The Sheep 🐑 & The Goats 🐐 | 📖 Matthew 25:31-46

Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.

! I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and each week I share sermons that balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ with the truth of the Word of God.

Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application.

This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.

Let's dive in together into God's Word.

So at this time, I'd like to go ahead and let's dim the lights real quick.

I have a video for you.

And this video, I hope you enjoy it.

This was also, this was made by artificial intelligence, which is kind of a pretty incredible thing that we can help bring Scripture to life.

So, I hope you enjoy.

Lord, when did I see you hungry?

When did I see you thirsty?

Oh.

When did I welcome you, a stranger?

When did I see you?

You're needing clothes.

When were you sick, Lord?

And when were you in prison?

Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for Christ.

It's really powerful how technology changes so quickly.

It was just a couple years ago where you might have seen that famous Will Smith trying to eat spaghetti.

And you could tell it was made by a computer.

You could tell it was fake.

And we're hitting a point where it's almost, it looks pretty realistic.

And like any tool, whether Google or the internet or any sort of technology that we have, it is important for us to use the tools that we have for good.

Like any tool, we can use it for good or we can use it for evil.

And this is one of the examples.

You've seen the short video of the children in the marketplace.

You might have seen one of the other videos that I've had.

And here is another video showing the realness of this parable of the sheep and the goats.

Of how important it is for us to consider our neighbor.

We are saved by grace through faith, you see.

And we are called to grow in Christ, to be transformed by Him.

And in that, there should be this continued growth process to become more like Christ.

To where we exhibit love and kindness and generosity.

And also standing firm on the truth of God's Word.

It is this great balance between grace and truth.

And part of this love, becoming more like Christ, is to feed those that are hungry.

To help those that are thirsty and to welcome those who are a stranger.

It kind of hits home when you see images like that.

Thinking of how can we as Christians, as the body of Christ, consider our neighbor.

We have to think how we were once lost.

But now we are found.

That we were once blind.

And now we see.

That same kind of love that God has for us.

Is the kind of love that we should exhibit for others.

We did the scripture reading today.

From the Gospel of Matthew.

Now, you don't have to raise your hand.

I'm sure that most of you have read.

Have seen films.

Or have at least know.

Have some understanding about the sheep and the goats.

And this part of the Gospel of Matthew.

It helps us.

We see that there's this sort of trifecta that's happening.

This continuing of parables.

Of these short stories.

That are simple.

But yet they have such depth.

It is part of the grand narrative.

What I want you to understand.

When you consider.

When you consider God's word.

It is all part of a love story.

Between God and his people.

The salvation story.

Where God sends his son into the world.

The miracles that Christ perform.

Healing the sick.

Walking on water.

Turning water into wine.

And teaching crowds as well.

And let's not forget, of course, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

All showing part of this narrative that God has in love for humanity.

And from the beginning.

From the very foundation of the earth.

God had a plan.

For us.

For you.

And it's important for us to recognize.

That God loves you.

No matter what it is you have been through in life.

No matter what sort of pain or suffering or anguish you have experienced.

In those times where we feel alone.

In those times where we have been betrayed by people.

Or even when we've had a good life.

God is there for us.

And he is extending an invitation for you.

To come to the wedding feast, as it were.

This invitation is a time for us to decide.

Are we going to respond?

For many of us, we may have received an invitation to a party.

If you haven't, let's talk sometime.

I'll invite you.

Let's make a party sometime.

So you at least experience it.

Amen?

Receiving an invitation is something that is remarkable.

It is powerful.

It is powerful.

For you to be invited.

To celebrate someone's anniversary or someone's birthday party.

It is very similar when it comes to the Lord.

That he invites you into salvation.

Into the vineyard.

Into the wedding feast.

there's many different images that we can think of, we can consider.

And when we go into this parable here, the sheep and the goats,

it is important for us to recognize how many of you know,

and we should all know this, but if you don't, that's okay.

So don't raise your hand.

So how many of you know the story of the flood of Noah and the ark?

Some of you may have heard this when you were a child,

or maybe it's the first time you have heard it,

where there's a great flood that happens.

Well, there is an echo and a connection that we find that there is a time

for us to get to safety, for us to get to security before a grand storm comes.

Storm that is going to happen.

This flood that is representing judgment that happens for the people on the earth.

And it's hard for us to understand why would there be a flood?

