Matthew 25, from 31 to 46. Our Lord said, When the Son of the Man come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his throne of glory. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another. And he will put the sheep to his right, and the lambs to his left. Then the king will say to those to his right, Come, you are blessed of my father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me in. I was naked, and you covered me. I was sick, and you visited me in prison, and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and we gave you sustenance, or thirsty, and we gave you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and we picked you up, or naked, and we covered you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and we came to you? And answering the king, he will say to them, Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of these my younger brothers, you did it to me. Then he will also say to those on the left, Depart from me, you devils, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. because I was hungry, and you did not give me anything to eat. I was thirsty, and you did not give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, and you did not pick me up. I was naked, and you did not cover me. I was sick, and I was in prison, and you did not visit me." Then they also answered him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, or in prison, and did not serve you? Then he will answer them, saying, I tell you the truth, that as soon as you did not do it to one of these little ones, you did not do it to me either. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Let us pray together. Heavenly Father, thank you for this good day that you have given us to worship you. encouraging each other to give you the praise and to serve the ministry of your word. These are valuable things and precious and sweet things for our hearts and we thank you for that. Tonight, Lord, as we turn our attention to your word, we ask you for your help. May your spirit take his sword in his hand and treat with our heart and give me assistance of grace to be able to preach and the listeners to listen. Heavenly Father, work in this place in the next hour so that our attention is focused on you and your name is glorified among us and for anyone who does not know you. We ask that you do for them what they cannot do for themselves, that you give them repentance and faith in your Son. And transfer them from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of your beloved Son, we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen. Not every warning is an act of love. People often warn with hatred in their hearts. One man says to another, if you take another step, I'll punch you in the face. There's no love in that warning. But when God warns sinners, He warns humanity of the judgment to come when he describes it and when he joins those warnings with his gospel of grace. There's nothing that can explain those warnings except the love of God. Well, don't the warnings make men more responsible? Is the judgment being gassed? It's true. But they were already responsible, even without the warnings. What the warnings of God represent is an opportunity, an opportunity for repentance, for liberation, an opportunity to be freed from the precipice of the greatest disaster that a human soul can experience, to the greatest joy that any human life can know. as we spoke this morning, this is the reason why we must be faithful in declaring all the words of God, including His warnings. When we refuse to declare the world, we mute the love of God. We cannot silence the love of God by silencing the warnings of God. These last words of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount of Olives are some of the most sober words in the whole Bible. He speaks of a great day of separation, of a great day of setting destinies for eternity, the great day of the declaration of eternal sentences. This is the great judge, the great pastor, the great king, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. separating humanity into two groups, the righteous and the accursed, those who enter into everlasting life and those who enter into eternal condemnation. What is amazing is that the judge is speaking these words. He is telling us what he will do when he returns from heaven. to judge the earth and to inaugurate His kingdom. And what we have here is very straightforward. It's not difficult to understand. But it is vital that we pay attention and take these things in our heart and respond in such a way that we glorify God. Tonight we will see these verses under two main headlines. First of all, the details of the trial. Let's pay attention to the details. Let's take note of what is said. And then we're going to talk about seven lessons for us in this day and age that emerge out of the details of this trial. The first thing I want you to notice in terms of the details is what is the description of Christ, of himself, of the judge. It's interesting that Jesus talks about himself, but he talks about himself in objective terms. The disciples ask him, when are you going to return? When are you going to do these things? And when he talks about himself in these verses, he's referring to himself in the third person many times. