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.’
Focused Thinking:
What is Jesus saying the difference is between “saying” and “doing”?
“Not everyone who SAYS to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
It doesn’t matter what you SAY, unless you DO what you SAY.
How many people today SAY they are Christians but don’t LIVE as Christians?
Jesus did not teach EASY BELIEVISM.
- Believing in Jesus must produce LIFE.
- Believing in Jesus must produce FRUIT.
- Believing in Jesus must produce WORKS.
You can’t say “Lord, Lord,” and still live for yourself.
- Lord means OWNER and RULER.
- Your belief must allow Jesus to be the OWNER of your life.
- Your belief must allow Jesus to be the RULER of your life.
- Your BELIEFS must affect your BEHAVIORS.
“…but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
Not everyone who SAYS, bit everyone who DOES the will of My Father will enter heaven.
- This isn’t works based salvation; this is salvation that works.
- This is belief that works.
- This is belief that produces fruit.
- This is belief that makes a difference.
John 6:29
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
Matt 7:22
“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?’
MANY will say to Me on JUDGMENT DAY.
MANY will think they are BELIEVERS.
MANY will be wrong because they still depended on WORKS.
Listen to their reasons:
“Did we not prophesy in Your name,”
“Did we not cast out demons in Your name,”
“Did we not perform many miracles in Your name”?
How can you look at the nail scared Jesus and talk about what YOU DID?
We must depend upon HIS WORKS, not OUR WORKS.
We must depend upon HIS MERCY and GRACE.
We must depend upon our BELIEF IN JESUS.
- Our CONFIDENCE IN JESUS.
- Our TRUST IN JESUS.
- Our FAITH IN JESUS.
Seriously, how many people today don’t realize they have a works based belief?
This is a huge problem in our churches.
This is a huge problem in our culture.
23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
What does Jesus declare to people who have EASY BELIEVISM?
‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Jesus knows the intent of the heart.
Jesus knows the belief of the heart.
Jesus knows whether it is real or not.
One’s fruit reveals whether it is real or not.
One’s works reveal whether it is real or not.
What does Jesus’ brother, James, say about faith and works?
James didn’t believe Jesus until after the resurrection.
Jesus’ words are definitive.
James’ words aren’t definitive.
This isn’t difficult to understand theologically.
This isn’t difficult to understand practically.
This is only difficult to understand when a EASY BELIEVISM person dies.
James 2:14–26
14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
18But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Personal Application:
We need to quit assuming people know this.
We need to teach against this.
We need to write articles that correct this.
We need to produce resources that address this.
We need find creative and relevant ways to re-teach the basis doctrines.
The new generation doesn’t know.
The devil repeats the same lies to every generation.
Interactive Prayer:
Father, forgive us for allowing people to be easy believism people. Forgive us for not addressing these issues. Forgive for not training our people better. Show us to master the basics. Show us to maintain focus on the foundational truths. Help us not make it complicated. Father, show us to help people truly believe in You and to love You with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Father, I pray that all of our easy believism people will give it up and embrace true faith. I pray for a revival of the church in Memphis and in America and around the world. Make us a people whose belief makes a difference. Forgive us for being hypocrites and help us be the real thing.
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