God has intended the Christian community to be a growing family characterized by sharing and fellowship. The churches love however, should never stop flowing here. Although we are to keep a constant eye on the needs of their fellow members, they are equally concerned with loving and serving the whole community around them. As Christians we need to come to the realization that salvation is not an isolated vertical relationship strictly between us and God. Our fellowship should embrace God, self and others. When Jesus was asked to summarize the Old Testament into the greatest commandment of all, He did so with a commandment in two parts: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39) Love for God could not be separated from love for your neighbor. Salvation has social implications. Jesus made this general principle come to life on two occasions. In the first one a lawyer stood up and decided to put Jesus to the test by asking, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” The lawyer gave the great twofold commandment as his answer. When Jesus assured him that this was the correct answer he then asks his famous loophole question, “But who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus told His parable of the Good Samaritan forcing the lawyer to admit that the one who helped the robbery victim was the true neighbor. Our text records Jesus’ vision of the end times. Here two He surprisingly links social concern with personal salvation. “When the Son of Man comes in all His glory,” He tells His followers; all the nations of the earth will be gathered before Him for judgment. The criteria He will use for judgment at that time will not be doctrinal purity or strict adherence to preset group of religious rituals, but unselfish love and concern for others. Today let’s take a close look at how the Lord has intended His church to be a caring community.
I. Jesus presents a metaphor around which He builds His message about judgment and salvation.
A. This so called parable of the sheep and goats really isn’t a parable at all.
1. Its only parabolic elements are the shepherd, the sheep, the goats, and the actual separation.
2. Jesus uses this imagery to present a powerful message about judgment, responsibility and salvation.
B. The scene opens with the enthroned Son of Man sitting in heavenly glory to execute judgment over all the nations
1. This verse pictures Jesus coming not as a humble carpenter from Nazareth but as the glorified Son of God.
2. Can you imagine how spectacular this sight will be Jesus sitting on His throne accompanied by angels in all of His glory?
3. The administration of the judgment of the great day is committed to the Son of man; for by him God will judge the world.
4. This event signals the great judgment scene that follows, in which Jesus as the Son of Man functions as judge—a role restricted to Yahweh in the OT.
C. Jesus uses the picture of sheep and goats to picture the separation between believers and unbelievers.
1. In the countryside sheep and goats mingled during the day. At night they were often separated: sheep tolerate the cool air, but goats have to be herded together for warmth.
2. "All the nations" the Greek phrase used is panta ta ethne which means "all peoples" and clearly implies that "all the nations" includes more than Gentiles only.
3. Some are sheep and some are goats; they are separated from each other into two groups as a setting for the bestowing of reward and later judgment.
4. This once again reinforces the fact that each person is responsible for their own salvation.
5. The reader now learns that the sheep who were separated to the right were representative of those individuals blessed by God to enjoy the consummation of the blessings of the kingdom. To “inherit the kingdom” is to share in the blessings of God’s reign.
6. In the blessing of the righteous, God’s eternal purpose is being accomplished.
II. This passage also raises an interesting question, “What is the standard of salvation?
A. Obviously being religious is not enough.
1. It is too easy to manipulate the practices of piety for selfish gain.
2. A cartoon in the series “Berry’s World” pictures one business man asking another, “C’mon Harry give it to me straight. Is there good money in being born again?”
3. When religion becomes the thing to do it is easy to jump on the bandwagon.
4. One can attend his meetings, voice his opinions, shout his amen’s and be totally clueless about what it is really all about.
5. Many have held the view through history that God only cares about Himself and as long as we make our sacrifices and offer Him what He wants our destiny will be secure. (Amos 5:21-24)
6. It is most remarkable that at least one standard by which Christians will be held accountable involve the manner in which they respond to the plight of the people around them.
7. How we behave toward the world’s oppressed and those who are suffering must reflect the benevolent care and teachings of Jesus.
8. This doesn’t teach salvation by good works, the message coming across is that our relationship with Christ needs to be evidenced by the way we deal with other people.
B. This passage has a lot to say to the church in regard to how we respond to our social responsibility.
1. We do pretty well with taking care of and accepting our own members but how do we respond to those outside the church.
2. So many Christians have the attitude that we need to move away from sin.
3. The question is, “Are we willing to leave the comfort of our buildings and go out and be involved in the lives of those outside the church?”
4. The Bible Speaks of God’s chosen people: In the O.T. it was the nation of Israel but in the N.T. it is the church.
5. Nowhere in the Bible are God’s people encouraged to think that they were chosen for their sake, we were chosen for those outside the church.
C. It seems clear, therefore, that any act of kindness shown to even the most unassuming of Jesus’ disciples is service that is rendered to Jesus.
1. Isn’t amazing that the righteous were surprised by His words.
2. They are commended for their kindness and caring shown to Him but they never realize when they had such an opportunity.
3. Jesus then teaches them that the way they met the needs of people determined whether or not they accepted Him.
4. So this is a teaching that can not be avoided we are called to be involved in the lives of others.
5. The King then addresses those on his left (earlier called “goats,”), and unlike the righteous who are invited to “come”, those “on the left” are banished from his presence. (Matthew 7:21-23)
6. The reason they suffer such a fate is their failure to be sensitive to the sufferings and hardship endured by the people the Lord put in their path.
III. So the only question left is what does this mean to me?
A. The cross requires us to begin to see the people around us through God’s eyes and to begin to display His attitude toward their situation.
1. In a recent USA Today poll found that 41% of people attend church regularly today.
2. So that means 59% of the people are unchurched.
3. The church is not for members only; God intends the church to exist for those who are on the outside.
4. The church is called to get involved in the community, reaching out to those who hurting and lost.
B. The Church needs to remember that the God who holds the fate of humanity in His hand does not call His people to dwell in splendid comfort and worship in majestic cathedrals.
1. God has called His people to visit the sick and lonely, to bring hope to the neglected and ostracized, and to walk along side the stragglers that society has left behind.
2. Dr. Russell H. Conwell founder of Temple University preached the most popular message in America. For 40 years he preached his famous “Acres of Diamonds” message coast to coast more than 6,000 times. Conwell proclaimed, “Get rich young man for money is power. I say you have no right to be poor…Love is the grandest thing on God’s earth, but fortunate is the lover that has plenty of money.”
3. I can guarantee that this is not a popular message in today’s world.
4. But then, carrying the cross of Christ has never been a popular thing to do.
5. Are you willing to rise to the occasion and accept Christ’s calling for His church?
During a spelling contest in which the prize was a fine Bible, the contestants were finally reduced to two--Betty, the daughter of a poor, hard-working widow, and Susan, the daughter of a well-to-do farmer. The sympathy of the school was with the poor girl. Finally Susan misspelled a word, and Betty won the coveted prize. Going home, Susan’s mother said to her daughter, "Couldn’t you have spelled that word?" "Yes, Mother." "Then why didn’t you do it?" "Well, you know Betty is quite poor, and she doesn’t get many presents. She wanted the Bible very much, and she tried so hard for it that I thought I’d let her have it." "What made you do that, Susie?" "My Sunday school lesson, Mother, which said, ’in honor preferring one another.’ So I thought I’d try it, and I’m glad I did." A few days later, Susan received as a birthday present a beautiful Bible, and on the flyleaf was written the text, "In honor preferring one another" (Rom. 12:10).
