Turn with me to Matthew 25. Matthew 25, let's begin reading
in verse 31. 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. And before him shall be gathered
all nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on
his right hand, but the goats on the left. 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. Or I was in hunger and you gave
me meat. I was thirsty and you gave me
drink. I was a stranger and you took
me in. Naked and you clothed me. I was
sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came
unto me. Then shall the righteous answer
him saying, Lord, when saw we thee and hungered and fed thee?
Or thirsty and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger and
took thee in? Or naked and clothed thee? Or
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, And as
much as you have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, you have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto
them on the left hand, depart from me ye cursed into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was in
hunger and you gave me no meat. I was thirsty and you gave me
no drink. I was a stranger and you took
me not in. naked and you clothed me not,
sick and in prison and you visited me not. Then shall they also
answer him saying, Lord, when saw we thee in hungered or thirst
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister
unto thee? Then shall he answer them 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. We are going to have a message
from these verses in our worship service in just a moment. And
I am going to begin that message by reading these verses again.
In 30 minutes, I'm going to read those verses again. And what I want us to see in
that message is what our Lord was saying concerning the final
judgment. That's what we just read about
the final judgment, gathering all people, sheep and goats. And we're going to see what will
evidence who will inherit life. and who will be cast out. That's what we'll see in the
message here in just a moment. For this Bible study, this Sunday
school lesson, as we call it, there's an exhortation here that
I pray that we will all take to heart. I pray the Lord will
let us all take this to heart, and it's this, verse 40, Matthew
25, verse 40. The king shall answer and say
unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as you have done
it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it
unto me. I've titled this Bible study
For Christ's Sake. For Christ's sake. Our Lord said,
whatever you do to and for your brethren, You've done it unto me. Whatever
you do to and for your brethren, you've done it to me. And that
holds true in all cases. When Saul of Tarsus, I just love
this. I love knowing this. I love our
Lord's stand on this. When Saul of Tarsus was persecuting
God's people, who eventually became known as the Apostle Paul,
but he was persecuting God's people And when the Lord Jesus
Christ, God Almighty, stopped him in his tracks as he was on
the road to Damascus, the Lord said to him, Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou me? Why are you persecuting me? He
was persecuting God's people. And the Lord said to him, why
are you persecuting me? Whatever is done to God's people,
our Lord said, you're doing it to me. It's being done to me.
And that's all that a child of God needs to hear to love and
give and do for his or her brethren. That's all we need to hear. If
that's the tangible connection that our Lord has given to us
to show our love and our appreciation for him, then that's what we
want to do. For Christ's sake, we want to give that love and
appreciation to our brethren, for Christ's sake. We want to
give that to each other. Turn with me to John 13. John 13, verse 34. It says, a new commandment I
give unto you, that you love one another. As I have loved
you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that
you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. He said, if you love me, you
will love each other. And we will. That's a character
trait of God's people. They love each other for Christ's
sake. They love each other. I will
admit that there is not much at all about our flesh that's
lovable. I will admit that. There is not
much about us at all that is lovable. I realize that naturally
we do just about everything that we can to make ourselves unlovable. I'm aware of that. But knowing
that God commended his love toward us while we were unlovable sinners
against him. And knowing that while we were
still ungodly Christ died for us. Knowing that that's how God
dealt with us and that's how God treated us, that makes us
want to, for Christ's sake, deal with each other, treat each other
the same way. We were contrary to God, just
like we can be contrary to each other. But God loved us. He loved us and he gave himself
for us. He gave himself for our sins
against him. And he forgave us in the sacrifice
of his own blood. And he showed grace and mercy
to us through the death of his own cross. And because of that,
his people will say, for Christ's sake, I want to do the same thing. I want to do the same thing.
Turn with me to 1st John 3. 1st John chapter 3. Verse 14,
it says. We know that we have passed from
death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth
not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother
is a murderer, and you know that no murderer hath eternal life
abiding in him. 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, actively, sincerely. Sincerely, look at
1 John chapter 4 verse 7. 1 John 4 verse 7 says, Beloved,
let us love one another. For love is of God and everyone
that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not
knoweth not God, for God is love. In this was manifested the love
of God toward us. because that God sent his only
begotten son into the world that we might live through him. Herein
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent
his son to be the propitiation for our sins, the bloody victim
for our sins. Verse 11 says, beloved, if God
so loved us, we ought also to love one another. Ephesians 5
says that we are all members. God's people are all members
of his body. And it says no man ever hated
his own body. We don't hate one component of
our own bodies. We don't hate one component.
