Miracles on Miracles: See the Miracle

“Miracles on Miracles: See the Miracle”

By Pastor Kent Munsey

September 19, 2021

The Sheep and the Goats

“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.

“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. 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.’

“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?’

“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.’

“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. 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.’

“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.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV)

Many people ask if these are the end times. The Bible says that no man knows the day or the hour. Even Jesus does not know, but he waits for the Father. There will be a day when the Father signals to Jesus, and the rapture will occur. The believers who are living will be raptured with him. This sermon is not about the end times, but it is about making sure that we are ready. We should not be surprised whenever the time comes.

We have a faith that overcomes the world. The Gospel is the good news that we are going to live in Heaven forever. Jesus is preparing a place for us, and he is coming back again. It should produce hope and expectation in us. We need to be ready for that day.

1. Be hopeful and expectant. When we are hopeful and expectant, then we are prepared. In the parable of the 10 virgins, the bridesmaids had just a little bit of oil. Oftentimes we focus on the big things, but it’s the little things that God looks for. If we’re faithful in the little things, then God will be faithful in the big things. In the parable of the 10 virgins it’s about being hopeful, and being prepared, even with just a little bit of oil.

The Bible says that on all occasions we need to be prepared to give an account for the hope that is within us, meaning our faith. More than “When is Jesus going to return?”, it will be a question of “are you ready for when Jesus returns?” One of the signs that we are ready is that we are prepared. It will be a great and wonderful day when the Lord returns. If the writers of scripture thought that he was coming back, and they were in the last days, how much more are we now? We need to be hopeful for Christ’s return, but we also need to be faithful with what he has given us.

2. Be faithful in the waiting. The Parable of the Talents tells us that we need to be faithful and fruitful (Matthew 25:14-30). We will be judged one day on how we are faithful with what we have been entrusted with. He will return one day. We are called to be prepared, we are called to be faithful, but we are also called to love.

3. Be more in love with Jesus today than you have ever been. In Matthew 25, we see the separation of the sheep from the goats. Shepherds tend to protect sheep from their environment. Goat herders, however, need to protect the environment from the goats, because goats are destructive. Jesus is separating sheep from the goats. The sheep know the Good Shepherd’s voice, and they do what he says. Jesus looks to the sheep and tells them to enter into their reward.

When we love Jesus, we obey his commands. We submit to his word. In Matthew 25, Jesus is the king, but he is also the least of these. If we love Jesus, we are going to love what he loves. Jesus loves those who are thirsty and looking for a drink. He loves those who are hungry and looking for food. He loves those who are short on clothes and need clothing. When we meet someone's need, we become a miracle for them.

God wants us to have a hope that is expectant and ready, to be faithful at work with what needs to be done, and that we are filled with the love of Christ. Let us be compelled by the love of Christ to see the least of these with the eyes of God and pray that the love of God would rule and reign in our hearts and break our hearts for what breaks his.

Questions/Discussion:

1. How ready do you feel for the day that Jesus returns?

2. In what ways have you been faithful with what God has given to you?

3. In what ways do you feel called to be more faithful or fruitful with the gifts and talents you have received?

4. What is your attitude toward the Good Shepherd, and how do you respond to his direction?