Either a Sheep or a Goat

Today on Summit life with JB Greer is not just a sham shown by watch visiting orphans and widows in their affliction and keeping oneself unstable in the world. There are two signs that your faith is genuine and that it is real one you love those people that God loves you you're busy, rooting out sin you're taking sincerely and not just big sand, but anything in your heart that God theologian JD Greer. I'm your host Molly, but events over the past week or so that parables Jesus truly does reveal the beauty of the gospel, but only for those who truly listen well today Pastor J shares another one of Jesus's parables, and this one is going to show us what it looks like to be a Christian in today's world. Be sure to stay tuned to the ends to learn more about our latest resource and matching devotional to go along with this current teaching series on the program you can give us a call at 866-335-5220 or visit us@jdclear.com for more information. Now let's jump into today's message titled University or go 25 you know how to listen, that is been the question that Jesus has been asking to us throughout these parables hear the gospel of Matthew.

Matthew explains to us that Jesus spoke to his disciples into these first audiences in parables, so that those who were not genuinely listening would miss what he was saying. One of our campus pastor told me a story this week about when he was in college, you may have had something like this happen to you where he was given and examine the professor said you make sure you read all the way through to the end. So my friend looked at me examine Saul the instructions there were read all the way to BM before he did anything but he is also a couple questions rather on the front page of the answers they would want to take a chance of forgetting them. So jot them down real quick. They set aside work of the rest of the exam, he said. I noticed about 90 seconds later.

Always people get mopping. Headed back to the up to the thing turned their exam in was confused by sysop of Florida back and sure enough, it said you only put your name on this exam did you make any other mark on this exam beside your name. Then I'm going to grade it is like normal but if you walk up just handed to me then you will get a perfect score for the exam. If you just turn it in with your name on it. So there I was again with another lesson about how I didn't listen. Listening is a critical life skill that we have talked about and that is what is happening in these parables. If you have ears to hear and if you're paying attention. There's a lot of wisdom to gain but if you're not listening with the ears of your heart than the meaning of what Jesus is saying is going to go right over you. What you hear when you hear these parables is based more on the condition of your spiritual ears than the content of what's in there, which is why he spoke in parables, he was speaking in a way that goes with the right disposition of our goes with the right motives for listening would understand what he was saying about the wrong disposition of ardent those who want really listening would just be confused by what he said will Matthew 25 contains three of these parables.

We are going to press in mostly on the third one which is the parable of the sheep and the goats, but all three of these parables are going to make a very similar point just to be clear when I say goat I'm not talking about Lebron or Jordan or Nicholas Cage or Celine Dion or anybody like that.

I go to has a different meaning in this parable and you want to pay attention as to what is to not be confused. Okay, Jesus tells a three parables right before the crucifixion.

Jesus knows that he's about to die, after which you will ascend to heaven and his disciples will see him on earth, no more, but through these three parables, he is encouraging them that the day is coming when he will return. This time he will not come as a baby in a manger, he will not come in a meek and lowly posture. He will not come washing the feet of people. He will come as the judge of all men. Now the point of these three parables is that we his disciples ought to be prepared for that return and each of these three is going to build on the one before it.

So before we dive into the third limitless summarize very quickly the first to the first parables about 10 maidens who are supposed to be part of a big marriage party. But the thing is is that they don't know exactly when they're going to be picked up and taken to the marriage party will in Jesus a story. Five of these maidens are wise and so they trimmed their lamps, which means they got oil for their lamps and make pack their bags and they were ready to go. The other five Jesus says were foolish and they thought, you know, he's probably not going to come tonight. It's kinda rainy it's cold I'm tired and I want to binge on Netflix and so they just sat at home and didn't want get oil for their lamps.

Too bad there was no such thing as Amazon prime now because this whole terrible parable could of been avoided if they can just put the order in and we showed up two hours later, however, that had been invented yet, so they sit at home with not being packed and ready in well on their lap and churn out that very night. The bridegroom comes and he takes with him the ones were packed and ready to leave the ones you are to the point of that parables that Jesus wants us to be ready when he comes back and not to be sitting around idle, but the question you ask is what does it look like to be ready. Does it mean that we can go out every day and look up at the clouds and say maybe it's going to be today. What is it look like to live in a posture of readiness.

