"Lord, Lord!" "I Never Knew You" Mt. 7:21-24

Matthew 7:21-24 and the Difference Between Saying and Doing

Matthew chapter 7, familiar words for our contemplation this evening, Matthew chapter 7, verse 21, my thoughts were brought to this text. As most of you know, part of my work is to engage in apologetics, so next month, Lord willing, Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Awal is a student of Ahmed Didat, and so I have been reviewing some of his materials.

But he did a debate last year, to watch the debate, a response offered, but in the process, Sheikh Awal went to this text, and it's a text we all, let's take a look at it, and then I'll let you know what he had to say about it as well.

Well, in concluding the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, not everyone saying to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in Heaven, that will enter into.

Many will say to me on that day, the day of judgment, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works, and then I will, it's literally, I will confess, I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart away from me from working lawlessness.

This text, as I mentioned, very, very well known to us. But what was interesting was the utilization that I had never heard before. Sheikh Awal looked at this, and he said, do Muslims, do Jews call Jesus Lord?

No. Who are the only people that would be saying, Lord, Lord? And Jesus says to them, depart from me. I never knew. Well, I had never really. And so I started thinking about it, and it's interesting, sometimes we hear texts, and we just, we've grown up with them.

Then you've seen texts like this, and you've heard texts like this, and you're accustomed to a particular context. It's a little bit like another unusual perspective I've run into. Where we've run into unusual perspectives, sometimes our only response is to go, well, that's weird, which isn't much of a response in a debate situation especially.

The Son of Man and Misreadings of Jesus

But I just recently ran into the fact that one of my former debate opponents, Dr. Bart Ehrman, has a really unusual perspective. He talks about the Son of Man, and he believes the Son of Man is someone other than Jesus.

That Jesus did not identify himself as the Son of Man. That he was talking about an eschatological figure who was going to be coming in the future, and the Son of Man was going to come. And you sort of go, I don't know, the trial of Jesus?

They asked him, are you the Son of Man? You will see. And you just wonder how folks come to some of the conclusions that they do. But what that makes you do is think through, well, why is it that I believe that?

And sometimes within the context of the church, if we don't bump into some of these things, and I know that I provide you with a lot of bumps very regularly, you don't think those things through. Well, going back to this text, there is no question that Muslims and Jews do not say, Kuri, Kuri, Kurias, Lord.

And Christians do. But was that a proper applicant? It wasn't. But how would we respond to it? How would we understand this text? Well, notice it says, not everyone saying to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Not everyone. It's a given that to enter into the kingdom of heaven, you need to acknowledge the King of the kingdom of heaven. And you need to acknowledge Him as Lord. The point of Jesus' words here is not that there is something wrong with addressing Jesus as Lord.

But that there needs to be a consistency between the profession and the action. Notice two words. Saying to me. The word saying is a present participle. In fact, it's the one saying. So not every one saying, but you have the one saying to me.

So there's going to be a group of people who say to Jesus, Lord, Lord. But that is not sufficient in and of itself. Then, after the word but, you have the one doing. And it's in direct parallel with the one saying.

And so you have two groups here. One is a subset of the other. You have a larger group of those professing that Jesus is Lord. There's a lot of those folks. A lot of folks will say, yeah, Jesus is Lord.

But there is a subset of those people. They also say Jesus is Lord. But they are also doing the will of my Father who is in heaven. They are the ones who enter into the kingdom of heaven. What's the difference between the two?

James 2, John 6, and Ephesians 2 on Faith and Works

Well, as I thought about this text. We have an illustration in the next two verses. But there's another section of scripture that just kept coming to my mind. As I thought about these people who say one thing with their mouth.

But there is no corresponding reality in their life. That was James chapter 2. This is the exact same emphasis that James makes in James chapter 2. When he talks about people who say they profess faith.

But there's no corresponding reality in their life. And James asks the question, James 2 .14. Can that faith, the spoken faith that when you ask what's your evidence of your existence. Has no evidence to offer.

Can that kind of faith say we know all the abuses. There's all sorts of people running around out there that want to use James 2. To present works, righteousness and everything else. We recognize that that's a problem.

But sometimes we sort of allow it to sit on the shelf a little bit. Don't really want to listen to what it's saying. Because it's uncomfortable what it says. There needs to be a consistency. Between what is spoken from the mouth.

The one saying Lord, Lord. Well if Jesus is Lord. Then there needs to be a resultant activity. Doing the will of my Father who is in heaven. Notice the description is provided. Many will say to me in that day.

The day of judgment. Why would they say it to him? Because he's the judge. He's the one that because of his unique position of being the God man. Can be the perfect judge. Many will say to me on that day.

Lord, Lord did we not do these things? Did we not prophesy in your name? And that's not necessarily just the idea of some kind of prophesy. Did we not speak forth in your name? Did we not cast out demons?

Did we not engage in spiritual activities in your name? Did we not in your name do? It's the same root word there. The doing. Do mighty works. Works of power. Miracles. Notice it. It's not to say no you didn't.

It's not to say no you're lying. Jesus' response is not to argue the facts of the case. Because there's no evidence these people are lying. They did things. So you see. We would be wrong to think. That when Jesus talks about the difference between saying and doing.

That just any old doing is what he has in mind. It's not the idea of doing activities. And being religious. And doing good works. Remember the doing was the doing of the will of the Father. And we can leap out of Matthew 7.

Over to John chapter 6. And the people say what should we do to work the works of God? And Jesus says it's the work of God that you believe in him and he has sent. And therefore we don't have to worry about activities and actions at all.

