Good Judgement (The Sheep & The Goats)
Good Judgement
Most of us like to thing we have that. Most of us hope we will receive it (who likes to be unfairly judged?) But, actually, when we are completely honest with ourselves, we are not always sure we want that either, because we realize that even at our best we are flawed. That is one of the reasons that grace is such an amazing gift, precisely because we don't always get what we have earned. In fact, most of the things that we appreciate the most are genuinely gifts of grace.
Judgment, however, happens - sometimes in ways that are less than helpful in our interactions with each other (judgment with a small "J"). There is plenty of Biblical counsel as to how we should relate ourselves to that activity. But there is also Judgement with a capital "J"which is generally associated with the end of time, and has to do with ultimate questions being resolved by God.
For many people, thinking of the final judgment brings to mind images of records being examined, books being opened and lives being reviewed as eternal destinies are solidified - all of which are drawn from various passages of scripture. And, perhaps at least partially because of the way we often experience judgement (small "J"), there is a certain amount of anxiety that thinking about Judgment (capital "J") stirs in us - which often leads to concerns about whether or not we will meet the "qualifications" necessary for a favorable eternal verdict. Because of that that, the way we think about the Judgment (capital "J") can often wind up being focused in a way that it is "all about me."
Interestingly enough, when Jesus talks about the Judgment (capital "J"), particularly in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, what we find Him doing is shifting the focus of how we think about Judgment, so that it is no longer primarily all about us at all. The way He frames the picture of the Judgment for us in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, and those passages that provide the context for that parable, has some amazing implications for what it looks like for us to live out the message of the Kingdom. Exactly how He does that, and what those implications are, is what Pastor Ken explores with us this week in the sermon.
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Matthew 25
NIV
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.’
1 John 4
18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us.
Questions / Additional Notes or Resources
Link to the Visions of Norway blog by Liana Noreheim (mentioned in sermon)
Additional Sermon Points that did not get articulated:
In order to genuinely love others, we need to know that we are loved as well, so love can be out of the "overflow" rather than the people we seek to serve becoming the source of our primary affirmations. Sometimes this involves some personal work so we can live in the awareness of God's love for us, which then frees us to love others in response to how much God loves us.
Some have suggested that the purpose of the final Judgment is not to decide destiny but to reveal it. This would eliminate the tension that would otherwise exist between living with assurance and awaiting an outcome.
Without detracting from the significance of the later, it might be worth further exploring the idea that God is ultimately more concerned with the genuineness of how we live in response to His love than in the accuracy of our ability to articulate it - as would seem to be reflected in the Judgment stories Jesus tells.