"God Wants Me 'Others-Oriented'”

Matthew 25

March 12, 2000

Introduction: The grave of Mrs. Rachel Jackson is located in a garden on the 425 acre estate known as the Hermitage. The inscription on her tombstone reads like this, in part: “Here lie the remains of Mrs. Rachel Jackson, wife of President Jackson, who died the 22nd (of) Dec. 1828, aged 61.
Her face was fair, her person pleasing, her temper amiable, her heart kind; she delighted in relieving the wants of her fellow creatures, and cultivated that divine pleasure by the most liberal and unpretending methods… to the poor she was a benefactor; to the rich an example; to the wretched a comforter; to the prosperous an ornament; her piety went hand in hand with her benevolence, and she thanked her Creator for being permitted to do good.” (WORLD, March 11, 2000, pg. 39)
It is obvious from this brief epitaph that Rachel Jackson lived a particular dream, and the major focus of all her dreams and vision were other people. Other people , hurting and needy people, were the object of her energies, her efforts, her time and resources.
As we continue to think about vision and what kind of vision God has in store for us individually and as a church family, we cannot get away from this defining trait of vision. Vision is always others centered. As we pray and as we search the Scriptures, we who are serious about doing what God wants us to do find ourselves looking for unique ways to serve others, to meet their needs, to help them to wholeness and health.
The passage I want us to look at this morning is Matthew 25. In studying this passage, I was struck with what it reveals for us of what God’s vision is for this world and for all of mankind in it. It is not surprising that this vision is others-oriented! Along with what God is showing us of His heart, I also noticed some patterns of living that reflect God’s vision that we ought to consider incorporating into our vision. I want to share these insights with you and draw some applications for us to put into practice as we go out from this place today.
Now just briefly, there are some difficulties with understanding elements of Mt. 25 that can be unraveled and overcome if we’ll remember that this chapter is part of the answer to questions the disciples had asked Jesus in Mt. 24:3. That verse goes like this: “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’" Any confusion we have had in times past trying to understand Matthew 25 can be cleared up by keeping in mind the disciples questions that prompted Jesus’ answer. The issues of chapter 25 point toward the end times, though there are obvious applications we can make to life today.
Now this chapter 25 is too long for us to read in the time we have together today. So as you notice the paragraphs and subtitles in your Bibles, let me scan this chapter for us. Just for novelty’s sake, let’s start at the end of the chapter.
There are three accounts that make up this chapter. The final message has to do with the returning Lord Jesus, described as the King in verse 34 and He is separating sheep from goats. That is verses 31-46. The story just previous to that concerns 3 stewards who are entrusted with the master’s wealth and the accounting they must give upon his return from a long journey. That is verses 14-30. And finally, verses 1-13, the first story is about 10 virgins who are waiting in the evening for the coming of the bridegroom.
Now in our first segment this morning, the sheep and goats story, we are given a glimpse of God’s vision for His creation. Notice in verse 33, the Lord Jesus has separated the sheep out, setting them on His right while the goats are placed on His left. Then He says, vs. 34, "Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”
What impresses us here is that God, before the creation of the world, had a vision. This vision of the Heavenly Father was of us together with Him in a kingdom! That was His goal even before He began the process of creating the world and all that is in it. Now the fundamental characteristic of that vision was a kingdom where everyone has an ‘others’ orientation. Notice what Jesus says about these sheep and how the ‘sheep’ here react to what Jesus has said.
Verse 35: “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 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, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’”
"The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
The outstanding, primary quality of the kingdom of heaven is one of people helping others. Before the creation of the world, God envisioned a realm where people would live together, where the most common element of life was one person helping another.
We thus are not surprised to find the Lord Jesus saying in another portion of Scripture that the greatest person in the kingdom of God is the one who was the servant of all. There can be no question that the key element in our vision will be the needs of others!
Now notice another important detail here in our passage: The “sheep” act surprised that they have served the Lord Jesus in this way. Verses 37, 38, and 39 find them asking, “When did we do these things to you?” And Jesus answers, “You did it to Me when you did it to My brethren.” This detail helps us to understand that this aspect of the life of these ‘sheep’ is not the cause of their salvation, but rather it is the evidence of salvation. They weren’t doing these things to be saved, they were doing these things because they were saved.
Consider a modern day example by the name of Hannah Hawkins. Hannah Hawkins is a 58 year old widow who today resides in Washington, D.C. She is a retired, school admin aide who initiated in 1985 an after-school program called Children of Mine. Her program serves some 80 kids who come to a rundown community center after school to do their homework and eat a hot meal, to receive tutoring and counseling, to participate in arts, crafts, dance, drama, and Bible lessons.
