WEBVTT 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:11.439 You can open your Bibles, as I mentioned earlier, to Matthew chapter 7. 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:14.240 We are continuing our study in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:18.879 This morning we will look at verses 21 through 23. 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:32.719 Matthew chapter 7, verse 21: Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:42.240 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 mighty works in your name? 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:45.679 And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:51.840 Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. 00:00:53.759 --> 00:01:06.079 When I was junior in college, I was taking a Gen Ed educational class, kind of class with 200 students in it, and most of them, I would say 100 plus of them were athletes. 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:11.439 This was the class that the athletes were drawn to to help our GPAs and whatnot. 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:13.599 It was one of those kind of classes. 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:20.159 Well, the professor of this class did not like that one bit and did not make herself very accessible. 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:29.439 She also didn't trust athletes, and so she had as the final exam different versions of the final exam assigned randomly by your student ID number. 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:37.359 And so at the final, you had to go and check your student ID number and then find a letter next to it, and that was the version of the exam you had to take. 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:39.840 That was to keep the athletes from conspiring. 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:48.000 Well, I'm taking the exam in the second or third row of the class, and a student has a conversation with the professor loud enough for all us all to hear. 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:51.120 He couldn't find his student ID number on the roster. 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:54.239 This is finals week, by the way. 00:01:55.200 --> 00:02:00.879 The student was the punter for the football team and uh was not there. 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:07.680 And the professor explains to this guy that he's not enrolled in the class. 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:26.080 And the student didn't, I think, realize this because I think actually this student was surprised that he was eligible all season long and had assumed he was getting good grades because of his eligibility without, I think, a full awareness that he wasn't even enrolled in this class. 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:28.159 So I guess it wasn't hurting his GPA. 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:32.240 And the professor just ended the conversation by saying, you know what? 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:34.159 I'll see you next semester. 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:38.400 You know, she was not gonna bend an inch. 00:02:38.879 --> 00:02:54.080 There's a similar kind of conversation here in Matthew chapter 7, uh, where people will open their eyes when they die, and they'll be before the Lord, and they will expect to be invited into heaven, and the Lord will tell them, you're not enrolled in the class. 00:02:54.800 --> 00:03:00.240 Only, unlike my experience at the University of New Mexico, there is no next semester in this. 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:04.159 There's no try next time, this time fill out the paperwork. 00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:06.719 There's no second chances. 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:25.280 This passage reveals a hard truth, arguably the hardest truth in the Bible, that most of the people who have attached themselves in some form to Christianity are not going to heaven when they die. 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:27.840 That's the reality of this passage. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:29.759 This is a passage about the many people. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:34.159 Many will say to me, Jesus says, the many people we saw earlier in Matthew 7. 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:36.400 These are the people on the wide path. 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:38.000 This is where the many are. 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:41.840 They don't need instruction to get on the wide path, they gravitate towards the wide path. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:43.439 We were introduced to them earlier. 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:45.039 This is all the religions of the world. 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:46.800 We saw that earlier in Matthew 7. 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:52.800 But here at this part of Matthew 7, verses 21 through 23, Jesus is not talking about Islam. 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:59.280 He's not talking about Buddhism, he's not talking about atheists or agnostics on the wide road, although they are all on the wide road. 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:06.800 Here, the many here refers to specifically people who are identifying Jesus as the Lord. 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:11.759 This is a church-based conversation here. 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:16.160 The church didn't exist in Matthew 7, of course, in the Sermon on the Mount, it was still future. 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:18.639 But Jesus is casting his eyes to the future. 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:41.759 He's casting his eyes to the time where the church will exist, and he is stating a very hard truth that many people, the wide path people, many people will open their eyes when they die, be face to face with the Lord, and then sent away to hell, and this will be surprising to them. 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:53.279 I say it's an astonishing passage because we are used to Jesus confronting the religions of the world. 00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:59.680 We are used to him confronting the sinners of the world. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:07.920 We have categories for the sinners of the world, the bad people in the world, for the harlots and the drug users and the criminals. 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:09.360 We have categories for them. 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:12.319 We have categories for the false religions of the world. 