Matthew 7:15-23 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
In the ‘olden days’, and I am certainly qualified to speak of such,
medical students in the college of Medicine at Memphis went ‘straight through.’ “Straight through’ implied that school met year round with no summers off. As a result, you could finish medical school in just over three years rather than the customary four. Final exams for a quarter’s work ordinarily lasted for three days, only to be followed by the next quarter the following day. Such had the feeling of a marathon.
My class of 50 students had just finished the exams of the fifth quarter and had begun class instruction of the sixth quarter with an eight o’clock class. After about 10 minutes of lectures, the door opened and a secretary brought a piece of paper to the professor. He then proceeded to read off 6 names of our classmates and informed them that they would need to leave since they had failed the recent quarter exams. In embarrassed fashion, they departed in the next few seconds and the professor resumed his lecture. The six, if they chose, could register again for the fifth quarter to take it over. The psychic scars of public humiliation were rather deep as the result of such treatment.
This morning’s Scripture is near the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. This teaching by Jesus overlooking the Sea of Galilee was delivered to a general audience but was then and now specifically directed to those professing faith in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. Unless God’s Holy Spirit awakened the soul, the teachings presented for Kingdom living would be overwhelming. These moral teachings and attitudes alerted the listener to the knowledge that sinful thoughts were as important as sinful actions. Our capacity for sin was overpowering and clearly defined our need for a sinbearer to rescue us from spiritual death. The revelation of such helped to solidify the concept of the general need for a Savior.
The logical analysis of such information makes it clear that salvation and fellowship with God require a Savior/Messiah/Suffering Servant to deal adequately with disobedience. We are shocked when Jesus warns of a Day of Judgment when certain followers will not be recognizable to Jesus as He judges mankind. The chilling commandment to depart is based on Jesus’ failure to recognize certain individuals. The issue is not Jesus’ lack of knowledge as to who one is that appears before Him, since He knows us intimately. The critical issue is the lack of fellowship between Jesus and those who are not truly members of the Kingdom of God.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great Welch preacher of the last century felt that these words were the most devastating words in the New Testament. Departure is to be commanded, not because of a lack of a profession of Jesus as the Son of God but because of a failure to follow Jesus in intimate fellowship. The issue is clearly not one of a failure to pursue works but it is the manner in which these works are enacted.
The failure of Jesus to recognize such individuals is not secondary to their denial of Him. They have intellectually accepted who Jesus is and therefore are not numbered with those who deny Jesus the place that is due Him. Their profession is proper but their practice is not. Let me quickly rise to say that the failure here is not one of failing to reach perfection. None born in the natural way can ever rise to the pinnacle of sinlessness in this lifetime. This is not the issue.
Questing for the Kingdom of God (the Holy Spirit reigning in our hearts) never is completed by a confession of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. If we truly believe and confess that Jesus is Lord, we must embrace His teaching. He taught that it is more blessed to give than receive. True worthiness is found in serving rather than in being served. If you desire to be first place in the heart of Jesus, you must be willing to be last in the eyes of mankind. Should you wish to save your life, you must first be willing to die.
What about our works? Do they not count for anything? Do you recall when Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs and they returned excited about their success in healing and miracles? There is no mention of Judas Iscariot being unsuccessful in such works but his failure to enter into Jesus’ Kingdom seems obvious based on his betrayal of Jesus.
We stand centuries later attempting to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior and desire the foreknowledge that He recognizes us now. What assurances do we have? Is He the ultimate love of this life that we place above all others? This does not mean that you love family less than you should but that you place Jesus in first place. It is impossible to love humankind as God intended unless you love God first and foremost. The Holy Spirit places such love in your soul. Is your life governed by the attitudes of the Sermon on the Mount? Are you meek (submissive to God’s desires), mournful of your sin (seeking forgiveness and strength), peace seeking and willing to be persecuted for the cause of Christ? These are the points stressed by Jesus earlier in His sermon.
Has your confessional encounter with Jesus resulted in a change in you? Or are you the same as you have always been?
Rebirth of one’s soul makes you into a new person. God’s Holy Spirit rewires your essence to begin a walk on the pathway to Holiness. Where does this journey end? It ends at the foot of the cross in worship of a dying, sacrificing Savior who desires you for His own. What does this Holiness look like? It resembles Jesus by producing the fruit of His personality in love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to the least of whom we encounter.
We all must walk two pathways to be known by Jesus. First is the pathway of intellectual confession of who Jesus is, Savior and the Son of God. This leads to the very narrow pathway of submission to the leadership of the Risen Christ.
Fellowship with Jesus requires daily communication with Him in Scripture, prayer and devotion. Being known by Jesus is key.
