Matthew 7:21-23

In this text Jesus reveals that there will be some shocking surprises on the Day of Judgment. There will be people who are confident of their salvation but will instead be lost. Not only that, but these people will have worked diligently in this life in the hope of going to heaven. They will be religious people. They will be people who claim to follow the Lord and who are doing many wonderful works in the name of the Lord. They claim that the Lord is their Master and they will call on Him, pray to Him, and teach others about Him.How could such be lost? How could the Lord say to these people that He “never knew them?” Listen to the words, “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” These people were “lawless.” That is, they claimed to follow the Lord, but they did not obey His laws. These people are a dime a dozen. They are all around us. They talk about how they love the Lord and that He is the number one joy of their lives, but they do not do what He says. In a parallel passage, Jesus asked, “Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things that I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Denominations are filled with man-made creeds and traditions of men. They think nothing of gathering a convention and voting on what belief system they will accept or reject or what accepted immorality they will allow. A church can talk all it wants about how it is following God, but that does not make it so. Only those who stay within the confines of the written will of God in the New Testament are truly His disciples (John 8:31-32). Listen to Jesus, “I never knew you.” It is not that He does not know who they are or was not aware of their works. There is no fellowship with them and never was. How sad that many go placidly through life confident of their intimacy with the Savior, yet do not obey Him. And on that Day, what a surprise! We must beware so that we are not surprised on the Day of Judgment.

Berry Kercheville