Participants:
Series Code: MAT
Program Code: MAT000020S
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00:01 Music...
00:17 Let's pray. 00:19 "Father in heaven, 00:22 as we near the end of this Series, 00:25 we want to thank You because you have been present with us 00:28 in our study of Your holy Word. 00:30 We ask now as we near the end of this Series 00:34 that Your Spirit will be with us once more... 00:36 that You will instruct us... 00:39 and that You will give us the power 00:42 to live in harmony with what we study today 00:45 for it is extremely important. 00:47 Thank you Father, for the promise of Your presence 00:50 We claim that promise. 00:52 In the wonderful name that is above all names... 00:56 the name of Jesus, amen. " 00:59 Pause... 01:01 In our Study today, 01:02 we're going to look at the parable of the sheep 01:05 and the goats 01:07 as well as two or three other passages 01:11 that are related to this particular passage 01:14 in Matthew chapter 25. 01:16 So, the first thing that we want to do 01:18 is: read the passage itself... 01:20 it's lengthy... 01:22 we find it in Matthew 25 verses 31 through 46 01:27 and as I read, please focus on the details. 01:32 Try to fix the details in your mind 01:34 so that you understand the interpretation 01:39 that we're going to give to this particular parable. 01:42 I'm reading now from Matthew 25 and verse 31. 01:46 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, 01:50 and all the holy angels with Him, 01:53 then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 01:57 All the nations will be gathered before Him, 02:02 and He will separate them one from another, 02:05 as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 02:09 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, 02:14 but the goats on the left. 02:17 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 02:20 'Come, you blessed of My Father, 02:23 inherit the kingdom prepared for you 02:26 from the foundation of the world: 02:28 'For I was hungry and you gave Me food; 02:32 I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; 02:35 I was a stranger and you took Me in; 02:38 I was naked and you clothed Me; 02:41 I was sick and you visited Me; 02:44 I was in prison and you came to Me. ' 02:48 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 02:51 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, 02:55 or thirsty and give you drink? 02:58 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, 03:02 or naked and clothe You? 03:04 Or when did we see You sick or in prison, 03:08 and come to You?" 03:10 Verse 40... 03:12 And the King will answer and say to them, 03:16 'Assuredly, I say to you, 03:19 inasmuch as you did it to one of the last of these My brethren, 03:24 you did it to Me. ' 03:27 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 03:30 'Depart from Me, you cursed, 03:33 into the everlasting fire 03:36 prepared for the devil and his angels: 03:38 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; 03:42 I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 03:46 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, 03:51 naked and you did not clothe Me, 03:54 sick and in prison and you did not visit Me. ' 03:59 Then they also will answer Him, saying, 04:03 'Lord, when did we see You hungry 04:06 or thirsty or a stranger or naked 04:09 or sick or in prison, 04:11 and did not minister to You?' 04:13 Then He will answer them, saying, 04:17 'Assuredly, I say to you... '" 04:20 and now notice this... 04:23 very important point... 04:25 "'inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, 04:31 you did not do it unto Me. ' 04:35 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, 04:40 but the righteous into eternal life. " 04:44 So, that is the lengthy parable or story that Jesus told. 04:50 Now, we want to ask three questions of this passage. 04:55 First Question: 04:57 To whom did Jesus address this parable? 05:01 Second Question: 05:03 When and where will this judgment take place? 05:08 And finally: What will be the standard 05:12 that will be used in that judgment? 05:15 So, three questions we are going to try to answer. 05:18 To whom did Jesus address the parable? 05:20 When and where will this take... 05:24 this judgment take place 05:25 and what will be the standard of the judgment? 05:30 So, let's answer the first question. 05:33 Did Jesus direct this parable to believers or to unbelievers? 05:39 The fact is... as we have seen in previous lectures, 05:43 Matthew 24 is addressed to those 05:48 who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. 05:51 Jesus began His sermon in verse 4 05:55 by saying, "Make sure that no one deceives you... " 05:59 speaking to His disciples. 06:00 After describing the signs of His coming 06:05 from verses 4 to verse 31 of Matthew chapter 24, 06:09 we find Jesus telling four parables 06:14 and the one that we're studying today 06:16 is one of the four parables that apply to believers. 06:21 Those four parables, of course, 06:23 we've studied some of them already... 06:25 the good and faithful servant... 06:28 the ten virgins... 06:29 the talents... 06:31 and then, the one that we're studying today: 06:34 the parable of the sheep and the goats. 06:37 So, basically, Matthew 24 and 25 06:41 are addressed to people who claim to believe 06:45 in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 06:48 It's not written primarily 06:50 for people who don't believe in Jesus... 06:53 for people who have not been converted 06:55 or don't belong to God's own people. 06:58 These chapters are addressed to those 07:01 who claim to be followers or disciples of Jesus Christ. 07:05 So, then, let's ask the question, 07:08 "When will this judgment that is described here take place?" 07:14 Well, some of you might be surprised to know 07:20 that this parable applies to events that take place 07:24 after the Millennium primarily. 07:28 Let's take a look at when this separation 07:32 will take place. 07:34 The passage gives us several clues. 07:37 The first clue is that the Son of Man is sitting 07:41 on a great white throne 07:43 and He is sitting by Himself. 07:46 Very important... when Jesus went to heaven, 07:49 He sat with His Father on His throne. 07:52 Secondly, this throne is the throne of His glory. 07:56 In other words, it's Christ's glorious throne. 08:01 Number 3: All nations are gathered together 08:07 before the throne 08:09 which means that every person who belonged to those nations 08:13 must have resurrected at this particular point. 