“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.’” (Matthew 25:34, 41 NASB)
During His earthly ministry Jesus explained many profound truths in the form of parables. One such parable of the sheep and the goats found in Matthew 25:31–46 shares a truth that is either most comforting, or most disturbing, depending on which side you’re on.
Unlike our current society where anything and everything is tolerated, God deals in black and white. Right and wrong. Left and right. And in this particular parable—sheep and goats.
We aren’t left to wonder who these sheep and goats represent, for He tells us in John 10:11–18 that He is the Good Shepherd, and that His sheep know Him and are known by Him. Sheep hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him (John 10:27) because sheep have a relationship with their Shepherd; goats do not.
On that final day of judgment, every person from every nation on earth will appear before Him individually, and Christ Himself will determine who goes on His right side—in order to enter His kingdom—and who goes on His left, destined for eternal fire.
We don’t like to think about death. We don’t like the idea of judgment. We don’t like choosing between God and the shiny objects Satan dangles in front of us. But that’s not how God works. We choose whom we will follow, whose voice we obey. In short, we choose which side we’re on, because there is no middle ground. You are either one of His sheep or one of the goats.
And our choices have consequences—significant and eternal consequences—that we should pause to consider with all seriousness. For if we live and die without Christ, we live and die without God and without hope, condemned to spend eternity burning in everlasting torment with the devil and his angels forever.
Francis Roberts said, “If you live and die in your sinful and wretched natural state, you will be eternally shut out from God, Christ, and all the blessed saints and angels, to the devil, his angels and reprobates. You will be shut out from heaven to hell; from light, to darkness; from joy, to grief; from mercy, to misery; from happiness, to unhappiness; from life, to death.”[1]
Now is the time to seek the Good Shepherd while He can be found. Now is the time to repent of a life of serving self and sin and run to God. Hear His voice as He calls you to follow. Look to Christ and be saved. Determine today that you will be on the right side for all eternity.
Contemplations
- Am I truly one of His sheep? It’s easy to assume I’m safe, to take comfort in outward religion. But does my life show evidence that I truly know the Shepherd? Do I hear His voice in Scripture and follow His commands with joy? Sheep are marked by obedience and dependence. Goats do as they please. If my heart gravitates toward self-rule and rebellion, I have reason to examine my standing. Lord, let me not deceive myself. Make me to know for sure that I am Yours.
- Eternity is too weighty to ignore. When I dwell on Christ’s words about eternal fire, it forces me to reckon with the gravity of divine judgment. I cannot afford to live carelessly or presume upon His grace. I must weigh each day, each decision, in light of forever. There are only two roads, and only one of those two leads to life. Lord, do not let me be lulled to sleep by the comforts of this world. Shake me if need be and wake me to eternal realities.
- My life is but a breath. The Scripture compares life to a vapor, a flower, and a fading shadow. But how much of my life do I waste on things that will not last? Lord, teach me to number my days. Let me be found laboring, watching, praying—not idle and not distracted. May I live as one who will give account, as one who longs to be found on the right hand of the King, not the left. Let my priorities reflect the truth that this life is fleeting and that only what I invest for eternity will last.
- Do I live with urgency? Knowing the day of judgment is certain, do I live with holy urgency—for my own soul and for the souls of others who are still lost? Do I speak of Christ? Do I warn of hell? Do I pray with tears? Or do I attend to my own comforts while the hour grows late? Lord, forgive me for indifference. Kindle a holy fire within me that I might be urgent in love, truth, and holiness, always ready for Your appearing.
Prayer
[Confession before God]
Righteous Judge of all the earth,
I confess that far too often I live as though the day of judgment were a fable and not a certainty. I know You have warned us plainly—there will come a time when You will divide the nations as a shepherd divides sheep from goats. And yet I go about my days numb to eternity, chasing lesser things, as if Your Word were not true. Forgive me, Lord, for my indifference to the great line You will one day draw.
My heart is deceitful, and I fear I have at times listened more to the lies of the world than the voice of my Shepherd. Forgive me for walking near the edge, for craving what is forbidden, and for dulling my senses with vanity. I tremble when I consider how near hell is to the careless soul. And I am ashamed that I have not often trembled. Lord, forgive me. Forgive my wandering. Forgive my foolish ways.
Your Word says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27). I cannot argue with Your decree. And I cannot plead innocence. Were it not for Christ, I would stand condemned. I know that nothing but His righteousness can shield me from Your wrath for I have no righteousness of my own. All my best works are stained with sin. All my attempts at goodness fall miserably short.
But Lord, I believe the promise: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1). So I flee to Him. I take refuge in His cross. I trust that His blood has cleansed me and made me Your child. And I ask now, not as one presumptuous, but as one broken and contrite, that You would keep me near. Do not let me drift. Do not let me be found among the goats. Let me hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow Him all my days.
Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and see if there be any wicked way in me. Lead me in the way everlasting. Let me walk humbly, live righteously, and die ready—ready to be welcomed into Your fold. Ready to inherit the kingdom prepared for Your own from the foundation of the world.
In Christ’s name I pray Amen.
Further References for Matthew 25:41
Matt. 7:23, 13:42; Mark 9:43; 2 Peter 2:4; Rev. 20:10.
[1] Francis Roberts, The Natural Man Directed to Jesus Christ, eBook, (Crossville, TN: Puritan Publications, 2015) Introduction, DIRECTION3.
