WEBVTT 00:00:09.479 --> 00:00:11.980 Welcome back, friends, to the Semi -Seminarian 00:00:11.980 --> 00:00:14.960 Podcast. Revival for your ears drifting in on 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:17.980 that late -night static. Grace sounds a little 00:00:17.980 --> 00:00:21.500 like an AM radio tuned between stations. I'm 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:23.920 Pastor Jim Wellhelm, your fellow traveler on 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:26.739 this dirt road of Scripture, memory, and mercy. 00:00:27.469 --> 00:00:30.289 Tonight, we're stepping into another one of Jesus' 00:00:30.469 --> 00:00:34.329 parables. Time that doesn't sit still. Time that 00:00:34.329 --> 00:00:38.049 reads you back. So settle in, breathe deep. We're 00:00:38.049 --> 00:00:41.509 going to walk slow, think hard, and trust that 00:00:41.509 --> 00:00:44.810 somewhere in the telling, the Spirit still speaks. 00:00:45.609 --> 00:00:48.490 Now, it might not be Wednesday where you are, 00:00:48.530 --> 00:00:51.369 friend, but it is where I am. And on Wednesday 00:00:51.369 --> 00:00:54.570 nights over in the Fellowship Hall, real church, 00:00:54.670 --> 00:00:58.060 full of real people, real lives. We gather around 00:00:58.060 --> 00:01:00.179 tables that smell like casseroles and coffee, 00:01:00.259 --> 00:01:03.280 and we open the word together. It's nothing fancy, 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:06.859 just scripture, laughter, long pauses, and a 00:01:06.859 --> 00:01:08.980 room full of folks who are trying to hear Jesus 00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:12.480 again for real this time. So pull up a chair. 00:01:12.659 --> 00:01:14.519 Pretend you can hear the hum of the fluorescent 00:01:14.519 --> 00:01:18.459 lights. You're one of us now. I'll see you on 00:01:18.459 --> 00:01:30.180 the other side. I've already started and Wayne's 00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:34.480 already thumbs up. So here we go. Hey, guys, 00:01:34.579 --> 00:01:37.040 we're kind of at the end of the parables now. 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:41.700 And I deliberately kept this one for last because 00:01:41.700 --> 00:01:44.739 of where it actually situates us in the narrative 00:01:44.739 --> 00:01:46.680 of Jesus' life. And I'll get to that here in 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:49.540 a moment. But we've walked through tons of parables. 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:52.959 So let me go ahead and set the scene here for 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:57.359 our final installment involving a parable. There 00:01:57.359 --> 00:02:02.420 is, we all know this, kind of silence that seems 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:05.519 to settle over a room when someone asks a question 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:10.240 nobody wants to answer. Every single one of us 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:13.500 have felt moments like that. Maybe it's in a 00:02:13.500 --> 00:02:16.400 church board meeting when the treasurer asks 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:19.759 outreach where the missions money went. Maybe 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:22.379 it's at a family dinner when someone brings up 00:02:22.379 --> 00:02:26.800 that cousin no one's talked about in years. Maybe 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:29.979 in your own kitchen at 2 a .m. when you're alone 00:02:29.979 --> 00:02:33.379 with God, and the question hanging in the air 00:02:33.379 --> 00:02:37.919 is, what did you actually do with your life? 00:02:39.659 --> 00:02:42.639 That is the silence we're walking into tonight. 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:45.780 Now, last week, let me just situate where we 00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:48.460 were. Last week, we sat with the ten bridesmaids 00:02:48.460 --> 00:02:53.219 and the locked door. We wrestled with oil lamps 00:02:53.219 --> 00:02:55.819 and midnight cries and the terrifying words of 00:02:55.819 --> 00:03:01.240 Jesus, I do not know you. And we learned you 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:05.659 can't borrow relationship with God. You can't 00:03:05.659 --> 00:03:08.620 Venmo someone your faith at the last minute. 