Four Words You Do Not Want To Hear God Say

Four Words You Never Want To Hear God Say

Matt. 7.21-23

August 1, 2004 Chester FBC, Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson, Speaker

Introduction:

One week prior to this sermon, during the children’s sermon, plant a pea seed in one clear glass and a round pebble that looks like a pea seed in another glass. Do not let the children know that one of the seeds is a rock. This intentional withholding of information (rock) is crucial to tying in the children’s message in to this message should you us it as part of your introduction! Water both of them. Explain that God gives the growth to the plants and also to us. Use Paul’s passage in I Corinthians 3.6-7.

A Let’s look at how our little plants are doing this week!

a The pea plant will barely be poking out of the soil, but you tell there is growth. (If plant is not poking out of the soil, dig it up and examine the roots of the pea.)

b The other glass is exactly the same as last week. Why?

*Dig it up and examine it. "It’s not a seed at all. It’s a rock. No wonder it wasn’t growing!"

c There are many people who call themselves Christians (our membership roll has over 600 people on and everyone of them call themselves one.)

aa How do you know if a person is believer? Christian? More importantly, how do you know if you’re a Christian?

bb I have a tremendous fear that many of those people on our rolls, and maybe even some of us here today, claim to be Christians but what we really may be is lost.

B Today’s message is Four Words You Never Want To Hear God Say.

a 21 "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. 22 "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?’ 23 "And then I will declare to them, ’I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Matt 7:21-23 (NASB)

b Jesus told his fellow climbers that lip service alone did not bring them eternal life. (Essence of the Text in a Sentence)

C It takes more than the right password to enter God’s Kingdom. (E.S.S )

a I hope you will do what it takes to personally avoid hearing the four words you never want to hear God say. (Objective)

b What will God say to you when you enter heaven’s gates? (Probing Q)

T.S.: I Tim. 2.4, tells us that God desires for all men to be saved, but not everyone will be saved. Jesus could have prayed on the cross, "Father, save the whole world." But he didn’t. Not everyone’s going to this game of life’s post-game party. I want you to take inventory so can avoid hearing the four words you never want to hear God say.

I The first item on our inventory is . . . JESUS MUST BE OUR LORD.

21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, . . .

A Jesus plainly stated that not everyone who said they knew Him really knew Him.

a There were those who have went to heaven and said, "I called you my Lord, Jesus. Let me in." Spending eternity in a devil’s hell this morning.

b Simply calling Jesus Lord with their mouth DID NOT GUARANTEE ENTRANCE INTO HIS KINGDOM!!!

*They called Jesus Lord with their mouths, but they weren’t saying from their hearts.

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10 (KJV)

B "Words and sounds are the cheapest part of our religion . . " -Jonathan Edwards

a (IL.) When we were children we had to have secret password to get in the club house. Passwords don’t get you to heaven.

(Prayers/ Doctrine/ Theology/ Church Membership/ Calling yourself a Christian . . . don’t get you to heaven.)

b It’s through Jesus we get to heaven!!!

12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

Acts 4:12 (NASB)

C Rudy Giuliani was the mayor of New York when they faced the tragedy of 9/11.

a In an attempt to call people to pray he said, "All of us should pray to the God of his or her own choosing."