Verse of the Day 2/10

Through the Bible

 

Good morning,

For today's verse we'll move on to Matthew 21 where Jesus makes some statements that may be hard to understand.  He tells his followers that in the final judgement He will separate the sheep from the goats.  The saved and the unsaved.  It's sobering to see what criteria He uses.

 

Matt 25:35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'   NKJV

 

The "righteous" question Him, basically saying we never saw you like that, we would have helped you.

For today's verse, Jesus tells them what He expects, look out for everyone in that condition:

Matt 25:44 "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  NKJV

And just who are the least of these but the very people in that condition?   John Piper writes, "Galatians 6:10 puts it like this: "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." The "especially" is because there is the added delight of affirming in them what God has already done in saving them. So in the complexities of urban trouble and ministries of mercy we are carried by two motives: on the one hand, the desire to confirm and honor the Christ-exalting faith of a brother or sister who is suffering by giving them relief and help; and on the other hand, the desire to waken Christ-exalting faith in suffering unbelievers by giving them relief and help in Jesus' name and with Jesus' gospel.

 

This is not a "works" mentality, it's a matter of the heart, of heats set apart for the glory of God.

 

 If we are a true church, if we are true disciples of Jesus, then we will be drawn to show mercy to some suffering people precisely because they are Christians. And we will be drawn to show mercy to other suffering people because they are not Christians. We will be like our Heavenly Father, when we love his children and love our enemies. And that love means "doing good" to them.

It is not always easy to know what the good is in complexities of urban pain, or what mercy should look like in Haiti or Florida or Sudan or your loved one's hospice. But Christ never said it would be easy. He simply said, Love your neighbor as you love yourself. And then he died and rose again to cover all our sin and make mercy possible..

 

This is not "Christianity Lite", or what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called "easy believism", it is where the rubber meets the road.  What would happen if we lived this out in our lives, our families, or churches and in our church outreach ministries here and abroad?  How many would be healed, made whole, through the imitators of Christ?

 

Our motives are also important.  It should  not be in building ourselves up as was the case with the Pharisees, and too often in ourselves but for the glory of God.

 

John Stott writes in "Our Guilty Silence", "Our motive must be concern for the glory of God, not the glory of the Church or our own glory.  Our message must be the gospel of God, as given by Christ and His apostles, not the traditions of men our our own opinions.  Our manpower must be the Church of God, and every member of it, not a privileged few who want to retain evangelism as their own prerogative.  Our dynamic must be the "Spirit of God", not the power of human personality, organization or eloquence."

 

Let it be the power of Christ living in you as was noticed of Peter and John in Acts 4:13-14 where the NLT refers to them as being recognized as "companions with Jesus".  Wouldn't you want to be considered a "companion" of Jesus?  Who are the "least of these" in your life?  What can you do for them in Jesus name today?

 

In Christ,

Mike

Matt 25:30-26:1

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations

31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you 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 food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  36 I was 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, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand,'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;  43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'

44 "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

NKJV