00:03:10.139 --> 00:03:13.379 Question wasn't what have you done, but who do 00:03:13.379 --> 00:03:17.139 you know? Tonight the camera pulls back, way 00:03:17.139 --> 00:03:21.349 back. We're not at a wedding anymore. Tonight, 00:03:21.349 --> 00:03:24.969 we're at the end of the world. Now, like I mentioned 00:03:24.969 --> 00:03:29.189 earlier, I've chosen this one to end with because 00:03:29.189 --> 00:03:33.590 this was taught during Jesus' last week in Jerusalem 00:03:33.590 --> 00:03:37.110 before his crucifixion. And one of the things 00:03:37.110 --> 00:03:41.069 I want you to notice here is that as we've looked 00:03:41.069 --> 00:03:43.710 at parables in the past, we had to kind of sometimes 00:03:43.710 --> 00:03:47.990 fish around. for meaning in them. Jesus used 00:03:47.990 --> 00:03:50.830 this language that caused us to really think 00:03:50.830 --> 00:03:54.629 and ponder the words. Here, his words have become 00:03:54.629 --> 00:03:59.669 less obscure. The language of his teachings have 00:03:59.669 --> 00:04:04.210 become as direct as he possibly can be. The Son 00:04:04.210 --> 00:04:10.030 of Man is coming. Not the carpenter from Nazareth 00:04:10.030 --> 00:04:14.280 with sawdust in his beard. Not the... Rabbi with 00:04:14.280 --> 00:04:18.839 mud on his hands and spit on his fingers. Not 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:21.639 the teacher who falls asleep in boats and gets 00:04:21.639 --> 00:04:25.339 hungry enough to curse fig trees. The son of 00:04:25.339 --> 00:04:29.180 man. The title comes to us from the prophecy 00:04:29.180 --> 00:04:33.860 of Daniel chapter 7. The ancient of days. Handing 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:37.740 over dominion and glory and an everlasting kingdom 00:04:37.740 --> 00:04:43.480 to one like a son of man. coming with the clouds 00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:48.680 of heaven. Every throne, every nation, every 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:54.360 human being who ever drew breath lined up. And 00:04:54.360 --> 00:05:01.519 Jesus is going to sort them like a shepherd separating 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:04.399 the sheep from the goats at the end of a long 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:10.959 day. Except the day that's ending here is all 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:19.100 of them. Every day that ever was. This is what 00:05:19.100 --> 00:05:21.279 readiness looks like when the lights come up 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:24.720 and everyone can see everything plainly. Friends, 00:05:24.740 --> 00:05:26.560 the reading of the word tonight, Matthew chapter 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:31.879 25, beginning with verse 31. When the Son of 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:34.379 Man comes in his glory and all of the angels 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:37.620 with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 00:05:38.860 --> 00:05:41.199 Before him will be gathered all the nations, 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:43.660 and he will separate people one from another, 00:05:43.819 --> 00:05:46.800 as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:51.399 And he will place the sheep on his right, the 00:05:51.399 --> 00:05:55.639 goats on his left. Then the king will say to 00:05:55.639 --> 00:06:01.939 those on his right, Come, you who are blessed 00:06:01.939 --> 00:06:06.240 by my Father. inherit the kingdom prepared for 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:11.000 you from the foundation of the world. For I was 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:14.399 hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:18.079 you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:22.699 me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick 00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:26.899 and you visited me. I was in prison and you came 00:06:26.899 --> 00:06:32.839 to me. Then the righteous will answer him saying, 00:06:34.769 --> 00:06:38.430 Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, 00:06:38.509 --> 00:06:41.949 or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we 00:06:41.949 --> 00:06:45.829 see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked 00:06:45.829 --> 00:06:50.069 and clothe you? And when did we see you sick 00:06:50.069 --> 00:06:54.670 or in prison and visit you? And the king answered 00:06:54.670 --> 00:06:59.730 them, Truly I say to you, as