Jesus Will Judge Nations: Peace, Urgency, Serve the Least

Jun 21, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: A Father’s Joyful Homecoming at the Daycare Gate

When Jesus returns, His children will recognize Him instantly – like toddlers spotting their dad’s car in the daycare pickup line. This reunion won’t be based on perfect behavior but on the unshakable bond of adoption. The King comes not as a distant judge but as a parent who’s been counting the minutes until this embrace. His sheep know His voice because they’ve been listening for it their whole lives. [22:56]

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: When have you last felt the eager anticipation of Jesus’ return? How does knowing He’s coming for you – not just to judge, but to bring you home – change today’s worries?

Day 2: Adoption Papers Signed in Blood at Calvary

Our place at the King’s table comes through adoption, not achievement. Jesus didn’t wait for us to become presentable – He paid the ultimate price while we were still strangers. The inheritance of heaven isn’t earned through good report cards from the daycare of life, but sealed through the Spirit when we cried “Abba” through tear-stained faith. [26:52]

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
(Ephesians 1:4-6, ESV)

Reflection: What orphan-like behaviors do you still cling to, forgetting you’re now a co-heir with Christ? How might you live differently today knowing your seat at the eternal family table is secure?

Day 3: Sheep Stains and Shepherd’s Calluses

The Good Shepherd’s hands bear calluses from pulling goats-turned-sheep out of thorns. His robe carries the smell of sheep – the musky scent of late-night rescues and messy growth. True sheep follow not because the path is clean, but because they’ve learned to distinguish His voice from the noise of hirelings. Their scraped knees prove they’re still learning to walk behind Him. [20:15]

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
(John 10:27-28, ESV)

Reflection: When has following Jesus left “stains” on your comfortable life? What thorns have you been avoiding that the Shepherd wants to lead you through?

Day 4: Hamburger Meals and Holy Moments

Eternal significance hides in greasy fast-food bags and thrift store hoodies. Every cup of water given in His name becomes communion wine. When we clothe shivering strangers, we’re dressing Christ Himself. The kingdom’s ledger records these small obediences as cosmic events – not because they’re grand, but because they’re given to the King through His least brothers. [40:07]

And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
(Matthew 25:40, ESV)

Reflection: What “small” act of service have you discounted that Jesus might count as kingdom work? Who’s the “least” person in your orbit needing Christ’s love through your hands today?

Day 5: Goat Wrestling Before the Gates Close

Time ticks toward the moment when the daycare doors of grace will shut. Some still play stubborn goat, refusing to be gathered. Our urgency comes not from fear but from seeing toddlers stumbling toward cliffs. Every pulled-in breath is another chance to shout warnings through the fence – to grab collars and point toward the approaching Father’s car. [46:07]

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
(2 Peter 3:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: Which “goat” in your life needs you to risk awkwardness for their rescue? What makes you hesitate to wrestle in prayer and action for their eternal future?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 25 brings the Son of Man in glory to the front. Jesus sits on a glorious throne. All nations gather. The shepherd image then does the heavy lifting. He separates sheep and goats. Sheep are set at the favored right hand. Goats take the left. Eschatology charts get set aside. The certain return is clear. Readiness is the point.

The return births two things. Peace and urgency. Peace lands because 1 Corinthians 15 shouts that death has lost its sting. John 14 promises a peace the world cannot give. Bodies wear down. Life hurts. Christ still holds victory. Urgency lands because not all have believed. The nations stand in front of Him. The shepherd starts sorting. Sheep hear His voice. Goats are stubborn. From a distance wheat and tares look similar. Up close Jesus separates.

Adoption and inheritance carry the blessing. The King says, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. The basis is not performance. The basis is sonship. Ephesians 1 calls it adoption through redemption by His blood. The cross secured the inheritance. The Spirit seals it until full possession. Think father at daycare. The kids see the car and shout, Daddy. He scoops them to his right and takes them home. That is the tone of the King’s “Come.”

