Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading

Introduction

Bold, biblical, sacrificial, Christ like love for the "least of these" is a defining characteristic of a Christian.

The question I want to address today is simply this.

"Is bold, biblical, sacrificial, Christ like love what you are known for?

Context

Today we continue through a sermon series that we began last week called No Place Left.

In this sermon series we are laying out Park’s vision and mission.

We’re answering the question—what is this Church and what does it mean to be a part of this Church.

Last week we lazered in on the calling on every follower of Christ’s life to be an Ambassador for Christ, one who represents the King everywhere he goes.

Today, I want to focus in on the third part of our mission statement.

If you recall, there are four key components to our Mission Statement.

Make Disciples means we actively proclaim the good news of Christ to those around us.

Equip the Saints means that your Church is devoted to teaching you the Scriptures and strenghthening your prayer life and your resolve in Christ.

The third component is Send them Out.

What this means is that as a Church we want to actively send all of our members into the world around us to be salt and light, in order to love the least of these.

We step into broken places and dark places, with the light of the gospel.

I want to deeply understand this passage today, and then by way of application I want to unify this Church as a people of God who are living on mission as Ambassadors for Christ, and show us how this Church is actively attempting to love the least of these.

I want to say up front that today is Pro Life Sunday.

And around the globe faithful pastors are preaching on the topic abortion.

As part of my application today I will be discussing that topic as well as a few others.

Body

When the Son of Man Comes in His Glory

Let’s look at this passage.

Jesus invites us into a moment where we are permitted to peer into the future.

This is not allegory or parable.

This is a fixed vision of what is to come.

Specifically we are peering into the Final Judgment.

He begins with the words, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory.”

As Christian, we believes that Jesus Christ has come once in the flesh in the form of a servant in order to defeat sin, Satan, and death.

He will come again in the future victoriously in all of his glory, as the rightful King of Kings.

And at that point of his return every human will be brought into judgment.

The Angels are brought with Him

Notice also in verse 31 that the angels are with Christ in this moment.

We find out elsewhere from Scriptures that humans will judge the angels.

What a vision that will be.

To see the Lord in all his glory surrounded by the full heavenly host in preparation for the final installment of history.

As Christians this scene should be ever on our mind.

The Christian eagerly awaits this day with a childlike anticipation for the Christian walks daily in the full assurance of their faith, knowing that because of what Christ has done on the cross this final judgment will be a day of great celebration for them.

The non Christian despises talk of this future moment, and casts it far away from them, refusing to deal with the reality that judgment is coming, that there will be a reckoning for this sin.

The nonbeliever mocks this certain future.

But their mockery is rooted in a deep seated fear and knowledge that this judgment day will not go well for them.

Romans 2:15-16 “15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”

That passage in Romans states that every human being, by virtue of being made in the image of God knows deep down in their inner being that a judgment day is coming.

And on that judgment day, you will either be found in Christ or you will be found outside of Christ.

Before him will be gathered the nations

Before Christ will be gathered the nations.

Tomorrow is MLK Day, a day where in this country we recognize an important component of history, namely how people groups have often separated themselves by culture and ethnicity, very often with direct harm to particular groups as a result.

But look at this scene in heaven.

The nations, the ethnos, will be gathered before Christ.

All of them.

Imagine people from every tongue, tribe, nation, and language.

All of them gathered before the throne.

What a scene!

And the judgment will be thus, that those who are Christ’s sheep will be placed on his right hand side The right hand of the King is the place of honor & blessing.

Imagine that moment when the King, surrounded by angels, looks to you and says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

If that doesn’t give you chills down your spine, I have to question to question if the Spirit of God is alive and well in you.

Faith Without Works is Dead

Jesus lists six separate ideas that are communicated of ways that faithful Christians demonstrated the authenticity of their faith while in this life.

These are six separate ways of demonstrating your Christian faith.

Feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, visiting the prisoner.

If you think about what Jesus is saying here, he is looking at the fundamental needs of life: Food, shelter, and companionship.

It is interesting to note that the acts of love that are discussed by Jesus here are not just issues you can solve with money.

Money is a wonderful gift that God invites us to steward well and give extravagently.

However, this passage highlights ways to love that are costly and sacrificial of time and emotional energy.

Have you ever visited someone in prison?

That’s not easy.

Have you sat and prayed with the sick and dying?

You can’t rush that.

Is Jesus Saying We are Saved By Works?

Is Jesus saying that these sacrificial, bold, acts of love are the very works that will save us on our judgment day?

The answer is a resounding no.

Scripture is fundamentally clear that we are not saved by our works.

Our salvation comes by receiving the free gift of forgiveness of sins that is a result of placing our faith in Jesus Christ.

We read in Romans 10:9-10,

Romans 10:9-10 “9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

The basis of our justification before God is our confession of faith.

Our salvation hinges on grace alone, by faith alone.

This passage however is demonstrating what an authentically saved life ought to look like?

I think this is shown clearly in verse 34:

Matthew 25:34 “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.”

The father has blessed us with an inheritance that he planned long before the foundations of the wolrd were ever created.

Long before you ever performed one of thees actions, your inheritance was secured.

You see, Christ’s free gift of salvation comes first into your life, then what necessarily m ust follow is a life of Christ like service.

Think of it this way.

If you claim you have made Jesus the Lord of your life.

Yet, your life on the whole bares no resemblance of the bold, sacrificial love of Jesus, you probably have not made Him Lord yet?

Our lives, over the long haul, are a reflection of that which is truly Lord of our life.

As You’ve Done to the Least of These

Oh—what would we do to have Christ in our room with us right now, if only we could wash his feet.

If only we could seat him in the seat of honor.

If only we were given an opportunity to stand up for him against his detractors.

What would we give for such a noble cause?

Christ says—when you do these things for the least of these you have done them for me.

But then he goes further by saying that when you failed to do these things for the least of these you failed to do them for me.

Notice, that the unregenerate are guilty because of their sins of ommission.

It’s not that they went out murdered people or stole, those are sins of commission where a person actively sins.

These were all sins of ommission, where you failed to do what was right.

Those who have been changed and saved by Jesus will not fail to do what is right.