31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 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.
33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
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.
35 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,
36 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.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
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.’
41 “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.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 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.’
44 “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?’
45 “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.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
1.The Story
2. Sheep and Goats
3.The Least of Jesus’s Brothers and Sisters
Question 1
What happens after life on earth?
1. It is a story of judgment.
The king judges the nations verse 31-32, 46
Matthew 25: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
32 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.
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
We will be held accountable for our decision to accept Jesus, God’s offer of a relationship with Him, or to deny Him.
§ Hell is real, but God did not prepare it for humanity; it was prepared for the devil and his angels.
§ Matthew 25: 41, “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.
§ When humanity sinned, it was separated from God. Those who are not saved cannot approach the light and glory of God.
Rev. 21:25 “Its gates will never be shut, because there will be no night there."
The gates of heaven are not closed; however, those who do not have new life in Jesus cannot enter.
God desires that you be saved because He loves you.
When accept Jesus in your heart, He gives you new life, enabling you to come close to God.
Discussion
Who are some figures in history that people often assume are in heaven or hell, even though only God truly knows?
2. Sheep and goats
33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
These two animals represent the two natures within humanity. Each person exhibits either the characteristics of a goat or those of a sheep.
Who are goats or Sheep?
The sheep - right hand
The goat – left hand.
The Bible describes several judgments:
For the righteous — the Bema Seat Judgment
For the wicked — the Great White Throne Judgment
For the nations — the judgment of the Sheep and the Goats
Sheep represent the righteous: teachable and sacrificial (as seen in Jesus, the Lamb)
Goats represent rebellion and an unteachable spirit
They were judged by how they fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited prisoners, gave drink to the thirsty and welcomed strangers, and cared for the sick.
They lived this way because they embraced a life of sacrifice, valuing others above themselves. While many are focused on self, comfort, culture, and nation, we are called to be a hope to others.
We must step beyond our comfort zones and cultural boundaries to truly accept others. In doing so, we create opportunities to show this life of Jesus.
Discussion
§ Who would you define as the least important or least recognized within God’s house?
§
3. The least of the brothers and sisters.
Matthew 25: 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.’
Who are described as “the least of the brothers and sisters”?
Some believe it refers to all poor and marginalized people.
Others say it refers to the Jews, His biological family.
Another view is that it refers to “the least” among Christians.
§ Jesus said that the least important are His brothers and sisters—these are the least among Christians. He taught that those who obey God’s will are His true brothers and sisters (Mark 3:35).
§ Therefore, those we regard as least important in God’s house represent Him; how we treat them reflects how we treat Jesus.
Conclusion
§ God desires that you be with Him for eternity. Though He will judge the world, He will dwell with His people forever.
§ While on earth, we are called to live as His children—His sheep—valuing others above ourselves, particularly those we may consider less important.
