic." You could claim whatever you want. In the eyes of God, there are only two groups in the world: those who are saved and those who are not.
He type-cast the believer as sheep—docile, gentle, needing a shepherd. He type-cast the unbeliever as a goat—rambunctious, don't want to be led.
And notice when he comes, there is no middle group. There is no purgatory group. There is no "pray them out" group. He's going to divide the whole world into the saved and the unsaved. No middle group, no middle ground. And in that moment, everybody's fate will be sealed.
This can happen in our lifetime. I believe we're living in end times right now. And because we're living in the end times right now, the rapture can happen in our lifetime. The tribulation can happen in our lifetime. This prophetic event was distant future for the followers of Christ. It is near future for us. This can happen right now in our lifetime. He comes immediately after the tribulation—that's only seven years. If the rapture happened next year and the tribulation after that, ten years from now Christ could be here.
Then the king will say to those on his right hand, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34)
This is the last invitation ever given. He's going to give his last invitation not to the unbeliever. He's going to give his last invitation to the followers of Christ. He's going to say to them, "Now that you have ended your labors, come and inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
He gives one last invitation: Come in here. I'm setting up an earthly kingdom. Now you come in and inherit the kingdom.
He said, "You who are blessed of my Father." That word blessed of my Father means you who have been saved by the goodness of God. Not those who have been saved by morality—lies. Not those who've been saved by good behavior—lies. Not those who've been saved by church attendance—lies. Not those who've been saved because you were baptized as a baby—lies. Not those who've been saved because you were Christian at three—lies.
Those who have been saved—not by anything they can boast in. Those who have been blessed by the Father. Those who have been saved by grace and grace alone. Now your time for reward has come.
Man, I'm looking forward to this day. Y'all hit in the head if you think all you want is this. I'm looking forward to the day when he says for the last time, "Come."
Inherit. Who gets an inheritance? The only people that get an inheritance are people who are connected to somebody greater by blood or by a contract. The last time I checked, I was saved by the blood of the Lamb. I was washed in the blood of the Lamb. I've been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. So, because I'm covered in his blood, I am eligible for my inheritance.
And then here is my documentation that told me everything I'm going to get in my inheritance. Everything that's coming in my trust fund. Everything he set aside for those who have been redeemed. Here is my contract. I'm holding in my hand my contract of the New Covenant that I made with you.
Y'all crazy if you're not excited about what's coming. I hold in my hand the contract of what's been promised to me.
You want to talk about houses and cars, or you want to talk about what you're going to inherit in the world to come? What are we talking about? I ain't wasting time with you. I ain't got time to prophesy to you about temporary things. I'm prophesying what the Lord Jesus said: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world."
What worried about no house? That's bottom shelf blessing. Worried about no job? That's bottom shelf blessing. He is Jehovah Jireh. I ain't worried about no enemies. He is my defender. That's all bottom shelf blessing. I'm thinking about this knucklehead from Queens, New York is going to be in glory with the one who saved me, man. Come on.
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 had clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. (Matthew 25:35-36)
I want to draw your attention to the word for. The word for communicates the reason for the invitation. He said you got the invitation because all these things you were doing during the tribulation is the evidence that you really put your faith in me.
He said, "Here is the mark, the evidence that y'all really put your faith in me. That during the times of hardship, you were doing all of these kind deeds, all of this gospel compassion, taking care of one another, loving on people, helping people."
You were doing all of these things during the tribulation. These are the evidence that they were really saved. This is called fruit worthy of repentance. I'm saved. But we don't see no fruit.
Y'all be looking at all these people on social media saying "I'm a Christian." Really? We're looking for fruit.
I never be impressed by seeing people profile Christian. You see somebody be Christian. Really? You reckless. You wild and you crazy. But "I'm a Christian." Y'all see people in society do this all the time. They always attach "Christian" because they know that label will get them some clout in the street.
But what we're looking for is not a title. What we're looking for is fruit. We're looking for—watch this word—evidence that you belong to God.
And the evidence that somebody's really saved? Watch what flows out of them:
This is the evidence that you're really a Christian. We see the acts of love pouring out of your life. No fruit, no credibility. Ain't nobody impressing me with a title "Christian." No fruit, no credibility.
