Please open your Bibles now to Matthew chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25. We will read the conclusion of this chapter beginning at verse 31. Let us hear the word of God. When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations. And He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divided his sheep from the goats. And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger, and ye took me in. naked, and ye clothed me. I was sick, and ye visited me. I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee, and hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? Or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? The king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, he cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and ye took me not in. Naked, and ye clothed me not. Sick and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or a thirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not unto me. and these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Let us pray. O Lord, our God, we give thanks for the solemn words which we have read by the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ, which have been given unto us by thy Holy Spirit. We ask this night that we may take heed to the words of our Savior, that we may receive them by faith, that they may be impressed upon our hearts, and that we may respond to them by faith, open our hearts, open the eyes of our understanding, that we may be enlightened. We pray, Lord, that Thou wouldst grant unto us a gospel obedience unto Thy commands and unto Thy Holy Word, to do so in such a way that our Savior would be exalted and glorified. Hear our prayer. Undertake, Lord, for the preaching of Thy Holy Word, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Beloved congregation, as we read earlier, it is possible to think that you are worshipping and serving the Lord when you are not serving Him at all. We read about that as the children of Israel deliberately, and I don't know that we can say that they actually thought that they were worshiping the Lord, but that was what they professed. The calf, they said, was Jehovah. The worshiping of the calf was going to be a feast to Jehovah. The... The calf itself was called, these are thy gods which have brought you out of Egypt. This calf is your redemption. They might say, you know, we don't really believe that this calf brought us out. But they would say maybe he's a visible representation of God. And we could consider maybe that they brought kind of a syncretism. The bulls that were worshipped were a bull that was worshipped in Egypt, may have aroused those ideas. And in any case, they professed to be worshipping Jehovah himself. And it was not a mistaken thing, it was a very purposeful thing. And so we need to be aware of this syncretism of truly worshiping the Lord Jesus. He said that in these days, he would be worshiped in spirit and in truth. And so we want to worship the Lord with our whole being, with our whole man. So when we look at salvation then, Here we see that there were people who thought that they were serving Christ, but they weren't actually. They were trusting really in their good works, trusting in their deeds to commend them to Christ on the last day. So salvation, as we ought to know and believe, salvation is a gracious gift of God, is not of works, lest any man should boast, but that salvation always produces good works in some measure. And it is that simple order of salvation that many people seem to pass over. They just want to go directly to the good works. Are you doing good works? Don't worry about your motive or the reason behind it. Just get out there and do good. That really seems to be the modern idea of the modern Christianity, the church age in which we live. But the Bible, as we've been saying, especially in Galatians and all through the scriptures as you read it, always begins with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so your good works arise out of a regenerated heart, out of a heart that has been born again, out of a heart that is moved by the Holy Spirit himself to do those good works, and to do them with a desire for God's honor and glory. So we see here, first of all, the sheep and the goats, and we want to look at this division. The sheep and the goats are laid before us, and we are told that the Son of Man is going to judge, separate and judge them. Verse 31, when the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divided his sheep from the goats. It's going to be a great day of judgment and it is a day of which we ought to be aware and a day for which you and I, beloved, ought to prepare. And there are many preparations. We're to watch and pray. We're to occupy till he comes. we're to consider the things that he's given us as we did last week, the talents, doesn't matter how many talents you have. The question is, what are you doing with what God has given you? Are you multiplying? Are you seeking to be productive in the kingdom of Christ? That is really at the heart of the matter. It's not how much you're able to do, but that you are bearing fruit because you're indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Does that make sense? If the Holy Spirit indwells you, you won't necessarily bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in some measure. And that's what you ought to pray for. When you see little fruit, you ought to pray that the Lord will produce more fruit and not be satisfied with just a little bit of fruit. Multiply this work that thou hast begun. So notice that when the Lord divides the sheep from the goats, there's something very interesting, and I think it's very significant in the way that this is set before us by Matthew. He says that he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. And he says then to those on his right hand, come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. So what is this separation based on? It is based on God's electing and predestinating love. The decision of which are the goats and which are the sheep has already been made from eternity past. And the Lord makes that, especially as he addresses the sheep. He says, I'm gathering you as you have been appointed to salvation from the beginning of the world. So this definitely is not teaching salvation by works. And as you look especially at the older commentaries, especially the commentaries that were written during the Reformation or in the time of Reformation, you will see that they are addressing very earnestly the error of Rome, where they use this passage to teach that you're going to be in heaven based on your good works. And the reformers were appalled at that. It just, is not the gospel. There is no hope or pleasure in being saved by our own works. So the judgment comes later. So we think about this as a judgment that is based either on the works arising out of the work of the Holy Spirit, which is sanctification, or the