Work the works of God. Jesus offered a corrective. You can't really work the works of God until you do the first thing he demands of you. And that is faith in the one whom he has sent. But keeping the right balance.

The biblical balance. Between profession and activity. Absolutely vital. And the scriptures provide us with James 2. We see it here. We see it in the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2. If we will just quote the whole text.

I think most people by memory. Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9. But verse 10 says. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.

That's the relationship. Salvation, all of grace. And that same sovereign God who saves. Predestines that we are to walk in, live in. The realm of good works. Works that are marked by desire to glorify God.

Out of obedience to his revealed will. Coming back to Matthew 7. Notice that Jesus' response is not to say you didn't do those things. And then I will. A solemn statement. I will confess to them. New words.

Because you really. What this raises is. How many people are going to stand there. There is so much danger. In giving people. In giving them only a part of the gospel. I've got my ticket punched. I'm going to heaven mentality.

Of so much of evangelicalism today. And so many people. Are going to hear these words. I did this. I did that. Activity in the name of Jesus. Without the knowledge of Jesus. Provides you with nothing.

Remember how many times I've talked to you about my professor. You know everything there is to know about Jesus. But you have to know Jesus. Relationship. I never knew you. Depart from me. Workers of lawlessness.

Workers of iniquity. They were saying. We worked this. We worked that. We did religious things. But outside of having the proper relationship with God. Which can only be available through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ.

A knowledge of him. Union with him. It's iniquity. That's what he says. I never knew you. Now contrast those words. John chapter 10. And what Jesus says to his sheep. And about his sheep. What does he say?

Certainly puts a little bit of a stick in the spokes. Of those who say you can once be truly a believer. Know Christ. He knows you. He can never say the words of Matthew chapter 7. To someone who had once been one of his sheep.

He knows his sheep. He says I never knew you. So these were never. Do you see how if we allow all of the word of God to speak. There is this beautiful battle. On the one hand. Work salvation. All those gospels.

Those false gospels. That put everything in the hand of man. Not possible. Can't be. We have to have a divine savior. We need to have the sovereignty of God. We need to have faith coming from the hand of God.

It has to be God's work. Very clear. On the other hand. Those people that present merely just a tipping of the hat. Showing up to church once in a while. Lord, Lord did I not do this? Lord, Lord did I not do that?

I have faith. But my faith cannot demonstrate its existence. The word says. Never knew you. Apart from me. Can that kind of faith save? The answer is no. What's the tendency of mankind? It's always to fall off the narrow path of truth.

One side or the other. Become libertarians. Get your ticket funds. Drive your way to heaven. Doesn't matter how you live. On the one side. Or end up in work salvation. Under the anathema of the apostle Paul.

In Galatians chapter 1. On the other side. Provides us. Now as you interact with people. They are always going to be tugging at you from one way or the other. But that's one of the reasons why we emphasize being here.

On a regular basis. You hear the word of God preached. It's presented in so many texts. And it builds you up. It gives you balance. To avoid the difficulty. Because I doubt there's too many people sitting in front of me.

That look at this and go. Certainly be recognized. They contain hard words. They contain words that if we're honest. They make us. Because you see there's always this tendency. Towards self-righteousness.

Isn't it there? Can we not all. Sometimes we catch ourselves. And we'll go. I see that person over there. But that's not me. I do this. Save me first. So there's something right. Freedom and peace and rejoicing.

And all those other things. But there's everything right. In always keeping in our mind. Not everyone who says. But the one doing. What's the desire of my heart. The desire of my heart is to be the one doing.

The will of my father. I want that every. What really excites my heart. Pleasing God. It's not that the word does not provide us. With example after example. After example of tests. Love that text in 1st John 5.

These things were written. That you may know that you have eternal life. What's the these thing? It's the rest of the book of 1st John. That talks about not loving the world. And loving the brethren. And not walking in the darkness.

But walking in the light. So we ask ourselves a question. About one of those who just says. About one of those who does because it's mine. I've told you this story before. But some of you when I told it.

I had a friend. He was an interesting friend. Kelly remembers him. His name was Wally Tope. Wally Tope was a mental imbalance. He only stayed with us for a few days. Unmarried fellow. Beat up old car.

Made by AMC. I don't know how. But he was a missionary to the Mormons primarily. I learned a lot about how to pass out tracks. And handle street witnessing situations. And Wally Tope was the last person to die.

In the Los Angeles riots. When the riots took place. He decided to go out and preach to the rioters. He was standing outside like an ape. And preached to the people that had smashed in the windows. And were stealing all the TVs.

They beat him into a coma. From which he never came out. I think about 18 months. But I learned from Wally. An answer to that James 2 text. When you're talking to the Mormons. And it's not anything new.

Because really it's pretty much what's in the Westminster Catechism. I can't remember if it's shorter or longer. So I might remember which one it is. Maybe it's both. But in talking about the nature of saving faith.

It talks about how saving faith is never alone. And so what Wally did with that. Is he said you don't go baa baa to become a sheep. You go baa baa because you are a sheep. What he meant by that was. You can wrap yourself in wool.

And get down on all fours. And crawl around going baa baa all you want. The reason a sheep goes baa baa. Is because it's his nature. To go baa baa. That's why you do it. It's because you're a sheep. Christians do good works because it's their nature.

They've been changed. It's a divine thing that God has done. In saving us. He changes us from the inside. You can wrap yourself in all the good works you want. You can in the name of Jesus. But unless this has happened.

Unless he knows you. Unless there's regeneration. You're just a person that doesn't reflect.