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will sit on his throne of glory, and so on. Why are you talking this way, Jesus? Why don't you say that you will sit down? I will sit down on the throne of glory. Why the Son of Man? Why in the third person? I think one of the reasons is because he is making the point that he is the Son of Man. He is the one who has been described and promised throughout Scripture. The way that he describes himself in these verses describe the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. The first way to describe it, the most common way Jesus described himself, is the Son of Man. When the Son of Man comes in His glory, Jesus is the Son of Man. And that underscores the reality of humanity, but also has messianic significance, because it has to do with the Kingdom of God. Daniel chapter 7 verse 13, I looked in the vision of the night, and here with the clouds of heaven came one like a son of man, who came to the old man of days, and they made him come near him, and he was given, that is, to the one who is like a son of man, he was given dominion, glory, and kingdom. for all peoples, nations, and languages to serve Him. His dominion is eternal dominion, which shall never pass, and His kingdom, one, which shall not be destroyed. Jesus is telling us that He is the Son of Man, the Son of Man, Daniel 7. He describes Himself as the King. The details about the Judge are displayed in our verses. The Judge is the Son of Man, the Judge is the King, verse 31. Then he will sit on his throne of glory. Verse 34, then the king will say to those on his right, Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. The one who is going to judge the earth is the Son of Man, the one who is going to judge is the great king. Promised in the Old Testament scripture, he is the great shepherd of the sheep. It's not accidental that he describes this judgment in terms of shepherding, separating his sheep from his goats. All nations will be gathered before him, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, the King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of Man, but the One who has blessed these people. His Father is God. He is the Son of God, Jesus is, and He is a sovereign Savior. He inherits the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. He is accepting those who were destined for the very kingdom that is about to enter. He is the Lord, verse 37. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we give you hunger, and we gave you thirst, and we gave you drink? He is the Lord. That's not only recognized by those on his right, it's also recognized by those on his left. Then they will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry? The one who will be recognized as Lord by all, all knees will bow and all tongues will confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord. He is the divine Savior, brother. This is one of the amazing truths of the word of God, that our Savior, His life, death and resurrection, His finished work, has made us children of God by adoption. And we are also those who have been given a new nature, one that has made us children of God by nature and by adoption. And He is in that relationship. He has not been ashamed to relate to us as brothers. Hebrews 2 verse 9, but we see Him. which was made a little smaller than the angels, to Jesus, crowned with glory and honor, because of the suffering of death, that by the grace of God he might like death for all, for it was fitting that he, For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified, of one are all. Therefore be not ashamed to call them brothers, for he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified, of one are all. saying, I will announce your name to my brethren in the midst of the congregation, and I will praise you. And again, I will put my trust in him, and again, behold, I am here, and the children that God has given me. So therefore the children who participated in flesh and blood, he also participated in the same thing, to destroy through death the one who had the empire of death, that is, the devil, and to free all who for the fear of death were for all life subject to servitude. the eternal Son of God, taking for Himself a nature like ours, without sin, to bring many sons to glory. Do not be ashamed to identify with them as your brother. Who is the judge? The Son of Man, the Great King, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Son of God, the Sovereign Savior, the Lord, the Divine Savior, brother. When you take all this, you can say that He is the heir to all things. At the end of the age, he will come in glory. Hebrews 1 verse 2, in these last days he has spoken to us by the Son, who made him the heir of all things, and who also made the universe. Jesus came the first time in a humble way. He laid aside the visible expression of his glory to save us. Now he is victorious, declared victorious by his Father, as he prayed in John 17, so that when he comes a second time, he will come in glory. To inherit all things, he will look glorious, he will come with glorious angels, he will sit on his throne of glory, and he will exercise glorious authority. So the first detail we see in these verses has to do with the judge himself, who he is. The second thing we see is the time for the judgment. When will this happen? Verse 31, when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his throne of glory. Jesus is describing a time in which He comes with undeniable glory. This is not a reference to a spiritual path. This is not a reference to an invisible path. This is not a reference to something that men would have to ask themselves. Is this the second coming? No, when it comes, it will be inevitable, and it will be marked as something glorious. He has spoken of this before, in Matthew 16, 27, because the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will pay each one according to his works. Matthew 19, 28, and Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit upon the throne of his glory, ye that follow me shall also sit upon twelve thrones, that ye may judge the twelve tribes of Israel. When is this judgment to take place? When he comes back to the earth, and his glory is revealed. This time of judgment is both a time of rest and a time of wrath. It is a time of salvation and a time of judgment. This separation is occurring, and those who belong to him enter into the blessing, and those who do not belong to him enter into the punishment. 