It Doesn’t Mean He Knows Us

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Transcript:

Matthew chapter 7. Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with several candidates for public office. And no, I’m not preaching on politics this morning, don’t worry.

But I had the opportunity to meet with several candidates for public office. I had organized a breakfast meeting type thing there in Moore. And we had about 60 people show up to have breakfast with the candidates.

people who were going to be on the ballot in Cleveland County coming up in June and in November. And we got to meet them, got to interview them, ask questions, and sort of see who we thought were the good people worth supporting. And we’ve done this before.

Every two to four years we get together and do this when there are going to be elections. And I’ve noticed over time that politicians are kind of funny because, you know, there are some of them who are very genuine, very sincere people, And there are some of them who you all know, you watch the news, who are willing to say whatever they need to to get your vote. And so they’ll come in and pretend to be on board with the things we believe, and they’re playing a part.

But what’s funny to me is you watch them and you listen to them long enough, eventually they’re going to tell you who they are. If you just let them talk long enough, and it’s not just politicians, it’s that way in life in general. People can only pretend for so long. If you let them talk long enough, they’re going to tell you who they really are.

You’re going to see who they really are. What’s the old saying? Give them enough rope to hang themselves.

And there weren’t too many surprises yesterday. There were a couple. But in the past, when we’ve done this, you know, you let them talk long enough, eventually they’re going to say something like, you know, get guns and round up all the homeschoolers.

And we’re going, no, that’s a bad idea. Or let’s feed all the children to puppies. I mean, feed all the puppies to children.

I mean, they’ll come out and eventually say some outrageous thing that we’re going, No, that’s not what we need to do and that’s not what we’re about. But eventually they will tell you who they really are. Because when we pretend to be something we’re not, when we pretend to believe things we don’t, when we’re playing a part, we can pretend for a good long time.

And we can convince people for a good long time. But eventually it will become clear who we are. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

We will see who we are. We will see who other people are. And I want to ask you the question this morning, very simple question that we’re going to go on and discuss out of Matthew chapter 7.

This morning, who are you and who do you belong to? I want you to be thinking that as we read over this passage. Because just like with the politicians, just like with anybody else, we can play a part.

We can come to church. We can do good things on Sunday and look a certain part. But eventually the proof will come out.

Who are we really? And in Matthew chapter 7, Jesus told his disciples, and really this is the Sermon on the Mount, so it wasn’t just his disciples here, he didn’t just have the twelve, he was speaking to hundreds if not thousands of people, and he tells them, beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.

Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. And while he’s specifically here talking about teachers, and that is one area where a lot of people pretend to be something they’re not.

Be very, very leery of anybody who’s on TV preaching what they say is the word of God. Now, there are some good ones on there, but be very, very leery. Lots of wolves in sheep’s clothing out there.

While Jesus is speaking specifically of teachers, this applies to everybody. There are lots of people who are wolves in sheep’s clothing, and he says by their fruit you will know them. And when you start to apply this to everyday life and understand that if the fruit is not what it should be, then the tree is not what it claims to be.

The world will make so much more sense to you. I’ve been in church so many times and thought, how can a believer act that way? How can a believer act that way consistently?

Even out in the world, people who claim to be Christians, how can you be a Christian and act that way consistently? How can you have that kind of attitude consistently? And I’m not saying Christians are supposed to be perfect.

Heaven knows I’m not. But boy, does heaven know I’m not. And yet I try to do things according to God’s word.

What I’m talking about is not people who sin and make a mistake and deal with it and get right with God. What I’m talking about is a whole attitude, a whole lifestyle characterized by sin. How can a Christian act that way consistently?

And it messed with my worldview for a long time until I took to heart this verse that says, By their fruit you will know them. And if consistently the fruit is sin and wickedness and bitterness and rebellion against God and all sorts of things, then the tree is not a Christian tree. He says, by their fruit you will know them.

Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? You don’t go to a thorn plant. You don’t go to a rose bush that has thorns on it and gather grapes from it.

You don’t get figs from thistles. You don’t go out and look at the weeds and expect to find good fruit on them that you can eat. Although I’ve been told you can eat dandelions, and I can’t imagine why anybody would want to do that.

