Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Matthew 25:31-46
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  November 8, 2020

“You are all a bunch of sheep!” That phrase has been tossed around quite a bit over the last year. And it’s not a compliment. Usually, it’s in reference to people who blindly follow someone or something. However, that picture of being a sheep is much different for the Christian. Especially as we consider what Jesus has to say to us today in Matthew 25. After hearing Jesus’ conclusion to his farewell public sermon, I think that we’d all agree that we want to be Counted Among the Sheep. But how can we be sure that we will be among them? That’s the question before us today as we contemplate and yes, celebrate the Last Judgment. It is my prayer that you will leave here today confident that you are indeed, Counted Among the Sheep.

As we find Jesus still on Tuesday of Holy Week, he has just told his disciples about the things that will happen as the end of the world draws near: wars, natural disasters, false teachers, an increase of sin and wickedness, even false predictions about the end of the world. We see evidence of all of those things in our world today! And these things have been happening ever since Jesus returned to heaven. He reminds us and his disciples, “No one knows about that day or hour.” The Last Judgment, Judgment Day, the day when Jesus will come back is a day that will come suddenly and unexpectedly. Yet, Jesus wanted his disciples to be ready for it. So, he tells a couple of parables  to warn them to be ready for his return. He talks about ten virgins who were waiting for the Bridegroom, five who were ready and five who were foolish. He also warns about using the gifts he’s given to prepare for his return, which again, could happen at any time. 

And then he stops talking in parables. He stops telling stories. You can imagine Jesus becoming very serious, his tone ominous as he says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” 

Can you picture the scene? Jesus comes down out of heaven in all his glory. The glory that the Old Testament believers saw in the pillars of cloud and fire, the glory that the shepherds saw as the angels announced Jesus’ first coming, the glory that Peter, James, and John glimpsed on the Mount of Transfiguration–Jesus comes in that glory. But not only that, all the angels are with him! All of the angels are there to separate the sheep from the goats. We don’t know when this great day of judgment will be, but we certainly know what to look for! And once all the people who have ever lived are separated into two groups, Jesus is going to speak to each group from his throne.

“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. For I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was lacking clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or lacking clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “The King will answer them, ‘Amen I tell you: Just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’” 

What is it that set the sheep apart from the goats, the believers from the unbelievers? It was their connection to Jesus. It was the blessing handed down by the Father. It was the inheritance given, prepared since the creation of the world. The works that Jesus lists, that the believers don’t remember doing, are evidence of God’s blessing, the blessing which we know as the gift of faith. Jesus himself says, “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved, but whoever does not believe, will be condemned.” 

And it’s that truth, the unbelief of the goats, that has them on Jesus’ left on Judgment Day! “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you did not give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, lacking clothes and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not take care of me.’ “Then they will also answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or lacking clothes or sick or in prison and did not serve you?’ “At that time he will answer them, ‘Amen I tell you: Just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’”

Why must they depart? Why do they deserve the curse of all curses? What did they do? Nothing for Jesus. They did nothing out of faith. The deeds Jesus lists as undone are the exact same deeds he listed for the sheep. Nothing spectacular. Nothing that would earn you any praise from the world. Just the simple things. Things that go unnoticed. Jesus lists these things to show that it’s not the works he’s concerned about, it’s the faith and the motivation behind them. The goats chose to reject Jesus and his love for them. The goats chose to live for themselves. The goats chose life in this world and that brings them judgment in the next. To put it simply, the goats did not believe in Jesus as their Savior.

Perhaps at this point you’re still feeling a little uneasy. You look at the list of deeds and you realize that you always haven’t been generous, you haven’t always been hospitable, you haven’t always done what you could do to help. You know deep down that your motivation hasn’t always been pure. Perhaps you’re wondering if you shouldn’t be numbered among the goats too! Friends, I can’t emphasize this enough. Jesus doesn’t list these works as the reason why the goats are on the left and the sheep are on the right. These works are listed as evidence of why Jesus’ verdict is correct. The sheep are on the right because they have been blessed by God, they have been given the inheritance. God is the one doing the blessings. God is the one doing the giving. He gives this inheritance as a gift. The reason the goats are on the left is because they rejected all that God did for them. They didn’t believe it was true. And their works proved this.

There’s an old story from a long time ago, about an old shoemaker who had a dream one night. In that dream the Lord himself appeared to him and told him that he would come to his cobbler shop the next day. When the shoemaker woke up, he rushed extra early to his humble little shop to be ready for the Lord’s arrival. But as the day wore on, hardly anyone came in. Midmorning, there was an old farmer, whose work boots were coming apart and the soles were flip flapping. He needed them fixed right away! And so the cobbler took care of him immediately. Then there was a snooty rich lady, who was full of complaints about the shoes she had purchased last week. He tolerated her rude behavior and traded the shoes in for a different pair. Then in the late afternoon, there was a little boy in worn-out clothes who had no shoes at all, and no money either. So, the cobbler found a pair that would work, no charge. It was time to go home, and the Lord hadn’t shown. Maybe it was just a dream after all. So, the cobbler went home, full of disappointment. That night, he had another dream, and it was the Lord again. “Why didn’t you come to my shop, like you said?” the cobbler asked. “Oh, but I did. I was the farmer you needed your help to work that day. I was the rude lady whom you treated with grace. I was the little boy who needed your gift. Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

God sees the righteousness that Jesus earned for us and has given to us as a free gift. In that righteousness, God sees the gift of faith clinging to the salvation that Jesus won. There God sees his love overflowing in the little things done for others, not for personal glory or gain, but reflecting the love that God has shown us. That is why Jesus can say, “Amen I tell you: Just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.”

My friends, Christ has an announcement for you today:  “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Jesus offers you the free gift of his perfect life, innocent death, and glorious resurrection. He offers you an inheritance in heaven, an eternity with God that can never fade, perish, or spoil. That gift is yours! Believe it! Believe that Jesus has done all of this for you! Let the love of Christ shine forth in all you do, even in the little things. For the day is coming soon when Jesus will return in all his glory, with all his angels. And I am confident, I am certain that you and I will be counted among the sheep! Amen.