ONE LAST TIME
Jesus said, "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. "Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” I ask you to open your Bible and study this together. Readers, do you know when this scenario of Matthew 7:21-23 occurs? You are right, it occurs when Jesus returns for the second time, the end of time. Also known as Judgment Day. There is no more opportunity for us to change course when Jesus comes. There is no more opportunity for us to repent. If there is any repenting to be done, do it now. Now, or never. Okay, let us continue. What else do we know about these men/women whom Jesus rejected? They are not ordinary people. They are people of great faith. They can do wonders in His name. They can cast out demons in His name, they can do a lot of things in His name that most of us cannot do. Yet, Jesus rejected them. They were found guilty of practicing lawlessness. They are lawbreakers. Whose law did they break? Logic tells me that they were breaking God’s law. God’s law is within His jurisdiction. Millions of Christians are breaking God’s law every day. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.” John 14:15,21-24,31.
What else do we know? I know that God is a legalistic God. Millions of Christians, including those whom Jesus had denied in Matthew 7:21-23 knew, or should have known, that God is a legalistic God. He adheres to His law. And He expects us to meet His standards. Unfortunately, Christians believe in the teachings of the apostle Paul, grace, and more grace; faith, and more faith. They won’t even believe in what Jesus said. And worst, they won’t even believe in their own logic. Sad indeed.
Here is what Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.
The men and women described in Matthew 7:21-23 have faith but no work, the prerequisite that Paul said we must have in order to receive grace from God. And so, Jesus gave them the death sentence for practicing lawlessness, faith without work. The Apostle James was correct when he said that faith without works is dead. (James 2:26). Good job Lucifer, good job for causing the deaths of millions of Christians when Jesus Christ returns. "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. " Matthew 7:21. Readers, are we doing the will of God the Father? Or are we doing the will of the apostle Paul?