When the Son of Man Comes

Matthew 25:31-46
25:31 "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 people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by 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 something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?'

And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal 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 nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'

Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just 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 eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The separation of the sheep from the goats (based on the works they have done) brings up the old grace versus works arguments. We are saved by the grace of God, but apparently the works we do matter to God. How will we teach from this passage without overemphasizing (or underemphasizing) good works?

Like Ezekiel, Matthew employed the images of shepherd and judge. This time, the king is separating people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (verse 32). Although goats were important for both meat and milk in everyday life, they frequently were a symbol for things undesirable. The sheep were placed at the King's right hand, the goats at his left. (It bears notice that in a number of Middle Eastern cultures the left side or left hand continues to be a place of dishonor.)

The familiar conclusion to the scene is that those who responded with compassion to the needs of others received an eternal reward while those who did not received eternal punishment.

The church has been in great controversy over the years about the criteria for receiving eternal punishment. Since we believe that salvation is by the grace of God and not by the works of human hands (Ephesians 2:8-9), we avoid the pitfall that we are condemned to eternal punishment solely on the basis of works. On the other hand, the harsh treatment of the goats in the passage forces us to seriously consider the importance of works of justice and mercy. Salvation is supposed to bring about a change in the life and mind of the believer.
Matthew 25:31–46

What Does God Want? The criterion for the separation of the sheep from the goats was a simple yardstick for righteousness also articulated in Micah 6:8, which says: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Both sheep and goats were judged by their responses to those around them who were indigents, strangers, prisoners, or those suffering from illness. Although we do not believe in salvation through works of righteousness, it does seem to follow that God is very concerned about our responses to the myriad needs around us. How can we, as individuals and as churches, respond more faithfully to the cries of the indigent, to the ever-increasing numbers of strangers and prisoners, and to those who are chronically ill?

Who Are “The least of these?” In Jesus' day, the marginalized were easily definable, just as they are today: they were those who hungry, who need clothing, who are imprisoned (some falsely), and those who are outside the borders of their own family and kin like the lepers and those with AIDS. If we were called upon today to define the least of our society, who would they be and what would they need? Perhaps we might consider: those suffering from AIDS, the increasing number of people being persecuted for the Christian faith, or the orphans from the many wars being waged across the globe. Maybe they are not so difficult to find; for example, the elderly or the recently unemployed in our communities who will find it increasingly difficult to pay their bills this winter.

For the past 8 months I have worked for the state of Texas determining eligibility for Food Stamps and Medicaid. I have worked with “the least of these” and know firsthand the crisis facing many people in our communities. The breakdown of the family, the lack of moral consciousness, the depressed economy, and the number of undocumented aliens create a crisis of poverty that has not been seen since the 1930’s. The difference is that in the Great Depression, there was no Health and Human Services, Food Stamps, Medicaid, SSI Disability or Medicare to shore up the country from the economic crisis. The churches, civic groups, and philanthropists had the responsibility of caring for a needy population.

To put this in perspective, in 1933 official unemployment reached 24.9%. One quarter of the nation was unemployed and either hungry or starving. 3.8 million Americans lost their jobs in 2009. Many estimate that the real unemployment rate today exceeds 23% if you count those unemployed by loss of self-employment, part-time job loss, and those whose benefits have expired but are still unemployed. If those who have given up looking for work altogether were counted, that would add more than another nine million, according to John Williams at ShadowStats.com. This is confirmed by a recent Gallup poll that nearly one in every five Americans describe themselves as underemployed but it doesn’t count those who hold more than one job just to make ends meet. 14% of the population of the US is on food stamps.

How do we as individual Christians and the Church as a whole meet the challenge of poverty today? Do we proclaim that all who are in crisis are there by their own choice? Do we believe they are all just lazy? Should we try to meet the needs as Jesus taught his disciples with the feeding of the 5000, or the healing of multitudes in physical crisis? How do we approach the homeless, the mentally ill, and the poverty stricken in our communities who have no place to turn for help? What does the political rhetoric that we choose to espouse say to those disenfranchised about our faith?

