“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. On that day, many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out our demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’
Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’ Matthew 7:21-23 HCSB
In Matthew 7, Jesus is talking about false prophets. In verse 15, He says, “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?”
Sadly, false prophets often lead to false conversions. We like having our ears tickled or hearing what we want to hear. So, naturally, when a pastor tells us it’s all good and we can do whatever we want as long as we put money in the offering plate or perform some ritual, we want to follow that pastor. Jesus is warning against this.
In our Scripture passage for today, Jesus warns that not everyone who calls Him Lord will be saved. It’s one thing to say Jesus is the Lord of your life: it’s a whole other thing to live your life that way. It’s not really what you say, but it’s what you do that counts.
Before we proceed, let me emphasize that our words matter. We are told in Matthew 12:36 that there will come a day when we will be held accountable for every idle word we speak. Now I’ve done a whole blog on this. Our words do matter.
Unfortunately, many people speak words they don’t mean. They speak one way and live another way. They say they will do this and that, but never do. Our words do matter, but our actions definitely speak louder.
How we live our lives is what tells people who we really are and what we are all about. If someone were to observe you on an average day, what would they see? Do you exhibit the fruit of the Spirit? Do people see patience, kindness, love, joy, peace, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control?
If we have committed our lives to the Lord, we are disciples of Jesus. We are to make disciples of all men, or at least try our best to do so.
What Jesus is trying to make us understand here is our words won’t get us into heaven. Saying we are Christians and sitting in a church pew on Sunday is not enough. It’s how we live our lives. It’s how we treat others. It’s whether or not we serve Him and love Him with our whole heart.
It’s not what you say, it’s what you do. Jesus plainly states that if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must do God’s will. We must live our lives in a way that brings God glory, honor, and praise.
In Matthew 15:7-8, Jesus calls out the Pharisees by saying, “Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said: These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Lip service will never be enough. We must love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. We must honor Him in the things we do. We must show our love for Him by showing love and kindness to others. We must forgive others as He forgives us.
If you are playing Christian and hoping that will get you into heaven, I hate to disappoint you, but it will never work. The only person you are really fooling is yourself. God certainly knows the truth. Those around will know the truth by watching your actions.
Surrender your life to Christ today and trust in Him. This is the only way to enter into His kingdom and spend eternity there with God the Father. Lip service will bring you to the alternative eternal location, and nobody wants that.
Have a great day!