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Home , The Sheep and the Goats

“THE OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS” (:31-46)

A common expression you’ve no doubt heard is that “there are only two kinds of people in the world.”

• “There are those who give and those who take; those who follow and those who lead; those who simplify, and those who complicate.” • Someone said, “There are those you want to have a drink with, and those who make you want to drink.” • Mark Twain said there are two types of public speakers: “Those who are nervous and those who are liars.” He also said, ““There are those who work hard and those who let them work hard.” “There are those who accomplish things, and those who claim to have accomplished things.” The first group is less crowded. • Then there’s the smart aleck who says, “There are those who divide the world into two types of people, and those who don’t.”

According to , as we will see today, there are only two kinds of people in the end: The sheep and the goats. The big question that we must consider this morning is: Which one am I and how do I know? For the past several weeks we have been studying -25 – Jesus’ famous teaching on the future of the world – called the because Jesus taught His disciples on the Mt. of Olives overlooking Jerusalem. Throughout the Olivet Discourse Jesus has contrasted two groups of people: Those who are ready for His and those who aren’t. • There were two groups of people in Noah’s day – those who believed that God was sending a flood of judgment and prepared a boat, and those who mocked the coming judgment and were swept away in the flood. • Two men are working in a field – one is suddenly taken away in judgment and the other is left. • Two women are grinding wheat – one is taken and one is left. • In the parable of the bridegroom, five bridesmaids have oil in their lamps and are ready when the bridegroom appears, but the other five do not have oil, and are shut out of the wedding banquet. • In the parable of the talents, the faithful servants are rewarded when their master returns and finds them faithful, but the unfaithful servant is eternally judged. In the end there are really only two kinds of people: those who are saved and those who are not. Those who are saved enter into the kingdom, and those who are not saved will face judgment. This truth is nowhere better described than in the final part of the Olivet Discourse where Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats. In 25:31-33 Jesus says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” The parable of the sheep and the goats describes that great judgment day that will take place when Christ returns to earth. In this parable we see the judge – who is Jesus; we see the time of judgment, the place of judgment, and the subjects of judgment, the basis of judgment, and the final outcome of judgment.

We begin with the judge. The central promise Jesus made – the promise that shapes everything we think and believe as Christians – is that He is coming back. While we await His coming, Jesus says that this present world – controlled by – will grow increasingly wicked. And just as God judged the earth with a flood in Noah’s day, in the future God will judge the earth with a series of judgments – just prior to His coming – during the seven-year period called the Tribulation. The Tribulation will be a time of distress unequaled since the beginning of time – there will be wars and conflicts, earthquakes and other natural disasters, and all-out persecution of believers. The Tribulation will conclude with the armies of the world gathering at to wage war on God and His people. Just when things could not get any worse, the heavens and earth will shake, stars will fall from the sky, and the glory of Christ will suddenly light up the sky. Every eye will see Him as He descends on the Mt. of Olives – the same place from which He is presently teaching His disciples – and He will vanquish His enemies with His sword. His Second Coming will be much different than His first coming. His first coming – 2000 years ago – was anything but glorious. He came in meekness and humility. Now at His Second Coming, He comes in glory. He comes in power. He comes riding a white horse – He comes not to die, but to rule. He’s ready to take back the world from the clutches of Satan and inaugurate His glorious kingdom on earth. He says, “The Son of Man will come in His glory, and all the angels with Him, and He will sit on his glorious throne.” Centuries earlier, God made a promise to that one of His descendants would sit on his throne forever and ever. Now in the city of Jerusalem, Christ sits on His throne and rules and reigns over the world for 1000 years. This 1000 year period, known as the Millennium, is the culmination of all of God’s promises of a better . Despite all the pain and turmoil of this world, it has a happy ending. Christ is going to take the world back from Satan and rule over a glorious kingdom. After the 1000-year Millennium, God will create a new heavens and a new earth, uniting them together, and this will be our eternal home. The prophet Zechariah tells us something fascinating about what happens when Jesus returns… “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south” (Zechariah 14:4). Why is there a big valley? The prophet Joel predicted that when the comes, He will gather all the nations of the world to the valley of Jehoshaphat – a word that means “God judges.” You can picture in your mind Christ sitting upon His throne on the temple mount of Jerusalem, and below Him is a great valley – created by the Mt. of Olives being split in two – and in this great valley all those who survived the and the battle of Armageddon are gathered. Joel calls it the valley of “decision”… “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near “in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14). The “decision” is God’s decision of judgment. God gives us the opportunity in this life to decide about Him, and based on our decision, He will decide about us.