Children of Mine grew out of a covenant with God that Hannah Hawkins made in 1970. Completely devastated by the murder of her husband, she made this deal with God: “If He would allow me to get up out of my bed, that I would serve those that were less fortunate.”
There are many of the ‘less fortunate’ in her neighborhood: many fathers are missing, many mothers are missing; older children bring younger ones with them to the ministry of Children of Mine. One 12 year old brings a 3 year old; the older one is raising the younger one! Hannah Hawkins told World magazine’s Marvin Olasky in an interview: “I ain’t easy to deal with, but my children know I love them and care about them.” This widow prays with ‘her kids’, she prays for them, and she tells them about Jesus. (WORLD, March 11, 2000, pg. 35)
Hannah Hawkins fits the pattern of one of the sheep of God’s kingdom who will one day hear the King say: “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”
There’s a lesson here for us as we are praying about this issue of vision. We could state it this way: God’s will for us is always others-oriented. Every vision that God will call us to in His still small voice will involve elements that meet the needs of others. Every vision that God will entrust to us will draw us out of ourselves for the sake of others. An others orientation can take many forms. An others orientation can be expressed in many ways.
Consider these examples that Jesus makes reference to in our text: providing food for those who are hungry, making sure those who are thirsty have a cold drink, inviting into our homes those who are lonely, supplying clothes to those who are naked, going to visit those who are sick, and taking part of an afternoon for those who are in prison.
So, the hard question: When have we last done any one of these kinds of things? Have we had any lonely person into our home in the past week? Have we carved some time out of our schedule recently to encourage someone ill and homebound? When did we last pass through those heavy metal doors of the jail?
My sense, friends, is just this: As we make time for these kingdom kinds of priorities, we will more likely hear God’s voice making known to us His vision for us. But if our days are spent running our children from one school activity to another sporting event, if our days are consumed with entertainment events and Bible studies, if most of our energy is discharged in the pursuit of extra income and more possessions, then it is very unlikely that God will bother us with even part of His dreams for His kingdom.
So, let’s make a plan! For those of us at the universities, let’s get out of our ivory towers! Let’s go to the vice-president of our department and say something like this: “My pastor is on my case about becoming more balanced with my life. I just can’t take on any more academic responsibilities. In fact, I’ve got to get rid of some I have now so I can become more of a kingdom kind of person. I just have to have more time for others in my community, you know, like those who founded this Christian university did.”
For those of us with children caught up in all that is available to them in school, clubs, extra-curricular opportunities, etc., let’s sit down together and decide which two things we are going to participate in this semester. Let’s include in our family plan some times together where we are going to minister to others.
For those of us who are students, let’s don’t sign up for 15 offices and clubs and intramural teams. Let’s sign on to help out with Helping Hand, or the Crisis Pregnancy Center, or a jail visitation team. Need an introduction to Chaplain Jack Brady of the Grant County jail? I’ll introduce you. Our son Toby has spent some of his Monday afternoons this semester with a fellow Purdue student named Sarah talking about abstinence in classes at one of the high schools in Lafayette. They’ve been sponsored by the local CPC. In previous semesters Toby has taken some Wednesday afternoons to do tutoring with kids in need, and in doing so he has served the King. For when we did this service to “one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”
God’s will for us, His vision for us, is always others oriented. When we move in that direction, He opens windows for us to see more clearly His vision for His kingdom.
Let’s wrap up this morning with a brief look at the other two segments of this chapter. In the story of the three stewards, vss. 14-30, the Lord Jesus tells of a master going away on a long journey. This master entrusts three differing amounts of silver to three of his servants. The term the Lord uses is the word ‘talent’, and we know this is money, for it is called ‘money’ in verse 18. These stewards are supposed to make good use of this stewardship in anticipation of their master’s return. Two of the servants give a positive accounting to their returning master for their faithful stewardship. The five talent man and the two talent man have been responsible with their master’s money and have reaped a bountiful harvest. Both are commended as ‘good and faithful’, both are put in charge of ‘many things’, and both are invited into the joy of their master.
Sadly, the third steward has not been so faithful, and he is described as wicked, lazy, and worthless. His future does not include the joy of his master, but rather darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth.
The issue for us this morning, in this context of understanding vision, is simply that our others-orientation requires faithfulness on our part. That is lesson two: Our others-orientation must be faithfully engaged. By this I mean, the kingdom of heaven is not characterized by those who make a visit a year to one who is sick. It is not a cup of cold water once every six months to one who is thirsty. The kingdom of heaven is more than a trip to the jail to visit a prisoner once in a lifetime.
