Which Flock are You In?

Series: The Gospel Truth

Text: Mt 25:31-46; Ez 34:17-24; Eph 2:10

Introduction: (What?)

We are still looking at the “Eight Days that Changed the World”. Judgment is coming. That is a fact. And when it comes there will no time for changing sides (flocks). What we do between now and judgment will determine our reward or punishment. As in the entire Olivet Discourse, Jesus continued to emphasize the importance of readiness. You can’t wait until the last moment and then decide which line you’re going to get it. You are either a sheep or a goat; which flock does your behavior dictate that you are in?

Examination: (Why?)

1. The Good Shepherd Speaks

The background for this parable (which is really not a parable because it is too literal) comes from the prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 34:17-24 “17 “ ‘As for you, my flock, the Lord God says this: Look, I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and goats. 18 Isn’t it enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Or isn’t it enough that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Yet my flock has to feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied. 20 “ ‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over, 22 I will save my flock. They will no longer be prey, and I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will establish over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd. 24 I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.”

In this passage God has declared Himself to be the Chief Shepherd of Israel. Beginning in v 17 He said, “Look, I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and goats.” God Himself will be the judge. He admonished the sheep to pay attention and not destroy the pasture while they are grazing. The application is that while Christians take in the sustenance of scripture, they often ignore the plight of the poor in their midst. While they drink the pure water of the Word, they muddy the water for those less fortunate. It is not enough to KNOW the Word, we must APPLY the word by being OBEDIENT to it.

God Himself is the only One who can sort out those who are living the Word and those who are only gorging themselves on it. In the story of the Sheep and the Goats it is Jesus who takes on the office of Judge. While there are physical differences between sheep and goats, there are also behavioral differences from the way they graze to the way they fight. The chief difference theologically is that the sheep typify those who accept and obey the commands of the shepherd and who depend upon the flock for safety and comfort, while the goats are more independent and reject the direction of the shepherd.

2. Are You doing the Good Work? (Eph 2:10; Mt 25:31-39)

The picture here is Jesus sitting on the judges bench and meting out justice. All nations, Jew and Gentile will stand before Him. He will separate them not according to ethnicity, but rather according to how they have responded to the Word of God. Knowing it is not the essential response, but doing it is critical. Of course we think that we must know it in order to do it, but Paul indicated otherwise. In Ro. 2:13-14 “13 For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. 14 So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law, do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law.”

This is not saying that you can get to heaven by doing good to your neighbors or to the poor. It is saying that your salvation will be proven by your good works. Paul wrote in Eph 2:10 “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” When Jesus comes to occupy His throne during the Millennial Reign, He will deal with (according to John McArthur) those who are alive when He comes. Why is this important to us? It is important because we don’t know when He will return to set up His Millennial Kingdom. We could well be those gathered around His throne. Those approved by Jesus because of their faith and actions, will join the martyrs who died for their faith and are at this point resurrected (the first resurrection) to rule with Christ for 1,000 years. (Rev 20:4-6 “4 Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”

The “sheep” (believers) will be given a place at Jesus’s right hand---the place of favor. The goats (unbelievers) will be consigned to His left hand---the place of those destined to a place of dishonor and rejection.

Jesus gave us the deciding factor in Mt 25:31-39 “31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation 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 took me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited 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? 38 When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you? And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.”

Those who minister to needy Christ-followers (brothers and sisters of Mine) are doing the “good works” that grow out of salvation (Eph 2:10) They are not even aware that they are actually ministering to Christ Himself in their acts of selfless service. Their service is not rendered so that they will be rewarded, but rather grows out of their surrender to Christ.

3. You Can’t Work for Jesus and Ignore His People (Mt 25:41-46)

Mt 25:41-46 “41 “Then he will also say to those on the 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 didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.’ 44 “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 “Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.””

There are some people who say, “I’m a Christian, but I just don’t need the church.” Nothing could be further from the truth. We are created for community and we are saved to become a part of a particular community called “the church”. We don’t get members of the church through our marketing or our “branding”. God brings into the church those He wants to be there. That is the reason that we don’t vote people into membership here. When someone comes to join our church we believe that God sent them and has a reason for their becoming part of our fellowship. The church in the book of Acts was local. They had a membership roll. They knew how many had joined. The same is true throughout the NT as the gospel spread from place to place. Paul’s letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians were all addressed to “local churches”. The letters to the seven churches in Revelation were all addressed to local churches. The “church universal” is the church all over the world, but the “local church” is the one where God wants us planted. When Jesus, the Good Shepherd” speaks to the “sheep”, He commends them for what they have done for those in the flock who are hungry, thirsty, sick, in need or incarcerated. How do I know that He meant those in the flock? Because He called them “brothers and sisters of mine.” Paul reminds us in Ro 8:29 “29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

When Jesus speaks to the “goats” He addresses the fact that they did nothing for those in the Family of God. They may well be church members, but they are illegitimate children. They have never surrendered to Christ and thus have not become a part of His Forever Family. They are in a church for what they can get from it not from what they can give to and through it.

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)

Have you surrendered to Jesus? Have you given Him access to every part of your life? If not, today may be your last opportunity to do so.

Is God “planting” you into the local fellowship of Faith Baptist Church? Does He want you to bring your passions, abilities and spiritual gifts here to help the church fulfill its mission? If so, we welcome you to come and join us.