The Sheep And The Goats

Christ the King Sunday 2005

Sunday before Thanksgiving 2005

Dr. Paul G. Humphrey

A man urgently needed to get to town. So he went to a neighbor who happened to be a pastor and asked to borrow his horse. The pastor obliged but told the man that there were some special instructions required for riding this particular horse. The preacher said, “since we need to begin our prayers with thanksgiving and praise, I have taught the horse to go when he hears the words ‘thank you God.’” The preacher continued, “since we end our prayers with ‘amen,’ I have taught the horse to stop when he hears the word amen.”

The pastor asked the man if he understood, and the man answered, “sure.”

The man got on the horse and said, “Thank God.” The horse began to move. He said it again. And the horse moved faster. He said Thank God once more and the horse was in a gallop.

About that time the man realized that he is headed straight for a cliff. He yelled Whoa! But the horse didn’t even slow down. He starts yelling, “stop, whoa, retreat,” but for the life of him could not remember what to say to get the horse to stop. Finally, only feet from the edge of the cliff them man remembered. He shouted “amen.” With that, the horse dug in with all fours, stopping only inches from the edge of the cliff. Wiping his forehead, the man said? . . . (congregation in masse) “Thank God!”

This is Christ the King Sunday, and also the Sunday before Thanksgiving. We each have so much to be thankful for. And as followers of Jesus we need to say thank God, and we also need to express our thankfulness through our actions.

Over the past few weeks we have been looking at a series of parables about the Second Coming of Christ. Each of the parables that we have looked at depict One of great importance, a Bride Groom, or a Master, who is away and will return at an unexpected hour. Each of these parables show us those who were prepared, and those who were not prepared for his coming. Great judgment ensued in each of these parables.

This morning we are looking at the fourth of these parables, the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.

Matthew

25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy

angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate

them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the

goats:

25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the

left.

In this parable, we have no need to determine who it is that is coming. It is Jesus and all of his holy angels are coming with him. He is going to divide his sheep from the goats. Notice in verse 32, that it says “his sheep,” but does not say “his goats.” They are “the goats.” Do we have any goats here this morning? I hope not. I hope that each and every one of us are sheep that belong to the King. I know that I can sometimes act like a goat. But, when I do so, I am usually reminded, shaken, shouted at, “quit that!” . . . you are a child of the King!

In our parable, the King comes and divides “his sheep” from “the goats.” He sets his sheep on his right and the goats on the left.

25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye

blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from

the foundation of the world:

That Kingdom is a real heaven. If you think that God has given you blessings here, just wait till you see what is in store for you. The Bible tells us that eye has not seen nor ear heard what Jesus has in store for us. He tells them why they are going to be there:

25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye

gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in

prison, and ye came unto me.

25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we

thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and

clothed thee?

25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?