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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about a passage of Scripture where Jesus is getting His disciples ready for His second coming.
The Final Judgment
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
We don’t earn our salvation, but our faith is meant to be lived out and put into action. In other words, we aren’t designed to be saved and just sit in pews every Sunday morning for the rest of our lives. This passage of God’s Word helps us to realize that we are designed:
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To see people how God sees people
Gen. 1:27, Rom. 2:11, James 2:1-9, Prov. 24:23, Deut. 16:19, Eph. 6:12-13
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For Heaven
John 14:2-3, 15:5, Rev. 3:20, Phil. 3:20-21, 2 Cor. 5:1-9
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As a co-heir
Rom. 8:15-17, Gal 4:7, Eph. 3:6, Rev. 21:7, Titus 3:7, 1 Pet. 1:3-4
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With a purpose
Eph. 2:10, Col. 1:10, 2 Cor. 9:8
Reflecting on God’s Word
Getting Started
- Take some time to read over Matthew 25:31-46 and pray.
- Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it?
- What surprised you as we talked about it?
- As you reflect on Jesus’ teaching to His disciples here, think about your own life. How well does the way that you are living your life line up to what this passage of Scripture teaches?
- As you reflect on Jesus’ Words from this part of Scripture, in what area(s) do you need to work on?
Diving In
- Are there any groups of people who you struggle with? How could you better view all people as God views them?
- How does it help you in your faith to remember that hell wasn’t created for people, but rather that God wants to have a saving relationship with all people, and wants to spend eternity with them?
- Read Romans 8:15-17. Have you ever fallen into the trap of doing things for God out of obligation? How does knowing that you are a co-heir with Christ help you to better build up His Kingdom?
- Read Ephesians 2:10. God created us all with a purpose. What has God called you to? Are you being faithful to do what God has created you to do?
Applying the Scripture
What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word?
- What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture?
- How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord?
- Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?
Small Group Guide:
Open with prayer.
Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?
If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.
Prayer Time:
Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.
Staying Missional:
Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:
Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
What’s next?
Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?