Transcript

From False Teachers to False Believers

Matthew 7:21-23
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Pastor Randy Smith

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It is spoken of in vicious language. The apostle Peter said, "Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). Whenever God's work is being accomplished, you can bet that the evil one will bring opposition. Throughout biblical history, it is impossible to overlook his insidious fingerprints. From the Garden to the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall, from the ministry of Jesus to the life of the early church, he is present and active attempting to disrupt God's activity.

We are called to be aware of his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11). And what are his schemes? Sometimes he sows seeds of division and disunity from within. Other times he brings opposition from without in the form of false teachers.

Last week we spent our time together learning about the dangers of these false teachers. Jesus made it clear that we are to "watch out" (Mt. 7:15-NIV) for such people. False teachers are self-deceived individuals. Oftentimes they believe they are really helping the church, when in all actuality they are bringing great destruction upon God's people. We also learned the way to detect them, as Jesus said, by observing their fruits (Mt. 7:16, 20): namely, their character, their content and their companions.

In the next section of this sermon, Jesus turns to another group of self-deceived people. From false teachers, He now addresses false believers. These are people who profess Christ, often attend church and even serve in a ministry. Yet despite what they may think and claim, they do not have a true relationship with the Lord. And apart from their repentance, they will, one day, bring great destruction upon themselves. We call this a false assurance of one's salvation.

This section of Scripture contains possibly the most humbling and most offensive verses in all of the Bible. And these verses are possibly needed for today's church more than ever before. We are prepared for Jesus to speak this way to unbelievers. We are shocked to hear Him say these words to people who are presently calling upon His name (Mt. 5:1). So in conclusion to His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus wants to ensure a proper response among His listeners to the instruction He has just provided. And He wants to make sure that all who claim to follow Him are true followers indeed - devoted to His gospel and not Satan's gospel.

There can be nothing more terrifying, beloved, than people who think they are saved only to realize on Judgment Day they will spend an eternity apart from the Lord due to their own self-deception. Again, it is one thing to weep over the condemnation of Christ rejecters, it is quite another to weep over the condemnation of Christ professors. No wonder the great British preacher, Martyn Lloyd Jones called theses verses, "The most solemn and solemnizing words ever uttered in the world" (Taken from: Tom Ascol, "The Most Frightening Words," Tabletalk, March 2008, p. 51).

So may the Lord give us all a sober-minded spirit to approach these verses in Holy Scripture with all humility. May we come before God as that First Beatitude teaches, "poor in spirit" and use this time to engage in a healthy period of self-examination. These are verses we must keep before the professing church. And these are verses we must take very seriously.

1. THOSE WHO WILL NOT ENTER

So with that said, let's first examine those who will not enter heaven - our first of two points this morning.

A dependence on words

In verse 21 we first of all see that these people profess Jesus Christ as "Lord." I remind you, these are not heretics, apostates, heathens or even moral unbelievers. These are people who call themselves "Christian" and believe with all of their heart that Jesus Christ is their Lord. Based upon their dependence on certain words, they believe they are right with God.

The lordship of Jesus Christ has fallen on tough times these days. Many in the church have been taught they can somehow believe upon half of Jesus Christ - they can accept Him as their Savior but deny Him as their Lord. To these individuals, the title "Lord" becomes nothing more than a name to be uttered, rather than an attribute that demands their total allegiance, their surrender to God's authority and their abandonment of self-will.

We see this attitude exemplified in this passage. Despite their intense zeal and enthusiastic devotion in the repeated use of the title ("Lord, Lord"), Jesus was not truly Lord of their lives. We could say this is the ultimate way we take the Lord's name in vain! Other interests, idols and affections were their true lord. Their obedience was not in line with Jesus' commands. And their lifestyle contradicted their profession. Like Paul told Titus, "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him" (Tit. 1:6).

Those who depend upon certain words in addressing God have no guarantee they have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The Bible is full of these examples. The Pharisees said, "We have one Father: God" (Jn. 8:41). To which Jesus replied, "You are of your father the devil" (Jn. 8:44). Many call themselves "believers," but James says, "You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder" (Jas. 2:19). The demons even referred to our Savior as "Jesus, Son of the Most High God" (Mk. 5:7), only to find themselves eternally banished from His presence. And similar to our passage in Matthew, Jesus said in Luke to His fickle followers, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Lk. 6:46).

A dependence on works

While many base the security of their salvation on their words, others base it on their works. In other words, they depend on the "stuff" they do for God.

Possibly they find solace in the fact that they never committed "any big sins" or that they faithfully attended church or faithfully served others or accumulated a great wealth of spiritual knowledge. Common in the evangelical church today are those who take assurance in the fact that they were baptized or accepted an invitation at an "alter call" or prayed a prayer to "ask Jesus into their heart." These are often the customary responses if you ask a person whether or not he or she is saved. Unfortunately, none of them can be biblically supported to provide true security for one's salvation.

The false believers in Matthew 7 also took great comfort in their works. In their specific case, they found great security in their spiritual service. Look at verse 22. Jesus declares "many" will stand before Him on Judgment Day and almost in a form of protest say, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?"

There is always much debate surrounding the content of this verse. Are these miracles genuine? If so, are they performed under the power of God or the power Satan? The text does not provide the answers. Jesus doesn't even address these issues. To Him that point seems irrelevant. All we know is that these people claimed to do some pretty impressive religious deeds. And we see they claimed to have done it all in the name of Jesus, which they made a point of repeating three times in this verse alone. All in all, they are confident they are a lock for heaven.

