Well, good morning, church. Would you turn with me to Matthew chapter 7. We are looking at verses 21 through 23.
! That's page 762 in the Pew Bible. Let me pray for us, and then I'll read.
Father, we ask for Your help and for Your presence as we come.
I come near to You in Your Word. God, bless the reading and the preaching and the hearing of what, Lord Jesus, You have said to us in this passage.
God, help us not just to be hearers of the Word, but to be doers by Your Spirit. We pray this in Your mighty name. Amen.
Amen. All right. Matthew chapter 7, verses 21 through 23.
Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and do many mighty works in Your name?
And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.
Well, we've come almost to the end of the Sermon on the Mount.
Next week will be our last sermon on this great section of the New Testament.
And here, in this part of the sermon, as we've said, Jesus is driving everything home by way of application.
And this text here, this second to last paragraph, in this part, we have perhaps one of the most sobering passages in the whole sermon.
Sobering because it strikes at the root of what most of us naturally put our confidence in when it comes to our standing with God.
You see, the great question that hangs over this passage is this, on what basis do you hope to enter God's coming kingdom?
You see, in this passage, according to Jesus, there are three things.
There's a kingdom to enter. There's a coming kingdom to enter.
And then there are some things that won't guarantee you entry.
And then there's one thing that will.
There's a kingdom to enter.
There are two things that won't guarantee you entry.
And there's one thing that will.
So let's consider each of those points in turn.
First, Jesus says there's a kingdom to enter.
Jesus mentions this in the first verse of our text, verse 21.
And, you know, until we get this point, we don't really understand the gravity and the importance of the rest of the passage.
We won't understand why the stakes are so high in the rest of what Jesus has to say until we pause over this kind of underlying reality that Jesus talks about here,
that there is a coming kingdom to enter.
So what does Jesus mean when He talks about entering the kingdom of heaven?
Well, to really understand this, you have to see it in the context of the big storyline of the Bible.
You know, it's easy to read a phrase like entering the kingdom of heaven
and think that Jesus is simply talking about some sort of spiritual, ethereal afterlife.
But that's not what Jesus is intending.
You see, the biblical story is more robust than that.
It begins with God creating all things out of nothing and creating humans to be His image bearers in the midst of creation.
Humans, we were meant to love and to serve God and to spread His glory and His reign throughout the material order.
But through the sin of Adam and Eve, that project was seemingly thrown completely off course.
Instead of life abounding in creation, there was now death.
Instead of joy, there was now sorrow.
And instead of God's blessing, there was now God's just curse on sin.
But the rest of the biblical story is about how God intervenes to rescue both His creation and His image bearers.
You see, the hope running through the Bible is that one day God would overthrow sin and death.
In other words, the great hope of the Bible is that one day heaven, that dimension of reality where God dwells in fullness,
would one day come to earth and make all things new.
That's what the prophets of Israel all spoke of at their core.
And that was the burning hope of God's people.
It's what they longed for throughout years of exile and suffering and confusion and failure.
What they longed for was the kingdom of heaven.
So the kingdom of heaven wasn't just, on the one hand, merely some human political arrangement that we could sort of set up.
But, you know, neither was it some sort of disembodied afterlife that abandoned the material creation.
No, the kingdom of heaven was the flooding of creation with God's presence.
A presence so holy and so good that evil and suffering and sin and death would have to flee.
God the creator, the rightful king, would at last judge and save.
The kingdom of heaven would mean perfect justice and healing.
It would mean a new creation.
Now, this hope for creation, this arrival of God's reign in fullness,
this is utterly integral to the biblical story and worldview.
You can't really be a Christian in the biblical historic sense without it.
But just consider how wonderful this hope is.
The biblical hope that we've just been talking about is neither the kind of nihilism of a pure materialism, right?
Nor is it the nihilism of just sort of a pure spiritualism either.
Here's what I mean.
On the one hand, if everything is just matter, time, and chance and nothing more,
if that's all there is,
then the future is just beyond bleak, right?
At all.
Everything amounts to nothing.
Whatever meaning we create is like the sandcastle on the shore,
just erased by the waves of a passing tide.