08:17 The next point is that there is an examination of the evidence 08:21 in this judgment 08:23 and then, a verdict is pronounced 08:27 based on the evidence that was examined in the judgment. 08:32 The Sentence is then executed in the Lake of Fire 08:37 and the Lake of Fire has been prepared 08:41 for the devil and his angels. 08:45 So, these are the characteristics that we find 08:49 in this particular parable 08:51 that indicate when this judgment occurs. 08:54 The Son of Man is sitting on a great white throne... 08:56 it's the throne of His glory... 08:58 all nations are gathered together before the throne... 09:02 books are opened... 09:03 the evidence is examined... 09:05 a verdict is given based on the evidence in the books... 09:08 then the Sentence is executed in the Lake of Fire... 09:13 and the Lake of Fire has been prepared for the devil 09:16 and his angels. 09:18 Now, the book of Revelation contains 09:21 a similar scene of judgment. 09:24 There's a parallel passage 09:27 in Revelation 20 verses 7 through 9 09:30 and verses 11 through 15. 09:33 Now, we're not going to take time to read these verses... 09:36 you can do this at your leisure, 09:39 but once again I repeat that there's a similar passage 09:42 in Revelation 20:7 through 9 09:44 and verses 11 through 15 09:47 and these verses contain the same elements 09:50 that we notice in the judgment that is mentioned 09:53 in Matthew chapter 25. 09:55 Now, there's a certain sense in which this judgment 10:00 that is described here in Matthew 25 10:02 takes place at the second coming 10:05 but that will be only a partial fulfillment of this parable. 10:09 If you read Great Controversy page 322, 10:13 Ellen White presents this parable as taking place 10:17 at the second coming of Christ. 10:19 But she also presents a broader fulfillment of this parable 10:25 in Early Writings page 53 10:27 to events that take place after the Millennium. 10:31 Let's notice the elements that apply to after the Millennium 10:37 according to the book of Revelation. 10:39 First of all, 10:41 there is a great white throne above the holy city. 10:45 In Great Controversy page 665, Ellen White wrote, 10:50 "Far above the city, 10:51 upon a foundation of burnished gold, is a throne, 10:56 high and lifted up. 10:58 Upon this throne sits the Son of God, 11:01 and around Him are the subjects of His kingdom. " 11:06 So, you have a great white throne 11:09 and Jesus is sitting on that throne. 11:14 You can read it in Revelation chapter 20 and verse 11. 11:18 Revelation chapter 20, verse 5 and also verses 7 and 8, 11:23 tell us that all nations are gathered together 11:26 before the throne that is outside the holy city. 11:32 Everyone who has ever lived in history 11:34 has resurrected after the Millennium. 11:37 Then, Revelation 20 verse 13 tells us 11:41 that there is an examination of the evidence. 11:44 In other words, books are opened 11:46 and the evidence is discussed and looked at. 11:51 After the evidence is examined, 11:54 there is a verdict that is given. 11:57 You can read that in Great Controversy, page 666 12:02 and Early Writings page 53. 12:05 And then, after the verdict is given, 12:08 those who are in the city 12:10 are told, "Inherit the kingdom prepared for you 12:13 from the foundation of the world. " 12:15 The wicked now, who have had a verdict, admitted against them 12:21 will suffer the execution of the judgment in the Lake of Fire. 12:26 That's in Revelation 20 and verse 10. 12:28 And then, we notice that the Lake of Fire was prepared 12:32 for the devil and his angels 12:34 and Revelation 20 verse 10 tells us 12:37 that Satan and his angels are cast into the Lake of Fire 12:40 that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. 12:44 So, the third question that we ask is 12:47 what is the criterion of the judgment? 12:50 In other words, what is the standard of the judgment? 12:53 What are the actions 12:55 of the sheep and the goats compared with 12:58 that doomed the goats and saved the righteous? 13:03 Well, the book of Revelation tells us 13:07 who will be allowed inside the city 13:10 and who will not be allowed inside the city. 13:14 The perspective of Revelation falls upon what people did 13:19 that they were not supposed to do. 13:22 In other words, they committed sins 13:25 that excluded them from the holy city. 13:28 Let's read several verses in the book of Revelation 13:31 where we see clearly 13:33 that the criterion of the judgment in Revelation 13:36 has to do with what people did 13:38 that they should never have done. 13:40 Revelation chapter 21 and verse 27, 13:44 we find these words. 13:46 "But there shall by no means enter it... " 13:51 that is the city... 13:53 "anything that defiles, 13:54 or causes an abomination or a lie, 13:58 but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. " 14:02 So you notice, those who defile... 14:06 those who commit abominable acts... 14:09 those who lie... 14:11 they're not written in the Lamb's Book of Life 14:13 and they are not allowed to enter the holy city. 14:16 Revelation 22 verses 14 and 15, 14:19 I wish I could deal with this text more fully at this time 14:25 because there's a variation in the translation. 14:28 Some translations say, 14:29 "Blessed are those who wash their robes... " 14:32 the King James and the New King James translate: 14:35 "Blessed are those who do His commandments. " 14:37 There are clear reasons why the translation, 14:40 "do His Commandments" is the best translation. 14:44 Revelation chapter 22 verses 14 and 15 tells us 14:48 who will be allowed into the city 14:50 and who will not and why. 14:52 It says there in Revelation 22 verse 14, 14:55 "Blessed are those who do His commandments, 14:58 that they may have the right to the tree of life, 15:01 and may enter through the gates into the city. " 15:05 So, you'll notice here... those who do His commandments... 15:09 they have the right to the Tree of Life 15:11 and they enter through the gates into the city. 15:14 God's people who are in the city kept God's commandments 15:18 but now it refers to those who are outside. 15:21 "But outside... " verse 15, 15:24 "are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral 15:29 and murderers and idolaters, 15:32 and whoever loves and practices a lie. " 15:36 Those are violations of the Ten Commandments. 15:39 Sexually immoral would be: you shall not commit adultery... 