Sermon Notes; a Daily Devotional

Matthew 25:38&39 "38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?" In today’s verses the sheep are expressing surprise and humility. They did not perform acts of mercy with the expectation of recognition or reward; they simply cared for people in need out of love. They have no memory of ever serving Jesus directly in these ways. Their question is sincere: they genuinely don’t understand how their everyday acts of compassion counted as ministry to Christ Himself. The list narrows from the six categories in verses 35–36 (hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, in prison) down to four here (stranger, naked, sick, in prison), but the point is the same: they are listing the kinds of needs they served, not keeping an exact score. The surprise is the theological point. The righteous never “saw” Jesus in these people. They helped the hungry, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, visit...

Matthew 25:37 "Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?" Today’s verse is the sheep's response to the King's declaration in verse 36. They ask a genuine, bewildered question, not a challenge or a rhetorical rebuke, but real surprise. Genuine astonishment. They never recognized they were serving Christ. They were feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, ordinary acts of compassion toward suffering people. The idea that those acts were somehow to Christ is news to them. As one commentary puts it, they "acted from what seemed merely human affection towards merely human objects." Humble tone. They address Him as "Lord" and don't dispute or defend. They don't say, "But we were good people!" They simply can't place when this happened. This humility signals that they had no confidence in their own works, they didn't think of themselves a...

Matthew 25:36 "Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me." This section of the Gospel of Matthew vividly explains the difference between the sheep and the goats. Jesus praises the sheep for helping Him. He identifies Himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those in prison. This is not merely a metaphor; it is a claim that to serve the vulnerable is, in a real sense, to serve Him. Serve Him out of gratitude for the salvation He has given you. Today’s verse continues the list of six desperate needs. Each follows the same pattern: “I was [in need] and you [responded].” The list is not exhaustive. It illustrates the principle of compassion toward the vulnerable, not a checklist of required works. These are ordinary, practical acts, not grand spiritual deeds. They are the kinds of things any person can do in daily life. This is what makes the passage so striking: the sheep did these things wit...

Matthew 25:35 "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:" We are studying “Engage in service.” We are reading from a section of the Gospel of Matthew that describes the Second Coming of Christ and the subsequent judgment of the nations. Jesus exercises His authority as King and Judge, separating the two groups as a shepherd separates sheep from goats: placing the sheep on His right and the goats on His left, symbolizing a permanent division between the righteous and the wicked. The sheep are those blessed by the Father, indicating that salvation is rooted in God’s eternal grace and purpose rather than human merit. Today’s verse stands out because Jesus speaks in the first person: “I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was a stranger.” He does not say “my people” or “my followers” (though v. 40 clarifies “the least of these brothers of mine”). He identifies Himself with the hungry, the thirsty, and the strange...

Matthew 25:33&34 "33 And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 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:" We are studying “Engage in service” in the acrostic GRACED. Last week’s lesson was to emulate Jesus and His disciples by living in a mutually supportive community. This week’s lesson turns the focus to serving people outside our circle of trust. Yesterday’s verses describe the Second Coming of Christ and the subsequent judgment of the nations. Jesus, accompanied by holy angels, sits on His glorious throne to exercise His authority as King and Judge. He distinguishes between two groups as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. This is a clear description of the final sorting of humanity based on their relationship to Christ and their treatment of the vulnerable and needy. In verse 33, Jesus (the King) places the sheep on His...

Matthew 25:31&32 "31 When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: 32 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:" We are studying the acrostic GRACED : G o to God in prayer daily. R ead God’s Word daily. A ttend worship regularly. C onnect in a study group. E ngage in service. D edicate yourself to the tithe and beyond. Last week we focused on “Connect in a study group.” We read about the early Christian church in Jerusalem. Their spirit of harmony gained them favor with friends and neighbors and contributed to the ongoing fruitfulness that followed Pentecost, when about 3,000 new believers were added to their ranks. This incredible growth did not depend on exceptional leadership alone. It flowed from ordinary believers who lived in continual praise, genuine community, and open dependence on God. ...

Acts 2:47 "Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Today’s verse describes the vital signs of the early Christian church in Jerusalem, highlighting three key elements: continual praise, social favor, and divine growth. This passage outlines the outcomes of a healthy, Spirit-filled community: Worship as Witness : The believers’ constant praise and genuine joy (“gladness and simplicity of heart”) made their faith attractive to outsiders, earning them “favor with all the people,” even as opposition began to form. God-Initiated Growth : The text emphasizes that the Lord Himself was the active agent in church growth, adding “those who were being saved” daily rather than relying on human strategy or force. Progressive Salvation : The phrase “those who were being saved” indicates that salvation is both a past event (justification) and a present, ongoing process (sanctification) for those integrated into th...