Speaker 1: Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons podcast. This is where you can find audio from Sunday morning messages and more. Make sure you're subscribed so that you don't miss future episodes and thanks for listening.
Speaker 2: It's crazy with technology, with all we gotta endure, but again, thank you, Burger. It's never a comforting feeling to him when I have to say his name from the stage. But I appreciate you taking care of this for us, buddy. If you've got your Bibles, and I hope you do, I wanna invite you to join me in Matthew, chapter 25. As you turn there, we are gonna be taking the Lord's supper at the very end of the service and so hopefully you got your elements for communion as you came in.
If you didn't, it's okay. Right now would be a great time, you could get up, you can move to the back and you can grab these as you, as we prepare to take Lord's supper. Kind of how we do this, lots of places do the Lord's supper, with different kind of rules for this. What we do is if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, whether you are a part of our church or not, we wanna invite you, to be able to take the Lord's supper. We'll give some instructions at the end of the service as we do this together, but we are so grateful and so blessed and so honored, to have you here with us.
We do have our kids in here and so, I just wanna say as we've been walking through this series this summer, kids it has been such a huge blessing to have you in here, to help us with the energy, to help us with worship and all that you've been doing. I wanna say as as your pastor, it's been so encouraging to to watch you be attentive, during worship and engage. It's been so encouraging to watch you be attentive and engaged as we work through God's work together and I just thank you guys so much. And and parents, every time that you're cringing because you're afraid of what they'll do, just know that we appreciate you too and we're praying for you guys as you work through that. But it's been so wonderful in having our kids with us this morning as we are each morning this summer, as we're working through these parables.
And so I wanna start in Matthew 25, verse 31. We're gonna read a couple verses and and kinda pause for a minute and and give ourselves some setting for this parable. Matthew 25, verse 31 says this, When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations. And He will separate people, one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. So let's pause there for a moment. We are in a series in the life of Christ of what we look at as he's been spending a lot of intentional time with his disciples and speaking to them and giving them great clarity of what is to come and what is ahead. You see, in this moment of where we find Christ, he is 3 days from the cross. He's just a few moments and days away from being led away by an army, of being tried, of being falsely accused, of being abused, of being crucified.
And as this is what awaits him, what awaits his followers is the same thing that they will watch their friend, their savior, Jesus, as he's taken from them. And so in this and when you look at the teachings of Christ holistically during this stage in his ministry, we see this great emphasis of mission. In this smaller group, with this group of men, as he leads them and encourages them of how they will go in the power of the Holy Spirit to continue to work, to expand the gospels, even beyond the ministry aspects of what Jesus is doing. And he's given them great emphasis, expressing to those who are his followers of what they are going to do. Trying to give them clarity of the mission, clarity of the expectation, confidence in the work that God has for them.
And so in this parable, Jesus divides and he says, there are gonna be 2 groups. He defines them as sheep and defines them as goats. This would have been common to those who were there listening to this. This is the time and place in the world where there were shepherds who would watch over their herds, and oftentimes, while we think these herds were were just sheep, it was very common for sheep and for goats to be managed by the same group of shepherds. And oftentimes, they would be in the same field and they would be even grouped together.
But there would come a point in time in the day, as evening would set, where the shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats. And so Jesus draws into this illustration. He defines the sheep as the most prized, the most valuable, will be put on the side of the right, which would be known as the place of highest positioning beside the king. But the goats, in this instance, would be separated differently of where they would be found different than the sheep. Look at verse 34.
Then the king will say to those on the 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. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me.
I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?
And the King will answer them, Truly I say to you, as you did to one of the least of these my brothers, you did to me. What I want us to look at this morning, in this aspect of this story that Jesus tells, is the faith of faithfulness. Jesus begins by looking at this group, the group that has been separated, the sheep that are found on the right. And he says, You are inheriting something. He begins and discusses the reward.
He says, In this, you inherit the kingdom prepared for you. Jesus is telling an illustration, he's given an example. He's setting into their minds the understanding of eternity. And in his description of this, is very specific. His description of this is very personal.
His description of this is for them to hear that this reward of what they will gain is their inheritance in the family, the kingdom that Jesus says that is prepared for you. When thinking of eternity, I heard a pastor describe eternity in these three words. Eternity with God, the things that you and I, that on this side of it, have a hard time wrapping our mind around. What does it look like? What's it gonna be like?
We know it is eternity with our Savior, but how do we describe that in a personal sense? And he described it in these three ways. He says, It's a place, it's possible and it's personal. I love those three images of what we see when it comes to the kingdom and the promise that's there. It is a place, just if I were to describe to you my home, just as I were to describe to you where I have been, of what I have seen, of what is taking place in there.
