127 - The Metaphor of Sheep and Goats#
127 - The Metaphor of Sheep and Goats
(JP Text Group - Organized by Happy Angel)
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord.
The topic of sharing is: The Judgment of Sheep and Goats.
Matthew 25:31-46
31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 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; 36 I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' 41 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! 42 For I was hungry, and you gave me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; 43 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.'
44 Then they also will answer, '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?' 45 Then He will answer them, '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.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank you. We are justified by faith in Jesus, blessed by God. We do not come to keep the law, but to thank you and to receive your provision. Lord Jesus, you particularly care for this time. We come seeking you with a yearning heart, and you will surely provide for us. Thank you and praise the Lord. Bless this time today. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen! Hallelujah!
Today's text is very important. How important is it? Many people interpret this passage in a way that makes people very fearful, estimating that without good deeds, it is difficult to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Today's topic is the judgment of sheep and goats. Why use sheep and goats as a metaphor? In Israel or the Palestinian region, sheep and goats are pastured together, and at night they are separated. This symbolizes judgment, referring to when Christ returns for the second time, He will judge the world.
Brothers and sisters, remember, He will judge the world, referring to all people, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him." The Book of Revelation tells us: "Behold, He comes with His angels from heaven." In the last days, we often mention the manner of Jesus' second coming. It is to give everyone the opportunity to receive such blessings, "When the Son of Man comes in glory with all His angels," at that time it will be glorious, Amen! What will He come to do? When Jesus first came to this world, what was it for? It was to solve our sin problem.
The Book of Hebrews tells us: "He will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him." What does He save us from? He saves our bodies, Amen! When He first came, He solved our spiritual problem. Has it been completely solved? In the past, we had sin, and we were separated from God; our spirits were dead. When Jesus Christ came the first time, He died on the cross for us, completely solving our sin problem. Through His precious blood, our sins are forgiven. Amen!
Jesus has forgiven all our sins. If you are sure of this, this blessing will come upon you. If you are not sure, you must carefully recall whether Jesus solved all your sin problems on the cross. The Book of Hebrews 10 tells us: "For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."
When Jesus rose from the dead, He had already received glory. The Bible tells us that He offered Himself once as a sacrifice for sin and sat down at the right hand of God. Sitting at the right hand of God represents that His work of salvation is complete, Hallelujah! What has not been completed? Our bodies are still the same; this body needs to be changed. This body cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus comes the second time, He will change our corrupt bodies, this flesh, into a spiritual form. Amen! We will be like His glorious body, and we will return to the right hand of the Father. Hallelujah! Thank the Lord!
Verse 31 tells us: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him."
The second coming is definitely not to solve our sin problem; the second coming is to execute judgment, Amen! Where are we now? The first time Jesus offered Himself on the cross for our sins. The second time has not yet come; we are in the period before His return, which is the age of grace. Amen! What is grace? Brothers and sisters, grace is unmerited, undeserved, and not to be obtained. But God gives it to you freely, Amen, thank the Lord! It says here, "He will sit on His glorious throne." Brothers and sisters, do you know God's throne? When we have problems, which throne should we go to? Let's look at a verse.
Hebrews 4:16: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Will you and I have problems? When you have problems, go to His throne of grace, Hallelujah! Do you know what the throne of grace is? What comes down from that throne is grace. The throne of grace is where grace is administered, not looking at how you behave; as long as you believe in Him, He will give you grace through the throne, Hallelujah! Do you know how blessed we are? God's throne has been established. When Jesus died on the cross and said, "It is finished," the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. After it was torn, all who believe in Jesus can come directly to His throne of grace.
Do you need grace? What is grace? It is unmerited, undeserved. What does it refer to in life? If you have a disease, go to the throne of grace and let Him heal you. When you are anxious and restless, come to the throne of grace and let His peace be given to you. This throne of grace is not a fixed place; it is our Lord Jesus Christ. So no matter what problem you encounter, please remember, "Come to Jesus," Hallelujah! He is the answer to all your problems. Thank the Lord!
