Hebrews 12 verses 1-13 Spiritual Discipline for the Race of Life

Have you ever struggled with your faith? Have you ever felt like giving up? If so, the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews has a word for you---don’t! Don’t give up. The road of faith has been compared to a race. The race is not a sprint. It is a marathon. At the end of the race, we will receive the ultimate prize-eternal life in heaven.

The image of a race that the writer of Hebrews used included a stadium filled with the great athletes who had finished their races and who have come to cheer on the new runners. The spectators included Abel, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Enoch, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses. They were not perfect, but they depended on God’s strength and power in their lives every day. If we feel that God can’t use us, we must remember that:

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old

Isaac was a daydreamer

Jacob was a liar

Leah was ugly

Joseph was abused

Moses was a stutterer

Gideon was afraid

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer

Rahab was a prostitute

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

David had an affair and was a murderer

Elijah was suicidal

Isaiah preached naked

Jonah ran away from God

Naomi was a widow

Job went bankrupt

Peter denied Christ

The disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything

The Samaritan woman was divorced more than once

Zaccheus was too small

Paul was too religious

Timothy had an ulcer

AND

Lazarus was dead!

We do not have any excuses. God can use us to our full potential because we are the messenger and not the message.  

The race will not be easy. We will suffer like Jesus did. The promise of a future reward will give us the strength we need to endure the hardships we will face. It is the same promise that gave Jesus the strength he needed to face the cross.

Jesus ran the race of suffering and servanthood because of the joy he could see in the future. He saw the blessing that his suffering on the cross would bring, so he was able to set aside the consideration of the pain and humiliation he would have to endure. When we see the cross correctly, we see that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. We see that the cross was a milestone on the way to Jesus’ joyful coronation. The writer of Hebrews hoped that we will also be able to withstand our suffering and remain on top with perseverance because we can see the same end result that Jesus did. Jesus knew that he would face hostility, and we will also face hostility and opposition.

The hardships we will face are God’s way of disciplining us. The writer of Hebrews focuses on perseverance in the painful tests of life. Discipline is more than perseverance. It is a common term for raising children through instruction, training and correction. On the road of faith, there will be times where God will teach us and train us and correct us when we disobey him.  As a loving parent, God disciplines us for our own good, just like most of our parents disciplined us for our own good.

God’s discipline will prepare us for this opposition. His discipline is motivated by his love for us. His ultimate discipline is for our own good, because the result of his discipline is holiness, a likeness to God. We must not let life’s difficulties get the best of us. We must endure and get our second wind so as to be renewed to continue the race. During the race, we must not look back. Looking back is dangerous. We must stay focused on our objective if we are going to succeed. That is God’s purpose for us.

Our discipline can include facing persecution just like Jesus did. The writer of Hebrews looked into the future and saw that his audience would likely face persecution, and he wanted to prepare them. This also applies to us today. Many of our Christian brothers and sisters face persecution because of their faith. Many of us face criticism or ridicule because of our faith. The writer of Hebrews encouraged his audience to stand up to persecution like the saints who had gone before them, and he also encourages us to stand up to persecution today. 

In order to run this race, we have to get rid of excess weight. Just like runners in a real race remove their warm-up jackets before a race, we as Christians must remove anything that hinders our race. This excess weight can be anything from too many irons in the fire, too many distractions, or too many things that suck out our vital energy. When we become distracted, we will be in for a surprise. In order to win the race, all of our human and divine energy must be devoted to the race.

One of the distractions we have to get rid of is sin. Just like runners have to wear clothing that is not too tight or binding, we must not have any habits or sins that ensnare us. One thing that ensnares us is sin. Our sin does not have to be the sin of commission such as drunkenness and lust. It can also be the sin of omission such as not serving others or failing to step out in faith. God confronts us with our sin and convicts us of it in order to get us to confess. He knows that if we do not confess it and correct it, our misery will eat away at our souls and we will live life at a very low level in comparison with the life He created for us. Once Christ sets us free from sin’s bondage, we can use our energy to satisfy our hunger for social justice and the necessities of life. 

Jesus designed the race we are to run. He identified with those in need. He claimed that his own life was the essential base for life itself. He accepted social outcasts and ministered to them without being offended by their appearance or behaviour. He set a difficult portion of the race by teaching us to love our enemies. He set his lordship under those he served in order to hold them up to their potential. Servant lordship allows us to discover our God-given identity and offers a place for that identity to be used for doing God’s work in our world.