you did it to one 00:06:59.730 --> 00:07:03.279 of the least of my brothers, You did it to me 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:08.040 as well. Then he will say to those on his left, 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:13.240 depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:18.600 fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:22.500 I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty 00:07:22.500 --> 00:07:25.879 and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:28.819 you did not welcome me in naked and you did not 00:07:28.819 --> 00:07:32.829 clothe me. Sick and in prison, and you did not 00:07:32.829 --> 00:07:38.029 visit me. Then they also will answer, saying, 00:07:38.129 --> 00:07:43.470 Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or 00:07:43.470 --> 00:07:46.750 a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and 00:07:46.750 --> 00:07:50.389 did not minister to you? Then he will answer 00:07:50.389 --> 00:07:55.230 them, saying, Truly I say to you, as you did 00:07:55.230 --> 00:07:59.550 not do to one of the least of these, you did 00:07:59.550 --> 00:08:05.629 not do to me. These will go away into eternal 00:08:05.629 --> 00:08:10.629 punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. 00:08:11.910 --> 00:08:15.050 Thus ends the reading of the word, dear friends. 00:08:16.449 --> 00:08:22.910 Both groups, sheep and goats, ask the same question. 00:08:23.970 --> 00:08:30.269 When did we see you? The righteous are surprised 00:08:30.269 --> 00:08:35.659 they passed. The cursed are surprised that they 00:08:35.659 --> 00:08:41.840 failed. Nobody saw it coming, which means this 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:46.399 isn't about trying to pass a test. This is about 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:49.480 who you become when you thought nobody was watching. 00:08:51.740 --> 00:08:56.460 You're standing there, not metaphorically, not 00:08:56.460 --> 00:08:59.820 spiritually, actually standing there. All of 00:08:59.820 --> 00:09:06.519 the nations, the Greek, Every people group that 00:09:06.519 --> 00:09:10.460 ever existed pressed shoulder to shoulder in 00:09:10.460 --> 00:09:14.440 a crowd so vast you can't see the edges. And 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:18.580 you're in it. The Son of Man sits on the throne. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:22.480 Not the makeshift throne of palm branches and 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:27.259 hosannas he just rode into Jerusalem on. Not 00:09:27.259 --> 00:09:30.860 the mocking throne of thorns. that will be shoved 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:35.500 on his head at Golgotha. This is the throne Daniel 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:40.860 saw in his vision. One that makes Herod's throne 00:09:40.860 --> 00:09:46.120 look like a lawn chair. And the sorting begins. 00:09:48.259 --> 00:09:51.820 Now, if you grew up around livestock, you'd probably 00:09:51.820 --> 00:09:55.879 know what this looks like. Sheep and goats graze 00:09:55.879 --> 00:10:00.009 together all day long. They look similar enough 00:10:00.009 --> 00:10:03.950 from a distance, especially the dark wool sheep 00:10:03.950 --> 00:10:06.549 and lighter goats common amongst the Galilee 00:10:06.549 --> 00:10:11.289 region. But come evening, the shepherd separates 00:10:11.289 --> 00:10:14.509 them, sheep on one side, goats on the other. 00:10:15.590 --> 00:10:21.210 Shepherd knows his animals. He knows which one 00:10:21.210 --> 00:10:24.610 is which, even when you can't tell the difference. 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.799 And you feel, you feel the movement in the crowd. 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:35.320 People begin to shift. A woman you don't know 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:38.539 ends up on your left. A man you've never seen 00:10:38.539 --> 00:10:42.980 before ends up on your right. You look down at 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:46.220 yourself, half expecting to see wool or horns. 00:10:47.019 --> 00:10:51.899 Some physical sign of what you are. You all look 00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:56.830 the same. You feel the same. And that's when 00:10:56.830 --> 00:11:01.509 the king starts speaking. The ones on the right 00:11:01.509 --> 00:11:06.070 here at first. Come, you who are blessed by my 00:11:06.070 --> 00:11:09.230 father. And then he lists it. Six things, not 00:11:09.230 --> 00:11:13.009 seven. Seven would be complete. Perfect. The 00:11:13.009 --> 00:11:16.690 number of God's finished work. Six is human. 