DOES JESUS KNOW YOU?
This is a provocative message based on Matt 7:13-27 to cause us to examine ourselves before the Lord. It is a message for salvation and rededication.
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Good Morning.
I was given this passage this past week and believe it timely by the LORD to bring before each one of us…myself included.
Matthew 7:13-27
The Narrow Way
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
I Never Knew You
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.
22 Many will say to me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ’I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
LISTEN UP – Hear and Do!
Vs: 24-27
Everyone who HEARS these words and DOES them is WISE.
Everyone who HEARS these words and DOES THEM NOT is foolish.
DOES...WHAT?
Vs: 13-14
ENTER:
Enter the narrow gate…for Life
Walk the way of the wide gate…for destruction
ENTER...LIFE:
What life is Jesus talking about?
John 3:16 says whosoever believeth shall have everlasting life.
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
ENTER...DESTRUCTION:
So if this is everlasting life, what is this destruction?
Rev 20:14-15
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
ENTER...GATE: a door way. An entry way into life everlasting.
What, Who is this gate?
Jesus said I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. John 10:9
Listen to me. Jesus died on the cross for our sin. He was buried in a tomb and 3 days later he rose from the grave. The stone was rolled back.
SO???
The Stone was rolled back so Mary and the disciples could look in!
SO WHAT?
The DOOR WAS OPENED. So we could see that there is life after death. Jesus opened the WAY. HE is THE DOOR
THE WAY: The narrow way. The one and only way
What/who is this Way?
Jesus said, I am the WAY, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
So Jesus is the way, he is the door to everlasting life. And anyone who chooses to believe in Him and repents of their sin can have this LIFE after death.
VS:15
WARNING
WOLVES IN SHEEPS CLOTHING
PROPHETS: Those who call themselves ‘CHRISTIANS’. Not just ministers, evangelists, etc.
Professing to be Christian.
70% of Americans say they are Christians. Some just because they ‘live’ in the U.S.A. Some because they sang in the choir, or attended Sunday school as a child. Some because they haven’t “DONE ANYTHING WRONG” or haven’t murdered anybody.
But reality is there are 168 hours in a week. And 1 hour in church. 167 hours in the world. Doesn’t make you a Christian.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing may look right on the outside, but is not right on the inside. A wolf in sheep’s clothing may Talk the talk, but doesn’t walk the walk.
Some of you in this very room…are wearing sheep’s clothing.
When you leave this place, you will go back to doing those things that the world does, which is against what the Word of God says we should do.
1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord says to Samuel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
Jesus is more concerned about our walk. How we believe. How we act. How we live.
At church, some folks appear to have it all together, but if we could see them outside of the church, in the secret places, we see the world ruling their lives. We would see their ‘fruits’, and in God’s view, the fruit is bad.
FRUIT: You are what you eat. You are what you take in. You are what you exude. You are what you believe. You are how you act. You are how your heart is.
GOOD FRUIT: Do you give off good fruit?
BAD FRUIT: Do you give off bad fruit?
The fruit is a product of the tree. Do you give off Good or Bad. If you give off Bad…What is wrong? Bad trees give off bad fruit. Good trees give off good fruit.
VS 19
BAD TREES ARE CUT DOWN, PILED UP, AND BURNED.
The path to destruction is wide and leads to death.
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Rev 20:14-15
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
GOOD TREE – BAD TREE
As a landscaper by day, I know the difference between a good and bad tree. When we pick out a tree to go into someone’s yard, we want one that is full and evenly shaped. Perfect in every way. We can be very picky about the look of the tree. Its leaves need to be the right size and shape. Its branches and trunk need to be correctly proportioned.
Anything less is considered second best. Or even junk.
But that is how we see what a good tree is. But that is not how God sees it.
Jesus is not talking about the appearance of the tree. Jesus is talking about its fruit.
ORCHARDS –
BUT have you ever been to an orchard in the winter time? The trees are all strange looking. Why? Because the bad branches have been cut off. And trees that didn’t perform right were cut off and burned.
The orchard caretaker knows the difference between a good and bad tree but the yield of its fruit. The tree can look like a butcher shop, and actually be very ugly in appearance, but it can produce some of the best and finest fruit.
Man looks on the outward appearance. God looks on the heart.
VS 20
KNOWN BY YOUR FRUITS
Are you giving off Good Fruit?
What areas of your life are giving off stinky fruit?
I’m not perfect. FAR from it. But we are to take up the cross daily. To walk in a manner that is worthy of the Gospel. To put off the things of this world and to put on the mind of Christ.
Have you ever picked up a rotten tomato? Or potato? It’s smell gets on your skin, the rotten juice runs down your arm, and its hard to get off. But with a lot of soap and water, we can get the smell off.