And I'm not going to go so much into that,

but for us to understand at least that there was a time for safety.

There was a time for people to get into the ark.

A time before the storm.

And in this parable, we see that God gives us time,

but he does not give us forever.

There is a certain amount of time for us to respond to Christ's salvation,

to respond to the invitation,

and for us to think,

do I want to have Jesus at the center of my life?

Do I want to have Christ as my Savior and Lord?

Do I want to know Jesus and be in his presence,

to know him and be in that relationship with him?

Well, maybe you have already responded to that invitation.

Maybe you haven't.

Maybe there's a time where you've had an invitation card,

and you're like, I don't want to go.

Let's be honest here.

We've gotten those.

Maybe it's your class reunion.

Whatever it may be.

Maybe it's that friend you didn't really care for,

and now they want to be friends.

Whatever it is.

Maybe you have that card, that invitation,

and you haven't even thought about it.

But in any case,

God has extended that invitation for you to know him,

and to be in a relationship with the creator of the heavens and the earth

is profound.

It is remarkable.

You mean to tell me that God who made the universe,

the planetary systems,

the black holes and the nebulas,

I'm not even going to pretend I understand these things.

But the same God that made all of this,

made us,

and invites us to his wedding feast,

praise God.

We thank him for that.

And so,

there is,

have you responded to that invitation from Christ?

I want you,

let's open our Bibles real quick

to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25.

Matthew 25 · chapter mention

And I want to kind of show you

what is happening here.

We can go to that next slide

as we're turning our Bibles,

or the ESVP Bible is page 987,

or you're welcome to use

whatever Bible of your choice.

It's important for us as Christians,

as we grow in Christ,

to recognize the patterns

and the consistency within Scripture.

For many of us,

we may read the same verse over and over,

and yet God will speak to us

at a certain moment in our lives.

Amen?

It is truly remarkable.

So,

page 987,

the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25.

Matthew 25 · chapter mention

It begins with the parable of the ten virgins.

How many of you remember that one?

Just going over it real quick,

was there's these ten virgins,

and they're waiting for the feast.

They're waiting for the bridegroom to return.

And what's strange is there's some of them

that were prepared,

and they had oil in their lamps,

and some of them didn't.

Well, can't you share?

The oil is a representation of the Holy Spirit

and how they were filled,

so to speak.

And they were ready,

right?

That's the main theme from that parable,

is preparation.

Ready the way for the Lord,

as it were.

Considering how Christ is teaching,

the importance for us to be prepared

when Christ returns.

Amen?

And then it leads us into the parable of the talents.

Many of us know that.

We've gone over this before.

Where it talks about how God gives us

our time,

our talent,

and our treasures.

And we are to steward what God has given to us,

our very life,

our very resources,

and how important it is for us to audit

what God has given to us.

Consider your gifts.

Consider your time.

Are you at least giving something back to the Lord

who gave you everything?

That's important for us to think about.

So this would be what we would think of

as the stewardship.

And then,

turn over a page,

and to page 988,

we have the final judgment then.

Where?

Well,

this is where I'm mentioning this trifecta,

this triad of parables that are happening.

The ten virgins,

the talents,

and the sheep of the goats,

they're all connected about

one thing that's happening.

The final judgment

and the return of Christ.

For the talents,

it's the return of the master.

For the ten virgins,

it's the return of the bridegroom.

And then in verse,

when we see,

in verse 31,

when the Son of Man comes in His glory

and all the angels with Him,

then He will sit on His glorious throne.

That is a beautiful image of what is to come.

Amen?

Very important for us.

It is connected.

And what I want you to really think about

when we think of these three parables

is that we are in

a certain time period,

as it were.

Some of us may know of it

as the church age.

Some of us may know it

as the age of salvation

or the day of grace.

Whatever you want to call it,

it is important for us to know

that there is an allotted time

before time is up.

It's just like any invitation

that we receive.

The party is going to be on Tuesday.

You're not going to respond

on a Wednesday, right?

Unless you lost your mail.

I get it.

Okay?

But the idea is that

there is a time.

A time for you to respond

to any RSVP, right?

To RSVP, to a letter,

to pay your bills on time.

We think of that

when it comes to the earth.

But there's a time for us

that God allows us here on the earth

to respond to His salvation

in faith.

The age of grace,

the time of salvation

before the return.