I do not have the answers for you, nor will I tell you how to vote. But this passage in Matthew is disturbing when we realize that God cares about those who are the “least of these”. Our salvation by grace comes with a duty governed by the Lordship of Jesus Christ to “go ye therefore, preaching the gospel, making disciples, and baptizing in the Name of Jesus”. Jesus message was one of compassion. If our faith is devoid of compassion for those who are lost in poverty, sickness, hunger, mental illness, and homelessness; what is our witness worth to those who hunger for a relationship in faith with our Savior.

"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 people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal 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 nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'

I challenge you this year as our country struggles with the economic issues that have led us into massive social crisis; to reflect on your own view of the Christian’s role in the society, reflect on your own rhetoric with regard to those disenfranchised by our economic crisis, reflect on the Christian’s responsibility for meeting the needs of the impoverished, sick and dying.

Remember that when we get to heaven, it won’t matter what kind of car we drove, but it will matter who we gave a ride to that didn’t have a car.

Resources used from GBOD.ORG/Worship and Wikipedia.com
by Earl G. Presley for Sermon on 11/20/2011 at Copperas Cove Christian Church

What can separate us from the love of God?

Rendered by Earl G. Presley
Most of this material was adapted from GBOD.org Lectionary helps.

Key Terms:
(Does your congregation know the following terms or concepts found or alluded to in Romans 8:26-39?)

Predestination — The concept of predestination means that God has determined a purpose long before it is actually manifested. God has a plan. It further implies that God is unquestionably capable of planning and bringing about that divine plan: with or without us.

Justification — A legal term meaning that one is declared righteous. In relation to God, biblical writers express confidence that God is impartial and just. Therefore, we can take confidence in God'’s declaration that a person is righteous.

Glorification — In human terms, glory refers to one's position, one's possessions, one's strength, or one's length of life. God's glory refers to the external manifestation of all that God is and does. Glorification thus contains a multistage meaning. First, glorification involves sanctification of the believer, causing him or her to be made holy and blameless. This is an ongoing work for Christians. Second, the physical bodies of believers will be glorified and made immortal. Creation also will participate in glorification. Third, glorification involves participation in the reign of God; that is, reigning with Christ. Finally, glorification involves sharing in God's own glory.

Summary:
•The Spirit of God intercedes within believers with sighs too deep for words.
•How Shall We Pray?

Paul reminds us that we do not know how to pray — particularly when we are overwhelmed beyond words.
• Why is it that we do not know how to pray?

1. We do not know the future.

2. We are weak; that is, we are not fully redeemed and are unable to see clearly. Compare to 1 Corinthians 13:12: "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known."

We do not know how to call God's future into our present. Paul challenges us to enter into deeper wrestling with the pain of the world.

•God works in all situations, no matter how difficult, to bring about good for those who love God, for those who are called to God's purpose.

•The destiny of believers is to be Christ-shaped as members of God's family.

•God, who did not withhold his own son, is fully trustworthy for all things.

•God does not condemn believers. The resurrected Jesus Christ intercedes for us.

• No persecution, hardship, or physical danger can separate believers from God's invincible love.

Nothing Can Separate Us from God's Love

The passage ends with a divine hymn that boasts of God's invincible love. Nothing can separate us from this love. In biblical times, people feared many apparent "powers," including angels and astrology.

At the time of Paul's writing, the Jewish belief system was well developed regarding angels. Jews believed that everything in the world had an angel: wind, snow, thunder, the seasons, even a blade of grass. Jews believed that angels were even hostile toward humanity.

There was also a strong belief in astrology in biblical times. Humans were thought to be under the domination of stars. When a star was at its highest, it exerted the most influence. Heights or depths referred to the position of the stars and their supposed influence on human beings.

Despite the existence of all the terrifying things that can happen, none of them can separate us from the love of God.

Clear Away the Debris — God's love is more powerful and more trustworthy than any enticing diversion that the world offers. Inwardly, we all long to be loved with the persistence and reliability that God alone can provide.

