Transcript

Matthew 7:19-23 · NOBA @ Noon

Canon Justin Murff: The Gospel of Matthew chapter seven verse nineteen to twenty three Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 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. 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? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. The Gospel of the Lord. Jesus shares a warning about false prophets with this stark imagery as he begins to wrap up his sermon on the mount. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire, thus you'll recognize them by their fruits. The metaphor of trees and fruit now carries ultimate consequences. Fruitless trees aren't merely disappointing, they're destroyed. The fire represents the final judgment to come. This isn't about occasional failure of crop yield, but persistent, long term fruitlessness. A tree that never produces what it should eventually faces the axe and is thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruit. The test is repeated for emphasis. What Jesus is saying to the crowd is don't be deceived by impressive speeches or claimed experiences or even apparent success, but look at the fruit. Over time, what does their life actually produce? Jesus goes on to say, 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. This is among Jesus' most sobering statements. Calling him Lord isn't enough. A verbal confession, even passionate and repeated, Lord, Lord, it doesn't guarantee entrance into the kingdom. What matters is doing the Father's will. You see, we can have outward orthodoxy, but expressing faith without obedience is insufficient in the kingdom. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Cast out demons in your name? Do we not do many mighty works in your name? And Jesus says, I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness. Can I be honest here? Personally, this has been one of the most haunting verses to me in all of Scripture my entire adult life. The scene that Jesus is painting here is Judgment Day. People approach Jesus with their impressive ministry resumes. They prophesied, they performed exorcisms, they did mighty works, and they did it all in his name. These aren't minor claims. They describe powerful, tangible, visible, some would even argue fruitful ministries. Yet Jesus' response is devastating. I never knew you. Not I once knew you, but you fell away. No, Jesus says, I never knew you. As in, there was never a genuine relationship between us. Yes, the activities were real, but the connection wasn't. The results might have been real because there is real power in the name of Jesus. After all, even the demons flee. At the name of Jesus. But Jesus calls out the workers of lawlessness. You see, despite their religious activities on the outside, they lived in rebellion against God's will on the inside. For Matthew's original readers, this warning cut against any assumption that dramatic spiritual experiences guaranteed their salvation. Ministry success was not the same as kingdom entrance. How does this passage Challenge us today? Well, first, the Lord Lord warning challenges nominal Christianity. Calling Jesus Lord but ignoring his commands is self-deception. Words without obedience are worthless. We live in an age where so many people want their version of Jesus or their version of Christianity. They like the title, but they don't want the responsibility. They want to claim Christ, but they don't want Christ to claim them, to change them. To call us and form us and shape us into his image, not our own. Second, ministry accomplishments don't equal genuine relationship with Jesus. Yes, people can prophesy and cast out demons, they can be called apostles and evangelists and prophets and whatever. But it doesn't necessarily mean they have a relationship with the Lord. Calling Jesus Lord and ignoring his commands is self deception. Words without obedience genuinely are worthless. Activity is not the same as intimacy. A third, I never knew you is the most terrifying sentence I think in all of Scripture. The issue here isn't theological error or moral failure, it's never having had a genuine relationship with Jesus in the first place. It's going through the religious motions and missing it, maybe even having it in our head but not having it in our heart. So this week, examine your own life honestly. Are you doing the Father's will or merely calling Jesus Lord? Is our relationship with him rooted in authenticity, or have we substituted religious activity for actual knowledge and being known by Jesus?