And so,

the Son of Man arrives

in glory with the angels.

We find that in Daniel

and also in Revelation.

We're not going to turn there,

but it's very important

to see that consistency,

the mentioning of the Son of Man.

Then going into verse 32

where it says,

before Him will be gathered

all the nations

and He will separate people

as a shepherd separates

the sheep from the goats.

Now, very often in parables

we have found

there's this separation, right?

There is the separating

of fish, right?

There's the separating

of the sheep and the goats.

There's the separation

that happened between

the foolish virgins

and the wise virgins, right?

The Scripture likes to talk

a lot about these distinctions

between the righteous

and the unrighteous.

It's important for us

to see this judgment,

as it were,

that is going to happen.

The shepherd in this case

is separating the sheep.

The right representing honor

and representing shelter

and safety

and from the goats

representing exposure

and judgment.

A fun fact that I found

about sheep and goats,

if you ever found a shepherd,

separating that in biblical times

and even now,

is that sheep have what?

What do you want from sheep

that you cut

and you use it for clothing?

I'm giving tons of hints here.

You want wool, right?

And you use wool for clothing, right?

And the idea is that

when you have sheep,

well, they're warm

because they have all this wool

all over them.

And goats, on the other hand,

are more vulnerable

than they are of sheep.

I found that to be very interesting

that when you found shepherds

doing that,

that was a common thing

that happened then

and can be.

I mean, there are shepherds

still today,

but very interesting to see that,

that there's this exposure

to the elements, as it were.

When we think of Christ,

the great shepherd,

separating the sheep of the goats,

how they are exposed, as it were.

Now, we're not going to say

that wool is protection and whatnot,

but it's still interesting nonetheless.

And so, we even consider

the separation of the wheat

and the weeds,

if we remember that, right?

How the chaff is going to be burned.

And we think of how the wheat

is stored up and placed

into a barn.

All of these things

are happening, right?

We go into verse 33.

He will place the sheep

on his right and on his left,

the goats on the left.

Then the king will say

to those on his right,

come, you are blessed

by my father.

Inherit the kingdom

prepared for you.

How many of you

have your Bibles open?

What does it say?

From when?

From the foundation, right?

Of the world.

And that's so important.

It should give us comfort

to see the consistency

that's found within Scripture

that God had a plan all along.

Now, here's the crazy thing

about God is that

how many of us understand God fully?

Don't raise your hand.

I should put my hand down

for a second here.

That God is so vast.

He's limitless.

And it kind of,

it really messes with your mind

when you think about

how much God loves you

and how God is beyond

the space and time continuum.

Right?

That God is outside of that

and that his ways

are higher than our ways

and yet we're called

to seek the higher things.

We're called to seek

the things of God.

That really humbles you

for a moment.

If it doesn't humble you,

then look in a telescope sometime.

Look at a microscope sometime.

I'm always shocked

when I go on YouTube

and I see these videos of the,

it shows a little dot of the earth

and then it shows like

this black hole

that's about, you know,

50,000 times the size of earth.

And I'm like,

that's just a black hole.

That's not even considering

galaxies and the universe.

And that certainly

doesn't even factor in

how big our God is

who made all of that

with such intentionality

and with such intricacy.

We think of,

it's more known in,

for those of you

who study apologetics,

it's known as the clock

and the clock maker.

We look at a clock,

we know that somebody

had to at least program

the digital, right?

But the idea is

the clock is ticking

and somebody has to

have the right tools

and have everything needed

in order for it to work.

And so,

going back here,

we see that as,

as we go into verse 34 onward,

let's go to verse 35,

for I was hungry,

you gave me food,

I was thirsty,

you gave me drink,

I was a stranger

and you welcomed me,

I was naked and you clothed me,

I was sick and you visited me,

I was in prison

and you came to me.

There are six mercies

that are mentioned here,

okay?

And these six mercies are,

look,

these are examples

of how we can minister

to other people,

right?

When's the last time

you ran into somebody,

don't answer this,

the last time you ran into

somebody who was hungry

or somebody who needed

a drink,

you know,

they were thirsty,

they're out in the field,

I mean,

with the weather,

how it's been,

you know,

there's a lot of them out there.

It's certainly been hotter.

People need,

they need a drink of water

kind of thing.

The stranger and welcoming.

