Look Closer, Part 11: The Sheep and the Goats

The Sheep and the Goats

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.”

The Bible says…

1. There are and there are

Your to the Shepherd determines your .

Your determine your .

Jesus, on sheep:
 “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. – John 10:1–6

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. – John 10:14–16

2. Both the sheep and the goats are

3. I treat the same way I treat those who are:
        a. Hungry         b. Thirsty         c. Naked         d. Sick         e. Imprisoned

We have a Two-Fold Responsibility:

To everyone (, all the time)

and to the other sheep (those within ).

4. The King small acts of kindness that we have .

Small Group Questions

1. Are you a “fair-goer” (like the NW Washington Fair)? Why or why not?
2. Read the passage out loud. What does this passage say to you about God’s character, standards and passion for people?
3. Where have you seen Jesus (as shown in the parable) this past week?
4. Read John 10:1-16 out loud. How does the heart of God reveal itself in this passage about Jesus and His relationship to the sheep? If you are a sheep, what stands out to you about the Shepherd?
5. The book of James says faith without works is dead. How does this shape the way you see the parable of the sheep and the goats?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?