Of course there will be times when we will become tired and discouraged. When we do, we must stop and remember that what we are experiencing is nothing compared to what Jesus experienced. The Holy Spirit constantly refreshes us. A good way to remember what to do when we are tired and discouraged is to remember the acrostic HALT:

H is for hungry. We must stop and eat when we are hungry.

A is for anger. When we feel angry inside we need to stop and deal with it immediately.

L is for lonely. When we feel lonely, we must stop and deal with it.

T is for tired. When we are tired, we must lay down and get the rest we need.

In other words, we must learn to lay everything aside and renew our fellowship and communion with God. We must “keep our eyes on the prize.” We must keep our eyes fixed on Christ. Just like runners in a marathon have to pace themselves, we must pace ourselves when we run the race of life. Only then can we survive, thrive and win.

 Bibliography

1.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package

2.      Evans, L,.H. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 33: Hebrews (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985)

3.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2006)

4.      Dr. Jack Graham, “Feeling Stagnant? Are You Running the Race?” Retrieved from www.jesus.org

5.      Dr. Harold Sala, ”Looking Back” Retrieved from www.guidelines.org

6.      Ann Graham Lotz, “The Core of a Miserable Life.” Retrieved from www.angelministries.org

7.      Jim Burns, “Join the Crowd.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

8.      Abiding Above Devotional, “Starting Over With God-Part 10”. Retrieved from Oneplace@crosswalkmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John 4:5-42 A Heavenly Well Full of Spiritual Gifts

There once was a man who was not well-educated and rather rough and crude around the edges, but he was recently converted and was on fire for the Lord. He constantly asked the minister to give him some work that would be helpful to the church. Finally, the minister gave the man a list of ten people who hadn’t been in church for years nor made any financial contribution. Some of these people were quite prominent in the community. The minister said, “What I want you to do is get these people back to church, however you can. You can use church stationery if you want, but get these people back to church.”

Three weeks later the minister got an envelope in the mail from a prominent doctor whose name was on the list, along with a cheque for $1,000.00 and a note that read, “Dear Reverend, please excuse my inactivity at church. I really have no excuse. Accept this cheque as a partial contribution for all the Sundays I’ve missed, and be assured I will never, by choice, miss worship again.

Sincerely, J.B. Jones, M.D.

P.S.: Will you kindly tell your secretary that there is only one “t” in dirty and no “c” in skunk?”

John 4:5-42 marks a shift in Jesus ministry. It marks a shift from ministry to the Jews only to ministry to both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus had to go through Samaria. God is willing to go anywhere to meet us as sinners. No one is outside the reach of God’s love. God’s gifts are for outsiders. Those who consider themselves worthy of those gifts will be in for a nasty surprise!

It was ironic that he, as a Jew, went through Samaria. The Assyrians defeated Samaria and took many Samaritans into captivity. Those remaining in Samaria intermarried with non-Jewish people, which compromised their ethnic identity and went against many Jewish customs regarding cleanliness.  Later, the Babylonians defeated Judea and took many Judeans into captivity.  The Judeans managed to maintain their identity while in captivity.  When they were finally allowed to return to Judea, they rebuilt the temple.  The Samaritans offered to help, but were rebuffed because of their mixed heritage.  They later built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, which started a continuing controversy regarding the proper place of worship. John Hyrcanus destroyed the Gerizim temple in 128 B.C.

Because he was human, Jesus was tired. To make matters worse, he was travelling during the hottest part of the day, so he was thirsty. Jesus took the initiative by speaking to the woman. In Jewish society, that was a taboo. It was against the culture and traditions for a man to speak to a woman in public unless she was his wife. The woman also broke with tradition by going to the well during the hottest part of the day. Normally women came to the well in the morning or in the evening. While they were getting water, they would catch up on all the news or gossip (much like people around here do when they go to the barber, the beauty salon or Tim Horton’s!J )If the immoral woman showed up at the same time, she would have been the target of their gossip.  

Jesus often used physical things to teach spiritual lessons. When he mentioned living water, he was referring to the spiritual water that he can offer to all believers, but the woman thought he was referring to physical water. Jesus knew that the woman was searching for something that would give her life meaning. That is why he offered her living water. That is also why he made the comment about her five husbands. The woman did have a spiritual hunger, and so did the Samaritans. They thirsted for the truth, and their thirst made it possible for them to see that Jesus was the living water gushing up to eternal life.

