Sheep vs Goats

Sheep vs Goats
Author: Kim Sheets, Senior Graphic Designer
The Parables of Jesus - Part 6
Goats are so cute, am I right? Well, that is what I thought when my kids — to clarify, my children, not ‘young goats’ (Merriam-Webster) — enrolled in 4-H. This was the time I began my journey as a herdsman, which consumed the next 35 years of my life. The cuteness is a facade.

During this period, I had two very close friends who were shepherds of large, graceful flocks of sheep. It did not take long to identify the opposing characteristics of these two species. Their sheep seemed well-behaved, trustworthy, and loyal to their caregiver. On the other hand, our herd was filled with reprobate goats who were hard to confine inside their fencing and mischievously got into precarious situations.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. 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.’
– Matthew 25:31-34
This past weekend, Pastor Tim spoke on the parable of the sheep and goats found in Matthew 25. The illustration is very prophetic in nature, as noted by Bible scholars. It portrays a future judgment upon those living during end-time events. You can view the timeline Tim used in his message here. The separation of sheep and goats occurs after the return of Christ during the ‘First Reckoning.’ These people have lived through the tribulation and experienced tremendous affliction.

Their actions were an outward sign of their true nature.

The sheep are a picture of Jesus’ disciples, the Christians. (Remember how the Bible refers to Jesus as the Great Shepherd?) Conversely, the goats are the unbelievers, those who have aligned themselves with the Antichrist. The sheep will inherit the kingdom prepared since the foundation of the world, while the goats are to be cursed and receive eternal punishment.
Their actions were an outward sign of their true nature. The sheep were loving, caring, and serving one another, especially fellow brethren; however, there were no deeds of Christ-like behavior from the goats. One group displayed evidence of the presence of Christ within them; the other group did not.
This fact should prompt us to ask ourselves: does the fruit of my life reveal Christ? Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourself not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?”
In all His wisdom and understanding, God chose sheep and goats for this parable. Coincidence? Are you ‘kidding’ me? Visit a farm, zoo, or even YouTube and see for yourself. Watch for outward signs of their character. We can learn a lot from them.
Our actions and our service can reveal our faith. Take some time to examine your outward signs. How are you being perceived? Are there opportunities you can serve Jesus by serving others? Imagine how you will feel hearing these words from Christ Himself: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’

Recent

Archive

 2023

Categories

Tags

1 Timothy 4:3-4 1 corinthians 13 3 tips Barb Bible Christ centered friendships Christ-centered friendships Christ Control David Deuteronomy 31:8 Elijah Gideon God's Word God's faithfulness God's will God\'s Word God\'s will God\\\'s will God\\\\\\\'s will Gods Word Gods voice Gods will God Good Samaritan Isaiah 41 James 1:22 James 4:14 Jesus is coming Jesus Jonathan Live at Peace Matthew 26:38-39 Philippians 2 Psalms Romans 6:9 Scripture Significant Others Talented Word of God You Say a mother's prayer a mother\'s prayer a mothers prayer abandon abby conner acts 1:8 acts 2:42-47 acts adam etris adam adulteror advent andrew archer andrew angels sing anger anguish anxiety apostles appreciation archer arch are you prepared art of neighboring attributes austin michels austin authorities authority baptism barabbas barb barnhart barnhart be a friend be still be strong and courageous beauty from ashes becoming fearless betrayal better neighbors better be brandy gibson brandy bruce lane bruce cancel culture cancel care carols celebrate others christianity christian christmas church defined church design church circles clinging to jesus colossians 1:13 community compassion concentric circles conflict connection courage created for community crisis in israel cross crowd cultivate the soil daughter death debt delaney deuteronomy 31:6 devotional devotion discernment do not fear doers don't panic don\'t panic do early church easter elderly empathy encouragement end times ephesians 3:14-23 ephesians5:21 eternal impact eternal life eternal security eternity etris exhausted extended family face to face faithful in the small things faithfulness faith family famous last words father fear less series fear less fearless fear forgiveness forgiven forgive forgiving forsaken foundation four tips free from sin freedom freely given free friendships friendship friends friend garden of gethsemane generosity generous get ready gibson gifts give thanks gloria good works gospel government grace and truth grace hill grace grateful gratitude great commission greed grief grieve with others groups haring he has come he will be called heart heaven hell helping hill holy week homecoming hope huggins ian young ian identity immovable in all things in christ inspired invitation israel jamie huggins jamie jill wargo jill john 8:1-11 john 8:10-11 john josh rhodes josh joy judas judgemental judgement judge katie lemley katie key relationships kim sheets kim kingdom of heaven kinsman redeemer lane last supper legacy lemley light of the world light listening live generously logos love one another love loyalty luke 10:42 luke 23:34 made new marriage martha matthew 22:37-39 matthew 23:24 matthew 6:3-4 mediator melissa parker melissa mercy michelle lemley michelle trimmer michelle michels money neighbor new family new year new o holy night overcome evil with good parables parable parenting parents parent parker peacemaker peace people of god people persistence philippians 4:6-7 philippians point of church point possessions power of the past pray like paul prayer life prayer plan prayer pray prepare promises of God provision purpose quality time race read reconciliation recreated redeemed redeemer rejoice relationship with God relationships relationship religion religious leaders remember response resurrection retaliation return revenge rhodes riches roger sealey roger role model romans 12:12 romans 12:15 romans rules salvation sealey second coming secure selfish separation sermon on the mount serve Jesus serve others serve serving others serving set free shame share the gospel share the truth sharing the good news sheep and goats sheets signs sing sin social media sower speak spiritual gifts spiritual leaders spiritual relationships stand firm still strained straining out gnats and swallowing camels strength submit support take time talents thankfulness thanksgiving thanks the dishonest manager the good samaritan the lost coin the lost sheep the lost son the parables of jesus the persistent widow the plot the point of church the primary purpose of the church the prodigal son the purpose of the church the rich fool the sheep and goats the sower the talents the ten virgins the two foundations the wedding banquet the word of God the word through thick and thin throught thick and thin tim haring tim treasure tribulation triggered trimmer truthiness truth two foundations two lies and the truth ukraine unbelievers uncertainty unclean victorious victory volunteer wargo wealth wedding feast weep what's the point? what\'s the point? what\\\'s the point? what\\\\\\\'s the point? what\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s the point? whats the point whatsthepoint when we pray who am i who i am who we are work worry wronged you are forgiven young