How many of you have met

someone who's new to the area

and you want to welcome them,

have that sense of hospitality

for others?

Naked in clothing,

that's kind of a harder one,

but it still exists today.

Much like all of these,

aren't people still hungry?

Aren't people still hungry?

I'm thirsty.

Don't people still need clothes?

They absolutely do.

We think of basic needs.

Now,

we also have

sick and visitation

and prison and care.

It's important for us to note

when we consider

those that were in prison,

it's very different

than how we understand

prisons today.

In prisons today,

you have a bed,

you have,

typically,

you have meals and stuff,

at least when we think of

how things should be run.

Now,

when we're considering

in biblical times,

though,

they were just locked away

and for you to give someone

food or drink

or clothing,

that was showing love

because they didn't have it.

And so,

we think of that

kind of hospitality,

that type of love

that we have

for other people.

it's exhibiting

the love of Christ

sort of thing.

And so,

it goes on

in Scripture here

where the six mercies

are met,

right,

where Christ is saying,

look,

you did all of these things.

You considered my neighbor.

And so,

what I want you to realize

when you're reading this

is how

don't take this as,

well,

you're saved

by all of that work.

No.

This work

is because

you have been

saved,

when we think of us

as Christians,

because you have been

saved by grace

through faith,

you therefore

should grow

and do good

in the name of Christ.

Unfortunately,

there are people

who will read this

and say,

well,

you gotta only focus

on doing good.

You gotta only focus

on that

and not focus

on Christ,

which certainly

there are still needs

of people

that need to be met.

I'm not denying that.

But when it comes

to Scripture

and when it comes

to us following

in the footsteps

of Christ,

the first thing

we must do

is to receive

that gift

and respond

to the invitation

of Christ.

And when we consider

all of these works,

there's works

that there is work

that we should do

for others,

which shows

the fruit

that we bear.

For those of you,

you may think

of how Scripture

talks about

the seed planted

into the ground

and growing

and bearing fruit.

Very agricultural language.

But that is a representation

of how we receive salvation,

we receive the Word,

it grows in us,

we grow,

and we bear fruit.

What an amazing opportunity

for us

to serve our neighbor.

That's a way

to produce fruit.

And that's very powerful

for us to have

that care

and that compassion

for people.

It goes on

later on in the text

where basically

you have those,

the goats,

that are not really,

they're not caring.

They're not caring

for those in need.

And you have the sheep

that, well,

they know their shepherd,

amen?

They know what to do.

And that's

very beautiful

because we go on

even into

the ending.

Truly I said to you,

as you did not do it

for one of the least

of these,

you did not do it to me

as he's speaking

to the goats,

as it were.

Verse 46,

and these will go away

into eternal punishment,

but the righteous

into eternal life.

And so,

for your homework sometime,

go to Ezekiel 34.

We don't have time

to go over

to Ezekiel 34.

But go into

that part of the text

and you'll see

that even in

the Old Testament

there was mentioning

a final judgment

of sheep and goats.

It's really remarkable.

Especially when it talks

in verse 17

about what is to come.

That Yahweh,

that God,

will separate

from the sheep

and the goats

for you Bible scholars there.

And so,

also,

it's important for us

when we think of us,

we should all be sheep,

right?

Don't raise your hand

if you're a goat,

right?

It's important for us

to,

and any goats

in here,

right?

It's important

for us to

become a sheep

and to follow

the shepherd,

the great shepherd

represented in Christ.

And so,

in being part of,

in being saved,

we are inheritors

that we're going

to inherit.

Salvation,

the kingdom,

it's all part

of God's plan

to be an heir

and to inherit,

as it mentions

in Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

I know I'm mentioning

a bunch of verses here.

A lot of those

are on your notes here,

but if not,

just come talk to me after.

And so,

that's what we find

in Scripture

regarding this.

This is just

within the observation here.

The response

to the least of these,

it matters,

and then the

eternal destinies

that we have

an allotted time

here on earth,

and certainly,

we have an allotted time

for us

to respond

to the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

This should hit home

for you

on the question

of whether or not

you have responded

to the gospel.

Let's go to that

next slide then.

What can we learn

from this here?

First one,

church,

what does it say?

Ready the way,

be a steward.

So,

the ten virgins,

it's about readiness.

The parable

of the talents,

it's about stewardship.