The vision that God gives us to fulfill will carry with it an expectation on His part that we will be faithful in its execution. By way of illustration, I’m reminded of the story of Mary McLeod Bethune. Miss Bethune had a dream to open a school for black children. When she arrived in Daytona, FL, in 1904, she had exactly $1.50 in her pocket. She began her school a month later in a rented two-story cottage with 5 girls aged 8-12.
Two years into her dream, Mary had 250 students and needed new facilities. She bargained with a landowner for a piece of land that was just a garbage dump. The owner of the land asked her in amazement, “Why do you want to buy that piece of land? It’s only a public dump.” Mary replied, “That’s not what I see there. I see armies of happy boys and girls going out into life full of hope and faith and knowledge.”
Once on a field trip outside of Daytona Beach, Bethune and her students came across a camp where poor, malnourished migrant workers tapped pine trees for sap to make varnish and turpentine. She established a mission on the site, and over a 5 year period established a chain of missions throughout the turpentine camps in the Florida swamps. On Sundays, the migrants would be counseled about cooking and sobriety and their children would be taught to read and sing.
To motivate the students in her school, Mary Bethune had “Enter to Learn” carved on the entrance and “Depart to Serve” on the exit. When she resigned as president in 1944 at the age of 65, Bethune-Cookman College had its own campus with 600 students. (Investor’s Business Daily, February 18, 2000) Miss Mary had been faithful over the long haul in her others-orientation.
The application for us is simple. Let’s serve others with diligence over the long haul. Let’s be on guard against laziness and worthlessness. Let’s not rest on our laurels of past service. Let‘s continue to make plans to help others. Then we, too, will enter into the joy of our Lord.
The third segment of Matthew 25 is the beginning story of 10 virgins. These 10 members of a wedding party are awaiting the coming of the bridegroom. The bridegroom has been to the bride’s house, and he is soon to return with his bride to his own home to resume the festivities that began at her home. These 10 virgins are waiting outside the groom’s home for the coming of the groom with his bride.
Alas, the groom is delayed in coming. And it’s been a long day, and the young ladies get drowsy and finally fall asleep. About midnight, as the text tells us, there is a shout that the groom is coming, and the 10 young ladies rise up to greet the wedding party. They trim their oil lamps to light the way, but sadly, 5 of the virgins don’t have enough oil in their lamps to keep them burning. They want to borrow oil from the five others, but these five will not share their oil for fear that they will all end up in the dark.
The five ladies without enough oil rush to the 76 station for a fill-up, and by the time they return, the bride and groom have entered the home and they find themselves locked out of the wedding festivities. The point of the story is that when the King returns (represented by the groom here, represented by the master in the second story, and described as the Son of Man in the third story)… when the King returns, He expects to find wise and prudent attendants, those who have prepared for His coming.
And that is the lesson for us, too. In our others-oriented vision, we not only want to be faithful, we also want to be wise and prudent.
In 1892, John Philip Sousa, after 12 years as the leader of the U. S. Marine Band, resigned to start a civilian band. It was a risky venture, for none of the traveling bands of his day were profitable. But for a man who would write 322 musical arrangements, seven books, and 336 musical pieces, including 136 marches, Sousa would prove that he had the savvy and the talent to pull it off.
During its 40 year history, the Sousa Band traveled more than a million miles and gave more than 15,000 performances to audiences throughout the world. On the personal side, Sousa always showed concern for others. “If a band member made repeated mistakes, Sousa didn’t publicly berate him. Instead, Sousa visited the man in private and made gentle conversation. If he learned that the player was under stress caused by personal problems, Sousa would either offer the man friendly advice or give him time off with pay so he could resolve his difficulties.”
Not many people know that John Philip Sousa fell off his favorite horse while riding in 1921 and broke his neck. After just 10 weeks of recuperation, with permanent damage to his left arm, Sousa led his band in a performance that he felt his audience deserved. Refusing to let the crowd see him in pain, sweat streaming down his face, he finally left the stage at the end near exhaustion, but those attending that evening didn’t know what he had gone through to serve them. (Investor’s Business Daily, January 14, 2000)
Sousa was a wise man in his day when private bands were not profitable. Sousa was a wise man in his treatment of his employees, showing them respect and concern. This wise man served his audiences while even in great pain because they deserved a performance they had paid to see.
Friends, let’s not be foolish and unwise in the spending of this one life we have. Let’s not be caught at the Lord’s return having flittered away our lives, our resources, our energies in the pursuit of lesser things. Let’s commit ourselves to the pursuit of a vision that we can handle wisely.
For when God shares a vision with us for us to execute, we know it will be oriented to others. He will expect us to be faithfully about that vision, and He will be pleased if we are wise and prudent in the fulfilling of it.


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