Sermon - Matthew 25 - Sheep and Goats - December 8, 2019
This is the last message of the series we started on
December 9, 2018. We have spent most of the Sundays since then talking about
the birth, life, ministry, and teachings of our Lord Jesus. As we head into
Christmas we will continue to keep that focus. Over the last two months or so
we have been looking at Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 24 and 25 about His second
coming. While these teachings are directed to those living in the Tribulation, the
messages should have a direct impact on our lives today.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins reminded us that we need to be prepared. We cannot depend on book knowledge about Jesus or half-hearted attempts at repentance. We need to be all in and cultivate a relationship with Jesus. The Parable of the Talents reminded us to be Faithful. Jesus is not measuring us by the actions we complete or how many people come to Him through our words, He is looking for us to be faithful. That will look different for each one of us, but it starts by talking to Him, reading His Words, and letting the Holy Spirit guide us.
Today in Matthew 25 we come to the end of the tribulation and what is truly the harsh reality of it all. Our Lord has paid the ultimate price but if people do not follow Him they will not enter the kingdom of Heaven. He will separate those who were prepared and faithful from those who were foolish and lazy.
Matthew 25:31-33
“31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left.”
At the end of the tribulation, Jesus will return as the triumphant King, judgement day will follow.
Joel 3:2
“I will gather all the nations and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. I will enter into judgment with them there because of my people, my inheritance Israel. The nations have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries and divided up my land.”
Jesus in all His glory will gather all the gentiles to him and begin to sort them. To the right will be those who are prepared, those who have been faithful. To the left will be those who were foolish and those who were lazy.
If they were prepared, meaning they repented and choose to follow Jesus, He will guide them to the right. If they were faithful, living for Him and letting the Holy Spirit guide them, they will be led to the right. If they halfheartedly repented and thought they had fire insurance, Jesus will point them to the left. If they let the world guide their life instead of the Holy Spirit, Jesus will tell them to go to the left.
Prepared and foolish, Faithful and Lazy, Sheep and Goats… all will be separated.
Matthew 25:34-36
“34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 “‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’”
Those of you who were prepared and faithful, come get your reward. You have provided for those who were hungry, drinks for the thirsty, cared for the stranger and those who had nothing. You took care of the sick and visited those in prison. You prepared and faithful followers, you are blessed!
To be clear, Jesus is not saying if you preform this work or that work, if we give food or clothing, that we will be saved. He is reminding us that taking a stand for those in need, giving where we can, these things don’t save us, but they are a sign of our faith in Jesus and the gifts He has given us. There is no ‘to do’ check list to enter the kingdom. It is all about repenting, following, and being faithful.
We are not to sit on our hands while we wait for the day that we will stand before our Lord. We are to be about His business, letting the Holy Spirit guide us as we love others, caring for the needs of others, and sharing the amazing story of Jesus wherever we go.
Matthew 25:37-39
“37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’”
As us human’s normally do, these people took Jesus literally. They did not remember doing these things for Jesus, they had never even seen Jesus in the flesh until this moment, how could they have done anything to serve Him? They might say, I remember doing this or that for someone, I remember feeling like the Holy Spirit put me in the right place at the right time to meet a need, or even blessed me in a way so that I could provide for another’s need, but I was never able to do any of this for you Jesus.
Jesus does not see it that way.
Matthew 25:40
“40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you did for me.’
To those who had just lived through the tribulation, Jesus would be talking about all the people that were in need during that horrible time. Believers would have been persecuted, the Jewish people would have been hunted, anyone who disagreed with those in charge would have been imprisoned, tortured, and executed.
Whatever you did for one of these in need, you did for me.
For us, it is simply that we are there to care for those that God brings in our path. It may be groups like Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, Faith Maternity Care, and Camp Cedar Crest. It may be the food drive we are doing for Christmas, sending a letter to someone in prison, helping someone who is down on there luck, or simply praying with someone in their time of need.
Thee is so much need in the world today and it will only grow as the clock ticks to our Lord’s second coming. These verses are reminding all who follow Jesus that we are to care for those in need. Not in hopes of it saving us, but to be in service with others through the gifts we have been given.