00:11:17.750 --> 00:11:21.730 Incomplete. A list that doesn't pretend to cover 00:11:21.730 --> 00:11:25.529 everything. shows you what the kingdom looks 00:11:25.529 --> 00:11:31.809 like when it has hands and feet. I was hungry 00:11:31.809 --> 00:11:35.889 and you gave me food. You weren't there when 00:11:35.889 --> 00:11:37.889 he multiplied the loaves. You didn't see him 00:11:37.889 --> 00:11:43.009 feed 5 ,000 people with a kid's lunch. But you 00:11:43.009 --> 00:11:44.990 remember the morning he made extra breakfast 00:11:44.990 --> 00:11:47.049 and took it next door because you knew the single 00:11:47.049 --> 00:11:49.590 mom was working double shifts and her kids would 00:11:49.590 --> 00:11:54.370 be hungry. You didn't think about it much. Seemed 00:11:54.370 --> 00:11:58.230 like the right thing to do. I was thirsty and 00:11:58.230 --> 00:12:01.590 you gave me a drink. You remember the water bottle 00:12:01.590 --> 00:12:04.590 you gave the guy holding that cardboard sign 00:12:04.590 --> 00:12:08.450 at the stoplight. Your air conditioning was on. 00:12:09.009 --> 00:12:12.830 Your cup holders were full. He was standing in 00:12:12.830 --> 00:12:18.429 95 degree heat. Cost you nothing. I was a stranger 00:12:18.429 --> 00:12:22.169 and you welcomed me. Family that moved in last 00:12:22.169 --> 00:12:24.779 year, the ones... You don't speak much English. 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:26.919 You kept to themselves because they weren't sure 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:30.580 if they were wanted or not. You took them a casserole, 00:12:30.580 --> 00:12:33.620 learned how to pronounce their names. You made 00:12:33.620 --> 00:12:38.580 space for them. I was naked, and you clothed 00:12:38.580 --> 00:12:41.720 me. Not literally naked, by the way. Greek here 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:46.059 is gypnos, which can mean poorly clothed, threadbare, 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:50.340 or exposed. You remember cleaning out your closet 00:12:50.340 --> 00:12:52.759 and actually taking the good stuff to the shelter, 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:55.600 not just the junk you were throwing away anyway. 00:12:56.559 --> 00:13:01.200 I was sick and you visited me. Nursing homes 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:07.620 smell like antiseptic and slow death. But you 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:11.179 went anyway. Sat with people who couldn't remember 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:16.120 your name. Couldn't give you anything back. You 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:19.440 showed up, though. Because showing up matters. 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:27.019 I was in prison and you came to me. Maybe, literally, 00:13:27.100 --> 00:13:33.639 visiting someone locked up. Or maybe that prison 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:36.580 was loneliness, depression, addiction, shame. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:40.379 You visited people there in those dark spaces 00:13:40.379 --> 00:13:46.399 when it is much easier to stay away. And you're 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:49.460 listening to the list and thinking, when did 00:13:49.460 --> 00:13:54.740 I do all of that? I mean, sure, I help people 00:13:54.740 --> 00:13:58.179 sometimes, but I wasn't. I didn't think I was. 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:04.139 That's when you say it out loud. Out loud. In 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:08.740 the crowd on the right. Pums. Lord. When did 00:14:08.740 --> 00:14:12.120 we see you hungry? When did we see you thirsty 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:14.779 or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison? 