As the nations of the world are gathered into this large valley, the Lord separates individual people “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Sheep and goats were a common sight in the Middle East. They often grazed together, but there were times when the shepherd separated them. Sheep and goats are similar in appearance, but in temperament, they are very different. Sheep are gentle and very dependent on their shepherd. Goats are independent and rambunctious. Sheep follow, goats go wherever they want. Once again, there is a division between two groups. The sheep represent believers, and the goats represent unbelievers. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Goats have no relationship with the Lord. Verse 33 says, “He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” In ancient culture the right hand was the hand of blessing. It was the hand of honor. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. The disciples argued over who would be seated at the right hand of Christ in the kingdom. In the early church they gave the “right hand of fellowship” to new believers. The right hand was also the position of inheritance. When the patriarch Jacob was close to dying, he had his grandsons – Manasseh and Ephraim, brought before him to give them his patriarchal blessing. Everyone expected that Manasseh, the first born, would receive the bigger blessing. When they entered the room, Jacob made sure that Manasseh was on his right side and Ephraim, was on his left. But when the pronouncement of blessing came, Jacob crossed his arms so that his right hand was placed on Ephraim’s head, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head. Here the true believers are placed to the right – in the position of blessing and honor – and unbelievers are placed to the left. Verse 34, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’” When my father died seven years ago, all His money, property, and belongings went to my brother, sister, and me – we got it all because we were his kids. Because we belonged to His family, we received all the privileges of being His children. Because we are born again into God’s family, as His children you and I inherit all that belongs to Him. We inherit His kingdom. Our inheritance is mind-boggling. First and foremost, we will enjoy a special intimate relationship with God. We will rule and reign with Christ, and take an active part in His kingdom. If we have been faithful with a few things, we will be made ruler over many things. We will get to live in the ideal world we always longed for – where the lion lays down with the lamb – where there is no war or disease – where there is no fear of death. In the kingdom we will get to do all the things that we enjoy now, but without all the sin and limitations. What’s more, our inheritance was prepared for us since the creation of the world. Wow! Whenever you feel like the world is spinning out of control, just remember that God has it all planned out. He knew you would be a part of His future kingdom, and He’s been planning for your part in it. This tells us that there’s nothing haphazard about God’s judgment. He doesn’t say, “I’m not sure if he or she is a sheep or a goat. It’s kind of borderline.” God knows His own – He knows His sheep – and He now gives them their inheritance. In verses 35-36 Jesus presents evidence that the sheep are really sheep. He says, “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, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” Jesus says, “I know you belong in my kingdom because you met all my needs – you fed me, you gave me water, you provided me hospitality, you clothed me, and you looked after me when I was sick and in prison. You ministered to me in all these areas.” But the sheep are surprised. Verses 37-39, “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 invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’” You can see them tossing things over in their minds. “I don’t remember doing these things for Jesus, do you?” Verse 40, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” “You didn’t do these things to me, but because you did them for my brothers and sisters, you did them for me. And treating them this way proves that you belong to me.” Two questions com up at this point. Number one, who are Jesus’ brothers and sisters? And number two, is providing for their needs the basis upon which we enter the kingdom? Some view Jesus’ brothers and sisters as anyone who is poor and in need. When you see a homeless person or someone holding up a sign needing help, and you give them something, then you are doing it to Jesus. Therefore, they say, how you treat the poor is the basis upon which you enter the kingdom. If you are generous, you’re in the kingdom. If you are hard-hearted and selfish and stingy, then you’re out. There are many passages in the Bible that talk about generosity and caring for the poor – especially the poor who are poor for no fault of their own – but this is not the point of this parable. Jesus’ brothers and sisters are those who are part of His spiritual family. Jesus talks about this in Matthew 12:46-50, “While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ He replied to him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers.’ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’” Our earthly families are important, but even more important is belonging to God’s family, and the only way to be a part of God’s family is to born again. We’re born physically into our earthly family, but to be part of God’s family, you must reborn spiritually. And the evidence of spiritual rebirth is doing the will of God. In other words, if you are born again it will show – and one of the ways that it shows is by your love and compassion for fellow believers who are in need. In Matthew 24 Jesus said that in the days leading up to His return, persecution against Christians will increase. Did you know that in the past 100 years, more Christians have been martyred than in the previous 1900 years of church history combined? This persecution will be ramped up in the coming tribulational period when believers will be forced to take the mark of – identifying themselves with Satan and the – or be persecuted and die. Jesus said, “When this happens, you should flee and get out of town as fast as possible.” During this time many of Christ’s followers will be destitute. If you see a brother or sister like this needing the basic necessities of food and water and shelter, you’re not going to think twice about helping them. They’re family, and families stick together. This explains why the righteous are surprised… “We never helped Jesus with these things,” but Jesus said, “You actually did, because you did them for my brothers and sisters, and when you did it for them, you did for me.” This is what Jesus meant when He confronted Paul, who was named Saul, on the road