Yet despite the spiritual words that came from their lips and the despite the nature of their spiritual works, these people will be turned away by our Lord. Rather than "Well done good and faithful servant" (Mt. 25:21-NIV), they will hear the most chilling and terrifying words from Jesus Christ in the entire Bible. Verse 23, "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.'"

What adjectives can properly capture the emotions at this moment? What words can adequately describe the response of these people? Standing before Jesus on Judgment Day, confident that they would be admitted into His kingdom, only to be turned away with, "I never knew you."

Now, obviously Jesus knows them as individuals. He is aware of their existence. He is God and He knows everybody in that sense. What He is talking about here is knowing them relationally.

To "know someone" is a Hebrew idiom that speaks of closeness. In the Bible the phrase is commonly used to depict marital intimacy (Gen. 4:1). Other times it is used of the special relationship that God has with His people. For example Jesus, the Good Shepherd said, "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me" (Jn. 10:14) and "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (Jn. 10:27). Paul told Timothy, "The Lord knows those who are His" (2 Tim. 2:19).

In other words, Jesus will tell these people they were never part of His spiritual family. Despite their claims and actions, they never had a relationship with Him. They will be commanded to depart from His presence to begin their eternal sentence in hell. Shocking! Tragic! And avoidable! The reason for their condemnation is mentioned at the end of verse 23. They are forbidden entrance to heaven because they "practice(d) lawlessness."

2. THOSE WHO WILL ENTER

Let's take that thought and move to our second point. From those who will not enter heaven to those who will enter heaven.

When Jesus said they "practice lawlessness," He was speaking of the ongoing nature of their sinful choices. Or as we learned last week, they produced bad fruit which gave evidence to the reality of their heart. So despite what they said and despite what they did, the display of their actions gave proof they were not true followers of Jesus Christ, people who will be known for practicing righteousness.

Obviously, nobody can live a perfect life. The Bible says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn. 1:8). But true believers have an internal heart's desire to please the Lord. When they sin, they are grieved (Mt. 5:4). When they fail, they are repentant. They seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33). They hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mt. 5:6). They pursue the holiness of their heavenly Father (Mt. 5:48). They understand that perfection is unachievable this side of heaven, but they are intent in going in the Lord's direction. They are not marked by practicing lawlessness. They are marked by an earnest desire to do the Lord's will.

Jesus cannot make it any clearer for us in verse 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."

"But Pastor, I thought we were saved by grace?" Of course we are, but evidence of God's grace in our lives is the desire and ability to be obedient to the Lord's will. Of course we do not enter because of our obedience, we enter because of the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross, but it is equally true that no one will enter apart from obedience which proves that the work has been applied to their lives.

Listen to a few verses that support this point: Revelation 20:12, "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds." Hebrews 5:9, [Jesus] became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation." John 3:36, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

So a verbal profession of Jesus Christ is necessary. Romans 10:9, "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." In Matthew 10:32-33, Jesus said, "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." And works of spiritual service within the church are necessary as well. First Corinthians 12:7, "To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."

Verbal confession and spiritual service are necessary, but a dependence on these actions to gain favor with the Lord is insufficient. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. But assurance that we are truly saved is again the ability and desire to obey the Lord's commandments. Only then will the Holy Spirit bear witness with our spirits that we are the children of God (Rom. 8:16). Verse 21 again, "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."

Maybe there is a reason that Jesus gave this instruction on the heels of the instruction regarding false teachers. Because despite what these people might teach in making the narrow way a little broader, our Lord's words are clear. Heaven is reserved only for those who do the will of God.

I remember my sophomore year in high school I made the varsity hockey team. Though I was a decent player, I was one of the smaller guys on the team and definitely one of the least aggressive. Everything changed one day in practice. As I was skating over the middle with my head down my coach just "clocked me." Skates up in the air, stick out of my hands and flat on my back! Never more embarrassed in front of my teammates and never more resentment toward any coach had I ever had in my life. Yet, in the long run, the swift kick in the pants proved to be my greatest lesson. I needed to be humbled. If I were to succeed in the sport of hockey, changes had to be made in my approach to the game.

This material which Jesus spoke to His followers comes with the same intentions. Offensive, but it may be what we need to hear more than anything else. It is a rebuke and a call to wake-up, consider our lives and examine our profession of His name. Will we be among those who hear, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." This is love because Jesus wants His disciples to face the Day of Judgment with confidence. And this is love because if we are self-deceived there is still time for repentance.

J.C. Ryle once said, "The day of judgment will reveal strange things. The hopes of many, who were thought great Christians while they lived, will be utterly confounded. The rottenness of their religion will be exposed and put to shame before the whole world. It will then be proved, that to be saved means something more than 'making a profession.' We must make a 'practice' of our Christianity as well as a 'profession.' Let us often think of that great day. Let us often 'judge ourselves, that we be not judged,' and condemned by the Lord. Whatever else we are, let us aim at being real, true, and sincere" (Commentary, Matthew 7).

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul told the church, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test?" And in 1 Corinthians we read that before participating in the Lord's Table we are called to examine ourselves (1 Cor. 11:28).

A student came before his aged and very godly professor and said, "Mr. So-and-So said he believes I am not a Christian." The professor was outraged at the man's judgmental conclusions that lacked any substance. Then the student said, "Mr. So-and-So also believes you are not a Christian either!" To which the professor said, "Please excuse me so I can engage in a time of self-examination."

Considering this sermon and the elements before us, may we spend some time in self-examination.