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:22.279 When did we see you? Because you didn't. You 00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:26.080 saw Frank from the plant who lost his job. Saw 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:30.000 Maria who couldn't afford school clothes. Saw 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:34.120 a kid everybody made fun of. Saw the old man 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:37.940 whose family never visits him. You never saw 00:14:37.940 --> 00:14:43.470 Jesus. And the king on his throne smiles, not 00:14:43.470 --> 00:14:48.549 a small smile, a very big one. As you did it 00:14:48.549 --> 00:14:52.509 to one of the least of my brothers. In the Greek 00:14:52.509 --> 00:14:55.990 there, I have to have fun with this. Adelphon 00:14:55.990 --> 00:14:59.970 mu, it literally means his siblings or his family. 00:15:00.230 --> 00:15:03.929 You did it to me. Now, I also, since I threw 00:15:03.929 --> 00:15:06.940 that out there, have to honestly. intellectually, 00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:09.600 honestly say. There's also a note out there that 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:11.500 some biblical scholars think that when Jesus 00:15:11.500 --> 00:15:13.840 said this, he was actually referring to those 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:16.720 11 other dudes standing beside him, meaning his 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:19.279 disciples. But I think you guys can all agree 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:22.940 the context of this seems to imply more than 00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:26.679 just 11 people. My thought, you're welcome to 00:15:26.679 --> 00:15:31.600 interpret as you wish. And it's not like you 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:36.850 were doing it to me. Not as if it were me. To 00:15:36.850 --> 00:15:43.409 me, Jesus says. When you gave Frank that sandwich, 00:15:43.649 --> 00:15:48.129 you were feeding Jesus. When you sat with the 00:15:48.129 --> 00:15:53.529 old man, you were visiting Jesus. You see, the 00:15:53.529 --> 00:15:55.830 ones on the right weren't keeping score. They 00:15:55.830 --> 00:15:58.929 weren't building a resume for Judgment Day. They 00:15:58.929 --> 00:16:02.370 saw someone who needed help, and they helped. 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:10.519 It was reflexive, natural, like breathing. What 00:16:10.519 --> 00:16:16.779 sheep do, they follow a shepherd. And this shepherd 00:16:16.779 --> 00:16:20.799 has always moved towards the broken, the overlooked, 00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:26.220 the ones nobody else wants to deal with. So if 00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:29.720 you're actually following him, If you know him, 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:32.259 like we talked about in last week's study about 00:16:32.259 --> 00:16:35.500 the oil and the lamp, you start moving in the 00:16:35.500 --> 00:16:39.720 same direction as him. Not because you're trying 00:16:39.720 --> 00:16:45.200 to be saved, but because you already are. And 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:52.840 saved people see the world differently. Now the 00:16:52.840 --> 00:16:59.419 king turns to his left, the goats. And the temperature 00:16:59.419 --> 00:17:07.359 rises. Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:12.259 fire prepared for the devil and his angels. This 00:17:12.259 --> 00:17:17.059 fire wasn't meant for them. It was prepared for 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:21.619 the devil and his angels, it says. Hell wasn't 00:17:21.619 --> 00:17:28.380 built for humans. But if you insist on living 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:33.559 like hell is your home, eventually, friend, you'll 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:38.380 get your wish. He lists the same six things, 00:17:38.500 --> 00:17:44.220 but this time in the negative. I was hungry and 00:17:44.220 --> 00:17:48.119 you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave 00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:52.250 me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not 00:17:52.250 --> 00:17:55.690 welcome me. You did not clothe me. You did not 00:17:55.690 --> 00:17:58.869 visit me. And the goats standing there in the 00:17:58.869 --> 00:18:01.910 crowd on the left, maybe you're one of them. 00:18:01.950 --> 00:18:06.849 I don't know. They're genuinely confused. Lord, 00:18:06.950 --> 00:18:12.190 when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger 00:18:12.190 --> 00:18:15.750 or naked or sick or in prison and not help you? 00:18:16.750 --> 00:18:22.650 And they're not lying. They really didn't see 00:18:22.650 --> 00:18:30.890 