15:42 murderers... thou shalt not kill... 15:44 idolaters... the second commandment: 15:47 Don't make images and bow to them... 15:48 practicing a lie... you shall not bear false witness. 15:51 Those outside the city actually broke God's commandments... 15:55 they were disobedient to God's commandments. 15:58 Notice one more text on the standard of the judgment 16:01 in the book of Revelation. 16:02 Revelation 21 verses 7 and 8: 16:05 "He who overcomes 16:07 shall inherit all things... " 16:10 so, inside the city are the overcomers. 16:12 "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, 16:15 and I will be his God and he shall be My son. " 16:19 But now notice who is outside. 16:22 It says there, "But the cowardly, 16:26 unbelieving, abominable, 16:30 murderers, sexually immoral, 16:33 sorcerers, 16:35 idolaters, 16:36 and all liars shall have their part in the lake 16:40 which burns with fire and brimstone, 16:42 which is the second death. " 16:45 So, you notice that those who are outside the city... 16:49 they actually broke God's Ten Commandments... 16:52 they did not obey them. 16:53 So the emphasis in the book of Revelation 16:56 is... that those outside the city 16:59 did things that they were not supposed to do. 17:02 In other words, they hung on to their sins. 17:07 They refused to repent and have their lives changed 17:11 through the power of the Holy Spirit 17:12 but the criterion in the gospel of Matthew chapter 25 17:17 appears to be different. 17:19 But you are going to notice that it is actually complementary... 17:24 it is the other side of the coin so to speak. 17:27 whereas the book of Revelation emphasizes the sin of commission 17:33 the book of Matthew emphasizes the sin of omission. 17:38 What do I mean? 17:39 The emphasis in Revelation falls upon what the wicked did 17:45 that they should not have done. 17:46 The emphasis in Matthew is upon what the wicked did not do 17:53 that they should have done. 17:55 I want to read you a very interesting statement 17:59 that we find in the book: Selected Messages Volume 1, 18:03 page 220... it reads like this, 18:06 "The condemning power of the law of God extends, 18:11 not only to the things we do, 18:14 but to the things we do not do. " 18:17 Hmmm... interesting... 18:19 so the condemning power of the law of God extends 18:22 not only to the things we do 18:23 but to the things we do not do. 18:26 We are not to justify ourselves in omitting... 18:30 that's why I call it the sin of omission. 18:33 "We are not to justify ourselves in omitting 18:36 to do the things that God requires. 18:38 We must not only cease to do evil, 18:41 but we must learn to do well. 18:48 God has given us powers to be exercised in good works; 18:52 and if these powers are not put to the use, 18:55 we shall certainly be set down as wicked and slothful servants. 19:00 We may not have committed grievous sins; 19:04 such offenses may not stand registered against us 19:08 in the book of God; 19:09 but the fact that our deeds are not recorded as pure, 19:15 good, elevated, and noble, 19:18 showing that we have not improved our entrusted talents, 19:21 places us under condemnation. " 19:25 Now, you notice in Matthew chapter 25 19:29 that the goats are placed on the left-hand side 19:32 and the sheep are placed on the right-hand side. 19:36 In the Bible, the right-hand side is the side of God's favor. 19:42 You can read that in Desire of Ages, page 644. 19:47 You'll notice, for example, that Jesus 19:50 when He goes to heaven 19:52 He sits at the Father's right hand. 19:55 Ellen White provides a very interesting detail 19:58 in Desire of Ages, 644, 20:01 where she says that at the last supper 20:03 the beloved disciple, John, sat on Christ's right side 20:10 whereas Judas, the traitor, sat on the left side of Jesus. 20:15 When the fishermen threw out their nets all night 20:19 on the left side of the boat and they fished nothing, 20:23 the next morning, Jesus appeared on land 20:27 and said to the disciples, 20:29 "Cast the net on the right-hand side 20:32 and you will catch fish. " 20:34 And they cast it on the right-hand side 20:36 because Jesus was on that side 20:39 and they embraced a multitude of fish. 20:42 You know, the archaic meaning of the word "sinister" 20:47 is: toward the left-hand side. 20:51 In fact, in Spanish they still use the word: Siniestar 20:55 as something negative, 20:57 it's the sinister side... 20:59 the left side is the sinister side. 21:01 And, of course, we know that when a person gets up 21:04 in a bad mood, 21:06 we say that he woke up with his left foot. 21:09 So, the goats are placed on the side of God's disfavor 21:14 whereas the sheep are placed on the side of God's favor. 21:18 The passage in Matthew chapter 25 reminds us 21:22 of some verses that we find in Isaiah 58 and verses 6 and 7. 21:28 This is how it reads, 21:31 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen? 21:35 To loosen the bonds of wickedness, 21:38 to undo the heavy burdens, 21:40 to let the oppressed go free, 21:43 and that you break every yoke? 21:45 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, 21:49 and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; 21:55 when you see the naked, that you cover him, 21:58 and not hide yourself from your own flesh?" 22:01 This passage is very similar 22:05 to what we find in Matthew chapter 25 22:08 and if you read the context of Isaiah 58:6 and 7, you'll find 22:13 that the Jews were fasting 22:16 and they were exhibiting their affliction 22:19 and yet they were ignoring the needs 22:22 of those individuals that needed help. 22:26 However, the parable of Jesus 22:29 is not simply telling us that we should be active 22:32 in community services 22:34 in giving out literal food and clothing and things like that 22:38 what Seventh-day Adventists call: Dorcas work. 22:41 There is a spiritual dimension to the counsel of Jesus as well. 22:46 "I was hungry... " Jesus says. 22:50 People are hungry for spiritual food... the Bible. 22:55 "I was thirsty... " Jesus says. 22:58 People are thirsting for the Holy Spirit 23:02 represented by fresh water. 23:04 "I was a stranger... " Jesus said. 23:07 Those who have not embraced Jesus, 23:09 are strangers to the covenant and without hope 23:13 according to Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 12 and verse 19. 23:17 Jesus says, "I was naked. " 23:20 That means that people are destitute 23:22 of the righteousness of Christ 23:24 because spiritual nakedness simply means 23:27 that you don't have Christ's righteousness. 