What is a lukewarm Christian? What does it mean to be a sheep or a goat? Many people search through Jesus' words in Matthew Chapter 25 when he teaches people through parables by telling a story about sheep and goats. It is a confounding parable unless you understand it from the perspective of biblical times and the hidden truth Jesus was actually teaching.

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. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 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."
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?" He will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

What we see in the scripture is that we will be judged in an instant at the end, and its a warning about how our actions should align with our heart and of a superficial understanding of Jesus, but no assurance of his salvation. We must be transformed by him, not just have knowledge of him to have eternal life and forgiveness of sins. A lukewarm Christian is one who is not known by God, he will send them away at the judgement. When we are living in surrender to the mission of Christ, then we can know without doubt that we are saved and will spend eternity in heaven.

This short segment covers seven signs that you need to be aware of in your life that show you are living a lukewarm life from a wonderful book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan -https://amz.run/5HAU
1. Do you want to be saved from sin, or just the consequences of sin?
2. Are you moved by stories of radical change, but don't do radical things?
3. Do you ever share your faith with your friends and neighbors?
4. Do you think about Earth more than eternity?
5. Do you love your luxuries and rarely give to the poor in a sacrificial way?
6. Is your life so structured that you don't need to live by faith?
7. Do you give God your leftovers and not your first and best?

Remember that salvation is not dependent on our works, but our life should reflect the glory of God through living in surrender to Christ. These are scary verses to consider in the bible if you are unsure that your life has been truly changed when you accepted Jesus as your savior. If you've got questions about who Jesus is or how to take the next step in your faith journey, then reach out today - burnthickory.com/next.
You can see the full sermon about the parable of the sheep and the goats here - https://youtu.be/ybR2Gx89qxE
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