2 Thessalonians 1.6, because it is right before God pay with tribulation to those who attribute you, and to you who are attributed give you rest with us, when the Lord Jesus is manifested from heaven with the angels of his power, in flame of fire to give retribution to those who did not know God, nor obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says that there is a day of rest that is coming, and it will be when Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his angels of his power. No more persecution, no more mistreatment of the people of God. This time of judgment is a time of accountability. In verse 12, speaking of false teachers, these are stains on your agapes, which, eating impudently with you, become impatient themselves. Waterless clouds, carried from here to there by the winds, autumn trees, fruitless, twice dead and deforested, fierce waves of the sea that foam their own shame, wandering stars, for which the darkness of darkness is forever reserved. He also prophesied in Acts 7, saying, Behold, the Lord has come with his thousands of his holy ones. There again, the Lord Jesus comes with the angels to judge against all, and to condemn all the ungodly, of all their ungodly works that they have committed, and of all the hard things that the ungodly sinners have spoken against him. One day, the sinful man will have to pay for the impious ways that they have lived and the impious words that they have spoken. When is this judgment coming? When he returns from heaven to earth with his angels? What does this time of judgment represent? A time of rest and anger, a time of accountability. and a time of global and visible revelation. It's not a secret avenue, it's not a spiritual avenue. He's going to return to the earth just as he left the earth. Revelation number seven, behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him. Even those who came with the clouds, and every eye will see him. And those who transgressed him, and all the lineages of the earth, will grieve for him. Amen. This is what the disciples heard from the angels when Jesus ascended to heaven Acts 1-6, then those who had gathered asked him, Lord, will you restore the kingdom to Israel in this time? What is the context of his discussion? The kingdom of God on earth involving the nation of Israel. Is this the time? And he said to them, it is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father put in his sole power, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and even the last of the earth. And having said these things, when he saw it, he went up, and he received a cloud which he hid from his eyes. And they, with their eyes set upon the sky, while he was going, two men with white robes came and sat with them, and they also said to him, Galilee men, why do you look at the sky, this same Jesus whom you have taken up to the sky? He will come as you have seen him go into the sky. That is the time of judgment that Jesus is talking about. The time when he returns from heaven to earth and all eyes will see him. Coming with the clouds, just as he left, so he will return. to be clear, what's being described here is not the final judgment. This is not the judgment of the great white throne. This is a judgment that precedes the entrance to the millennial kingdom, the kingdom of a thousand years of the Lord Jesus Christ, which He will inaugurate. He judges the earth, separates the sheep from the goats, and the righteous enter the kingdom, and the evil ones are exiled, sent to the darkness of the outside. Who will be judged? This is the third detail. The people to be judged, verse 32, and all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the lambs. What this will be is a manifestation, a demonstration of a spiritual reality that already exists. The whole earth can be divided into two families. Those who belong to Satan and those who belong to God. Those who are the accursed, as they are described here, and those who have been predestined for salvation, given to Christ to be saved. And what will be demonstrated then is that Jesus has full authority over all flesh to save and to judge. Those who enter into the kingdom are those who have been delivered to Christ for salvation before the world was created. John 17. Jesus spoke these things, and raising his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you, as you have given him power over all flesh, that he may give eternal life to all whom you have given. To whom does Jesus give eternal life? To those who have been given to him by his Father. When were they given to him? Before the world was formed. So that Jesus came into the earth, He came as a representative to save a people for God. He came to save His sheep. And in like manner, those who will be judged one day will be judged, because all judgment has been handed over to the Son by the Father. So He will judge those who will be judged. that are condemned and saved. John chapter 5, verse 19. So Jesus answered them, saying, I say to you that the Son cannot do anything for himself but what he sees the Father do. For whatever the Father does, the Son does also, for the Father loves the Son, and shows him all the things that he does, and greater works than these he will show him, so that you may be amazed. Because as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to those who want to give life. Notice the sovereignty of Jesus in salvation. God is sovereign, Jesus is God. These people have been given to Jesus for salvation, and at the same time he can say, I save those whom I love. The Son gives life to whom He wills, for the Father judges not, but all judgment is given to the Son, that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has gone from death to life. Truly, truly I say to you, Now comes the hour, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so has the Son given life in himself. And he has given him authority to make judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this. for now will come when all who are in the graves will hear his voice, and those who did good will come to the resurrection of life, but those who did evil will come to the resurrection of condemnation. the Son of Man, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of the sheep, the Lord, the Father, the King of These are the people who will be judged. The fourth detail we see is the evidence for the judgment. What does Jesus mention as evidence as he accepts some and rejects others? The evidence for the judgment are the works of these people. Now, this is not meant to tell us everything that Jesus will say in the judgment, but rather emphasizes