IDEA: We sometimes shut our minds to what Jesus is saying because it seems too extreme to be true. 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 take seriously what Jesus says about God's purposes for us.

There has been a great deal of research on what persuades people. Let me suggest three scenarios. Tell me which one gets the best response about brushing and flossing teeth.

They show you a film in which they demonstrate that if you brush your teeth regularly and floss, you will have a lovely smile.

They show you a picture of a lovely smile and warn you that if you do not brush and floss, you can get cavities.

They show you a picture of people who lost their teeth and have damaged gums because they didn't brush or floss.

Which of the three do you think will get people to brush their teeth and floss?

Given that research, doesn't that raise some questions about the picture of the last judgment in Matthew 25?

I. Do you feel that lumping those who fail to show concern for the needy with the devil and his angels is a bit much?

II. Do you find yourself surprised that this is the basis on which God will judge the character of the sheep and goats?

We shouldn't be surprised if we really understand the character of God. If we know God, we will be drawn to love what He loves and to value what He values.

III. Is the passage then saying that you earn God's favor by doing good works?