If we have stinking fruit. WE need to get it off us. Wash ourselves again by confessing our sins to Christ and asking for his forgiveness. DAILY
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
VS21
LORD LORD
Wolves in Sheep’s clothing know who the LORD is. Satan knows who Jesus is. Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims know the name of Jesus.
But just because they know his name or even know about him, doesn’t mean they know him.
Not everyone who says LORD LORD will enter heaven.
How many of you today, say things like…thank the LORD for this. Praise the LORD for that, but will stand before God and be told. I never knew you. Depart from me.
VS 23 – THE KICKER
Jesus said, I never knew you. Depart from me.
The reverse is…I know you. Come to me.
You profess to know JESUS.
BUT.
DOES JESUS KNOW YOU?
DID YOU HEAR ME????
DOES JESUS KNOW YOU?!!!!!!!!!!!
Let me put it to you this way.
My wife is/was a JONES
There are many Jones out there. They share her maiden name, but we do not know them.
If you were to line up a bunch of people by that name on a wall, we could pick out her parents, sisters, cousins, etc. And it is possible we might be able to pick a few of them out by some similarities. Like their nose, or eyes or ears.
But we really don’t know them. They just share the same name.
Think about it this way. I know some great people.
I know the president George Bush. I know country music singer Vince Gill. I know the actor Harrison Ford. I know these folks. There positions, their music, their movies.
But not one of them knows me.
INDIANA JONES
I could be Harrison Ford’s biggest fan and go to all his movies and cheer for him and say how great of an actor he is…but he doesn’t even know I exist.
Jesus wants us to give him our ALL:
Jesus said to the disciples. Drop everything, and follow me. Leave the world behind, and follow me. Let go of those things that this world makes you desire and follow me.
He said. But he who does the will of the father. Do as I command, that you have life.
WHAT IS THE WILL?
If you love Me, KEEP My Commandments! John 14:15
John 12:49-50
49For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
DOERS
We are to be DOERS of the Word, not just hearers. James 1:22
We are to do the things this book tells us to do. To live like Jesus.
This book the BIBLE is our ROADMAP. Its WORD is LIFE.
We are to meditate upon it. Get it in us. We need to exude it. Like the Gatorade Commercial. IS IT IN YOU?
And if we truly seek it, it will show in our lives. It will flow out of us.
Philippians 4:8-9
8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
“Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
We must commit to the relationship. HOW. Get into the Word. Pray all the time. unceasingly.
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Faith without works is Dead. James 2:20, 26
With fear and trembling work out our own salvation! Philippians 2:12
Keep to the straight and narrow…
Fight the Good Fight of faith and lay HOLD of eternal life! 1 Timothy 6:12
Guard that which is committed to your trust! 1 Timothy 6:20
Run the race that is set before with steadfast enduring faith! Hebrews 12:1-2
Remain Steadfast to the END! Hebrews 3:14
Make your calling and election SURE in Christ! By adding to your faith! 2 Peter 1:3-11
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My question to you today is this.
ARE YOU WALKING THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW?
OR ARE YOU LIVING AS A WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHING?
WHEN YOU SPEAK THE NAME OF THE LORD, IS IT REAL TO YOU?
Are you Walking the Walk or just Talking the Talk?
Do you really, truly KNOW Jesus?
And more importantly...
MOST importantly...
...DOES JESUS KNOW YOU?
DOES HE???
DO YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP GOING...WITH JESUS?
DOES HE...KNOW...YOU???
Examine yourselves. If there is any stinking fruit in your basket. Toss it out. Hand it over to be cleansed and made new.
Put on the Mind of Christ. Be renewed in your spirit and mind.
Take up the WORD of God. Study it. Meditate it. It’s food for the soul.
Get it in you.
Talk to the Lord
Confess to him your sins when your spirit tells you.
Get Right.
Put aside the world.
And Walk, no, RUN on that straight and narrow way, to the one gate. Jesus.
Perhaps you never truly asked Jesus to forgive you and change you. Perhaps you need to do that now. OR maybe you did that some time ago, but have been living like the world. And Jesus never knew you.
Its time to make that choice. Its time to turn from the sins of this world and turn to Jesus.
Won’t you come and ask him in today.
COME
TURN FROM THE SIN OF THIS WORLD. TURN TO CHRIST TO SET YOU FREE.
PRAY.
DEAR LORD,
I KNOW THAT I HAVE SINNED AND I NEED YOUR FORGIVENESS. I BELIEVE THAT YOU DIED FOR MY SINS. I WANT TO TURN FROM MY SINS, AND I NOW DEDICATE OR REDEDICATE MY LIFE TO YOU. I WANT TO TRUST, FOLLOW, AND SERVE YOU AS LORD AND SAVIOR. IN THE NAME OF JESUS. AMEN.
NOW. What I have to say to you is your first assignment.
Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, mind, strength.
And your second assignment is this…
Love your neighbors as yourself.
Love them enough to tell them about Jesus.
AMEN!
