Out Not In The words in and out are interesting. Added with other words they carry vastly different meanings. Added to the word door we can say that we are either an indoor person or outdoor person. I am an outdoor person. I like the vast open fields. I love the sea. I love fishing. I love crabbing too. When the words are added to the word ward it means something else. I was an inward person. Though essentially an outdoor person yet I was an inward person. Man as sinners is that way. I was that way-that way until I came to Christ. Then I grew to be an outward person. A person with an outward focus. No longer I looking to self. I slowly learnt to care for others. However inward is the way people in the world are. This is a fallen world. It is marked by sin. Sin makes us inward focused. We think of self before anything else. What is in it for me? Why bother? It does not concern me. Better look after ourselves first. Leave the other person to himself. However, God expects us to be outward focus. To be concerned with others beside ourselves. To have a compassion for those less fortunate than us. To be the good Samaritan to someone who needs our help. Let us see what Jesus has to say about this MT 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 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. MT 25:34 "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. 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.' MT 25:37 "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?' MT 25:40 "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.' MT 25:41 "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. 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.' MT 25:44 "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?' MT 25:45 "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.' MT 25:46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." This is the third and final parable that Jesus regarding His second coming. When He comes He will divide people two groups - into sheep and goats. Sheep are those who have cared for others. They had fed the hungry. Gave a drink to the thirsty. Gave a room to a stranger in need of accommodation. Clothes to those who have nothing to wear. Visited and attended to the sick. Visited those in prisons. To them Jesus gave a warm welcome. Welcome thou good and faithful servants. The goats on the other are inward looking people who only cared for themselves. They gave nothing. Visited no one. Did not lend a hand to help others. They are just shut in to themselves. On the last day they find themselves shut out of heaven. Go away. I do not know you. This is what they will hear from Jesus. God cares for the poor. He cares for the disadvantaged. He wants us to care of them as well. He wants us to be outward focused. Today, let us come to understand why this is critical to God. Why is it that caring for others is so important that it will make a difference whether we will enter into heaven or not. We will also come to see what we can do to ensure that we are people who cares. Jesus says that when you do the acts of love for the least of the brothers of His you are doing it for Him. He did not say merely doing acts of charity, acts of love, acts of kindness - it is also not simply for anyone. It is for the least of the brothers. For those who are in the Kingdom of God. For our spiritual brothers and sisters. Huh? Pastor, are you sure? Does God not care for the rest of the world. Of course He does. But why then is God referring to doing it for our spiritual brothers and sisters? He knows that if you cannot serve your own spiritual brothers and sisters you will not be able to serve anyone else. Charity begins at home. People actually say that to mock. But there is some truth in it as well. If you cannot help yourself how can you help anyone else? If you are not able to take care of yourself how can you take care of anyone else? On flights the safety announcement is that when the oxygen masks drops you take care of yourself first. This extends to the community as well. If you cannot help a brother or sister who needs your help, -- people who have common bonds with you - people who share the same faith as you - if you cannot help them, would you extend yourself to help the outcasts of society - the criminals, the prostitutes, the dejected? We need to start somewhere. And that somewhere is in your community. Jesus expects us to be outward focused when we are in the community. Let us try to understand why. Can I have three volunteers. There are forces flowing either inwards into each one of us or outwards from each one of us. Now, let us say that these three are inward focused, where is the flow of that force? What happens then? Each of them become islands to themselves. Islands in a sea of humanity. There is no unity. There is no relationship. Each of them have to fend for themselves. Each is also a vulnerable target for the enemy. However, when they are outward focused, where is the flow of the forces. Outwards to each other - binding them and making them into one. The outward flow is the force of love. The force of love flowing out from each other in terms of care will bring them together in unity. When one falls, they have the others to help him up. They are joined together in the bonds of love. The Bible says that one chase a thousand and two puts ten thousand to flight. There is strength in unity. Jesus said "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." When the community is united, we can indeed touch the world for Jesus Christ. Not otherwise. Who would want to follow after a group of people who can't love each other? What beauty can there be that others would want what we have? However when we love each other. When there is joy. When no one has needs because we care for each other, wouldn't people be more attracted? When they walk in here - they will sense the joy - they can see the warmth - they can see the love. Yes, the first step towards charity is to take care of ourselves - take care of our community - take care of each other. When we take care of each other, we are doing so for Jesus. We can only do so when we are outward focused. Note that Jesus mentioned more than just giving. It is easy to give money. Here, take these few dollars of mine. Don't come and bother me again. I am well too busy. Just take my money and go. This is not what Jesus had mentioned. He mentioned actions that we should take - feeding the poor, giving a drink to the thirsty, giving clothing to those in need, visiting the sick, visiting those in prison, giving shelter to the homeless. Two weeks ago the message was about the ten virgins - the message was Are you hot? It is about passionate spirituality. That God expects us to the spiritually hot for Him. Last week the sermon was on the parable of the talent. That God expects us to invest what we have received from Him - to give the money He has blessed us with - to serve with whatever spiritual gifts He had given to us. Friends, the former two parables were told one after the other with Jesus then leading us to this one. Are they isolated parables that He had told? Three isolated parables with an aspect of our spiritual life against the backdrop of His second coming? The answer is no. They should be looked upon as a whole. We should indeed be spiritually hot so that we will give of our money and time and talent so that we can meet the needs of our community by serving one another. If this is done, then the church - the community of God - would then be united and lovely - a place where people want to belong. How can we do this? By the change of our worldview. Too many Christians want Jesus as Saviour. Few want Him as Lord. They therefore carry along with them their former ways of behavior into the Kingdom of God. Without a change in worldview however it is impossible to be the person that God wants us to be. When Jesus returns we may find that we will be left out in the cold. We need to see things from a larger picture. Once we are Christians life is no longer about us. It is about God. God wants us to have a larger picture. His will is for the whole world and not for us alone. His will for each of us is so that we can be that unique piece within the larger jigsaw puzzle. Without us the picture would not be complete. But the piece is not the picture. Each of us does not make up the will of God for the world. The entire puzzle is. We are just a piece within a larger whole. We should therefore be outward focused - caring for the world, for the community and for our brothers and sisters. What flows outwards from us must also be from a well developed inside. What is on the inside will flow to the outside. Garbage in garbage out. If good things are put in good things will flow out. So, what is on the inside of you? What have you been feeding yourself with. How do you spend your time? Games - computer games? Zag zap shoot bang bang - if we continue to feed ourselves with those games then violence will be a result. Work work work - then what will come forth will be robotic actions - no feelings - no sense of the environment - just a machine that is programmed to work. Money money money - then the outflow will be greed. The focus on money is fueled by greed - that will control our lives as well Sports - health - then what will come forth is a physical hunk - all muscular in the physique but weak on the inside But if we feed ourselves with the food of God's Word, then we will be able to feed those who are hungry If we drink from the fountain of Jesus, then we will be able to give a drink to those who are thirsty If we soak ourselves in God's presence, soaking in His great love - then love will flow out of us to touch a world that is in much need for love. It is only when our church can reach a new level of unity that we will ever see growth in our church. In many churches, there is too much things being swept under the carpet. Things that are unresolved in our hearts. Too much disagreements that we have shoved aside - pretending that all is okay. It is not. God is not pleased when we have unresolved issues that we are not willing to reconcile with our brothers or sisters. I think our church is no exception. Today is a day of reconciliation. A day to lay our own agendas aside. A day when we will truly love one another. A day to show care for every single person. This is the day to have a spiritual breakthrough - not only for yourself but the church. Today, let us come before God with repentance in our hearts and get things right with Him. Let us pray.

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