What stands in the way of us enjoying God's love? Paul offers a laundry list of challenges resident in his time.

What are people allowing to separate them from God's love today?

Fear of sex offenders in the neighborhood?

Concern over violent crimes?

Alarm over terrorism?

The inability to control one's life and circumstances?

We need to understand that none of us is immune from hardship and suffering, but God's invincible love will accompany us through difficulties if we will trust God.
Press On-Selah

We need to fully trust in Jesus Christ, who loves us eternally, particularly in hard times.

Inseparable—The world is constantly trying to get our attention. Ads, social media, and people in ourbecome life distractions attempt to sever our attention from God. Each distraction claims to be more powerful, important, or influential than God. That makes them an Idol. Paul lists some of the challenges to faith in his day. See Romans 8:35 and following. hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

What does that list look like for us? What erodes our confidence in God's love today? Terrorism? Job insecurity? Illegal drugs? Natural disasters? Or something more insidious like maintaining our lifestyle, selfish wants, social or political power. It is time for us to make a bold declaration.

There is one word that describes the relationship between God's love for God's redeemed: inseparable. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone- Chris Tomlin

We need to reclaim our relationship with God's invincible love. Amen

What Shall I Leave My Son?

A Father's Day Sermon
By Greg Presley, “A Voice for Today Ministries” revised by Earl Presley.

TEXT: 1 Chronicles 28:2-21

INTRODUCTION:

David, seeing that he must name his successor as he lay on his death bed, named Solomon to be King as he had promised Bathsheba. In the presence of all the people he proclaimed Solomon King and charged him to do well by trusting God. Then David bestowed upon Solomon his inheritance.

David gave Solomon an unfulfilled dream of a temple for God; a sanctuary for worship. David had spent the latter part of his life gathering the materials for the temple and had made a blueprint by Divine Revelation as to how the temple should be built. These he left to Solomon.

David knew that Solomon would need more than his own power to accomplish this task, so he charged him to draw from the inexhaustible store of God. Solomon built the temple!

Wise in many things, foolish in some, King Solomon was a genius of economy and he brought prosperity to the land. He also was a political strategist and he brought peace to Israel by making compromising alliances with other nations, sealing these alliances with marriage to their royal daughters. In doing this, he laid the groundwork for the ruination and fall of Israel; the breaking of the covenant through Idolatry; and, in some measure, the crucifixion of Jesus--but that is another sermon.

Our attention today is given to the passing of the torch of leadership from David to his son. This text renders 3 important lessons for us on this Father’s Day.

I. We must leave our Children an unfulfilled dream.

“…I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God.”
Because David had been a warrior and because of his sin with Bathsheba he was not permitted to build the House of God.

Similarly, Moses was not permitted to go into the Promised Land.

Martin Luther King, Jr. left this world with a great sermon and it was of an unfulfilled dream “I have a dream!”

John F. Kennedy left a dream that has been mostly forgotten “Ask not what your Country can do for you, but what you can do for your Country.”

II. We must leave our Children the resources for the task of fulfilling the dream. (28:1-19)

1. A complete pattern, vs. 11-18

2. A Divine pattern, vs. 19

III. We must leave our children the assurance that they can, with God’s Power, accomplish the task of fulfilling the dream. (Vs. 20-21)

1. God’s power is that ingredient which insures success. (vs. 20)

“…Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed for the Lord God. My God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the house of the Lord is finished. (vs. 20)

2. The people of God are available to you when you do His Will. (vs.21)

“Now, behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levite for all the service of the house of God, and every will man of any skill will be with you in all the work for kinds of service. The officials also and all the people will be entirely at your command.” (vs.21)

3. The Hebrew tradition was to pass on a family craft to each son.
Jesus was a carpenter
Paul was a tent maker
Peter was a fisherman
My Family learned Upholstery

CONCLUSION: The WWII Generation let children choose their own dream. We have had 3 generations of children who sought to find fulfillment with no vision, resources, or assurance of success. As the home has broken down for the past 70 years, there are fewer dreams, fewer plans, and less assurance of success. I have watched young people abandon their dreams for personal aggrandizement for the last 25 years. I counsel adults’ everyday who feel unfulfilled due to poor career, spouse, and social choices.