But that just doesn’t seem like my kind of thing. Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. And there are some examples of this I can think of in my own life.

I started when I was in high school planting gardens in the backyard, and I’ve done one several years since then. And it has taught me so much about the Bible because I understand in so much better detail a lot of the things that Jesus was talking about. He used farming stories because he was talking to people who farmed, trying to convey spiritual truths in terms that people could understand.

And this matter of what you plant or what the plant is, that’s the kind of fruit you’re going to get, is true. I mean, that comes from nature. I may have told you this already, but when the 2003 tornado came through Moore, I had planted corn in the backyard, and it was just starting to come up.

I think I had planted some more seed just recently. all that was gone. The neighbor shed, blew through, and took it all out.

But the next, you know, the next few weeks, we started seeing weird little plants growing in the front yard. Dad said, we’ll leave them alone. We’ll see what they are.

When they got a little bit bigger, I could tell by the leaves, I said, that’s corn. It was corn, because, and it would, if we’d let it grow bigger, my mother didn’t want corn growing in the front yard for some reason. If we’d let the plant grow bigger, it would have brought forth corn because it was a corn plant.

It came from corn seed. It didn’t matter that it was in there among the grass. It didn’t become grass.

It was a corn plant and brought forth corn. At one point, I said, what are these weird plants that are growing in my garden? It turns out you put a bird feeder up on a pole with bird seed, and some of that bird seed blows out and lands.

those are just seeds. Bird seed is seed. Who knew?

I sure didn’t. But you get these weird plants that grow. It doesn’t matter that they’re in there among the cucumbers and the squash.

You’re going to get these, and I still don’t know what the plants are called. I know sunflower seeds were in there, but other than that, you get these weird bird seed plants. That’s all I can think of.

And so you’re going to harvest more bird seed. Folks, whatever the plant is, that’s the kind of fruit that it grows. Whatever kind of seed it comes from is the kind of fruit it’s going to reproduce.

And he says here that we don’t grow grapes on thorn plants. We don’t gather figs from thistles. And he says, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. And a little bit differently where he records it and says, every tree is known by its fruit.

If you want to see what the tree is, you know, I can’t go look at just the leaf. I’m not that skilled at agriculture. I can’t just go look at the leaves a lot of times on a tree and tell you exactly what it is.

But when I see it blooming with red buds on it, I know it’s a red bud tree. If I see apples growing, I’m at least smart enough to know it’s an apple tree. You look at the, if you want to know what the tree is, if you want to know what the plant is, look at what kind of fruit it brings forth.

And in the last couple of years, I’ve sort of gotten into painting. I’m not great at it, but I enjoy it. And I’ve got this plan for when I’m able to, when I have time again, of getting a giant canvas, maybe not giant, but a big canvas, and painting on it a picture of a tree.

It’ll probably end up looking a little abstract. And putting the verse on this picture, every tree is known by its fruit. and hanging it in the entryway to my house, where when you walk in, when you walk out, that is the first thing you see, the last thing you see, as a reminder, as you come into the house, as you go out of the house to go about your business, that every tree is known by its fruit, and as a child of God, we should be bringing forth the kind of fruit that helps people know that we’re children of God.

In other words, if you’re a Christian, act like it. If you’re a child of God, act like it. My sister got so tired for so many years of hearing from me when she was in high school and when she was in the youth group.

She was about three years behind me. I said, it’s my name and my reputation at that school and at that church. You’re a Byrns.

Act like it. I told her on almost a daily basis, you’re a Byrns. Act like it.

I tell my children that. You’re a Byrns. Act like it.

Folks, even more importantly, if we are a child of God, we should act like it. There should be fruit that demonstrates that we’re a child of God. And if the fruit is consistently something else, then we need to check what kind of tree really is there.

And so he’s warning them that a lot of people who appear, and all of this I think is just to set up the next part of what I want to talk about in these next three verses. He’s setting up for them the idea that everybody who appears to be something is not always what they appear to be. And again, he’s speaking specifically of teachers, but this applies to all of us spiritually.