him. They saw problems, inconveniences, people 00:18:30.890 --> 00:18:34.690 who probably deserved what they got, or at least 00:18:34.690 --> 00:18:39.170 can't prove they didn't. They saw strangers who 00:18:39.170 --> 00:18:43.150 might be dangerous. They saw prisoners who probably 00:18:43.150 --> 00:18:47.529 have done something wrong. They saw poor people 00:18:47.529 --> 00:18:50.710 who should have just worked harder. Sick people 00:18:50.710 --> 00:18:55.470 should have better insurance. Hungry people should 00:18:55.470 --> 00:19:01.930 have planned better. They never saw Jesus. And 00:19:01.930 --> 00:19:05.950 here's the thing. They were looking for him. 00:19:07.130 --> 00:19:10.250 They went to church. They knew the Bible. They 00:19:10.250 --> 00:19:13.730 had opinions about theology. They would have 00:19:13.730 --> 00:19:16.710 absolutely helped Jesus if they had known it 00:19:16.710 --> 00:19:20.450 was him. They didn't recognize him, and the people 00:19:20.450 --> 00:19:24.490 actually needed help. The king says it. Don't 00:19:24.490 --> 00:19:28.349 take my words for it. As you did not do it to 00:19:28.349 --> 00:19:32.190 one of the least of these, you did not do it 00:19:32.190 --> 00:19:40.390 to me. Colossin Aeonion. Eternal punishment. 00:19:42.230 --> 00:19:48.730 Age -long cutting off. The same... he used for 00:19:48.730 --> 00:19:53.349 eternal life just one sentence later. The destinies 00:19:53.349 --> 00:19:58.009 are symmetrical. One is life. One is the opposite 00:19:58.009 --> 00:20:02.410 of life. And the hinge, the thing that determines 00:20:02.410 --> 00:20:06.490 which side of it you're on, is whether you saw 00:20:06.490 --> 00:20:10.109 Jesus in the people that everybody else walks 00:20:10.109 --> 00:20:15.640 past. Now, Before we spiral, let's be clear about 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:18.759 what this passage is doing and what it is not 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:24.440 doing. This first and foremost is not Jesus giving 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:28.339 a systematic theology of justification by works. 00:20:28.440 --> 00:20:31.279 We are in the 21st century. Paul already wrote 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:34.079 Romans. If you don't know what it says, go home 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:38.759 and read it. We know grace is free. We know we're 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:44.609 saved by our faith, not by our resumes. But here's 00:20:44.609 --> 00:20:49.730 what Jesus is saying. If your faith is real, 00:20:49.910 --> 00:20:56.690 it changes what you see. Think about it. Last 00:20:56.690 --> 00:20:59.630 week's parable, the ten virgins, was about relationship, 00:21:00.029 --> 00:21:05.190 knowing Jesus, having oil. Tonight's parable 00:21:05.190 --> 00:21:07.930 is what happens when that relationship is actually 00:21:07.930 --> 00:21:13.119 real. Because if you know the shepherd, You start 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:15.819 seeing the world through his eyes. And you start 00:21:15.819 --> 00:21:19.160 caring about what he cares about. And he cares 00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:23.640 deeply, obsessively, relentlessly about people 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:29.079 everyone else ignores. The sheep aren't saved 00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:32.839 because they fed the hungry. They fed the hungry 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:37.519 because they're sheep. It's their nature. It's 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:41.019 what knowing Jesus produces in you, naturally. 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:46.200 And the goats, they're not condemned because 00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:50.279 they failed a checklist or a test. They're condemned 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:54.460 because their faith was just a costume, not real 00:21:54.460 --> 00:21:58.859 heart conversion. They knew about Jesus, but 00:21:58.859 --> 00:22:04.180 they never knew him. So when he showed up in 00:22:04.180 --> 00:22:07.700 disguise as a stranger, a prisoner, a hungry 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:12.880 kid, they didn't recognize him. This is about 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:16.299 vision. The sheep and the goats saw the same 