That that eternity, that heaven with God is an actual place that we can long for, that we can dream of, that we can place our hope, that one day that we will be in that place. But he also said, that place is possible. That place isn't a hope too, that place isn't, well maybe if I'm good enough, then that place is possible. But it's not possible through our works, through our means and it's possible through Christ's work and then it's possible through Christ's means and in that way, it's taken out of our hands when we recognize that we lose control and that he is the one that's in control, there's great comfort. And then it's personal.
I'm loving the imagery of heaven, of every single time of what Christ says in his words. Of in this, in this parable, and even in the instance where he's there with the apostles, he says this, that I have prepared for you. For you. He gets to the heart of the compassion of the God that we love and serve. That it's not for those, it's not for them, it's not for people.
That what he has done is he's prepared a place for you. This is this imagery that Jesus is gonna be describing. And as we think through of what's this, may we not forget the eternity of place, eternity possible, eternity personal. But as we've been working through these parables, what we've seen in the last several weeks is Christ and the big idea that we've been taking from this is this calling of active faith. It's not that I'm saved and I'm good, it's the calling that I'm saved and I'm called into a relationship and God loves me and he changes me and he invites me.
He calls me into the work of ministry that's there. We looked at the parable of the sower and looked at this obedience to God that we're called to. We looked at the rich man and Lazarus and Lazarus and the challenge to examine our heart. We looked at the parable of the good Samaritans, how do we see people with compassion. We looked at the parable of the unforgiving servant and we asked ourselves, how do we forgive as we have been forgiving and what Christ has been doing in this series, is defining for us, what a life with Him looks like.
Yes, we are saved by grace through faith. It is not by your works, but with this faith, there's a calling, there's an imprint, there's a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we would be faithful to him. Because he loved us and he's changed us and he's worked and he's moved. And so on the right, those who have been saved, they've produced with what the Holy Spirit has done in them, this great evidence. And scholars refer to these works that Jesus lays out of the work of the Spirit as they do these as the ministries of mercy.
Jesus paints before them. Here's who you are by looking at and seeing what you've done. 6 of them that he lists, he says, When I was hungry, you gave me food. When I was thirsty, you gave me drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me.
When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was sick, you visited me. When I was in prison, you came to me. And I love this list of what we see. We can feel the weight of the individual who would have found themselves in this place.
I've wanted to eat, but very rarely have I known hunger at the depth of what's there. There have been times where I've needed something to drink, but I don't understand the depth of thirst of what is described here. And what we find in this, is a person that would view themselves at the bottom in the ministry of mercy that's pointed out, that's shown. The point of this list is these actions ask for nothing in return. There is not an exchange of goods, these are just simply acts of mercy.
It wasn't, I was hungry, so you sold me a hamburger. It wasn't, I was thirsty, so you sold me a bottle of water. It wasn't I was a stranger so you provided me an opportunity to pay you rent to come in. What we see here is not an exchange of goods, is not an exchange of services in this moment. But what we see is a person who the work's been done for them willing to give of themselves to show the mercy that they've been given.
And so why do these? Why if we're not going to get back? Why if people aren't going to know? Why if the same things aren't going to be done back to me? Not to earn salvation, That's not the point, that's impossible.
But because we know God and we want others to know him well. Galatians 6:7 through 10, Paul writes, he says, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. So then as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are of the household of faith. The calling that we have as Paul writes to the church of Galatia and he says, May we be a people who are known to do good, who do not grow tired, who persevere through not because of what we will gain but because of what the kingdom will gain when God's people are mobilized to love one another and when God's people are mobilized to even love those that are not a part of the kingdom of God. Jesus says in John 13:34 through 35, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another just as I have loved you. You also are to love one another.
Verse 35, by this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. The beauty of his words, the testimony of life that we're called, to live in a devotion to Christ that stirs within us a love for the family. But it doesn't just end there. It extends beyond those. Jesus says in this parable, Jesus says to the disciples who were there with him, this is the life that I'm calling you to.
And he says, the people that are there, he said, well, when did we do this for you? He said, We didn't see you and the King will say, 'Truly I say to you, as you did to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' I've heard that verse so many times in my life. And oftentimes I've kind of thought like way, way back when I was a little kid, like, man, is like Jesus hiding out? You know, Is Jesus like hanging out on the curb and he's like, man, Beau just keeps passing me by. And that's not what Jesus is saying here.
I didn't understand the weight of this. I didn't understand the impact when he says, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me. I didn't understand this fully until I became a dad, until I became a parent. And when I watch individuals show grace and care and compassion to my kids, The heart of what I feel in that moment is like it's even greater than when it happens to me. It's beyond that, because it's being done for someone that I love deeply.
