Parable Of The Sheep and The Goats

Judgment is coming. Be someone who does good in Jesus’s name.

KEY VERSES

Matthew 25:31-46 (NASB)

31 But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation 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 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to 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 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been 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; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

UNDERSTANDING

  • What will Jesus invite the “sheep” to do? What does it mean to inherit the kingdom?

  • In verses 35-36, what did Jesus say the “sheep” will have done?

  • What basic human needs will be met by the sheep?

  • What will the sheep surprised about (vv. 37-39)?

  • Read John 3:16-18. What did Jesus teach was required of a person to gain eternal life? Why, then, do our works—like meeting people’s needs—matter to Him?

  • How are the sheep and the goats similar? How are they different?

  • How did Jesus summarize the parable? How does that strong conclusion impact the way that you see Jesus?

  • What did Jesus mean when He said, “To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me”?

  • How is it that by serving people, we love them and show them Jesus?

APPLICATION

  • As points of application in this week’s message, Pastor Jeff noted: 1. Judgment is coming. 2. God never ignores sin; He is a just judge. 3. Surprises often await us. 4. Don’t leave good undone. 5. Do what you believe. 6. Be someone who does good in Jesus’s name. Which of these stands out to you the most today? Explain.

  • How does the fact that you will be judged change the way you view your life? How does it change the way you look at others?

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