Matthew 25. If you have a Bible, you could turn there with me. Otherwise, don’t worry, everything will be up on the screen. I’m going to give you a short sermon about this story in Matthew 25. We have been in a series that we’re calling the Ministry of Jesus. We’ve been in the series for about two years. And one of the parables that was omitted from our series is the story we’re going to read today. In fact, Joe taught on this subject two weeks ago, but he skipped this parable so that I could teach it right now. So here we go. Matthew 25:31. It says, When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. Jesus is telling a parable. It’s a picture story. And he begins by setting the scene with language that would have been familiar to his hearers. He uses a term found throughout the Bible. It’s this term. It’s Son of Man. Son of Man. It’s used throughout the Old Testament. It’s a title of this messianic figure, and it would have commanded the attention of the people listening. The Son of Man is a divine figure.
It’s a messianic figure. It’s an apocalyptic figure. In fact, in Daniel 7, the Son of Man is described like this. In my vision at night, I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man. Coming on the clouds of heaven, he approached the ancient of days, that’s God, that’s God the Father, and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power. Then it describes that all nations were gathered, gathered to him. Jesus, throughout his ministry, says, You know the Son of Man? I’m that guy. I’m the Son of man. Here what he’s saying in the start of the parable is, When the Son of Man comes back, AKA, When I come back, when I come back with all of the glory and with all of the angels and all of my sovereign authority, this is what I’m about, this is what I’m going to do. Basically, pay attention, because at the end of time when life is over and all of us are being judged again, this is what I’m going to judge you based upon. That’s why this text is so important. Listen to what is described then about this type of judgment.
Verse 32, All the nations will be gathered before him, that’s the Son of Man, that’s Jesus, and he will separate the people one from another. As a shepherd, separates the sheep from the goats. The Old Testament imagery continues as Jesus describes the gathering of every people from every tribe, from every language, from every race, from every creed. This is like Joel 3. And he says that he’s gathering them in order to separate them, in order to judge them. And all people will come before him. They’ll all form a line. All right, everyone, form a line. You’re up next. You’re up next. You’re up next. And in this great gathering, Jesus is going to make a determination, whether you are on one side or on the other. You’re good with me? You’re good so far? You understand so far? Jesus judges make separations into two groups. He calls them sheep, some sheep, and some goats. Again, the Old Testament imagery, Ezekiel 34:17 describes, I will judge between one sheep and another, and between a ram and a goat. Why this illustration? Because sheep and goats are really an interesting pair of combination. They pasture together, meaning they eat together.
They’re out in the fields together. But what eventually happens is when they go to rest, rest, they are separated. So what’s the point? It’s this. They lived together, but they will not rest together. So So the sheep and the goats will live together. We experience this every single day, but they will not rest together. Jesus continues, he will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. The right side is a side of blessing. It’s the side of inheritance. Then the king will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance. Take your inheritance. The kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Jesus is saying, in a way, the sheep are preferred in this analogy. They’re preferred, and so they are given an inheritance. An inheritance. Inheritance is an interesting word. It’s an interesting idea. I don’t know if you guys know this, but we have a couple of attorneys in this church that deal with inheritance. Lil Bailey is one of them. Some other people are attorneys that deal with this probate and separating and that whole thing. And they work on basically setting up your will or setting up your, I forgot what the other thing is called, trust, living trust, so that at the end of your life, when you die, this stuff goes to the right people.
And the idea of this whole thing is that You want to give your stuff to the people that will continue your legacy. This is why we naturally give it to our children, right? Because we’re like, they’re made in our image, and so they’re going to get it. But let me tell you, if your child is going nutso, you may go, You know what? I don’t really want to give you anything. Instead, I’m going to give it to some charity that is continuing my legacy. Biblically, the idea would have been you give it to your eldest son, but actually, if you look through scripture, you see that in Inheritance is defined maybe less by eldest son and maybe more by the promises of God. In other words, those who will continue God’s work are given the inheritance. This makes sense to you, doesn’t it? I’m not going to give away my stuff to someone who’s going to squander it. Instead, I’m going to give it away to somebody who’s going to continue to promote the things I promoted and continue to give to the things I give to and continue the legacy, the things I care about.
And here it’s not just a temporary legacy, it’s actually an eternal inheritance prepared since the creation of the world. So that’s what the sheep get. They’re placed on the right. They’re getting able to continue the legacy of God Almighty. It’s incredible. Now, let’s talk a little bit about the goats. We’re going to skip down to verse 41, but we’ll come back to the rest of it. The sheep are given eternal inheritance. They’re given the legacy of the master. They’re given life, everlasting. They’re given salvation. Well, what about the goats? Verse 41, Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. ‘ I know if you’re visiting You didn’t expect to hear a damnation sermon. And I’m not attempting to make this. I’m just trying to help you understand the divide. On the left are those who are cast out. They’re cast out. Why are they cast out? Well, because they are not good representation of the master, of the shepherd, of the son of man. We have a song that we teach little kids. We teach them back there.
