Bah, Bah, Versus Nah, Nah
The Final Discourse No. 8 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsTrue saving faith is active, not passive.
Notes
Transcript
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When you look at the title for today’s message you may think that I was sleep deprived when I came up with that title. And you would probably be correct.
Several years back there was a series of commercial for the supplemental health insurance named Aflac. Most of them featured a goose that was going around say “aflac” whenever it honked its horn. But one commercial featured a billy-goat which represented a supposed competitor’s product.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ixckCSoN9M
That commercial came to my mind this week as I studied the judgment of the nations, as presented in our text for this morning, .
Today, we come to the closing section of Jesus’ final discourse as recorded in Matthew’s gospel account. It is also the ending of this one very long day which began in . This was a very eventful day. Here are some of the highlights of this day:
Jesus’ authority challenged by the Sanhedrin
Jesus’ telling of the Parable of Two Sons
Jesus’ telling of the Parable of the Landowner
Jesus telling of the Parable of the Marriage Feast
Attempts to trap Jesus:
The Pharisees and Herodians
The Sadducees
The Pharisees again
The Exposing of Pharisaism
The Pronouncement of Eight Woes
Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem
The Olivet Discourse
The first portion of the Olivet Discourse was in response to the questions raised by the disciples regarding the timing of the destruction of the Temple which Jesus had prophesied, and the signs of His coming at the end of the age.
The latter portion of this discourse has been concerned with how people should live in light of Christ’s imminent return.
Leading up to today’s passage, Jesus told a series of parables which seems to have to do with the professing or visible church during the Tribulation period. In these parables He made comparisons between sensible and evil slaves, stupid and sensible virgins, and industrious and lazy slaves.
Our passage this morning does not rightly qualify as a parable, though many have called it that since Jesus does make use of a comparison. Comparing the visible church to sheep and goats. This comparison was drawn from every day use in first century Israel, so it would have been readily understood by the disciples.
As we go through this passage this morning, I want you to keep in mind that true saving faith is active, and not passive.
Let’s read our passage together.
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
Jesus equates Himself with God
OT always pictures Yaweh as being the judge who sits on the throne
All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
Some see the “nations” as being Gentiles, distinct from Israel
Others see “nations” as “peoples”
The term can be used either way depending on the context, I prefer “peoples” to nations in this context
and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
Commonly sheep and goats would be put out to pasture together during the day. But at night goats needed a warmer place to stay since they did not have wool to protect them from the element as did sheep.
In this context the flock, made up of both sheep and goats, represents the visible church which is made up of both true believers and pretenders. These pretenders are not necessarily enemies of the gospel, such atheists, Islamic Jihadist, etc. Rather they are folks who have made a profession of faith, but were not true believers. On the outside they may look similar, but there will be a sharp distinction between those whose faith is active and those whose faith is passive. Let’s look at the sheep whose faith is active.
The Activity of the Sheep
The Activity of the Sheep
Look with me at verses 34-40.
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
First let’s consider when this will take place, as it relates to a timeline of sorts. The Great Tribulation will be the last three and a half years of the seven year period. That is a total of 1260 days, which is written about both in the Book of the Revelation and in Daniel. Daniel also spoke of an expanded period of 1290 days, which is thirty days more than the three and half year period.
He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.
From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
Furthermore, Daniel wrote about 1335 day period.
How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!
Altogether there seems to be a 75 day period after Christ returns in judgment, before the inauguration of His Messianic kingdom. If I’m correct then it would be during this period of time that Christ will judge the nations, and do whatever else needs to be accomplished before beginning His reign. Now I always try to put the caveat of “If I’m correct,” because, well it’s just really hard to be overly dogmatic about such things.
Notice that the sheep, that is, in this context, Tribulation Saints, are to
Inherit the kingdom prepared for [them] before the foundation of the world.
I love that word inherit; to me it implies birth. And we have been wondrously born again into a new and living way! What is it that they will inherit? It is a kingdom. When was this kingdom prepared? Before the foundation of the world! Ain’t that somethin’?
Though I believe the application is broader than the context of the Tribulation period, when we consider these acts of love and faith as mentioned here, with the Tribulation period in mind, it amplifies them greatly.
