The Inasmuch Commandment:
Are We All Guilty?
by Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
"Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee...in prison and came unto Thee? And the King shall answer...Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." (Matt. 25:37-40)
One of the least obeyed commands of our Lord is what we call the ‘Inasmuch Commandment.’ Although this scripture refers to the future "judging of the nations" by Jesus Christ Himself, it nevertheless reveals His heart of compassion! The "sheep nations" are those which have treated 'My brethren' (Israel) with respect and kindness, and the "goat nations" are those which hate and abuse the Jewish people!
A POWERFUL LESSON FOR US ALL!
Jesus sends us a strong message, however, in how He identifies with the poor, needy, unloved, sick, and suffering of this world! God’s Word states: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds…
“The deceased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye HEALED that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with cruelty have ye ruled them.” (Is. 34:1-4)
Apparently, there will be some surprises when we all stand before the judgment bar of Christ; the ungodly at the 'great white throne judgment' and the righteous at the ' bhema seat'! The wicked shall be judged to eternal damnation, because of rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. And believers - who are saved by the merits of Christ's atoning work for them on Calvary's cross - will be judged by their works, for rewards!
The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
“He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
HIS TESTIMONY THAT GOD IS TRUE!
“He that cometh from Above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthy, and speaketh of the earth: He that cometh from Heaven is above all. And what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth: and no man receiveth His testimony.
“He that hath received His testimony hath set to his SEAL that God is TRUE. For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him. The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hand.
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3: 31-36)
St. Paul warns: "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." (1 Cor. 3:13-15)
THE WORKS OF THE SPIRIT!
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not enter into the Kingdom of God.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: Against such, there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Gal. 5:19-25)
“When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, shall He sits upon the Throne of His Glory: And before Him shall be gathered all nations: And He shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth His sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
“Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, COME, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in; Naked and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.
“Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, and fed Thee? Or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in, or naked, and clothed Thee? Or when saw we Thee SICK or in Prison, and came unto Thee?
I WAS HUNGRY AND YE GAVE ME NO FOOD!
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. Then shall He say unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
"For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink: I was a stranger and ye took Me not in: naked, and ye clothed Me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not.
"Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not unto Me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." (Matt. 25:41-46)4
St. James, the pastor of the world's first Pentecostal Church and the half-brother of Jesus Christ, had some strong feelings on this subject: "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27)
TWO THINGS ARE VERY IMPORTANT
According to St. James, the two most important aspects of the Christian life are: 1). Help the needy - orphans and widows - in their trouble. 2). To keep oneself separated from the world - to live a pure life!
For more than 30 years we fully supported the 'Solbrekken Children's Home' in Guntur, A.P., South India. We sent them more than $600 every month and sometimes large sums of money during special crises. We founded orphanages in Haiti and the Philippines and supported them for about 20 years, until they became self-supporting.
And through our work Europa for Kristus in
Norway, we were able to help raise funds for various other orphanages for many
years! Praise God! We presently help fund some gospel works in other
nations!
Our main gift to the heathen for about fifty years was conducting large crusades in many nations of the world, where multitudes have received Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world and Great Physician!
May the Lord bless you as you do your very best to help us spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost of this world and help lift the heavy burden of poverty and misery from their lives! And remember, Donna and I are praying for you and your needs! Amen.
Max Solbrekken World Mission Box 44220 RPO Garside Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6; Email: [email protected]; comehometojesus.ca; Youtube; Facebook; Donations can be made by e-Transfer. Make your donation to [email protected]. Thank you and God bless you! Amen.