I don't hate my left arm or my right arm. I love these things. I thank God for these things.
I cherish these things. And for Christ's sake, that's
how I ought to feel about you. That's how I ought to feel about
you. That's how I ought to desire
to care for you. I care for these things. I cut
myself the other day. What did I do? I put a Band-Aid
on it. I cleaned it. I washed it. I
cared for it. And that's how I ought to desire
to care for you and to treat you and to look after you. Look
with me at 1 Corinthians 16. First Corinthians 16 verse 15, I beseech you brethren. The apostle
Paul said, I beseech you, you know, the house of Stephanas,
this man, Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia.
They were the first believers called out of Achaia. You know,
Stephanas, you know, his house. And he said, you know that they
have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. I adore
that. And he said, I beseech you, verse
16, that you submit yourselves unto such and to everyone that
helpeth with us and laboreth. Paul said, for Christ's sake,
let's become addicted to the ministering to God's saints. The ministering to our brethren.
Let's become addicted. Have you ever become addicted
to anything? Did you know that everybody's addicted to something?
Everybody's addicted to something. And this would be a really good
thing to become addicted to. the ministering of the saints,
the ministering of God's saints. Let's become addicted to serving
and supporting and encouraging and helping each other as unto
the Lord. For Christ's sake, let's sacrifice
for each other. Let's humble ourselves for each
other. Let's decrease ourselves that
our brethren might increase. Second Corinthians eight verse
nine says, you know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich yet for your sakes, for our sakes, he became
poor that you through his poverty might be rich. John the Baptist
said, I must decrease. He must increase. And our Lord
said, if that's what you desire in your relationship with me,
then make that your relationship with your brethren. Now, I want to give us three
specific exhortations on this and then some closing thoughts,
all right? Here's the first exhortation. It's in Philippians 2. Turn with
me there. Philippians 2 verse 1, it says, If there be therefore any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the
Spirit, if any heart, that's what bowels means, if any heart,
if any mercy, fulfill ye my joy that you be like-minded, having
the same love Being of one accord, of one mind, let nothing be done
through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let
each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man
on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. who
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found
in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross." Our first exhortation
is, let's esteem each other to be better than ourselves. In
truth, in heart, in sincerity, let's ask the Lord to give us
that ability because it's not there by nature. Let's ask the
Lord, would you truly give me that ability? The natural way
of the flesh is we see everybody else to be slightly less than
us. That's how the flesh works. If
we really respect somebody, we will bring them up to pretty
much on equal par with me. Yeah, I really, they're, they're
really something special. Therefore we bring them up to
kind of right there, equal par with me. But our Lord said, take
that a great step further and don't see the flaws in your brethren
and see the flaws in yourself. Didn't he say, don't try to pick
that toothpick out of your brother's eye when you have a two by four
in your own. Don't see the flaws in your brethren, see the flaws
in yourself and truly, sincerely esteem everybody as being higher
and better than, as the flesh sees it, me. He said, verse five, let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. What an amazing
verse. Who being in the form of God,
Thought it not robbery to be equal with God? Why? Because
he was God, is God, manifest in the flesh. But he made himself
of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant. Who did he serve? The Father,
the Saints. He addicted himself to the ministry
of his saints. And he was made in the likeness
of men and being found in fashion as a man. He humbled himself
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
He humbled himself. And he did that for his brethren.
He did all that for his brethren. For Christ's sake, may God give
us a heart to do the same thing. Let's sincerely ask the Lord,
Lord, would you please let me sincerely esteem my brethren? Let's not dwell on each other's
faults. Let's let all that go. Let's look up to each other.
Respect each other, love each other, for Christ's sake. That's
how glory's gonna be. That's, if you wanna know what
it's gonna be like in glory, that's what it's gonna be like.
I love in Revelation when one said unto me, or I said to one,
I forget exactly which way it goes, but he said, you know,
who are these that are robed in white robes? And he said,
well, you tell me. Everybody has the same knowledge
in glory, but the humility is no, no, no, you speak, I'll listen. All right, go with me to 2 Corinthians
12. 2 Corinthians 12. Verse nine, the apostle Paul
said, he said unto me, the Lord said unto me, Paul was begging
the Lord for, that he would remove this thorn in his flesh. And
verse nine, he said, the Lord said unto me, my grace is sufficient
for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most
gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that
the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure
in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses. Why? For Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. When things come to us that we
feel are reproachful or distressful, a persecution, let's be patient
with each other. Let's be patient. Our Lord said,
my grace is sufficient for you. Just patiently bear it. Look
with me at Matthew 5. Matthew 5 verse 48, our Lord
said, you have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an
eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you that you resist
not evil, whatever's coming at you. Don't resist it. But whosoever shall smite thee
on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man
will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have
thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee
to go a mile, go with him to Twain. Give to him that asketh
thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou
away. You have heard that it hath been
said, thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say
unto you, love your enemies. You know, they may not be your
enemies forever. Bless them that curse you. Do good to them that
hate you. Can we not see the cross in this?
Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. that
you may be the children of your father which is in heaven for
he maketh his son to rise on the evil and on the good and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Our Lord was
the prime example of this. He was patient as he endured
the attack of Pilate. You think about him standing
as Pilate and those soldiers were giving their judgment to
him. He opened his mouth. He didn't
say a word. Our Lord was patient as he endured
the attack of the people. All of those people, while he
hung on the cross, they were mocking him, they were cursing
him, they were spitting on him. And he was patient. Many of those
people were his own. For Christ's sake, let's be patient
with each other. Let's esteem each other. Let's
be patient with each other. And turn with me to Ephesians
4. Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4 verse
29, it says, Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use
of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve
not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed until the day
of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you
with all malice. And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's
sake, hath forgiven you." For Christ's sake, let's forgive
each other. Let's forgive each other. I'm
going to do something to you that warrants your forgiveness.
That breaks my heart. That breaks my heart. But I know
that I'm a sinner. I know what I'm capable of and
I just know I'm going to do it. At some point, I'm going to do
something to you that warrants needing your forgiveness. For
Christ's sake, please give it to me. Please give it to me. Let's esteem each other. Let's
be patient with each other. Let's forgive each other. Let's
love each other. Let's be united with each other. And I want to leave us with this
thought, okay? The best way to do all that is to communicate
with each other. That's the best way to do all
of that. I want to encourage us as a congregation
to become closer. I know that we are not what some
people call a mega church. I understand that. But our building
is bigger than it used to be. And at our old building, you
didn't have a choice but to know everybody. Everybody was crammed
into one aisle. If you were on complete opposite
ends of the church, you were almost sitting on the same pew.
And it's possible now to take one of four routes to get out
of this room. It's possible now to be out of
hearing distance in this building. Let's not give in to that. I want to encourage us as a congregation,
let's become closer. If there's somebody here you
don't know, introduce yourself. Let's become closer. The best
way to do that is through communication. It's through communication. I
want to encourage us to call each other. I know that a lot
of people don't talk on the phone anymore. And if texting is the
only way, then send a text. I'm okay with that. Let's communicate with each other.
Let's let each other know that we esteem each other and love
each other. I want to encourage us to open
our homes. Let's invite each other into
our homes. We get in ruts. Hannah and I are guilty of it.
We get in ruts. Life is busy, especially when
you have kids. It's busy and you're just too
busy because it's just busy. It's not that you don't want
to have people, you're just busy. Carve out a little time. Mark
a little spot on your calendar. Invite a brother or a sister
into your home. The best thing that could ever
happen to this congregation is if we could become a close-knit
family. And I know families squabble
from time to time, but they love each other. You mess with my
brother, you're messing with me. They love each other. Oh, if God would make us to be
a family that serves each other and literally feeds each other. I'm not a very good cook. I think
Little Caesars provides a great dinner. Let's take each other in. Let's
take each other in with love and with warmth. Let's clothe
each other. Let's just wrap love and warmth
all over each other. Let's visit each other. You know,
we went to visit his dad. That was my blessing. Let's reach out to each other.
Why? For Christ's sake. For Christ's
sake. That's exactly what he did for
us. Oh, and I kind of want to just
go right into the message here in a minute, okay? We won't have
a break. We'll just go right into the
message. But I won't do it. I won't ruin it. But for Christ's
sake, I'll just go ahead and tell you that's what he did for
us. He opened his home for us. He said, as much as you do. I
thought we didn't preach works. Well, we are right now. Not for
salvation, but because of salvation for Christ's sake. As much as
you do, even for one of the least of my brethren, you're doing
it to me. You're doing it to me. That's
motivation enough, isn't it? Amen. I love you all. I esteem
you all. I pray the Lord will let me do
it more. I pray the Lord will let me love you more and esteem
you more for Christ's sake.