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Dr. W's Reflections...
“Whoever has ears, let them hear.” The parables of Jesus speak over the cacophony of noise that plagues us. In our Summer Series on “The Stories Jesus Told,” we have enjoyed a sampling of our Lord’s parables. And these stories not only challenge us to think, feel, and decide what they mean to us, but they also inform us regarding vital and significant truths related to the confession of our faith. Thank you for joining me in this Summer Series.
We have been blessed to be a blessing! The life we share together as a church family is special, because the life we share together as a church family has been made sacred by God. And so, let’s keep praying: “Lord, send people to us, and send us to people.”
The Lord be with you,
Wyatt
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THE PARABLE OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS (Matthew 25:31-46)
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 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.”
This parable as told by Jesus highlights two vital details related to “the end of time.” First, the Second Coming of Jesus. And second, the Judgment Day. When Jesus comes again in his “glory,” there will be a day of judgment, i.e., a day of separation between good and evil and right and wrong.
In “The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats,” the “sheep” represent those who embodied the righteousness of Jesus by exhibiting compassion, hospitality, and kindness to others while the “goats” represent those who dismissed the invitation of Jesus and just chose to live for themselves. On the Judgment Day–at least according to Jesus, the “sheep” will enter into “eternal life” while the “goats” will go away into “eternal punishment.”
This is a sobering word to hear. Yet, the message of this parable remains a vital message to be heard once again today. And so–as we “hear” the parable once again today, let us confess along with the ancient creeds of our Christian faith that Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end. “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”