23:29 "I was sick... " Jesus says. 23:32 Well, people are sick with the virus of sin 23:36 and we have the remedy... the remedy is Jesus Christ. 23:40 Jesus said, "I was in prison. " 23:43 There are multitudes of people who are prisoners to sin 23:47 and prisoners to Satan according to Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2. 23:51 So, you'll notice that these... 23:54 these elements that Jesus speaks about... 23:56 things that need to be done in favor of the destitute 24:00 not only has a physical dimension, 24:03 it also has a spiritual dimension. 24:07 The Bible speaks of bread as food... 24:10 as the Bible... as food. 24:13 The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as drink, 24:17 John 7:37 to 39. 24:18 The Bible speaks about strangers 24:21 becoming members of the covenant community, 24:23 Ephesians 2:12 and 19. 24:25 The Bible speaks about those 24:27 who are sick with the virus of sin, Isaiah 1 verse 6. 24:30 The Bible speaks about those who are prisoners... 24:34 spiritually speaking... 24:35 you find that in Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2. 24:38 It's fashionable today for Christians to say, 24:42 "Oh! if I could only visit the Holy Land... " 24:45 "If I can only walk where Jesus walked 24:48 to experience baptism in the Jordan River 24:52 like Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. " 24:56 But regarding the desire of people to go to the Holy Land 25:00 as it is called, 25:02 Ellen White had something to say about that desire. 25:06 In the book: Desire of Ages, page 640, she wrote, 25:10 "Many feel that it would be a great privilege 25:14 to visit the scenes of Christ's life on earth, 25:18 to walk where He trod, 25:21 to look upon the lake beside which He loved to teach, 25:25 and the hills and valleys on which His eyes so often rested. 25:30 But we need not go to Nazareth, 25:33 to Capernaum, 25:35 or to Bethany, in order to walk in the steps of Jesus. 25:40 We shall find His footprints beside the sickbed, 25:45 in the hovels of poverty, 25:47 in the crowded alleys of the great city, 25:50 and in every place where there are human hearts 25:54 in need of consolation. 25:55 In doing as Jesus did when on earth, 26:00 we shall walk in His steps. " 26:03 You'll notice that the sheep did not care who gets the credit. 26:09 They did not serve in order to gain accolades and applause. 26:15 They didn't do their things in order to be saved 26:17 nor for money. 26:19 What they did they performed spontaneously 26:24 and naturally 26:26 because they had the love of Jesus in their hearts 26:29 and that love flowed out towards others. 26:32 Are we aware that when we do these things 26:37 that Jesus says we're supposed to do, 26:39 that we are actually doing them to Jesus? 26:44 "In that you have done them unto these the least my Brethren, 26:48 you have done it unto me... " is what Jesus said. 26:52 You'll notice in the parable that... 26:54 that the goats did not mistreat those in need. 26:57 In other words, they didn't... they didn't kick the hungry 27:00 and the thirsty and the stranger 27:02 and the naked and the sick and those who were in prison, 27:04 no... they did not mistreat them. 27:06 Perhaps they even allowed the people 27:09 to eat the crumbs that fell from their tables 27:13 like the rich man in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. 27:16 Their grievous sin was that they ignored 27:21 those that were in need 27:23 and they did not do what they were supposed to be doing. 27:26 In ignoring those in need... they ignored Jesus. 27:31 During His ministry, Jesus spoke 27:34 of love and compassion for those in need. 27:37 On the other hand, He had strong words of rebuke 27:41 for those who made a profession of religion 27:43 but did not act in harmony with what they claimed to believe. 27:48 The words of Jesus to the goats are unusual. 27:52 We are not used to hearing Jesus speak in this manner. 27:56 "Depart from Me you cursed 27:58 into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. " 28:01 These are strong words on the part of Jesus Christ. 28:05 Now we find some other stories in Scripture that illustrate 28:09 the lessons that we find in this parable. 28:12 The story of the rich young ruler is an illustration 28:17 of the lessons of this particular parable. 28:20 You see, there are two sides to perfection. 28:24 The first side is ceasing to do evil 28:27 and the other side is doing good. 28:30 If we have only one side, we have an unbalanced religion 28:33 and we will never make it into the kingdom. 28:36 We must cease to do evil and also, at the same time, do good. 28:41 Let's go to Matthew chapter 19 verses 16 to 22 28:45 where we have the story of the rich young ruler 28:48 and I'm going to interpret as we go along in our study. 28:52 Matthew 19 verse 16, 28:56 "Now behold, one came and said to Him, 28:58 'Good Teacher, 28:59 what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?'" 29:03 So, this young man wants eternal life 29:06 not just life in this world, he wants to live eternally. 29:08 So, he's asking Jesus, "What do I need to do 29:12 to gain eternal life. " 29:13 Verse 17, 29:15 "So He said to him, 29:17 'Why do you call Me good? 29:18 No one is good but One, that is, God. 29:22 However, if you want to enter into life... " 29:28 and we understand that that's eternal life 29:30 according to the context... 29:31 "if you want to have eternal life... " Jesus is saying, 29:33 "Keep the commandments. " 29:35 On wow! this young man when he heard that 29:38 he said, "That's fantastic, 29:39 I've kept the commandments all my life 29:41 so, I'm almost ready to enter the kingdom. " 29:44 So, he starts thinking and he says, "Well... 29:48 I wonder whether he means the Ten Commandments... 29:51 I'd better clarify and find out if... 29:54 when He says, 'Keep the commandments... ' 29:56 He's talking about the Ten Commandments. 29:57 Now, I've kept them since my youth... 29:59 but I want to make sure 30:00 that He's talking about those commandments. " 30:02 So, in verse 18, he said to Him, that is, to Jesus... 30:07 "Which ones?" 30:08 Jesus said... now Jesus quotes the last six commandments 30:13 that have to do to our duty towards our neighbor 30:16 but He didn't quote one... 30:17 in place of that one, He put another one in there 30:21 and you'll notice here the commandments that Jesus quoted. 30:25 "Which ones?" 30:27 "You shall not murder" 30:29 that's commandment number six, 30:30 "You shall not commit adultery... " number seven, 30:32 "You shall not steal... " number eight... 