Rev. David Holwick P Parables of Jesus
First Baptist Church Sheep and Goats
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 1, 2016
Matthew 25:31-46
DO YOU BAAH OR MEEH?
I. An internet debate.
A. What sounds do animals make?
1) The cow goes ... moo.
2) The cat goes ... meow.
3) The sheep goes ... baah.
4) And the goat goes ... ??
a) You have to think about that one.
b) What sound does a goat actually make?
c) "Meeh" seems to be the best answer.
B. Some animals get no respect.
1) Sheep figure in nursery rhymes, insomnia cures, and stained
glass windows in churches [point to "Jesus & Sheep"].
2) You hardly see a goat in anything.
3) One reason may be today's parable: The Sheep and the Goats.
a) It is really more of an extended simile than a parable,
but the image sticks with you.
b) Goats don't come out on top. They are rejected, cast
off.
c) Could you be a goat?
II. The separation.
A. The scene is the great Judgment Day.
1) Jesus has come in glory with his angelic army, just like
Daniel 7:13-14.
2) He sits on his throne and dispenses judgment.
a) It is interesting that "nations" are gathered but
individual people are judged (separated).
b) God's judgment is ultimately personal.
1> You are not judged for the group you are in, but
for the person you are.
B. His judgment is compared to a shepherd separating his flocks.
1) Commentators say that goats are not as insulated as sheep
so they need to be put in a group at night to keep warm.
a) Some suggest that goats were less valuable than sheep
but there is no real evidence for this.
2) The Bible itself does not usually put goats in a bad light.
a) When it came to sacrifices, goats were often
interchangeable with sheep.
b) One exception is the "scapegoat" which symbolically
carried the sins of the community - just like Jesus
did for us.
c) And the book of Daniel has a goat that symbolizes
Greece that attacks other sheep nations.
1> Otherwise, goats are not bad guys in the Bible.
3) The point is not that one creature is more worthy than
another, but that a distinction is going to be made.
C. One group gets into God's kingdom, the other is excluded.
1) It is eternal life vs. eternal punishment and fire.
2) This is far more than animal husbandry! Pay close attention.
III. Who are "the least of these"?
A. Christian brothers and sisters.
1) The term "brothers" is usually specific to believers,
especially in the Gospel of Matthew.
a) (Newer Bible versions like to translate this as
"brothers and sisters" so no one feels left out.)
b) Jesus also refers to his followers as "little ones"
because they are supposed to be dependent on God.
2) While Christians can, and should, love everyone, the focus
of Jesus' teaching here would be oppressed Christians.
a) He knew his disciples would face many hardships and
have to stick together to survive.
b) The way we are treating other Christians shows how we
really feel about Jesus.
B. Any needy person.
1) This has been the most popular interpretation.
2) Jesus certainly showed compassion to those outside his
faith group, the Jews.
3) He also taught that loving your own kind is what even
bad people do - we are called to be better than that.
Matthew 5:46 -- "If you love those who love you, what
reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors
doing that?"
4) Many of Jesus' parables about the Kingdom seem to deal with
real and fake believers, and ignore everyone else.
a) The key concept here is that Jesus is in disguise.
b) When we are confronted by those in need, he is there.
IV. Our sentence is based on simple actions.
A. The sheep have not done stupendous things.
1) The categories deal with the ordinary needs of life:
a) Food
b) Drink
c) Hospitality
d) Clothing
e) Comfort
f) Prison visits
2) They have shown compassion rather than performed miracles.
There is an ancient story about a Roman soldier named
Martin.
He was a Christian in what is now Tours, France, way back
in the 4th century.
One cold winter day, as he was entering a city, a beggar
stopped him and asked for a handout.
Martin had no money, but the beggar was blue and shivering
with cold, so Martin decided to give what he had.
He took off his soldier's coat, worn and frayed as it was,
and cut it in two.
He gave half of it to the beggar.
That night Martin had a dream.