We are also restless and unsatisfied even though we have access to all sorts of earthly treasures. Just look at all of the rich celebrities who have died because of drug overdoses. The world searches for relevance and significance without success. People go from one relationship to another, from one activity to the next, and from one fashion or “in thing to do” to the next. They are literally dying of thirst and hope that the “new drink” will satisfy them. It never does. Earthly “drink” can never satisfy our desires like the living water Jesus offers can.

Once we have tasted Jesus’ living water, nothing else will satisfy our thirst. The living water provides cleansing and a spiritual life. It flows through true worshippers who worship God and Jesus with all of their heart. In order to drink the living water, we have to repent. That is why Jesus brought up the woman’s past. She needed to see and admit that she messed up and needed God’s help. We also need to admit that we are messed up and that we need God’s help. When God looks into our souls and sees our dark side, our secrets, our guilt and ou motivations, he loves us anyway. That love is the living water that renews us and restores us. When God sees how we are dying inside, and when he tells us everything we have ever done, he still gives us living water. The Holy Spirit helps us to see our mistakes and failures. 

The woman was open to the truth that Christ taught. As a result, she came to faith in Jesus. She reminds us who doubt or struggle with faith to stay in a conversation with Christ. God’s grace drew her to Christ, and she became an evangelist. Likewise, God’s grace draws us to Christ, and now we can be evangelists. We, like the woman, are to listen to the Word of God and look for opportunities to share it with others. We will never be alone, because Jesus’ living water will stay with us and will be there when we need it.  

Jesus also offered something meaningful to her, and it is the same thing he offers us. He offered her the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would live in her like it lives in us. God is not made of physical matter, so he can be everywhere and with everyone all at the same time. Spiritual food is important to our eternal life, just like physical food is important to our physical life. Spiritual food was more important to Jesus than physical food. That is why he dismissed the disciples’ concern that his behaviour with the woman was caused by physical hunger.

The other aspect of food and water that this reading talks about is the process of growing food. Those of you who have grown vegetables or flowers know that it takes time for a plant to grow from a seed. The same thing happens in the spiritual realm. It takes time for a spiritual seed to mature once it is planted in our souls. In addition, one person can plant the seed while another person waters it and still another person reaps it. There are times when sowing and reaping take place at the same time, as was the case with the woman at the well and the people of her village. 

The spiritual harvest is now, and we are missing it. We can stay by Jesus’ side and be part of powerful encounters by doing the following things:

1.      Ask God every day where he is at work around us.

2.      Be open to the Spirit if he asks us to go into an unlikely area.

3.      Understand the harvest is now.

4.      Press in a bit. We need to get people alone, ask some questions and find out what God is doing below the surface of their lives.

Jesus made himself known to the Samaritans as the Messiah. How ironic it was that he made himself known as the Messiah to people who were seen as outsiders. By doing so, he made them insiders in his kingdom. The insiders of society often became outsiders in his kingdom. Sometimes God uses the most unlikely people to do his work, while those who should have been at the forefront of God’s work fail him. The heart of a worshipper is the most important thing to Jesus. He hates pompous attention-getters and loves true believers. He seeks out authentic worshippers, and when he asks them to do something, he gives them greater things to do. Legitimate testimony glorifies Jesus rather than the person making the testimony. 

So how should we share the Good News with people, especially people from different backgrounds? Jesus shows us how.  We must put aside our own agendas and ask questions. We must not condemn them or condone their sin. We must offer them the bright hope of a future that is God’s gift. We must look beyond their sins, their outside appearance and their cultural differences. We, like Jesus, must see everyone as someone God loves and not as a person of a certain race, background or reputation. When we approach God in spirit and truth, we touch his heart and move him in a special way. In return, we are to reach out to others and spread our faith by reaching out to one person at a time.

It might seem as if the task is hopeless, but it's not.  It might seem as if our neighbors are hopeless, but they aren't.  We don't have the responsibility to bring them into the church.  We have only the responsibility to be godly people in their midst.  We have only the responsibility to invite.  We have only the responsibility to plant the seed.  God will send other people to water it, and others still to harvest. God doesn't need us to succeed.  God just needs us to be faithful––to do our part. The Samaritan woman was faithful. She did her part.  She ran into town to tell her neighbors about a Jew who might just be the Messiah

Sometimes we are reluctant to do this. Why? It is because we are comfortable with our existing lives. Sometimes we don’t want to take the simple actions we need to change our lives or the lives of other people. Making small changes in our lives or the lives of others can have big impacts, especially since we live in an area that is spiritually dry and thirsty.