works that are based on an expectation of being justified by those works, right? People are coming and saying, well, we did many good things, maybe, apparently then they realized they didn't do the right good things, but we did many good things, and we're hoping to be justified on the basis of those things, and yet we see that they did them wrong. So there are the sheep and the goats. And then we see among the sheep an unexpected blessing that we just read. Come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. That is God's, or the Lord Jesus Christ's pronouncement upon them. And again, it is definitely not based on works righteousness. It is based on the electing love of the heavenly father. And then the Lord does say what they did. Come ye blessed of my father for the beginning of verse 35, because I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me. I was sick, and ye visited me. I was in prison, and ye came unto me. So he was, these people, Jesus says, were caring for those in need. And specifically, those within the church. We'll come to that in just a moment. So there are people, Christians, that these people have said, I need to show compassion to them. There are people in need. And I think one of the things that comes out of this then is, In opposition to the prosperity gospel, there are people within the church who are in need. And they're in need in various ways. What's that saying? I think it was J.C. Ryle who said that you don't need to be ashamed of your poverty unless your sin brought it upon you. There are Christians who are poor and still saved by grace. And we are to show compassion to them. I think one of the interesting things here was where Jesus says, I was in prison and you visited me. And so we're assuming that they were not in prison because they'd done evil. but they would have been in prison because they'd done evil in the sight of the government, the powers that be. They were in prison, I would suggest, for the cause of the gospel, for the cause of Christ. And so there's a certain boldness then to say, I would like to go and see that person in prison. You go to the guard, I'd like to see that person. Isn't suspicion going to fall on you immediately and say, You're not one of those Christians, are you? Because that man's in jail for being a Christian. Now you're coming to visit him. So it exposes you to a certain danger, but you visited me in prison. You visited me as one who was imprisoned, I believe, for the gospel's sake. So the saints here are surprised. When did we do this? And they are very detailed in their surprise. Verse 37, then shall the righteous answer him saying, Lord, when saw we thee and hungered and fed thee or thirsty and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger and took thee in or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick or in prison and came unto thee. So they're really surprised. We don't remember feeding the Lord Jesus. We don't remember clothing him when he didn't have anything to wear. We don't remember visiting you in prison. And then Jesus explains. inasmuch as ye have done, verse 40, the king shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. So the Lord Jesus notices especially how you treat his people. And it is a sad testimony in the history of the church that Christians often don't treat each other very well. But the Lord Jesus says, I'm mindful of the love of the charity that you give to other sheep of my fold. Others whom I have called and appointed to salvation. Now, the Apostle Paul says that, as we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. So we are to be known for our good works to everyone, but especially, Paul says, be caring for other Christians. Provide for other Christians, those who are sound in the faith, or encouraging them also to be sound in the faith. So Jesus says that when you show kindness to a brother or a sister in the Lord Jesus, that he himself reckons that as being done to himself. That it is, Jesus says, that when you treat someone kindly in the church, that he reckons that as being done to himself. That you are, he receives that as a kindness to himself. Now, the Lord's people, I think, generally serve him with intention. We don't serve the Lord accidentally. It is by the power of the Spirit. And yet, these saints were just doing good. And notice that it's all the sheep, all the righteous that are included here, just treating one another as blood-bought saints, as those who, this is what we have in common. We have in common that Jesus died for our sins. We have in common that God has appointed us to salvation. We have in common that we have the Holy Spirit by which we may serve one another. So this is a very important consideration, beloved, that we are serving Christ that we do so in the power of the Holy Spirit when we administer mercy to those who are in need, regardless of their need. And notice that it doesn't say to everyone, in as much as ye have done and unto the least of these, my brethren. That's where it begins, at home, as they say. So this is a good way in which to behold one another. I'm serving Christ when I'm serving my brother and my sister. Opposed to that is an unexpected blessing on the one hand and an unexpected curse on the other. When the Lord Jesus says in verse 41, then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Why is that? Again, I was unhungered and ye gave me no meat. I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink. I was a stranger and ye took me not in. Naked and ye clothed me not. Sick and in prison and ye visited me not. So there he is opening the door a little wider, not just to the church. They don't have a particular interest in the Lord's saints and the Lord's people. But he does say, in as much, verse 45, as he did it not to one of the least of these, he did it not to me. It is in the nature of performing good works that we look for something in return. People talk about being loving and kind. They use the word altruism, just giving without any expectation of anything in return. But that is not the way the human nature, the sinful human nature is described. People tend to do things in order to make sure that something is returned to them in one way or another. And as a mark of Christian grace, when you do something for someone else and it stops there. You're not keeping a little track and saying, I remember when I did something for that person, what have they done in return to me? That is works. There's no grace in that, is there? Grace says, I'm going to do this because I'm doing it as unto the Lord, and the Lord will reward me one day. The Lord will take care of any of that reward. I'm not out of pocket any money that I've given to somebody in need because the Lord supplies my riches. If I fall short, the Lord will provide again. Won't he? Won't he provide those things? Not that we're to be foolish and just give away all of our money. That would not be wise. And Solomon says