I want you to take your Bibles
and turn back with me to Matthew 25. Matthew 25. We will look at those verses that
Gabe read. The occasion which our Lord speaks
is concerning His second coming. And He says, 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. Now, the
Son of Man, in the days of His humiliation, when He was here,
the Word made flesh, He was despised. He was rejected. Scripture says
He was a man of sorrows. He subjected Himself to the sufferings,
pains of death. But when He comes back, and He's
coming back, He's going to come back, the Scripture says, in
glory. When the Son of Man comes in
glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father. There's
no one that's come from the Father but Him. He's the only begotten
of the Father. And all the holy angels, the
scripture says, are going to come with Him. He's going to
sit upon the throne of His glory. Now, concerning these holy angels,
What are they going to do? Well, hold your place right there,
and I want you to turn back a few pages to Matthew 13. Matthew
13, 24. Now the scripture sets forth
in a parable what the holy angels are going to do In the second
coming of Christ, Matthew 13, 24, another parable put he forth
unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man
which sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his
enemy came, sowed tares among the wheat, went his way. But
when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then
appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder
came and said unto him, Sir, Didst not thou sow good seed
in thy field? From whence then hath it tares?
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servant said unto
him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said,
Nay, lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the
wheat with them. You know what he was saying?
We don't know. We don't know who God's sheep
are. I mean, for the Lord pleased
to call out of darkness any of us. What was the difference in
us and a tare? The Lord said, no, you leave
them alone. Just leave them alone. Let both, verse 30, grow together
until the harvest. And in the time of harvest, I
will say to the reapers, gather ye together first the tares and
bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into
my barn. Now look at verse 36. Verse 36, then Jesus sent the
multitude away and went into the house and his disciples came
unto him saying, declare unto us the parable of the tares of
the field. He answered and said unto them,
he that soweth the good seed is the son of man, the field
is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom,
but the tares are the children of the wicked ones. The enemy
that sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the
world, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares
are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end
of this world. The Son of Man shall send forth
His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things
that offend. And them which do iniquity and
shall cast them into a furnace of fire, there shall be wailing
and gnashing of teeth." Our scripture back in Matthew 25 says, When
the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels
with Him, they're going to gather all the world, going to gather
them up, and they're all going to be standing before God. Well, verse 32 says, 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."
Every person that's ever been born are going to be gathered
by these angels, going to stand before the Lord, and the Lord
who knows his sheep is going to set the sheep on the right
hand, and he's going to set the goats on the left. There's only
going to be two groups. There's only two different kinds
of people, sheep and goats. Doesn't matter what nationality,
doesn't matter where, sheep and goats. That's the only two groups
there are. Verse 33, and he shall set the sheep on the right hand,
goats on the left. The elect of God, the sheep,
all that the Father has given unto the Son from before the
foundation of the world. All that the Lord Jesus Christ
has redeemed at Calvary, all that before they leave this world,
know his voice and follow him. He's going to set them on one
side and the others on the left. And 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. Now the Son of Man, who is the
King of Glory, He who is the King of Kings, He who is the
Lord of Lords, He's going to speak to His sheep, and He's
going to say to His sheep, enter in. Enter in to that which was
prepared for you before you were ever created. This was prepared
for you. There was a kingdom made before
man was ever created by God. There was an inheritance for
them, for all that God Almighty everlastingly loved. For all that He predestinated
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. All that He ever purposed to
save, He's known them eternally. And these objects of God's mercy,
they actually have an inheritance in the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't
know. I can't explain. The scripture
is silent concerning the depth of it. Suffice it to say, that
which the Lord has prepared shall be glorious. It is glorious.
It's there right now waiting on us. Now that's this inheritance
that they have. It's not theirs by their industry.
It's not there by their ability, by their will, or by their might.
Almighty God was pleased to give it to him. Why did He give it to him? It
pleased Him. It pleased Him. What else can you say? There's
not another answer. It pleased the Lord. That's what Scripture says. Prepared,
made ready from the foundation of the world, formed for God's
people. And then he says, I want you
to enter in and look at the first word in verse 35, for, I was
hungry, because, because, because. You enter in because, I was hungry, you gave me meat,
I was thirsty, You gave me drink. I was a stranger. You took me
in naked. You clothed me. I was sick. You visited me. I was in prison.