When Jesus comes the second time, it will no longer be the throne of grace. It will become the "glorious" throne. Is there a difference between the glorious throne and the throne of grace? The glorious throne represents God's holiness and righteousness; He will execute judgment. Brothers and sisters, why is it the age of grace now? What is the characteristic of the age of grace? God does not punish you based on your behavior; this is called grace, Amen!
David once said, "Blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not count his sin." Is the one not counted as sinful without sin? Certainly, there is sin; otherwise, he would not say such a thing. Not counted as sinful means this person is still sinning, but God does not count it against him. Grace has come upon this person; although you have sinned, God does not count you as guilty. This person is blessed, Hallelujah! It refers to those who believe in Jesus Christ.
Why does God not count you as a sinner? Because your sins have been placed on Jesus Christ; He has taken your sins. God's justice has never been compromised. All our sins have been substituted by Jesus Christ, and we can come boldly to the throne of grace, meaning: do not look at your current environment or situation, or how great your faith is; just come to His throne of grace, Hallelujah! He is willing to be your help at all times.
The time before Jesus Christ's second coming is the age of grace, the time when the door of grace is wide open. We should spread the gospel widely, telling the world that if you are willing to come to Jesus and believe in Him, God will give you eternal life freely. This is a great message to tell the world: God does not count you as guilty; as long as you accept Jesus, God will no longer remember your sins and transgressions. Is there a time limit on the door of grace? Yes, when Jesus comes the second time, and He executes judgment, this matter will be over. Amen!
In the Bible, Jesus also told us that the last days will be like the days of Lot and the days of Noah. What are the characteristics of the days of Noah? At that time, God told Noah that in 120 years He would destroy the world with a flood. Was that a time of grace? At that time, as long as you were willing to enter the ark, you could be saved. God did not say, "Wow, you must clean yourselves up; otherwise, you cannot enter the ark." There were no such restrictions. As long as you were willing to enter the ark, you were saved, Amen! Do you see if there is a time limit? When the 120 years were up, God personally closed the door of the ark. Could anyone enter then? Once God closed that door, people could not enter anymore.
Last time, I shared about the five foolish virgins who missed the time. When the door was open, they did not enter. When they came back, the door was already closed, and they knocked hard, "Lord, let us in." The master inside said, "Depart from me; I never knew you." Brothers and sisters, when Jesus comes the second time, some will say, "Those Christians were right; there really is God's judgment in this world." They will say, "God, forgive me; I know I was wrong." Is it too late? It is too late.
So do not wait until then to say you believe in Jesus. Many people say, "I will not believe in Jesus now; I will wait until I am old to believe." How can you be sure that when you are old, Jesus will come again? How do you know that when you retire, Jesus will come? If Jesus comes tomorrow, what will you do? You will become one of those saying, "Lord, let me in," and it will not work. It will not work.
Brothers and sisters, this point is extremely important. Unless you enter through the open door of grace, into Him, into Christ, and believe in Jesus, you are the blessed one, Amen! Now is the time when God is granting grace, the time when God freely gives His grace. If you miss it, there will be no opportunity for regret later.
In the Palestinian region, during the day, they pasture sheep and goats together, and at night they separate them because goats have weaker cold resistance and must spend the night in a warm place. Why does God use sheep and goats as a metaphor here? The characteristic of goats is that they are aggressive and combative. In a flock of sheep, the one jumping around, butting this and that, is the goat.
The characteristic of sheep is that they are very gentle. When shearing sheep, if the scissors accidentally cut into the flesh and blood flows out, the sheep will only move a little and will not get up to bite the shepherd. If it were a goat, it might get up and butt you. Sheep and goats are different. God likens us to sheep; are all the people in the church sheep? Are there goats? Yes.
Brothers and sisters, remember, there are some people who are extremely fierce, combative, like to spread discord, and like to exalt themselves. Be careful; they are likely goats. The characteristic of sheep is gentleness, willing to obey the church, and will not intentionally create discord. In the Palestinian region, when Jesus spoke this metaphor, they could all understand. At night, the shepherd would separate the goats from the sheep. Jesus said: When the judgment comes at His second coming, He will separate them. Brothers and sisters, remember!
Verse 32: "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."