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:20.720 people, but they saw different things. You walk 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:23.500 past the same intersection every day. There's 00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:26.779 that guy with the sign, cardboard, sharpie, some 00:22:26.779 --> 00:22:31.700 story about needing help. What do you see? If 00:22:31.700 --> 00:22:35.460 you see a problem, an inconvenience, maybe a 00:22:35.460 --> 00:22:42.660 scammer, you're seeing like a goat. You see Jesus, 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:47.480 even for a second, even if you're not sure, you're 00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:51.460 seeing like a sheep. The sheep don't calculate 00:22:51.460 --> 00:22:56.680 whether the guy deserves help or not. Sheep don't 00:22:56.680 --> 00:23:01.960 run a cost -benefit analysis. Sheep just move 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:06.799 towards what the shepherd moves toward. Does 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:10.059 that mean you have to fix every problem you run 00:23:10.059 --> 00:23:16.299 across? No. Hey, Jesus didn't heal every person 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:21.460 he met either. But it does mean you can't pretend 00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:26.440 you don't see. And it means when you do see, 00:23:26.599 --> 00:23:30.660 when the need is right there in front of you, 00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:34.740 you can't spiritualize it away or scroll past 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:38.079 it or decide it's somebody else's responsibility. 00:23:39.690 --> 00:23:43.789 Because Jesus is telling us, that's me right 00:23:43.789 --> 00:23:48.150 there. That homeless guy, that down on their 00:23:48.150 --> 00:23:52.049 luck family, that kid nobody likes, that's me. 00:23:53.730 --> 00:23:56.450 And if you wouldn't walk past, if you wouldn't 00:23:56.450 --> 00:24:00.190 walk past Jesus, shouldn't walk past them either. 00:24:02.269 --> 00:24:06.150 So what do we do with this? Some of us might 00:24:06.150 --> 00:24:09.910 be sitting there thinking, I'm a goat. I've walked 00:24:09.910 --> 00:24:12.230 past so many people. I've scrolled past so many 00:24:12.230 --> 00:24:16.049 needs. I've justified so much indifference. It's 00:24:16.049 --> 00:24:21.970 over for me. Stop. The fact that you feel that 00:24:21.970 --> 00:24:27.569 means you're not dead yet. And here's what I 00:24:27.569 --> 00:24:30.750 think. Holy Spirit doesn't waste time trying 00:24:30.750 --> 00:24:33.990 to convince goats. They don't care. They're goats. 00:24:35.490 --> 00:24:39.690 So if you're feeling the weight of this, It's 00:24:39.690 --> 00:24:42.730 because you're called towards something, not 00:24:42.730 --> 00:24:47.230 condemned for something. Repentance isn't our 00:24:47.230 --> 00:24:52.009 shame. It's turning around. It's making a different 00:24:52.009 --> 00:24:55.549 choice the next time. You walked past someone 00:24:55.549 --> 00:24:59.089 last week. There's going to be somebody in front 00:24:59.089 --> 00:25:03.390 of you this week. Turn around. See them. Do something. 00:25:03.980 --> 00:25:07.720 Jesus isn't asking for perfection. He's asking 00:25:07.720 --> 00:25:11.240 for direction. Are you moving towards the people 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:15.960 he moves towards? Or are you moving away? How 00:25:15.960 --> 00:25:17.880 does this look practically? You're at the grocery 00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:20.680 store. You see the woman counting change at the 00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:22.859 register trying to figure out what to put back 00:25:22.859 --> 00:25:25.500 because she doesn't have enough. You have enough. 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:33.180 You could cover it. Do you? You're at work. There's 00:25:33.180 --> 00:25:36.519 that person everybody avoids. Every office has 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:38.859 one. And if you think my office doesn't have 00:25:38.859 --> 00:25:43.140 one, you're probably the person everyone avoids. 00:25:44.359 --> 00:25:48.440 Right? That's the person, right? Awkward, lonely, 00:25:48.619 --> 00:25:50.740 doesn't fit in. You could eat lunch with him 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:55.960 or you could just say hi. What do you do? Do 00:25:55.960 --> 00:25:59.839 you see an interruption? Do you see an inconvenience? 