30:34 "You shall not bear false witness" number nine, 30:37 and number ten of course is: "You shall not covet. " 30:40 But instead of that one, Jesus placed in there 30:44 actually He continues... "Honor your father and your mother" 30:48 and then the last one is, 30:50 "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. " 30:54 So, Jesus quotes all of the last six commandments, 30:57 only the last commandment... "You shall not covet... " 31:01 instead of that... He puts, 31:03 "You shall love your neighbor as yourself... " 31:04 because loving your neighbor is the opposite of covetousness. 31:08 So, it's the positive way of saying, 31:11 "You shall not covet. " 31:12 And now, the story develops in verse 20. 31:16 "The young man said to Him, 31:18 'All these things I have kept from my youth, 31:22 What do I still lack?'" 31:25 See, there was a funny feeling in him 31:28 that there was something that was missing. 31:29 Yes, he was keeping the commandments... 31:31 he wasn't killing anybody... 31:33 he wasn't committing adultery with somebody else's wife... 31:35 he wasn't bearing false witness... 31:37 and he was honoring his parents, 31:40 you know, he was... 31:41 at least externally keeping the commandments, 31:44 but he feels like there must be something lacking 31:48 that Jesus hasn't said. 31:49 So, in verse 21, "Jesus said to him, 31:53 'If you want to be perfect... '" 31:56 now, listen to that word... 31:57 He's asked, "What do I need to do to have eternal life?" 32:01 Jesus says, "If you want to enter eternal life, 32:04 keep the commandments... " 32:05 and then, Jesus says, "If you want to be perfect... " 32:07 so, this says that you have to have perfection 32:11 in order to enter eternal life. 32:13 Remember that word, "If you want to be perfect. " 32:15 So, Jesus says, "If you want to be perfect, 32:18 go, sell what you have and give to the poor, 32:24 and you will have treasure in heaven; 32:27 and come, follow Me. " 32:29 So, this young man has said, "Oh, I have never killed anyone, 32:34 I have never dishonored my parents... 32:36 I've never committed adultery with anyone... 32:39 you know, I've never borne false witness against my neighbor, 32:41 I've never done any of these bad things... " 32:43 but Jesus says, "Okay, go sell everything you have 32:47 and give it to the poor 32:49 and you will have treasure with Me in heaven. " 32:53 What did the young man do? 32:57 Verse 22, "But when the young man heard that saying, 33:02 he went away sorrowful, 33:04 for he had great possessions. " 33:07 The problem with the rich young ruler is that 33:11 outwardly at least, he abstained from evil 33:15 but he did not perform the good. 33:18 His sin was not the sin of commission... 33:22 it was the sin of omission. 33:24 God will judge us in the final day 33:28 not only for the bad things we did... that we should not have 33:32 but for the good that we should have done... and did not do. 33:36 So, remember, Jesus said, "If you want to be perfect, 33:40 go sell what you have and give it to the poor. " 33:43 Now, we have another story... 33:45 it's called the parable of the good Samaritan 33:48 but really it's not only a parable... 33:50 it's actually a true-life story. 33:53 In fact, Ellen White tells us in Desire of Ages 33:56 that the Levite and the Priest who bypassed this man 34:00 who had fallen to the hands of robbers, 34:02 were actually present when Jesus told the story. 34:05 They were probably wondering, you know, "How did this man 34:08 find out what we did in bypassing this man 34:11 who was in dire need. " 34:13 Now, you notice in this story that we find in Luke chapter 10 34:16 verses 25 to 37, 34:19 that there's a young lawyer... 34:22 when I say "Lawyer" he's an expert in the writings of Moses, 34:26 in the legal writings of Moses, 34:28 in other words, he's a "sacred lawyer" if you please, 34:32 not a secular lawyer, 34:34 but he comes and he asks Jesus a question, 34:37 Luke chapter 10 and verse 25, 34:40 "And behold, a certain lawyer... " 34:42 that is someone who's an expert in the writings of Moses, 34:45 "stood up and tested Him, saying, 34:48 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'" 34:52 Is that the same question that the rich young ruler asked? 34:56 Absolutely. 34:57 This young expert in the law of Moses... 35:01 he wants to have eternal life 35:03 and he says, "What do I need to do to have eternal life?" 35:05 Well, Jesus now throws the question at him, 35:09 He said to him, "What is written in the law?" 35:13 That is... the writings of Moses... 35:14 "What is written in the law? 35:17 What is your reading of it?" 35:19 In other words, Jesus is saying, "You tell me what you need to do 35:23 to receive eternal life?" 35:24 Verse 27, "So he answered this... " 35:27 this is the young... the young expert... 35:30 "and said, 'you shall love the Lord your God 35:32 with all your heart, 35:34 with all your soul, 35:35 with all your strength, 35:36 and with all your mind, 35:38 and your neighbor as yourself. '" 35:39 And now, Jesus says to this young man, 35:42 "And He said to him, 35:44 'You have answered rightly; 35:46 do this and you will live. '" 35:49 In other words, "Do this and you will have eternal life. " 35:52 So, he's saying to him, you know, 35:55 "Love God above everything... 35:56 love your neighbor as yourself 35:58 and you will have eternal life. " 36:00 Hmmm... this lawyer... 36:02 he knew that he wasn't doing what Jesus told him to do, 36:05 so, in verse 29, we find these words, 36:09 "However, he... " that is the... this expert... 36:12 "wanting to justify himself... " 36:15 because he wasn't practicing what he was preaching 36:17 by the way, 36:19 "said to Jesus, 36:20 "And who is my neighbor?" 36:22 In other words, 36:23 "What does it mean to love my neighbor as myself? 36:25 Who's the neighbor that I'm supposed to love?" 36:28 Verse 30, "Then Jesus answered and said... " 36:31 now Jesus is going to illustrate who a neighbor is 36:34 and what you need to do to have eternal life. 36:36 "Then Jesus answered and said: 36:38 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho... " 36:42 believe me... it is down... 36:44 I've been over there, 36:45 it's a tortuous road that goes through the Judean wilderness 36:48 from Jerusalem... which is high 36:51 down to Jericho. 36:52 So, it says, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, 36:56 and fell among thieves... " 36:59 now, spiritually speaking, this has a spiritual application. 