May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, my Lord, my King, my judge and my redeemer. Amen.
Feeling Sheepish
Today, I want to tell you a little bit about me, so you can understand me a little better. I was born into a good Christian family, I was taught the 10 commandments, the Apostles Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer, I went to Sunday School almost every week, until I was in High School and then I did Confirmation, and went to Youth Group as often as I could.
I have had many jobs, mostly in the Human Resources field. I worked with special needs students. I was an aboriginal educational tutor. I even worked with children with disabilities.
Four years ago I started studying to become a pastor. Since the start of my studies I began to spend many more moments of every day praying, and reading the bible.
I have never murdered anyone, stolen, lied, committed adultery, and I am a good steward of those things God has given me. I even take all my used clothes to Lutheran Community Care, to clothe the needy.
I like to think that I am a pretty good kind of guy.
So, when I die what do you think will be on my head stone???
Do you think it will read:
I don’t know about you, but these things, are not the things I want to be remembered for.
I want to be remembered as a child of God. As one who served Christ without knowing. As one who was gathered with the rest of the sheep to the kingdom made for me since the foundation of the world. I want to be remembered as one who was judged righteous, not by what I did, but by what Christ won for me on the cross.
What do you want to be remembered for???
Friends, I’m sorry. You will not be alright if all you have is your good deeds. Sure they helped people but they alone won’t cut it. Only faith in Christ will save you from the eternal fire.
Jesus says to the unrighteous: I was hungry and you did not feed me, thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I had no where to sleep and you did not take me in, I was naked and you did not clothe me. I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.
But why didn’t He warn them? Surely it was within God’s power to let them know that by serving those in need they were serving Him... Surely He could have prevented them from entering the eternal fire of Hell which he prepared, not for them, but for the Devil and all the demons. Why didn’t He step in to help them???
Friends, I’m sorry. God has told you. He continually tells you. Those pulls on your gut as you walk past the needy, that pull on your gut telling you to help. You know, those pulls on your gut which we all ignore at different times. That my friends is the Holy Spirit, tugging at your soul to provide food, drink; shelter; clothing and comfort for Jesus Christ himself.
God had told us, but do we listen???
On the last day. Whether it be at the arrival of Jesus Christ on judgement day, or on the day that we breathe our final breath. On that day, it will be too late. Too late to help the needy, and too late to help yourself.
In a way judgement day has already begun to take place. Our lack of care for the needy has already begun to show us to be the goats we really are. We see in our selves that we have neglected “the least of these”, and our neglect of the needy shows us our neglect of Christ. And our neglect of Christ, who is the judge, shows us our neglect of the one who sent Him, God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth.
Friends, I’m sorry. The time for excuses is over. It’s too late to make a case for our selves. We have already proven ourselves unworthy. Judgement has been made. We are goats, we all deserve the punishment which God has made, we all deserve the eternal fire. We are goats, and it’s too late to change.
Being Sheepish
Even though God has already passed judgement on the goats. He is not content to let dead goats lie. Even though we deserve the punishment of the unrighteous. Even though we ignored, neglected and forgot “the least of these”. Even though we did not see Him in the least of these. God has not ignored, neglected or forgotten you.
God sent his Son into this world, not as a king on a glorious throne, but as “the least of these”.
A baby; not born in a private hospital, but in barn, in an animals feeding troth.
Not to a well off, highly regarded family, but to a carpenter and his teenage wife.
Not from Rome or another wealthy city, but from a small poor town called Nazareth in Galilee.
He was the friend of sinners and outcasts, not of the high and mighty.
And when he was lifted up and named the King of Israel, it was not with trumpet blasts and stringed instruments, but with a crown of thorns and nails in his hands and feet.
His throne was not of polished marble, but of crude wood.
Why, oh why, did our heavenly Father send His son into this world? He knew that He would suffer great suffering, and die a horrific death. Why would anyone do that to their own child?
It is because He loved you so much. He did not want you to suffer the punishment of the goats, which He made for the devil and his demons. He wanted you to be able to inherit the kingdom that He created for you from the foundation of the world. He put our salvation above his own life, so that we could come to fear, love and trust in Him.
Jesus offered himself up as the sacrificial lamb, to shed his blood from his throne of wooden suffering, so that He could bring all the nations to Himself, and make them His sheep.
Jesus suffered the fate that we deserved... to give us a new life. A life that is among His flock of righteous people.
We don’t need to make a case for ourselves, Christ has made the best and only case that will ensure our salvation. Its not because you are a good person, but because Christ was the perfect person, and He gave up His life for you.
Friends, Thanks be to God for making the case for us.
A few weeks ago, I helped with the funeral service of the oldest member of my vicarage congregation (she was 1 month away from 100). I want you to hear the text for the service. It was from Second Timothy Chapter 4 verses 6 to 8:
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Do you see the difference between our comments: “Its ok, she was a good person” and “She has fought the good fight. She has finished the race. She has kept the faith”?
It is not by your good work’s that you will be judged among the righteous. As I said earlier: “You will not be alright if all you have is your good deeds. Sure they helped people but good works alone won’t cut it”. Only faith in Christ will save you from the eternal fire.”
This lady has entered eternal life, not because she was a great person (although she was), it wasn’t even because she prayed and read her bible (although she did), it was because God called her to believe in Him. And she dutifully did until her final breath.
And this is what God calls us to do also. You are called to love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength. How can we do this? We can’t. Not on our own anyway. But as mentioned earlier, Christ has sent the Holy Spirit to guide you on your path. He reveals to us the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the naked, the sick and the lonely. And he reveals Christ today through this text. Don’t be uncertain about this Christ is present in “the least of these, his brothers and sisters”.
And whats more, the more we come to know Christ, the more the Holy Spirit transforms us to be like Christ. And the more like Christ we become the easier it is to help those in need. And even more amazing than all of this is; each time we help “the least of these” in their needs we are given the special opportunity of seeing, serving, and hearing Christ through these his children.
Friends, Thanks be to God for telling us where He is.
My Brothers, my sisters, listen! Its not too late. We don’t need to fear that it is too late. We no longer need to be goats who are worried that we are not good enough to build a good enough case for our salvation. We don’t need to worry about when the judgement will be or who will be present to speak against us. We don’t need to worry that we haven’t seen Jesus in the needy.
CHRIST HAS ALREADY DONE IT!!!
Christ has made our case in His blood. He has washed us clean from all sin, in His blood. He has revealed Himself to us in the needy. Christ is our King and our Judge. Christ our King has had the last word.
WE ARE SAVED.
WE ARE RIGHTEOUS IN GODS SIGHT; By our faith in Him.
The same faith which we freely received at our baptisms, and the same faith that we have renewed in us each and every time we receive Christ’s body and blood.
Because of this forgiveness that Christ has won for us, we can give hope to “the least of these”. It’s not too late for them either. We freely serve the “least of these”. Not for some ulterior motive. Not because our salvation rests upon it. We serve them, because they need our service. And by serving them we are both blessed. They will see Jesus through us. And Jesus promises us that we will see Jesus in them.
Friends, Thanks be to God, “It’s not too late”
And may the peace of God which passes all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
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