00:26:00.579 --> 00:26:04.410 Or do you see Jesus? Because the king, friends, 00:26:04.509 --> 00:26:07.250 is coming, and when he does, he's not going to 00:26:07.250 --> 00:26:10.529 ask your doctrine. He's not going to quiz you 00:26:10.529 --> 00:26:12.829 about your theology or your Bible knowledge. 00:26:12.849 --> 00:26:15.490 He's going to ask you about the people you saw 00:26:15.490 --> 00:26:21.789 and whether you saw him and them. We still have 00:26:21.789 --> 00:26:24.450 time. The door's still open. The sorting hasn't 00:26:24.450 --> 00:26:27.609 happened yet. To each every single person you 00:26:27.609 --> 00:26:30.740 see today, is still another opportunity to see 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:33.880 Jesus. Every knee that crosses your path is still 00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:36.839 an opportunity to move toward the kingdom instead 00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:40.000 of away from him. You don't have to fix everything. 00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:45.279 You just have to see. And when you do, when you 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:48.619 really see Jesus standing there with that cardboard 00:26:48.619 --> 00:26:52.400 sign, in that hospital bed, in that lonely apartment, 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:56.319 in the county jail, you won't be able to help 00:26:56.319 --> 00:27:02.019 yourself. You'll move. Not because you're trying 00:27:02.019 --> 00:27:06.400 to be a sheep, but because, friends, you already 00:27:06.400 --> 00:27:19.480 are. Amen? Amen. Thanks, guys. As we step away 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:22.579 from this passage and let the dust settle, I 00:27:22.579 --> 00:27:26.319 want you to sit for a moment with that holy question. 00:27:27.180 --> 00:27:30.759 Did you see him? Not in the stained glass windows, 00:27:30.839 --> 00:27:33.579 not in the polished sermons, not in the verses 00:27:33.579 --> 00:27:36.579 you already memorized, but in the faces that 00:27:36.579 --> 00:27:39.599 crossed your path this last week. In the hungry 00:27:39.599 --> 00:27:43.440 kid, in the lonely neighbor, in the person you 00:27:43.440 --> 00:27:47.000 were too tired to deal with. Conviction, friend, 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:50.380 isn't meant to crush you. It's meant to call 00:27:50.380 --> 00:27:55.109 you home. And comfort? Comfort is knowing that 00:27:55.109 --> 00:27:57.549 the one who judges you is the same one who came 00:27:57.549 --> 00:28:00.769 looking for you long before you ever thought 00:28:00.769 --> 00:28:04.150 to look for him. If you missed him yesterday, 00:28:04.349 --> 00:28:07.089 grace says you get another chance to try again 00:28:07.089 --> 00:28:10.690 tomorrow. That's the good news. That's the gospel. 00:28:11.190 --> 00:28:14.750 That's the shepherd who still leaves the 99 for 00:28:14.750 --> 00:28:18.539 the one. Now, before we turn out the lights in 00:28:18.539 --> 00:28:21.059 this little digital church of ours, let me give 00:28:21.059 --> 00:28:24.000 you two invitations. If something in tonight's 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:26.640 study stirred you, if it helped you, challenged 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:29.880 you, walked with you for a mile or two, you can 00:28:29.880 --> 00:28:31.740 always throw your like in the offering plate. 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:35.920 It helps more than you know. And if you'd like 00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:39.359 to join us again, just tithe your subscribe right 00:28:39.359 --> 00:28:42.559 here. That way, you'll know when we're having 00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:44.420 church again and when the lights are coming back 00:28:44.420 --> 00:29:00.400 on. Until then, friend, be blessed. You don't 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:04.640 need a halo to hit that button. You think the 00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:07.660 gospel needs your money? Brother, it needs your 00:29:07.660 --> 00:29:11.759 witness. You click that like like it's a revival 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:15.000 handshake. and heaven will count it as attendance. 00:29:16.420 --> 00:29:21.400 Don't just sit there. Throw it in the plate.