The sheep

and the goats,

it's about

living and loving

like Christ,

showing that love

in action.

In other words,

when we think

of all of that

Matthew 25

and how it's connected

with the sheep

and the goats,

we have got to prepare

for the coming

of Christ.

We have got to respond

to the gospel.

We have got to say

yes to the Lord.

God,

and in this,

in this life

that we have,

let us continue

to grow,

becoming more

like Christ,

be putting on

the new self,

setting aside

the former things

and stewarding

all that God

has given to us

and knowing

that in the end

there will be

a final judgment

but we don't have

to worry about

that final judgment.

Amen?

We get to,

we know where

we're going

and that's a beautiful

thing.

The second thing,

church,

what does it say?

from grace

comes work.

Now,

it's very important

for me to touch

on this.

As I've been mentioning,

God gives us time

but not forever.

The final accountability

is certain.

It leads us to

from grace

comes work.

Now,

this is where we get

into semantics

and the order

in which things happen

but listen,

when we think

of what scripture

tells us,

we are saved

by grace

through faith.

We should all know this

and if you haven't,

you should know it now.

Right?

Saved by grace

through faith.

Believing in the death,

burial,

and resurrection

of Jesus Christ.

That is the most

important decision

that you can make

for your entire life

because not only

does it affect

the life,

your life here

on the earth,

it affects

your eternal life

and because of this,

because of the grace

that you receive

from the Lord,

you gotta grow

and from that growth

comes doing good.

Doing good

in the name of Christ

in the words

that you speak

and the actions

that you do.

That certainly doesn't mean

that we're perfect.

Amen?

Got any perfect people

in here?

Raise your hand.

I want to see

who you are.

Right?

But seriously,

when we think about it,

we are a work in progress

that God is going

to continue to work

in our lives

every single day

until the very end.

That is a remarkable thing

to think of the imagery

of how God is the potter

and we are the clay,

we are the work

of God's hands,

continuing to be molded

as we're spinning

round and round

in this life.

Amen?

We think about that.

And so when we think,

look,

salvation is

by grace

through faith

and our actions,

our words,

our deeds,

this is evidence

of the faith

that we have in Christ.

and it is measured

even at the final judgment.

So in other words,

it's like they're going

to inspect your fruit,

right?

If you think about it.

And so it's important

for us that

if you are a new believer,

if you just

made a decision

for Christ,

you just responded

to the invitation,

be on a path

to know the word of God,

to know what it means

to be a Christian

and be moved

by the grace of God

through the working

of the Holy Spirit

to serve the Lord,

serve the community,

be that ambassador

from grace

that flows

from grace

comes works.

And then finally,

third,

what does that third one

say, church?

Christ is there

for the least, right?

For the least of these.

And we think of how

many times in Scripture

Christ was dining

with sinners

sinners.

What?

Why?

Christ is dining.

He's caring for the least

of these,

showing how

if we are to become

like Christ,

if we are to be

on this path

and follow in the

footsteps of Christ,

we too

have got to exhibit

the same kind of love

towards other people.

I've mentioned before

how Scripture

likes to talk about

the misfits

of society.

That's really

strange.

You would think

the Lord would want

to hang out

with all the cool kids,

right?

You'd think He'd want

to, you know,

and He does.

He hangs out

with everybody,

but the main thing

here,

the least of these,

the implication

is that

we all need

that which is perfect.

We all need

the light

of Christ.

We all need

the abundant grace

and the everlasting love

that comes from God.

Because let me tell you,

my ability

to love

on my own,

to love

as a human being,

is very

limited.

But when it comes,

when it comes to God,

His love

is everlasting.

He is

consistent.

His love

never fails.

He doesn't

change.

And so,

let us consider

how we are

to be like Christ

in serving

the least of these.

Think about

for a moment,

who is someone

you can serve?

This leads us

into the application,

how should we

live, right?

Because here

at Ontario Community,

we observe the text,

right?

We read Scripture.

Amen?

That's important for us.

The second thing

is we interpret it.

We learn the lessons

from Scripture.

And thirdly,

is we apply it

to our very lives.

We want to have

the head knowledge,

but we also want

to have the heart

to love.

And so,

the first thing,

respond when?

Now.

We are to respond

to the gospel

of Jesus Christ

to seize

the day

of salvation.

