The Glory of Christ

November 26, 2017 Christ the King Sunday Matthew 25:31-46 The Glory of Christ Children’s Sermon….. Object: a report card or progress report from day care or kindergarten Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you go to school or day care? Do you have a good time there? When I was your age, I went to kindergarten. And there were certain things that the teacher expected me to do in kindergarten. For instance, the teachers wanted me to share my toys, and play well with the other children, and use good manners when I was in the classroom, and not yell too loudly or hit people. Those are some things the teacher wanted me to do. And every year, the teachers would send home a report card showing my mom and dad if I was doing everything right or not. Have you ever gotten a report card? If I was doing really well in a certain subject, like sharing, I would get an "œS" on my report card. That meant "œsatisfactory," that I was doing a good job. If I was doing a bad job, I might get a "œU" or a "œP." Those stand for "œunsatisfactory" and "œpoor," or very bad. I really wanted to get good grades, so I tried very hard to do all the things my teacher taught me to do. Wouldn't it be interesting if God gave us a report card? What if God graded us on the things that are important to Him, like taking care of poor people, giving food to hungry people, visiting sick people? Do we do any of those things? Would we get a good grade? God wants us to do good things for people who are hungry, or sick, or thirsty, or poor, or in prison. He wants us to take care of these people, to share what we have with them. If God were to grade us, that's what He'd grade us on. So what about you? Do you want to get a good grade on God's report card? I do. So let's pray and ask God how we can start helping the people around us who need help. Matthew 25:31-46Common English Bible (CEB) Judgment of the nations 31 “Now when the Human One[a] comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left. 34 “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. 35 I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. 36 I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who will receive terrible things. Go into the unending fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink. 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?’ 45 Then he will answer, ‘I assure you that when you haven’t done it for one of the least of these, you haven’t done it for me.’ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life.” Footnotes: a. Matthew 25:31 Or Son of Man Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible I have a list of 6 important ministries that a church can have, and I want you to think about which of these do we do well, and which ones can we do better. Which ones should we be doing. This is a rhetorical question and each person can come up with their own answers. Feeding the hungry, giving the thirsty a drink, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, looking after the sick, caring for the prisoner. Based on that criteria what grade would you give the church? What grade do you think God would give us? This is the last Sunday of the Christian year, but this is not the last of our discussion on the last days. Last week someone commented that they could not wait until this week’s scripture, because this is the scripture that I will talk about judgement. I am not sure of why judgement day is so special, but I think we all have the same concerns in the back of our head about judgement day. What does it mean to be held accountable for our actions, is there a really a heaven or a hell,and where will my eternal destiny be? Will I go to heaven or hell. And you know, church really has changed over the years. We don’t talk a lot about hell anymore. We don’t talk about the wages of sin being death. At funerals, the person could have been a gang leader, a very mean person and we will still say that he was a very good person who is resting with Jesus. We don’t tell the truth and say that they were an evil person who deserves to die, and who is the person who hell was created for. It is not comforting for any of us to come to terms with our actions and how we look in the eyes of God. Jesus himself says that the words of Matthew 25 are words of judgement. This is Jesus’ last lesson in Matthew. This is not the last chapter in matthew, but this is the last time Jesus will talk with his disciples. The very next day after giving this teaching, Jesus is captured by the Romans and the rest is history. He wanted to make sure that his disciples were prepared for the days to come. He may have been a little stressed out knowing what was to come and knowing that his disciples were not prepared. Perhaps that is why his language is a little strong. But jesus words in Matthew are all alittle strong. The first time I read this book in college, I was truly afraid to be a Christian. The consequences just seemed so extreme. But it is important to know, that Jesus did not intend for his words to be a thing of despair. Jesus said what he said to bring hope. Judgment is not a bad person, especially not for Christians. When Jesus is talking about separating the sheep and the goats, he is talking about separating the right from the left, not separating the right from the wrong. I think there is a little bit of sheep and goat in all of us. Jesus says that the sheep will go to the right and go to heaven and the goat will go to the left and be sent to hell. It is important for us to realize that the goats didn’t do anything wrong in their lives. They didn’t do anything right, but they didn’t do anything wrong. As a matter of fact, they didn’t do anything