The first order of business in these cases is to understand that an identifiable relationship with God is necessary for one to feel a part of creation. God’s will is an essential element in the forming of a vision, plan and resources to accomplish any dream. A vision of God’s will for your life is the first step toward the feeling of fulfillment that we all desire. Jesus said that he came so that man might have life, and have it abundantly. You have to have relationship with him to know his will for your life.
Beyond the individual is the ecclesia; the collective; the church.

1. We must leave our children the dream of a church that is a vital part of the community.

A. A church that pursues God’s Will as a congregation.
We must know God’s will
B. A church that lives God’s Will before the community.
We must reclaim our place in our community
C. A church that evangelizes by contacting the lost with a witness.
We must be intentional about spreading the Gospel
D. A church which believes that it can change the world.
We must look to the future

2. We must leave our children with the resources to accomplish this dream.
Facility, Faith, Tradition,
3. We must leave our children with the assurance that all this can be accomplished by God’s power in them.
We must propagate the faith.

4. Just like David found himself in our text; each one of us will confront what we are
leaving behind as our life on earth ends.
What do you want this Church to be like in 2020?

What dreams will you leave your sons and daughters?
Do you have any dreams?
How can we best equip them to realize the dreams we can only see in a divine vision?
Do we have a divine vision?
Are we able to transfer to them a sincere belief that through God, All things are possible?
Have we lived our faith in such a way that our children accepted it.

I believe that we must leave them a faith that permit’s the dream of a church united in Christ, responsive to His Will, and victorious from the beginning of time; A Church of compassion, love, and service. They must see we care, before they will care.

We must revitalize every program of the church to include the vision of where we want to go as well as where we have been. We must teach them to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost”, with the assurance that Christ go with us before, during and after their journey. Amen

Compassion the World Can See

I have been troubled of late that that the mainline church seems to be failing all around me, and the conservative evangelical church seems to be polarizing the public and rejected by most people with ethnic, socio-economic and sexual diversity. The issues that the fundamental church has chosen to stand on polarizes the community and the political rhetoric. The mainline church finds its tolerance ridiculed by their "brother and sisters in Christ" for moral decline and the rest of the world for lack of courage to stand for anything.

Why is the Church failing? Could it be that we have missed or changed God's plan for the church? First we must understand the mission of the Christian and then the extended mission of the church.

Matthew 28:16-20 (New International Version)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Verse 19 is the only mission of the disciples. A better rendering would be "as you go". We as Christians are supposed to make disciples, which requires witnessing as we go about our daily lives to what Jesus has done in and for us. The modern church in the 20th Century changed this to read "bring them to church, baptizing them..." and as a result, abandoned the very core of disciple mission.

These disciples, that we are supposed to resemble as Christians, let Jesus (with all authority) work through them, lead them, send them, and guide them through prayer, study, and experience with Jesus. Their credibility we lodged in their devotion and ability to let the world see the compassion and love of Jesus Christ through them.

The modern day problem is that today's Christians work for Jesus instead of letting Jesus work through them. They either do not resemble Christ by demonstrating their lack of compassion in the political arena, or they "do" for Christ and claim the credit for it with the community and with God without the credibility of Christ's authority gained by Jesus' authority and guidance.

The true Christian is then faced with the choice of being a part of a community outspoken, negative, guilt-ridden people who make enemies for Christ and the Church by their community and political agenda, or a community of do-gooders who don't seek God's leading for their compassion or allow Jesus to work through them. Some churches achieve the incorporation of both these traits.

Ask yourself; if you were faced with a person on the street reading the Bible and wondering about the stories he was reading, could you communicate and witness with validity to your own experience to lead him to Christ as Philip did the Ethiopian? If you were faced with an issue that required your compassion, would you be able to extend Christian help and then articulate your faith with the guidance of the Holy Spirit without being self-righteous and condescending? Do you really care what your neighbor's, friend's, or even family's eternal and present faith condition is?

