Are You A Sheep Or A Goat
Matthew 24:32-46
10/31/04
How many times have you said or heard someone say you goat. In the ancient world goats and sheep where animals that every farmer had. Goats were of less value the Sheep. Sheep were valuable because of its wool that was used to produce clothing. Sheep require assistance in the form of a shepherd for protection and guidance. They look to their shepherd with love and devotion. They know their shepherd voice and come when He calls. Now goats on the other hand are very independent minded and don’t like being told what to do. They will run off and hide and do not need a shepherd for protection or guidance. They want to depend on their own self. They don’t like running with the herd instead they prefer a loss association and are at home in their environment. They resent being lead or forced to do something they don’t want to. They rebel against a shepherd and want to live in the world. Goats are like the little boy finally sat down after first resisting his parents’ command to do so. He said to his parents, " I’m sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside."
What a perfect description on the state of man. You are a either a sheep or a goat. A goat can become a sheep but a sheep can never become a goat no matter how much the want to act like a goat they can never become one. Many people today are walking their path in life refusing to follow their shepherd. Others never had a shepherd and are not looking for a shepherd. They want nothing to do with the leadership of Jesus Christ. They want to do their thing and they don’t want to be told what to do. God calls us to follow Him. This morning I want us to examine why God calls us to be the sheep and not the goats of the world.
I. In Matthew 32-33 we see that Jesus Christ gathers all the nations and separates them into sheep and goats the saved and the lost. Never doubt that at some point in the future Jesus Christ shall gather all the nations and judge them. This is the judgment of nations not the Great White Throne of Judgment that occurs at the end of the thousand years rule. The judgment talked about here is the judgment of those people living through the Great Tribulations on the earth at time of Christ’s return.
A. Notice that this is a judgment of separation.
a. At this judgment nations stand before Christ who then separates the saved from the lost.
b. These are living nations. The dead have not yet been called because they will be judged at the Great White Throne of Judgment.
B. We need to be turning more goats into sheep. Look at verses 35-40
II. The Sheep shall be blessed by God, Why ?
A. They sought Him and His will for them.
a. They were willing to be used.
b. They were willing to surrender all to Him.
c. They understood and accepted that it was not all about them but it was all about Him.
B. They loved Him.
a. They love Him so much that they felt a need to care for the poor and hungry.
b. They did this out of love and it is such a part of their lives that it has become second nature for them. They don’t have to think about helping it is a need, a desire that arises naturally when they see a need.
C. They share with those in need
a. They give of their time to help
b. They give of their increase to help those less fortunate
c. They give of their spirituality by sharing Jesus Christ with a lost world. They show the world the Shepherd by being willing to follow His direction.
D. They shall inherit the Kingdom
a. They will have eternal life.
III. The goats shall be judged, why?
A. The did not seek Jesus
a. They refused to follow the direction of the shepherd.
b. They were not willing to submit to His authority and be used by Him.
c. They never to understood or accepted that it was all about Him. Instead they believed and lived a life that based on all about them.
B. They hated Him
a. They opposed Him and His leadership
b. They worked in opposition to His disciples
c. They were to prideful to bow down to Him.
C. They were only concerned about themselves.
a. They felt no need to help those who were less fortunate then they.
b. They believed in themselves. They followed their direction instead of Jesus’.
D. Their Judgment is everlasting punishment
a. They are banished to hell. Look at verse 41. Here it says Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
IV. Salvation John 3:16
But if you are sitting here today in this church and you have never had a life altering experience with Jesus Christ then understand this. Jesus died so that you might have everlasting life. I said might because it is your decision whether or not to accept the free gift of salvation that Jesus is offering.
God thinks so much of you, He loved you so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross and pay the sin debt that neither you or I are not capable of paying. He did this even though He knew how dirty and filthy we are. That no matter how much we shower, bath, or try to be good we will still just be as dirty and filthy as we were. We can never clean ourselves up enough to be saved. They only way that we can be saved is by the blood of Jesus Christ. We must accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He did it all. He lived a life that was perfect so that He could be acceptable as the perfect sacrificial lamb. He willingly went to the cross and had all the sins of the world past, present, and future poured on Him. You see He knew no sin was made sin that we might find eternal life, then He died and on the Third day He was raised again and now sits at the right hand of the father. Jesus did not do this because He had to, He did not do it because of anything we did, no, He did it because of His love for us.
Now I want you to know this Salvation is not something that is automatic because your parents were Christians therefore you are saved or that you may have joined some church, or that you a good person. No, if the Holy Spirit is striving with you right now. It is your day to decide if you want to be a sheep or continue to be a goat. If you chose to become a sheep you must surrender to Jesus. You must ask Him to become your Lord and Savior. You will ask Him to take up residence in your heart. Don’t put Him off any longer. If the Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart don’t walk out of those doors a goat because a goat will spend eternity in Hell and Jesus is calling you to be a sheep.
In just a few moments we are going to have an invitation. If the Holy Spirit is calling you come to the alter and together we will go the Lord in prayer. Maybe something in your life is making you act like a goat and you want to become more like a sheep, then come down and ask God to forgive you. Maybe you are visiting and you are looking for a home and you want to make Bethlehem your home come we will gladly welcome you into our family. No matter the reason that you need to come to the alter today just come. Maybe you feel a need, an urgency to pray. That God is calling you to be a prayer warrior. Maybe you feel a need to pray for our upcoming revival. We need prayer warriors to be praying for our revival. That God would send a true revival among us one that will spread all across this nation. If God is calling you to do this then just come and kneel at the alter and pray. No matter the reason just come the alter is open.