37:05 Spiritually speaking, who is the great thief? 37:08 The great thief is Satan. 37:11 In John chapter 10 37:14 Jesus says that Satan does not come but to steal... 37:17 so the thieves represent Satan and his angels 37:20 and what did the thieves do? 37:23 They stripped him of his clothing. 37:26 What does clothing represent in Scripture? 37:29 It represents righteousness. 37:31 So, Satan with the human race... 37:34 he stole from them eternal life... 37:40 and he stripped them of their righteousness 37:43 and not only that, 37:45 but it says that the thieves wounded him. 37:49 Folks, the human race is wounded by sin... by the disease of sin. 37:55 And then it says, "He wounded him 37:57 and the thieves departed leaving him half dead. " 38:02 Without external help, this man would have died. 38:06 He needed someone to come from outside to help him 38:11 or else he would have died. 38:13 Just like it was necessary for Jesus to come from heaven 38:17 to help us, or else we would have died. 38:20 So, now in verse 31, there is the Minister that comes by, 38:25 the Pastor... if you please. 38:28 "Now by chance a certain priest... " 38:30 this is a religious leader, 38:33 "came down that road 38:35 and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. " 38:40 By the way, this priest might have thought 38:43 that he was on a rush to get to Jerusalem 38:45 because he had to do the services of the sanctuary. 38:47 Or perhaps he thought, 38:49 "Well, the thieves might still be around 38:50 so, I'd better get out of here... " 38:52 he probably thought, "Well, if I help this man, 38:54 I might get my garments all... all stained with blood. " 38:58 I don't know what excuse he used but the Bible says 39:01 that this religious leader saw him and passed by. 39:07 Then you have a Levite... 39:08 which would be a symbol of the deacons of the church 39:11 because they cared for the sanctuary... 39:12 leaders of the church... in other words... 39:15 so, it says, "Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place" 39:19 he was a little bit better... 39:20 because it says, "he came and looked... " 39:22 at least the... the Priest... 39:24 all he did was he saw him and passed by. 39:27 This one, the Levite, "came and looked 39:29 but he passed by on the other side. " 39:32 In other words, they ignored this man who was in need. 39:36 But then, verse 33, a stranger comes, 39:40 he's a Samaritan... 39:42 he's not a member of the chosen people. 39:44 "However, a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, 39:49 came where he was 39:50 and when he saw him, he had compassion. " 39:54 So, the Samaritan has compassion on this Jewish man 39:59 that has fallen into the hands of thieves. 40:02 Who does the Samaritan represent in this story? 40:06 The Samaritan represents Jesus Christ. 40:09 Verse 34, "So he went to him 40:13 and bandaged his wounds" 40:16 is that what Jesus does with the wounds that sin has caused 40:18 to humanity? 40:20 Absolutely... 40:21 "pouring on oil and wine... " 40:23 what do oil and wine represent symbolically in Scripture? 40:27 Oil represents the Holy Spirit 40:29 and wine represents the blood of Jesus. 40:31 Those are the healing agents that God has given 40:36 to heal a humanity that has been wounded by Satan 40:40 and his angels... 40:42 so it says, "pouring on oil and wine; 40:44 and he set him on his own animal, 40:46 and brought him to an inn... " 40:48 now he's going to bring him to church. 40:50 So, it says, "He brought him to an inn" 40:53 the inn represents the church, 40:55 "and took care of him... " at least for a while. 40:57 "On the next day, when he departed... " 41:02 you see, now, the good Samaritan is going to depart 41:05 like Jesus departed to heaven 41:07 "he took out two denarii... " 41:10 so, he's going to give resources to the innkeeper, 41:13 which would be the pastor of the church 41:15 and of course, to the church in general, 41:17 he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, 41:22 that is... the pastor of the church 41:24 who has received gifts from God 41:26 to help those who are in need, 41:28 and said to him, 'Take care of him... '" 41:32 and now notice this, 41:35 there's a second coming of the Samaritan... 41:38 "and whatever more you spend, 41:40 when I come again, I will repay you. " 41:46 In other words, "I will bring my reward when I come again. " 41:50 Does Jesus promise to bring His reward when He comes again 41:55 to give to those who have done to those in need 41:59 to those who are hurt and help them in their dire situation? 42:03 Absolutely. 42:05 So, then verse 36 says, 42:07 "So, which of these three do you think 42:11 was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" 42:15 And he said, "He who showed mercy on him. " 42:20 Then Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise. " 42:26 The religion of Jesus is a religion of doing. 42:30 Jesus said, "Do unto others 42:33 as you would have them do unto you. " 42:35 He didn't say, "Don't do unto others 42:37 as you don't want them to do unto you. " 42:38 The religion of Jesus is an active religion... 42:42 it is a dynamic religion. 42:43 When Jesus is in the heart, 42:45 we help other people and care about other people 42:49 who have been wounded by Satan and his angels 42:52 and without external help, they would perish. 42:55 Now, let's go to another passage 42:59 where the word "perfect" is used. 43:01 I hope you haven't forgotten 43:03 that Jesus said to the rich young ruler, 43:05 "If you would be perfect, 43:06 go sell what you have and give to the poor. " 43:08 So, perfection involves doing good to the poor... 43:13 doing good to others. 43:14 Let's go to Matthew chapter 5 verse 38 through verse 48. 43:20 It says there, "You have heard... " 43:23 Jesus is speaking, "that it was said, 43:25 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. '" 43:29 That's the unconverted person's way of doing things. 43:33 "He knocked out my tooth, 43:35 I'm going to knock out a tooth from him. " 43:37 "He hit me in the nose, I hit him back in the nose. " 43:41 So, Jesus said, "You've heard, 'an eye for an eye 43:44 and a tooth for a tooth. ' 43:45 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. 