Knowing Your Identity is the title of the message based on Matthew chapter 25. There are two kinds of people in the last days, as described in the whole chapter. This chapter is divided into three parts: (1) The Parable of the Ten Virgins, (2) The Parable of the Talents, (3) The Sheep and the Goats. By using these stories as illustrations, we can identify groups of people. We can also know our identity by knowing two kinds of people.
Identity 1 – The Prepared and the Unprepared (vv. 1-13)
It says in 25:1-2, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” This parable informs us that there are two kinds of people: the prepared and the unprepared. The five wise virgins are the “prepared” because they have extra oil in their lamps and the five foolish virgins are the “unprepared” because they did not bring oil for their lamps. When the bridegroom arrived, the wise virgins were able to get in but the foolish virgins did not because the door was shut. This parable of Jesus teaches us the reality that when Jesus comes back, there will be prepared as well as unprepared.
It was the Jewish marriage custom for the groom and his friends to leave his home and proceed to the home of the bride, where the marriage ceremony was conducted, often at night. After this, the entire wedding party returned to the groom’s home for a celebratory banquet (ESV Study Bible).
Somebody said, “Life is short just enjoy it. Eternity is long better prepare for it.” It is important to be prepared because no one knows the hour or the day when Jesus comes back. How to prepare? The Bible teaches us that we need to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9-10, says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Identity 2 – The Faithful and the Unfaithful (vv. 14-30)
This portion (verses 14-30) is all about the Parable of the Talents. It is also identified two kinds of people, using the parable as an illustration: the faithful and the unfaithful.
Chapter 25:14-15 says, “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.”
The one who received five talents gained five more and the one who received two gained two more. But the one who received one talent did not work for it. He hid it under the ground. The two servants heard from the master a word of compliment, “well done good and faithful servant.” But the one who did not work for it heard the opposite, “you wicked, lazy servant.” In this parable, two kinds of people are identified: the faithful and the unfaithful. The Lord has given us talents, treasures, and time. It is expected that we must be faithful.
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Identity 3 – The Righteous and the Unrighteous (vv. 31-46)
The righteous and the unrighteous are two kinds of people that are identified in the last portion of the chapter. In verses 32-33 says, “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. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”
The sheep and the goats are used as a metaphor. The righteous are the sheep who are put on the right hand of the Lord and the goats are put on the left side. In verses, 35-36 says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
Now, you know your identity! Are you on the side of the prepared or unprepared? How faithful you are, as the Lord entrusted you with talents? Are you on the righteous group or on the side of the unrighteous?
