Matthew 7:21-28 “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. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
The words, Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, are frightening to many Christians, for Jesus indicates that merely saying a few words of affiliation with him is not enough to assure eternity with God. Christianity in the purest form is a belief in Jesus as Lord of our lives. Jesus confirms this in his conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount. Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. To understand Jesus’ rejection of many who perform great works in his name, we must look at the totality of his teaching on the mountain. In this sermon, He says his followers are salt and light and should live in a righteous manner as they bring goodness and light to a world that lives in darkness. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20) Of course Christ’s righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees, so believers hide in that truth, but it does not disqualify us from the responsibility of doing good in our lives. Jesus tells us to beware of slandering or hating people, for such evildoers will face severe judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. (5:22) We are not to be lustful, entertaining sexual improprieties in our minds: But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (5:28) We must be honest and straightforward in our dealings. Christians should not swear by God or anything else to support their statements, just say, “Yes, I will do it,” or “No, I will not do it.” With our enemies, we should go the extra mile, treating them well, not wickedly. We are to pray for them, love them rather than hate them, for they also were made in God’s image. We are to give our alms in secret, pray in secret. Our lives should be earnest, believing that God rewards our service to him, not man. (6:1-8) We are to display love for everyone by forgiving those who defame or abuse us: if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (6:14) As with the giving of alms and prayer, we should fast without a fanfare, doing unto the Lord and not for people’s adulation. (6:16) Our wealth, our resources should be used here on Earth to benefit others. We should not store them up, believing we have another day to live. God wants us to use our money for him. For the Lord says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (6:21) Rather than trust our treasury, we are to trust God for our necessities, believing we are truly children of God, and He will take care of us. (6:19) Knowing God is good, our lives, our eyes should be fixated on good things. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. (6:22) By focusing on the good things in life, we will not so readily criticize and judge others. Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged. (7:1-2) The way to God is narrow and few find it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (7:14) There are two kingdoms: Darkness and Light. This world exists in the Kingdom of Darkness. Jesus’ teaching on the mountain expresses the Kingdom of Light. God desires for us to enter that kingdom. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (7:7) All these verses provide a small sample of the light revealed in Jesus’ teaching. He asks people to walk uprightly in the light as they deal honestly with each other. When we walk in the light of God’s goodness, love, and holiness, we will be less critical and judgmental of others, going out of our way to serve people with all we possess. Any other lifestyle, any other way is not God, but is part of the Kingdom where gloom and darkness abide. Jesus wants us to know that God sees us, and He alone evaluates our lives correctly.
In Luke 4 we see Jesus’ mission on earth: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (18-19) Christians are the body of Christ, so we too have this mission. We have been anointed to proclaim the Good News to the poor; we have been given the task of proclaiming freedom for the prisoners; we are to set the oppressed free; we are to open the eyes of the blind. Jesus’ message is our message. The Dark Kingdom needs to know by the words we speak and by the way we live and act that the Lord has come to this earth for the benefit of ALL PEOPLE. Religious activity or zealousness to perform godly acts, no matter how powerful and amazing they are, will not confirm that a life is right with God. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Speaking for God or driving out demons does not supplant the responsibility of living a daily life of servanthood and integrity that reflects God within us. Of course, we want people to speak for God with the evidence of power. We want demons to fear the prayers of the righteous, but spiritual activity, no matter how much fervor it has, is not a substitute for being righteous in your everyday walk. God demands integrity in our lives, a sensitivity to other people’s needs through the power of the Holy Spirit. God knows our hearts; He knows every nanosecond thought that zips through our minds. He knows us: we cannot deceive him. Therefore, our lives should be laid down honestly before him every moment. It is not our work Lord, it is yours! We will live your life, not ours! Your mission on earth is ours! For us Christians, servants of the Most High, we must dedicate our everyday lives to God. Yes, we are righteous because Christ is righteous, and He is in us because we have placed our faith in him. But this life must come out in the wash. It must be clean, full of integrity, honesty, and dedication to God. If not, if we are soiled with self-interest, selfish pursuits, loving the world and everything in it, we will not fulfill Christ’s mission. We must proclaim the Good News by our lifestyle and our words. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5) Jesus is telling us with some very harsh words that religious activity is not a substitute for a life emanating him to the world. Sometimes we see people elevated in Christian circles who perform powerful deeds in the name of the Lord, but their lives are worldly, centered on grandioseness. Doing powerful things for the Lord is wonderful and we should rejoice in such activity, but if their lives do not measure up to what they are ministering, then they are full of hypocrisy and deception. Christians should pray for such people and love them, persuading them to a better lifestyle. Speaking of false prophets, Jesus said, By their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:16)
Jesus IS the Rock of Ages—a shelter where we can hide. In his teachings on the Mount, He tells us if we have healthy eyes, our whole body will be full of light. All light comes from him. He is the light that has come into a dark world. No man can come to the Father unless they are hidden in him by faith in him. God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Jesus), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20) All people can come to God and have an intimate relationship with him by putting their faith in Jesus’ work and not their own. This is the salvation message: we are one with Jesus because we are IN HIM through faith and we are one with God because Jesus is in God and God is in him. As Paul wrote to the church, For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3) Consequently, we have eternity in us; the resurrection of Jesus proves that to us. As eternal beings, our lives should be lives of decency filled with God’s love. We need to build our lives on everything that Jesus taught. If we do, we will know that our lives are built on the eternal Rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Nothing will shake or destroy lives that are built on him. Our lives will emulate his work, producing good and not evil. We will place his work and lifestyle everywhere in our lives; that is called servanthood, complete commitment to the Master. The Son is the image of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15) We who live for Jesus should be a reflection of him and therefore of the invisible God. Jesus asks us to be light and salt to the world so that the world might see God in us. But if we fail to heed Jesus’ teaching and go our own way, we will confuse the world because we call ourselves Christians but do not do what Jesus told us to do. If we believe that knowing Jesus is just a vaccination to protect us from hell and not a lifestyle, we are people who have built our lives on sand. Anything that comes along that is adverse to our own happiness or understanding of what life is about will cause us to crash. People have been made in God’s image. We have been given the freedom to illuminate God in our lifestyles, to perform his will and not ours, which is always good. Jesus explains that God is so good that He even loves his enemies. We are to be perfect through his power in us. Perfection comes from Jesus alone; therefore, we should strive to imitate him in everything we do. Every believer should pray, “Not my will, but yours O Lord!” Jesus says, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) Rest in the Lord today and hear his voice.
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