This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to our last day, day five of looking through Matthew chapter 25. We've
been looking at these three great stories of how you and I can live in a way
that's prepared for Jesus' return. How can the second coming affect my life now,
today?

And in this last parable, the parable of the sheep and goats, we see that one of
the ways that it affects my life now is in serving, serving those who lack.
There's this charge sometimes that you hear about believers that we have eyes
that are so much on heaven that we are so heavenly minded, we're no earthly
good. Jesus teaches us here, actually, that to be heavenly minded makes you
earthly good, that He wants our eyes so much on heaven that it means we serve
the people that are around us.

That's what should happen. That's what should happen. In this story where Jesus
talks about the sheep and goats, you might have noticed it's a story of
surprised sheep and startled goats.

Both of them are surprised, one that they served even though they didn't know
they were serving, and the other that they didn't know that they missed somehow
the opportunity to serve. These opportunities for ministry that are right in
front of us, sometimes we miss them because we don't realize that they're in the
small things, they're in the unnoticed people. And so, as we read through the
story, we remember that in verse 40 it said, "The kingdom will be mine.

I tell you the truth. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of
mine, you did for me. " Or in verse 45, "I tell you the truth.

Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. To
make the most of your life, serve the least of these. " That's what Jesus is
teaching us here, to make the most of your life, serve the least of these.

Now, who are the least of these? They are the people that are easily ignored.
The hungry, the sick, those in hospitals, those in prisons.

They are the people that have nothing to offer you. They can't make your life
better, but you can certainly serve them and make a difference in their lives.
It is striking that in Matthew 25 the rewards in heaven are handed out to those
who care for the unnoticed in this world.

Now it is our unfortunate habit to talk and plan and strategize more about
meeting these needs than to actually do something about meeting these needs.
Because it means we have to put ourselves in places where we feel vulnerable.
Put ourselves in places where we're not sure what to do.

Put ourselves in places where we're not sure how to serve. There's an old poem
you might remember that says, it's about our tendency to strategize rather than
act, called Listen, Christian. I was hungry and you formed a humanities club and
discussed my hunger.

Thank you. I was in prison and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the
cellar and prayed for my release. I was naked and in your mind you debated the
morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health. I was homeless and you
preached to me of the spiritual shelter of God's love. I was lonely and you left
me alone to pray for me.

You seem so holy, so close to God, but I'm still very hungry and lonely and
cold. So the question behind these verses is, in the light of eternity, who do
you need to notice this week? Who do I need to notice this week?

And Jesus, as he told this story, he went through this list of the unnoticed. He
goes through it four times. He says, "You fed me when I was hungry," and then
they asked, "When did we feed you when I was hungry?

" And then he says, "You didn't feed me when I was hungry," and then they asked,
"When didn't we feed you when we were hungry? " Four times you hear this list in
this one short story. So I believe the list is important.

I think it's good for me to go through it. I think it's good for you to go
through it and think through whose need can Jesus meet through me today? Let's
just walk through the list and you think about, ask Jesus to show you, give you
wisdom about whose need you might be able to meet today.

For I was hungry. How could you meet the need of someone who's hungry today?
What could you do?

Where could you serve someone in your neighborhood, someone in your community,
someone around the world? How could you give them something to eat? I was
thirsty.

Who do you know that's thirsty today? Who needs water? Who needs water around
the world?

Maybe the city that you live in, everybody has all the water that they need, but
where in this world are people dying because of the water that they're drinking?
Are people dying for a drink of water today? Who could you give a drink to
today?

I was a stranger and you invited me in. What stranger could you invite in today?
Maybe it's even somebody you meet at your church.

Maybe it's somebody you meet at your office. Maybe it's somebody that you see
and you see that they're lonely. How could you meet their need today?

I needed clothes and you clothed me. How could you meet the need of somebody who
needs some clothes today? Maybe just by giving some clothes to a clothing
center, taking some of the best of what you have and giving it to the least of
these.

I was sick. You looked after me. Who do you need to go see in the hospital?

Or what neighbor do you have who's shut in, who's sick, who needs someone to
come and just have a conversation with them? I was in prison when you came to
visit me. Maybe you know someone that's in prison.

They may not even be right where you live and you may not be able to visit them
for a few months but you could write them today or you could visit them, make
plans to visit them. Or maybe you don't know someone that's in prison but you
want to get involved in the prison ministry of your church, the prison ministry
of the body of Christ. Who's hungry?

Who's thirsty? Who's a stranger? Who needs clothes?

Who's sick? Who's in prison? And Jesus, how could I serve the least of these
today?

We've been talking all this week about how you and I look forward to Jesus'
return. And I look forward to Jesus' return as I prepare myself for the wait,
just like those bridesmaids had to prepare themselves to be ready for any moment
and be ready for the wait. I prepare myself for Jesus' return as I invest
whatever he's given into my hands.

Whatever talents, whatever abilities, whatever money, whatever opportunities, I
invest those and things are going to last. And here today we've talked about I
prepare for Jesus' return by serving those in need, those that are around me. I
prepare for that moment of reward by doing what he's going to reward.

I don't do it because I think he doesn't love me. I do it because I know that he
loves me and I want to enjoy that reward with him even more. I want to do the
things that he's called me to do.

Now, if you're like me, it's easy to get caught up in other things in this
world. Things that need to get done and tasks that need to be finished and
ministries that need to be started and to miss out on these most important
things that Jesus talked about. I don't want to miss it.

So let's take a few minutes today to ask God to give us spiritual wisdom to not
miss it. Jesus, we come to you today and we pray that we hear your words, we
take them to heart. You are coming again, we know that and we want to live lives
that are ready for that.

So help us, I pray, to prepare for the wait, to build the spiritual resources
and even the physical resources in our lives that have us ready for however long
the wait is to keep trusting in you. Don't let there be any kind of expectation
in our lives of when you have to come or what you have to do. We trust you with
when you're going to come again.

We trust you. And Lord, help us also to invest what we've given, to take
whatever you've put into our hands to invest it in eternity in a way that
pleases you. And then Jesus, as we talked about today, we want to serve those in
need.

It's so easy for us to miss it, to not see the hungry person, the thirsty
person, to forget about the person who is in the hospital or who's shut in or
who is in the prison. Thank you for reminding us, Jesus. In that reminder, I
pray that you put an action plan into my mind, into our minds.

Who is it that needs to be fed? Who is it that needs a drink of water? Who do we
need to care for that's lonely today?

Jesus, put a name in our minds. Put an opportunity in front of us as we walk
through life today. We want to do what you called us to do.

We want to be involved in what's going to be rewarded for all eternity. Not for
the reward, but for the joy that it's going to bring you and us for all of
eternity. That's what we want.

And so we ask that you put this into our hearts and minds today, Jesus, through
your power. We ask it in your name, amen. Well, next week, we turn the page to
Matthew 26.

It's the night before the cross, the night of Judas' betrayal and Peter's
denial, the night of the Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane and the trials
of Jesus. Next week, we'll look at the faith of Jesus, even in this last night.