"The Least of These..."
“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: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 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. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 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. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” - Matthew 25:32-46 We see Jesus here teaching his followers about how they will be judged by the King when their lives on earth draw to a close. The animals will be separated, the Lord's flock from Satan's goatherd. The problem that the church faces the most is that we are numb to the reality that this will truly happen one day and the lines are black and white on which side we will go to. If you did for the least of these then you did for Jesus. If you didn't do for them, then you didn't do it for Jesus. That's it. Point blank, no games played, and nothing to "interpret". The dangerous part is that in the church we are exposed to these truths on such a constant basis that instead of allowing them to move us more and more each time we stop letting them move us at all. We are desensitized to all kinds of things in our world due to overexposure to the world's problems. Want a good example? What does the song “In the Arms of the Angels” make you think of? Abandoned puppies and starving kittens. Sarah McLaughlin comes on your TV and you change the channel. Either that or you watch it and you feel one of two things: pity or nothing. Therein lies our problem. We have two reactions, we are either desensitized or we feel something. There is danger is relying solely on emotion and feeling but there is also danger in desensitization and I think the more apparent & relevant problem is that we feel nothing at all for the least of these and sometimes about heavenly and holy things that God expects us to feel greatly for. Here is what you will go through if you live a life that is desensitized to the gospel. This is an almost "church-exclusive" problem. This doesn’t just mean Christians but rather people who are in church. We are the ones who are called by Jesus to care for others. So when we don't, we fail our Savior. When the world doesn't care for the least of these it's no surprise. Why would it be? They aren't the children of God? They have no "obligation" to help or to serve anyone.
Here is what we risk when we live a life that is numb to the desires God expects us to hold dearly.
We miss out on the least of these.
We miss out of the Cross.
We miss out on the glory of Heaven.
We don’t believe there is a real Hell.
We never get out of our sin. Jesus makes us new and we run right back to it because its all we have allowed ourselves to be exposed to. Our lives are so steeped in entertainment, Now I'd like to briefly (as briefly as any preacher can be) run through each of these topics and explain what I mean by how numbness to the gospel costs us them. The first one is the "least of these". Just being honest and transparent I have a bad habit when new visitors come to the church. Particularly female visitors. Extra-particularly attractive female visitors around my age. I do a ring-finger check. I will break my neck trying to see if this new, beautiful woman entering the Lord's house is engaged, married, or ring free and possibly the woman God has sent my way. Now this by itself isn't necessarily sinful because God never intended for man to be alone, that's why Eve was created to be Adam's companion and help. So that's not necessarily sinful by itself but the overbearing desire I sometimes have to meet someone new can be when it gets between myself and God. When I lose focus on the fact that the Lord may be sending someone else through the door after that beautiful woman that truly needs me to speak life into their situation that day then we have sin. We take our focus off of the people who truly need us because it serves our selfish desires at times to block out the least of these and pay attention only to what is attractive in our own eyes. “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." - C.S. Lewis Gut-check courtesy of one Clive Staples Lewis. We are too easily satisfied with ourselves and our desires when God is calling us out to deeper things. We play in the mud because we fear to imagine what it would look like or what it could cost to follow God's voice out into that calling.
The next thing we miss out on is the truth and magnitude of the cross of Christ. This isn't something pretty. The cross wasn't chosen by Jesus so that we could have really stylish necklaces for Christians 2,000 years later. The cross was ugly, torturous, and (if we are honest) a place reserved for dying. Nothing else was acceptable for a cross. People didn't let their kids climb and play on crosses. They didn't hang their laundry on them. The cross was for one thing, dying a miserable death.
“And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.” - Mark 15:16-32 When we understand the cruelty of the cross we should in the same vein see the reality that is hell. Before we get too deep into how real hell is, let's establish that God never intended for a single person to go to hell. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. Not for Muslims, not for immigrants, not for murderers, and not for people who we just don't like. Hell is a place we as Christians should never be okay with anyone going to. The urgency for this is fed when we understand what hell is.
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” - Matthew 25:41 "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” - Matthew 13:38-52 Hell is a place of misery. Misery and burning and fire and crying and the gnashing of teeth. On top of that hell is eternal separation from God, from salvation, from hope. Jesus wants to rescue everyone on this planet, in fact he already did. The problem now is that we are unwilling at times to share his perspective and reach our love and grace and salvation to those that need it. "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” - Revelation 22:1-5
“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” - Revelation 15:1-3
Heaven in a much different perspective can also be devalued as a believer if we do not appreciate heaven for what it is. It is not a plush retirement home for Christians that rests on clouds and we can spend forever doing our favorite worldly activities. Rather, heaven is a hall of worship and praise that we will spend eternity doing our favorite holy things from out earthly lives forever. We will testify to the greatness, mercy, grace, and love of our savoir for the rest of time. It will be a grace-filled contest of who can glorify God the most in which no winner is declared because everyone will be just as equipped to speak of who our God is when we make it into his presence. The most important part of this post however is the effect that numbness can have on our view of sin. Not long ago I had all of my wisdom teeth removed. They put me under and numbed my body with what can only be described as some good stuff. The reason I say this is because when they woke me up I couldn't feel my legs to try and walk let alone the incisions in my jaws. The cut was there, the stitches were there, a whole lot of blood was there, and yet I wasn't aware of it. Why? Because everything was numb. The same is what happens when we allow ourselves to become numb to the sin around our life. After my surgery it took me a while for my arms and legs to get on the same page as my brain. Due to this I ran into a few things and made more than one misstep. This is us with sin. We take ourselves to a place that we are no longer on the same page as God. We misstep and we hurt ourselves because we run into sin that kills us due to the fact that we don't see sin as God commands us to. “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” - 2 Timothy 2:22 “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” - 1 Corinthians 6:18 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” - 1 Timothy 6:10-11 “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” - Romans 6:11-15 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." - Galatians 5:19-21
All of these scriptures instruct us to flee from sin. To run with energy and purpose away from sin. Not to laugh at it on television, not to listen to songs that promote it as a welcome part of our culture, and definitely not to allow it to enter our daily actions and thoughts. If we saw sin for what it was then we would flee without hesitation.
Here's the thing, we can't help the least of these if we are in sin. We can't properly see the cross if we are dead in our sins. We can't fear hell the way we should if we are numb to sin. And as Galatians 5 just read we definitely can't appreciate or inherit heaven if we choose to ignore sin in our life. Regardless of whether we gain the right perspective on all the other topics, if we don't recognize the danger that sin places in our lives then we will never be able to live holy, Christ-like lives. Honestly, we won't ever be able to truly be Christians unless we flee from sin. Our salvation isn't whole until we repent and that doesn't leave room for us to run back to our sin whenever we want to. Sin will kill us, it will damn us to an eternal hell, and it will separate us from God.
Christian, lost sinner do not be numb to the sin in the world around us. Do not be numb to the sin in your own life. Come to Jesus and let him restore the joy of your salvation, let him give you a new, pure heart.