And it's important

for us to know,

I don't know

if this will give you

anxiety or not,

but no one knows

the day or the hour

when Christ will return.

For some people,

you're like,

well,

when are you coming back?

For some of us,

we may want to know

exactly the date

and the time

and even the second

and the millisecond

when Christ will come back.

But what's important

is that that is up to God.

When Christ will return.

And there's been

so many books

and people who have said,

you know,

it's the Y2K,

if you remember,

if you guys remember

that one.

Right?

Or Jesus will come back

in 1988.

I think I've mentioned

this one before.

88 Reasons Why Christ

Will Return in 1988.

It is a real book.

You'll look it up sometime.

I probably was a bestseller

in 1987.

I don't know about 1988,

though.

So,

you might find it

on discount somewhere,

right?

But the thing is,

no one knows the hour.

No one knows the hour

when Christ will return.

We don't know

how long we'll even have

here on the earth.

We don't know

when the king will return.

What matters

is seizing the moment,

responding to the gospel,

stewarding your life

and considering,

thinking about

how are you going

to live your life

in honor,

to honor,

and to glorify the Lord.

Consider what really matters.

Your faith walk,

your brothers and sisters

in Christ,

certainly your family,

all of these things matter.

Respond to him.

Respond to that invitation

and be transformed.

Begin on that journey

and live your life in him.

Receive and respond

to the invitation.

Just think for a moment

that imagery

of the wedding feast

and receiving

that letter.

Are you going to say yes?

Are you going to put it

on the table?

What are you going to do

for God's call

for your life?

And salvation

is free.

It is here.

It is available

for you.

But let us remember,

just like what we've

talked about

in this parable,

not forever though.

And so,

respond now

and seize that day

of salvation.

The second thing then

is to practice stewardship.

I have here

your time,

talent,

and treasure

and your testimony.

I've actually added

a fourth T in here.

Consider what God

has given to you.

It's essentially

the resources

that you have,

right?

The amount of time

that you have,

how you're stewarding it,

your talents,

right?

Your gifts

and your abilities,

your treasure,

your money,

your resources

sort of thing,

but also your testimony.

Your own story

and how God

has worked in your life,

how are you going

to share that

with others?

Or,

the testimony,

what we find

in Scripture.

How are you going

to share that

with other people?

And so,

consider it.

Think about it.

Take an audit

and inventory

of what God

has given to you.

How will you

use these things?

We've talked about

minas and talents,

but in any sense,

whatever God

has given to you,

steward it

and steward it well.

Never neglect

God's gift.

Steward them

for the glory of God.

It's much like

how it's important

for us when we think

of this final scene.

That's the,

basically,

the wedding feast.

That's towards the end,

the final judgment.

And think about it.

The master will return

and settle accounts.

Just like we have found

within Scripture.

And then finally,

witness through actions,

through words,

and through deeds.

Let your words

and your actions

be consistent.

And think about those,

you guys remember

those six mercies

I was talking about earlier,

right?

Feeding those

that are hungry,

giving drink to those

that are thirsty,

welcoming the stranger.

All of these things

are examples

of how you can minister

to other people.

It could just be

showing up.

When I've talked about

the ministry of presence,

just showing up

to someone who is in need,

whether they're sick

or they're imprisoned,

whatever it is.

Part of our ministry

is to serve others.

We serve the Lord,

we serve the living God,

we serve in the local church,

and we serve the community

in some capacity.

So, consider,

think about one

of the six mercies

to give you an idea

of how to love your neighbor.

Think about that.

There are many ways

that you can serve

the local church,

the community,

your neighbor.

We are to continue

to exhibit that love

of Christ to others.

And let your actions,

let it be consistent

with what you say.

Scripture talks so much

about not being a hypocrite,

right?

You want your words

and your actions

to be consistent,

and that's just common sense.

I mean, that's just

in real life, right?

You don't want hypocrites

just in the real world, right?

Much less what you find

in Scripture.

That's very important for us.

And so,

as we close here,

let us really take to heart

this parable

of the sheep and the goats.

Ask yourself for a moment,

are you a sheep

or are you a goat?

Okay?

It's not about what noise

you make if you're saying

bah or any of that.

It has nothing to do

with that, okay?

But it has to do

with have you received

that invitation?

Have you said yes

to salvation?

Are you growing

and are you exhibiting

that fruit?