You came unto me. You know, there is without a
doubt, hold your place right there and turn with me to 1 John
3. 1 John 3 verse 16. There is no doubt God's people
are gracious, gracious people. God's people have a heart, sympathetic
heart. It just astounds me when I behold
the mercy of God's people. They're sensitive. Look at 1
John 3, verse 16. 18. Hereby perceive we the love of
God, because He laid down His life for us, and we ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good,
and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little
children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but
in deed and in truth. You take a believer, one that
claims to know God, and there's a brother, a sister in need, and you can meet it, and you don't do it? Here's the question, how dwelleth
the love of God in you? God's people are sensitive people. God's people, they know what
the Lord, somewhat what the Lord done for them and they're sensitive. That's an amazing truth. He expresses
unto them, He said, I was hungry, thirsty, I was a stranger, I
was naked, I was sick, I was in prison. And then they're going to say
something to him that's just profound to them. They're listening
to what he said and they said, verse 38, when? When? Lord, you said, I was hungry,
I was thirsty, I was a stranger. Lord, when did we see you? a
stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and clothed thee? When
saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the king
shall answer and say unto thee, And 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." But let me ask you something. What
did they actually do? What did they do? Was it merely that there was
someone physically hungry? You take a believer, I'm going
to tell you something. You find out which believer in here is
going to find somebody and they're hungry. And they come and they
say, listen, have you got anything to eat? I need something to eat. Come on, let's go get you something.
Listen, do you have a coat? You wouldn't happen to have an
old coat. Just anything. I'm freezing to death. Do you
have anything? Listen, I got a friend of mine,
they're in prison. Can you just give me a ride over
there? Which person would shut up their
bowels of mercy? Not a believer, they wouldn't.
Was it just giving somebody a place to stay? These, you know, these
things like that, these physical things like that, are going to
be the very things that many in that day, in the day of judgment,
they're going to stand up and claim to have done these things
right here. Look at Matthew 7. Matthew 7,
22. Matthew 7, verse 22. Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name
have we cast out devils? In thy name done many wonderful
works. Lord, we fed the poor. We had halfway houses. We had to feed the children.
You know, I'm a you know, a founding member, you know, of the unwed
mothers, and I'm just, you know, on and on and on. And then will
I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye
that work iniquity. Listen, there are many, many
things that people can do that are really kind. And believers
do them. They do them, but they don't
do them for salvation. They do them because of salvation. They don't find any comfort whatsoever. But you see, an unbeliever is
going to do it because he thinks he's earning some stars. He's
going to have some crowns. He gets to heaven, he's going
to have these crowns. So, there's something else that
the Lord is saying here. other than just physical feeding
and physical clothing and physical visiting. What is he saying? Let me ask you this. What was
the last words spoken by the Lord to his disciples before
he entered into heaven? Now I want you to hold your place.
Turn with me to Acts 1.8. Acts. What was the last thing
that he told them to do? Acts. 18. He said, but you shall receive
power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall
be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and
in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. You shall
be witnesses unto me." You're going to be witnesses unto me. Now there's a key thing that
he just said. You're going to be a witness
unto me. Alright? I want to hear the commission
of our Lord to His people. I want you to go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth
and is baptized, baptized not unto salvation but in obedience. You know that, your pastor's
taught you that. He that believeth and is baptized gonna be saved.
He that believeth not gonna be damned. You go into all the world
and preach the gospel. Look at Mark 16. Mark 16.15.
Mark 16.15. He said unto them, Go ye into
all the world and preach the gospel, every creature. He that believeth and baptize
shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be
damned. These signs shall follow them that believe. In my name
shall they cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues.
They shall take up serpents. If they drink any deadly thing,
it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick.