And so Christ calls us to move beyond a compassion that the world would define. Christ calls us to move beyond a love that's reciprocal. Christ calls us into a depth of love that's sacrificial, that's personal, that's real, and that's impacting. And it comes from our love for him. So the question for us this morning, as we see the sheep separated on the right, do you love Jesus?
And if so, do you love people? Do you have love for the family? And do you have love for those out? Is our moment in that not to look and to assume, to not look and judge, but to meet them with the compassion and mercy that he showed us? And he says in verse 41, he continues on.
And then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. Naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.
And then they will answer saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, or a stranger or naked or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you. And then he will answer them saying, Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. What I want us to look at this morning and see what I feel that Christ is describing in this moment, is the sin of indifference. You and I, we live in a world of extremes.
We live in a world of opposites. We live in a world of pick one side or another. We find ourselves saying, I love chocolate ice cream and I hate vanilla ice cream. And let me just set the record straight, I just love ice cream, right? We use words like always and never the extremes.
And some of us, as fall is approaching, operate in a different type of extreme of divisiveness, South Carolina and Clemson. We operate in my side versus your side. And even when I look and I find Christians having debates and conversations, the question that is there time and time again is, do you love or do you hate? And I'll be honest with you. I think that's not a very hard conversation.
That even the world knows at its core of what they would say, that to hate is wrong. And as Jesus gives these examples, he doesn't go through and say, you saw me and I was hungry, but you yelled at me. You saw me and thought that I was thirsty, but yet you ridiculed me. You saw that they were naked, and yet you abused them. You saw that they were a stranger and you attacked them, that you saw that they were sick and you lectured them.
That's not what Jesus does. What Jesus care. And that hits home different. I don't believe, as I examine my life through the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God's word that I'm a person of hate. I've had times and God has convicted me, saved me and redeemed me.
But I can see points. And I can see when that old self begins to rise up. And I can see when I begin to work against what God has for me. And I can have the shallowness of heart of the sin of indifference. Where you pass by and you just think I don't have time.
You find an opportunity and you think, but you know somebody else will do that. You pass by and you think, but I've got enough problems of my own. You pass by and you think, nah, not me, not right now. You see, Jesus, to hate is wrong, but the warning that he gives in this parable isn't against the sin of hatred, it's against the sin of indifference. You see, I think the sin of indifference, when I've seen it in my own life and I see it in others.
It begins when unchecked in a momentary thought, a point where we take our eyes off of Christ. We don't place them on the individual. In each one of those instances, what do we do? We point it back to ourself. I become the focus of my action, I become the focus of my walk, I become the focus of what God has for me.
And in that moment, that which was just brief, that which was just momentary, when unchecked begins to grow and spread and multiply like a spiritual cancer of the soul and who becomes numb to the needs of others and the willingness that God gives us to serve them, to love them, so that we can share with them the goodness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My question for you this morning. You see, there's some theologians that argue that this isn't a parable, that's not what Jesus was pointing to when he told this, that this is a prophecy of what's to come, That there will be a separation of those on the right who are followers of Christ, saved and redeemed by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And there'll be great confidence in who they are because of the evidence of what God has done in them and the work and the move of the Spirit in their life. And then there will be those in the left who are removed and who are removed for eternity from the presence of God into eternal damnation.
What side would you find yourself on? The side of mercy or the side of indifference? Would you pray? God, I thank you. Lord, the the what your scripture points us to is we all, every single one of us, we deserve to be found on the Left.
We deserve to be removed from you. That that is what our sin demands. But God, you chose in your grace, in your kindness, in your goodness to save us. You chose to come down and to to give Jesus of your life, to endure the punishment that we deserve. To pay the price or that we were and we are incapable of pain.
So that what we gain is an inheritance. What we gain is a reward, What we gain is you. Not for a moment, not for a season, but for all of eternity. God, I pray for every individual here, not just with this parable that we look at this morning, but in every moment of truth from your word, That through the power of your Holy Spirit, Lord, that she would search us, that she would speak to us. And Lord, those who are far from you, Lord, you would draw us to you.
Lord, as we prepare to take the Lord's supper, I pray that if there's anyone here who does not know you, that today, they would put their faith, their hope and their trust in Christ and in Christ alone. That they would understand their sin has created a debt that they are incapable of paying. And it's through your work and your work alone that salvation is possible. And we would look to live the life that you have for us, empowered by the Holy Spirit. It's in Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Speaker 1: Thanks again for listening and be sure to check back next week for another episode. In the meantime, you can visit us at willowridgechurch.org or by searching for Willow Ridge Church on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.