By Michael C. Mack

Think back to the playground when kids chose teams. What was that experience like for you? Did you usually like the team you ended up on? 

Read Matthew 25:31-46. 

A cursory reading of this passage may give the false impression that people are saved by good works. 

• Read Ephesians 2:8-10. How does this help you better understand Jesus’ parable? With this in mind, how do you explain why the goats in Matthew 25:41-43 are cursed?

• In v. 34. who is an inheritance reserved for? What does this imply for the sheep? 

Describe how you envision the scene in vv. 31, 32 as King Jesus sits on his glorious throne surrounded by the angels and all the nations around him. (Also see Revelation 4.) 

What specific people did Jesus identify as “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine”? 

What keeps you from caring for hurting people? 

Close in prayer, asking King Jesus to show you clearly who and how you can serve and how you can worship him by serving others. 

Michael Mack leads church training events and consults with churches through his ministry, Small Group Leadership (www.smallgroupleadership.com).