I just gave an example of how the shepherd separates them at night. Who is our shepherd? Jesus Christ. In the future, it will also be Jesus who separates these sheep; He is the judging Lord. Do not think of Jesus as a sheep who does not retaliate when others strike Him or insult Him, gentle like a lamb. That is true, but do not forget that this gentle Lord has the power to judge.
Although some people are like goats, fierce and aggressive, they do not have the power to judge. It is not the sheep judging the sheep; it is the judging Lord who judges the sheep, Amen! At that time, whether you are willing or not, you will have to accept judgment before the Lord. Today, you can avoid gatherings, say, "I do not want to believe in Jesus; I have many things to do on Sunday, so I will not go to the gathering." You can make such a choice, but brothers and sisters, remember: The Lord is the shepherd, and you will ultimately be separated by the shepherd, whether you are willing or not. Amen!
It mentions "all the nations will be gathered before Him." When Jesus Christ judges the world, can those who do not want to come escape? The Bible tells us: "Where shall I go from your Spirit? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there." So where can you escape to then?
The Bible says that when the final judgment comes, everything will be revealed before God. Those who drowned in the sea, those who were crushed by stones, all kinds of dead people will stand before God to be judged. This refers to the ultimate judgment. This is saying, "All the nations will be gathered before Him," referring to the judgment before the millennium. It does not go into detail here; there are two judgments in total: one is the judgment of today, for believers and non-believers; the other is the judgment of the righteous. The judgment of the righteous is a reward, and at that time, it will be based on what you have done for the Lord in this world to reward you.
This time, we see how God judges. "All the nations" refers to the people of the nations. When the Lord Jesus comes again, He will gather all people before Him to accept His judgment. This metaphor is very clear; when the Lord Jesus comes again, whether believers or non-believers, they will all accept God's judgment. Amen!
Palestinians pasture sheep, and sheep and goats are pastured together. When a flock of sheep is together, it is difficult to see at a glance which are goats and which are sheep. What does this mean? It means that all are believers in Jesus; can you tell who is a true believer and who is a false believer? I just asked you whether you are a goat or a sheep. Can you tell if the person next to you is a sheep or a goat? You cannot tell, and you do not need to look.
Brothers and sisters, we are also a sheep. This is not something we discern; it is something God discerns. We only need to know whether we are saved and whether we truly believe in Jesus; that is enough. Many people like to ask me, "Teacher Ren, is that person saved? Is that Pharisee saved? Is that person saved?" Actually, does this have anything to do with you? Does someone else's salvation have anything to do with you? Whoever believes will be saved. Just know whether you are saved. Amen!
Some time ago, someone asked me, "Teacher Ren, can that pastor who has relations with different women be saved?" If he wants to be saved, I do not believe it. Does this have anything to do with you? It has nothing to do with you; just believe in who you believe in. Hallelujah! You only need to know whether you truly believe in Jesus because the one who will ultimately separate is our Lord Jesus, not you! Hallelujah! What is the difference? Why does God not separate these people now?
Matthew 13:24-30:
24 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' 28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'
This means that not everyone who comes to church is necessarily saved. Do you believe this? Not everyone who comes to church is a believer in the Lord. Do not look at the people around you; as long as your purpose in coming is to seek Jesus Christ, Amen! Do not say, "Lord, there is that person in the church; I will not go anymore; I do not want to believe in Jesus." Does this have anything to do with you? It is like the servant said, "Lord, there are weeds here; should we pull them out?"
Because the seeds are very similar, they cannot be seen at all. When the seedlings grow and the heads appear, if you pull out the weeds, the wheat will also be pulled out. Both will suffer losses. So the master said, "Let them grow together." Brothers and sisters, there are indeed true prophets and false prophets in this world, true believers and false believers. Do not care how others believe; just know that you are here to seek Jesus Christ, and that is enough. Amen!
Do not focus on others spreading discord in the church; as long as you do not do such things, it is fine. Because weeds will always be weeds. God can separate them. God allows them to grow together until the harvest. When is the harvest? It is when Jesus Christ comes again; that is the time of harvest. Can the master not distinguish who is the weed and who is the wheat? God can truly see who believes and who does not. It is God who discerns, not us. Brothers and sisters, do not consider yourself the judging Lord; that would be very dangerous. Thank the Lord!
