LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:17	hello
0:19	today let’s talk about the Bible’s
0:22	Horror
0:24	Story the text before us is the last
0:27	Gospel reading of the church year
0:30	Matthew CH
0:31	1.041666667
0:34	31-46 it is the story of the final
0:38	judgment and it is what might truly be
0:41	called a horror
0:43	story however sometimes what we think is
0:47	a horror story is not because we have
0:51	missed a most important
0:53	point I want to begin by telling you a
0:55	different Horror Story it too is a
0:58	horror story because a most important
1:02	point was
1:04	missed
1:06	introduction this story began when I was
1:10	11 or 12 years old I was thinking about
1:14	God and Heaven and eternal life but it
1:18	struck me that living in
1:21	heaven was something upsetting and even
1:24	overwhelming to me it was not the
1:27	problem of meeting God or the question
1:29	of whether I would go to hell or to
1:31	Heaven no the problem for
1:35	me was that I would have to live forever
1:39	when I got there and
1:42	forever was just too big for me to
1:45	comprehend I couldn’t understand it and
1:48	I couldn’t escape it
1:51	forever was like a room that you could
1:53	never leave it was a notime room and
1:57	once you entered you could never get out
2:00	not that I wanted to get out because if
2:02	I ever left forever room I would die and
2:06	I didn’t want that but staying in the
2:08	forever room was frightening for
2:12	me I remember talking to my sister
2:16	Helen one night when she came home
2:20	frankly I was very upset and I told her
2:23	of my fear she said to me that I didn’t
2:26	need to be afraid I would go to heaven
2:28	and it would be nice
2:30	but still I was
2:32	afraid I held the fear of forever in a
2:35	secret place and I brought it out for
2:38	private examination on various occasions
2:41	during my teenage years then one winter
2:45	night I traveled home from college mom
2:48	and dad were living in Knoxville and dad
2:51	and I were playing
2:52	chess it got quite
2:55	late and I ventured to expose my secret
2:59	fear to to my
3:00	father I explained that I was afraid not
3:04	that I was afraid to die and not that I
3:06	was afraid of going to hell no I was
3:09	afraid of living forever in heaven and I
3:13	just did not understand forever I
3:15	couldn’t escape forever the thought of
3:18	entering the place of no time and the
3:21	room of no return was too much for me I
3:23	was afraid I just did not understand
3:28	it what would a father say to comfort
3:31	such a serious son asking about the
3:34	existential reality of
3:36	forever my dad said the only thing that
3:39	ever could have settled my fears he
3:41	answered the question in my foolish head
3:44	dad said I don’t understand it either
3:48	son but we will go through it
3:52	together from that moment I’ve never had
3:55	another anxious thought about
3:58	forever now that was a horror story that
4:01	dissolved with a word from my Earthly
4:04	father now let’s talk about another
4:06	horror story that dissolves with a word
4:10	from our lord
4:12	Jesus point one the final
4:16	judgment the scripture text before us
4:18	can truly be called horrifying it speaks
4:21	of the great and final judgment and
4:25	beloved we have a lot at stake in the
4:27	final judgment eternal light or Eternal
4:31	damnation eternity is a long long time
4:36	so if we do not get into the right place
4:39	it will be more horrible than any of us
4:42	can possibly
4:43	imagine this Parable by our lord Jesus
4:46	is given only a few days before his
4:51	crucifixion he was desperately trying to
4:53	teach his disciples God’s truth before
4:56	he must return to heaven so Jesus
4:58	described
5:00	the final
5:01	judgment the son of man will come in all
5:04	of his glory and all the angel host will
5:07	come with him he will sit on his throne
5:11	and as we say in the Creed he will come
5:13	in glory to judge both the living and
5:16	the dead yes he will judge
5:18	everyone every people and tongue every
5:22	tribe and Nation he will judge you he
5:26	will judge me yes
5:30	Jesus continues his Parable all the
5:32	nations will be gathered and he will
5:34	begin to separate them the sheep from
5:37	the goats the Sheep he will put on his
5:39	right side the goats he will put on his
5:41	left side then he will turn to the sheep
5:44	and he will declare to them Matthew
5:47	25:34 come you who are blessed of my
5:50	father inherit the Kingdom prepared for
5:53	you from the foundation of the world but
5:56	then he will say to those on his left
5:59	left Matthew
6:02	25:41 depart from me our csed ones into
6:07	the Eternal fire which has been prepared
6:10	for the devil and his
6:13	angels you have got to admit this
6:17	Parable is among the most terrifying
6:20	things that you have ever heard it is
6:23	absolutely frightening and not just for
6:26	an 11 or 12-year-old child anyone
6:31	any person of any age can find him or
6:35	herself saying oh Lord God please be
6:40	merciful to me a sinner I know that I do
6:44	not deserve to be in your heaven but
6:46	please please Lord do not put me in your
6:51	hell point two a big
6:56	surprise you have probably already
6:58	noticed something it seems that in this
7:03	Parable everyone that is yes everyone is
7:07	surprised by the Judgment the good sheep
7:10	are shocked by the pronouncement they
7:12	are told that they have fed Jesus and
7:15	given him drink they have invited in
7:18	Jesus and given him clothes they have
7:21	visited Jesus when he was sick or in
7:22	prison but the sheep have absolutely no
7:25	recollection of having done these things
7:29	the Lord declares to them verse 40 truly
7:34	I say to you to the extent that you did
