The finishing of another sermon by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew...Matthew 25:31-46
One of the tomato plants for the deck this year. The house is looking like a greenhouse lately as we get ready for the growing season window in this part of the country. Stephanie has the green thumb and I'm the water boy.
We finished up Jesus' 5th sermon, the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24 & 25, this Sunday. It was great to go through this passage again with Jesus speaking directly about His 2nd coming. He makes it clear that there are only 2 groups and 2 destinations. This week we looked at His sheep on His right hand and the goats on the left. One is judged to eternal life and the other to eternal punishment.
It was interesting to see how Jesus used possession when speaking about His sheep and left off the possession when He talked about the goats. Jesus also went back to the theme of focusing more on the "how" rather than the "when" and "what." He focused on how the sheep were responding and how the goats were not responding. When the sheep say, "When did we see You..." I thought of the quality of doing the right thing when no one is looking. Maybe the goats would have said, "If we would have known it was you then we would have done something."
Jesus lays out the sentencing like a judge of our day. He gives reason for why one is receiving one thing and the other is receiving another. He also gives His disciple another huge truth to hold onto and preach. Jesus is directly related to His bride, the church. If you aid one of His children, you aid Him and if you harm one of His children, you have stabbed Him. The Apostle Paul is a great example of this at his conversion on the Damascus Road. Jesus responds with, "Why are you persecuting Me?" He does say "My people" or "the Christians of the Way." Paul's plans would harm them but the truth is that it directly impacts Jesus, God's one and only Son, the Savior of the world.
Another truth is that this evidence of a person helping the "My brethen" of Jesus shows the heart change of that individual only performed by Jesus. The love of God within is shown by the love of the brethren without. No show of the love of the brethen then the love of God is not within. It is evidence but not the cause of salvation. The cause of our salvation is clear that it is not of ourselves or our good works but by "the" good work of Jesus on the cross. 1 John 3:14-18 bears this out.
We know that we have passed from death to life (how?), because we love the brethren. He who does not love the brethren abides in death.
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (A harking back to the Sermon on the Mount)
By this we know love (how?), because He laid down His life for us. (So...) And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (The disciple acting like his master)
But whoever has this world's goods, and see his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? (Good question)
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. (Both are needed to have full gospel impact)
The parenthesis are mine. It made us think about who the tribulation Christians stuck out their necks for their persecuted brothers and how much do we love Jesus' brethren during our time? Are we actively caring for one another when we see a need? The scriptures say that this is an indication if we possess the love of God. The only way we can possess the love of God is if our heart has been changed by Him from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. The passage above says that we shut up our hearts for others. That is a hard heart. Lord change our hearts so we see Your children as You do and treat them with Holy Spirit directed help and in turn glorify You.
Adam (link below to the sermon)
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