Here is a very important thing: when the harvest comes, God will pull out the weeds, bind them in bundles, and throw them into the fire. Remember: the unbelieving will ultimately remain unbelieving. Even if you gather in the same church with them, even if they insult you and persecute you, it does not matter. One day, God will pull them out, bind them in bundles, and throw them into the fire. Amen! You just need to know that you are the wheat; God will not mistakenly throw a single grain of wheat into the fire. Amen! Knowing this is enough; God will not make such a foolish mistake.
The time for judgment has come, and the King will say to those on His right: Let us look; He places the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right: "You who are blessed by my Father, come inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Is this the kingdom of heaven? What does the right side mean? It means you are saved by sitting at my right hand; the left side is cursed. The right side does not refer to a position; it refers to a place of honor, a place of victory, a place of blessing, Amen!
Do you know you are in a place of honor? Do you know you are blessed? Brothers and sisters, do you know you are victorious children? You are the ones on the right! Brothers and sisters, why do we gather on Sundays? Because on this day, Jesus Christ has won; it is to celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ. This is our day of victory, Hallelujah! We are victorious children; this is why we often emphasize our identity.
The King says to the right side: "You who are blessed by my Father." Does God choose a part of people and not choose another part? Does He bless a part of people and curse another part? It is not like that, brothers and sisters. You must understand this: if God predetermined some people to go to heaven and some to hell from the beginning, you would have no chance! How do you know you are one of those who will enter the kingdom of heaven? If God has never predetermined you to enter heaven, how can you enter? You cannot enter. From this perspective, God would have prejudice. But God is not like that.
God said: "You who are blessed by my Father," what kind of people does this refer to? What kind of people does God give blessings to? It is given to all people. Does God give this blessing to everyone? The Bible tells us: "God causes the sun to shine on the good and the evil." This means His blessings are given to everyone, but only some respond to this blessing and acknowledge that this is God's blessing, while another part does not believe and rejects it.
Before the foundation of the world, God prepared abundant blessings for everyone; however, not everyone is willing to receive these blessings. Amen! When sharing the gospel with others, say, "Believe in Jesus; it is great." Why do so many people not believe? They are unwilling to receive this blessing. God has prepared abundant blessings for everyone, but not everyone responds to and accepts the blessings. This separates two kinds of people: one group accepts God's blessings, and the other group rejects God's blessings. So this person is called cursed because he rejected God's grace. Amen!
God says: "You are a sinner now, but it does not matter, because I have prepared a sin offering for you, which is my Son. He has died on the cross for your sins. As long as you are willing to accept what my Son has done for you, you will be justified." This person says: "I do not want to; I feel fine now. I do not want to believe in Jesus." Are God's blessings prepared for people? Yes, but people do not want them. If they do not want them, how will their sins be resolved? They will have to bear them themselves. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, if Jesus does not bear your sins, you will have to bear the consequences of your own sins. The consequence of sin is death. Those who accept Jesus Christ are justified by faith. Those who are justified are, in God's eyes, "blessed by my Father," meaning He knows they are blessed by God. Amen! Those who believe in Jesus must understand one thing: you are a group of people blessed by God, Hallelujah! If you do not know this, your faith is in vain. Why are some people blessed while others are cursed?
John 3:17-18:
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Do you see where the difference is? It is the one who does not believe and does not accept who is condemned! Those who truly accept Jesus from the heart, God says, "I do not condemn you anymore," because He sent His Son into the world to bear your sins. Do you believe this? If you do not accept Jesus, "the one who does not believe is condemned already."
The reason for his condemnation is not because his behavior is bad, nor because he does not do enough good deeds, but because he does not believe in Jesus. This is an important reason for condemnation. God does not look at your behavior; He looks at whether you believe or do not believe. The believer, the Bible tells us, has a blessing: "You may inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Believe and be saved, thank the Lord; it is so important! Brothers and sisters, believe and be saved; there are no additional conditions. Do not add many things on top of faith; that is very dangerous.