They shall recover. So then, after the Lord had spoken
unto them, he was received up into heaven and sat on the right
hand of God, and they went forth and preached everywhere, the
Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. What has the Lord commissioned
us to do? Preach the gospel. Preach the
gospel. Nobody is going to turn away.
Not a believer. Nobody. William is going to turn
away. Somebody needs some help. But
that's not what we've been called to do. We've been called to preach
the gospel to every creature. You're going to be witnesses
unto me. How is the Lord going to call
out His sheep? Through the preaching of the
gospel. This gospel that Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the
gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation. Now to those that were standing
back in Matthew 25, to those that were standing on his right
hand, he said to them, enter in, enter
in. Back in 35, Matthew 25, 35. He
says, for I was hungered And you gave me meat. Now he's
talking about his people. When he said, I was hungry. He
said, you're going to be witnesses unto me. Who are we witnessing
to? We're witnessing to the sheep.
And the Lord said, you're witnessing to me. When you're witnessing
to me. You're preaching to my body. That's who you're preaching to.
He said, you enter in, you that believe me. You that were called
out of darkness. You that have a heart for obedience
unto me. You that know my voice. You that
follow me. You. I was hungered. I was spending money. And he's
here again talking about his people when he says, I was hungered. His people were hungered. What
are we before we're called out of darkness? Here's what, we're
spending money for that, Isaiah 55 too says, which is not bread,
and laboring for that which satisfies not. We're going around here
thinking that we're just pleasing the Lord, we've given our heart
to Jesus, exercised our free will, walked down the aisle,
came forth, came to the altar, came to the pool, came to the,
you know. He said, I was hungry. I was hungry, speaking of His
people. And He said, You gave Me meat.
What did we do, Lord? He said, You told My people that
I'm the bread. I'm the bread of heaven. Look
at John 6. John 6, 35. I was hungry and
You gave Me meat. John 6, verse 35. Jesus said unto them, I am the
bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger. He that believeth on me shall
never thirst. Look at verse 48. He said, I
am the bread of life. Look at verse 51. I am the living
bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread,
he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give
is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. I
was hungry, and you told my people of me. my broken body. You told my people of me, the
only one that satisfies the hunger of that new heart. That old heart
doesn't hunger, you know. He gives a man a new heart and
he hungers for Christ. The old man's gonna hunger, but
he's hungering for self-worth. He's hungering for everything
except the Lord. I was hungered and you gave me
meat. I was thirsty and you gave me
Drink. You told my people of me, the
one who is the fountain of living waters. You told them of my shed
blood. You told them of me who laid
down my life for the sheep. Oh, everyone that thirsteth,
come to the waters. and drink. In that last day,
that great day of the feast, the Lord cried, if any man thirst,
let him come unto me. He said, I, talking about his
people, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. He said, I was a stranger and you took me in. Who are these
strangers? Turn over to 1 Peter 1. Where
are these strangers? Look at 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1,
1 and 2. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ
to the strangers. Scattered throughout Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia. Who are these strangers? They're
all over the place. I don't know where they are. Some of them I'm looking at right
now that were gathered in. Somebody preached the gospel
to you, you that believe. Somebody told you about the bread
of life. Somebody told you about the water
of life, you that were a stranger. Verse two, who were you? Elect. According to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, and to obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you
and peace be multiplied. You were a stranger. No, he said, I was a stranger.
Speaking of his people. I was a stranger. And you took
me in. Now, now listen to this. I wanna
show you something that's just amazing. Turn over to Matthew
13. Matthew 13. Matthew 13, verse 47. Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like unto a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of
every kind, which when it was full, they drew to shore and
sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad
away. So shall it be at the end of
the world. The angel shall come forth, sever
the wicked from among the just. cast them into the furnace of
fire there should be wailing and gnashing of teeth. I looked up that word right there
in verse 47 again the kingdom of heaven is like a net that
was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind back in Matthew
25 you know he said I was a stranger and you took me in When the gospel
is preached, the Lord said, it's like a net that is thrown out
into the sea. And it gathers in all kinds,
tares and sheep. And they're gathered into the
shore and they're separated one from another. There's some things
that people will hear. They'll hear the gospel and they'll
come and it appears for a while according to the sower that went
forth to sow. They'll hear some things and
for a while they may be excited about it. They're going to rejoice
in it. But persecution will come and it will wither away. Some
of it may fall. By the wayside and the birds
are coming eat it up. They just no effect whatsoever
Some of it will fall in stony ground, you know and spring up
some of it in thorny ground But the cares of this world eventually
will choke it out But some of it is gonna fall on good ground
made good by the grace of God Almighty God says it's kingdom
of heaven like a net and they're they're just gathered in he said
I speaking of people He said, I was a stranger. You took me
in. When you preach the gospel, Gabe, it's like a net. You don't
know who they are. You're just preaching the gospel.
