Christ Rewards His Christians at the Final Judgment
Second to Last Sunday in Church Year| Matthew 25:31-46| Pastor James Preus| Trinity Lutheran Church| November 16, 2025
St. Luke records in Acts chapter 9, “But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’” (vss. 1-4)
The Lord Jesus visited Saul, whom we know better today as St. Paul, as he traveled to Damascus to arrest Christians. And the Lord Jesus told Saul that he was persecuting Him. Yet, Christ had already ascended into heaven, seated at the Father’s right hand. How could Saul be persecuting Jesus? Because Saul was persecuting Jesus’ Christians. Jesus identifies Himself with His Christians. This is called the Mystical Union or the Mystical Body of Christ. We Christians are members of Jesus’ Body. Jesus is our Head.
When His Christians are mistreated, Jesus says that He Himself is mistreated. And when Jesus’ Christians are honored, Jesus says that He Himself is honored. Jesus says to His disciples in Matthew chapter 10, “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” And again, in Matthew 18, Jesus says of a child who believes in Him, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives Me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (vss. 5-6) This is very much the same thing as what God said to Abraham in Genesis 12, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse…” It is those who have faith in Christ Jesus who are children of Abraham (Gal. 3:7), which is why St. Paul writes in Galatians 3, “those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
So, Christ Jesus identifies Himself with those who have faith in Him. And He blesses those who bless them, and curses those who curse them. This is important to remember when we consider the final judgment as recorded in our Gospel lesson. In our Gospel lesson, Jesus teaches us that He will reward His Christians at the Final judgment. We hear that all nations will be gathered before Him and He will separate the people from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will say to the righteous on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” He then goes on to list the works of mercy they had done for Him, giving Him food when He was hungry, clothing Him when He was naked, welcoming Him when He was a stranger, visiting Him when He was sick and in prison. And to this, the righteous will say, “Lord when did we see You in such need and help You?” And He will answer them, “As you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.”
He then will say to the wicked on His left, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and His angels,” before accusing them of not helping Him in His need. To this the wicked will object, “When did we see you in need and did not help you?” To which Jesus will answer, “As you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” It is exactly as Jesus says in Matthew 16, “For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay each person according to what he has done.” (vs. 27) And as St. Paul writes in Romans 2, “He will render to each one according to his works…” (vs.6).
All this talk about being judged according to our works sounds disturbing, especially to us Lutherans who celebrated just a few weeks ago that we are justified before God not by our works, but by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Romans 3:23-28). How can these two teachings be reconciled? How can the Bible say that we will be judged according to our works and that we are justified apart from our works.
Clarity comes when you recognize what a good work is. What is a good work? A good work is a work done through faith in Christ Jesus by the moving of the Holy Spirit. We are not saved by our works. We are saved by God’s grace through faith. However, God created us for good works. And these good works give evidence that we have saving faith in Christ Jesus. And Jesus will judge these good works as good on account of our faith in Christ. St. Paul writes in Ephesians 2, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (vss. 8-10)
The righteous inherit a kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. That means that they are saved by grace apart from their works. Yet, the righteous do good-works pleasing to God, which give proof that they have justifying faith. And what are these good works? As much as they do to one of the least of Jesus’ brothers, they do unto Him. That is, they love their fellow Christians. Jesus says in John chapter 13, on the night when He was betrayed, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (vss. 34-35)
Christians love Christians. Yes, we love everyone, even our enemies (Matthew 5:44). We should show hospitality to strangers, as some have thereby entertained angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2). Yet, especially to their fellow Christians, Christians show love. St. Luke records in Acts chapter 2, “And all who believed were together and had all things in common.” (vs. 44) Christians love Christians and when they do so, they show love to Christ Jesus, who dwells in Christians. These are good works, which Jesus will praise in the presence of all His angels on the last day, and He will richly reward His Christians for these good works.
Yet, it is important to recognize that these good works are recognized by Jesus, not by the world. The world does not think that the good works of Christians are special. They think their own good works are just as good. They complain to Jesus that He praises the Christians for their good works, when they think their own good works are just as good, or even better. But the world only looks on the outside. Jesus looks on the inside. You see, it is impossible for a good work to please God apart from faith. Scripture states, “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus says, “That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6). And Scripture states, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8) So, all the good works of the world that are done without faith are displeasing to God. They are riddled with sin. They cannot earn salvation or an eternal reward.
Yet, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24) God does not count the sins of those who have faith in Him against them. Rather, He forgives their sins. So, although their good works are still imperfect, God does not count that against them, because Jesus’ blood has washed away all their sins. Furthermore, God works in His Christians to do good through them. St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (vs. 10)
God works in His Christians to do good works. St. Paul writes in Galatians 2, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (vs. 20) So, although our works are still imperfect, and we still sin, God does not look at our sin, but rather He looks at Christ Jesus and His righteousness. And God is so generous with His Christians, that He rewards them even more for the good works which He Himself works through them. So, Christians receive eternal life as a free-gift by God’s grace through faith, earned by the merits of Christ, who died for us. And Christians receive additional rewards for the good works, which God prepared beforehand, and which God moves Christians to do through the power of His Holy Spirit.
Now, this lesson serves as a warning and as a great comfort. It is a warning to all who do not believe in Christ. Jesus will come and judge the living and the dead. And those who have done evil will be condemned to eternal punishment in hell. Hell is real, and real people go there. It is impossible to please God by your works apart from faith in Christ. This lesson also warns those who call themselves Christians, but have a dead faith. They say they believe, but they do not live according to their faith. They hate their fellow Christians, do not seek to help the poor and downtrodden. They use God’s grace as an excuse to sin instead of a motivation to love. Jesus warns them with this lesson not to have a dead faith absent of love.
Yet, this lesson serves as a great comfort to Christians who believe the Gospel. Jesus identifies Himself with you. He has earned for you an eternal kingdom by His own merits, by His perfect obedience and innocent suffering and death. This inheritance has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world by grace. Yet, your Savior is so generous, that He has prepared further rewards for you. Do not be discouraged that your good works are invisible to the world, that they are even despised. Though not even your left hand knows what your right hand is doing, God sees. Do not fear that you have not done enough to please God. Even a cup of cold water given to one of His little ones does not go unnoticed (Matthew 10:42). Even a mother feeding her Christian children, a Christian father providing clothing and shelter to his Christian family, Christians receiving a stranger as their pastor or as a member of their congregation, and the prayers offered for the persecuted Christians around the world, these do not go unnoticed by Christ. We take comfort, not in our works, but in Christ’s generosity toward His Christians, with whom He identifies Himself. The world is not our judge. Christ Jesus is our judge. And by His cross, we already know that He will welcome us into His kingdom.
Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone
And rests in Him unceasing;
And by its fruits true faith is known,
With love and hope increasing.
For faith alone can justify;
Works serve our neighbor and supply
The proof that faith is living. (Paul Speratus, Salvation unto Us Has Come, LSB 555:9)
Amen.