Serve The Least

Notes

Opener

“During World War II, England needed to increase its production of coal. Winston Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation he asked them to picture in their minds a parade which he knew would be held in Picadilly Circus after the war.

First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.

Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner's caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, 'And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?' And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, 'We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.'"

Not all the jobs in a church are prominent and glamorous. But it is often the people with their "facs to the coal" who help the church accomplish its mission.”

Don McCullough,

Today we are talking about serving the least and to serve the least is sometimes glamourized in our day. it is far from glamerous. it is hard often dirty work. it almost always cost you something. and in return, at least in this life, there won’t be a parade… maybe not even a thank you.

But as we will see today it coudn’t be more important.

Main Text:

Matthew 25:31–46 NASB95

31 “But 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 from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and 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 of 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 invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to 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 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “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.’ 41 “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; 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; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Jesus is The King

The Kingdom of Heaven is a major theme in the Gospel of Matthew.

Right in chapter one with Jesus’ Genealogy. Its purpose is to establish Jesus as having a rightful claim to the throne of Israel through the line of Joseph.

The first words Jesus preaches is “repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”

The theme of the largest teaching we have from Jesus found in Matthew 5-7, the sermon on the Mount is all about the Kingdom of the heaven.

It starts with being the summation idea in the beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” and “blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of rigteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

To the prayer in chapter 6, “Your KINGDOM come, your will be done.”

To the warnings of entrance into the Kingdom in chapter 7, “not everyone who says to Me, “Lord Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

The Gospel is called the “Gospel of the kingdom” and “the Word of the kingdom”

He tells parable after parable after parable saying “The Kingdom of Heaven is like....”

You then get to our section and he tells these prophetic parables of what the return of the lord and final judgement will be like.

But perhaps most importantly is what happens immediately following this section. He gets charged with the crime of being “King of the Jews” and then vehemently mocked.

The King steps down off His thrown in Heaven, humbles Himself by taking on human flesh. lives among us shows us the power of the kingdom proclaiming liberty to the captive and freedom to the opporessed. He teaches and pronounces the arrival of the Kingdom. He warns that one day all people from all nations will be gathered to him, the KING, to give an account. and then he is charged and mocked by the most powerful nation on earth as being “The King of The Jews”.

If this was all the information we had this would look like a defeated King. But I want to propose to you something more problematic and more inline with what Jesus has been saying. Jesus isn’t just claiming to be the King of the Jews. He isn’t even just claiming to be the king of the entire earth! He is claiming something more absurd than that. He is claiming to be the KING OF HEAVEN. And friends it is explicit right here in this passage. This King is:

is coming with angels not men as His soldiers.

He sits on a glorious throne.

He gives (and really shares) as the inheritance from the Father who made it for them from the foundation of the World.

Jesus is not only the rightful heir to the throne of Israel but as such He is the Danielic Son of Man who is the King of the Kingdom that has no end. There is a parrallel idea at work in this passage. There are many parrallel ideas in fact. But one that is easy to miss.

The wicked, those who neglected the least, this is said of them: “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;”

Notice those who act like the devel go to place prepared for him and his messengers.

But the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of the whole word, shares His inheritance with those who are like Him! Which brings us to a fundamental question what makes a sheep a sheep and a goat a goat. There are several telling things but I think one thing really stands out. Notice they don’t become sheep as a reward. They already are sheep. And this is where you have to go into the rest of Matthew to see it. Jesus was in the business of transformation. The message of the Gospel of the Kingdom was “REPENT”. That was the very FIRST WORD! This is why in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus goes to tax collectors and sinners and those who repent and trust and follow Him He opens up the Kingdom to.

But it would be at great cost to Himself. The King of Heaven was going to die on earth. And He was going to die for a purpose. It is in the Gospel of Matthew that He tells Peter to put his sword back into its place for he could have 12 legions of angels at his disposal in a word. But what He says next is even more telling. he says: “But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets” (Matthew 26:56).

Jesus goes on to confess before the Sdanhedrian:

“I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” Matthew 26:64

And the one thing Jesus says from the cross in all of the Gospel of Matthew is “My God, My God why have you forsaken me.” Many modern day theologians have gone at great length to soften these words. It does come from Psalm 22. But even though Psalm 22 ends in a praise of triumph (and so does the cross) it doesnt mean these words don’t have importance in and of themself.

And they have particular importance for us today. Because in this passage Jesus speaks of hell: “Deaprt from me you accursed ones into eternal fire.” It is the same word used of “eternal” life so it has to mean the same. And while Jesus was never cast into eternal fire the punishment that was upon us was placed upon Him. The punishment. The judgement.

Jesus really did become the least. The King of Heaven was murdered… with a purpose… to save us from our sins. To quite simply make us into sheep.