In his article entitled “The Last Crusade”, Major V. Gilbert told of the early 20^th century battle for Palestine against the Turks. At one point Allied forces outpaced the camel caravan that was carrying their water. There were wells in the territory occupied by the enemy. Gilbert rote, “We fought that day as men fight for their lives. If such were our thirst for God and for righteousness, for his will in our life, a consuming, all-embracing, preoccupying desire, how rich the fruit of the spirit would we be.” This is a good lesson for all of us to learn.

 Bibliography

1.      Exegesis for John 4:5-42. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

2.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

3.      Frederickson, R.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 27: John (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985)

4.      White, J.E.: Holman Concise Bible Commentary: John (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998)

5.      Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2009)

6.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2006)

7.      Radmacher, G.D.; Allen, R.B. & House, H.W.: Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1999)

8.      Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “Conveying Eternal Love.” Retrieved from www.leadingtheway.org

9.      Joni Eareckson Tada, “Heartfelt, Honest Prayers.” Retrieved from www.joniandfriends.org

10.  Don Johnson, “From Facebook to Faithbook.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

11.  Don Johnson, “What Are You Doing With Your Life?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

12.  Pastor David McGee, “Give Me Some Water.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

13.  Jennifer Hereen, “How to be a Witness for Christ.” Retrieved from www.christianity.com

14.  Stephen Davey, “Thirsty People…Living Water.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

15.  Beau Crosetto, “The Disciples Missed It!” Retrieved from http://blog.exponential.org

16.  Rev Dr. David Sapp, “He Gets Me!” Retrieved from www.day1.org

17.  Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, Third Sunday of Lent (A), March 23, 2014.” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

18.  John van der Laar, “Out of the Shadows.” Retrieved from http://sacredise.com/blog/?p=889

19.  Peter Woods, “High Noon at Jacob’s Well.” Retrieved from http://thelisteninghermit.com

 

John 4:5-42 Living Water to Quench Our Spiritual Thirst

Good morning boys and girls!

Do you see this glass of water that I have here by the pulpit? Why do you think I have it here?

Well, sometimes I get thirsty just like all of you. I get very thirsty when I preach sermons because I’m talking all the time. We also get thirsty when we exercise a lot or on a hot day or when we’re eating food. This water is very good for us.

There is another type of water that is just as good for us. Can anyone tell me what it is? It is the living water that Jesus offers to all of us. For example, in John 4:5-42 Jesus offered living water to the woman at the well. One day Jesus was walking through a town in Samaria. He was hot and tired so he sat down beside a well to rest. A woman came to the well to get some water, and Jesus asked her to give him a drink. She was surprised that Jesus spoke to her because Jews did not usually speak to Samaritans.

She asked him why he asked her for a drink since he was a Jew and she was a Samaritan. Jesus said that if she knew who was asking her for a drink, she would ask him for a drink and he would give her living water. In response, she asked how he could give her living water when he did not have anything to get water with. Jesus said, “Whoever drinks the water from this well will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never be thirsty again.”

Isn’t that great! We would never have to be thirsty again. Jesus was talking about our thirst for God. That is a thirst that only he can satisfy. When Jesus is in our hearts, he satisfies our thirst for God and we will never be thirsty again.

Let us close our eyes and bow our heads for a moment of prayer. Dear God, thank you for giving us living water. May this living water always satisfy our thirst, and may we never be thirsty again. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.

Bibliography

1.      “The Thirst Quencher.” Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com

 

Jeremiah 4:9-10, 19-28 Weeping About the Future

The Book of Jeremiah is a book full of dark prophecies of doom and gloom. Jeremiah is a heartbroken prophet with a heartbreaking message. The people of Israel had forgotten God and refused to listen for his voice. They were locked into their old way of doing things.

We are the same. Sometimes when we get stuck in our old habits, sins and wicked ways, God has to shake things up. Spiritual stupidity happens when we do not stop to think about the results of our actions, or when we refuse to listen to warnings of others when they speak the truth. We might want to change, but sometimes we might not be willing to be changed. The church is the same. It has become apathetic and complacent. It has a “business as usual” attitude. If we and the church refuse to shake ourselves up, and we refuse to wake the world up, God will have to step in and shake us up.

Jeremiah faithfully declared that obeying God is the only way to escape judgment and receive his blessings. Jeremiah foretold the destruction in Judah that would be caused by the invasion of the Babylonians. False prophets in Judah told the people that everything would be okay when in reality God was about to unleash his wrath. God allowed these false prophets to speak because they fulfilled his purpose of judgment. Jeremiah was so upset that he started to show physical symptoms.

