What Will God Say?

 

MATTHEW 7:21-23

Theme: When we reject false systems of evaluation, we are ready to embrace a concrete criterion from God.

Relevance: The Lord wants us to exercise wise judgment and choose the Will of God over the mere pretenses of people.

Introduction: the disciple must look beyond the appearance of things and note what is really happening. Refusing to be caught up with man made expectations we begin to perceive what God actually requires or stipulates.

Since there are false prophets in the world pointing people in the wrong direction, we must always be careful of deceptions. In this light Jesus reveals every disciple’s real priority consideration. God’s very own expectations…His standard…His criteria for genuine evaluations….

Message:

Determine to be the Person Who Does the Will of God (Matt. 7:21-23).

The final test is not what we think of ourselves, or what others may think. The final test is: What will God say? 

I.               How Can We Prepare for This Judgment?

By doing God’s will.

A.             The Lord Jesus next warns against people who falsely profess to acknowledge Him as Savior, but have never been converted.

                                                         i.     Not everyone who calls Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

                                                       ii.     Only those who do the will of God enter the kingdom. The first step in doing the will of God is to believe on the Lord Jesus.

1.     John 6:29, Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

2.     John 6:39-40, And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. [40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

3.     Matthew 12:50, For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

4.     Matthew 21:28-32, But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. [29] He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. [30] And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. [31] Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. [32] For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

B.    Obedience to His will is the test of true faith in Christ.

                                                         i.     When a person is truly born again, he has the Spirit of God living within (Rom. 8:9); and the Spirit enables him to know and do the Father’s will.

                                                       ii.     God’s love in his heart (Rom. 5:5) motivates him to obey God and serve others.

II.            Words Are Not a Substitute for Obedience, and Neither Are Religious Works.

A.    The Test Is Not Words!

                                                         i.     It is not saying “Lord, Lord,” and not obeying His commands.

                                                       ii.     How easy it is to learn a religious vocabulary, and even memorize Bible verses and religious songs, and yet not obey God’s will. 

B.    The Test Is Not Works!

                                                         i.     We are now introduced to those who apparently believe themselves to be genuine disciples and can appeal to their charismatic activities to prove it, but nonetheless turn out to have no real relationship with the Lord to whom they appeal. The false prophets of v 15 were deceivers, but these are self-deceived.

                                                       ii.     On judgment day when unbelievers stand before Christ (Rev. 20:11–15), many will remind Him that they prophesied, or cast out demons, or performed many wonders—all in His name. 

C.    The Test is Not Miracles. A Ministry of miracles is Not a Guarantee Nor a Sign of Real Salvation.

                                                         i.     From these verses we learn that not all miracles are of divine origin and that not all miracle workers are divinely accredited. A miracle simply means that a supernatural power is at work. That power may be divine or satanic. Satan may empower his workers to cast out demons temporarily, in order to create the illusion that the miracle is divine. He is not dividing his kingdom against itself in such a case, but is plotting an even worse invasion of demons in the future.^[1]

                                                       ii.     Preaching, casting out demons, and performing miracles can be divinely inspired, but they give no assurance of salvation. It is likely that even Judas participated in some or all of these activities, and yet he was not a true believer.

                                                     iii.     In the last days, Satan will use “lying wonders” to deceive people (2 Thes. 2:7–12).

                                                      iv.     Even if they were doing supernatural deeds—prophesying in His name, driving out demons, and performing many miracles, they were not obedient to the Father, continually doing His will (Matt. 7:21). They would be refused admission to the kingdom because Jesus had no personal relationship with them (vv. 21, 23).^[2]

III.         Acceptance Depends Not on Profession, Nor Even on Apparent Christian Activity, But on Whether Jesus Knew Them. All their appeals will be in vain.

A.    Matthew 7:23, And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

                                                  ii.     Jesus is explaining that not everyone (especially highly religious people) who claims to be Christian will be recognized by him.

                                                iii.     A true believer cannot lose his salvation, nor can all miracles be performed by true believers.

                                                iv.     What does it mean to “work iniquity” or practice lawlessness?

                                                  v.     The quality or condition of having no regard for societies laws; behavior that is contrary to or shows indifference to God’s law: Unfortunately, a lot of confusion, lawlessness, stupidity, and even death surrounds this reality. 

                                                vi.     Jesus will declare to them that He never knew them or acknowledged them as His own.

A.    Note the extraordinary authority he assumes as judge; to enter the kingdom of heaven depends on his acknowledgment and consists in being with him.

B.    “Jesus goes on to describe those who will be able to call upon His name on the day of judgment. It will be those who hear His words and put them into practice, the same ones referred to in verse 21 as those who obediently do the will of the Father in heaven. True believers are the good trees that produce good fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), the true sheep who look to Christ, depend on Him, commit themselves to Him, trust in Him, and believe on Him for righteousness, salvation, and eternal life. These are the ones who will enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (From Does Matthew 7:21-23 mean that believers can lose salvation?)

Conclusion:

When we reject phony righteousness, we become able to eliminate false systems or sanctimonious standards of judgment also. Our Lord invites us to exercise wise judgment and choose the Will of God over the mere pretenses of people.  Will you accept his generous invitation?

MANY ARE STUCK IN DEADLY SINFUL SYSTEMS OF EVALUATION!

1 Timothy 6:20-21, O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: ²¹ Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

We must guard against the errors seeping into the churches and taking the place of God’s truth. Not only are we to guard the Bible teachings committed to our trust, but also avoid the dangers of improper division of the Word, foolish irrelevant chatter, and contradictions falsely claiming to be real knowledge.

 We are called to avoid being carried away by false teaching, by imitating the obedient faith of godly leaders.

Hebrews 13:7, Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation…. 17, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

GOD OFFERS FREEDOM THROUGH CHRIST FROM THE EVIL

The world in which we live is not a godly world, but we each must experience the freedom that Christ offers to us so that we can live in this world, yet not be “of” this world.

John 17:14-17, I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. [15] I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. [16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. [17] Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Christ prayed earnestly that we would not become enslaved and influenced by the evil present in the world system. 

YOU CAN BE FREE OF SIN’S CLUTCHES TODAY WHEN YOU RECEIVE CHRIST!

To any person in the clutches of something sinful, negative, or evil, “You can be free!”

Romans 6:18, Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Romans 6:22, But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

This is the spiritual freedom that everyone needs to become familiar with.

GOD’S FORGIVENESS IS YOURS BY HIS GRACE! (Through the kindness and help of God)

Ephes. 1:7, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Have you decided to accept and receive Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? To “accept and receive”—is required for you to be forgiven by God, regardless of the nature, magnitude, or deep entrenchment of your sins.

To “accept” is to believe with your mind that what the Bible says about Jesus and His death on the cross is true—that Jesus died for your sins, and He rose again to give you and me new life in Him. To “receive” is to say, “I don't merely accept what Jesus did on the cross as a fact of history or as a statement of sound theology, but I accept His sacrificial death on the cross as being for me personally and individually—his sacrifice was made for my sins. I invite Christ to indwell me, to cleanse me of all my past transgressions, iniquities, evil, and sin, and to make me a new person in God's eyes. I receive the work of the Holy Spirit in me that gives me a completely restored relationship with my heavenly Father.”

Titus 3:5-7, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; [6] Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; [7] That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Have you taken Him up on His offer? If not, will you accept and receive Jesus Christ today? Will you receive God's forgiveness?

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^[1] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1230.

^[2] Louis A. Barbieri Jr., “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 34.