Jesus and the Judgement
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 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 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 welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Matthew 25:31-40
In this passage Jesus tells us about what will happen when he finally takes the throne in his kingdom, and it involves bringing the whole world before him for judgement. What is he judging them for? Is it for believing a certain truth? Avoiding certain sins? No!
Jesus determines who is a part of his kingdom by what they have done for people are are in need. If they were sick or hungry or thirsty or in prison, and you helped them, you will be a part of Jesus’ kingdom. But if you saw that same person and did nothing to help them, you will be kicked out into eternal punishment!
Jesus takes it personally whether or not you help people who are disadvantaged.
Now, this does not mean that getting into Jesus’ kingdom is a result of the good things we do or don’t do. He offers us grace when we fail and is forgiving. But what we cannot ignore about Jesus is that he does not separate spiritual change and physical change. If you are truly a new person spiritually, you will show it physically by bringing justice to others. We see this in his life as well - he did not just preach about spiritual change, he also healed people and fed them.
Jesus cares about what happens to the poor, the sick, and the people who have experienced injustice. He cares so much about them that he makes it a defining point of who is in his kingdom and who is out.
So if you have experienced spiritual change through Jesus, what will you do to create physical change today?
Prayer for Today
God, thank you that you are gracious and kind to me, even when I fail to do what I should. Please wash away the lies that keep me from helping others who need it, and produce in me love for others that transcends all other feelings.
Song to Listen to
Kingdom of God
by Jon Guerra
Oh that I could see your face
How I'm longing for the day
Brighter sun of holy grace
Make my heart a holy place
Blessed are the poor who have nothing to own
Blessed are the mourners who are crying alone
Blessed are the guilty who have nowhere to go
For their hearts have a road to the kingdom of God
And their souls are the songs of the kingdom of God
And they will find a refuge for theirs in the kingdom of God
Beauty shining from your face
Always longed to see this place
Is there somewhere I can stay?
Even just a couple days?
Blessed are the poor who have nothing to own
Blessed are the mourners who are crying alone
Blessed are the guilty who have nowhere to go
For their hearts have a road to the kingdom of God
And their souls are the songs of the kingdom of God
And they will find a refuge for theirs in the kingdom of God
The Lord is our shepherd, we shall not want
In valley or pasture, we shall not want
Our cup runneth over and over
For now and forever
For now and forever
The Lord is our shepherd, we shall not want
In valley or pasture, we shall not want
Our cup runneth over and over
For now and forever
For now and forever
For now and forever
For now and forever
Blessed are the poor who have nothing to own
Blessed are the mourners who are crying alone
Blessed are the guilty who have nowhere to go
For their hearts have a road to the kingdom of God
And their souls are the songs of the kingdom of God
And they will find a refuge for theirs in the kingdom of God
Oh that I could see your face
How I'm longing for the day
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Jon Guerra / Jonathan Guerra
Kingdom of God lyrics © Self Published Through Distrokid