43:50 Rather, whoever slaps you on your right cheek, 43:53 turn the other to him also. 43:56 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, 44:00 let him have your cloak also. 44:04 And whoever compels you to go one mile, 44:07 go with him two. 44:09 Give to him who asks of you, 44:12 and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. " 44:15 You have heard that it was said, 44:18 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ' 44:21 But I say to you, love your enemies... " 44:24 He doesn't say, "Don't hate your enemies" 44:26 He says, "Love your enemies... 44:27 bless those who curse you. " 44:29 He's not saying, "Bite your tongue 44:31 so you don't curse your enemies. " 44:32 He says, "Bless those who curse you... 44:35 do good to those who hate you... 44:38 and pray for those who spitefully use you 44:42 and persecute you. " 44:43 Now, when I'm preaching on this particular subject, 44:46 I ask the congregation the following question, 44:49 "How many of yourselves consider yourselves 44:53 sons of your father in heaven? 44:55 And everybody raises their hand and says, 44:58 we are children of the Father, we are the children of God. " 45:01 But there's a condition 45:03 for being called "Children of God. " 45:05 Let's go back to verse 44 and connect verse 45. 45:10 "But I say to you, 'Love your enemies... 45:12 bless those who curse you, 45:14 do good to those who hate you, 45:16 and pray for those who spitefully use you 45:18 and curse you... do good to those who hate you, 45:22 and pray for those who spitefully use you 45:24 and persecute you... " 45:26 and then it says in verse 25, 45:27 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. " 45:31 So, the condition is according to this, 45:36 "Love... bless... do good... 45:38 and pray for those who persecute you 45:40 that you may be sons of your father in heaven; 45:43 for he makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, 45:47 and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. " 45:50 What would it be like if God said, 45:52 "Well, this person is My follower, 45:53 therefore, I'm going to give him rain and sunshine 45:55 but this individual has not accepted me... 45:58 no rain... and no sunshine... " 45:59 See, God not only asks us to do good, 46:02 He also practices what He preaches. 46:05 Verse 46, "For if you love those who love you, 46:09 what reward have you? 46:10 Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 46:13 I mean, do worldlings who don't love Jesus... 46:18 have never accepted Jesus... 46:20 do they love their mother and father and friends? 46:22 Of course they do. 46:23 So, if we only love our mother and father and friends 46:25 and our family, 46:27 what more do we have than them? 46:28 "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? 46:32 Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 46:34 "And if you greet your brethren only, 46:37 what do you do more than others? 46:39 Do not even the tax collectors do so?" 46:42 And now comes the conclusion. 46:44 "Therefore you shall be perfect, 46:46 just as your Father in heaven is perfect. " 46:50 What is this passage saying that perfection is? 46:55 It's not ceasing to do evil, 46:58 but it is doing good... 47:00 it's the other side of perfection. 47:02 It's the positive side of perfection. 47:04 Not only ceasing to do evil but doing good. 47:08 Loving enemies... blessing those who curse us, 47:11 doing good to those who hate us 47:13 and praying for those who spitefully use us 47:16 and persecute us. 47:18 That is the sign of perfection that has to do with "doing" 47:25 just like in the parable of the sheep and the goats. 47:27 Now, the passage in Luke... the parallel passage in Luke 47:32 has the same content 47:36 but its conclusion is a little different. 47:39 You're probably wondering if, "Be ye therefore perfect 47:42 as your Father in heaven is perfect... " 47:44 means that you're supposed to be merciful and loving 47:47 like the Father is. 47:48 Well, let's go to Luke chapter 6 and verses 27 through 36... 47:53 a parallel passage to what we just read, 47:55 you're going to see the parallels as we begin to read. 47:59 Here Jesus speaks, "But I say to you who hear, 48:02 'Love your enemies, 48:04 do good to those who hate you, 48:06 bless those who curse you, 48:08 and pray for those who spitefully use you. 48:11 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, 48:14 offer the other also 48:16 and for him who takes away your cloak, 48:18 do not withhold your tunic either. 48:21 Give to everyone who asks of you. 48:24 And from him who takes away your goods 48:26 do not ask them back. 48:28 And just as you want to do... want men to do to you, 48:33 you also do to them likewise. 48:37 But if you love those who love you, 48:39 what credit is that to you? 48:41 For even sinners love those who love them. 48:43 And if you do good to those who do good to you, 48:46 what credit is that to you? 48:48 For even sinners do the same. 48:50 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive back, 48:54 what credit is that to you? 48:56 For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 49:00 But love your enemies, 49:02 do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return; 49:06 and your reward will be great, 49:08 and you will be sons of the Most High. 49:11 For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. " 49:15 Do you remember that in Matthew chapter 5, 49:18 it said, "Be ye therefore perfect 49:20 as your heavenly Father is perfect... " 49:22 after everything that we've read? 49:24 Now, notice the way that Luke expresses it. 49:27 Verse 36, "Be therefore merciful, 49:33 as your Father also is merciful. " 49:36 So, what is: "Be ye therefore perfect?" 49:40 It means, "Be ye therefore merciful. " 49:43 So, perfection does not only involve ceasing to do evil, 49:48 but performing the good. 49:50 James chapter 1 and verse 27 has the balance. 49:55 It has both sides of perfection, the ceasing to do evil 49:59 and the doing of good. 50:01 We find in James chapter 1 and verse 27, 50:04 "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father 50:09 is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, 50:14 and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. " 50:17 So, you see the two sides of perfection in this verse. 50:22 First of all, you have "visiting orphans and widows" 50:26 and secondly, "keeping yourself unspotted from the world. " 50:30 In other words: do good and cease to do evil. 50:35 Now, how should we live while we wait for the coming of Jesus? 50:39 Jesus gave us five indications of what we should be doing 50:45 while we wait for Jesus to come. 50:47 First of all, invest all of our resources 50:52 in the finishing of God's work. 50:54 Ellen White stated in Patriarchs and Prophets, page 95 50:59 that all that Noah possessed, he invested in the ark. 51:04 Every blow struck upon the ark was a witness to the people. 