Weekly Sermons

Sheep Will Be Rewarded and Goats Will Be Judged

 

The Faith you mention has doubtless its use in the World; I do not desire to see it diminished, nor would I endeavour to lessen it in any Man. But I wish it were more productive of Good Works than I have generally seen it: I mean real good Works, Works of Kindness, Charity, Mercy, and Publick Spirit; not Holiday-keeping, Sermon-Reading or Hearing, performing Church Ceremonies, or making long Prayers… Your great Master tho’t much less of these outward Appearances and Professions than many of his modern Disciples. He prefer’d the Doers of the Word to the meer Hearers…those who gave Food to the hungry, Drink to the Thirsty, Raiment to the Naked, Entertainment to the Stranger, and Relief to the Sick, &c. tho’ they never heard of his Name, he declares shall in the last Day be accepted, when those who cry Lord, Lord; who value themselves on their Faith tho’ great enough to perform Miracles but have neglected good Works shall be rejected… - Ben Franklin letter to Joseph Huey June 6, 1753

 

Matthew 25:31-46

 

Jesus will come back to earth to reign for a 1,000 years - V. 31

 

A Question that must be answered to interpret prophetic scriptures –

 

Do you believe the Bible teaches there will be a LITERAL 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth AFTER His second coming?

 

Those who tend to treat all prophecy passages symbolically tend to look at this last passage in Matthew 25 as a kind of a parable to illustrate the Final Judgment. But many of us who take the passage literally see here another judgment that leads into Christ’s 1,000 year reign.

 

Jesus will separate believing and unbelieving Gentiles - V. 32-34

 

God’s people in both Testaments are not referred to as goats; they are often referred to as sheep (Ezekiel 34)!

 

Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of His pasture. - Psalm 100:3

 

 You do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. - John 10:26-27

 

If I am correct about the context of this passage, after Jesus returns and defeats the unbelieving armies of Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon, He will gather all remaining Gentiles around the world to Israel, and separate them out as those who have believed in Jesus (sheep) and those who rejected Him (goats).

 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Gentile). For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” - Romans 1:16-17

 

Jesus will reward believers for helping God’s people - V. 35-40

 

Because all people are created in God’s image, these verses can encourage us as believers to view ministry unto any person we reach out to, whether they are believers or not, as ministry unto our dear Lord Jesus.

 

Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. - Col. 3:17, 23

 

In the New Testament, the word for ‘brothers’ (G 80) is used 68 times to speak of physical brothers, 27 times to refer to Jewish brothers/ kinsman, and 228 times to refer to Christian brothers and sisters.

For not even his brothers believed in him. - John 7:5

 

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” - Acts 2:37

 

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. - Rom. 9:3

 

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. - Matthew 12:50

 

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those of the household of faith. - Gal. 6:10

 

Final appeal: don’t be found among the unbelievers - V. 41, 46

 

Back in verse 34 we read that before the foundation of the world God planned for believers to be with Him in His Kingdom. He’d rather you be with Him there than in the Lake of Fire, and Jesus died for your sins so you could be with Him. But if you never turn to Him, the Lake of Fire it is. There are no other options.

 

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9