But if there is a God,
and if this God has a future in store for His creation,
if He has not abandoned His good world that is deeply flawed through sin,
if He's not abandoned it,
but promises to release it from its bondage to decay,
and promises to place,
bring it to a place of real freedom even from death,
and if God promises that His image bearers will participate in that freedom,
being resurrected into the eternal life of this kingdom,
if that's who God is and what He has in store,
then suddenly this life is full of meaning.
But do you see how this biblical hope is different from the opposite view as well,
this sort of purely spiritual view?
You know, if God's future just sort of leaves creation behind,
if we're just souls in an afterlife,
then that ends up being pretty meaningless as well, doesn't it?
After all, what was the point of this life
if God's future is just heading towards something that just leaves it all behind?
But you see, when Jesus speaks of the kingdom of heaven,
He's not talking about God abandoning creation
and taking His image bearers out of it.
No, Jesus is talking about God consummating His plans for creation
and resurrecting His image bearers to take their rightful place in it,
reigning with Him forever.
Okay, so there's a coming kingdom to enter.
And to miss entry into this kingdom,
to be on the outside when this kingdom comes,
is to be separated from the fullness of life itself.
To miss this kingdom is to be left in darkness and sorrow.
It is to be left in death and judgment.
Entrance into this kingdom is entrance into the greatest joy
and the most thrilling adventure.
Entering this kingdom ought to be our deepest desire
and our burning hope.
For when that kingdom comes,
when that reign begins,
the reign of heaven on earth,
that will be the freedom we've longed for.
Freedom not just from sin and death,
but freedom for all that we've been created for.
To bear God's image in glory
and to participate creatively in His reign of unending joy.
So there's a coming kingdom to enter.
But tragically, according to Jesus,
not everyone will enter it.
There are some who will be excluded from this kingdom.
Jesus says so in verse 21.
Not everyone, He says,
will enter the kingdom of heaven.
And that brings us to our second point.
According to Jesus, there are two things
that will not guarantee you entry.
And if we're honest, they are quite surprising.
And they are not what we expect.
Consider the first one in verse 21.
Jesus says,
Not everyone who says to me,
Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.
Now, what does that mean?
Well, to boil it down,
it means that you can have
the most orthodox beliefs about Jesus.
You can say that Jesus of Nazareth
is Lord of heaven and earth.
But that is no guarantee
that you are a member of God's kingdom.
Even the most orthodox profession,
the most biblical head knowledge
will not guarantee you entrance into the kingdom.
You can believe all the right things.
You can believe intellectually
that Jesus was the Son of God.
You can believe with your head
that He lived and died and rose again.
You can profess all these things to be true.
You can even believe these things
with a lot of vigor and energy.
Notice in verse 21, they say,
Lord, Lord.
The repetition is a sign of enthusiasm,
of passion, right?
You can love theology.
You can devour apologetics.
You can debate and argue
the truth of these things.
You can be praised for your acumen
and skill in teaching the Bible
and articulating the faith.
Yes, your head can be full
of all the right ideas,
but that won't guarantee you entry.
The rightful judge could still say,
depart.
I never knew you.
Now,
let's not draw the wrong conclusion here.
Some have read this passage and said,
see, according to Jesus,
it doesn't matter what you believe
so long as you're a loving and just person.
It's not doctrine that matters.
It's your deeds.
But don't you see,
that's not the conclusion
Jesus intends for us to draw.
Doctrine does matter.
Ideas do have consequences.
Calling Jesus Lord
is absolutely essential.
We should seek
to bring all of our thoughts
into line with God's thoughts.
That's a good and worthy desire.
And God is pleased when we do so.
But,
a mere
profession from the lips,
a mere head knowledge
of the truths of the gospel,
this will not guarantee you
entrance into God's coming kingdom
as good as they are.
But it's not just that.
We said there are two things
that won't guarantee you
entrance into the kingdom.
Consider the second one
in verse 22.
On that day,
many will say to me,
Jesus says,
Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy
in your name
and cast out demons
in your name
and do many mighty works
in your name?
And then Jesus says,
I will declare to them,
I never knew you.
Depart from me,
you workers of lawlessness.
Now,
what is Jesus saying here?
Well,
if on the one hand,
Jesus has said in verse 21
that even the most
orthodox profession
is no guarantee
of kingdom citizenship,
he goes on to say
that even the most
extraordinary performance
is no guarantee
of kingdom citizenship.