He said, I was back in Matthew 25 now. He said, I was, he said,
I was a stranger. You took me in. Verse 36, he
said, I was naked. No righteousness before God.
No righteousness. And he said, you clothed me.
You declared through the good news of the gospel, me, the righteousness
of the saints. He said, I was naked and you
clothed me. You told my people of me. He said back in verse 36, he
said, I was sick. How sick? Well, Isaiah 1, 5,
and 6 says, from the sole of my foot to the crown of my head,
it's just putrefying sores, not bound up, not mollified, not
soothed. And he said, you told me of the
great physician. You told me of the one who's
absolutely heals the sickness of the soul. I was sick. He said, you visited me, visited
me with the truth. He said, I was in prison and
you came unto me while in prison in the trespasses,
bondage of sin, death, captive to the prince of this world. He said, you came and declared
unto my brethren deliverance. Deliverance. Look at Matthew
12, Matthew 12, 29. Matthew 12, 29. Or else, how
can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods except
he first bind the strong man and then he will spoil his house?
He said, I was in the prison of sin, death, darkness, blindness,
and I didn't even know it. And he said, you preached unto
me by the blood of my cross. Satan's crushed head. Satan's defeat. Death and hell
and the grave and the victory. And then the scripture says,
shall the righteous answer him, Lord? When? When did we see you hungry
and fed you? Or thirsty and gave you drink?
When saw we thee a stranger and took thee in? Or naked and clothed
thee? When saw we thee sick or in prison
and came unto thee? And the king shall answer and
say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done
it unto one of these unto one of the least of these my brethren,
you've done that to me. You preach the gospel to God's
people and again we don't know who they are. So we just preach
the gospel to all men and tell all men there's life in Christ. Almighty God has a people and
the Lord is going to save them. You preach the gospel to them
and the Lord will save His people. He said, those that are hungry
and thirsty and naked and imprisoned, sick, me. And the scripture says then,
in verse 41, shall He say also unto them on the left, depart
from me, you cursed unto everlasting fire, prepared for the devil
and his angels. And he's still talking about
his people right here. He said, I was hungry, you gave me no
meat. He's gonna tell all of these
false, free will, self-righteous preachers and those that support
them. My people were hungry for the
bread of heaven and you didn't give it to them. I was thirsty and you never told
them about me, the fountain of life. I was a stranger in the
world and you never took me in. You never preached the gospel
one time to me. I was naked and you never told
me about my righteousness imputed to my people. I was in prison,
and you never visited me. Then shall they answer and say,
Lord, when saw we thee in hunger or thirst, a stranger, or naked,
sick, imprisoned, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall
he answer, saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as you did
it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me. And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Do you know what the weight of
your matter is of the whole scheme of things? There's one thing
needful. The preaching and the support
of the gospel of God's grace. This is going to be the issue
in the day of judgment. This is going to be the issue
right here. When it comes right down to it, God's honor in the
glorious person of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to the words
of our Lord, the gospel of God's free grace
is going to be the outward evidence of those that knew Him. Those
that believed it. Those that preached it. those
that supported it, and those that didn't, all of these good
intentions that it looks like they had, they're not going to
mount to a hill of beans. They'll be cast out into everlasting
darkness. God's people are going to be
called out of darkness. He's going to do it. God's going
to have His people, and He's going to do it through the preaching
of the truth. May the Lord bless these words
to our heart.