Sermon Text: Matthew 25: 31-46
Sermon Type Inductive Deductive
Sermon Title: Where will you spend Eternity?
Biblical Problem and Solution:
Problem: The Religious people did not care for the outcast and think heaven is owed them
Solution: Through acts of mercy toward the outcast can people show they love God and do so not expecting anything in return
Contemporary Problem and Solution:
Problem: Christians today think heaven is owed them because they belong to a certain group, and they ignore the downtrodden, or outcast.
Solution: Christians must show acts of mercy toward all with pure motives and out of love for the Lord.
Where will you spend eternity
The Joneses are a poor family that live on the outskirts of town. Mrs. Jones is a widow trying to raise her two sons. Things are difficult, but they do what they can to get by. One night there was a Tent Meeting Revival in town. Mrs. Jones decides to attend taking her two sons with her. Her sons Bobby who is 14, and Joe 12 are quite reluctant but they go anyway. what they heard that night changed their lives. Mrs. Jones and her two sons gave their lives to the Lord. Bobby and Joe decide later they want to enter the ministry. They both graduate High School and go off to Bible College to get their training. After graduating College Bobby caught on with a very successful traveling ministry team. After several years on that circuit Bobby launches his own ministry. It is a huge success. Bobby receives honorary doctorate degrees, writes several best selling books, and has a very successful television ministry. Joe on the other hand had difficulty with College, although he made it to graduation he struggled with his studies. After graduation he goes into a inner city rescue mission ministry. Things are hard for Joe but he is committed to making it work, it was here he met his wife Linda. Together they worked all hours of the night in the mission. They helped feed the hungry and homeless people who visited the mission. Each night they would open the kitchen make dinner for the local people who visit the mission, have worship service after the meal, and end the night with prayer. Some nights some of the visitors would give their lives to the Lord, Joe and his wife would do whatever counseling they could sometimes even put the people up for the night. In the morning, Joe would visit some of the regulars who were in rehab, or jail, just to encourage them, listen to them and pray with them. Some nights he would go out after the meetings and bring soup and coffee to those who lived in the streets. Spend time with them doing whatever he and wife could do to help them. It was a struggle keeping the mission open but Joe and his wife knew they had to because it was all some people had.
Dr. Bobby as he is now called, spends his nights making arrangements for his next Television program, lining up guests, working on his next book, or looking over plans for the new wing on his Bible College or new 10 thousand seat sanctuary. He had no time for the poor. After all if they had his faith they would not be in the situation they were in. His messages on Sunday would be all about how he built this multi million dollar ministry from such humble beginnings. Each week he would challenge people to strengthen their faith so they can be as successful as he was. The headquarters for his ministry sat on a 50 acre plot, he had a 10 bedroom mansion, large television studio with cable syndication. Surely God must be pleased, just look at how well he blessed this ministry. Not like my brother who struggles to keep the doors open to his place.
Many nights Joe would write to others to try and raise support to fix the mission, put in better heating and plumbing, or for extra blankets and cots. Some of the faithful supporters would be as generous as they could and this always gave Joe encouragement. However any support from Bobby was always met with various excuses, but no money.
One night both Joe and Bobby were called home by the Lord. As they stood before the Lord Bobby heard him say to his brother Joe
Come you who are blessed of my Father, take you inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
But Lord, I struggled just to keep the mission open, what have I done to deserve your favor
Joe said
The Lord replied
When I was hungry you gave me to eat, when I was thirsty you gave me 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.
But Lord Joe said When did I see you like this and take care of you?
The Lord replied
Whatever you for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me.
Joe was overjoyed to receive this mercy from the Lord.
Dr. Bobby was listening in and thought to himself WOW if Joe got all this what does the Lord have for me? After all look at all I did for the ministry, look how successful my ministry as compared to Joe’s Man am I going get it good now.
When Bobby appeared before the Lord he heard these words
Depart from me you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
But Lord Bobby said “Look at the ministry I set up down there, look at the great success I had in the ministry for you. Look at that great church, Bible school, theme park, television ministry I build for you. Why am I cursed.
The Lord replied
Those things were in your name. When I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me
Bobby replied “Lord when did I see you like that and not take care of you”
The Lord replied
Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.
Thesis: Christians must show acts of mercy toward all, without thought or desire of recognition, or repayment, out of love for the Lord, and for Him.
Key Word: Motives
Our motives should be without the desire of recognition, or repayment. That will determine where we stand.
Matt 25:31-46
31. When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory
32.All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate the people one form another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats
33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
The Son of Man decides the destiny of every man. God has appointed a day, wherein he will judge the world, with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead {Acts 17:31}
On this day not only the devil and his angels will be judged but every person will give an account for every thing they have done.{Rev 20:11-15,}
When He comes he will separate {Matt 13:37-43}
Spiderwebbing:
How will we stand if we do not do as Jesus says? We must do good for the Kingdom {Matt 10:40-42}
Transition: Our motives should be without thought of repayment.
34.The King will say to those on his right Come you who are blessed by my father: take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation 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 invited me in
36. 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.
Transition:
Our motives should be out of love for Jesus Motives are the reason we would do something. In this case the reason we should meet the physical and spiritual needs of others should be like Jesus’s reason for doing all He did. Pure motives are those that do not come out of vain conceit, selfish ambitions, or just for the tax write off. The “good deeds” should be done because it is the right thing to do even if no one is watching. It is not bad to have the tax write of but that should not be the reason we meet that persons needs. When Jesus says in Matthew 25: 35
I was hungry you gave me to eat he was not just referring to a physical hunger.
Some statistics show over half the world is starving {Feed the Children ministry}yet in America over 1/3rd of our pets are overweight {Feed the children ministry}But just feeding them is not all that is meant. In Matthew 25 31-46 Jesus is addressing his disciples, yet in John 21: 15-17 Jesus tells Peter 3 times Feed my sheep. This is not just a physical but a spiritual as well. The world is hungering for answers and we must be able to point them to the One who is the answer. The same would apply with the next area
v 35 Thirsty you gave me to drink
This thirsting is again not just physical, it is emotional and spiritual as well. When Jesus talks to the Samaritan woman he offers her “living water” because he saw her need was not just physical but emotional and spiritual as well. We sing songs in church called Take My Cup Lord. In it we say Take my cup Lord , I lift it up Lord, come and quench this thirsting of my soul, bread of heaven feed me till I want no more, take my cup fill it up and make me whole. The world needs this “wholeness” and we have the ability to give it to them.
Transition: Our motives should we are doing these for Jesus
40. The King will reply I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers , you did for me.
This whole passage has to do with helping people become whole. If we in the church do this we will receive the mercy like Joe did. He met the needs of the people he came in contact with, and he received the Lord’s mercy. Or we can be like Bobby and be busy building these great palatial buildings, which in and of itself is not bad, and not take care of the people, the least of these, and we can miss heaven and be cast into the lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels.
Spiderwebbing:
What good is our faith if we do not back it up with works {James 1:27, 2:14-17} If our faith is dead without the works, what are we?
Who are “the least of these”?
They would be the outcasts, the downtrodden, the homeless, the spiritually bankrupt, those who do not have Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives.
Spear
The rewards of heaven are given to those who serve without thought of reward, in these passages there is no hint of merit , for God gives mercy to those who are merciful themselves {Matt 5:7}
Appeal:
Where do you want to go?
How does your life show this?
What will we do differently?
Conclusion:
Jesus is coming, and the time for judgment is coming with Him. Will we be sheep or goats?