Matthew 10:40-42
“40 “The one who welcomes you welcomes me, and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. 41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.””
If we welcome those that Jesus puts in our path, we are welcoming Him. Anything we do for others, is in service of our Lord. Faithful service sets true believers apart from those who foolish and lazy.
Matthew 25:41-43
“41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.’”
In the Parable of the Ten Virgin, to those who were not prepared, Jesus said ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’
In the Parable of the talents, Jesus said about the lazy servant, ‘throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
If we do not choose to follow Jesus, we will be tossed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil, tossed into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, and worst of all Jesus will say He never knew us.
Words that should make our skin crawl, and words that will open the eyes and ears of those who are about to face a horrid eternity. I would expect there to be a bit of panic in their voices.
Matthew 25:44-45
“44 “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 “Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”
Like the foolish virgins and the lazy slave, these people may have thought they were heading down the right path, they may have been coming to church, they may have said they were Christians, but Jesus says you did not care for those in need, you did not Love Others, you did not Love Me.
Jesus ends with:
Matthew 25:46
“46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.””
Those who do not Love Jesus, those who have not repented of their sins, those who have not chosen to follow Jesus, those that have not cultivated a relationship with Him, those who have not let the Holy Spirit work in them, teach them, and guide them. Those who have not Loved God with all they are and in result Love Others, will go away into eternal punishment.
While these words are describing judgement day, they should be speaking to each of us.
Repent and follow, it may sound like an oversimplification, but it is that simple. We are to repent of our sins, recognizing that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves and ask Jesus to intervene on our behalf. Then we must follow Him. Everyday of our lives we need to follow Him. Some days will be easy, others not so much.
Repent and Follow, by being prepared and being faithful.
If you have repented and make a conscious effort everyday to follow Jesus. It will start in your heart and spread into actions.
If you have yet to repent, I want to encourage you to not wait. There is no knowing when you will stand before Him and the only way you will hear Him say, ‘well done, good and faithful servant!’ is if you repent and follow. If you are ready to start down that path, please come forward during our final song. I would love to help you take the first step towards an eternity with Jesus.
As usual the Altar is open for any prayer needs.
God Bless,
Robert
The Parable of the Ten Virgins reminded us that we need to be prepared. We cannot depend on book knowledge about Jesus or half-hearted attempts at repentance. We need to be all in and cultivate a relationship with Jesus. The Parable of the Talents reminded us to be Faithful. Jesus is not measuring us by the actions we complete or how many people come to Him through our words, He is looking for us to be faithful. That will look different for each one of us, but it starts by talking to Him, reading His Words, and letting the Holy Spirit guide us.
Today in Matthew 25 we come to the end of the tribulation and what is truly the harsh reality of it all. Our Lord has paid the ultimate price but if people do not follow Him they will not enter the kingdom of Heaven. He will separate those who were prepared and faithful from those who were foolish and lazy.
Matthew 25:31-33
“31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left.”
At the end of the tribulation, Jesus will return as the triumphant King, judgement day will follow.
Joel 3:2
“I will gather all the nations and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. I will enter into judgment with them there because of my people, my inheritance Israel. The nations have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries and divided up my land.”
Jesus in all His glory will gather all the gentiles to him and begin to sort them. To the right will be those who are prepared, those who have been faithful. To the left will be those who were foolish and those who were lazy.
If they were prepared, meaning they repented and choose to follow Jesus, He will guide them to the right. If they were faithful, living for Him and letting the Holy Spirit guide them, they will be led to the right. If they halfheartedly repented and thought they had fire insurance, Jesus will point them to the left. If they let the world guide their life instead of the Holy Spirit, Jesus will tell them to go to the left.
Prepared and foolish, Faithful and Lazy, Sheep and Goats… all will be separated.
Matthew 25:34-36
“34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 “‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’”
Those of you who were prepared and faithful, come get your reward. You have provided for those who were hungry, drinks for the thirsty, cared for the stranger and those who had nothing. You took care of the sick and visited those in prison. You prepared and faithful followers, you are blessed!
