Jesus Must Make a Difference
Matthew 7:21-23
Forgive me if I don’t use a cutesy illustration to break the ice of today’s topic. I don’t believe this is a topic in which a cutesy illustration is appropriate.
It saddens me that too many times professing Christians act like non-Christians. It amazes me that the High and Holy Jesus Christ could take up residence in someone’s life and you see no spiritual growth or emotional maturity over a long period of time. Yet when I have discussed this with people, I find that it isn’t due to the lack of desire that they have not grown more.
Let me ask you, do you think we as a Church are teaching spiritual growth and emotional growth well enough for our people to really advance in growth? For instance, do you think we are challenging the untruths and selfishness resident in our people’s life for them to address them? Are we giving our people the tools to mature and grow? Or are we more interested in not offending people so we don’t lose support?
I know, there is a sense that speaking this way is trespassing as a Christian. But Jesus spoke this way. He does in our text. He faced the tough issues, said the tough things, and made people uncomfortable while He depended upon the Spirit of God to use the truth to set people free.
Before we get to the scripture, I feel compelled to take a detour. Let me explain something to you that is the one of two of the most difficult parts of my job as pastor.
Heb 13:17-18 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.
I don’t care which commentary you check or who preaches and teaches this passage, the message is the same. The ones who are identified as those who keep watch over your souls are your spiritual leaders. As pastor, that falls on me. God called me here, and gave me the assignment, and according to this scripture, I “will have to give an account ” for how I do that and for your progress in it.
If I don’t encourage you to good works, I have to answer for you not doing them. If I don’t challenge your habits and self-reliance, I have to answer for you not dealing with them. That makes the pastor’s position the toughest job in the world. Being responsible for the behavior and spiritual growth of the Church members here is the second toughest job.
Often, a pastor is insulted, accused and betrayed. There is a tendency to treat the pastor and his wife like the Church would allow no other member to be treated. We have to endure comments that are hurtful and upsetting. I continue to ask God, “What do I do when one of them says something hurtful to me? What do I do when they say something hurtful to my wife?”
God’s answer is always the same: “Do as my Son did. Spread your arms and receive the pain, but don’t let it affect your love for them. Don’t treat them any differently, and definitely, do not pull away.”
That is God’s way of saying that, When I think I should not be easily offended, God says, No, I am suppose to be easily offended. To not be offendable is to not care, to pull away.
I am not going to get to personal here to tell you what we have heard other say through the years. I am not saying this for your sympathy. As a matter of fact, I think we could all do better without that.
However, I am saying this to emphasize that, regardless of how badly it hurts, I still have to give answer to God for how these hurtful members grow. I have prayed, “God, please polish your people to be beautiful jewels in your crown. “But please, Lord, Don’t use me as the abrasive.”
God answer that the same way each time. He says, “Just as I use your people to sharpen you, I must use you to sharpen them.” Pro 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Although we are to strive for unity (Ref Hebrews 12:14), we must also realize that God allows some conflict to touch my sinful attitudes and your sinful attitudes.
What I am getting to is this, I believe Jesus has made less of a difference in some Christians life because we have avoided strife instead of benefiting from it by self-analysis, prayer and repentance. I mentioned that this accountability to God for the growth of the people of one of two of the most difficult jobs in the world.
The other one is to look into my own life and consider sin. That is why some things offend me. I must do that each and every time I feel the sharpening of friction around my life, no matter where it comes from.
I will be honest, I hate it. But God is teaching me the great joy of growth through it. I have grown more in the last two years than any two years I remember. You are probably noticing how much more I need to grow. It is easier to see in my life than you can see in yours. That is a characteristic of being human.
Mat 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
I. Not the identifiers.
A. It is not what you know, but what you show. “Lord, Lord”
A lot of people will say, “Lord, Lord”. Remember the audience here, Jewish seekers highly influenced by the Pharisees. Most of the Pharisees will step into judgment and the first thing they will notice is that the Judge is the one they didn’t know.
Somewhere in the context of this sermon, Jesus began speaking away from the Pharisees to his disciples, and professed Christians through history who adopted Christianity without receiving Christ. These recognize Jesus, acknowledge Him as Lord, but never received His free offer of salvation.
One of the tactics of Satan was to make Christianity a common thing, something you could be born into or something you can join. It is something, people believe, that you can attend. “Lord, Lord” to these is a title, but not a rightful position in their lives.
There are those who know the Bible from Index to Maps, but they don’t know Jesus as Lord. Many go into the business, but have never been in the family (It is a family business). They can describe and debate the eschatological importance of predestination from either side of the argument, but Jesus had not made a difference in their hearts.
You see, Jesus never knew them. They never gave their hearts to Him, so He does not claim their lives. He “never knew them” means they didn’t know Him. The stark truth, not everyone who claims Christianity is saved.
B. It is not what you say, but what you portray. “did we not prophesy in your name?”
Being preachers didn’t save these guys. Being a witness doesn’t save anyone. Being teachers will not save them either, even though Jesus is the topic of their lessons and sermons. “We prophesied (told the truth, foretold) in your name.”
Gill equates this with 1 Corinthians 13. 1Co 13:1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
Notice this protest in our text comes in the form of a question? “…did we not prophesy in your name?” The implication of the question is the assumed question, “What did we do wrong?”
Paul mentioned to the Philippians that there are those who preach Christ for the wrong motives. Php 1:15-18 “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice…”
God can use false messengers, but unsaved messengers obviously do not benefit from spreading the message.
C. It is not what you do, but who gets you through. “and cast out demons and do mighty works?”
We struggle with this though. Who cast out demons and did might works, but was on the outside?
Luk 10:17-20 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" 18 And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Remember, after this, Jesus mentioned His crucifixion, and many followed Him no more. I can name one who was a disciples who could do all that the others did when Jesus sent them out. Judas.
However, Judas was not a believer. He was called the Son of Perdition. Jesus may have been speaking directly to Judas when He taught this.
Obviously, it will not come down to what you know, what you say or what you do. It comes to one issue. Does Jesus know you?
Notice that Jesus said, “I never knew you.” Something that is missed in this passage is; how many people will have been saved and lost their salvation? None. Jesus didn’t say, “I once knew you.” He said these were never saved.
1Jn 2:18-19 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
Illustration: If you went to work for a company that never hired you, the owner could say, “You can’t work for me. I never hired you.”
He said he didn’t know them, but He was totally familiar with their actions. “You workers of lawlessness”. He said it will be the ones who are “…doing the will of the Father”. What does that mean?
The difference: A life of faith.
Rom 4:1-3 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Because of this faith and the change it brings, we will see a difference in the life. We must. These are the works that Jesus was talking about, that James said existed in a living faith (Ref. Jas 2:17ff). With a life of real faith, what will you see?
A life of repentance
Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:34.
This is the life that willingly and bravely invites God to show us our weaknesses, sins and shortcomings for Him to heal.
A life of praise
1Th 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
This is the life that give God the glory for good and those things that appear to be not good.
A life of obedience and service.
Php 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
This is the life who lives to please the Father in loving Him and serving others.
A life of continual growth
Rom 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
1Th 4:2-5 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
This is the life who allows the image Christ to be formed in them even in the worst of times. (Gal 4:17)
A life of willing suffering
1Pe 2:20-21 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
1Pe 3:17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
1Pe 4:19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
This is the life that is willing to open up the arms and receive the pain in order to maintain the vulnerability and love to do God’s work in other people’s lives.
A life of Love
1Jn 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
This is the one who understand and lives the choice, determination and demonstration of Agape love.
A life of generosity
Heb 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
This is the life who understands that God owns all and claims none of it for his own pleasure.