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? (Matthew 25:37-39)
Notice he's not calling himself the Son of Man. Notice he switched his own title from "Son of Man" to "King." Notice he switched his own title. Now that I'm back on the earth, no more Son of Man. Now I'm King.
And the King will answer them and saying, Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40)
Full stop. Now the righteous in the end get a revelation. Oh snap. Their confusion is a sign to us that they were doing these things without looking for applause. The fact that they're confused—"Lord, when did we do this?"—that means all this time they were doing good, and it wasn't contrived. They were doing it from their heart. They were doing it because they were full of the Spirit. They had the character of Christ. They were loving on people without looking for applause. That's why they're surprised.
Who is "the least of my brothers"? These are all the people, mostly Jews, who will be persecuted during the tribulation. You ain't even seen a Holocaust yet.
During the days of the Antichrist, there will be a mark of the beast—right hand or forehead. And unless somebody has that mark, they cannot buy or sell. If you don't have the mark, you cannot buy or sell. Can't get food, can't get groceries, can't rent an apartment, can't buy a car, can't pay bills, won't get a job.
That means Christians in the end will live nomadic. They will suffer brutally for the faith. But those who are a little bit well off, they see their brothers and sisters suffering and they're caring for them. They're taking them into their homes. They're giving them food. They're giving them clothes. They're hiding out in caves. They're saying, "I have an apple. You can have half. I have a loaf of bread. You can have half. I got this out the trash can. You can have half." They're sharing with one another.
The prescriptive theology for you and I is that if we are really saved, we will see this coming out of your life. We will see acts of kindness coming out of your life.
If everybody under the sound of my voice, if you're really a follower of Christ, we will see the evidence of this coming out of your life. We will see love coming out of your life. You will be making the love of God tangible. You will be giving. You will be helping people, inviting people into your home, taking in orphans and widows, helping missionaries, supporting gospel ministry, helping the poor on the side of the road.
Is the Lord saying "Don't be selfish"? Is the Lord saying don't live self-absorbed? Is the Lord saying serve others? Is the Lord saying do outreach? Is the Lord saying support outreach? Is the Lord blessing those who have the evidence of salvation?
If you are really a follower of Christ under my voice, we would see things like this pouring out of your life. I dare not ask you: When was the last time you helped anybody with no strings attached?
Because that's what's going to happen for the righteous. Where are the righteous going? They're going into the kingdom.
You know why the Lord is separating humanity? He's about to separate humanity when he comes. Everybody look at me. He's going to separate humanity when he comes. Listen. Because when Jesus establishes his millennial kingdom on the earth—read about it in the book of Revelation—no sinner can go in there.
That means when he comes, he will remove from the earth every person who's not saved. All right? Let me let that settle on you.
When Christ physically, bodily returns to the earth, he will separate humanity. Why? Because no unsaved person can go into the kingdom. So if they can't go into the kingdom, where will they go? They can't stay on the earth. Why? Because since he will rule the earth, no sinner can be there with him.
Since Christ will be ruling on the earth and no unbeliever can go into the kingdom, that means no unbeliever can stay on the earth. He has to dispose of them somewhere. Did you catch that?
Then he will say to those on his left, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:41)
This is the most dreadful words human beings are going to hear when the Lord comes. Some of your family members are going to be there because you don't pray for them. Some of your uncles are going to be there. Some of your parents are going to be there. Some of y'all got friends in school. They sit next to you at the desk. They're going to be here.
He's going to say to them: "Depart from me. You who are cursed, you who are damned into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
So everybody who's not saved, they can't stay on the earth. He will send them straight into eternal fire. They will lose their life on this side and immediately wake up in the eternal flames. They cannot stay on the earth. That's the word.
Now you say God is cruel. I say you don't read. He said the eternal fire was prepared not for humans. It was prepared for the devil and his angels.
You say, "Preacher, I don't understand." The devil was not always Satan. He was Lucifer, an angelic being who lived in the presence of God. According to the scriptures, he rebelled against God and took a third of the angels with him. They were cast out of heaven. Those angels became demons that roam the earth.
Now, listen to me carefully. The Lord never intended for anybody to be in hell. It wasn't a part of his original program. But when Satan rebelled and when those angels rebelled, now they can't come back to heaven. So he has to create a place to bound them for eternity.
