Those doing and not doing the will of the Father
“Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
Whereas previously Jesus warned about false prophets that would infiltrate the congregation as ravenous wolves pretending to be sheep, here there is apparently no pretense. He speaks about people claiming a relationship with him, calling him Lord, even demonstrating impressive spiritual achievements to back up that claim. That they are surprised that Jesus would reject them indicates that they sincerely feel they are true disciples of his. This is similar to his illustration of the sheep and the goats:
Then they too will answer with the words: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?’ (Matthew 25:44)
But the basis of their rejection is expressed not in terms of what they have done but in what they have not done.
It seems then that a new dimension is now added to the question of “fruits.” Even good works by themselves are not enough. Prophecy, casting out demons and miracles can hardly be described as “bad fruit,” but even these spiritual activities can apparently be carried out by those who still lack the relationship with Jesus which is the essential basis for belonging to the kingdom of heaven. Can it really be that there are good people who claim to follow Jesus as “Lord” and who do good works and think they are doing them in Jesus’ name who are nonetheless on the broad road leading to destruction?
. . .When praying, do not say the same things over and over again as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words. (Matthew 6:7)
. . .Men will expel you from the synagogue. In fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he has offered a sacred service to God. But they will do these things because they have not come to know either the Father or me. (John 16:2, 3)
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you give the tenth of the mint and the dill and the cumin, but you have disregarded the weightier matters of the Law, namely, justice and mercy and faithfulness. These things it was necessary to do, yet not to disregard the other things. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat but gulp down the camel! (Matthew 23:23, 24)
“You are searching the Scriptures because you think that you will have everlasting life by means of them; and these are the very ones that bear witness about me. And yet you do not want to come to me so that you may have life. (John 5:39, 40)
Clearly, for Jesus, “doing the will of my Father in heaven” is not a matter of doing what one thinks or imagines to be right. It’s not about giving God what one thinks he wants or deserves.
One must make a determined effort to know God, to learn what His will is.
This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. (John 17:3)
. . .He pleaded the legal claim of the afflicted one and the poor one. In that case it went well. ‘Was not that a case of knowing me?’ is the utterance of Jehovah. (Jeremiah 22:16)
A professed allegiance to Jesus falls short of that, and so even does the enthusiastic performance of charismatic activities “in his name. This, then, is profoundly disturbing for all genuinely desiring to follow Christ. Am I really doing the will of the Father? Do I really have his approval? It is possible for one to think he is serving God but only in his imagination. It is possible for us to set up in our mind requirements that are comfortable and convenient for ourselves and feel that God must be pleased with our efforts but never stopping to ask ourselves: is this really what God wants or is it what we want? Shouldn’t it be God that sets the terms for acceptable worship?
The attitude that anything we might accomplish for which we now feel God is obligated to reward should be suspect:
“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” (Luk 17:7-10 ESV)
This shows how important it is to continually seek God, so as to know his will and accept his terms for acceptable worship:
For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. (1Co 4:4 ESV)
This has the potential for causing great distress to some more sensitive souls, for who can truly know the mind of God?:
O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are and beyond tracing out his ways are! For “who has come to know Jehovah’s mind, or who has become his adviser?” Or, “who has first given to him, so that it must be repaid to him?” (Romans 11:33-35)
This forcefully illustrates how vital it is to carefully consider all that Jesus said and did, for correct knowledge of God can come by no other means.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Mat 11:27 ESV)
It was apparently in the light of just such painful spiritual self-examination that the apostle John wrote his assuring words:
By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. (1Jn 3:19-22 ESV)
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1Jn 2:3-6 ESV)
It may seem contradictory to say acceptable worship depends on sincerity of heart and at the same time to say sincerity is no assurance of salvation. But Jesus, because he knows what is in man, is the only one given authority to decide who does and does not enter the kingdom of heaven:
But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. (Joh 2:24-25 ESV)
The basis for entry into the kingdom of heaven then, is a relationship with him. To be sure, in order for our worship to be acceptable to God, no matter how sincere, it must be in harmony with truth. But would God automatically condemn a sincere but misguided person? We can learn an important lesson about this from how Jesus dealt with Saul of Tarsus. (Acts 22:1-21)
Saul was sincere, believing that he was pleasing God by persecuting Christians. But that did not make what he did right. But instead of striking him dead for what he was doing, Jesus struck him with blindness and showed him that he needed to change his course in order to gain God’s approval. How would a truly sincere person respond if proof is given that what he believed was wrong?
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1Ti 1:12-16 ESV)
Because many religions today place man-made creeds and doctrinal teachings above the need to follow Christ and be led by the spirit this has led to divisions. Each new breakaway sect seeks to establish itself as the one true Christian organization and attempts to draw away the disciples after themselves. Feeling that if they can gather all the sheep into one pen this will solve the problem. However, I see no evidence that Jesus ever promised that men will be able to accomplish such a thing. Our responsibility is to follow him and leave the matter of judgement (aside from removing unrepentant practicers of sin) in his capable hands. He himself knows who his sheep are and will gather his chosen ones:
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, (Joh 10:14 ESV)
And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Mat 24:31 ESV)
In saying “in that day,” in verse 22, Jesus indicates that this rejection and gathering takes place at the final judgment. For some, it may include discipline.
And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. (Luk 12:47-48 ESV)
Scene 4: Those obeying and not obeying his sayings (Matt. 7:24-27)