To be clear, Jesus is not saying if you preform this work or that work, if we give food or clothing, that we will be saved. He is reminding us that taking a stand for those in need, giving where we can, these things don’t save us, but they are a sign of our faith in Jesus and the gifts He has given us. There is no ‘to do’ check list to enter the kingdom. It is all about repenting, following, and being faithful.
We are not to sit on our hands while we wait for the day that we will stand before our Lord. We are to be about His business, letting the Holy Spirit guide us as we love others, caring for the needs of others, and sharing the amazing story of Jesus wherever we go.
Matthew 25:37-39
“37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’”
As us human’s normally do, these people took Jesus literally. They did not remember doing these things for Jesus, they had never even seen Jesus in the flesh until this moment, how could they have done anything to serve Him? They might say, I remember doing this or that for someone, I remember feeling like the Holy Spirit put me in the right place at the right time to meet a need, or even blessed me in a way so that I could provide for another’s need, but I was never able to do any of this for you Jesus.
Jesus does not see it that way.
Matthew 25:40
“40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you did for me.’
To those who had just lived through the tribulation, Jesus would be talking about all the people that were in need during that horrible time. Believers would have been persecuted, the Jewish people would have been hunted, anyone who disagreed with those in charge would have been imprisoned, tortured, and executed.
Whatever you did for one of these in need, you did for me.
For us, it is simply that we are there to care for those that God brings in our path. It may be groups like Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, Faith Maternity Care, and Camp Cedar Crest. It may be the food drive we are doing for Christmas, sending a letter to someone in prison, helping someone who is down on there luck, or simply praying with someone in their time of need.
Thee is so much need in the world today and it will only grow as the clock ticks to our Lord’s second coming. These verses are reminding all who follow Jesus that we are to care for those in need. Not in hopes of it saving us, but to be in service with others through the gifts we have been given.
Matthew 10:40-42
“40 “The one who welcomes you welcomes me, and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. 41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.””
If we welcome those that Jesus puts in our path, we are welcoming Him. Anything we do for others, is in service of our Lord. Faithful service sets true believers apart from those who foolish and lazy.
Matthew 25:41-43
“41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.’”
In the Parable of the Ten Virgin, to those who were not prepared, Jesus said ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’
In the Parable of the talents, Jesus said about the lazy servant, ‘throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
If we do not choose to follow Jesus, we will be tossed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil, tossed into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, and worst of all Jesus will say He never knew us.
Words that should make our skin crawl, and words that will open the eyes and ears of those who are about to face a horrid eternity. I would expect there to be a bit of panic in their voices.
Matthew 25:44-45
“44 “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 “Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”
Like the foolish virgins and the lazy slave, these people may have thought they were heading down the right path, they may have been coming to church, they may have said they were Christians, but Jesus says you did not care for those in need, you did not Love Others, you did not Love Me.
Jesus ends with:
Matthew 25:46
“46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.””
Those who do not Love Jesus, those who have not repented of their sins, those who have not chosen to follow Jesus, those that have not cultivated a relationship with Him, those who have not let the Holy Spirit work in them, teach them, and guide them. Those who have not Loved God with all they are and in result Love Others, will go away into eternal punishment.
While these words are describing judgement day, they should be speaking to each of us.
Repent and follow, it may sound like an oversimplification, but it is that simple. We are to repent of our sins, recognizing that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves and ask Jesus to intervene on our behalf. Then we must follow Him. Everyday of our lives we need to follow Him. Some days will be easy, others not so much.
Repent and Follow, by being prepared and being faithful.
If you have repented and make a conscious effort everyday to follow Jesus. It will start in your heart and spread into actions.
If you have yet to repent, I want to encourage you to not wait. There is no knowing when you will stand before Him and the only way you will hear Him say, ‘well done, good and faithful servant!’ is if you repent and follow. If you are ready to start down that path, please come forward during our final song. I would love to help you take the first step towards an eternity with Jesus.
As usual the Altar is open for any prayer needs.
God Bless,
Robert
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