Works then flow as ordinary fruit, not currency. John 14 says believers will do Christ’s works and even greater. The list is simple and concrete. Hungry fed. Thirsty given drink. Strangers welcomed. Naked clothed. Sick and imprisoned visited. The King identifies Himself with the least of these. Presence matters. Hospitality counts. People do not remember the platform. They remember who showed up.

The goats face a sober word. Depart from me. Eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Humanitarian buzz without repentance and faith will not hold in that courtroom. The qualifier is believing and belonging, not brand or output. The question then presses. Live primarily for self or for Jesus. Time, money, and energy tell the truth. The return is beautiful for the sheep. The return is terrible for the goats. The field is massive. Billions are unreached. Peace should steady the heart. Urgency should move the feet.

Key Takeaways

1. Christ judges and separates justly Jesus returns in glory and sits on a real throne, not a metaphorical chair. Judgment is personal, precise, and pastoral, like a shepherd who knows which voice belongs to which flock. From a distance lives may look similar, but Jesus discerns what is wheat and what is tare, what is sheep and what is goat. That certainty should sober the heart and clean out gamesmanship. [06:54]
2. Adoption, not performance, secures inheritance The King’s “Come” rests on sonship, not scorecards. Ephesians 1 frames salvation as adoption purchased by blood, sealed by the Spirit, and aimed at inheritance. Good works never turn the key to the door; the cross did that once for all. Works simply sound like family resemblance. [26:05]
3. Peace now, urgency for mission Victory over death is not future-only; it steadies fragile bodies and anxious minds today. That same hope refuses to drift into laziness because not all have believed and the clock is not public. Peace keeps fear from running the show, and urgency keeps love from staying quiet. [17:29]
4. Mercy to the least reveals faith The King hides Himself in hungry neighbors, awkward strangers, flimsy clothes, hospital rooms, and prison gates. Mercy moves toward inconvenience because Christ is there and calls it worship. Those ordinary errands of love are evidence that the Shepherd’s voice has landed deep. [35:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[06:54] - Son of Man on the throne
[11:51] - Jesus is coming back
[13:52] - Be ready, skip date charts
[15:00] - Keep the cross central
[16:20] - Longing in a broken world
[18:49] - Peace that outlasts death
[19:29] - Return that fuels urgency
[22:31] - Father picking up His kids
[24:55] - Blessed to inherit the kingdom
[26:05] - Adoption, not performance
[29:42] - Chosen, redeemed, sealed
[33:26] - Fruit that Jesus notices
[35:00] - Loving the least of these
[41:30] - The verdict on the goats

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV)
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory… And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Observation Questions

What specific actions does the King praise the “sheep” for in Matthew 25:35-36? How does He connect these actions to Himself?
According to the sermon, what two responses should Christ’s return produce in believers (e.g., “peace” and “urgency”)? What Bible passages support these responses? [17:29]
How does the sermon contrast the basis for the sheep’s inheritance (“adoption”) versus a performance-based mindset? [26:05]
What sobering outcome do the “goats” face, and what reason does the King give for this judgment (Matthew 25:41-43)?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus use the imagery of a shepherd separating sheep and goats to illustrate final judgment? What does this reveal about His role and discernment?
The sermon emphasizes that works are “ordinary fruit, not currency” for salvation. How does this distinction align with Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:34-40 and Ephesians 1:4-14?
How does the promise of adoption (Ephesians 1:5) reshape our understanding of God’s acceptance compared to earning His favor through deeds? [27:20]
Why might Jesus identify Himself with “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40)? What does this imply about how believers should view everyday acts of mercy?