He says, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. And there are a lot of ways we could go with this. Some people have interpreted this verse to mean, well, you’ve got to do good things.

You’ve got to obey the commandments. You’ve got to do this. You’ve got to do that.

That is not what the Bible teaches. As a matter of fact, any place that the Bible appears to teach that, there’s another explanation. and an equally clear verse telling us we can’t work for and earn our salvation in the first place.

And there are places where the Bible talks about it being the will of God that we be saved through what Jesus Christ did. I believe, personally, what it’s talking about here, doing the will of my Father which is in heaven, entering into the kingdom, means to do His will by accepting His Son, trusting in the sacrifice that God made on our behalf for our salvation, and then acting like it. He says, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?

And in thy name have we have cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works. And I think this is absolutely one of the most chilling phrases in the entire Bible. And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you.

Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Folks, it’s absolutely terrifying the very thought of hearing those words from the Lord, depart from me, you that work iniquity, I never knew you. To stand before God at the end of the end and have him say, no, you weren’t one of mine, I didn’t know you, out of here.

Because we know from the scriptures that because of our sin, the only option for us is eternity separated from God in hell, apart from what Jesus Christ did for us. And so for us to stand before God and him say depart from me well he you know he’s enthroned in the heavens to be departed from him is to be cast into hell and it’s an absolutely terrifying prospect to go through life thinking well I’m one of his look at what I’ve done look at all the things that it says here that they they thought they had done and so they were okay with God and then to get to the end and have God say have Jesus Christ say but I never knew you depart from me you were never one of mine folks that ought to strike fear into every one of us. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord.

There are a lot of people, there were a lot of people running around in Jesus’ day who would call him Lord. There are a lot of people today who call him Lord and don’t act like it. There are a lot of people who call him Lord, but don’t know what it means to have him as Savior.

I’ve heard Bible teachers for years say that you can’t claim him as Savior if he’s not also Lord. Well, I think we ought to turn that around. He can’t be your Lord if he’s not your Savior.

He can’t be your Lord. He can’t be the master of your life. He can’t be the one who calls the shots.

He can’t be the one you get your marching orders for if he’s not also the one who saved your soul and you’ve trusted in him for that salvation. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. And he says, many will say to me in that day, many people upon hearing the pronouncement of God’s judgment to protest. And I can’t even imagine, I can’t even imagine the audacity to try to tell God you’re wrong.

But what about what we’ve done here? But God, you don’t understand. Really?

Really? God doesn’t understand? Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?

Yeah. The answer there to that rhetorical question is, yeah, they’ve probably prophesied in his name. God also had made it clear from the very earliest days of the Old Testament that not everybody who claimed to speak on God’s behalf really did.

That’s why he gave the Jews in the Old Testament, here are the tests to see if somebody really is speaking on my behalf. Number one, if what they say is going to happen doesn’t happen, you know it wasn’t for me. That’s an important one.

That’s why a couple years ago, when everybody was running around, well not everybody, but a lot of people were running around a little nervous about Harold Camping, who said the world was going to end in May of 2011, I think it was. Well, what if he’s right this time? And I was sitting there saying, the man’s a false prophet.

He’s prophesied three or four times at least that the world was going to end on such and such day. And God said, if they prophesy in my name and it doesn’t come to pass, don’t be afraid of them. You know, it wasn’t for me.

And also on top of it, God’s word says, no man knows the date or the hour. So he’d warned them that, you know, not everybody who says they’re speaking on my behalf and speaking in my name really does. And yet there were going to be people who said, Lord, didn’t we do this wonderful thing in your name?

Didn’t we prophesy to the people? Didn’t we foretell your word? See, prophecy is not just about foretelling the future.

It’s about foretelling the word of God because mixed in with all of the things where, you know, we’ve looked at Nahum in the last couple of weeks, we’ve looked at Jonah, we’ve looked at different people, prophets that came in and said, by the way, in so many days, God is going to bring forth this judgment on your city. Or Elijah said, God is going to make it not rain. It wasn’t just about the event and the fact that it was going to happen in the future.

It was about the word of God that went along with it. God says you need to stop this. God says you need to do that.