something in this judgment. And I think this depiction is so important because there is something being stressed. And what is being stressed is that the spiritual condition of people can be known by their deeds, by what they do, by how they live. And the people he's talking about specifically in this context are going to be the people who are alive at the time that he comes back, that is, they have been living in the midst of the tribulation. But what distinguishes the righteous from the condemned is what they have done. He's not saying that salvation is by works, but that where there is salvation, there will be the fruit of that salvation. And this is demonstrated by the works of people. People who have genuine faith, live differently, think differently, love differently, choose different things. So that when this great dividing comes, Jesus can identify his people for how they have responded in the midst of this tribulation. So these are the details that we see in the text. Now let's move on to the lessons displayed in the trial. Lessons displayed in this trial. Lessons for us who are sitting here. And I'll begin where I just left off. That is, genuine faith is demonstrated by works. In this judgment, he doesn't mention the gospel. In this judgment, he doesn't mention their beliefs. In this judgment, he mentions what they've done. As I said, not because sinners are saved by works. The Bible is clear from beginning to end. God saves sinners by grace. God saves sinners by faith. Only by faith. But what he is demonstrating in these verses is that genuine faith is not without fruit, and the fruit is not just words. Both groups say, Lord, the fruit is not just words. And the Bible unites these things, which are some of the most dangerous things we've seen in our generation. In the mouths of evangelical preachers, there seems to be this division, which may exist, according to them, between what one believes and says and what one does, as if there were no connection, not a necessary connection, as if there were no necessary product of genuine faith. You did the prayer, you asked Jesus to come to your heart, you said the right words, you'll never doubt that you'll be in heaven, regardless of what your life says. And the Bible says something very different. The Bible calls us to examine our lives and ask, is my faith genuine? As the book of Saint James says, do you believe like the demons? Do you believe that God is one? Saint James says, that's fine, the demons believe and tremble. Is that the type of faith that you have? A demonic faith? Or do you have a faith that is the product of the regeneration of God giving you the faith produced by the Spirit of God in the heart of man? Let's listen to Ephesians 2. You know it well, verse 8. Because by grace I am saved, by faith. And this is not of you, for it is the gift of God, not by works. It cannot be clearer, not by works, so that no one may be glorified. But what does the next verse say? Verse 10. Because we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. You were as predestined for good works, as you were predestined to be saved. And I want you to notice that the works on our verse, Matthew 25, are not considered big things in the world. They are not spectacular. We could describe them as quiet works. giving food, I was hungry and you gave me food, welcoming strangers, giving clothing to people, visiting the sick, visiting people in prison. These are the deeds that he mentions when he talks about the deeds of those who are his sheep, who are his people. Lesson number one, genuine faith is demonstrated by works. I would ask you tonight, you're here on a Sunday, I know you profess faith in Jesus, that's why you're here, but do your works accord to your profession? In your life, do you see the fruit of genuine faith works? Second lesson, genuine faith is demonstrated by our relationship with the people of God. By our relationship with the people of God. And this is what Jesus is talking about in these verses. He's not talking about feeding just anyone, clothing just anyone, giving just anyone a dress, or receiving just anyone. No. He's talking about a time period where there's going to be great tribulation, great persecution from the people of God, and these are his people. During that time, they have compassion for their brothers, who are the brothers of Jesus. have loved the people of God. How often have we heard these verses taught in such a way as if it were a general rule, as if it were general compassion? And I'm not denying that there is compassion in the heart of the people of God that is absent in the inconverses. That is correct. We know the compassion of God. But what is being stressed in these verses is if you know the shepherd, you love his sheep. Do you care about your brothers? The question of who these brothers are that Jesus is talking about has been debated. I agree with D. A. Carson. He says the best interpretation is that Jesus' brothers are his disciples. The fate of the nations will be determined by how they respond to Jesus' followers. who, whether they're missionaries or not, spread the gospel and they do it facing hunger, prison, or illness. Good works are done by the followers of Jesus, even the little ones. And not only works of compassion and morality, but they reflect how people were in relation to the kingdom and to Jesus himself. How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word and his world? How do you truly engage in his word that people who are saved love the church, is something that the New Testament emphasizes when we examine the examination of salvation. This is one of the great tests in 1 John, whether someone is saved or not. 1 John 3.10, in this the children of God are manifested. and the children of the devil. These two great families on earth, the people of God and the people of the devil, who are the people of God? In this are manifested the children of God and the children of the devil. Everyone who does not do justice and who does not love his brother is not of God. that marks the children of God, righteous works, and one aspect of those righteous works is to