If you cannot easily and quickly affirm these questions in your mind, you have been deluded by the modern church into thinking that the Christian has some other mission than to propagate the Gospel of Christ through complete submission to His will. I challenge you to consider how different the Church would be if all Christians prayerfully sought God's will for their lives and were willing to accept their mission as stated in Matthew 28. The Church's only hope is that individual Christians become Disciples once again.

The History of A Voice for Today

Loading...

A Voice For Today Ministries was begun by Evangelist Greg Presley and revival meetings were held from the East Coast of Florida to Yuma, AR. During a time of crisis in America during the Vietnam War, faith was waning and people questioned the Church, Morality, the Bible, and the Government. Teaching personal evangelism, preaching from the Bible coupled with exciting music enhanced by his son Earl, and David Phillips (former Organist with Dennis Yost and the Classics IV) was a combination that found hundreds of people coming to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and dedicating their lives to the cause of Christ.

Now in the 21st Century, it is once again a time of crisis. We find ourselves with a new generation of young people to whom the Gospel has not been made relevant. The Facebook and Twitter Generation questions the institutions of Church and religion in a new and more challenging way than every before. It is time for a new voice, A Voice for Today, to challenge people of faith to return to personal evangelism, renew their Christian Experience, and lead the emerging Church into a new century of carrying the Gospel to a world that is seeking love, peace, reconciliation, compassion, and spirituality without the trappings of the 20th Century religious bondage that plagues the declining Church.

Born out of crisis, A Voice for Today is a catalyst for change in the church's worldview regarding ministry, worship,and discipleship. Earl Presley is a Minister born out of the Civil Rights Movement of the Sixties, the Vietnam Protests of the seventies, the Individualism of the eighties, and the Culture of Greed in the nineties. He brings a prophetic voice in music, preaching and teaching based on the principles taught in the Bible that speak to the current crisis of faith confronting the Church and the World. Like his Father before him, Earl goes forth with Christ high and lifted up, bearing the Good News of Hope through Christ to a dying world.

There is a new website http://avoicefortoday.com/ which will allow you to book personal appearances for Earl Presley.

What a Black President Means

It is Wednesday morning after the historic election of November 4, 2008. I did not realize how vested I was in the historic significance of the election of our first African-American President.

65 years ago, Marion Anderson was the greatest Contralto Opera Singer of the 20^th Century. Mary Presley, my grandmother, was the president of the Women’s Club in Cottonwood, AL and arranged for a concert to be performed while Anderson was on tour of the US. When she arrived, the arrangements for Hotel and Restaurant fell through when the business owners realized she was of African-American. She stayed with my Grandmother’s family and performed to a sold out audience with rave reviews, but was denied access to Lodging and Food.

45 years ago, my father, Greg Presley, was Pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church of Ocala, Florida during the St. Augustine Race Riots. He led the Church to be the first Baptist Church in Florida to seat African-American visitors. The KKK burned a cross in the yard of the Manse and I remember my mother’s tears and fear as we watched my Dad take my little .410 shotgun out and defend our home while they danced around the flaming cross. 20 years later I would sing at the funeral of the same man that led that led the dance.

40 years ago I watched the Civil Rights activists H. Rap Brown and Andrew Young go to jail after speeches my father had helped write during demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Threatening phone calls followed my family for years for my father’s role as a speechwriter for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Today I wake to realize the American Dream of Equality and Opportunity regardless of race, gender, or entitlement is closer to being a reality than it has been in my lifetime. As Barack Obama said, “We have come so far”. Transformation is the theme of the American Dream as well as the Christian experience. Truly that transformation is taking place before our eyes at this time in history. I continue to pray for my own spiritual growth, the continued transformation of my country, and the Lord’s guidance for my new President. I hope you will join me.

Rev. Earl G. Presley, Pastor -First Christian Church, Rockdale, TX

Printed in the Rockdale Reporte, Rockdale, TX November 11, 2008