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:14.399 But that's not what Jesus is talking about. 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:17.120 He is not talking about the false religions of the world. 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:20.879 He's not talking about those sinners out there outside of the church in the world. 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:30.720 This passage has his rebuke targeted specifically at people who are, let's say it this way, they're false followers of the true religion. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:34.720 They have the language. 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:37.600 They identify Jesus as Lord. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:42.639 Not once, not twice, not thrice, four times in this passage, they call Jesus Lord. 00:05:47.199 --> 00:06:01.680 We would expect his rebuke to be targeting the agnostics and the atheists, the Romans I kind of homosexuals, the sexually immoral, the idolaters, the coveters, those people. 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:11.040 This rebuke has its laser sighting set on people who have attached themselves to the church. 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:19.439 The reality is that the majority of people who affiliate themselves with Christianity are on their way to hell. 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:21.600 That's the teaching of this passage. 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:24.720 And it is a jarring teaching. 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:30.160 And what is so jarring about it is they're not on their way to hell for lack of knowledge. 00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:31.279 Do you understand? 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:36.720 They know who the Lord is, they're not lacking knowledge of Jesus. 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:42.720 They're not here for lack of recognition in Jesus. 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:47.360 They're not here because they don't believe Jesus is Lord. 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:52.959 If there's one thing that's evident about this passage, four times it's stated, they do believe Jesus is Lord. 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:57.839 They do know that he's Lord, they do recognize him as Lord, and they do call him Lord. 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:01.279 And one more point about that. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:06.800 They are not on their way to hell because they identify him as Lord without sincerity. 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:08.720 They are very sincere. 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:20.399 If there ever was a time to be sincere, a time to discard hypocrisy, discard pretenses, discard the outer shell or whatever people develop, it would be this time. 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:29.759 Now, in death, eyes open before Jesus Christ, who knows the secrets of the heart, heaven and hell in the balance, this is the moment where hypocrisy doesn't work. 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:38.800 And so it's appropriate to take these people, this majority, this many, this wide-road class of people. 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:44.319 I think it's appropriate to take them at their word when they say that Jesus is Lord here. 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:47.439 They sincerely believe that. 00:07:49.839 --> 00:07:56.800 And so there's a pretty poignant point here that salvation is not contingent upon sincerity. 00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:03.680 Salvation is not contingent upon right thinking of the Lord Jesus Christ or recognition of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:12.639 Jesus is the Lord, whether or not you recognize him, whether or not you believe in him, whether or not you acknowledge him as Lord, he is the Lord. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:15.360 Salvation is not contingent upon that acknowledgement. 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:18.480 Lots of people acknowledge him as Lord who are on their way to hell. 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:22.879 Or to use the language of James chapter 2, even the demons know he's the Lord. 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:24.399 The demons know who he is. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:26.800 And by the way, they at least tremble. 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:31.120 They have fear before him, which is another category. 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:41.679 Salvation is not determined by your knowledge of the Lord or your belief in that sense of the Lord, or of your identifying him with your words as Lord once, twice, three times, four times. 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:45.919 Salvation is not contingent upon the sincerity in which you believe he's the Lord. 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:49.279 Salvation is not contingent upon the fear of the Lord. 00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:54.080 These people sincerely believe that Jesus is Lord. 00:08:54.240 --> 00:09:01.360 They fear hell, as evidenced by their pleas to the Lord, and yet they're on their way there. 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:04.799 How could this be? 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:07.679 How could this be? 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:13.919 Well, what's most obvious is that this passage describes an empty profession. 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:18.240 They profess that Jesus is Lord. 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:20.879 Four times in this passage. 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:25.360 Beyond that, the most common word other than Lord in this passage is the word for says. 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:27.360 You see this in verse 21. 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:29.360 Not everyone who says to me Lord. 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:32.879 In verse 22, on that day many will say to me, Lord. 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:34.799 They are prophesying, they're using speech gifts. 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:36.159 They're saying, saying, saying. 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:38.240 The Greek word for for saying is Lego here. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:39.120 We'll come back to that later. 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:40.240 It just means to say. 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:44.399 That's the warning in here that Jesus is hearing their words. 