Our Confidence, Our Calling, and Our Coming King (LD 19; Matthew 25:31-46)
The return of Christ is not just a concept, but it’s a reality that orients and grounds how we live today. Many of us, when we think about His return, are either tempted to ignore it as something so future that we doubt Christ is coming at all. On the other hand we might fear the looming judgment. But Scripture tells us that Christ’s return is both a sobering and a thrilling reality. He is not only the Judge but also the Redeemer who has already secured our place in His kingdom. If we are in Christ, we don’t have to live in uncertainty—we can have confidence because we are represented by our great Melchizedekian Priest and not our performance. Judgment isn’t about measuring up; it’s about who possesses us. And if we belong to Christ, we can look forward to His return with joy rather than dread.
But how do we know if we belong to Him? Jesus makes it clear that His true followers aren’t identified by religious performance, but by their response to His grace. The sheep in His parable didn’t do grand, impressive things—they simply lived out of love, responding to needs around them in ordinary ways. They fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, cared for the sick. Why? Because when you truly understand grace, it changes you. You stop asking, “What do I need to do to get in?” and start asking, “How can I reflect the love I’ve received and seek to share one another’s burdens?” This is the key difference between those who are secure in Christ and those who are not. The goats in Jesus’ parable weren’t condemned because they failed to check off a list of good works, but because their lives revealed that they had never had a heart that was tender to their Redeemer, Lord, and Master.
So, how do we live in light of Christ’s return? Not by trying to earn our place, but by living as people who know we are already His. That means prioritizing the kingdom—not as a task list, but as a way of life. It means trusting that the world, in all its brokenness, is not spinning out of control, but is heading toward restoration under the reign of Christ. The hope of His return isn’t an escape plan; it’s the assurance that everything we do, every act of love, every moment of faithfulness, is part of His ultimate redemption. And that changes everything because we have the joy of showing the Gospel even in our everyday ordinary tasks. Let us seek our King because he has first sought us!