The Courageous Church:
Supporting Social Justices Issues
Matthew 25:31-46
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” vs. 34
Congo Kids
Did you know as a church we tithe? We give a percentage of our income to the Evangelical Covenant Denomination and we designate a portion of that to missions. One of the missions we support is called Covenant Congo Kids. It’s located in Ecuador and it’s a program that seeks to help support and encourage those in a more desolate area. They teach them to be self-supporting and help them learn trades and skills so they can provide and sustain themselves. I thought it migh be good to see that ministry in action so here is a video clip to give you a better idea of what happens there.
Show video
I believe as a church we are called to help others. Sometimes that help is for people in other countries but it can also be for those around us that need advocates and people that are willing to stand up for those that might not be able to do it for themselves. Jesus talks about this in Matthew 25 and I believe that as a courageous church we need to be active in social justice issues. If you are able, would you please stand as we read Matthew 25:31-46.
Read Passage – Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Sheep and Goats
The Passage we red today is part of what is called the Olivet Discourse.
“…he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” vs. 32b
Why sheep and goats? Let me explain by briefly explaining their differences and why the people of Jesus time would have understood what Jesus was saying.
Difference 1 – Looks
They look different. Show pictures
Difference 2 – Diets
Sheep eat grass and a few selected herbs
Goats nibble on grass nubs and weeds, tree, and anything else they find
Difference 3 – Body
Sheep(that have horns) curl around their head
Goats have sharp pointed horns and are dangerous
Difference 4 – Temperament
Sheep are content and tend to stay in place (especially in their pens)
Goats are difficult to tend, are always trying to escape and when penned, will go over, under or sometimes through a fence.
Difference 5 – Mothering
Sheep have liters of 1-3 and keep their babies at their side at all times and if attacked, they will defend their young to the death, giving their life if they have to.
Goats have liters of 3-5 and leave their babies for long periods of time only returning to feed them when necessary and when attacked, will fight, but if it comes down to it, they will save their life before their offspring’s.
The bottom line is that sheep are endearing and have a good reputation are seen in a good light by those tending them. Goats on the other hand are ornery, and difficult and tend to be seen as only out for themselves. Jesus is encouraging us to be like sheep. Why?
A Hallmark of Jesus’ Ministry
Because a hallmark of Jesus ministry is helping people, especially those less fortunate. Like a mama sheep would fight for its young and they are not self- promoting but caring and willing to lay sown their life for others. That’s one reason Jesus is called the Lamb of God. Since caring and protecting and being obedient to the shepherd (God) is what Jesus did, he is challenging us to be the same way because he tells us we can do what he did, and even greater. John 14:12:
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12
As a church, the church of Christ and the bride of Christ, we are called to do the thing he did. This is rough to say but if we are not doing these things, we may have to ask ourselves if we are really trusting what Jesus said and if we are really submitting to him because in this passage we see his heart.
A lot of times the church takes a l ot of heat from not standing up for those being hurt or persecuted. They may use that as an argument not to be a part of a church.
Ill. Ever been talking with someone and they throw this arguments about how the church failed miserably in Nazi Germany in WWII. I ran across some comments by Albert Einstein. Einstein was not a Christian, in fact he was born a Jew. But he had seen first-hand what took place in Germany in those terrible years, and he observed: “Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing the truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration for it because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual and moral freedom. I am forced to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly.”
(Arthur Cochrane “The Church’s Confession under Hitler” – Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1962 -indicates his source: Wilhelm Niemoller in “Kampf und Zeugnis der bekennenden Kirche” p.526)
A Word of Caution
Just a quick word of caution about what we are discussing today: this passage is not about earning your salvation. It’s not about earning your way to heaven. No, it’s about our commitment to Jesus Christ, to his ways and his heart, and the willingness to live out what we believe. It’s not about our works but about our willingness to work hard at being the body of Christ.
The Church: Standing In the Gap For:
So what is the real message? It’s this: This is a call for the church to stand in the gap. To stand against injustice, to be advocates and helpers for those that are hurting, those that are put down, those that are persecuted, and those that may have hurt us or others but need the love of Christ in their lives.
Ill. One night a woman dreamed that she was having a conversation with God. She was angry about all the suffering and evil she saw around her, so she complained to the Lord. “God, why don’t you do something about all this?”
God gently replied: “I did. I created you.”
• The Hungry and Thirsty
The first place we can stand in the gap is for those that are in need of food and something to drink. Jesus says in verse 35a:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…” vs. 35a
I think this is the first thing listed because these are the necessities of life. People cannot go without food and water and live. They are necessities and we are called to help provide them. I would go a step further too, when you do this, you will be blessed. God’s word tells us so. Prov. 22:9:
“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” Prov. 22:9
Ex. Jesus feeding the 4,000 and 5,000 Jesus recognized that if someone is there and listening on an empty stomach, they won’t hear. They will only hear the grumbling in their stomachs. Minister to their needs and you can minister to their heart.