Here are people
who have prophesied,
who have cast out demons,
who have done many mighty works,
and they've done it all
in Jesus' name.
They've done it publicly
for His sake.
But even performing
miraculous deeds
is no guarantee
of being a member
of God's kingdom.
In fact,
no outward acts
of ministry
are a guarantee.
Becoming a missionary,
giving time and energy
to serving the poor,
volunteering tirelessly
in a local church,
you can do
all of these things
with great zeal,
with great amounts
of sacrifice,
and still be outside
the kingdom
when it comes.
Now, again,
we mustn't draw
the wrong conclusion
here either.
Just like in verse 21,
here in verse 22,
we shouldn't draw
the conclusions
that our deeds
don't matter at all.
No, that's not the point.
These actions
in verse 22
are commendable.
It's good and right
to prophesy,
to proclaim God's truth
in a timely,
edifying,
and courageous,
and encouraging way.
It's good to cast out demons
and to pray
for spiritual liberation
and to stand against
deception
and the evil one.
It's good to do
mighty works
in Jesus' name.
It's good to serve Him
with all the strength
that He provides.
But listen,
your gifts,
your works,
your performances,
promises,
even if they are done
in Jesus' name,
they will not guarantee you
entrance into God's kingdom.
Just as your head
can be full of all
the right beliefs,
so your hands
can be engaged
in all the right activities,
and you can still
be lost.
Of course,
God wants your mind
and God wants
your actions,
but you can say
the right things
and do the right things.
You can profess
and you can perform
and still not truly
be saved
on the last day.
So if these things
can't guarantee
entry into God's kingdom,
what can?
Well, it's not merely
your head
or your hands
that God is looking for.
He wants your heart.
This is our third point.
There's a kingdom
to enter, Jesus says.
There are two things
that cannot guarantee
you entry,
but there's one thing
that will.
Look again at verse 21.
Not everyone who says
to me, Lord, Lord,
will enter the kingdom
of heaven,
but the one who does
the will of my Father
who is in heaven.
You see,
God wants your heart.
He wants the very center
of you.
That's what Jesus means
by those who do the will
of my Father in heaven.
He doesn't mean
sort of external adherence
to a list of rules.
He means those
who have surrendered
their will
to the Father's.
Those who can say,
I no longer run
my own life.
I've actually ceded
the throne of my life
to God the Father
and to His Son,
Jesus Christ.
Of course,
no one can do that perfectly.
You are not going
to be completely sanctified
in this life,
but it means you have
entrusted your life to Him.
This is the question.
As Jesus comes
to the end
of this Sermon on the Mount,
have you surrendered
your will to His?
And as a result,
are not just your words
and your actions different,
but is your character
beginning to change?
That's what Paul means
when he says,
I can do all these things
in 1 Corinthians 13,
but if I don't have love,
it means nothing.
Surrendering your will
to God the Father now
is the only guarantee
of entering His kingdom then.
It's not just professing
or performing.
It's a change of heart
that results
in a change of life.
That's what the Bible means
by repentance,
by the way.
Real repentance
isn't just being sort of
sorrowful for disobedience.
It is that.
But it means surrendering
one's whole will to God.
But here's where we have
to be really careful.
Because if we're not careful,
we can begin at this point
to get very introspective,
can't we?
And we can start
to get very anxious.
We can start to ask questions like,
have I surrendered enough?
Is my character
really beginning to change?
And while there is a time
and place for self-examination,
these sorts of questions
asked on the wrong footing
can lead us to despair.
Because we'll always see areas
of our life in need of change.
And we'll always see ways
in which I still try
to keep control
and make myself
the Lord of my own life.
And it's in these moments
that we have to remember
who we are surrendering to.
Who is it that calls us
to give ourselves completely
to the will of the Father?
Who calls us to be poor in spirit,
to hunger and thirst
after righteousness,
to seek God's kingdom
and His righteousness?
Who are we inviting
to sit down
on the throne of our hearts
and to take control?
Who are we surrendering to?
We are surrendering
to the one
who is
and who has demonstrated
Himself to be
perfect love.
We are surrendering
to a God
of perfect love.
And of course,
doesn't that show us
the utter absurdity
of the human condition
and the irrationality
of sin?
Right?