It says, I don’t want to be a goat. Nope. That’s the way it goes. I don’t want to be a goat. Nope. It’s a ditty we teach kids because no one really wants to be a goat. No one wants that. No one wants that oppression or this idea that I’m not going to make it to heaven. And so what I want to do for you today is explain why this walk for kids that we’re doing is actually an important step in not being a goat. And before I tell you about that, I want to tell you that there are two responses to this sermon in general. One is One response is, I don’t believe any of this stuff. I get it. I don’t care. And that’s fine. That’s okay. If that’s you today, if you thought you were just coming for a walk and someone bamboozled you into a church service, I want to apologize on their behalf. I want to say thank you for your contribution to a great cause. But for most of us, I would say we look at this and we go, hey, I don’t want this. I actually don’t want to be a go.
And so you might think, well, why are the sheep preferred? This would be the question that most of us would be thinking about. Why are the sheep preferred? And I’ll tell you this, if you don’t care about any of this stuff, I promise you that the thing Jesus uses to make the judgment is something that you would make to use the judgment as well. What allows the sheep to be brought into the Kingdom of God? Well, here’s verse 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 invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. He’s saying, You’re a sheep, obviously, because you did good for the son of Man. And then those who are righteous, ask a question. They’re like, Well, Lord, hey, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we actually interact with you? You’ve been gone for so long. When did we actually interact with you?
When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? I don’t understand. I don’t understand because you have been gone for so long. We actually have never interacted with you in a physical sense. And here, here is the whole point. Jesus makes it ultra clear. Then the King will reply, Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you did for me. Here we see the terms for entrance into Christ’s inheritance. It’s a pretty simple idea, but here’s a more simplified version of the text. You love God in a way that compels you to sacrifice for people. How are you a sheep? Well, you love God in such a way that compels to sacrifice for people. Now, I have to say I chose every one of those words very carefully because I don’t want to be misinterpreted. This is not saying that you are charitable, and so God says you can come to heaven. In fact, it’s about motive. Motive truly does matter. There’s a great passage in the Book of 1 Corinthians that describes this, and this is what it says.
It says, If I give all I possess to the poor, I’m so charitable, I’m so pious, and I give over my body to hardship that I may boast, meaning I gave it all so that I could boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. The Corinthians church prioritized what they did and not why they did it. They did it so that they could boast. And God says, look, or Paul says, look, if you do it so that you can boast instead of having love, really all of your sacrifice is worthless. And I want to bring us back to this concept of legacy, because that’s really the idea here. If we’re going to be sheep, it means that we’re going to continue the legacy of God. And what’s the legacy that God wants to have represented by his representatives? It’s this idea that we will love people in a way that makes us sacrifice for them. That’s what it means to be a Christian. It means that you’re so in love with God that you go, Wait, God loves people, so I’ll love people. And you look around at those who are in need and you go, how can I meet your need?
And how can I be a good neighbor? And how can I interact with you? I should love because God loves me. Those who will inherit the kingdom are those who continue God’s legacy of love. And this is made clear in the next verse. Notice what it says, you are a sheep. You are a sheep. And then he talks about the six things. He says, because I was hungry hungry, and you gave me something to eat. You know that feeling? I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger. I was unclothed. I was sick, and I was imprisoned. What did we learn from that list? What we learned is that this is all physical. Let me just stop us for a second because I know there’s a compulsion in all of us to go, Hey, I have been very caring for people’s spiritual needs. Amen. Good for you. Great for you. That’s awesome. That’s a wonderful thing. But the list is not talking about spiritual things. Not one of those things is like, you know what? I was struggling spiritually and you prayed for me. Not one of those things. Now, should you be praying for people?
Absolutely. But the point is that God actually cares about what you physically do for people. What you actually do for people. Meaning that he wants you to get up and do something. Don’t just have posted on Instagram. Man, I love people. It’s like, you do? Do something. We’re in a generation now, and I’m one of these people. We’re in a generation of people that believe that advocacy is posting online. That like, man, we have… Advocacy is engaging with a debate on Twitter. It’s like, that is not real advocacy. That’s not what Jesus is describing here in 25. What he’s saying is loving people is meeting their physical needs. That’s what it is. Love for people should force you, drive you, compel you to sacrifice to meet people’s physical needs. In fact, everything else is like faith without deeds. That’s what James 2 says. Listen to this verse. Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. So I want you to imagine this is what he’s saying. I want you to imagine that there’s a brother or sister without clothes. You ready? You’re imagining him? Or without meaning they’re poor, they’re destitute, they’re in need, they’re in a desperate situation.