For the gentle sheep, he knows that everything is blessed by God, so he is willing to live for the Lord, willing to live according to God's will, and to imitate Jesus Christ. Goats are different; they always want to show off. Sheep are very gentle and move forward quietly, while goats jump around. Goats symbolize those who try to please God by their own actions. Such people are very dangerous. If this passage is not understood, the following will be very dangerous because it says, "You may come inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
Verse 35: "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."
Are these actions? Some people will say: "See? Faith does not necessarily lead to salvation; faith must also be accompanied by good deeds because it says, 'You may enter the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' Because you have many good deeds behind you, are we entering the kingdom of heaven through good deeds?" No, this passage is very clear. These righteous people did so many things; did they know they were doing it for the Lord? Did they remember these things? No.
Verses 37-39:
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'
Did they forget what they had done? This is the righteous; everything they did in their lives was not for themselves but for the Lord, Amen! So when the righteous do good deeds, they do not intentionally show off in front of others. They do it quietly. Not everyone knows what you have done for the Lord; God knows what you have done, and He remembers it. Amen! Even if everyone does not know, God knows. Amen!
Here it says: hungry, thirsty, a stranger, what does it refer to? When brothers and sisters have problems, you help them, solve their problems, encourage them, and help them stand up again and return to God. When you do such things, God remembers. You think this is nothing; Christians should do such things, but God remembers. God says, "You have done such things; you cannot not inherit the blessings I give you!"
So brothers and sisters, nothing you do for the Lord is in vain. Amen! Even if you pour a glass of cold water for a brother, God will not forget it. Amen! Even if you call a brother or sister and say, "It is okay; this will pass. Let us pray together," even though you say a few simple words, God will remember you. Hallelujah! So we see that actions are the fruit. When your faith is correct, good actions will naturally appear. Amen!
Those who truly believe in Jesus Christ live for the Lord every day. They believe that everything they do is for the Lord, so they will not remember what they have done or show off what they have done. The characteristic of worldly people is that they always remember the good things they have done for others. The characteristic of worldly people is that we have been friends for many years, but I always remember the good things I have done for you. One day, if you offend me, I will be very angry and say, "How could you treat me this way after how I treated you?" They do not forget the good things they have done for others! This is worldly people; they always remember the good things they have done for others. They remember the bad things.
Some people, when they are old, become very angry, thinking back to things from their youth and getting angry because they always remember who offended them and remember all the bad things.
We should live like the righteous, Amen! This means forgetting the bad things others have done to you, remembering the good things others have done to you, and forgetting the good things you have done for others. This way, relationships between people will be very harmonious. If we live by worldly methods, various problems will arise.
The same is true in the church. If you always remember how others have wronged you, there will definitely be disputes and bitterness inside. God does not want us to be like this; God wants us to live like the righteous. You forget the good things you have done for others; God will remember. If you remember, it will be very bad; God will forget. The hypocritical Pharisee stood at the street corner praying, "Lord, look at me; I am not like that tax collector. I pray three times a day and fast twice a week. I give a tenth of everything I have." Does God remember him? God does not remember his actions. But the tax collector said, "Lord, yes, I am the one who is unworthy." God remembered him; he had a repentant heart. God remembered, Hallelujah! These are two completely different kinds of people.
We are the righteous; we must live out the pattern of the righteous. Forget the bad things others have done to you, forget the good things you have done for others, because you are doing it for the Lord! Hallelujah! Treat the bad things others have done to you as persecution; this is a good thing. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake." What is our mission on earth? Just mentioned so many things; when you become righteous, every righteous person has a mission to live.
What kind of mission? The first is, "I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me." This means that everything we have is supplied by God, so we should do our best to help those around us, especially to help brothers and sisters. If you see they have difficulties, help them; buy them a coat to wear in winter. What you do will be remembered by God forever, Hallelujah! God will not forget.
After you do it, forget it. This is what the Bible says, "Let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing." After you do it, just forget it. Do not always hang it on your lips, "I did something good for you in a certain month and year; I did something in the church in a certain month and year." Forget these things; if you forget, God will remember forever. Hallelujah!
These are all the things Jesus did back then: showing mercy to the poor; visiting the wounded; welcoming distant guests; comforting those who are hurt. These are all things Jesus did, but these are all fruits. Always remember that these are the fruits produced by the righteous. Although the wicked can sometimes produce some fruits, these fruits come at a cost, and we will share that later.
