Young People's Group

THE PARABLE OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS (II)

by Pastor Mitch
August 05, 2012

Where Will You Stand On Judgment Day?

There is an imminent event in the future that we want to be prepared for. It is called the Day of the Lord. It is a time when the Lord Jesus will gather all the nations together and He will separate the people one from the other. He will distinguish them as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

“And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” 
Matthew 25:33

During the times of Jesus, herds of sheep and goats would often travel together to a common destination. When they reach the end of their journey, the shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats. Which group would we stand with on judgment day? It would be really heart-wrenching if we end up as one of the goats.

The King’s Criterion For Being Part Of The Goats

“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” 
Matthew 25:45

The criterion for people to fall into this group is to be void of having a heart of concern for the needy. When people have no care for the poor, it is a dangerous sign that they most probably belong to the goats. When they observe those who are hungry and thirsty, they would not lift up a finger to do anything to help them. When people are in need of clothing, there would be a lack of compassion to aid them. These could even know how to address the Lord Jesus “Lord”. They can claim to be Christians and attend Church regularly. However, what is consistently absent is a heart that is really compassionate. When people say that they have faith but they do not have works, their faith is dead (James 2:17). They could not see that if they did not help the needy, they would also be guilty of not having any concern for the Lord too.

The King’s Curse Concerning The Goats

“Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” 
Matthew 24:41

Those who are goats are cursed by the Lord. There are two aspects to the Lord’s judgment of the goats. Firstly, the Lord Jesus would command the goats to depart from His presence. They would have no place nor standing in the presence of the Lord. The goats would be separated from our Saviour forever. The Lord Jesus also spoke the same words of judgment to those who practise lawlessness (Matthew 7:23). Secondly, the goats will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will be tormented for all eternity. The lake of fire has already been prepared for the devil and his angels (Revelation 20:10-11). The everlasting punishment of the goats would be the same as Satan and his demons.

Seriously Seek To Be Among The Righteous

“And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” 
Matthew 25:46

Young people, there are only two groups to stand with when the Lord Jesus comes and judges us. We would either be with the sheep or the goats; the righteous or the unrighteous. Our eternity would either be enjoying the reward of eternal life or suffering in eternal punishment. We have to seriously consider to which group we belong. Young people, let’s be sure that we would be counted by the Lord to be among the righteous. Let’s be sure that our names are written in heaven. Let’s be sure that we are sheep and not goats.

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