So to answer that question. Jesus tells us I comparable this one is about a master who goes on a trip and he leaves various amounts of money with three different servants to the first when he leaves five talents not only your talent. Think good basketball get a piano back in a talent talent was a unit of money they say are currently about $15,000. So to the first guy he leaves $75,000 to the second guy $30,000 and to the third guy $15,000 and gives each of them, the instructions that they are supposed to invested in the market and to get a return for his for his kingdom. Well, the first two guys do that made put risk it. But in the market. They get a return, but the third was scared he would lose it. So he buries it in the ground and waits for his master to come back so that he can give him the $15,000 that he had been bitten and been entrusted well. While the master returns he rewards the two that wrist and invested their talents and multiplied them, but to the one who buried his talent out of fear he called that servant lazy and wicked. So another words putting this together with the first parable, we see that what it means to be ready rear be ready for the bridegroom's return is to be busy leveraging whatever God has given us for his kingdom is true. If you are a believer. God has given you a certain amount of time and talents and treasure for use in his kingdom, and what this parable shows you is that he is going to hold you responsible for how you invest them and leverage them and multiply them for his kingdom but still you might be asking after this I comparable what actually does that look like in action. What is it really look like to invest your talents for the kingdom. Well, that's what Jesus tells the third parable in this parable he gets down the cut of the nitty-gritty of the essence of what it looks like to be a follower of his in this day and age.

Swimming is ask you a question to consider before we dive in and help you get calibrated as to what you think about this. How do you define the essence of being a Christian. You say, what the core part of it is what is that what determines whether you are really a genuine Christian or not one have told you before that many Christians seem to think that it's mainly about believing the right things you been able to pass the doctrinal exam with flying colors or means obeying the important moral laws, but is that really what it is Francis Chan and author and speaker a memorable call crazy love which he makes a statement. He said just read the Bible to attend church and avoid big sins. Is that really the passionate, wholehearted life of discipleship.

The Jesus was calling us to is that really what it means to be his follower just read the Bible go to church and avoid the big sins have told you before that many Christians on the way that they look at the Christian life is kinda illustrated and when I was in college the third year of college friends and I had a house off campus and one of my friends had a dog, a black Labrador retriever, lovely dog. The dog got run over on his back legs and so is his back left leg was broken and give me good music. You can walk and sleep disorder move around and he pretty much all day.

We just lay out our threshold door of our house and just smell out smell of the place that was going to his role as a dog you feel sorry for them, but I was stepping over the dog.

One day, going out to class and looking out for the dog. Having this thought that based on how most people understand the Christian life that dog, Max would've made a fine Christian right, you didn't drink, he didn't smoke.

He never cursed.

We had a neutered so that wasn't a problem anymore. Right humate all the 10 Commandments you made all the law right but is that really what it means to be a follower of Jesus that you just avoid immorality and that you obey when you were told something. Is that what God was after when he called disciples of Jesus. Is that what it means to be a follower of his but you really want robots to just follow him and avoid big sense to Jesus tells this third parable to try to illustrate for us what it would look like for you to be actively leveraging the talents of God is given you for his kingdom and that's Matthew 25, which begin in verse 31, when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne, and all the nations we gather before then. He will separate them one from another, just like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats thing to notice.

There is Jesus is telling his disciples that when he comes again.

He got a calm like the baby in the manger is not a come with this meek and lowly posture. He's going to be sitting on the throne of the universe. All power and authority is given to him the power of heaven and hell itself and he is going to separate people in the categories of those that are headed to eternal bliss and those who were headed to eternal punishment. Verse 33 and he will put the sheep on his right.

The goats on the left mimicking will say to these on his right, you are blessed my father, inherit the kingdom that is prepared for you from the foundation of the world and explains you see I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. Hello stranger and you took me and I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me all the righteous, the scene, look at Jesus in the same what or when we see you hungry and feed you when were you thirsty and we give you something to drink. When we see it was a stranger and take you where you naked and we closed. You will remember that when there we see you sick or in prison warden and visit you. The king will answer them. Truly I tell you whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me. The first question we need to ask here is who exactly is Jesus talking about when he says the least of these my brothers and sisters. Now some very well-meaning, good-natured people get a well intended people want to be quite these people here these least brothers and sisters of mine with all poor everywhere and certainly God wants us to care for all the poor, which I will show you in a minute but specifically here in this parable he is talking about poor believers when he says these brothers and sisters of mine that phrase whenever Jesus uses the language of family in Matthew he is always talking about his followers and not some general sense of the brotherhood of man in the fatherhood of God. Furthermore, that term least of these is a common one in Matthew and Jesus always uses that term whenever he uses it doesn't quite often. He always refers to his disciples, so it is abundantly clear that he is talking here specifically about poor suffering Christians and before we move on before we move on. I want you to take a minute just to let that sink in. First, do you personally even before you think about the obligations that come with it when you do kindness when someone does kindness to you as a believer.

