CHRIST CREATIVE BAPTIST CHURCH
A SERMON PREACHED ON SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 13, 1998
BY
THE REV. DR. GEORGE ST. ANTHONY FERGUSON, SR.
AUTHOR: Matthew
THEME: Jesus Christ the King
DATE: 65 AD
TEXT: Matthew 25:40
Have you ever seen homeless people in the city? Have you ever seen poor people in the country? Have you ever seen needy people in the suburbs? Some of us have money in stocks and those stocks are down now. But most of us have never been so poor that we did not know where our next meal was coming from. Most of us have never been so poor that we had to live hand to mouth. Most of us have never been so poor that we could not put food on our tables, clothes on our back, money in our pockets, or a roof over our head. We may feel poor compared to rich people but the reality is that we are not poor. And who told you to compare yourself to rich folks anyhow? God has blessed you with all spiritual blessings. But there are some really poor people in the world. They eat out of trash cans and drink contaminated water. Jesus said the poor you will have with you always. But for the grace of God go I. And one day Jesus told us to minister to one another. So on this first Sunday of September with our children back in school and as we head towards Labor Day, the Lord has directed me to preach on the topic: Hands On Christianity.
Our sermon lesson is found in the gospel of Matthew. In order to introduce this lesson, you should know that Matthew wrote this gospel to a community of Jewish Christians. Matthew was a Jew. Matthew was a Certified Public Accountant. Matthew worked for the Roman version of the Internal Revenue Service. Matthew was a tax collector. Matthew had entered into contract with Rome to collect taxes from the Jewish people for Rome for a fee. He collected the taxes and charged a high fee for services rendered. He was in a tax cartel and they agreed to charge the same high price. Little short Zacchaeus who Jesus saw up a sycamore tree was in on the scam and Matthew was in on the scam. They were filthy rich. The Jewish people felt that the Jewish tax collectors were unredeemable sinners. Tax collectors like Matthew were slick, slippery, and sly. Matthew was a crook. Matthew was just like us. But one day Jesus came to town and turned Matthew’s life upside down and right side up. Matthew became a disciple of Christ. And in his gospel, Matthew told us that Jesus is the King of the Jews. By the time we get to chapter 25, Matthew told us the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew told us the visit of the wise men to Jesus. Matthew told us the temptation of Jesus. Matthew told us the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus. Matthew told us the instruction for prayer by Jesus. Matthew told us Jesus said judge not. Matthew told us Jesus healed the sick. Matthew told us Jesus raised the dead. Matthew told us Jesus opened blind eyes. And now here in Chapter 25, Jesus tells us the parable of the ten virgins. Jesus tells us the parable of the talents. And beginning with V31, Jesus starts telling us about the judgment of the Gentiles at His second coming. We are in the eschatological section of Matthew. Eschatology deals with the second coming of Christ. Eschatology deals with the Millennial Kingdom. Eschatology deals with the new heaven and the new earth. Eschatology deals with the last days. And in VV31-32 Jesus said, "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats." My first point is this: Jesus Will Separate The Sheep From the Goats. The Bible says Jesus will come back. Jesus will be the final judge. Jesus will win in the end. And when Jesus comes back to establish His Millennial Kingdom, Jesus will come back in glory. Jesus will bring His holy angels. Jesus will sit on His throne of glory. Jesus will gather all the nations together. Jesus will separate them one from another. Jesus said like a shepherd, He will separate the sheep from the goats. Who are the sheep? The sheep are the believers in Christ who believed during the Seven Year Tribulation. Who are the goats? The goats are the unbeliever out of Christ who did not believe during the Seven Year Tribulation. We as Christians will not go through the Seven Year Tribulation. This is not our judgment. We will be ratured up at the start of the Seven Year Tribulation ever to be with the Lord. We will be in glorified bodies. We will be in houses not made with hands. We will be in mansions in the sky. And we will come back with Jesus in all His glory. We will come back with Jesus to rule and reign with Him. But when Jesus comes back,
HE WILL SEPARATE THE SHEEP FROM THE GOATS
HE WILL SEPARATE THE GOOD FROM THE BAD
HE WILL SEPARATE THE BELIEVERS FROM THE UNBELIEVES
HE WILL SEPARATE THOSE ON THE LORD’S SIDE FROM
THOSE ON THE DEVIL’S SIDE
Jesus is the good shepherd. Jesus is the great shepherd. Jesus is the Lord my shepherd... Can I get a witness? We need Hands On Christianity.