00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:46.720 They are saying Lord, Lord. 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:49.039 They're saying Lord, Lord. 00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:54.159 They're professing with their lips that Jesus is Lord. 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:56.240 That's not what's missing here. 00:09:56.639 --> 00:09:59.360 Their profession is indeed empty. 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:07.279 Why are they so confused and surprised? 00:10:08.559 --> 00:10:17.200 Because they were led to believe at some point, I'm imagining, that their profession was sufficient for their salvation. 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:29.440 Perhaps some well-meaning person told them, if you repeat these words after me and you believe it, and you really, really believe it, then you're saved. 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:30.720 And you can bank on that. 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:34.000 You can have assurance in the fact that you repeated these words. 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:37.840 You can have assurance in the fact that you confessed Jesus as Lord. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:40.639 You take your assurance on the words that you said. 00:10:40.799 --> 00:10:46.080 If you had a profession of faith, hold on to it and believe that they were told. 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:53.679 They made a profession and now they're drawing assurance from their profession. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:57.679 They were led in prayer. 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:11.039 In fact, they were probably told, if you ever question the sincerity of your salvation now that you have said this prayer and said these words, you are questioning God's grace, so don't you dare do it. 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:14.879 Hold on to this profession. 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:25.360 That's one way these people find themselves here, is they were taught to draw assurance from their profession. 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:27.519 I'm sure that's not the only way. 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:37.919 Perhaps they were taught that some external repetition of a phrase or some identity of Jesus as Lord was sufficient to connect them to the church. 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:42.080 The church is the gateway to heaven, the church is the narrow gates, they were probably told. 00:11:42.240 --> 00:12:07.200 And so they, through their confession, their membership interview, or what have you, their recitation of a creed or whatever, they have used words to attach themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ through the church, which is visible embassy on the earth, and their profession has kept them in the church their whole life, and they are surprised when they open their eyes in the next life, and their profession is not sufficient to keep their connection to Christ. 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:09.519 It is an empty profession. 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:11.919 It is not wrong to call Jesus Lord, of course not. 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:14.240 It's not a bad thing to confess him as Lord. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:17.120 It's simply not a sufficient thing. 00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:29.200 And this is why I beg you, do not draw assurance of your salvation from some past profession of faith. 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:31.120 And that is so common. 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:40.720 Many people, and by many, I'm using the word the way Jesus uses here, many people draw their assurance from some previous profession. 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:43.279 How do you know you're saved? 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:52.399 One might ask, and their answer might be, because two years or 20 years or 40 years ago, I said this prayer. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:54.000 That's how I know I'm saved. 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:58.480 I said the words, I made the profession, so I know that I am saved. 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:07.039 Notice that through their own language, they are confessing that their assurance is based upon their own professions. 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:12.559 So their assurance, their salvation, is as confident as their profession. 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:20.080 Which is to say, not very confident at all. 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:24.240 How do you know you're saved? 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:30.159 Well, don't go looking for assurance from some profession that you made some period of time ago. 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:34.960 Salvation does not come from repeating a prayer that is never prescribed in the New Testament. 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:39.919 Salvation does not come from responding to an altar call that is never prescribed in the New Testament. 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:47.759 Salvation does not come from mouthing words, repeating words, even if you really, really, really, really, really, extra-ruly mean those words. 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:56.480 Not all who sing, Lord, I lift your name on high, will be lifted on high by the Lord. 00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:00.159 That is an empty profession. 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:05.759 What does an empty profession produce? 00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:10.879 Well, the first thing it produces is empty words. 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:14.159 An empty profession leads to empty words. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:21.440 As I mentioned, these people are growing in desperation in this conversation. 00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:26.159 They identify Jesus as Lord at the beginning, verse 21, not everyone who says to me Lord. 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:27.840 They repeat it, Lord, a second time. 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:33.519 Yeah, Lord can be a generic title for leadership in the world, like we use Sir in repetition like this. 00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:36.559 It's more in line with the title of deity. 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:42.960 Like Sir, Lord, Sir, God, you see increased desperation. 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:49.039 By the third time they're saying it, they're reaching out to the one they recognize as the Lord of the universe. 