And so,

God gives us the time

to respond

in salvation

through faith in Him.

Respond now.

Respond today

if you have not.

God gives us the opportunity

to go from darkness

to light,

from the weeds

to wheat,

from goats

to sheep.

It's called transformation.

It's called

putting on

the new self

because God

is the God

of transformation.

Changing us,

changing our hearts,

changing our minds,

changing the very

essence

of who we are.

That is the beautiful

thing about our Lord

and our God.

God.

And today

is still,

we are still

in the age of grace,

the day of salvation.

And when we think

of the day,

the time,

think of how

the sun is shining

as it were.

Well, just like

in any day

there comes

a sunset.

Don't let

the sunset

happen

until you,

you better know

the Lord

when that sunset

comes.

Amen?

It's important

for us.

Step into

the light

while there

is still light

and let that

light of Christ

shine and radiate

through you.

See that the

light of Christ,

it shines bright

like the sun

for you.

May you

respond to that.

Be saved

by knowing

the Lord.

Grow in Him.

Go from that

milk to solid

food of the Word

as it mentions

and Scripture

and live

in love

like Him

even with

small acts

of kindness

for others.

Just like

that video

I was showing

earlier.

It's just

a water bottle.

It's not a big,

it's small,

but it has

such a profound

impact on people.

And so,

be salt

and light

for others.

I want to turn

with you real quick

in closing.

Let's open

our Bibles

real quick.

Let's go to

Revelation.

I want you

to realize

as we're

getting closer

to the end

of this sermon,

we're getting

closer to the end

of this sermon

series,

and our next

sermon series,

Lord willing,

will be through

Revelation,

because the

parables of Christ

help us

understand

Revelation

with a lot

of its

symbolic language.

But I want

to turn

for a moment

into Revelation.

It's going

to be

Revelation 21,

it's page

1,233

in your

ESV Pew

Bible.

And I want

to read

the first

three verses.

Church,

can we read

this together?

All right,

let's give it

a moment.

Revelation 21.

Let's read

together.

Then I saw

a new heaven

and a new earth,

for the first heaven

and the first earth

had passed away,

and the sea

was no more.

And I saw

the holy city,

new Jerusalem,

coming out

of heaven

from God,

prepared as a bride

adorned

for her husband.

And I heard

a loud voice

from the throne

saying,

Behold,

the dwelling place

of God

is with man.

He will dwell

with them,

and they

will be his people.

And God

himself will be

with them

as their God.

Let's keep reading

verse 4.

He will wipe away

every tear

from their eyes,

and death

shall be no more.

Neither shall

there be

mourning,

nor crying,

nor pain

anymore,

for the former

things have

passed away.

When we think

of the wedding

feast,

when we think

of the invitation,

when we think

of the final

judgment,

we have

hope in Christ

of what we

are waiting

for together.

And so,

church,

let this promise

move us

to respond

to the gospel

before the sun

sets.

Let's pray

together.

And Father,

we thank you

for this time

and this opportunity

to look

at this famous

part in Scripture,

this parable

of the sheep

and the goats.

May we realize

how important

it is

as we look

at the context

showing the

importance of

preparing,

stewarding,

and knowing

that there will

be a final

judgment.

We may not

understand all

the complexities

of what you

have planned,

but we know

you are in

control.

May we fully

rely in you.

May we trust

in you.

May we respond

to your gospel

by believing

in the death,

burial,

and resurrection

of Jesus Christ.

May we be on a

path of following

in the footsteps

of Christ,

living,

learning what it

means to be a

Christian.

And may we go

from that milk

of the word

to solid food.

May we grow

in our understanding

of who you are.

And certainly,

Father,

we pray that we

as a church

and us as

individuals may

respond to

your gospel.

May we not be

goats.

Rather,

may we be

sheep,

knowing that

you are the

great shepherd.

And may we

follow you.

And may we

know that

after judgment

there is the

promise of the

new heaven and

new earth,

which we wait

for.

In all of these

things,

we say in the

name of Jesus

Christ,

the cornerstone

of our faith,

and we all say

together,

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you for

listening for this

week's message from

Ontario Community

Church.

I pray that you

are encouraged

and strengthened

in your walk

with Christ.

For more sermons

and resources,

visit

OntarioCommunityChurch.org.

May God bless you

as you live out

His grace and

truth every single

day.

Thank you.