Ex. Recently I was in Denver, CO for part of my ordination process. I took a walk in this one area of downtown (show pic), and there in the park was a group from a church handing our plastic bag with water, a sandwich, chips, some fruit, and some granola bars. People lined up in this park to get their bags and then they sat in that area eating and talking to one another. That really touched me that this church would do that.
We can do things that are practical and easy to help those who are hungry and thirsty for example:
-Work or donate to a soup kitchen
-Work or donate to a food pantry
-Take a meal to someone on need (deaconess group)
-Contribute to United Way and Salvation Army programs through your work
-Donations of turkeys and canned food at Thanksgiving and Christmas
• Strangers
A second way to stand in the gap as a church is to welcome strangers. Verse 35b:
“I was a stranger and you invited me in…” vs. 35b
One thing we have to ask ourselves is how open we are to people. Now I do realize the need to be discerning and careful but way too often we use that as an excuse not be open to new people. I love that we are open to new people.
Ex. Greeting time. Welcoming strangers doesn’t have to be doing something you are not comfortable with, work within your gifting. If you’re a hugger, give hugs. If you’re a hand-shaker, give a hand, etc. Always be aware of the other persons needs and boundaries too.
One reason the Bible tells us to be so open is that we never know who we are welcoming. It could be an angel. Yea really, Hebrews 13:2:
“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2
Ill. Anybody remember that show Touched By An Angel? Its 212 episodes chronicled the cases of two angels, Monica (Roma Downey) and her supervisor Tess (Della Reese), who bring messages from God to various people to help them as they reach a crossroads in their lives. Angels showed up all over the place.
Jesus was always stopping to talk, heal, and work with those he didn’t know. He was welcoming. He welcomed the sick, lepers, diseased, demon-possessed, etc. We are called to enlarge our circle of influence and welcome strangers.
• The Sick
A third place to stand in the gap is with those who are sick. Verse 36a says:
“I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me…” vs. 36a
Here is the thing about being sick, you are vulnerable. It’s not easy to be sick, it’s not easy to be a caregiver to the sick, and it’s hard for many to ask for help. It might just be pride, but many times we have this thing that says we have to do it all ourselves. As a church we are called to help. Helping the sick takes on many different looks. It doesn’t have to be the actual care-giving but that works too. Let me give a verse and then some suggestions about tending to the sick, James 5:14-15:
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.” James 5:14-15
Did you pick up on it? The first thing you can do is pray. But her are a few more things you can consider:
-A phone call, a card, or a letter
-Covering for the care-giver so they can have a break
-Doing their shopping for them and/or picking up their prescriptions
-Helping out with their home needs (cleaning, yard work, etc.)
-Driving them to an appointment
—-Fill in the blank with what you can think of.
Jesus wasn’t afraid of the sick, not actually he went to them and sought them out.
Ex. Recently when Claudia broke her foot and the help we received
• The Imprisoned
And finally, Jesus mentions one that is a little more on the difficult side, caring for those who are imprisoned; verse 36b:
“I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Vs. 36b
It is important for us to remember that God cares for those who have committed crimes and have committed crimes against society. They are not beyond God’s reach. God’s desire is to see them redeemed, restored, and reconciled through the love and truth of Jesus Christ.
Ex. There is a great story about Paul when he and Silas are in jail. They are there and there is this earthquake. The doors all fly open and the jailer is about to kill himself because he thinks all the prisoners are going to run and then he would be blamed and killed. Paul makes sure everyone stays put and because of his integrity, listen to what happened. Acts 16:34:
“The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.” Acts 16:34
You can make a difference. How?
-Support a ministry like Prison Fellowship, Kairos, Aglow Int’l, etc.
-Support Angel tree Christmas that ministers to the families of those in prison. The families are often forgotten victims in these situations.
-Visit those in prison
Extending the Love of Christ
Really the bottom line here is that we are called to extend the love of Christ.
A friend of mine posted this on Facebook on Friday and I thought it summed up what we are talking about today. She wrote:
If we truly follow Christ, we must do more than accept the poor and the marginalized. We must go live among them. We must share their table and roof (or lack thereof.)
The greatest question that seems to face the church today is this: Are we prepared to let Jesus love who he wants?
Our job is not to decide who is compatible to worship with us. No. The Bible is clear about our mission. We are not called to tolerate anyone. We are called to love them. We are to live as a listening people who are always ready to give an answer for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15) – Ann Snowberger