Although the Church will not be in this sheep and goat judgment, there is something Jesus wants us to learn in this lesson. Jesus wants us to know that there will be a great separation when He returns to the earth. He shall set the sheep on His right hand but he shall set the goats on His left. Now the right hand in the Bible is always the hand of power. It is the hand of privilege. It is the hand of honor. If you don’t believe me, let me call the role. God sent His angel from his right hand to touch the lips of Isaiah with a hot coal. Michael stands at the right hand of God. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. But the left hand is the hand of weakness. It is the hand of disdain. It is the hand of dishonor. Even today, some Jews, Orientals, and Arabs do not use their left hand to do anything but to wipe their rear end. So when Jesus puts you to His left hand that is not a good sign. The only exceptions to this rule are the two angels who serve God on His right hand and His left and the two believers who will sit on the right hand or left hand of Jesus. But in this case, those on the left are in a bad way. To those on His right who were faithful to Him through the Tribulation, Jesus will say, Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Those on the right hand are blessed and why are they blessed? Jesus in VV35- 36 said, "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me." My second point is this: Faith Without Works Is Dead. Wait a minute, I thought you get to heaven by personal faith in Jesus? Yes, the only way to get to heaven is by personal faith in Jesus. God so loved the world... By grace are you saved through faith... If thou shall believe in thine heart... But personal faith in Jesus is just the beginning of your faith walk with God. After you are saved than you must do a work for the Lord. Paul said God saved us unto good works. I know you can talk the talk but can you walk the walk? Jesus said these believers make it into the Millennial Kingdom because they did something for Jesus. Look at what Jesus said. Jesus said I was hungry and you gave me meat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to see me. Faith is more than a right belief system. Faith is more than a right theology. Faith is also action for Jesus. Faith is also doing something for Jesus. Listen you can’t just say my heart is right with God and do nothing for your fellow man or woman. You can’t just say my religion is right and do nothing for little boys or girls. You can’t just say I’m going to heaven and be of no earthly good. Your faith in God will always express itself in love for God and help for others. Look at Jesus. He saved lost sinners. But He also healed the sick. He raised the dead. He opened blinded eyes. And when you do this to the least, the last and the lost, you are not just doing it to them. You’re doing it to Jesus. Jesus said I was hungry. Jesus said I was thirsty. Jesus said I was a stranger. Jesus said I was naked. Jesus said I was sick. Jesus said I was in prison. Helping the least, the last, and the lost is helping Jesus. The key to our faith is love. Jesus said you shall love the Lord your God... Jesus said you shall love your neighbor... Love for God will always get you to do the ministry of Jesus to others.
JAMES SAID FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD
FAITH WITHOUT CORRESPONDING ACTION IS DEAD
FAITH WITHOUT A CONSISTENT LIFESTYLE IS DEAD
FAITH WORKS BY LOVE
WE WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT
THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH
Now faith is the substance... Am I right about it? Hands On Christianity.
When the separation happens, the true believers will be breathless, dumbfounded, and flabbergasted. Jesus said then shall the righteous ask him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and fed you? When did we see you thirsty and gave you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and took you in? When did we see you naked and clothed you? When did we see you sick or in prison and we came to see you? Notice that they did not ask Jesus when did we get our theology right or keep all the rules? They asked Jesus when did we see You in those conditions and positions? And in V40 Jesus said, "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." My last point is this: When You Help The Poor You Help Jesus. Jesus said do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Jesus said when you help others you help Him. Jesus said when you do something good to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done it unto Me. They shall know that we are Christians by our love. Love is not just a feeling, it's and ACT of your will. Action speaks louder than words. I cannot just say I love you without doing something for you. How would it look if you told your children you love them but never bought them clothes to wear? How would it look if you told your spouse or significant other you love them but never gave them a gift? Talk is cheap but ACTION cost you something. It cost God everything to send His Son Jesus to die on the Cross for you and I. And that was the problem with the goats on the left! They did not do anything for anybody at anytime. Jesus will look at those old goats and say depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Why will Jesus banish them to hell? Jesus said I was hungry and you gave me no meat. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take me in. I was naked and you did not clothes me. I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me. These unbelievers will asked him, Lord, when did we see you like that and did not minister to you? Then Jesus will tell them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me." And Jesus said, And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Helping others is righteous. It’s the right thing to do. Righteousness is justice and justice will lead to peace. And it is good that our children must now work as volunteers before they can graduate from high school. Former President Jimmy Carter has gotten people to build houses for others through Habitat for Humanity. The Clerkleys and others in our church are involved in Christmas in April. Most of us have given something to the needy for Thanksgiving or Christmas. And all of that is good. Christ Creative we cannot just be so concerned with me, myself and I that we forget the least, the last, and the lost. Christianity is not just about personal salvation. It is also about social good. Christian fundamentalists who focus on personal salvation have missed the full gospel of God. Christian liberals who focus on social good have missed the full gospel of God. Jesus was just as concern for our personal salvation as He was for our social good. There is a spiritual aspect to the gospel and a social aspect to the gospel. This a matter of spiritual grace and social justice. Christianity is not just theory, it’s praxis. It’s not just theology, it’s practice. And Jesus wants us to show our Christian love by our actions. I’m not just talking about saying God love you and so do I. I’m talking about doing something for somebody. This reminds me of the story called Unusual Mail. Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter and it went like this: Dear Ruth, I’m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I’d like to stop by for a visit. Love Always, Jesus. Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I’m nobody special. I don’t have anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don’t have anything to offer. I’ll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner." She reached for her purse and counted the money. Five dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk; leaving Ruth with a grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nevertheless, she felt good as she headed home with her meager offerings tucked under her arm. "Hey lady, can you help us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn’t even noticed two figures huddled in the alley. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags. "Look lady, I ain’t got no job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it’s gettin’ cold and we’re gettin’ kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we’d really appreciate it." Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and, frankly, she was certain they could get some work if they really wanted to. "Sir, I’d like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have are a few cold cuts and some bread, and I’m having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him." "Yeah, well, OK lady, I understand. Thanks anyway." The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar tug in her heart. "Sir, wait!" "Look, why don’t you take this food. I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag. "Thank you lady. Thank you very much!" "Yes, thank you!" It was the man’s wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering. "You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don’t you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest. "Thank you lady! Thank you very much!" Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn’t have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. "That’s odd. The mailman doesn’t come twice." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it. Dear Ruth, It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat. Love Always, Jesus. The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed. The moral of the story is this: "Jesus is all around us, walking among us, and talking to us; so let’s serve Him." Jesus said, "When you do this to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you’ve done it unto me." And as I head to my seat I want you to know that is what happened to me in Atlanta, GA. I was headed home from Dallas, TX on August 23, 1998. I had preached at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Arlington, TX and God sent 13 souls forward with three candidates for baptism. My father in the ministry Rev. Dr. Norman Robinson gave me a big love offering, a big hug and I caught my flight. With a layover in Atlanta and having finished my dinner, a woman came up to me and said sir can you help me. She told me that she was waiting for her aunt to fly in from Oakland, CA because she and her family were burned out of their house. She told me that they had not eaten for days. She asked me if I could help. I said to myself, this is Jesus coming to me to see if I will help the least of these. I had already been bless spiritually, financially, and materially. And I knew that Jesus sometimes shows up just to see if we will help others. So, I said yes I will help you and your three children. She said no there are four. When I looked, the fourth child peeked out from behind one of the taller children. I saw a Pop Eye’s Restaurant in the airport. I get her the family meal with drinks. I prayed for the food and for her family. I told them that Jesus loves them and sent me to them. I left to let them enjoy their meal. I went back and gave her my card and the names and numbers of ministers in Atlanta who I went to school with in Dayton, OH. I know God pulled on the hamstrings of my heart to see if I would do His will and praise God, I did. We must talk the talk and walk the walk. And we need hands on Christianity. That hungry person you fed, that’s hands on Christianity. That thirsty person you gave water to, that’s hands on Christianity. That stranger you helped, that’s hands on Christianity. That raggedy person you clothed, that’s hands on Christianity. That sick person you visited, that’s hands on Christianity today. That prisoner you visited, that’s hands on Christianity. Hands on Christianity ministers to Jesus by meeting the needs of others. Your hands might get dirty but your soul will be satisfied. God has no hands but your hands. Hands on Christianity is where the rubber meets the road. Be ye doers of the Word and not just hearers only. The Bible says don’t forget to entertain strangers because you may entertain angels unawares. Don’t forget to entertain those in need because you may entertain Jesus unawares. Jesus is alpha and omega. Jesus is the beginning and the end. Jesus is the first and the last. Jesus is the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star. Jesus the same yesterday, today, and forever! And I just want to ask you one question, "Are you involved somewhere in hands on Christianity?" The doors of the church are now open.
© 1998 drsax989238@msn.com
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