Jump Start # 1535
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
Our verse today comes near the end of the sermon on the mount. In many ways the sermon actually ends with the golden rule in verse 12. What follows are a series of “what are you going to do with these things?” This includes our verses today.
These verses seem to surround a specific day. “Many will say to Me on THAT DAY…” What day? Most likely, THE DAY. The day of Judgment.
There seems to be two strong threads running through these verses.
First, is an apparent surprise that they were not going to be in Heaven. There are happy surprises in life and shocking surprises. The happy ones include surprise birthday parties, an unexpected bonus, a kiss by a grandchild. We love those kinds of surprises. The shocking surprises would include being laid off from work, finding a dent in your car and no one around to account for it, finding out some hidden scandals about someone you admired. Here, in this passage, are a group that thought they were sitting well with the Lord. They expected the gates of Heaven to be flung wide open for them. They were anticipating eternity with the Lord. To their horror, they found out, at the wrong time to do anything about it, that they had not pleased the Lord. To their horror, the Lord declared that He didn’t know them.
How could that be? They try to defend themselves and build a case for why they ought to be included in Heaven’s kingdom. Look what we have done. Everything we have done has been for you. It was in Your name that we prophesied. We even cast out demons and preformed miracles in Your name. How could you not know us? How could you not include us?
Did these people actually cast out demons and preform miracles? In Jesus’ name? How could they do those things and not be included in Heaven? This may be an extreme example to emphasize the point. Even doing miracles does open the gates of Heaven. Casting out demons, the vile enemies of the cross, does not guarantee Heaven.
Second, they seemed to miss what was most important, “doing the will of My Father who is in Heaven.” Had they devoted their time to doing what God said, instead of these other things, they might have heard, “Well, done good and faithful slave. Enter into the joy of your Master,” as repeated to the five and two talent slaves in Matthew 25. Do the will of God, that’s what Jesus is after. Having given details in the sermon on the mount that illustrates what citizenship in the kingdom is like, Jesus ends this by wanting His disciples to do what He has said. Don’t go out and do what you want. Don’t go out and grab the headlines by doing great things such as miracles and casting out demons. Do the will of God. The will of God, taught in the sermon on the Mount, included, righteousness from the inside out. It involved putting others first. It included having right motives, right attitudes and a right heart.
Jesus isn’t impressed by the great things that people are doing. His eye catches those who genuinely are doing the will of God. In the name of religion people have built universities, dug irrigation trenches, fed the homeless, built houses for the poor, provided safe haven for teens to play sports, published books, and filled stadiums in the name of Jesus. Amazing things. Great good done. But was it, is it, the will of God? How are these any different than doing miracles or casting out demons? The word “Ministry” is attached to just about any word you can think of today. There are bike– ministries, puppet–ministries, camping-ministries, prison-ministries, cooking-ministries, travel-ministries, quilting-ministries and on and on and on and on, it seems to go. Stick the word ministry behind any hobby and it gives it credibility, because it seems to be “divine” and a part of the church, and then it will be funded by the church. Who can argue with a “ministry?” Who would dare question a “Ministry?” If it’s a ministry, it has to be right. Right? Are these much different than casting out demons and doing miracles in Your name? These great activities take a lot of time and a lot of money. Certainly good is being done. Certainly lives are being touched. But what is often missing is asking, “Is this the will of God?” “Is this what God wants us to be doing?”
Jesus states three shocking revelations to these people.
First, what they were doing was not the will of God. If it were, then they would be included in Heaven’s kingdom. They were busy but they were not busy doing the will of God.
Second, what they were doing was considered “Lawlessness.” Lawless means without law. They were on their own. They were making their own rules. They were not following what God had said. Instead of pleasing God, which they thought they were doing, they were guilty of doing things without law.
Third, Jesus said that He never knew them. That’s harsh. That’s some of the hardest words in the Bible. Sometimes we may forget a name. We may forget that we already met someone earlier. But to say, “I never knew you, depart from Me.” It’s one thing to meet someone for the first time. “We haven’t met before…” And then an introduction and a relationship of friendship begins. It’s not that way here. These folks were dropping Jesus’ name often. Seven times they either said, “Lord” or “Your name.” They sure seemed to think that they knew Jesus. How wrong they were. If they really knew Jesus, then they would know that He is interested in doing the will of the Father. In the garden, before the cross, Jesus prayed, “Not My will, but Thy will be done.” Jesus understood doing the will of the Father. These people loved to drop names, brag about what they had done, but were not serious about doing the will of God. To their surprise, Jesus declared, “Depart.” Get out of here. Get out of My way. You are not in the Kingdom. You are wayward. You are lawless. You are lost.
This leads us to two final thoughts.
First, what is the will of God? How do I find it? Contextually, Jesus is referring to the sermon on the mount. That’s a starting point. That’s not all of it. But read Matthew 5-7, with a Bible in one hand and a mirror in the other. Are you doing what God says? Are you becoming what He wants you to be? From that, read the rest of the N.T. This is the will of God. This is the “one faith” of Ephesians 4. This is “the faith” that Jude tells us to contend earnestly for. The will of God is not for you to strike out on your own and do what is not in the Bible. The will of God is for you to imitate Jesus and pattern yourself after the Lord. Have a heart like Jesus. Forgive like Jesus. Be a light into the world like Jesus. Be compassionate. Be good. Be righteous. Be obedient. Stop judging others so much. Stop trying to keep an image up and be honest. Be prayerful. Be a worshipper of God.
Second, is it possible for me to be fooled into thinking that I am right with God when I am not? Certainly. Leaning upon what I have done, rather than who I am, will get you there quickly. Some seem to think that they are more spiritual than others because they travel the oceans doing things overseas. The stay-at-home mom, who is raising her little ones to know Jesus may well be doing the will of God more than those who travel the globe. Yes, I can be fooled. Yes, I can feel safe, when I am not. Yes, I can believe I am saved, when I am not. Yes, I can tell myself and even others, that I am going to Heaven, when God says, “I don’t know you.” How then, can I be sure? The will of God. I must set my heart upon doing what the Bible says. I must know His word. I must please God by doing what He says, not what I dream up.
Is it possible to know if I am pleasing to God? Paul did. Read 2 Timothy 4. He told us that we can know to. It is by faith through Christ that all of this is possible.
God has set a course for us. Don’t get off that course. Don’t try to try to find a better way. Don’t try to find short cuts. Don’t be surprised on THAT DAY.
Roger