On “Sheep and Goats”

This week’s worship sermon is on the final section of Matthew 25: the judgment of the “sheep and goats” at the end of the Tribulation Period.

Summary of sermon series on the Gospel of Matthew:

Jesus condemned the religious leaders of perverting the meaning of the Law and that He had come to correct their errors by teaching the Law as God intended it to be
He would fulfill the entirety of the Law’s requirements and set the nation free to know God individually
Humility was the supreme attitude that all needed in order to correct their errors and set the nation back on the course God had chosen them to follow
Jesus offered His Kingdom and taught in parables what principles of His kingdom were the most important, principles that were the opposite of what the religious leaders had been teaching them for 400 years

Summary Matthew 24-25

The disciples ask Jesus about His comments on the destruction of the Temple: what will be the sign of Your coming, and when will the end of the world happen? He told them in Matthew 24-25 what the signs were, and as far as the timing of His return He told them you’re not going to be told.
Chapter 25 contains three parables/lessons on being ready:
Parable of the bridesmaids/lamps (v. 1-13), be ready at a moment’s notice
Parable of the talents (v. 14-30), in His time should not be wasted but growth and progress returned

The Separation of the Lost and Saved at the End of the Tribulation Period

Now in v. 31-46, He tells them that when He returns there will be a separation of the “sheep and goats.” The “sheep” were those who treated “the least of these My brethren” with compassion and assistance; the “goats” were those who did not offer His brethren help and assistance in their hour of need.
“If you did it not to the least of these, you did it not to Me” - The ones He described as His brethren were the ones who became believers in the Tribulation Period and were being persecuted and hunted by the Antichrist, having to go into hiding and being forbidden by the Antichrist to buy food (if anyone in the Tribulation will be able afford food).
The only way for the Tribulation Period believers to survive will be from the kindness of others. Jesus told the “sheep” that when they offered assistance to these it was the same as offering it to Him personally. Jesus will judge those who do not assist with eternal damnation as an indication of their lost condition.
When the “goats” asked Jesus when they had the opportunity to offer assistance directly to Jesus (implying that if they had known it was Jesus they would have offered it) He told them that in not helping the Tribulation Period believers they were not offering help to Him.
There is a popular belief today on this passage that “the least of these” are all the poor, destitute, oppressed and homeless of this world, and that we are to help them because we see Jesus in them. When you see a poor person, you are not seeing Jesus; you’re seeing a poor person. There are many other passages that tell us to be charitable to those in need: to our fellow Christians, to our enemies, and even to strangers. We do not need to misinterpret this passage in order to induce guilt on the part of prosperous American Christians so that promoters of social-gospel ministries can be well-funded. We know that guilt is profitable, so the temptation to twist this passage is too much for them to resist, it appears.
We are all to do our part to help those in need with love and generosity; but also with careful, reasoned stewardship. We do not hoard the Lord’s resources that we have been given to manage, nor do we waste them. Help the poor, but use your head.