Jeremiah wondered how long he had to be the bearer of bad news. God’s reply was that Jeremiah was to keep preaching doom and gloom until the people gained knowledge and understanding of God’s ways and Word. The people were described in harsh terms that were designed to shock the people into true repentance. The upcoming judgment was portrayed as a reversal of the creation process, but not everything would be destroyed. God would not change his mind about the upcoming judgment.  

There is an old saying: “You reap what you sow.” In other words, we have to accept the consequences of our actions. For example, if we overeat, smoke or drink to excess, we risk having health problems. If we neglect God, we will be punished. We will suffer a fate similar to that of the people of Judah. The people of Judah sowed the seeds of disobedience, and the consequence was the invasion of Judah by the Babylonians. The people of Judah were stupid, but God did not give up on them. Similarly, we are often spiritually stupid, but God doesn’t give up on us. He constantly reaches out to us through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

God is known to us, not by his power, might and strength, but by his scars. His scarred hands will take our shaking hands. When he says that he will come looking for us, we can count on it. He will stand up for us, and he will not give up on us. Are we convinced? Are we willing to trust him? Are our values aligned with his? Now that we have been made right with God through the cross, will we confess our selfishness and offer to others the love and mercy God has shown to us?

Our job as Christians is to tell people about God and to try to lead them to Christ. Sometimes it means steering them to redemption. Do we actually reach out to them with this in mind? Do we seek a radical change in their hearts? Do we warn people about the dangers in our culture? Do we talk about our doubts with God? Do we have a passion for our faith? We are called to care for other Christians so much that we feel it in the depths of our souls, and we are to show that caring attitude with our whole hearts.

Bibliography

1.      Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2009)

2.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

3.      Guest, J. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series; Vol. 19: Jeremiah, Lamentations (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1988)

4.      Chrysanne Timm, “From Death to life to…” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

5.      Lee Ann Dunlap, “Tales of the Spiritually Stupid.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

6.      James McLemore, “Lord, Send the Wind.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

7.      Richard L. Sheffield, “Don’t Be Stupid.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

8.      John W. Wurster, “…Yet.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

9.      Dr. Randy L. Hyde, “Jeremiah: The Judgment.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

 

Matthew 25:31-46 Love and Compassion-the Key to Our Future

She wore her characteristic Indian sari with the blue border that represented the Missionaries of Charity, the order she founded in 1949. Her years on earth had bent her already small frame, but there was nothing small about Mother Teresa’s presence.

Who would have ever thought that this small Albanian woman would be an agent for change? She was shy and introverted as a child, and she was in fragile health. She was one of three children of a generous but unremarkable businessman. Yet somewhere along her life’s journey, she became convinced that Jesus walked in the “distressing disguise of the poor,” and she set out to love him by loving them. In 1989, she told a reporter that her Missionaries had picked up around 54,000 people from the streets of Calcutta, India and that 24,000 or so had died in her care.

None of us can help everyone, but all of us can help someone, and when we help them, we serve Jesus. When we do, we will hear the words of Matthew 25:40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. 

Today marks the end of the church year. Next week, we will celebrate the beginning of the Advent season. It is a season of preparation for the coming of Christ, and not just his first coming as an infant in that stable in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. We will also remember that he will come again at the end of the age to set up his kingdom here on earth. No one knows when it will happen, and Jesus warned us not to try to predict when it will happen, but we must always be ready because it can happen at any time.

When he comes to earth to judge the people, he will judge them by what they have done for others and by what they have shared with others and not by what they know or who they know or by their church membership. We see Jesus through the eyes of compassion, and we can see that compassion in the work done by health care workers or emergency personnel such as police officers, paramedics or fire fighters.  

The story of the last judgment in Matthew 25:31-46 is the minimum standard of behaviour that applies to all of us. Christ sees what we do because he is the recipient of our acts of kindness and mercy, no matter how big or small they are. It is about the acts of compassion, justice and gentleness which we do without having to think about them. What we do for others, we do for Jesus. Then we will receive God’s mercy and love.

The acts of compassion we do for others are within the reach of all of us. When we do these things, we tell others about Christ through our actions. The judgment identifies Christ with the underprivileged, so that anything we do for them is a deed of love for Christ.  We must live like we take Jesus’ statement in Matthew 25:31-46 seriously. What we do with the Good News of Jesus has enormous consequences because the punishment of those who reject Jesus is just as eternal as the reward of those who serve him. Failing to show compassion for others condemns us to eternal damnation. Every person who receives Jesus Christ as their Saviour and shows compassion will receive rewards individually. Our service to others reflects the condition of our hearts. When we respond to God’s call to serve, we know that we are ministering to Jesus himself.  