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:53.360 The fourth time they say it, they're really pleading with Jesus here. 00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:57.120 But their words are empty. 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:03.200 They don't stop with the saying. 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:06.159 They go on. 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:09.039 Do we not prophesy in your name? 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:12.720 Prophecy is to speak words about God. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:15.200 That's prop bottom line of prophecy, that's what that is. 00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:19.679 We sometimes import like a future-telling kind of prophecy, and that could be evident here too. 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:22.960 Maybe it's the kind of person that says, This is gonna happen in the future. 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:25.200 If we don't do this in our country, then it'll be like this. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:26.799 If we don't do that, it'll be like this. 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:30.000 I have a prophetic word, this is what's gonna happen in the future. 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:34.240 That's kind of that's a prophecy, but that's not the essential part of prophecy. 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:40.080 Mostly when the New Testament uses prophecy, it means talking about the Lord, telling people what the Bible says. 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:43.120 Preaching is one way to say it, teaching is another way to say it. 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:45.600 It's bringing the word of God to bear in life. 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:46.960 That's the word for prophecy. 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:50.960 Not everyone who prophesies is a true follower of Christ. 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:52.480 That's evident from this, of course. 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:55.120 But beyond that, notice it's more words. 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:58.000 Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:01.360 Also, God, let me start to validate myself here. 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:03.200 I talk about you. 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:05.600 I've told people about you. 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:07.440 I've prophesied. 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:10.240 Not for my own glory, but for your for your glory. 00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:12.320 I prophesied in your name, they say. 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:19.200 This is a massive group of people. 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:22.559 Certainly there's differences in this massive group of people. 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:28.320 Why would somebody call Jesus Lord if they don't truly follow Christ? 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:33.600 I'm sure there's a hundred reasons, a thousand reasons, a million reasons. 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:36.960 There's probably some big picture ones. 00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:44.159 Maybe somebody started coming to church at some period of time and developed friends. 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:47.600 After all, church is a place of blessing. 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:54.559 There's, you know, lives are changed here, there's new life here, there's friendships here, there's service here, there's virtue taught here. 00:16:54.720 --> 00:17:00.720 And so you came to church at some point in time and you were attracted to that, and you developed friendships through that. 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:08.160 And maybe you grew up in the church and you your friends are all here, and you know, that's that's where your life is. 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:10.559 You can spend your life like that, you know. 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:14.640 You can spend your life being drawn to the church for those reasons and be here. 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:21.519 Those are fine reasons to be drawn to a church, but after a while you you forget that you never actually went through the narrow gate. 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:24.880 Never given your life to the Lord. 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:28.960 You just have your life here. 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:31.759 That's one way. 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:35.039 Another way might be to keep the peace in the home. 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:42.799 You know, your your wife or your husband is sold out for the Lord, and the church is important to them, and so you come along. 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:50.880 Maybe earlier on there was arguing about it, but now, you know, honestly, it's just easier to go. 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:57.119 Maybe you'd rather be home on Sunday, but you know, it's a small sacrifice, and your family is is happy. 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:01.839 You know, your family's reached an okay place with this kind of compromise. 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:06.960 You're there, your kids grow up in the church, and it's just your life. 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:16.799 So you sing the songs, you go on the mission trips, you do your stuff, help out in Iwana, serve in the parking lot, whatever, sing in the choir and orchestra, all that. 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:21.200 You never actually came to faith in Christ. 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:26.480 And that's the that's the hypocrite. 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:31.759 They'll say the things at church, they say it all, but it's not true. 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:34.720 I don't really believe it. 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:39.200 I'm sure there's some that are confused, just genuinely confused. 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:45.839 They're confused about the chaos in the world and they see stability in the church and they're drawn to it. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:54.240 They're confused about what's required for their salvation, they hear conflicting messages, they're confused about the false teachers that we looked at last week. 00:18:54.400 --> 00:19:00.400 They're confused by all the people that say, you know, you don't need to come through the narrow gate, you just be a good person, try hard, do good. 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:08.000 There's so many different reasons people will find themselves in the situation, but what they all have in common is their words don't mean anything. 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:10.400 They're just words. 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:20.319 And you even see their desperation with telling Jesus, Lord, we prophesied in your name. 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:23.920 It's almost like they're pleading with Jesus, like, certainly you remember. 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:27.519 We were saying this for you, Jesus. 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:30.240 Certainly you remember. 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:36.079 You know who knows the truth? 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:37.440 It's Jesus. 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:40.480 So he's not impressed. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:44.960 The more they talk, by the way, the further you see they are apart from the Lord. 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:46.880 Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord. 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:48.640 We're doing this for you. 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:52.960 Aren't you thankful, Lord? 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:58.480 This, by the way, is the third commandment. 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:01.200 Of the Ten Commandments, this is the third one. 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:03.279 Do not take the Lord's name in vain. 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:10.240 It's very common for people to say the third commandment means to use the Lord's name as a curse word if you hit your thumb with a hammer or something. 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:12.160 That's the violating the third commandment. 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:14.880 I mean, that's bad, don't do that, but that's not the third commandment. 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:17.839 The third commandment says, do not lift up the Lord's name in vain. 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:21.759 The word Hebrew word for lift up Nassah, and I remember that from Nasser, lifting up. 00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:24.799 Do not lift up the Lord's name in vain. 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:30.079 Don't wave the Lord's name over your head like a banner if you don't have the army behind it. 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:36.960 Don't identify yourself as a follower of Christ if you're not a follower of Christ. 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:38.720 And that's that's these people. 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:46.960 They say Lord, Lord, they say Lord, Lord again, they say they prophesy in the very name of Jesus Christ, but they are not a true follower of the Lord. 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:49.599 It is taking the Lord's name in vain. 00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:53.759 This is not the only time we have warnings about this in the New Testament either. 00:20:53.920 --> 00:21:04.480 I think of 1 John, where John says, if you say you're walking in the light, but you are walking in the darkness, you are a liar. 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:08.640 And the truth is not in you, John says. 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:15.440 So why would somebody say they are in the light when they are walking in the darkness? 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:18.160 There's a million reasons. 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:26.559 But the common thread is that their words do not correspond to the truth of their own heart. 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:30.319 Yes, Jesus is Lord, and they call him Lord. 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:33.680 Some of their prophecy may even be true. 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:38.720 Balaam's donkey can preach truth about the Lord. 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:45.039 These people can say true things about the Lord. 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:47.200 They can call him Lord. 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:51.440 But they don't have a saving relationship with him. 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:54.480 And they fill the pews. 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:57.359 But it is the religion itself. 00:21:57.519 --> 00:21:58.880 You can listen to what they talk about. 00:21:59.200 --> 00:21:59.759 Yes, they'll say. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.359 Lord, yes, I'll prophesy. 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:02.960 What else do they talk about? 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:04.960 What drives their speech? 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:07.279 What do they love in their heart? 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:13.519 Church for them is often a means to an end. 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:22.079 It's a vehicle for politics, it's a vehicle for cultural change, it's a vehicle for other things. 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:24.240 Social events. 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:28.480 A kind of singing or a kind of preaching or a kind of service. 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:30.480 It's a kind of this or a kind of that. 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:38.400 They care about those things, they talk about those things more than they care about Christ. 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:41.039 It's empty words. 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:44.160 The empty words give way to empty works. 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:47.359 Empty works. 00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:48.880 That's next in verse 22. 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:54.720 Didn't we cast out demons in your name and do mighty works in your name? 00:22:55.359 --> 00:23:02.799 These are people who die and obviously think they're on their way to heaven because of all that they have done in their life for the Lord. 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:08.880 And they've done these things in their minds. 