51:09 So, Noah invested everything he had in the ark... 51:13 his time... his resources... his strength 51:16 and his intelligence. 51:18 The second thing that Jesus said we're supposed to do 51:22 while we wait it to watch. 51:24 The parable of the good and faithful servant 51:27 illustrates the need to watch. 51:29 The word "watch" in the gospels and it's mentioned several times 51:33 means to be alert... to be wakeful 51:36 and to pay attention. 51:38 You know, you can lock the door of your house 51:42 for a 1,000 nights 51:43 and then on night 1,001 you're in bed 51:47 and you're nice and comfortable, 51:49 you say, "Oh! I forgot to lock the door, 51:51 but I'm so nice and warm under these covers... " 51:54 and you don't lock the door. 51:55 That might be the night when the thief will come. 51:58 And so we have to always be watchful 52:02 because we do not know 52:03 when the hour of the close of probation will come. 52:07 Unfortunately, as Jesus delays His coming, 52:10 the tendency is not to become more alert 52:14 but to become less alert 52:16 and to lose anxiety and preparedness 52:19 for the coming of Jesus. 52:21 I remember when I was a kid, 52:25 I heard my parents talk about the second coming of Jesus. 52:29 I also heard my grandparents speak 52:32 about the second coming of Jesus. 52:33 And I'm sure that their parents and grandparents 52:37 spoke to them about the second coming of Jesus 52:40 and it's been delayed. 52:41 And the tendency is to say, 52:44 "Well, you know, we know He's coming some time, 52:46 but He's not coming real soon. " 52:48 Another things that Jesus told us to do was to pray. 52:52 In Mark 13 and verse 33, Jesus told His disciples, 52:56 "Watch and pray because you do not know when the hour is. " 53:03 Unfortunately, the disciples in garden slept instead of praying 53:08 and, therefore, they fell into temptation. 53:10 The fourth thing that Jesus said that we must do 53:13 while we are waiting for the second coming of Jesus 53:16 is to be ready. 53:18 This is the emphasis of the parable of the ten virgins 53:22 to be all the time for the close of probation 53:26 and for the second coming of Jesus Christ. 53:29 I remember when I was about ten years old, 53:33 we lived in the city of Caracas, Venezuela, 53:36 my dad was the Conference President 53:38 and my mother took my older sister to Wisconsin Academy 53:42 to go to school 53:44 and my dad knew the exact time 53:48 that my mother was going to come back to Venezuela 53:52 after she dropped off my sister. 53:54 So, you know, being two men in the house, 53:59 we didn't bother to wash the dishes very much... 54:02 we didn't bother to clean the house... 54:05 everything was somewhat in disarray 54:08 because we said, "Well, you know, 54:09 we know when mom is coming back 54:11 and so, the day before she comes back, 54:14 we're going to clean the house 54:15 and we're going to wash the dishes 54:17 and have everything spic and span when she comes back. 54:20 Well, it just so happens 54:22 that my mom decided to take an earlier flight 54:25 and, of course, when she got home, 54:27 she saw all of the dirty dishes in the kitchen 54:31 and she saw the house in disarray. 54:33 What is the lesson here? 54:35 The lesson is that we should be ready all the time. 54:39 We should have kept the dishes washed 54:41 and we should have kept the house clean 54:43 and that way... my mother could have come at any time 54:46 and there would not have been any problem whatsoever. 54:50 The fifth thing that Jesus said that we're supposed to do 54:54 is to occupy until Jesus comes. 54:57 You see, Noah had an active faith. 55:01 He not only preached... but he also worked with his hands. 55:06 Benjamin Franklin once spoke some very wise words 55:10 when he said, "Well done is better than well said. " 55:16 Likewise, when the building of the church is finished... 55:20 when all the faithful believers have come into the church, 55:24 then, the door of probation will close and Jesus will come. 55:31 In Luke chapter 19 and verse 13, 55:34 Jesus stated, "Occupy until I come. " 55:39 The Greek word is very interesting, 55:41 it's the word "Pragmatuomi" 55:44 where we get the word "Pragmatic" 55:47 in the English language. 55:49 What does it mean to be pragmatic? 55:52 It means: To put theory into practice. 55:57 In other words, it's not enough to have a theory of salvation... 56:01 the theory of salvation must be put into practice. 56:07 I want to end by giving you an illustration 56:10 you know, for those who say that the coming of Jesus 56:15 is very, very delayed. 56:16 You know, I remember, one of the first times 56:19 that I travelled overseas... 56:21 in fact, I think I was traveling to South America, 56:24 I was at the airport... 56:26 checked in at the right time 56:28 and I noticed on the board that it said 56:31 the flight was delayed for 12 hours. 56:34 And so, I said, "What am I going to do at the airport 56:38 for 12 hours?" 56:40 You know, I was in a city 56:42 where there was actually nobody that I knew... 56:46 so, I had to stay in the airport for all 12 hours. 56:49 I didn't have my computer with me, 56:52 I didn't have any books to read... 56:53 I'll tell you, even though it was a large airport 56:57 and I could walk around the airport... 56:59 you can only walk around so much... 57:01 I got to the point where I almost was tearing out my hair, 57:06 I was so bored... 57:07 spending twelve hours in the airport 57:10 without anything to do. 57:11 It taught me a great lesson and that is, 57:14 that if I took my computer and I took some books, 57:17 I could read and work on my computer 57:19 and time would fly by a lot faster. 57:23 You know, there have been occasions 57:25 that I've been at the airport where I'm working on my computer 57:29 and I'm having so much fun doing research and writing 57:34 that I kind of forget the time 57:36 and a couple of times, I've almost forgotten my flight 57:39 because I've been so involved in what I'm doing 57:43 and time flies when we're busy. 57:45 Time flies when we're ready... 57:47 when we pray... 57:48 when we watch 57:50 and when we invest everything that we have 57:52 in the cause of Christ. 57:54 So, let us put into practice these principles 57:57 as we wait for the glorious moment 57:59 of the coming of Jesus. |
Revised 2021-12-14