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"Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.'" (Matthew 7:21-23) Have you ever read this passage and then just sat a thought about all the implications? The one part that really bothers me is "We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you.'" It bothers me because it demands that I take a look deep inside myself. It makes me question my motives, even in the things I am trying to do for the Lord. How could people cast out demons and do miracles in Jesus' name and not be one of his own? Doesn't that imply that I could be doing all kinds of things in Jesus' name and not be one of his? WOW, that's scary! It's much easier to deal with passages like 1 Peter 4:1-4. "So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won't spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy-their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols."
I can deal with putting away the old life and dying to sin and those ideas. It's much harder to think about living for Jesus and not being considered one of his. What would actually put a person in that position? The only clue is that Jesus said "Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter." What does he mean by "actually doing the will of my Father?" What is the will of the Father? Aren't we supposed to live missional, just, others oriented lives? Aren't we supposed to be out helping others, spreading the gospel and inviting others into the kingdom? I think the answer has to be yes, we are supposed to be doing those things. But, doing those things won't get us into heaven. In this passage from Matthew 7, there is more involved in what Jesus is saying. Unfortunately, those who translate scripture tend to divide it into chapters, verses and sections. While this makes it easier to locate passages, it can also cause us to lose the context of what is said. Matthew 5-7 is a sermon or teaching which Jesus delivered on a mountainside. By the time we get to Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus is drawing his lesson to a close. In order to understand what he is talking about, we have to look at the context of his entire lesson. Over and over he talks about attitude and faith and trust in God. It isn't the “what,” it's the “why.” In verses 15-20, Jesus has just talked about looking at the fruit or the actions of false prophets. Now look at what he says in verses 24-27. "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."
Could it be that doing the will of our Father has to do with placing our trust in Jesus? Could it be that doing the will of our Father has to do with surrendering control of our lives to Him? Could it be that doing the will of our Father has to do with being totally sold out to Jesus and his kingdom? The things we do in the name of Jesus can't be check marks on a list. The motive for what we do can't be that we "have to." They must be the fruit of who we are. They must be the natural outcome of a life that "has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) I never want to hear the words "I never knew you." Today, tomorrow and for eternity, I want to hear Jesus say "Well done, good and faithful servant!" Father, it is my desire to do your will. Please help me to live a life that is sold out to you. My faith and trust are in you and in Jesus, your son. I surrender my life to your control. Amen Keep the Faith
Original content at: http://becauseofyeshua.org/?p=85.
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Scott Bartchy is a radical. He believes in a subversive system that embraces those on the fringes of our society and seeks to establish a new way of life that goes against the status quo.