![]() In the last post, we discussed Matthew 7:21-23. In that passage, Christ states that there will be those who call Him "Lord" that will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. This group will declare their works before Him. They will point out how they performed healings in His name and cast out demons in His name. His response to these declarations is surprising, "Depart from me; I never knew you." How do we know we will not be part of the that hears this? I mean, casting out demons seems like a pretty big thing, right? Healing the sick - the disciples did that, right? So, what are we missing in this passage? I believe the answer is in verse 21. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." Have you ever thought about what that means? What is "the will of the Father"? Do you know? All my life, I have heard people talk about the will of God. Prayers for "God's will" to be done have echoed in times of trouble throughout church houses, homes, and hospitals. In Matthew 7:21, Christ states that only those who do the will of the Father gain entry into heaven. So, let's spend some time trying to understand precisely what the "will of the Father" might be. John 6:39-40 In this passage, Jesus says, "39And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For it is My Father's will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." So, according to this statement - made by Christ- it is the Father's will that we look to the Son, believe in Him, and obtain everlasting life. And don't miss that last part- that Christ himself will raise us up on the last day. This principle of encountering Christ followed by believing in Christ as the Father's will for us is displayed again in Matthew 12. Matthew 12:46-50 46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." Think about this The disciples each had a personal encounter with Christ resulting in a deeply rooted belief that when He said "Follow me" these men dropped everything and did just that. Their thoughts, actions, and words filtered through the view that Christ was the son of God. Their faith in Christ overshadowed any idea of worldly gain or comfort. The need to learn from Him, and spend time with Him, enveloped every aspect of their life. I challenge you to self-examine your life. Are your actions, thoughts, and words controlled and filtered through a belief in Christ? Is that belief strong enough to alter how you live daily? Let me put it this way. Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 1:23-24 give examples of demons recognizing Christ's power and authority as the Son of God. In the first chapter of Job, satan himself acknowledges he cannot overcome the protection God has surrounding Job. He is basically admitting in this passage the sovereign authority of God. Even though they are demonic beings, they know who He is. Yet they are still demons. Their belief isn't deep enough to alter how they live day to day, moment to moment. WHERE DOES YOUR BELIEF "STOP" IN THE IMPACT IT HAS ON YOUR LIFE? DOES YOUR BELIEF IN THE SON OF GOD EFFECT YOUR VERY EXSISTENCE MOMENT BY MOMENT? OR JUST IN TIMES OF TROUBLE? OR ONLY ON SUNDAYS? Search deep within yourself. Is it possible that you are in the same place as the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-24? Knowing who Christ is, calling Him Lord but without a deeply rooted strong belief that alters the way you live your life? Recap *The will of the Father is that we believe in the Son for everlasting life and to be raised up by the Son in the last day. (John6:39-40) * Christ shows that this belief is more than just performing good works in His name and calling Him "Lord". He also says that only those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 7:21-23) *Christ declares the disciples to be an example of someone doing the will of the Father. (Matthew 12:46-50) And that is what we will explore in the next few blogs, what does "doing the will of the Father" look like when lived out in our daily lives. Until then, I love you! God loves you so much more! Molly ![]() Yeah...Yeah... I know what you are thinking - "He is Jesus! Of course, He knows me!" Or maybe Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..." passed through your mind. LOL I can almost hear several of you saying "Duh - even the hairs on my head are numbered and known by Him according to Luke 12:7" And all of those responses are correct, so then what do we do with Matthew 7:23 where Christ clearly says that He will declare to some, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" For many years, I would breathe a sigh of relief upon hearing the last few words of that statement. Automatically drawing comfort from the fact that I was not a "lawbreaker" or "criminal". A closer look at the entire passage though brings the need to really self-examine one's relationship with Christ carefully. So, let's dig deeper.... What is said by Christ here? What is the setting? Who is He talking to? The passage is part of "the sermon on the mount". Jesus is now being followed by multitudes of people. People from ALL walks of life gather to hear Him speak. Just before the passage we are discussing, Christ describes how broad and wide the way to destruction is compared to the narrow, difficult way leading to life. He speaks a word of caution against false prophets. We are encouraged by Him here to be "fruit inspectors". Christ assures us we will be able to distinguish teachers of truth from false by the "fruit" their life bears out. In Matthew 7:19 Jesus goes as far as to state every tree not bearing good fruit will be cut down. As if that was not interesting enough - Christ then declares in Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" LET THAT SINK IN.... There will be people who have cast out demons in the name of Jesus, declared prophesy in the name of Jesus, and/or called Him "Lord" who will be told by Christ, 'Depart - I do not know you'. These people obviously "know" Christ - they call Him "Lord". They work, serve and perform miracles in His name. Yet Jesus says He does not know them, claims no relationship to them and denies them entry into His Father's kingdom. So, what does this passage say to us? How do we apply this to our life? How can we be sure we do not fall into the group that is denied entry? How do we move past the point of us knowing Jesus to a place of Jesus knowing us? The answer is in the passage. In verse 21 Christ says, "he who does the will of My Father" will enter into the kingdom of heaven. What is the will of the Father? Do you know? Have you ever pondered (my hubby's favorite word)? We will discuss this in Part 2! Coming soon! Love you so much - God loves you so much more! Until next time, Molly |
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July 2022
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