Matthew 7.21-23 Luke 6.46

Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
Luke 6:46
46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
“Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.”  Those should be the most feared words anyone could ever hear coming from the mouth of God.  Those who hear these words will spend eternity separated from God and living in eternal torment.  Unfortunately, there will be many who stand before God in judgment that will hear those words.  Jesus warns His hearers that there will be people who think they are saved who are not truly saved.  He describes two types of people who profess to be believers but are not and will hear those dreadful words.

SALVATION IS NOT THROUGH EMPTY WORDS: People may confess that Jesus is Lord with their mouths but not truly believe He is the Son of God whose death has paid the price for our sin.  Many people are trusting in an experience they had when they made a profession of faith, raised a hand, repeated a prayer or walked an aisle.  We are not saved by saying certain words that don’t reflect genuine repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Those who have genuinely trusted in Christ will not just say the words Lord, Lord; they will actually do the will of God.  It is God’s will that we repent of our sin.  It is God’s will that we trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus as our only hope for salvation.  It is God’s will that we desire to be set free from the power of sin so we can walk in holiness before Him.  Experiences or performing religious rituals are not how we are saved from sin.  The Father sent Jesus His Beloved Son to die on the cross to pay the price for our sin.  He died in order to reconcile us to God through faith.  Genuine faith is not just saying certain words; it is committing our hope and our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.

SALVATION IS NOT THROUGH IMPRESSIVE WORKS: Jesus also wants to make it clear that salvation is not attained by performing “religious works.”  Jesus mentions three impressive works that many will claim to be positive proof of their salvation but are sorely mistaken.  These three works are prophesying, casting out daemons and performing miracles.  That is an impressive list!  These public acts performed in front of men may impress many people and even attract large crowds but they do not reflect genuine faith in the Lord Jesus.  There is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation.  God offers us salvation as a free gift that was purchased with the blood of Jesus.  He invites us to enjoy a genuine relationship with Him where we understand the truth of the Gospel, love God and choose to follow Him.  Attending church, being baptized, memorizing Scripture and many other spiritual disciplines are important for us to practice; but they do not save us from our sin.  The works Jesus mentioned can all be imitated by Satan.  False prophets can fool men but not God.  Satan can manipulate his daemons to make a person believe he is casting them out.  The magicians in Egypt were able to perform many miracles but they were not saved.  True salvation is through faith in Jesus alone.


APPLICATION: We must examine our faith to be certain it is genuine and not based on some experience we had or words we mouthed.  Seek to know and obey the will of the Father.  Don’t trust in our works or accomplishments but in Christ alone.  Faithfully warn others of the potential of “false faith” and the danger of being condemned by God.

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