IDEA: This parable includes five great ideas that can change our lives. TEXT: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy 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, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; 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 Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will answer Him, 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?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:31-46).

PURPOSE: To help listeners reflect back on the parable using this summary of its great ideas.

One of Mortimer Adler's books was titled Six Great Ideas. In it he examined six virtues that lie at the foundation of civility. From many of the important books written over the centuries, Adler distilled six basic ideas which have shaped Western civilization.

Is it possible to do something similar when we come to God's Word the Bible?

Are there a few basic truths about God and how the gospel changes our lives which form the core of Scripture?

What would be some of the great foundational truths of Scripture that emerge again and again throughout both the Old and New Testaments?

I. During the weeks we've talked together about this final parable in Matthew's gospel, we've landed on a number of lessons or key ideas.

There is a way in which this parable summarizes many of the ideas found in the rest of the gospel of Matthew, particularly in other parables Jesus told.

There will be many surprises at the final judgment when Christ separates the sheep from the goats, but the separation won't be arbitrary. At that final judgment, we will judge ourselves, our deeds will judge us, and Christ will judge us.

The Bible shows us two kinds of justice: distributive justice in which we help those who need our help, and retributive justice in which we receive judgment for failing to exercise distributive justice.

The rule of unintended consequences is at work at the final judgment where our failure to show love to those who hurt puts us in league with the devil. The fact that we can't do everything doesn't mean that we ought not do anything.

While God isn't much concerned with the minutia of legalism, He is concerned with the little things of life: the judgment of the future is worked out in the compassion of the present as an expression of our faith.

This parable does not teach a works-righteousness but a faith-righteousness, showing itself in works, working from the inside out, not from the outside in. This righteousness working from the inside out helps us look at personal sacrifice differently.