Africa Message

Sheep and Goats

Our call as the people of God, as the ones who trust in Jesus for salvation and life can be summed as Micah 6:8 says

Micah 6:8 CSB

Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

This is the will of God. There are other things but our action is this. Elsewhere it is summed up as love the Lord your God and love others as yourself. I just really like the way God sums it up for us in Micah. We are to be people who do the will of God.

This is the heart of what God desires from His people. Jesus taught the same truth in the story of the sheep and goats — showing us what it looks like when God’s people live this out.

Matthew 25:31–46 CSB

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 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. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. 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. “ ‘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; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? 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.’ “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! For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; 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.’ “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?’ “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.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Jesus says there are those who do His will and those who do not. The sheep did His will. They embodied the call of Micah 6:8. They acted justly, they loved faithfulness, and they were humble before God.

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that we have in Jesus a high priest that is able to sympathize with our weakness.

He knows what it means to be hungry. He was in the desert for 40 days with no food. He experienced hunger.

He knows what it means to be thirsty. On the cross He says, I thirst.

He had no place to live. He tells the first disciples that foxes have dens, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.

He was naked. On the cross they took His clothes and left Him exposed in open shame.

Jesus was sick in that He was flogged and pierced or our transgressions. He did not contract an illness but He completely understands what it means to be in pain.

He was also in prison of sorts when He was being questioned by the officials and no on visited Him. He was left all alone, His disciples scattered.

Jesus knows what it means to feel what we feel. He knows what it means to suffer. He also has a special place in His heart for those who suffer the same way. He also has a special place in His heart for those who care for those who suffer.

Jesus wants His people to care for those who need care.

Act Justly

The sheep in Jesus’ parable acted justly. There are a few ways to think about the phrase act justly. We can think of it like to “work for justice” or “do justly”. What does it mean to work for or to do justly?

In its most simple terms it means work for what is right or do what is right.

Proverbs 3:27–28 CSB

When it is in your power, don’t withhold good from the one to whom it belongs. Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go away! Come back later. I’ll give it tomorrow”—when it is there with you.

Do what is right when it is right. To do justly is always in season. There is always time to do what is right.

The sheep in Jesus’ story, acted justly taking care of those in need we are not just called to have pity, but to do justice.

Jesus says the sheep helped with food, solved thirst, housed the homeless, clothed the naked, took care of the sick, and visited those in prison.

On person cannot do everything. One person cannot solve all the worlds problems. But we can come together and do more than we can alone. We can band together and do more together as you are already doing.

We are all in need at different times. We all have times when we would not make it without the help of others who come to us.

In my own family we went through a time when we had no food for our three children. It was other believers who did justly. Who gave when we were in need.

At times we be the ones in need or the ones to help.

And we can pray. Prayer is never the last thing we do but the first, second, third, and fourth thing we do. We pray and ask the Lord of the Harvest to send workers. We pray and ask God for the rain to come to water the crops, to fill the wells, and so on. We pray and trust that God will bring what and who is needed to care for the sheep.

We do justly by seeking the face of God and doing what He calls us to do.

We should desire to be like the sheep in Jesus’ parable and do justly.

You are doing what they did. You are doing justly.

You already live this out — caring for your neighbors, visiting the sick, helping those who struggle. This is what Jesus celebrates.

Love Faithfulness

We also know the sheep loved loved faithfulness. How do we know this? Because this was their overall lifestyle. We do not see Jesus saying they did this as a one-time thing. They continued in this. This was what they were known for. They were a people who gave their life to the service of the sheep in need. This was their way.

What is faithfulness? In the Hebrew it is the word Hesed and God uses this word for how He acts towards us. It is His consistent goodness towards regardless of us deserving it. He is good towards us that is His way. He makes His face shine upon us.

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

“May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

This is how God has Hesed or faithfulness to us.

We are called to have the same thing, consistent good towards others. We do not strike back when they strike, we do not return insult for insult. We love continually. We make it our way. We are good towards others as a lifestyle. That is our way. That is just who we are.

I have a friend who regularly reaches out to me to check on me. He does not do this just when things are wrong but regularly, it is his way towards me. He is faithful in this.

Jesus says our faithfulness matters,

Luke 16:10 CSB

Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.

How we are in the little things we will be with more. If we are faithful with a little we will be faithful with much.

Faithfulness can be hard. It can be draining to continue to do good. It can be difficult when day after day the same thing keeps happening. We just keep doing the same thing and sometimes we do not see a result. We start to wonder if we are even making a difference.

Does it matter, does anyone care, am I wasting my time? Faithfulness does not get seen by what we do in a day, or a week, or even in a month. Faithfulness is seen over a long period of time. It is doing what is right even when we do not see a result but we trust that God is working through our faithfulness.

Faithfulness is constancy like showing up in the village time and time again to love, to help, and to share Christ with those God has given us influence over.

We should desire to be faithful like the sheep in Jesus’ story.

You are doing what they did. You are loving faithfully.

In this land where people depend on one another — to share water, to help during planting and harvest — you show what it means to act justly and love faithfully.

Walk Humbly with God

The sheep in Jesus’ story had humility. How do we know this? They did not see it as anything other than their duty. The sheep just did this. They were surprised when the Master said it was service to them.

Matthew 25:37–39 CSB

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’

Jesus says, what you did for the least of my brothers and sisters you did for me.

What we do to the people of God, Jesus counts it as service to Him. We see this here and with Saul when Jesus knocks him off his donkey. He says to Saul, Saul Saul, why do you persecute me? Saul was confused but Jesus says when you persecute His people you are really doing it to Him.

When we love the people of God, when we care for those in need. When we love the least of these we are doing it for and to Jesus.

The sheep in Jesus’ story were just doing justly and doing it faithfully. They were not trying to earn points with God, not that we can, they were not trying to make a name for themselves. They were just doing what needed to be done because it needed to be done. That is what we do when we are humble with God. We just do what needs to be done.

Jesus tells us our attitude should be Luke 17:10

Luke 17:10 CSB

In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we’ve only done our duty.’ ”

Lord we are just doing what we are supposed to do. There is no room to brag. No room to make a name for ourselves. It is just what He told us to do. How simple life becomes when we just do what God calls us to do. How sweet it becomes.

When we focus on just doing the will of God we find all that we need. Jesus understood this.

John 4:34 CSB

“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work,” Jesus told them.

And how sweet that food is. We desire His will and in doing it just because He is worthy of it, we find that we are working for Him. This is humility.

You are doing the work and walking humbly with God.

I’ve seen how churches here come together — how believers join hands to meet needs. That is the heart of the sheep Jesus spoke of.

Act Justly, Love Faithfulness, and Walk Humbly with God

Jesus more than anyone possible demonstrated what it means to act justly, love faithfulness, and walk humbly with God.

Jesus cared for the poor, the outcast, and the forgotten.

Jesus always demonstrated faithfulness. He never wavered even when it meant His death. He stood firm.

Jesus was humble before God praying, not my will but your will be done.

The Shepherd is the ultimate example of how to be a loving sheep.

He is our guide. I am blessed to be here today to share the word and the work with you all.

In this land where people depend on one another — sharing water, helping during planting and harvest — you show what it means to act justly and love faithfully.

Thank you for your love for those who are hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, and in prison. Some of these things are physical at times and some are spiritual and you love and show love as the ones who will inherit the kingdom.