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Works and Worth
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The coming of the Kingdom of God can cause two completely different reactions. The first reaction is one of terror, because wretched sinners deserve God’s righteous and eternal wrath. The second reaction is one of comfort, reassurance, and confidence: because God is with me, I am safe. We see these two reactions in today’s Gospel. There are those who rejoice that the reign of God has come, and those who despair at its coming.
Our Lord has the ability to look into the human heart. It is as He spoke through His prophet Jeremiah: “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” It is as easy for Him to judge the heart as it is for a shepherd to tell the difference between a sheep and a goat. Jesus knows you better than you know yourself.
Jesus will hand out two verdicts on the Last Day. Jesus said that He would place some people to His right and others to His left. Since Jesus already knows the heart, there is no questioning, no testimony, no presenting of evidence. There is only the verdict and the sentence.
The first verdict is for those on His right. 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.” Those on the right enter the Judge’s home with a verdict of forgiven. Notice that the blessing flows from the Father. This is not something that these people earn for themselves; it is an inheritance, and you don’t work for an inheritance. Finally, note that God prepared this outcome before any of us were even born. The eternal kingdom was God’s will for these people from the very beginning.
The second verdict is for those on His left. Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Those on the left receive the verdict of guilty. The sentence is eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. People end up in eternal fire only because they reject God’s salvation. If they are arrogant enough to judge God and find Him offensive, then the eternal fire is the only alternative. There is no other place to spend eternity.
As the Judge welcomes those on His right into eternal bliss, He recalls the work that His salvation has produced in their lives. But the sheep don’t remember any of it. The list of the works is a total surprise to them. On the other hand, those on the left are angry that Jesus gives a similar list of things that they have NOT done. Even as they stand before the Judge, they insist that they have lived a life of good works and high moral character.
But those who inherit the eternal kingdom do not look to their own good works for their salvation. The Holy Spirit finds dead souls and brings them to life through the proclamation of Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus warned us in the Sermon on the Mount: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them… Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” That is one of the saddest statements in all of Scripture. They have traded away their eternal joy for the temporary praise of man.
You are pleasing to God, but not because of what you do or don’t do. You are pleasing to God because of what Jesus did for you. Jesus lived a life that met God’s perfect standard. He died to pay our debt in full. He rose from the dead as a sign that our Father in Heaven accepted His work for us. You can look forward in eager expectation to the day when you hear a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
While you wait for that day, you will produce good works. These works do you absolutely no good, but they are precious to your neighbor. God will accomplish His will in this world through your works. Confess your sins, even those seemingly righteous deeds that are actually polluted garments. Receive the forgiveness of Jesus. Live for your neighbor. Don’t waste time trying to measure your good works; you don’t need them. You are heir to the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Rejoice, for God wants you to dwell with Him for all eternity. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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