Matthew 7:21-23 (Devotion)

I NEVER KNEW YOU - "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 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 many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

It is certainly unpopular in secular culture today to have the audacity as a Christian to believe God would sentence anyone to Hell. Those who oppose this notion typically throw stones declaring God is love, not hate, or they simply reject God altogether if indeed He does sentence unbelievers to Hell. The problem with this line of thinking is that man assumes the role of judge and jury using a hierarchy of sins based on predetermined bias and limited personal experience. Truthfully, only God knows the heart of man which Jesus specifically speaks to in Matthew 7:21-23. It is a sobering reality though that people we know and love will never spend eternity in heaven. It is a far greater shock to know that simply declaring oneself as "Christian" provides no certainty whatsoever whether he/she will spend eternity in heaven one day. Prior to making this statement, Jesus warned His followers to guard their minds from false prophets and provided a litmus test for us to know not only how to discern false teaching, but judge for ourselves whether we are bearing good or bad fruit. "You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit" (Matthew 7:16-17). The proof is in the pudding! In other words, we can publicly identify ourselves as Christians and spend eternity in Hell because the seed planted deep within our hearts does not yield a harvest of righteousness whatsoever (i.e. it never took root in the first place). As controversial as it may sound, we can even recite some form of the sinner's prayer or prayer of salvation and STILL not enter the kingdom of heaven one day. Why? Because if our faith begins and ends only with a hollow prayer, we are deceived. Faith must be born out of HEART CHANGE, not lip service, and God knows whether our prayer of salvation is genuine or not. 

We can look closely at the final hours Jesus spent dying on the cross to see how salvation begins with the heart. "One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, 'Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!' But the other rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And he (Jesus) said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise'" (Luke 23:39-43). This criminal knew in his heart he was a sinner and deserving of death, yet defended Jesus when He was being mocked and persecuted. His faith in who he believed Jesus to be provoked righteous application despite his death sentence. Therefore, Jesus promised him the greatest gift man could ever desire, salvation, because his faith produced good fruit that testified to heart change. The key takeaway for us is that we need not doubt our salvation if we have experienced heart change by the power of the Holy Spirit. That does not assume we will never sin again in our lives. Rather, it simply means that our hearts are bent toward producing good fruit because we are diligently and faithfully working to align our personal will with the will of God. In essence, our attitudes should mirror that of King David, who though he sinned mightily in his life declared, "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24). Therefore, we can rest assured that the more we seek to glorify God and not ourselves, the more abundant our harvest of good fruit will be despite our struggles and failures along the way.

It does seem illogical that despite how we continually sin, God forgives us when we recognize and repent of our sins. In fact, God takes it one step further promising to cast our sins from His memory altogether! "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25).  Many of us struggle though believing God is working in us and through us despite our repeated failures. Therefore, we must remember what is most important: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). Whether we yield good fruit or not is contingent upon a posture of repentant brokenness at the heart level. So no matter how bad we mess up, God continually waits for us like prodigal children ready to forgive if we would only recognize how much we need Him and how much He loves us. "'Yet even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.' Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster" (Joel 2:12-13). What an amazing promise! Again, this is imperative to understand because it helps us discern whether the Lord will say to us on judgment day, "Welcome home," or "Depart from me." Therefore, we need not allow worry to envelop our minds and render us incapable of knowing where we stand with God. Simply consider Jesus' question, "And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" (Matthew 6:27), and respond according to the wisdom He gives. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34).

As we reflect upon the enormity of Matthew 7:21-23, we are given a specific example which illustrates Jesus' teaching. In the book of Acts, we learn of a magician named Simon, who upon hearing the good news of Jesus Christ preached by Philip in Samaria, came to faith and was baptized. "Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:14-17). What happens next brings into question whether Simon truly experienced heart change when he supposedly came to faith. "Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, 'Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.' But Peter said to him, 'May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.' And Simon answered, 'Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.'" (Acts 8:18-24). Compelled by idolatry in his heart, Simon the magician failed to realize that saving grace is unmerited favor. It cannot be bought nor earned for it is a free gift. And he who seeks personal gain from the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross unto death will hear the Lord say on judgment day, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23).

What we must realize is that "the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). If we read further, Peter immediately cautions that the day of the Lord will come like a thief, meaning our day of judgment could come at any moment. Therefore, we are wise to heed Peter's warning and take inventory of the fruit we bear. 

• Are our hearts aligned with God's will or our own? 
• Whose glory do we seek by the good deeds we perform? 
• Are we aware of any semblance of idolatry in our hearts?
• Are we ashamed or unashamed of God's Word in its entirety?
• Are we manipulating the Gospel for selfish gain?

In the end, we are deceiving ourselves if we think we can live sold-out for Christ yet thoroughly consumed by fleshly desires. With that mindset, pride will be our downfall and we will live in disillusionment, spiritually blind to our own blindness. "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned" (Romans 12:3). Rather, we are wise to relinquish our minds and surrender our hearts in submission and obedience to the Lord, for only He can save us from sin and death if we accept His free gift of salvation and apply what the Bible teaches in our daily lives to produce good fruit. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones" (Proverbs 3:5-8).