This morning I want to emphasize to you that the mark of a true believer is that a true believer loves other believers. I am not talking about feeling warm with other believers, but rather a connection, a commitment, a concern for the well-being of other believers.

The apostle John in 1 John gives the same teaching. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence (1Jo 3:14 -19).

John is clear. We do not become Christians by living a good life. The good life that we live is an indicator that we have passed from death into life. Faith first, works second. We are not saved by works, but when our lives change, it confirms that our faith is real.

And one of the works that both Jesus and John share with us is that we will love other believers. John says we will share material possessions. Jesus says the same. Our commitment to helping Christians will be strong.

This is especially true as we look at the first reality in Matthew 25, Jesus is coming again to judge the world. He is coming with all his angels. 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. I don’t want to spend much time here, except to say first that it will happen.

People may scoff and make fun of the idea of judgment, but the Bible is very serious, Jesus is very serious that he will come again with the angels to judge the earth.

When is this going to take place? The scholars I trust put this coming during or at the end of the tribulation. The Bible teaches that we are in a new age. We call it the church age or the age of grace. This is a time in which Jews and Gentiles are all equal and are all saved by faith in Jesus Christ. But in the future, the Bible teaches that all believers will be raptured or taken out of this world. Then begins seven years of tribulation. It is believed that sometime during or at the end of the tribulation, Jesus will come and judge those who are on this earth. Following the judgment, those who are believers will enter the millennial kingdom where Jesus will reign as king for a thousand years.

What will it be like for believers in the tribulation? As bad as the tribulation will be for the whole earth, it will be even worse for believers. We have heard about the 144,000? They are believing Jewish people who will witness for Christ during the tribulation. Christians will refuse the mark of the beast and will be outcasts in society. They will be poor and needy. No one will dare to help them because of the risk it will be to themselves.

If the first reality is that Jesus is coming to judge the earth, the second reality is that the major mark of the true believer in that time will be how they treat other believers.

32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

It is my understanding that the shepherd let the sheep and the goats mingle together during the day. But at night, they are separated so the sheep can be sheared or lie down and the goats can be milked. The sheep were more valuable than the goats, that is one reason why Jesus puts them on his right hand. The second reason is that sheep pictured the saints of Israel. The 23rd Psalm, for example, starts with “the Lord is my shepherd.” 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

Now the King is ready to judge. He says to those on the right, you are blessed! Take your inheritance! Their inheritance is the kingdom that God prepared for them since the creation of the world.

He now gives the reason for the blessing.

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, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

What a great reason for a reward. When the King was hungry, the righteous people fed him. When Jesus was thirsty, the believer gave him something to drink. When he was homeless and a stranger, they invited him to come in. When he needed clothes they gave it to him, when he was sick, they looked after him, when he was in prison they visited him.

What a blessing to be able to do this for Jesus. He died for us. Would you feed Jesus, give him something to drink, let him stay at your house and clothe him? Would you help Jesus when he was sick and visit him when he was in prison?

These people had. And Jesus rewards them for it.

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

What a great question. Jesus died and rose again 2000 years ago. This prophecy has still not been fulfilled. Jesus had not returned to earth. The people are scratching their heads wondering when they feed or clothed Jesus. They are wondering when they showed hospitality to Jesus or helped him when he was sick. When did Jesus go to prison?

40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

The tribulation will be a hard time. Believers will be hungry, thirsty, homeless, lacking adequate clothing, sick and in prison. It will be a tough time for them.

Those going through these hard times will not be alone. Jesus will be with them and will see their hunger, their thirst, their hard times. And he will be watching. “Who will help my brothers and sisters?”

The only ones who will help believers will be other believers. They will be the risk-takers. They are the righteous that we see in this verse. People of faith will help people of faith.

And God will bless them. Many of those who help believers will end up in prison or hungry or homeless. Jesus will be watching who helps and who doesn’t. And the righteous who do will be blessed.

It will be different for those on the left. 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

If you don’t agree with eternal punishment, take it up with Jesus. He is the one who said these words. There is an eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Scientist cannot prove this, philosophers can grapple with this. But Jesus said it will happen. Do you believe him?

Those who do not support Jesus during the tribulation will join the devil and his angels in this eternal fire.

42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

They have the same question. “Where were you? We didn’t see you!” 45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

What strong words. Christian, do you realize that when people bless you because you are a Christian, they are blessing Jesus? And do you realize that when they curse you because you are a Christian, they are cursing Jesus? If people don’t do it for us, they are not doing it for Jesus.

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matt. 25:31-46).

What determines whether on not these people will have eternal punishment or eternal life? The passage teaches that it will be because of how they treat believers. Why, in such hard and difficult times, will some treat believers good and some treat believers bad?

You know the root by the fruit. Those who truly believe will help others who believe. As natural as fruit grows on a tree, those who believe will love other believers and be with them in the hard times. Jesus said it. John said it. And it is true.

So I would ask two questions:

First, have you put your faith in Jesus Christ? Do you believe he died for you, was buried and rose again? Have you ever had a time where you receive Christ as your savior?

Second, do you pass this test? Do you love believers? Do you enjoy spending time with Christians, talking about the things of God? Do you feel a commitment to help Christians who are struggling and going through hard times?

Do you have any proof? Do you have a canceled check that shows you helped a believer? Do you have any spots in your calendar that said you visited a believer who was sick or in prison? Is there a bed you can point to in which a traveling Christian slept? Is there food missing from your shelves or a glass of water with fingerprints that would indict you?

You say, “Ed, shouldn’t I love everybody?” The answer is “Yes! Do good to all people,” Paul says, “Especially to those of the household of faith.” We are to love all. But believers are to be especially committed to helping other believers.