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:15.519 They have preached the sermons, they have prophesied, they have cast out demons in their minds. 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:16.720 They have done mighty works. 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:19.039 The phrase mighty works is just a junk drawer term. 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:27.200 All the other stuff people have done for Jesus, from mission trips to small group leaders to youth groups to ABFs to 10,000 things. 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:28.640 They've done stuff. 00:23:28.720 --> 00:23:30.079 And that's what they tell the Lord. 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:32.319 We did stuff, and we didn't do it for us. 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:34.640 We did it for you, Jesus. 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:36.960 We did things for you. 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:45.839 What's wrong with this? 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:48.160 Like it's good to do things for the Lord. 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:57.440 All the things I just listed, from ABFs to small groups to singing in the choir to 10,000 things, they're all good stuff to serve in the church. 00:23:57.599 --> 00:23:58.640 What's wrong? 00:23:58.799 --> 00:24:01.119 Why is their conduct so empty? 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:02.319 What's wrong with it? 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:06.079 And the answer is really gets to the heart of the Sermon on the Mount. 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:07.519 This is what we're doing here in Matthew 7. 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:08.960 We're going through the Sermon on the Mount. 00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:10.960 This is the conclusion of the sermon. 00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:17.759 So to understand what Jesus is talking about, the conclusion, you have to take a step back and ask yourself, how did we get to this verse? 00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:20.160 What's Jesus actually preaching about? 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:21.680 What's the point of the sermon? 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:26.559 The point of the sermon, and I mentioned this several months ago when we were there, is Matthew 5, verse 20. 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:31.680 Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, you will not go to heaven when you die. 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:33.680 That's what he's driving at here. 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:42.799 If you have confidence in your own self, then your own self had best be better than the Pharisees. 00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:45.039 The Pharisees have all kinds of works. 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:47.039 The Pharisees didn't trust their words, by the way. 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:47.759 My goodness. 00:24:47.920 --> 00:24:52.319 They knew their words were fickle and frail, so they trusted their works. 00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:59.200 And Jesus says, if you want to trust your works, you had better do more works than the Pharisees. 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:05.119 Your righteousness had better eclipse that of the most religious people who had ever lived. 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:09.200 If you're going to trust your own works. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.799 Now, the point of that, you would listen to that and say, if I'm going to trust my own works, okay, what's that gonna take? 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:18.079 Well, if you lust with your eye, gouge it out, or with your hand, cut it off. 00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:19.680 I mean, there are drastic measures here. 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:26.960 Things that threaten your works should be dealt with severely because it's better to go to heaven than to go to hell with two hands and two eyes. 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:28.240 I mean, that's the point. 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:30.000 You can't do this, is the point. 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:33.119 He's making that point in a hundred different ways. 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:37.759 You want to try to be more righteous than the Pharisees, you're gonna be missing eyes and hands, and you still will fail. 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:38.640 You can't do it. 00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:40.400 And so, how does one get to heaven? 00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:42.720 This is the very beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:44.880 You recognize your own desperation. 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:47.200 You recognize you don't have that righteousness. 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:58.079 You mourn over your sin, you mourn over your righteousness, you hunger for righteousness that's outside of you, you cling to the Lord and ask for his righteousness based upon your faith in him. 00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:10.400 He fills you with righteousness, he gives you an alien righteousness, a righteousness that's outside of you, he gives it to you as a gift, you hold on to that, and that it becomes your righteousness. 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:13.039 It's not yours, it's given to you. 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:20.319 So you can trust the Lord and have confidence in his gift to you, or you can trust your own words and your own works. 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:26.720 What are these people in Matthew 7 now doing at the end of the Sermon on the Mount? 00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:32.960 They are trusting their own words, and then they are trusting their own works. 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:47.839 None of these people would say, if you were to ask them, none of them would say, I am trying to be more righteous than a Pharisee. 00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:49.680 They wouldn't say that. 00:26:50.720 --> 00:26:55.519 They've heard 20 sermons on the Sermon on the Mount in their life. 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:57.680 They wouldn't say that. 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:07.839 But they would say and do say, when asked, why do you think you're a Christian? 00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:10.640 Why do you think you're going to heaven when you die? 00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:16.559 They would say, and they do say, because of these things that I have done. 