7:36	it to one of these brothers of mine even
7:39	the least of them you did it to
7:42	me but the goats are just as shocked by
7:47	the pronouncement that they hear they
7:49	are condemned no no no no we were good
7:53	people look we were
7:56	nice but Jesus declares
7:59	Matthew
8:00	25:41 and
8:03	following then he will also say to those
8:06	on his left depart from me accursed ones
8:10	into the Eternal fire which has been
8:13	prepared for the devil and his angels
8:15	for I was hungry and you gave me nothing
8:18	to eat I was thirsty and you gave me
8:20	nothing to drink I was a stranger and
8:23	you did not invite me in naked and you
8:26	did not clothe me sick and in prison and
8:29	you did not visit me they will say Lord
8:33	when did we see you in this way at all
8:36	and he will answer
8:39	them truly I say to you to the extent
8:43	that you did not do it to one of the
8:45	least of these you did not do it to
8:52	me what a terrible and horrible day not
8:58	only is it a day of extreme judgment
9:00	when all sins selfishness neglect and
9:04	Corruption will be
9:06	disclosed but apparently people will not
9:09	even know if they were good or bad
9:12	they’ll be surprised by the verdict and
9:15	they will hear that every single time
9:18	that they acted in sin selfishness
9:21	neglect and
9:23	Corruption that Jesus took this
9:27	personally you did it unto me says the
9:31	Lord how can anyone withstand such
9:34	judgment how can anyone Escape such
9:37	personalized offense against the Lord of
9:40	Heaven Jesus Christ
9:43	himself can
9:46	you point three judge
9:51	Jesus there is no way to lessen the
9:55	severity of God’s judgment because there
9:58	is no way to diminish the Holiness of
10:01	God’s
10:02	righteousness he is righteous and he
10:05	will judge all evil and all
10:08	sin you and I admit each week that we
10:11	have broken God’s Commandments we
10:13	confess that we justly deserve your
10:17	present and eternal
10:19	punishment this Parable is about that
10:25	exactly God will judge and God will
10:29	punish sin he will separate the sheep
10:32	from the goats we cannot escape the
10:36	Judgment of our righteous God who
10:38	punishes our sin and who judges our evil
10:42	this beloved is absolutely
10:46	true however God not only has a law that
10:49	is true God also has a gospel that is
10:53	true please remember please never forget
10:56	the gospel of God completes and fulfills
11:00	all of the demands of God’s law the
11:03	gospel the good news is that God himself
11:06	has come in flesh God Jesus Christ the
11:10	son of God Jesus Christ the son of man
11:13	Jesus has taken your sin and evil he has
11:17	taken your guilt and shame he has taken
11:19	them upon himself and carried them unto
11:22	death on the cross the punishment of
11:25	your sin and guilt was laid Upon Jesus
11:29	who suffered and died in your
11:32	place Jesus identified himself with you
11:35	taking your sin punishment judgment and
11:39	death Jesus also identified himself with
11:42	you giving you his Holiness Purity
11:45	righteousness and eternal life how did
11:49	this holy identification between you and
11:51	Jesus happen it happened in your baptism
11:55	when you were baptized into his death
11:58	and and Resurrection it happened when
12:01	God’s word created faith in your heart
12:03	it happened when God’s Great Exchange
12:06	was made between you and Christ by grace
12:11	through faith so that Jesus Christ
12:13	himself now lives within you and you
12:17	live within
12:18	him now you are a child of God and your
12:21	name is written in the Lamb’s Book of
12:23	Life all that Christ Jesus has done he
12:27	has done for you so that you are his and
12:30	he is yours by grace through
12:34	faith for that reason your judgment has
12:38	already taken place your judgment took
12:42	place upon the cross of Christ your
12:45	punishment your separation from God your
12:48	death has already happened in Christ
12:52	Jesus and because you are in Christ
12:55	Jesus you are now alive and you act by
12:58	by the Holy Spirit and by Christ’s
13:00	presence within you you have fed Jesus
13:04	and given him drink you have invited in
13:07	Jesus and given him clothes you have
13:09	visited Jesus when he was sick or in
13:12	prison you have forgiven those who have
13:15	wronged you you have been kind and
13:17	generous to those in Need You may have
13:21	no recollection of any of these
13:23	things you may only remember your sins
13:27	but because of your faith in Jesus
13:29	Christ God cannot remember your sins and
13:33	he only remembers your
13:37	faith and the acts of kindness
13:39	forgiveness goodness and love that you
13:43	have done because you are in Jesus
13:46	Christ and Jesus Christ is in
13:51	you
13:53	conclusion there was once a child who
13:57	could not understand the mystery of
13:59	God’s eternity forever was too big and
14:04	too terrifying it was a horror story
14:07	until one day his father said we will go
14:11	through it together then there was no
14:14	more
14:15	fear today we have talked about another
14:19	mystery of God Eternal judgment it also
14:24	is too big and too terrifying to
14:28	understand but the horror story goes
14:30	away when we realize that the judge on
14:33	The Throne of Glory has nail marks in
14:36	his hands the King on the Judgment
14:39	Throne wears a crown made of thorns and
14:42	the words of his mouth are father
14:45	forgive them for they know not what they
14:48	do the
14:49	Judgment that you
14:51	dread Jesus already has suffered for you
14:57	and the life that will come after death
14:59	the forever that you cannot
15:03	comprehend Jesus already has promised
15:06	you we will go through it
15:11	together
15:20	[Music]
15:27	amen