God is infinite goodness,
but for some
unexplainable reason,
we reject Him.
We reject the stream
of eternal life
and we turn
and we dig a well
that can't hold water,
the prophet Jeremiah says.
Do you see how absurd
sin is?
But to us sinners,
God sends His only Son
and Jesus Christ comes
and is not ashamed
to call us brothers and sisters.
The eternal Son of God
took our very flesh
and blood,
endured our sin
and guilt on the cross,
and rose again in power
to defeat sin
and death on our behalf
so that now
all who surrender
their lives to Him
are forgiven
and granted eternal life.
You see,
this is why
merely professing
Jesus as Lord
intellectually
or performing
good deeds
in His name
aren't enough.
they're not sufficient
guarantees of entrance
into the kingdom
because Jesus didn't come
to merely give us
new ideas
and He didn't merely
come to give us
new laws.
He came to enter
into a deeply
personal relationship
with us,
a relationship
where He
would take
all that's true
of us
and give to us
all that's true
of Him.
He would take
our sin
and our death
and give us
in return
His righteousness
in life.
And this is where
the last part
of our passage
is so important.
Jesus says to those
who merely rely
on head knowledge
or merely on good works,
He says,
depart from Me,
I never knew you.
the real question is,
does Jesus know you?
Of course,
the sense of know here
is very personal,
very intimate.
Have you stepped
into that sort
of relationship
with Him
where you can say
of Him
and more importantly,
He can say
of you,
I know you.
You can know
a lot of facts
about someone
and not really
know them,
right?
You can know
a lot of,
you can know
a lot of facts
about someone,
you can do
a lot of stuff
for someone
and not really
know them.
What will matter
on that day
is not what
you know about Him,
or all the stuff
you've done for Him.
What will matter
is whether you
know Him
and whether
He knows you.
As we wrap up then,
let's apply these things.
First,
as we consider
surrendering
our wills
to His
and entering
into this personal
relationship with Christ
as our Lord,
it follows from that
that we should be
seeking to live
this out.
And we do this
in the power
of the Holy Spirit
that He provides
and in the grace
that He gives.
We should be asking
ourselves,
how do I live today
with Christ
as my Lord?
How might I pray
and live today,
Father,
Thy will be done?
George MacDonald,
writing about these verses,
put it this way.
He said,
what have you done
this day
because it was
the will of Christ?
Have you dismissed
an anxious thought
for the morrow?
Have you ministered
to any needy soul
or body
and kept your right hand
from what your left hand did?
Have you begun
to leave all
and follow Him?
Did you set yourself
to judge righteous judgment?
Are you being aware
of covetousness?
Have you forgiven
your enemy?
Are you seeking
the kingdom of God
and His righteousness
before all other things?
Are you hungering
and thirsting
after righteousness?
Have you given
to someone
who asked of you?
Tell me
something you have done,
are doing,
or are trying to do
because He told you.
I wonder, friend,
how would you answer
that question?
Perhaps you might share
that with someone
in your small group
this week
or with a friend
over coffee.
You might engage
that question together.
Where has Jesus' teaching
in the Sermon on the Mount
been connecting
with your life?
And where in that new life
that He's invited you into,
where are you listening
to His voice
and seeking to do
or try to do
because He told you,
because He's your loving Lord
who cannot lead you astray?
His words are meant
to be lived.
How are you living them?
Second point of application.
Christian, I wonder,
who is it that you admire?
Who do you look up to?
Who are you seeking
to imitate or commend?
You know, it's easy,
isn't it,
to be immediately attracted
on the one hand
to those believers
who are intellectually prominent,
right?
Or on the other hand,
those who are accomplishing
great works.
We look up to those
who have published
great works of theology
or have pioneered
great mission endeavors.
believers.
And yes,
we should long
for wisdom and truth
and we should aspire
to do great things
for God's kingdom.
It's good to read
the biography
of great saints
and missionaries
and be inspired
to follow in their footsteps.
But who should we
ultimately emulate
in our sort of
celebrity culture?
who should we seek
to pattern our lives after?
Our real desire
should be to look up
to the Christians
who display
genuine humility of heart
and closeness
to God and Christ.
Those who walk
as He walked
in obedience and trust.
Those who long
simply to do
what Jesus says here,
to do the will
of their Heavenly Father.