Imagine there’s a brother like that. If one of you says to them, Go in peace, keep warm and well-fed, meaning you have a lot of lip service. You go, Hey, brother, I just want to let you know that I’ll be praying for your physical condition. There’s a lot of children in foster care, and I’ve decided as a disciple to every single day to pray for those people. Now, a lot of us feel like that’s the check of the box of loving people. A lot of us are tempted to believe that. But here’s what James says, If you say that but do nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? What good is it? What good is it just to say, Hey, you know what? I prayed for you, brother. If you do nothing to meet their needs, what good is it? And really, the text here is emphasizing people that are on the margins. That’s the point in Matthew 25 as well. This could mean the homeless. If you meet a person’s physical needs, a person who is dealing with homelessness, you have given a gift to God Almighty. Could this mean you visit people in prison Absolutely.
Should you? Absolutely. Could it mean that you invite a stranger who is a foster child into your house? Yes. Do you see what this is saying? This is not saying, Hey, pray for somebody. It’s do do something about it. If we don’t meet needs, but we say we love Jesus, we ourselves are proving to be liars. 1 John 4, Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Skipping down a little bit further in verse 20, For whoever does not love their brother or sister whom they have seen cannot love God who they have not seen. You cannot say you love people. Sorry, you cannot say you love God, and then the people who are in front of you not engage with them and not care for them. You just can’t say it. You’re a liar. That’s what the text is saying. That’s not what I’m saying. That’s what Jesus is saying. Take it up with him if you’re offended. The proof of your love is made manifest in how you care for people. That’s the text. That’s the point. And so here’s the question, why support 4 Kids of South Florida?
Why do this? Well, because we as a congregation can’t support everything. We as a congregation can’t rally around everything, but we can, as a congregation, make some decisions to rally around one thing or two things or whatever. And today, what we’re saying is we want to make sure that all of us here understand that the value of human life matters, regardless if you’ve been neglected or abused or if you are in prison or if you are unclothed, that you are important to God, even if no one thinks you’re important to them. And what we’re saying is our goal is to show that it’s a proof in some ways that we love God by loving people who are in desperate situations. And you I think who are the most desperate in our society? And I would put before you that children in foster care are about as desperate as it comes. People who have been removed from their homes because of a neglect or abuse need love, need care, need community more than almost anybody else. And so we, as a congregation, are saying, look, we want to get behind that, and we want to do something about it.
Not all of us can have foster children into our homes, but all of us can raise money, and all of us can get behind this idea. Now, some of us can, and some of us who are compelled to do it should probably go ahead and do that. If your heart is moving you to it, go to a foster care orientation, meet with Scott afterwards, be a support family, do more than just give $30. But what we’re saying is at least, at the very least, we’re going to get up and sacrifice a little bit for those in desperate situations. That’s why this service is so important, because in many ways, it’s a reflection of our love for God, because we’re loving people in desperate situations. Let me close with this. God, at the end of days, will continue to give his inheritance and his legacy to those who love like he loves. And you might wonder, well, how did God love and who does God love? And I’m drawn to the passage of scripture that all of us have memorized, for God so loved the world that he did what? Gave his one and only son.
I’m drawn to this idea that giving requires… Sorry, that love requires a sacrifice. That it requires us to do something more than just lip service. That our love for God, our love for God is displayed in love for people. But I’m also just reminded that if God is going to give us the inheritance, he wants us to love the way that he loved, sacrificially, desperately, and in a way that actually makes an impact on the world. Hopefully, what I said today grounds this walk in some basic theological beliefs so that when you’re out there walking, it’s not just for fun, and it certainly is for fun, but it’s also with a belief that we need to love people more. We’re going to take communion. Every Sunday, we take communion. It’s a little piece of bread and a little bit of juice. And we take it not as Joe said, as a mindless ritual, but as a reminder of what Jesus did for us. This morning, I’d like us to take it with the reminder of his love for us that requires sacrifice. Let’s take it together. After that, I’ll give you some instructions about the walk, and then we’ll close out with a song.
God, we are so desperately in love with you. We’re so grateful for the scriptures. We ask you, Lord, today to move our hearts. Father, I know that there are people in this room today who feel like it would be a good idea for them to explore having foster children into their home. Father, I pray that you remove Satan’s lies from those people and you give them the courage to respond. There are other people who are willing to support those families. I pray that you’ll give those people the courage to respond. God, we have been blessed with so many things. I pray that we’ll allow our blessings to be pushed onto other people, that we will be a blessing to other people as Abraham was. God, I just want to say thank you for Jesus as a great reminder of this idea of sacrifice. Lord, you loved us so much that you gave, and I pray that we’ll do the same. We love you, Father. We thank you for this time. It’s in Jesus’ name. Amen.