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:20.880 I said this, I did that. 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:22.400 That's why. 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:26.480 One more window into this. 00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:34.799 It's not sincerity, it's not knowledge, it's not belief, it's not recognition, it's not works that save you. 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:39.920 These people had done everything except the one thing the Lord wanted them to do. 00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:42.960 That's they trusted in their own works. 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:46.720 So easy for that to come in. 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:49.920 People want to trust their own works, they want to so badly. 00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:56.000 Galatians, which is probably the first New Testament book to be written, either Galatians or Matthew. 00:27:56.160 --> 00:27:58.160 The point is Galatians is early. 00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:05.119 And when Galatians chapter 1, Paul is already warning about another gospel creeping into the church. 00:28:05.359 --> 00:28:08.319 Another gospel that you would get you to trust your works. 00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:10.000 People want to trust themselves. 00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:13.519 And Jesus in the Beatitudes calls you to repent of trusting yourself. 00:28:13.680 --> 00:28:14.960 They want to trust their family. 00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:19.119 Some people are church because their family has brought them and they've grown up here and they want to trust their family. 00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:21.920 That doesn't save you, and you need to repent of that. 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:24.000 They want to trust their culture. 00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:27.200 But the culture doesn't save you, and you need to repent of that. 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:33.839 If you repent of your culture and you repent of your family, and you repent of trusting your own works, what's left for you to trust? 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:40.319 Where can you have confidence if not your family, if not your culture, and if not yourself, where can you find confidence? 00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:42.720 And the answer is obviously in Christ. 00:28:43.119 --> 00:28:44.960 Your confidence comes from him. 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:53.519 That's why, right after the Sermon on the Mount, the very next verse after the Sermon on the Mount, is the leper comes to Jesus. 00:28:55.279 --> 00:28:57.519 And says, I want to be healed. 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:02.640 The leper has nothing, nothing to offer, doesn't have to do anything except come to Jesus. 00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:05.039 And the leper is healed. 00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:08.000 How does the leper know he's healed? 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:11.440 It's not because he does works, but because he's healed. 00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:16.480 One more word before we move on from this. 00:29:16.960 --> 00:29:20.319 People will ask, did they really cast out demons? 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:22.960 Did they really do mighty works? 00:29:24.160 --> 00:29:28.079 That's kind of an American question, as we want to want to know the truth about this. 00:29:28.799 --> 00:29:30.319 Did they really do those things? 00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:31.680 Well, what do you think? 00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:42.319 Do you think a person who is a hypocrite and lying about their relationship with the Lord, who Jesus doesn't know? 00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:49.839 Do you think that person is going to prophesy the true words of the Lord? 00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:52.400 It might get some things right. 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:56.559 Do you think that person is going to cast out demons? 00:29:56.799 --> 00:30:01.279 I mean, some demons might play along with it for a while, after all, it just authenticates false converts. 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:02.799 Demons are happy with that. 00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:13.200 Eventually you're going to run into this kind of a sons of Steva situation from the book of Acts where these people didn't know the Lord and the Lord didn't know them, and they're casting out demons left and right. 00:30:13.920 --> 00:30:17.119 And they run into one particular demon who's like, wait a minute. 00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:19.279 Jesus, I know, Paul I know. 00:30:19.519 --> 00:30:20.559 Who are you? 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:24.880 Can they really do mighty works? 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:27.119 Do you ask a more basic question? 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:29.440 Do you think the Lord hears their prayers? 00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:31.119 No. 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:34.480 No. 00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:38.079 Their works are empty. 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:40.000 They're busy, but their works are empty. 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:45.119 They're in church every Sunday, they're doing stuff, but their works are empty. 00:30:45.920 --> 00:30:48.160 There's empty words, empty works. 00:30:48.319 --> 00:30:50.880 This all leads to empty hearts. 00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:53.359 Empty hearts. 00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:55.839 Ultimately, what's missing with them? 00:30:57.839 --> 00:30:59.440 Their heart is not right. 00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:02.319 They don't love the Lord. 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:06.319 They don't have a saving knowledge of the Lord. 00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:10.319 They know who He is, but not in a saving way. 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:15.279 And you see this in a couple different ways. 00:31:15.519 --> 00:31:20.319 The first is verse 23, I will declare to them, I never knew you. 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:22.319 It's in the word declare. 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:25.519