God creates a place to house Satan forever and those demons forever.
And Satan knows where he's going. Prove it to me, Phillip. When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness, Jesus quoted the scriptures and said, "It is written." But Satan also quoted the scriptures and said, "It is written." Go read Matthew chapter 4 for yourself. Jesus says, "It is written." Satan says "it is written." Both of them are quoting the Bible.
That's why you got to know the difference when you listen to people. "Oh, he's the great preacher. She's a great preacher." Jesus says "it is written." The devil says "it is written." You got to know the difference between who you're listening to.
If Satan was quoting the scriptures in the temptation of Christ, that means he knows the Bible. I'm about to help y'all. He already knows where he's going in the end. He knows that there is no escape from that sentence.
But because he knows there's no escape, he does not want to go there alone with his demons. So what the devil is doing in this era of redemption is working overtime to take as many human beings with him as possible. He wants to make sure he arrives. So people who end up in hell, the Lord never intended for a human being to be there. But if you follow Satan in this life, you will follow him all the way.
So how does he trick people to go there? False religions. Raise up progenitors led astray by demons. Create a new religion. Now you have millions of people in a new religion disconnected from Christ. All of them headed to hell.
Raise up mystics. Raise up psychics. Raise up pretty women on social media and handsome men on social media who are spiritual leaders disconnected from the Bible leading thousands of people astray. He's doing everything he can to trick as many people as possible to not go to heaven.
This is why the Bible is banned in multiple nations all around the world, but the Quran is not banned. Why is the Bible banned in multiple nations around the world, but the Quran is not banned? The devil has no need to ban what belongs to him. There's no false religions banned around the world. The only religion that's banned around the world, the only book banned around the world, is Christianity.
And unfortunately, watch this word. The majority of humanity is going to end up there.
Preacher, how could you say that? Jesus says: "Broad is the road that leads to destruction, but narrow is the road that leads to life. And few people are on it." That means the majority of humanity is going to end up with Satan. Because they don't want God. They don't want Christ. They don't want the scriptures. They don't want accountability.
They will either know Christ now as a loving Savior or meet him as a wrathful Judge. Dang it. Like that baby's crying is the way we need to start crying for everybody who's not saved.
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. I was naked and you did not clothe me. I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me. (Matthew 25:42-43)
Why are they going there? They say: "I saw no fruit in your life. No evidence you belong to me."
Then they will answer saying Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or stranger or naked or sick or in prison and we didn't minister to you? (Matthew 25:44)
You know what you hear in their voice? Terror. They're afraid. They know in this moment they're headed to damnation and they can't escape. Now they're begging for grace.
"Lord, when did we see you hungry and not feed you and not help you? When did we do that, Lord?" You hear in their voice terror? They know they can't go into the kingdom. They know they're going to hell. And now they say, "Lord, no. No, no, no, no. When did we see you and not hungry and not feed you and not help you? Lord, when did we do that? Lord, no. No, no, no."
Then he will answer them and saying, Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of these, the least of these, you did not do it to me. (Matthew 25:45)
You know why people are headed to hell? For what they don't do. You know why the majority of human beings, even people sitting in churches, are going to end up in damnation? Keep playing around. It's for what they don't do. They don't confess their sin. They don't repent. They don't turn to Christ. They don't stop playing church. They don't stop playing with God. They don't read. They don't pray. They don't help nobody. They don't sow. They don't give. They're not generous. All that talk, no evidence.
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:46)
Come on. Come on.
And now in this moment, I want to call us to pray. Because I think we will be foolish if we run out of here and don't pray. And what are we praying for? We're about to take a moment and pray for every person we know who's not saved because they are headed for a horrific ending.
Your uncles. Your cousins. Your parents. Your friends. Your coworkers at your job. Your campus mates. How about this? Half the people following you on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
We would be foolish to leave this room in a moment like this and not stop to pray for family members and friends. I'm telling you right now, half of the majority of people we know are going to end up there if we don't stand in the gap.
You think this is a game? People are going to meet this fate when the Lord comes, or they're going to meet this fate when they die—whichever one comes first. You think this is a game?