Application Questions

The sermon states, “Time, money, and energy tell the truth” about whether we live for ourselves or Jesus. What practical adjustments could you make this week to align one of these areas more closely with serving Christ? [44:08]
Reflect on a recent opportunity to serve someone in need (e.g., hunger, loneliness, sickness). How did you respond, and how might you intentionally seek such opportunities moving forward?
The King’s return is described as both a source of peace and urgency. What step could you take to share the hope of Christ with someone who doesn’t yet know Him? [19:29]
How does viewing yourself as an adopted child of God (rather than a “worker” trying to earn approval) change your daily priorities or self-perception?
The sermon warns against “humanitarian buzz without repentance and faith.” How can you ensure your acts of service flow from genuine love for Christ, not self-glory? [43:11]
Identify one area where fear or complacency has kept you from living urgently for the gospel. What small action could you take this week to confront that fear?

Sermon Clips

43s

#LoveInAction

“It wasn't like, hey, remember how great you preached. Like like, I remember all those points that you put in in in that bulletin for me because I did it in student ministry too. I remember you took time to love on me and encourage me and was being godly to me. Do do you people are gonna remember when you met a need like like I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink or I was hungry and you gave me some food or I I needed clothes and you gave me some clothes or I I I was sick and you visited me or I was in prison and you visited me. You hear me?”

59s

#JesusIsComingBack

“Jesus is coming back. I'll take you back to the story. Are you gonna be like my little kids? Daddy. I mean, it ain't like it's like, daddy, you're here. I mean, it is like a scream for everyone to know in that place. There is a beautiful, beautiful coming, second coming that is gonna take place where Jesus comes, gets his bride to church, calls his sheep, separates him out. Peace. Urgency because the goats are going over here. And they get eternal punishment as you get the blessings of God.”

29s

#InheritanceThroughChrist

“You get the inheritance when somebody dies. Who died? Jesus. Amen. he goes, oh man, we've already paid it. Like, the death has been taken and you inherit all of the goodness of God, his righteousness, you get the kingdom like like, hey, I'm here. Come home.”

27s

#LiveForJesusNotSelf

“So the question I had to ask is, are you primarily are are you living primarily for yourself or Jesus? Like, where's your time? What what's what's your financial situation look like? Like like like is that all pointed to you or is it pointed back into the kingdom? Where's your give and take? Are you you giving up for the sake of Jesus?”

42s

#AdoptedHeirsOfGod

“Man, the picture. I wish I videoed my babies when I'm picking them up and their excitement and joy. That must be how we are. That must be how our anticipation and our energy is. We come. He says, come, inherit the kingdom. You are you are sons and daughters of the king, and you are adopted in, and you inherit all of heaven, all of his righteousness, all of this goodness, and it's through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross that it's possible not any works because you'd boast about it.”

35s

#JoyfulWelcomeHome

“I'll pull in the parking lot. They'll be on the playground and they'll go, daddy. They'll see me before I even get out of the car. They'll see the car from the road. They'll start pointing. They'll start screaming. They'll go, daddy, I'll I'll walk into the room and and and they're just playing, you know, like because, you know, they're toddlers and they're just preoccupied and I'll walk in and they don't realize and they go, daddy, like you're here. You've come back to take me home.”

31s

#LoveTheLeast

“There is some weight for the believer as we are called to love the least of these. I don't care how much money you make. I don't care. You're like, well, Philip, I I ain't got no money so how am I gonna love? Then you you find no other way. Invite them into your home and and feed them what you got.”

27s

#ServeForHisGlory

“you are and I'm taking a big jump here. You who believe. Right? You if you're a believer, you're doing your works for the glory of God and for someone in to know the gospel more or come to Jesus Christ. That's it. And you're doing it, doing it, doing it, and you're doing it just for the glory of God. And you're not trying to get any attention to yourself.”

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Jesus Will Judge Nations: Peace, Urgency, Serve the Least

Devotional

Day 1: A Father’s Joyful Homecoming at the Daycare Gate

Day 2: Adoption Papers Signed in Blood at Calvary

Day 3: Sheep Stains and Shepherd’s Calluses

Day 4: Hamburger Meals and Holy Moments

Day 5: Goat Wrestling Before the Gates Close

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Jesus Will Judge Nations: Peace, Urgency, Serve the Least

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