In it he saw the heavenly places and all the angels and
Jesus in the midst of them, and Jesus was wearing half a
Roman soldier's cloak.
One of the angels said to Jesus, "Master, why are you
wearing that battered old cloak?
Who gave it to you?"
Jesus answered softly, "My servant Martin gave it to me."
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B. The goats have not done wicked things.
1) Their sentence is based on sins of omission.
2) It is what they have NOT done, rather than what they have.
C. Both groups are stunned.
1) The sheep did not realize they had done things for Jesus,
and the goats did not think they had neglected him.
2) Note that both sheep and goats call Jesus "Lord."
a) The goats may have THOUGHT they were really Christians,
but they weren't.
b) I am sure if they knew it was Jesus they would have
acted differently.
c) Their actions (or lack) reveal the reality of their
hearts.
V. Are we saved by our works or His grace?
A. The sentence seems to be based on how they treated other people.
1) Their actions and not their faith are mentioned.
2) One pastor makes the observation that the defining
difference between a sheep and a goat is how one responds
to human need.
B. Does this mean we are judged on our works after all?
1) Those who reduce Christianity to morality might prefer this,
but many other verses go against it.
2) Salvation is all due to God's grace.
a) In verse 34 notice that the sheep are already
blessed by God, and the kingdom has been prepared
for them long ago.
b) We are not saved by our works, but by his grace.
3) Yet genuine salvation will be evident in our fruit.
a) God's grace should lead to merciful acts by us.
b) It should happen unconsciously and often.
VI. Live what you believe.
A. Service should flow naturally from your faith.
1) Be compassionate in your everyday life.
a) Don't ignore those people who seem invisible.
b) Pay attention to those who can do nothing in return.
2) Don't overlook small acts of kindness.
a) Even a simple word of praise can change someone's day.
b) Jesus speaks of a reward for sharing a cup of water.
1> Anybody can do that!
B. You determine who you will be.
Dr. William J. Youmans shares this story:
Back in 1936, before the civil rights era, when Jim Crow laws
were in effect, Price Gwynn was a professor at a small
southern college.
He frequently gathered friends for discussion on philosophy,
religion and politics.
One day, he called a black professor from a nearby college
to come and be part of their discussions.
Price let this black man sleep in their home, upstairs where
the family slept.
They ate together, and spent time together.
What he did wasn't illegal, but it just wasn't done.
And the town began to talk.
Soon Mrs. Gwynn stopped being invited to social gatherings in
their town.
Mr. Gwynn was passed up for his next faculty appointment at
the college.
Their son even got beat up at school.
That night, the son couldn't sleep.
He began to hear loud voices behind the closed door of his
parents' room.
He crept down the hall and listened in.
He heard his mother talking loudly to his father.
She was normally quiet and soft spoken, but not tonight.
He could hear her voice rising as she spoke harshly to her
husband.
"Just what do you think you are doing. You've ruined our lives.
Our neighbors won't talk to us, even our church friends treat
us different since you brought that black man into our house.
And now your own son has been hurt, if you even care about that."
Professor Gwynn said, "You know I care.
You are right, I have ruined everything ....
But I've just got to do what I believe."
That is the difference between the sheep and the goats.
The sheep believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and did what
they believed!
They took on themselves the very character of Christ, not out
of a law or a command, or out of guilt or compulsion.
They took on Christ's character because they believed in him.
Then, so naturally and so humbly, they simply did what they
believed.
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1) You also will do what you believe.
2) Don't ask yourself what you believe - ask your neighbor
(even better, the lowest person in church) what you
believe.
a) They can see more clearly that you can.
b) Will they see Jesus in you?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 4962 “Generosity,” William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 2
(Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975) 326; quoted in Rev. Brett
Blair's Illustrations by Email, www.sermonillustrations.com,
November 21, 1999.
#65193 “I’ve Just Got To Do What I Believe,” Dr. William J. Youmans,
Kerux Sermon #20932, “A Look at the Final Day.”
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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