Grant Fishbook, Lead Teaching Pastor
Matthew 25:31–46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people 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 his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
+ Click to add your own note
The Bible says:
1. There are and there are
+ Click to add your own note
Your to the Shepherd determines your eternity.
Your determine your allegiance.
+ Click to add your own note
John 10:1–6, 14–16
“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Both the sheep and goats call Jesus Lord…
they both have a knowledge of him….
yet one group ends up .
+ Click to add your own note
2. Both the sheep and the goats are
+ Click to add your own note
3. Guiding Principle: I treat God the same way I treat those who are .
If you look closer there is a two-fold responsibility:
To everyone (all people, all the time) and to the other sheep (those within God’s family).
+ Click to add your own note
4. The King small acts of kindness that we have forgotten.
16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.
17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. Malachi 3:16-18
+ Click to add your own note
Small Group Questions
- When you picture the moment Jesus describes separating sheep from goats, what emotions come up for you? How does this image shape the way you think about accountability before God?
- In John 10, Jesus says his sheep know his voice. What helps you recognize and follow Jesus’ voice in your daily life? What distracts or drowns it out?
- Jesus links love for him with care for “the least of these.” Who are the least of these in your world right now, and what would it look like to serve them this week?
- The righteous in the parable didn’t even realize they were serving Jesus. Can you share a time when someone’s small act of kindness deeply impacted you—or when you served someone without realizing how meaningful it was?
- If Jesus were to reframe your understanding of following him based on this passage, what might he want to change in your heart, habits, or priorities?
- How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?