Last Sunday in the Church Year – Series
A – Proper 29 (November 26, 2017)
“How Should We Then Live?” (Matthew
25:31-46)
A
few years back, the Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer wrote a
book entitled, How Should We
Then Live? The subject of the
book is how Western Civilization has moved from a Christian worldview
to an increasingly secular worldview, a worldview that says,
“Religion has no place. Morals and Values are all relative. There
are no absolutes.” Schaeffer then proceeds to answer the question,
“As Christians living in this age, how should we then live?”
In
a sense, this is what our Gospel text attempts to answer, but in a
little different way. With the Day of Judgment approaching, Jesus
answers for us the question, “How Should We Then Live?” As we
hear what Jesus has to say about the coming Judgment, we find that he
has a lot to say about the “what” and the "how,” but not
about the “when.” In fact, earlier in chapter 25, Jesus said,
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour”
(Matt. 25:13). Jesus never told us to make predictions. He did tell
us to “Watch” … “Be prepared.” While we watch and prepare,
“How should we then live?” How should conduct ourselves as we
look forward to the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus?
After
hearing today’s Gospel reading, wouldn't you like to BE A SHEEP?
The sheep are the ones who, in the judgment, are going to be on the
right hand of King Jesus. The right hand of the king is the place of
power and honor. The sheep are also the ones who will receive
eternal life. Certainly, as we wait for the coming of Jesus, it
would be good to BE A SHEEP.
So
how do you get to BE A SHEEP? You become a sheep through Holy
Baptism and by faith in Christ as your Savior from sin. Our text
says, “Come, you who are blessed
by my Father.” That blessing
comes through the gift of faith that God gives to you by the Holy
Spirit through water and the Word. To be “blessed” means to have
good things spoken about you. This is what God does when you are
justified by faith in Christ. He “speaks good things” about you.
He does not condemn you. He declares you “not guilty.” Your
sins will not be counted against you on Judgment Day.
Sheep
also listen to the voice of their shepherd. They follow his voice.
They are comforted by the sound of his voice and are strengthened in
the knowledge that he is near. As adopted children of God, you
listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd Jesus. You hear it in His
Word, the Bible. You follow his voice. You are comforted when you
hear his words of forgiveness. Your faith is strengthened as you
keep on hearing his Word as we gather together in worship and study.
I
guess the next question is “What's wrong with being a goat?”
What does God have against goats? Nothing, really, since goats were
also used as sacrifices for in the Old Testament. But this is not
the kind of goat that Jesus is referring to here. He is using a
picture of what went on in the fields of Jerusalem in that day.
Sheep and goats were pastured together. At night, they were divided
into separate folds.
This
is a picture of what will happen on the Last Day. The king will
separate the believers from the unbelievers, the sheep and the goats.
They live together in the world, but on the Last Day they will be
separated one from another. The sheep are the faithful, while the
goats are those who have no faith in Christ.
Note
also that the unfaithful ones are “cursed”
and sent
“into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Compare this with the inheritance
of the faithful ones: “the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Life in God’s eternal kingdom is a gift. The sheep did nothing to
deserve it. It was prepared for them by God. The eternal fire where
the goats are sent was not prepared for them, but for the devil and
his angels. It was never God's intention to send men to hell. They
are sent there by their own fault, because of their own denial and
rejection of Christ. They do not place their faith in him nor do
they trust in his death on the cross and his rising to life again for
their deliverance from sin, death, and the devil.
So,
BE A SHEEP. Listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd who says, “My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give
them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch
them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).
The
King also tells us that, as we wait for his return, we are to serve
him. Part of being a sheep is to SERVE JESUS. Specifically, our
text is speaking of serving one another as fellow Christians, for the
King says, “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,
you did it to me.” Throughout the Bible, God urges us to take care
of the poor and downtrodden. But here, Jesus says specifically
“These my brothers.” We are Christ's brothers and sisters
through faith. He is the Son of God. We are adopted children of God
in Baptism. And we show God's love to the world as we care for each
other. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
What
a terrible witness it is to the world when Christians gossip,
quarrel, and hold grudges towards their fellow Christians. It is
even worse when they hate their fellow brothers and sisters in
Christ. We daily need to ask God's forgiveness and be strengthened
so we can love one another and serve Jesus by serving one another.
In
the power of the Holy Spirit, we will also naturally serve our fellow
members of the Body of Christ as an outgrowth of our faith. It is
prompted by our love for Jesus and the love that He first showed to
us. It will be so natural that oftentimes we won't even be aware
that we are doing it. It is an un-self-conscious, un-selfish
service. It is a service that keeps no record of what you have done.
When you approach God's throne on Judgment Day, you will not say,
“Look at all of these good things that we did in your name, Jesus.”
Instead, listen to what those who are righteous by faith will say:
“Lord, when did we see you
hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we
see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And
when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?”
The King replies, “As you did it to one of the least of these my
brothers, you did it to me.” We serve Jesus in the great tasks of
the kingdom. But we especially serve Him in the small, insignificant
tasks, too, like the ones mentioned. We will be unaware of the many
ways in which we served Jesus in our lifetime. But we don't rely on
what we have done to save us. That’s all God’s doing, by his
grace in Christ. The good works that we do are simply the evidence
of the presence of saving faith in our hearts.
The
ones on the other side, however, do not serve Jesus. They deny both
Christ and his brothers. By their failure to serve Christ, they show
that they have no faith in their hearts. They may have done great
humanitarian deeds, helping many people, but their deeds were never a
confession of faith. There were other motives involved other than
serving Jesus and his brothers. In fact, they may have mistreated
Christians. They may have mocked Christianity and the Church. They
were blinded by their sinfulness. They were not even aware that they
were not serving Christ by what they were doing … or NOT doing.
Jesus will say to them, “As you did not do it to one of the least
of these, you did not do it to me.”
The
thought of “Judgment Day” brings fear to many a heart. Judgment
Day will indeed be a day of wrath. But for the Christian covered in
the blood of Jesus, there doesn’t need to be any fear. Only love
and hope. Only faith and expectation. If we die, we will be with
Jesus. If we are still living on this earth when he returns, we will
be with Jesus.
“HOW
SHOULD WE THEN LIVE?” BE A SHEEP. Keep on listening to the voice
of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He forgives, he comforts, and he
strengthens us in the power of the Holy Spirit so we can serve him.
“HOW
SHOULD WE THEN LIVE?” SERVE JESUS. Serve Him by serving each
other as a natural, faithful response to the love that he first
showed to us at the cross, earning for us eternal life with him in
his heavenly kingdom.
Amen.
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