This sets the tone for us for the rest of our discussion about service today. You see Jesus is the King of the Kingdom and worthy of our worship.... whole life on the alter presented to Him kind of worship. And even if he would have called down those angels and never experienced the cross he would still be.

BUT because He did die for our sins. He is particularly worthy. He has released us from captivity to serve the living God.

A pile of pallets on its own is worthless. But if you take those and repurpose them you can make something useful out of them. Jesus has done the impossible and take us from sinners to saints. And from rebellious goats to worshipping sheep.

Serve The King By Serving The Least!

Notice repeated 4 times is the description of the least:

hungry, thirsty, stranger (homeless), naked, sick, and the prisoner.

These are people with out the basic necessities of life that are needed to live. Or that suffering from sickness or persecution. I know jail ministry is a popular ministry in our day. And it is a noble work. But that is not talking about that here. Those are “sheep” that are in prison. So those who have suffered for the Gospel.

This is true of every qualifier “to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

How we treat the least Christian is how we treat the Christ. How we treat the least in the Kingdom is how we treat the King! How we treat the Sheep is how we treat the Shepherd.

We feel this don’t we with members of our own family. I would much rather you disrespect me then to disrespect my wife or child. I would much rather you help them on the side of the road on a snowy day in Fargo then help me. We can relate to this can’t we?

Mom’s can relate to this in a special way because it was through great pain you brought a child into the world. When a woman is giving birth. I don’t care if the president of the united states of america walks into that room no one is going to tell her what is best for her child. There is something that happens through that experience that bonds them like no other.

It was through great pain and suffering that Christ has brought us into His Kingdom.

I want to read this to you today:

Matthew 27:35–46 NASB95

35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 38 At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 “He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. 45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

It was through great suffering we were made children of God and God cares how you treat His children. He really does. If they are naked: cloth them. If they are hungry: feed them. SERVE THE LEAST.

Because when you serve the least not only do you serve God children but you serve them at their weakest and The Christ became weak so we could live. Your ministering to a child of GOd when they look the most like their suffering Savior.

LOVE THE LEAST WELL

To love the least well it takes all of you. Heart and mind. Generally people are a little more one than the other but we need to be both. Some times people who are all heart are eager to serve eager to get hands on eager to help. But they don’t always help in practical ways. feeding the hungry man who won’t work is different than feeding the hungry man who can’t work.

When Paul met with the Apostels to discuss the Gospel message he was preaching to the Gentiles the only thing they said to him (nothing else need to be added) was “remember the poor”… to which Paul replied it was the very thing I was eager to do.

Yet Paul could also say, “If a man doesnt work he doesn’t eat.” He could also say, “Any man who doesn’t provide for his own household is worse than an unbeliever.” Often times ministering to the least can mean discipleship more than it means hands out. But even those situation a little compassion can open a door to someone listening.

I am perfectly okay with people messing up and asking for help. The help we give just isn’t always going to be easy street. but I hope, by the grace of God, it will always be loving. I hope we would treat them the same way we would want someone to treat us in the same position. And a man with half an ounce of self dignity would take a job over a handout any day of the week and twice on sunday.

We have had young men approach our leaders in the past and ask for help. I told them hey have some compassion do something small if you think it would help them listen… take them to buy some groceries, but give them the talk. If a man doesn’t work he doesn’t eat. What’s going on? are you working? why aren’t you working?

Look I have cleaned out grease traps and cleaned bathrooms in restaraunts. I have walked chickens in chiecken coups (I was an undertaker for chickens). I have worked in wood shops, autoshops, and chop shops. and i know there are many men and women in this church who knows what it means to work so all we are saying when we go to help somebody is get with it. join the club. do your duty. and what I know is that they will sleep so much better at night knowing they did their part as each one is able.

Generosity and helping others conotates those who have earned or inherited giving something that is their to someone else. If oneperson feeds the hungry… that means that food had to come from WORK somewhere. If someone clothes the naked someone MADE those clothes somewhere someone worked!

And I want to say this to young men. You were made to WORK. and if you don’t work not only are you not walking in your calling (go read genesis 1-3) but you are not producing so that the church of God can be generous. Now someone may say steve don’t others beside young men work to? yes ofcourse. But the older generation doesn’t need to hear this. They probably had the opposite problem. But young men you are the physically strongest members of society so to use a biblical phrase, “the sweat of your brow” or the preverbial sweat of your brow at least should be the most perspried. When you don’t you create an unfair burnden on other members of society but perhaps most importantly you don’t produce the goods for generosity.

Proverbs says it much better than i ever could:

Proverbs 18:9 NASB95

9 He also who is slack in his work Is brother to him who destroys.

In Titus Chapter 2, including Titus with the young men, he tells them and him particularly to be an example of good deeds. Young men should be the hardest laborers in the church and in society and both those things should intersect in the world of generosity to the LEAST!