Do we sometimes look at those who are in need and refuse to help them because we think they deserved what happened to them? While it is true that some are in their particular situation because of their own actions, we are not to judge them or condemn them. Only God can do that, because his standards are perfect and higher than ours. Our job is to show Christ’s love by showing compassion for them, because when we do, we become Christ-like.

The story does simplify the basis on which God’s judgment is made. It has to do with how each person responds to everyday opportunities to help others in need. Jesus judges injustice instead of perpetuating it. Life in God’s kingdom is not about what we have or who we are, it’s about what we do. Random acts of kindness and serving the less fortunate in the community are powerful ways of authenticating the gospel. Jesus calls us to witness through our generosity. In the words of the Golden Rule, we are to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”

We must be prepared to minister to the poor wherever God calls us to minister to them, whether it is in a nursing home or the local food bank, around the corner or around the world. Parceling out this kind of compassion will not result in loud whistles or applause. In fact, the best acts of compassion will never be known to most people, nor will large sums of money be dumped into our laps because we are committed to being helpful. Normally, acts of mercy are done in obscurity on behalf of unknown people. Those who would be greatest in God’s Kingdom are those who make themselves the least.

The good deeds commended in verses 25 and 26 are the result of our salvation. They are the criteria that God will use for judgment, because they are the evidence of our saving faith. We are to use our uniqueness and our unique gifts to do God’s work in the world. The good news is that Christians throughout the centuries, in response to the challenge of this passage from Matthew’s Gospel, have tried to help people in need, and in the process have made a better world. We, and they, will reap the reward of our earthly actions on the Day of Judgment, when Christ will look at us and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servants”.

Bibliography

1.      Max Lucado, “Outlive Your Life”. Retrieved from www.ChristianityToday.com

2.      Kelly McFadden, “Fill the Need”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

3.      Dr. Robert Heerspink, “Before the Bench”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net

4.      Diane Singer, “The Human Touch”. Retrieved from www.colsoncenter.org

5.      Dr. Robert H. Schuller, “The Good Samaritan”. Retrieved from www.hourofpower.cc

6.      Charles Swindoll, “Restoring Compassion”. Retrieved from www.insight.org

7.      Lucado, Max: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., 2010)

8.      Augsburg, Myron S.; Ogilvie, Lloyd J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publisher, Inc., 1982)

9.      MacArthur, John: MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., 2006;2008)

10.  Stanley, Charles F., Life Applications Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., 2006;2008)

11.  The Rev. Dr. Wiley Stephens, UYMC, “Heaven’s Audit of One’s Soul”. Retrieved from www.day1.org

12.  The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Carter, UMC, “Our Spiritual Bottom Line”. Retrieved from www.day1.org

13.  The Rev. Deborah Fortel, PCUSA, “If Only We Had Known”. Retrieved from www.day1.org

14.  The Rev. Dr. Thomas Lane Butts, UMC, “Dear God, Where Are You?” Retrieved from www.day1.org

15.  Exegesis for Matthew 25:31-46. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

16.  Selwyn Hughes, “The Great Peril of the Saints”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

17.  The Rev. Ken Klaus, “No Surprise Here”. Retrieved from www.lhm.org

18.  Dr. Michael Youssef, “While We Wait”. Retrieved from www.leadingtheway.org

19.  Dr. Charles Stanley, “The Final Exam”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

20.  Matthew Henry Concise Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker 9 Bible software package.

21.  ESV Study Bible. Part of Lessonmaker 9 Bible software package.

22.  John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, the Reign of Christ-November 20, 2011. Retrieved from http://lectionary.seemslikegod.org/archives/the-reign-of-christ-november-20-2011

23.  Dr. Greg Garrett, TEC, “If Christ is King, What Does That Mean?” Retrieved from www.day1.org

24.  Daniel Clendenin, PhD., “The Judgment of Injustice: The Feast of Christ the King”. Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus,net/index.shtml?view=print

25.  The Rev. Dr. Billy Graham, “Will We Have Any Idea When the End is Coming?” Retrieved from www.arcamax.com/religionandspirituality/billygraham/s-970982?print

26.  MacArthur, John: MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006, 2008)

27.  Stanley, Charles F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006, 2008)

28.  Augsburger, Myron S.; Ogilvie, Lloyd J. : The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982)

29.  Fr. Anthony Axe. O.P., “Not of This World”. Retrieved from www.torch.op.org