True love, loving God, must be reflected in loving others; otherwise, how can love be manifested? Where is your love? I have asked brothers and sisters before: Is it easier to love God or to love others? You said it is easier to love God, and that is indeed correct. This is true; God is unseen. We say we love God; who dares to say we do not love God? When you love others, when you love the brothers around you, you are loving God! Hallelujah!
1 John 4:19-21:
19 We love because He first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Do you know what a command is? God tells you to do it; a command must be executed; otherwise, it becomes meaningless. In the army, there are commands, and these commands must be executed; otherwise, they are not commands. Go execute it. How to execute it? You must love your brother. How to love? When you see he has problems, when you see he has needs, when you see he has fallen, or when you see he is lacking, comfort him and help him with his problems. This is how we love; loving God, Amen! The specific expression of loving God, the specific action is to love your brother. Only through the expression of loving your brother can one truly understand the meaning of loving God.
The rewards in the kingdom of heaven are for those who do not seek recompense and are willing to serve. How many people are not willing to serve willingly but serve for fame and profit? God does not look at such service, Amen! So there are many people in the church who serve silently. Even if no one knows what you have done for your brothers and sisters, God will remember, Amen!
Verse 40: "And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'"
Do you see it? Brothers and sisters, what you do for the least of your brothers is what you do for Jesus. Hallelujah! What you do for your brothers is important. Look at what the person on the left has done. Then the King will say to those on His left: "You cursed ones." Why are they cursed? Is it just because they are goats? No one wants to be one of the cursed. Let’s see what kind of people are cursed.
Galatians 3:10: "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.'"
Isn't this verse clear? We do not enter the kingdom of heaven by works, nor are we cursed because of bad behavior. The reason for the curse is the desire to become righteous by the law. No one can be justified by the law. If you want to be justified by your performance, by your good deeds, or if you want to enter the kingdom of heaven by your efforts, you are destined to be cursed.
I do not wish for anyone among us to try to rely on their performance, their good deeds, or their efforts, saying, "Jesus, I can go to heaven; I have done so many things for you." Look at these people; they want to please God by their own actions, not relying on the grace of Christ, relying on their own actions rather than trusting in the Son of God, Jesus' salvation and grace. This is completely different from the blessed people mentioned earlier. What God has prepared for people is blessings. Brothers and sisters, God has prepared blessings for us, not curses. God's thoughts are thoughts of peace, not of disaster. Amen! Always remember this.
The thoughts that the Lord gives are thoughts of peace, not of disaster. Why do people invite curses and disasters? Because they do not believe in the grace that God gives freely, reject God's salvation, and want to please God through their own efforts and good deeds. The lake of fire, hell, was not prepared for people; it was prepared for the devil. Do not think about going to hell; that is a terrible thought. If today someone still stubbornly follows the devil and his angels, betraying God and rejecting God, the end will be the same as the devil, entering that lake of fire.
Verse 46: "And these will go away into eternal punishment."
Because they do not want God's grace, they want to rely on themselves. Remember, you can never meet God's standards by relying on yourself. The verse we just read says, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law." Except for Jesus, can anyone say, "I have kept all the law?" Therefore, people are under a curse. The reason you can escape the curse is that Jesus has delivered you from the curse because you believe in Jesus. The unbelieving are still under the curse. Amen!
You must correctly understand this passage. Many Christians are still confused about this; it is not just faith that saves; it must also be accompanied by good deeds. They use this verse as an example: "Look, these people went to hell because of their bad behavior!" The Bible tells us, let us look together.
Ephesians 2:8-10:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Here, Jesus never said, "You only need to believe, and it does not matter whether your behavior is good or bad..."
When you accept Jesus, your salvation is His grace, not your works. Then it says, "Do not boast." Do not boast about how good your works are, and you must know that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works. So I tell everyone: You need to have good works. The premise of good works is to believe that everything you have is God's grace given freely, not earned by your good works. Amen!
God places us in His grace to prepare us to do good works, which is to bring the grace you have received to others. Many people continuously receive, receive, and receive, becoming knowledge, which is very dangerous. They feel they understand a lot and look down on others, thinking they are very remarkable. Many people serving in the church can also be like this: "I now understand a lot of grace; I can preach, sing hymns, and even establish small groups. I can do everything." Be careful; this kind of boasting is very dangerous!