that's not wise. But to understand someone truly in their need, and to see someone truly in their need, and to be able to help them, and maybe you can go back and say, oh, maybe I overextended myself a little bit. And perhaps the Lord will provide and send someone to you that will make up that need as well. That's the life of faith. the life that the Lord leads us to. But these people who are unregenerate, they were expecting that all their good deeds were going to be rewarded by the Lord one day, rewarded with eternal life. But it appears from this passage that they didn't want to treat the people that were really in poverty. And maybe the Christians, right? We've been studying that in Hebrews on Wednesday nights. The Hebrew Christians, were often very needy because the world despised them. You're just Christians, and you've kind of cast off the Jewish faith, but you're following the Lord Jesus Christ, so they went in and took advantage of them. You have suffered the spoiling of your goods, it says in Hebrews. They've just come in and taken whatever they would because they know you're not going to retaliate. They know that you're not going to go after them. And so, yeah, it's fair game for the Christian. Just go and take whatever you want. You've suffered the spoiling of your goods, but you have not yet suffered unto blood. Could be worse. You've only lost material things. You've only lost the things of this life because your heart isn't here. Your heart is in heaven. So, here are the others then that say, well, I'm not gonna, The real down and outers, I'm not going to treat them well. people who already have money and hopefully I'm gonna get something back. That's the tendency. I'm not saying that people never show kindness to people who are in poverty. They do, we see that. But secretly, they're always hoping that somehow they're going to get that reward for their good works, whether it's in this life or in the life to come. And Jesus says that's not the way salvation works. It doesn't work based on your kindness shown to others. And wouldn't that be terrible, really, if your salvation was based on that, because then you would have to keep a little record book, wouldn't you? What did I do? I did this, and I did this, and I did this. But yeah, the Lord is going to let me into heaven because I did these many wonderful works. There are people that are truly counting on that. Beloved, what are you counting on? When you do a kindness to someone else, are you able to just leave it with the Lord? And to say I'm doing this because Christ has loved me with such an everlasting love that I have not only a little extra money to help others with, but I also have the grace of my heart to comfort somebody in need, visit them when they're lonely, visit them when they're in prison even. I give them food when they're hungry, drink when they're thirsty, strangers that are taken in, showing hospitality to strangers. So here is that curse. They say, well, I thought I was going to go to heaven by my good works. And the Christian says, no. I've done many good works, but not in my name. But in the name of the Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I've done them out of a grateful heart because Christ has purchased me and has saved my soul. So beloved, we have here in this passage another reminder, as we have already in Matthew chapter 25, a reminder that there is an eternal day of judgment, a day of eternal judgment, a day when sheep will be separated from goats. The goats are going to go into eternal fire of judgment. Incidentally, did you notice that that is prepared for the devil and his angels. It wasn't prepared for human beings. But it was prepared for the devil and his angels, and the unrighteous are going to end up there because of Adam's fall, and Satan wanting to bring as many with him as he can. But the righteous are going to be with Christ forever. in everlasting habitation. What a wonderful promise that is, beloved, for persevering, looking simply to Christ. Not to your own works, but good works should always flow from the life of a Christian. It should be an evident good works, but your trust and your faith and your hope is always in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what makes the Christian life so strange, doesn't it? Isn't it strange? You're not going to go to heaven based on your good works, just by believing that the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered for your sin. As the Lord visits you with grace, aren't you going to respond then with grace? Grace is going to flow out of your heart, out of your mind, out of your actions to others who are needy. The Lord saved me when I was needy. The Lord saved me when I was a sinner. And here's someone who is needy in material things, perhaps in emotional things, going to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in that way. So we don't serve the Lord to escape eternal damnation. We serve the Lord because we love him and because we love his people. So beloved, are you looking for opportunities? to serve the Lord and his people. It does seem as though the Christians are fewer and fewer in number in our land, but we ought to be aware that they're obviously not only in our own congregation, but there are others as well that are needy around us. And I was very encouraged and delighted when I was in in Airdrie a few weeks ago. And they have a larger congregation. They don't have their own building, but they do have a good-sized congregation. And I was encouraged to hear them say, if you ever have any needs, just let us know. We have a deacon's fund that can help if you have dire needs. Isn't that wonderful to hear? We're bound together, not just because we're two Presbyterian denominations, but because of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, because the gospel that has been proclaimed in both of our congregations exalts the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to do good to each other, and we ought to view ourselves not as a needy people, a giving people, somebody who can always look out for the interests of others. May the Lord give unto us, not a selfishness, but a giving desire to serve Christ in the way of hospitality and generosity. Let us pray. Our gracious God, we come before Thee this night. We pray that Thou would forgive us where we have lost opportunities to serve the Lord Jesus Christ by showing kindness to others. We do pray, Lord, that Thou would grant unto us that we may be diligent to look for opportunities to serve in the ways in which Thou has gifted us, in the ways that Thou does direct us, in the doors that Thou does open for these opportunities, and we do ask, Lord, that thou would show us ways in which we can show others, especially those of the household of faith, thy saving love and grace and mercy in the things of this life as we look unto the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray in his precious name, amen.