Opening Prayer

Dear Lord, as we come to Your Word today, please show us where we stand with You. Grant us discernment and compassion, that we may see Christ in His people and show our love for Him by serving them, just as He first loved us by serving us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

Scripture

Devotion

Back in chapter 4 Matthew reported that Jesus’ first public sermon was “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” Now here in His Last Public Sermon recorded in Matthew 25, we find Him preaching a message that is just as blunt. Sheep or goats? Blessings or curses? Heaven or hell? Which will it be? At His Second Coming, eternity will be determined by how we have treated Christ.

Those who despised Christ by their cruel indifference to the needs of Christian brothers and sisters will have to give an account and go to their eternal punishment. I’m sure that you, like me, sometimes read the headlines of the day and are tempted to despair at the sheer wickedness and indifference in the world. The reckless violence, the oppressive regimes, the abusive individuals. And very often there seem to be no consequences for the perpetrators. But when Christ descends on the clouds, perfect justice will be done. Those who no one else could hold to account will be held to account on that day. This is Good News.

Those who showed their love for Christ by caring for our Christian brothers and sisters – even in small ways – will enter into their eternal reward. They will be publicly vindicated, blessed and rewarded with eternal joy. All those who did what they could, whether much or little, to lovingly care for Christ’s people will be shown to have lovingly cared for Christ Himself.

Which of your brothers or sisters need your care today?

Intercessory Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for saving us from the power of sin through Jesus. Thankfully, in gaining the life of Jesus, we encounter the power of the Lord’s resurrection, and are united with Him in a resurrection like His. Lord, we pray that You keep in peace the churches that are preparing for Easter worship, so that brothers and sisters can have joy in preparation and service, with willingness to give their best to the Lord. We pray that the entire Easter gatherings will be filled with the glory of God, and that God’s people will exalt Jesus the Messiah in one voice and declare that Lord Jesus is the only hope for the world. In Jesus’s name, Amen!