love the people of God. 1 John 4.20, if someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? You say you have faith in that which is invisible. If you have that faith, then you have His love. And if you have His love, you will be able to love those who are in front of you. If your faith can't love what is visible, The people of God have been taught to love one another. If you can't practice faith with what is visible, how can I believe that you say that you are practicing faith with what is invisible? James chapter 1 verse 27, the pure and immaculate religion before God the Father is this, to visit the orphans and the widows in their tribulations and to keep themselves unscathed from the world. Vida Santa acorde a corazones compasivos. Así que aun el menor de estos, huérfanos y viudas, nos importan. Lección una, la fe genuina da obras. And genuine faith is demonstrated by the relationship with the people of God. Thirdly, genuine faith is demonstrated by works that are not invented. Something interesting about this story is that these people were not aware of what Jesus was talking about. When, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and we gave you sustenance? Or thirsty, and we gave you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and we picked you up? Or naked, and we covered you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and we came to you? When did we do these things? Obviously, what we do, we do it in the name of the Lord. That is Christian teaching. Through all these people, they will know it. But what is emphasized in the story is that what they have done is not something designed to earn merit before the eyes of God. This was something supernaturally natural. It was the product of his renewed nature. If you and I have the Spirit of God, if the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Spirit of God, when there is a need among our brothers and sisters, it brings out of us a desire to fill that need. This would be the fourth lesson, put another way. The works of faith are focused on God, not on themselves. They are not really focused on themselves. They're not paying attention to making a checklist of all the things they've done for others in the name of Jesus. Contrast that with what you said, the Pharisees and the religious hypocrites are very aware of what they do. They have a list of their merits, at least in their minds. They praise themselves for the things that they do. They would not only be ready to hear Jesus praise them, but they would also add other things. This is also worthy of praise from me, Lord. But not these people, not the people who enter the kingdom. These people have done what they have done in a way that was spontaneous. When the love of salvation is in a person, the need of a brother leads to the desire to help. It's not something artificial, it's not something invented, it's not something to show, it's a heart that has been taught by God to love his family. Fifth lesson. The genuine faith is demonstrated by works. The genuine faith is demonstrated by our relationship with the people of God. The genuine faith is demonstrated by works that are not invented. The works for God focus on God and not on us. Fifthly, the unregenerated have none of this. The unregenerated have none of these characteristics. The works that are fruit of faith, I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was naked and you gave me nothing to eat. I was sick and you gave me nothing to eat. Absent love for the people of God, absent humility. evidenced in those who did not take, who did not have a list of merits. Absent the desire to love naturally. That's why I'm convinced, I'm convinced that The true mercy is not programmed. It's not manufactured. I want to discipline you, and I'm going to give you a list of 20 things that you should do every day. And if you do this list, you will advance in your mercy. Because when that's the approach to sanctification, you start making a list. I did this, I did this, I did this. That doesn't mean there's no spiritual discipline. Of course there is. But what do we do when the Lord saves us? As we have his word, as we have his church, as we have a new nature in the spirit of God, what do we do? We live. That's what we do. We live. And as we live, we love each other. Why? Because we truly love each other. We love the church. Why? Because we love the church genuinely. We study the word of God. Why? Because we really love the word of God. Why? because now we've been made a new creature to pray. It's not that we're making a list of the things we have to do to say that I'm advancing in faith. It is what God has done in our soul that we cannot avoid because it's real. And the unregenerated don't have these things. If you understand this, say amen. Sixth lesson. El gozo de la salvación y la miseria del infierno son ambas eternas. El gozo de la salvación y la miseria del infierno ambos son eternas. Versículo 46, e irán estos al castigo eterno y los justos a la vida eterna. I find it incredible how many times men distort the word of God to try to believe that the mercy of God means that the blessing of salvation will be forever, but the misery of hell will be only for a time. When Jesus uses the exact same term, the weightiness of what we're being told. Every once in a while, in your study, you come to a point where you say, you know, I've been told this, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, I've been told that, that another is so outstanding, just so outstanding, that you want to share it. I will quote, but a section that you think did it extremely well. And when I read the comment, James Montgomery Voice, this week, when it came to the topic of hell, he made some very good observations. And I want to share with you four, in terms of the punishment being described here. First he said, hell is total separation. Hell is total separation. He says, boys, not only for those who will be with Christ in heaven, but separation from God. Jesus expressed this when he quoted the king. God is omnipresent, his presence will be in hell as well as in heaven, but it won't be his accepting presence. It won't be the presence of common grace in ways that we have known it during this age. It will be a form of separation. apartaos de mí, malditos, echadlos a las tinieblas de afuera. El infierno es separación. En segundo lugar, el infierno es una asociación mala. Versículo 41, apartaos de mí, malditos, al fuego eterno preparado para el diablo y sus ángeles. Boyce says, we learn something interesting about hell in these verses that is not taught explicitly anywhere else. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. If hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, the angels who followed him in his rebellion against God, and now they are known as demons, we can be certain that they will be in hell one day. And if that's the case, this means that those who rejected Christ and have shown their contempt for the followers of Christ will be sent there to be with their demons. There ends the quote. Think about that. Have you ever been in the presence of a human being so overtly evil that you wanted to escape from that presence. Have you ever been in the presence of someone whose very presence made you uncomfortable or afraid? Understand that hell doesn't just mean separation from God, it means association forever. with Satan and his demons, and they will be in hell also. Third, hell is suffering. Hell is suffering. Matthew 25, verse 30, and the useless servant thrown into the darkness of the outside, there will be crying and gnashing of teeth. When Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man describes himself as being in agony. Matthew 25, 41, then he also says to those on the left, get away from me, damn you, to eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Not fire as we know it now, surely. but there is time in the word that gives us descriptions that to the highest or best level that we can understand, described something real, but that goes beyond something that we know, to some kind of fire. When you read crying, it must include a burning conscience. as memories that consume you all the time, of wasted opportunities, of reused grace. The foolishness, the foolishness of those who rejected the gospel. The rich man in hell, the rich man in Lazarus, begs Father Abraham to send messengers to his brothers, so that they won't end up in that place of torment. And what do they say? They have Moses and the prophets. What does that mean? They have the word of God. And if they won't listen to the word of God, they won't return to them from the dead. Send Lazarus to tell them. And Abraham says no. They have the Bible. Suffering. Fourth, hell is darkness. Outer darkness. It must be the deepest darkness anyone can imagine. Beuys described it as a kind of darkness where you are conscious of nothing. but your own misery and thoughts. This idea that you're going to hell and you're going to be partying with your friends, what a liar Satan is. Separated from God in the presence of demons and the devil himself suffering in darkness and forever. There is no hope. Which leads to the last observation. The time of opportunity is while we live and before the King comes. I want to ask you, as we talked about this morning, In the introduction sermon, can you now see why love declares the judgments of God? Why love declares the warnings of God? Because this isn't pretense. This is real. And so I ask myself, I ask you, what have we done with these warnings? Again, in a way that accords with all the revelations of God, with love, with humility, with kindness, with all the things that characterize communication with sinners. But we have told them that the wrath of God is coming and there is only one way in which they can be saved. We preach the gospel, we give the gospel. Has tú creído? ¿Conoces tú a Cristo? ¿Y acaso lo dice tu vida? ¿Acaso tus amores lo dicen? I don't doubt that for probably almost everyone, if not everyone in this room, or almost everyone, you're here because of your love for the word of God, for your love for the church and for the Lord. But there are also people, as you know, who attend church because of tradition. It's the routine. It's what we do. And so there may be someone here tonight listening to me sitting in this room. You have the right words, Lord, Lord. But the supernatural fruit that comes from the new birth, from the new creation, if you are honest with yourself, that is absent. I exhort you, do not lie to yourself. Do not cling to a lie. Echa a un lado cualquier temor que tengas de la opinión de otras personas y abraza a Cristo desde tu corazón y sé salvo. For us, the day that is coming will be a day of great salvation. Jesus pronounces praises and blessings. But until then, whether through death or through the coming of the Lord, we have been given these warnings and may the Lord strengthen us to preach the Gospel, the Good News, as John the Baptist did. There's a long list of judgments. And then it says, the good news, says what John the Baptist was preaching. To a people that the Lord helps us. In the way that Stephen did, filled with the Holy Spirit. To be faithful with his word. Amen. Let's pray, Heavenly Father, we love you and we thank you. For this amazing section of Scripture that we have been able to study in the last few weeks, the Sermon on the Mount of Olives, thank you for how our Lord closes, concludes, as we see that He fulfills the promises of Your Word and He will judge this world. in a way that reflects who He is, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Shepherd of sheep, the Lord of Glory, all things, the King, all ways in which the Bible describes the Messiah, that is Jesus. Thank you, Lord, that you have told us when this time will come, when He returns from the heavens to the earth, and what the evidences are. that will clarify that these people who have been judged as their sheep are truly their sheep, shown by love for your people, for your sheep, hearts of compassion for the needs of others. From these things, Lord, would you open our hearts. Do this in us, your people, for your glory and for the salvation of sinners. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.