Matthew 25:31-46 - by Don Neuendorf
When the Son of Man comes in his glory... all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
I'm told that a new popular video clip on the internet shows Alaska Governor Sarah Palin granting a pardon to a Thanksgiving turkey (one of those goofy political traditions) and then granting an interview to the press afterward. The sensation is that during the interview the business of the turkey farm continues as usual in the background with turkeys being fed into a guillotine of some kind right there on camera.
The shock! The horror! Many people never realized that their Thanksgiving turkey didn't grow on a turkey tree. In the same way, many people like to talk about going to heaven, but never consider the other side of that coin...
...Some people don't go to heaven.
Is this upsetting? Boy, it sure ought to be upsetting! Shouldn't we be more outraged that so many people are rejecting Jesus and being lost forever than we are that some turkeys are being slaughtered for food?
C.S. Lewis describes it best. Those who refuse the gift of faith in Jesus that the Holy Spirit would give them get exactly what they request. When Jesus says to them, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire..." they are being separated from God, just as they always wished to be. Unfortunately, some people are more likely to be offended by Jesus' discussion of their judgment than by the fact of their self-imposed eternal separaton from God.
I don't believe in frightening people into faith. We don't need scary hellfire and damnation sermons for that purpose. But we DO need to speak frankly and honestly about the consequences of belief and unbelief. We need to face those consequences ourselves, and not hide our eyes from them, so that we will not complacently permit them to continue.
I was deeply disappointed that our congregation, in the face of numerous opportunities to do more, chose to reduce its financial comittment to missions. Members of our own congregation will continue to be cared for. Even if our own ministry is reduced we will still be taught and comforted and instructed. But for those who do not know Christ there is no second chance - no back-up plan. God has called us to tell them... before it is too late.