Later, the King says, "You cursed ones, depart from me; enter 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!"
Verse 44, how did these people respond? What does it express in the original text? "Lord, when did we see you hungry and not give you food? When did we see you thirsty and not give you drink?" This proves that they did such things, right? They must have done them.
When the King says, "I was hungry, and you did not give me food; I was thirsty, and you did not give me drink," this person says, "Lord, when were you hungry, and I did not give you food? When were you thirsty, and I did not give you drink?" This proves that they indeed did such things. But the King says, "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." The meaning is: Today, who were these good deeds done for? They were done for themselves. Do you understand?
For example, the hypocritical Pharisee said, "Wow, Lord, look at me; I am so devout; I love you so much! I am not like him; I pray three times a day..." Who is he praying to? He is praying to himself. The Bible says, "He spoke to himself." He is not talking to God; he is talking to himself. Amen!
Many people in the church, whether leading worship or serving, do not think their service is for God; in fact, they are doing it for themselves. "Lord, look how well I sing!" Is this for God? No. So God says, "You did not do it to me; you only did it for yourself."
From this perspective, think about how many times we serve in the church or in life that we are doing it before God. Many times, we are doing it for ourselves, and God does not remember such things. So remember! Brothers and sisters, everything you do for the Lord, God will remember. If it is done for yourself, God will not remember.
Through a story, you will understand this matter more clearly.
There was a king who loved his people very much, administering benevolent governance and generously giving grace to his subjects. An old man planted a particularly large radish that required two or three men to carry. The old man brought the radish before the king and said, "Your Majesty, I present to you the best radish I have ever grown, for it is the largest and best I have ever seen."
The king was very pleased and said, "Wow, I am very pleased with your heart. Well, to reward you, I will give you more land; you can go plant radishes." This news spread, and all the courtiers were inspired. Among them, one minister came to the king one day and said, "Your Majesty, I have prepared a very beautiful horse for you." The king did not react at all.
A few days later, this minister said, "Your Majesty, did you not receive the horse I gave you? Why do you treat me differently from that old man?" The king said, "That old man gave me his best radish, while your horse is for yourself."
This person saw that the old man received more land and only then offered the horse, intending to gain more for himself.
The old man offered the radish for the king; he did not seek a return. Brothers and sisters, whether in the company, family, or church, if it is done for God, it is not to let God repay you. Rather, God will repay you. If you say, "Lord, I did this and that," God says, "I do not remember you doing this; you did not do it to me; you did it for yourself." These people are trying to show off their performance before God. God says, "You evil doers, depart from me; go to that eternal punishment."
Everyone is serving. Your children, family, are your objects of service. In your work, your boss and clients are your objects of service. In the church, brothers and sisters are your objects of service. In the world, those you meet and evangelize are your objects of service. If what you do is merely to help and love them, God will reward you, and it will be a rich reward!
If you give a tenth to the church and forget about it, God will give you a rich reward and bless you, Amen! If you say, "Lord, you told me to donate one dollar, and I will reap a hundredfold." You donate one dollar and wait for a hundred dollars to come; that is a pitiful person, just like the minister mentioned earlier.
God may say, "I do not remember you putting it in." So I wish brothers and sisters that everything you do is solely for the Lord. It is truly for the good of that person, Amen! God will remember such things. Hallelujah! In the future, God will also say to you, "You who are blessed by my Father, come inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." At that time, God will give you a rich reward, Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank you! Each of us is serving. We become righteous not because our behavior is good enough, but because we believe in Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus has already paid the price for our sins, so we are justified. You tell us that after being justified, we need to have good works, and these good works are not for us to show off or for others to see; they are done before the Lord. After we do them, we do not think about them or seek a return because they are done before God, and you give us eternal rewards in the future!
Lord Jesus, instill this heart in us, so we can love one another and serve one another with love. Because you have told us that when we love our brothers, we are loving God. Jesus, give me this strength; in this week, everything I do is not for myself but for the Lord. Thank you and praise you! In the name of Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen!