“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.’”
(Mathew 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 have a relationship with their Shepherd; goats do not. Sheep are God’s children, those who have been born again by the Word and the Spirit (John 3). Sheep hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him (John 10:27).
The Great Shepherd knows who belongs to Him. And 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 who 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 you live and die without Christ, you 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.
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.
- This present life, O Lord, is so frail and brief. As Job says, “Man is of few days and [those days are] full of trouble,” (Job 14:1). Even if I live to be 70 or 80, what is that compared to eternity? (Ps. 90:10) Don’t let me waste the days You give me. Keep me consciously aware of the value of each moment that I spend it wisely and in a way that pleases and glorifies You.
- Help me better understand this life here, Lord, as compared to eternity. Open my eyes to see it as you see it… as a vapor, appearing and disappearing (James 4:14), a wind, that blows and is gone (Job 7:7), a flower that blooms and then quickly fades (Ps. 103:16-17; Job 14:2), a tale that is told and then soon forgotten (Ps. 90:9), a flood, speedily flowing night and day, never returning (Ps. 90:5), a watch in the night, which is but 3 hours long (Ps. 90:4), a shadow without substance or reality (Job 14:2; Ps. 39:6).
- Because my life is so short, Lord, I need to spend my days wisely. I only have the moment I have right now, but as long as I’m here, I want to be learning more of You and actively doing Your work until You call me to glory. I want to be ready to see You. Am I ready?
- Though my death is sure (Heb. 9:27; Job 14:5; 2 Sam. 14:14), I have no idea when, where, or how it will come. My last day is hidden from me, so that every day it may be expected by me. I don’t want death to surprise me like the five foolish virgins and the unrepentant thief (Mark 25:10-12; Luke 23:39-41). I want to be found watching and waiting for Your coming, whether it’s in death, or while I am living.
- Do I really think seriously of all these things? Do I believe them? Can I really be persuaded that if I choose to live and die without Christ that I will be forever without hope, to spend eternity in hell with the devil and his demons? Lord save me. Save me from myself. Save me from my sin. Save me from believing The Lie (2 Thess. 2:11) and being forever damned. Make me one of Your sheep that I may know You and live forever with You in Your kingdom.
Further References for Matthew 25:41
Matt. 7:23, 13:42; Mark 9:43; 2 Peter 2:4; Rev. 20:10.