at all. As I read this scripture, it looks like jesus is talking specifally to believers. Believers who help their sisters and brothers. Those that they know and they have a relationship with. Jesus us separating believers who live their faith and believers who just think about their faith. Another thing that I want to point out is that the believers themselves don’t know if they are sheep or goats. Jesus says you fed me, and they first thing they ask was when did we feed you. When did I see you? Jesus says it was when you did it to the least of these. It is not the big things that we do that find favor with God it is the little things. It is not the things that we plan for, it is our natural reaction to the people that we encounter. Do you tend to their needs, or do you ignore them? Jesus says that when you help others, you help me. I am sure that if we knew it was Jesus that we passed on the street, or who just got arrested, we would be knocking each other over trying to help Jesus. But the sheep had no idea they were helping Jesus. We are being judged on how we treat anyone. At the end of my yoga class, we always put our hands together in prayer between your heart chakra and your head chakra, and bow and say Namaste. Namaste actually means – may the God in me honor the God in you. It is a Indian sign of respect. But my point is that we are all children of God. There is a little part of God in all people. And we have to honor that part of God that we see. So when we encounter one another – we encounter Jesus. We don’t need to try to recognize Jesus, just know that he is there, somewhere in everyone we come in contact with. Poverty: I Saw the Face of God A man named John Jackson, who is an advocate for the poor in Orlando, Florida, tells of an event that happened one day outside a food distribution center where he was working. Jackson describes the event: "The line was long that day, but moving quickly. And in that line, at the very end of the line, stood a young girl who appeared to be about 12 years old. She waited patiently as those at the front of that very long line received a little rice, some canned goods, maybe a couple of pieces of fruit. Slowly but surely, she was getting closer to the front of the line, closer to the food. From time to time she would glance across the street. She didn't notice the growing concern on the faces of the people who were distributing the food. There wasn't going to be enough. The food was rapidly running out. Their anxiety began to show, but still the girl didn't notice. Her attention seemed always to focus on three figures huddled together under a tree across the street. At last she stepped forward to get her food. But the only thing left was one lonely banana. The workers were almost ashamed to tell her that was all that was left. But she didn't seem to mind. In fact she seemed genuinely happy to get that solitary banana. Quietly she took the precious gift and ran across the street where three small children waited. Maybe they were her siblings, maybe not. Very deliberately the girl peeled the banana. Then she carefully divided the banana into three equal parts and placed the precious food in the eager hands of those three young ones. 'One for you, and one for you, and one for you!' Then, for her own meal, she licked the inside of that banana peel." Jackson concludes the story, "And I will always believe that I saw the face of God that day." The lesson for us is that we will be judged according to what we do for others. The good news is that judgment is not about what you did wrong it is about what you did right. Who we are as a church depends on how we meet the needs of those around us. And we help them, not to get them to come join our church, but because they are brothers and sisters in need. My final word on Jesus judgment, is that Christ came into the world so that we might have life and have it abundantly. Jesus has the ability to judge, but Jesus also gives the gift of grace to all of his children, there is no reason we cant do the same. On facebook I saw a saying about Lutherans, but it applies to Methodist, and Baptist and Pentecostal and nondenominational Christians and even the Catholics. also. We don’t serve in order to be saved, we serve in response to the gift of salvation. Let us pray… Other illustrations….. Perhaps you've heard the story about the old drunk who was paid to situp all night in a funeral home in a viewing room with an open coffin in case anyone came late to pay their respects. Unknown to the town drunk, he was being setup by some practical jokers. In the quietness of the early morning hours, the body in the coffin sat up and screamed. Very calmly the drunk got up, staggered over to the casket, and pushed the body back down saying, "If you're dead, lie down and act like it." Now the flipside of that punch line could easily be addressed to many of us Christians, "If you are alive, stand up and act like it!!" If our faith is alive, it will lead off from Meology to Theeology. If our love is real, it will motivate us to live sacrificially and give generously from our abundance for the sake of those who are hurting. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, once heard about a man in his community named Tom who was destitute and desperate. Wesley wrote him a comforting letter of Hope which read in part, "Dear Tom: I pray that life will soon be easier for you and your family, remember Psalm 37: 3 which says ˜Trust in the Lord . . . and verily you shall be fed.'" With this letter Wesley included a $ 10 bill a sizeable amount of money in those days. . . . Not long after that, Dr. Wesley received this gracious reply from the man: "Dear Dr. Wesley: I have often been struck by the beauty of the scripture passage you quoted. But I understand even better now how it is that the Lord feeds the hungry. Thank you for your much needed gift." It is not enough to pray and offer words of Heavenly Benediction for those in need we must act. We see exactly that in James 2: 1516 which says "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothing or daily food. What good is there in your saying to them ˜God bless you! Keep warm and eat well.' If you do not give them the necessities of life?" James' point is that there is nothing good in such an attitude. We must put our faith into action. We must respond to the physical needs of others not only with prayer but also with tangible help. If our faith is real it will motivate us beyond talk to sacrificial action. God feeds the hungry and helps the hopeless through us His body in the world today. When we pray for Him to help. He reminds us that He has provided us with the abundant resource and the means to feed the hungry. He says, "Yes, I will help through you!" Hope which read in part, "Dear Tom: I pray that life will soon be easier for you and your family, remember Psalm 37: 3 which says ˜Trust in the Lord . . . and verily you shall be fed.'" With this letter Wesley included a $ 10 bill a sizeable amount of money in those days. . . . Not long after that, Dr. Wesley received this gracious reply from the man: "Dear Dr. Wesley: I have often been struck by the beauty of the scripture passage you quoted. But I understand even better now how it is that the Lord feeds the hungry. Thank you for your much needed gift." It is not enough to pray and offer words of Heavenly Benediction for those in need we must act. We see exactly that in James 2: 1516 which says "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothing or daily food. What good is there in your saying to them ˜God bless you! Keep warm and eat well.' If you do not give them the necessities of life?" James' point is that there is nothing good in such an attitude. We must put our faith into action. We must respond to the physical needs of others not only with prayer but also with tangible help. If our faith is real it will motivate us beyond talk to sacrificial action. God feeds the hungry and helps the hopeless through us His body in the world today. When we pray for Him to help. He reminds us that He has provided us with the abundant resource and the means to feed the hungry. He says, "Yes, I will help through you!" Meeting God Once there was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it would be a long trip to where God lived, so he packed a suitcase full of Twinkies and cans of root beer (his two favorite foods) and set off on his journey. He had only gone a few blocks when he passed an older woman, sitting on a park bench and just staring at some pigeons. She looked sad and lonely, so the boy went over and sat down next to her. He opened his suitcase, took out a package of the Twinkies and offered it to her. She gratefully took it and smiled at him. Her smile was so warm and wonderful that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a can of his root beer. Once again, she took it and smiled at him. The boy was delighted. They sat there all afternoon, eating the Twinkies, drinking the root beers and watching the pigeons, without saying a word to each other. As it grew dark, the boy realized that he had better get started home and got up to leave. But before he had just a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the older woman and gave her a big hug. She gave him the biggest smile of all. When the boy got home, his mother noticed how happy he seemed. So she asked him what he had done all day. He told her: "I had lunch with God. And you know what? She has the most beautiful smile that I've ever seen." Meanwhile, the older woman had returned to her home. Her son also noticed how happy and contented she seemed so he asked her what she had done that had made her so happy. She said to him: "I sat in the park and ate Twinkies with God. You know, he's much younger than I expected." Billy D. Strayhorn, Blessed to be a Blessing In a world where "religious" people, claiming to speak for God, often appear to know so much, to have such clear and firm ideas about exactly what's right and exactly what's wrong, who's going to Heaven and who's going to Hell, isn't it refreshing to hear of those whose sole motivation for acts of loving kindness is compassion? And isn't it refreshing to meet those righteous sheep who are genuinely baffled by the words of Jesus that, in their loving acts of kindness, they were really serving Jesus himself? Johnny Dean, Sermons.com, staff I Kept an Open Door A Jewish story goes: I went up to Heaven in a dream and stood at the Gates of Paradise in order to observe the procedure of the Heavenly Tribunal. I watched as a learned Rabbi approached and wished to enter. “Day and night,” he said, “I studied the Holy Torah.” “Wait,” said the Angel. “We will investigate whether your study was for its own sake or whether it was a matter of profession and for the sake of honors. A Righteous Person [a Zaddik] next approached. “I fasted much,” he said, “I underwent many ritual cleansings; I studied the Zohar the mystical commentary on the Torah day and night.” “Wait,” said the Angel, “until we have completed our investigation to learn whether you motives were pure.” Then a tavern-keeper drew near. “I kept an open door and fed without charge every poor man who came into my inn,” he said. The Heavenly Portals were opened to him. Rabbi Aaron Leib of Primishlan, as quoted in Abraham Karp, The Jewish Way of Life and Thought, New York: KTAV Publishing Inc., 1981, p.177