Jesus takes it as if it were done to him himself when someone does unkindness. He was a believer. Jesus takes the offense has admitted been committed against him. That's why when the Saul of the apostle future apostle Paul was on the road to Damascus him and Jesus appears to women knock them off of his horse. He says to him, Saul, why are you persecuting me not my file or even some about resume. Why are you persecuting me it is amazing that when somebody does something against another believer in Jesus.

Jesus takes it for sure about you but I'm kinda thankful Jesus takes it will return to her teaching here on Summit life in just a moment, but I want to share a little bit more about our current resource. If you have a desire to dig deeper into the lessons Jesus has for us through his parables are new 10 day devotional study guide will bring understanding to some of his perhaps harder to understand principles, reflection questions and prayer prompts give the opportunity to really submit these truths in your head and live in and out like never before, make these lessons truly personal my reaching out to gain support of this ministry. Give us a call at 663-3552 20 or go online to Jeannie Greer.com and reserve your copy today. Now let's get back to today's message with pastor Jeannie Greer here on pastor Brandon talks about his 10-year-old son play Little League baseball when the jerk picture for the other team hit his son at the plate intentionally with the pitch and he said that the umpire didn't do anything about it because it was really obvious that the umpire was biased toward the other team and had it was obvious he had a lot of connections and interactions of the quantity so he said he tried to say that my son the reason you got it was because he leaned over the plate because I knew that wasn't true. It's about was one of you go ballistic on that umpire, but he was the thing.

I mean all the parents in the stands.

All bills and I'm a pastor and everybody knows I'm a pastor I don't want to create a scene so he said I just stood there and I didn't know what to do so wanted to, but also it will make a scene. He said I'm trying to sell it to do when all of a sudden he said this woman that I knew that she went to our church, but I didn't really know her at all. All of a sudden she jumps up she grabs the fence she starts to shake it she starts screaming at the end umpire with all the language that was appropriate for a moment like that when he said he said I didn't know that woman at all, but right then and there I determined that I loved her because when you stand for my kid. You stand up for me simply wristlet the sink in for a minute. That's how Jesus feels about others when they do good to us.

It's how he feels when we extend kindness to other believers and it's how he takes it personal when someone is on.

Kinda one of his children doing something one of his children is like doing it literally for him. So verse 41, then he will say to those on the left. Apart from me you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. You see, 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 didn't take me in.

I was naked you didn't clothe me I was sick and in prison and you didn't even take care of me. The mixer will answer the also Lord what when did we see you hungry and will be hungry for younger. Now you want to. Angels run get a hamburger go to pay for Lord when when when when you naked when were you in prison. We went for what can you do is get out a walk and do all that we think it is about what you talking about, and then he will say to them you will respond to them just like you did those on the right. Then you answer them.

I tell you whatever you did not do it for him. One of these least of these, you did not do it for me. They will go away into eternal punishment, and the righteous into eternal life. Three very important questions of this parable answers for us.

Question one is who's going to go to heaven right that's a pretty obvious question question one who will go to heaven. This parable is more than a little alarming to me because it shows us listen to me. It shows us that not everybody who considers themselves a Christian is going to go to heaven. The sheep and the goats in this parable, all single recognize the Lordship of Jesus. Nobody here like while we were you aware as Buddha I didn't even think there was a God know all the maidens in the first parable consider themselves friends of the bridegroom, all the servants in the parable of the talents. Consider themselves in the employ of the master all the sheep and all the goats in this parable recognize the Lordship of Jesus. This judgment listen does not separate Christians from the rest of the world. It separates genuine Christians from imposters and make no mistake about it, we are not dealing here was simply loss of reward. We are talking about heaven and hell. Jesus ends the parable, the maidens, which we didn't read, but he ends the parable this way by saying the door was shut. Later the rest of the maidens also came and said master master open up for us. Reply truly I tell you I don't even know you. The end of the survey that the parable of the three servants this way to that wicked servant, you evil lazy servant throw this good for nothing servant into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and the ends this parable of the of the sheep and the goats with him saying to those in the left goats depart from me, you are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. I don't think it could get any clear, we are talking about heaven and hell and it means that there are a lot of people in church who think they are Christians who think they are on their way to heaven that are tragically mistaken by the way, if you wonder of Jesus really believed in hell, look no farther. How could it get any clearer than what he says here the Civil War what it was was never something to sheep and the goats.