Now there are those who are all head and no heart!

You are crafty beyond comparison. You weed out every scammer that comes your way. You never give a dime to someone flying a sign on the corner of the street because you know how that money is going to be used. And maybe even your a really hard worker. But if you are all mind and no heart and don’t start to channel that into helping you are living way to safe. And God has vcalled you to live dangerously. TO be courageous. to take risk. to at least try and help.

If you help someone in a god honoring way and they go on to squander it from there that doesn’t mean what you did was wasted. because it was still worship. it was still lvoing. it was still the right thing to do. we have to take risk. love demands it.

Think about the story of the good samaritan. He finds this Jewish man, his enemy in some ways, and fixes him up, takes him to the inn and pays his tab. what if that man he helps from there goes on to persecute his Samaritan people. Or what if he just wastes his life.... becomes a drunkerard does that mean he should have tried? not at all. We have to gladly spend and be spent on others. and ultiamtely for the glory of King Jesus. and if we do that we will glorify His name.

But it is really when head and heart come together that we become effective in helping the least.

Inherit The Kingdom

Those who inherit the Kingdom are those whose hearts (which is evident through their actions) match the heart of the great KING. The LOVE his sheap. and when they see the least of the household of God in need or in pain they hurt for them and they do what they can do to help. This again is not that they loved God but because God has loved them and sent Jesus, His Son, to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. and because of that those who have had the love of God poured out in their hearts must love one another.

So I would say today: Examine yourself. Where are these goods deeds in your life? Do you do this? We will talk about practical ways you can do this in homegroup this week.

but i just want to say this. the best way to get to know if there are needs that need to be met in the church is to build relationships with people in the church. homegroup is a great starting place for that. we lay our hands on people and minister to people all the time. bring them into your home get to know them.

2 Corinthians 8:9 NASB95

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

Jesus is asking you to do what He did. He died naked on a cross. He gave it all away. And the Christian lives with a heart wide open especially toward the household of God!

Are you eager to serve Church? Are you eager to serve the least!

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Sometimes the only attention this passage gets is the part about hell and we ignore the rest… i hope we didn’t do that. but on the one hand i can see why. If you have a beautiful garden but there is also this raging fire it is easy for the fire to catch your eye. So this text does here.

And I think it is meant to. I think it is meant to wake us up.

Notice those that get thrown into the “eternal fire” are not those who were were mean to the least. They didnt take the clothes of the poor. They didn’t take a beggars food for the day. They simply didn’t negelcted them. They simply didn’t give what they had to give. That should wake us up. This is this big spectrum here. Amazing loving people and super evil horrible people pover here. It is those who did serve and those who didnt.

1 John 3:16–18 NASB95

16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 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? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

explain this.

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Lastly hell. I think this is one of the most interesting passages on hell. Some of you may not be very comfortable with the topic of hell and I don’t think your supposed to be. Did you know that we get most of our teaching on it from the fullness of grace and truth Himself, Jesus Christ. I am just going to give you the examples from the Gospel of Matthew alone:

“Unquenchable fire” mentioned in Matthew 3:12

2 Examples in Matthew 5:29 and 30 where Jesus says it is better to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand then for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Matthew 8:12, “will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 10:28, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in bhell.”

The tares Matthew 13:42 (NASB95) “and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 18:8-9 Jesus retells the afformentioned example of cutting off your hand etc so your whole body doenst get thrown into hell.

Matthew 18:34-5 Jesus tells the story that those who don’t forgive will be handed over to the “torturers”.

Matthew 22:13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Matthew 25:30 “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Lastly you have the example in our passage here:

Matthew 25:41 NASB95

41 “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;

And there is something interesting here that is not added anywhere else in the Bible that I am aware of. You get insights like this from Jesus… only the King of Heaven would know this stuff.

He tells why Hell was created in the first place: “for satan and his angels.” it wasn’t made for image bearers. IN fact He says to the “righteous” or those in Christ: “Matthew 25:34 “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.” The Kingdom… Christ’s Kingdom was prepared for you to take hold of it in HIM.

Got has no intention and takes no pleasures in humans going to hell. But make no mistake humans will go there. You are either in Christ by His grace or you are a child of the devil by your ACTIONS.

If you are hearing my speak today you can trust in Jesus. He suffered hell on the cross. the punishment that was upon us was placed upon Him… so you can be saved.

Alter call.

Called to SERVE.

“Frightened by my sins and weighed down by the burden of my misery, I had thrown away my heart and determined to flee to the wilderness. But You forbade me to leave and strenghtened me, saying, “Christ died for all, that they which live may now no longer live unto themselves, but unto Him that died for them.”16” Augustine. Confessions.