to Damascus. Saul was on his way to hunt down and kill Christians, but God knocked him off his horse and blinded him. He heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Christ so identifies with His people that to persecute them is to persecute Him. That’s why He says that whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. What then, is the basis upon which we enter the kingdom? Is it our acts of kindness? Is it being generous? Is it our works? It can’t be this because we know from countless other passages in the New Testament that salvation is based solely on faith in Christ. If getting into the kingdom was simply a matter of good works, then why did Christ have to die? He died because we could not achieve salvation on our own. No amount of good deeds can atone for our sins. Christ bore the penalty of our sins on the cross. Salvation is based on faith in Christ alone. And that’s good news. It means that I do not trust in what I do, but I trust in what Christ has done for me. When I trust in Him, I am made righteous through the blood of Jesus. Why then does Jesus emphasize the good works and deeds that are done for His brothers and sisters? It’s because what we do is a natural outflow of who we are. If you are born again – if you are truly converted – then your life is transformed by the Holy Spirit of God who lives in you. You change, and part of that change is a deep, abiding love for those who belong to your spiritual family. The righteous say to the Lord, “When did we do these things for you?” They’re surprised. “I don’t remember doing any of these things for Jesus.” This is a key point of the parable – those whose lives are so transformed by the gospel serve their brothers and sisters in Christ without thinking about it. “I did that? I didn’t even know it.” You don’t do it to get brownie points with the Lord, you just do it – and it demonstrates that you are a sheep – a true believer. A second century Christian writer named Aristides wrote a famous letter to the Roman Emperor Hadrian explaining the Christian religion and here’s in part what he says: “They love one another, and he who has gives to him who has not, without boasting… and if they here that one of their number is imprisoned or afflicted on account of the name of their Messiah, all of them anxiously minister to his necessity… and if there is any among them that is poor and needy, and they have no spare food, they fast two or three days in order to supply to the needy their lack of food… Such, O King is their manner of life, and truly there is something divine in the midst of them.” Jesus will say to the righteous sheep, “You’re lives have been so transformed by the gospel that you serve your brothers and sister in Christ without thinking about it. This shows that you belong to me. Welcome to the kingdom!” Now we get to the tragic part of the parable. Verses 41-43, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the 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 did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’” Like the sheep, the goats are also surprised. Verses 44-45, “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” They were not part of the family – they may have thought they were – but they were never born again. They didn’t stand with Christians. They were never there when they needed assistance. Whereas the sheep helped their fellow believers without thinking about it – the lack of compassion by the goats confirms that they were never truly saved. Verse 46, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Notice that the destiny of both the sheep and the goats is eternal – the same word is used for both. The goats go away to eternal punishment, and the righteous to eternal life. Eternal means forever. Every human being – believers and unbelievers – will live forever. The only difference is where they will live. In verse 41 Jesus says, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” Chilling words, are they not? One of the main objections to Christianity is the belief in hell. We have a natural resistance to the idea of a God who sends people to a place of eternal punishment and torment. One of the chief characteristics of cults is the denial of hell. Some say, “Unbelievers get a lesser form of heaven, or they are sent to purgatory to purge their sins.” Others say, “Unbelievers will simply cease to exist.” Even those in evangelical churches have started to fudge on the idea of hell in recent years. One prominent pastor wrote a book about ten years ago called Love Wins, in which he contended that in the end everyone will end up being saved and no one will go to hell. I understand the attempts to explain the existence of hell away, but it’s kind of like rejecting the law of gravity. You can deny it, but it’s still true. Not liking the idea of hell doesn’t mean it’s not real. Jesus taught that it was a literal place. He talked more about hell than He did about heaven. He spoke of it as a very real place – an eternal place. “Well,” you say, “What about the fire and the torment and all of that stuff – is that real?” Most conservative biblical scholars agree that the descriptions about hell are metaphors to help us understand the awful reality of hell. Jesus uses the strongest possible language He can use to warn people not to go there. As Billy Graham said, “Hell will be even worse than the metaphors used to describe it.” Hell is the opposite of everything heaven is… it’s being eternally separated from the love and care of God… it’s a place where the curse of sin is never lifted… it’s a place where our desires are never satisfied and there is no hope for the future. Notice in verse 41 that hell was not made for human beings – it was never part of God’s original creation, which He called “good.” Hells was created later for the devil and his angels who rebelled against Him. Human beings who reject Christ will join Satan and his fallen angels. The Bible makes it clear that God does not want anyone to go to hell, but has done everything possible to save us. God does not send anyone to hell – people send themselves by choosing to reject God’s offer of salvation. C. S. Lewis said that in the end there are just two kinds of people: Those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and enter into the joy of the Lord, and those to whom God says with tears, “Thy will be done,” and lets them walk into the dark. The decision to enter heaven or hell is ours to make. God does not force us to believe – he gives us a genuine, free choice. Are you a sheep or a goat? Are you saved or not yet saved? One day God will decide about you what you have decided about Him. Don’t wait until the valley of decision when it’s too late. I invite you to come to Christ right now, become a part of His family, and let Him transform your life as you await the blessed day of His coming when He says, “Welcome to the kingdom!”