What was the difference between heaven and hell will evidently had little to do with what they believe or how much they went to church. It's assumed here. The about the sheep and goats believe the same things in the really involved in church those things are not referenced here.

The only difference between the sheep and the goats in this parable is what they did and did not do whether or not they were actively tangibly engaged in the mission of God, whether they were generous for the poor, particularly poor believers. Apart from that Jesus set apart from that, all other religious activity is useless bowl Bible says that by the way.

Isaiah 56 is a 56 God says to Israel you fast all the time. By the way, when you fast.

That means you're pretty committed by the runners.

The monies I get out of the church that much anymore. Now every my Bible but I fast like once a week know if you're in a faster manger all the way in which the really committed. God says is run a 76 you fast all the time you all this, other religious stuff, but none of it matters to me because you turn a deaf you're the poor don't care how religiously I could you Artie turn a deaf ear to the poor you don't know me at all.

James Jesus's half-brother would say it this way. James 127 religion that is pure and undefiled before God the father is this other words religion the true religion. It's real religion. It's not fake. Religion is not just a sham.

That kind of religion is shown by watch visiting orphans and widows in their affliction and keeping oneself unstable in the world.

In other words, there are two signs that your faith is genuine and that it is real and those signs are the one you love those people that God loves a number to your busy rooting out sin you're taking sin seriously and routing it out of your life, not just big sand, but anything in your heart that displeases God benefit you hear this and I got way to managing the debt in the Bible teach that salvation is by faith alone through grace alone, and isn't saying that that our salvation is determined by how we respond to those poor brothers and sisters, not a contradiction with the teaching that salvation is by faith alone. No, not all what showing you listen to this. What show you is that real faith. The kind of faith that saves you is more than just intellectual assent in church attendance. Saving faith transforms you from the inside out and you demonstrate that transformation by engaging in the mission of God again James who is Jesus's half-brother would say the best way faith without works is dead. What he say anything analogy uses after that is, if the Ithaca body that has no breath. It looks like a body. It was like it's alive but the life is not in it and that's faith. It looks like it's real. But if it doesn't have the life breath of generosity and love, particularly to the poor than it is a dead body with no life or breath and it you see and that's where it helps reflect, listen on the fact that the once Jesus specifically identifies with our Christians, particularly Christians were suffering because of their commitment to the message because that's the reason they're in prison unless the region are hungry and make it is because they're being persecuted for Jesus and what he is saying in this parable is listen.

If you believe this message at all. How are you not going to be moved to action by the stories of those who are suffering for their commitment to the spread of this message.

Let me take you want to place a Matthew real quick, or Jesus is the same thing think it will help you get your mind around what Jesus is saying here you say there. Matthew 25 of them at the general quick Matthew 10 Jesus sends out his disciples. On their first mission as his representatives and are supposed to go and preach what he preached and feel like he healed and he explained to them that they're going to be dependent on the hospitality of the villagers were ever they minister and here's what he says Matthew 1042 watch this who anyone who welcomes you welcomes me and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

In the ancient world, taking somebody in your home and showing them kindness was a sign of friendship, intimacy, and support for whatever that person stood for so Jesus equated the welcome of his representatives with acceptance of their message saying the same thing in Matthew 25. If you really believe my gospel.

How can you not be moved by the suffering of those who are suffering because of their commitment to my message. He is not saying that we will be saved by our giving to the poor dear saying that there is no way we could be saved if we are not trying to many say that it will really save will show that buyer kindness and generosity to others, particularly those who represent Jesus himself here that is the sign of genuine saving faith is a passionate commitment to the people of God and a passionate commitment to the mission of God for our little reminders from pastor Jeannie Greer here on Clement line if you join us think you can only jump with our teaching by Jeannie Greer.com Jeannie in her newest resource that follows along with his teaching series. You begin with the parable that actually about parables writing you the story about the soul who throughout the see this parable on parables is a picture of how you and I other people encounter the word of God the Word of God always bears fruit and listen if you seen fruit in your own life, you need to thank God for that and asking for more.

But here's the thing you drive, the word deep in your heart because the weeds of temptation in the sun of persecution are difficult circumstances, and then even our enemy the devil is, is coming to it to try to get rid of the scene so you gotta drive that word deep into your heart. Our newest resource is going to help you do that is 10 devotionals that take you beyond just hearing taking into diving into the Bible. We would love to give you a copy of this if you just reach out to us today. JD grid.com and reach out to us and get you a copy this and I think you think about it, to help our way of saying thank you $35, 8665 T-20 or you can get online.com I'm not even event shortage when our title on Summit Jeannie