Do You Know Him? (Matthew 7:21-29)

Dr. Frank Turek, noted Christian apologist and evangelist, has referred to Matthew 7:21-23 as the most terrifying words in all of the Bible. It is a warning against assumption, intentions, works, and false belief, all being evidence that Jesus Himself will use on the Day of Judgment as a warning to many of you reading this message that He does not know you and will send you away from Him eternally. What these verses do NOT teach is that you can somehow lose your salvation. Jesus makes it clear in the Scriptures that once you are truly His child, He will not let you go (Matthew 11:28-30; John 10:30). If you think that your salvation depends on efforts to "be good" and to "toe the line" lest God decides to take it away, then you are relying on a false "works-based" system of keeping yourself in His good graces (Ephesians 2:8-9). When reading these verses, I do not see anyone saying to Jesus, "LORD, LORD, did I not realize that I was a sinner while on earth and that I cried out to you to save me?" (Romans 10:9-10, 13). What Jesus warns about instead are the damnable efforts of doing works for Him without having an authentic relationship with Him.

We are looking at the characteristics of a false disciple. This person may possess the right doctrines. He calls Jesus, "LORD, LORD", confessing HIs deity and PROFESSING that He is their Master, but not FOLLOWING Jesus as his Master. There were times in Jesus' ministry when people called Him Lord, meaning no more perhaps than the title "Sir". Lord was a title of respect, but here a great deal more is involved, for it is Jesus who is speaking, and He is using the word with the richest possible meaning. In the Old Testament, the word LORD is usually translated as "YHWH" (Jehovah), a name for God. In New Testament settings the equivalent word is KYRIOS, the title by which citizens of the Roman Empire addressed the emperor as a deity. What Jesus is saying is there will be people in the church who confess His divinity but not be truly saved. They will be on the expensive road to hell. Can that really be? It certainly can. You can sit in the pews of a church for years, firmly believing that Jesus is God, that He died on a cross for sin, and He is returning one day to judge the world, yet NEVER came to the point of actually trusting that same Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This is an example of having "head knowledge", yet their heart never opened to the grace and mercy of Christ. Recitations and confessions mean nothing if they are not founded upon authenticity and faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

"This same person (you, perhaps?) may have "prophesied" and "done miracles" in Jesus' name, yet not really know Him, or worse, used His Holy name as nothing more than a means of making a living and in doing so, has dragged His name and character through the mud of hypocrisy and deceit. I am convinced that this is one of the ploys of people who anoint themselves as "faith healers". They also tend to emphasize "miracles, signs and wonders" and bring their "healing crusades" to a town, drawing a crowd to show "what God can do". They put on a show, bringing up select folks to the stage in need of a "healing", while ignoring the real desperate and dying individuals who came to receive their "touch from God", only to end up going home still sick, injured, crippled, or dying, with some turning permanently away from the Great Physician who healed quietly, not relying on tacky showmanship in order to demonstrate His power, mercy, and compassion. If somebody was to be given the true gift of healing today, then they need to go to the nearest hospital, lay hands on everyone and empty the building. St. Jude's Children's Hospital would no longer have to treat those little ones struggling with disease and fear, for they would be freed from the cancer that has plagued both them and their families. These TV "faith healers" beg for "seed gifts" and then have the unmitigated gall to tell someone who didn't receive a healing that they "didn't have enough faith" for God to do His work. That is shameful and inexcusable.

I do not doubt for one moment that God can and does heal people, but He is not going to let these charlatans and false teachers be His representatives in doing so. A lot of "Christian television" we see today is nothing more than a depository for false teaching, self-centered personalities. and savage wolves who prey on the gullible and weak in order to line their pockets, using Jesus as a "good luck charm" to look legitimate, only to end up with a rotten harvest leading them and their followers to hell. If what I have written has upset you, then I plead with you to examine yourselves to see whether you are truly in the faith (Matthew 7:5; 1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 6:4), repent, and rely on the Word of God to show you the truth about the Lord Jesus. Call on Him to rescue you from your sin, the curse of false doctrine and mere emotion. These warnings from Jesus on false belief and building the foundation of your life upon sand and shadow instead of the Rock (vv.24-29) are done so in love and concern for your soul and mine. I do not want to be a "lip service believer" and I do not want that to happen to you, either. Let God be true and every man a liar. I trust Him, both in mind and soul, to save me from death, hell, and the grave and be with Him in the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1-7) We will soon see Him face to face and will have new bodies free from the curse of death and disease. Please do not turn away from His loving call. He is coming back one day to make "all things new". He promised. Embrace that promise today.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

https://ocosbe.org/donald-whitchard/