Young People's Group

THE PARABLE OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS (I)

by Pastor Mitch
July 29, 2012

Will You Be Part Of The King’s Sheep On Judgment Day?

What is it that really counts when the Lord comes for us? Sometimes, we can be so caught up with all that we are doing in life that we forget what really matters to the Lord when judgment day comes. Let’s be reminded that the Lord will one day come in all His glory and He will bring judgment to the nations. The Lord Jesus will establish His throne on earth and everyone will come and bow before Him.

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.” 
Matthew 25:31-32

He will separate everyone and put them into two groups; the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. The finality of the Lord’s judgment and the separation would be seen on the Day of the Lord. Young people, which group would you belong to?

The King’s Criterion For Being Part Of The Sheep

“For I was hungry and you gave Me food” 
Matthew 25:35

What is the Lord’s criterion for people to be part of the sheep? He was looking for people who had a real heart of care and concern for the needy. They were people who truly practise their faith. The test of genuine faith in Christ is found in the person who demonstrates real action in caring for the poor. Those who honour the Lord will show mercy to the needy (Proverbs 14:31). The Lord spoke of how His sheep were those who gave food to the hungry and gave drink to the thirsty. They were the ones who, when they saw the needy, provided clothes for them and a place for strangers to stay. Matthew’s emphasis in this passage is on the past tense. It is on what we have done. If Christ were to come today and ask us to account for our lives, what works can we say we have done for the least of our brethren? Let’s seek to have a record of good deeds done for the needy.

The Perspective Of The King When His Sheep Show Care

“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
Matthew 25:40

The Lord Jesus spoke of how His sheep showed care to Him when He was hungry and when He was in prison. His sheep raised the question about when did they do these things to Him. His answer brought to us a new perspective in what it means to help the needy. The Lord Jesus saw how when people care for the least of our brethren, they were also caring for Him. Our challenge is to get down to showing concern and care for the needy because we have the Lord as our focus.

The King’s Blessing On The Sheep

“Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” 
Matthew 25:34

The word “Come” in Greek is the same word that Jesus used to call His disciples to follow Him (Matthew 4:19). Even as He called His disciples to follow Him, the Lord Jesus will call His sheep, His disciples who are blessed by the Father, to enter His kingdom and to inherit all that the Lord had prepared for them since the beginning of time. It would be truly worth it all when we have followed Him and practised our faith well, and the Lord Jesus says to us, “Come, you blessed of My Father”.

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