Those whose greatest delight
is that Jesus,
the Son of God,
can say,
I know you.
Do you have a Christian
like that in your life?
They're probably not
on your Instagram feed.
but look around.
There are saints
in this church
for you to follow
as they follow Christ.
Are you getting
into a small group?
Are you coming
to the monthly prayer meetings?
Are you doing
what you can
to connect with them?
To walk with the wise
so that you can be wise?
If not,
by all means,
do so.
Third and last point
of application here.
Do you see in this passage
what matters most
in ministry?
You know,
every believer
is called
to use their gifts
in service of Christ.
If you're here
and you're in a relationship
with God in Christ,
He has given you
His Spirit
and He has given you
gifts to use
to build up the body.
He's given you
gifts to serve Christ.
He's given you
a mind to use.
He's given you
talents to use.
The Holy Spirit
indwells each one of us
so that we might
build up the church
and advance
His kingdom
in the world.
But at the end
of the day,
what really matters?
You know,
what really matters?
Is it when the book
proposal
that you've drafted
is accepted?
Is it when your
prayers are answered?
Is it when the pews
are full?
Those are
fine and good things,
but what really matters?
What about when
the book proposal
you've spent so long
on is rejected?
What about when
the prayers go unanswered?
What about when it seems
like there are no
mighty works?
What then?
What really matters
as we step out
and engage
in this ministry
God has given us?
There's a passage
in Luke's gospel
that connects
with what Jesus
teaches here
in the Sermon
on the Mount.
In Luke chapter 10,
Jesus has sent out
the 72 of His disciples
and He sent them out
to minister with power.
And then in verse 17
of chapter 10,
Luke writes,
the 72 returned
with joy,
saying,
Lord,
even the demons
are subject to us
in Your name.
And Jesus said to them,
I saw Satan fall
like lightning
from heaven.
And then He says,
Behold,
I have given you
authority
to tread on serpents
and scorpions
and over all the power
of the enemy
and nothing shall hurt you.
Nevertheless,
do not rejoice
in this,
that the spirits
are subject to you,
but rejoice
that your names
are written in heaven.
when your ministry
is going great
and your gifts
are blessing others
or when your ministry
is not so great
and you're not sure
if your gifts
are making a difference.
Rejoice in this,
Jesus says,
not the highs
and the lows,
but that your name
is written in heaven.
In other words,
that you are known
by God forever.
forever.
That's what really matters.
I know you.
Can you say that?
Can you say that
your deepest joy
is that He knows you?
If not,
then friend,
look again.
Look again
at what it means
to have your name
written there.
Look again
at what it means
for the Lord Jesus
to say,
I know you.
What does it mean?
It means that He
has set His eternal love
upon you
before you were born.
and that though
you were fallen
and sinful,
an enemy of God,
it means that He
left heaven
to take your place
in judgment
and that He died
on the cross
and rose again
for your forgiveness
and now ascended
to the Father's right hand.
He intercedes
for you continually
so that now
when the kingdom
comes in fullness,
when the doors
of heaven open
and the presence
of God comes flooding in,
and when His holiness
banishes sin
and evil
once and for all,
like a child
running through a field
sends the birds
flying in every direction,
then that same Jesus
will say to you,
not depart,
I never knew you,
but He'll say,
enter into your rest.
I've known you
before the foundation
of the world.
Rejoice that your names
are written in heaven.
Friend,
take no pride
in intellect,
put no trust
in works of power,
throw yourself
wholly on Him
and let simple
obedience to His will
be your daily bread
and let His love
for you
be your joy.
Let's pray.
Father in heaven,
thank You
for these sobering words
from our Lord Jesus.
God,
it's so easy
to get caught up
in the flashy things
of this world.
Even inside Your church,
God,
we put the emphasis
on the wrong things.
Lord,
help us.
Help us to be a church
that rejoices
in Your truth
and that stands firm
in sound doctrine.
Lord,
help us to be a church
that expects You
to do mighty things
in Your goodness
and sovereignty.
But God,
help us to be a church
that does not rest
our hope
in those things
but rests our hope
in You
and that our deepest delight
is to be surrendered
to You and Your will
because in Your paths
there is freedom in life,
forgiveness,
and grace.
Help us to live
into these things
we pray.
Amen.