During the Tribulation those who do not receive the Mark of the Beast will be unable to buy or sell, and so the simple daily necessities will be harder than ever for a Tribulation Saint to acquire. That means the sacrifice of sharing ones worldly goods will be all the more sacrificial.
When I read the reasoning behind the blessing that Christ is giving to the sheep it reminds me of such folks as the family of Anne Frank, or Corrie Ten Boom and family during the reign of Adolph Hitler.
Notice for a moment.
Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
The sheep are now being referred to as righteous. Not that they had a righteousness of their own derived from keeping the law, but the righteous of Christ that is by faith. Active faith!
Notice again the surprise of the righteous ones.
Finally note the King’s reply in
The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Who are these brothers of mine?
Some see this as a reference to Jews
Others see it as a reference to disciples in general
I see this being a reference to those who are within the household of faith
However, we cannot neglect do good things for those who are not believers — they still fall under the category of being our neighbor, and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves
What did Christ mean when He said:
To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me?
First, note the emphasis given to the least of them. As the pastor of this assembly I have been privileged to serve a group of people who have bent over backwards in sacrificial service to me and my family. Not many pastors of churches our size earn the generous salary that I do. Which means that you folks reach deep into your pocket books to give to this ministry. And I’m extremely grateful for your service! But do we give sacrificial to those who don’t hold a prominent position in this particular faith community? I can’t answer that question. But perhaps you can.
Next note the phrase you did it to Me! How can it be said that in serving others we did a kindness to Christ? It could be that it is along the lines of what the author of Hebrews wrote:
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
The more likely possibility, I believe, is that it has to do with this wonderful union that the believer in Jesus shares with Him. His death is our death. His resurrection in our resurrection. Our sin became His sin. His righteousness became our righteousness. And doing good to one who is in union with Him is quite literally doing good to Him!
There are some things that we should note about faith and works as we consider this passage.
Works of kindness do not produce salvation, but salvation produces works of kindness
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Active faith must flow out of love
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Active faith is visible
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
Active faith is measurable
What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
Let’s turn our attention briefly to
The Passivity of the Goats
The Passivity of the Goats
Look with at verses 41-46.
Notice
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
It is interesting that inheritance of sheep was prepared before the foundation of the world. Whereas the inheritance of the goats was simply prepared, with no mention of it being before the foundation of the world.
In the context of the Tribulation, it would seem that there will be those who associate themselves with Christ, and yet are not true believers. It would seem that they will refuse the mark of the beast, and yet still not truly embrace the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for their salvation. Such ones will not be willing to help out their so-called brothers by sharing their food, drink, home, clothing, etc. with them. In other words, their faith is passive, and not active.
Passive faith ignores the needs of those within the community of faith
As mentioned earlier, I believe that the application is broader than the Tribulation period. And it gives me great pause to evaluate my own life.
This past Wednesday evening, when I returned home from prayer meeting, I found that we had a voicemail on our house phone. So I checked it, and it was from a gentleman who had gotten my home number from the church’s answering machine. This man, who is 69 years old, in unable to drive at this present time. And he is looking for a church that would be willing to pick him up and bring him to church. No one from his former church was willing to go out of their way to do so. He is also looking for a person to drive him to the grocery store on occasion. But he’s also lonely, just wanting a friend. Someone to go out for coffee with. Someone to take him fishing or hunting (he has a 16 foot bass boat, but his truck, which he is unable to drive at present, is broken down).
As I was driving home Thursday morning from dropping some kids off at school in Sand Creek, it struck me as to how interesting the timing of this conversation was. On a week that I am preparing a message about doing acts of kindness for the least of these, my brothers, that someone should call and ask if I would put the word out at our church that he was in need of some acts of kindness.
As we close this morning, I want to emphasize that by the time Christ gathers together all the nation before Him, it will be too late to make a credible profession of faith. It will be too late to embrace the gospel. It will be too late to buy a spiritual form of AFLAC (not that there is such a thing). At that time it will be too late for the goats to learn to say “bah, bah.” They will be forever stuck on “Nah, Nah!”
Let’s pray.