It’s a very black and white, this is what God’s word is. This is what God expects. This is what you need to do.

It’s not about the future part. It’s about the message of God’s word that goes along with it. And so, did we not prophesy?

Did we not tell people? Did we not teach people in your name? Did we not speak on your behalf?

Well, sure they did, but that didn’t mean that they knew him. And in my name have cast out devils? Sure.

A lot of people might have cast out devils in Jesus’ name. See, the power is not within us, it’s within him and his name. And yet that doesn’t prove that just because they can use his name doesn’t prove that they know him or he knows them.

And in thy name have done many wonderful works. Now this may speak to miracles, this may speak to just doing good things in general, but anybody can go out and do great things in the name of Jesus doesn’t prove that they knew him. And so he says to these people, I’ll profess unto them I never knew you.

And by the way, we’re not to take from that that God’s knowledge, that Jesus’ knowledge is somehow limited, that Jesus said, well, because you weren’t one of mine, I have no idea who you are. God is not like the rest of us. I could walk down to the, I’d rather drive, but I could drive down to the Walmart here in Lindsay, and I could walk through there, and as long as nobody from the church is there, everybody I see is going to be a complete and total stranger.

I have no knowledge of who those people are. Don’t even know their names. Probably didn’t even know they existed before today.

Strangers to me. That’s not what Jesus is going through here at the last judgment and saying, well, the face may ring a bell, but I don’t recall the name. He’s not limited in that way.

What he’s talking about is saying, I know exactly who you are. I know everything you’ve ever done. I know every thought you’ve ever had.

But we never had that relationship where I knew you. We never had that relationship where I knew you. I know lots of people, but I really know my kids.

I know how their little minds work, I think, better than they do. I know my parents. We talk about just about everything.

I know my sister. We grew up together and we both know exactly which buttons to push. There are people in this world that I know, and there are people in this world that I really know, because we have a relationship.

What Jesus is talking about here is we never had that relationship. We never knew each other. So I want to talk to you just very briefly in the next few minutes about the things that Jesus said a lot of people would trust in to demonstrate that they knew him, but they really were just playing a part.

And I pray that we are not simply trusting in these things as proof that he knows us, but that we really do belong to him, and that if we don’t belong to him this morning, that we will before we leave this place. First of all, our knowledge and teaching do not prove that he knows us. As he said, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?

They’re not just talking again about telling the future. They’re talking about proclaiming the word of God as part of prophecy. And you know what?

There are a lot of people who know a lot of stuff about the Bible. A lot of people who know a lot of stuff about the Bible. There are, you know, there are, it’s shocking to me, but there are professed atheists who are experts on the Bible.

They know it better than I do, I’m sad to say, because they’ve spent their lives studying it as literature. They’ve spent their lives teaching it in universities. Now, they don’t believe it, but they know it.

And I’m guessing some of those people could get up and preach a sermon and maybe fool any one of us for a short time. There are a lot of people who can quote scripture. Are any of you in here on Facebook or know what it is?

Okay. Facebook theology is the worst. Isn’t it, Brother Shane? It is the worst. People can get on there and quote scripture, and often do, quote it out of context, use it wrong, or, my favorite, post verses on there, or, you know, not just Facebook, anywhere on the internet, or in life in general, really.

Use Bible verses, throw out thoughts about God, and yet you see very quickly thereafter that the life doesn’t match up with what is being professed. And you think, okay, I know you know that verse, but have you ever seen a Bible? Have you been to church?

Do you know him at all? Because the rest of what I see doesn’t match up with that. And it’s sad that there are preachers.

There are pastors who get up and preach God’s word on a weekly basis, on a daily basis. They may be on the TV. They may be on the radio.

They may have churches with thousands of people in them. And yet their hearts are far from God. I remember reading a story about an evangelist who, I can’t remember his name now, but he was famous back in the 50s and 60s, made many, many dollars off of preaching, going around from place to place preaching in this country, and later came out and said, yeah, I never believed any of this.

I just did it for the money. Folks, just because we know a lot about scripture, just because we know a lot about God, just because we’re able to teach people, doesn’t prove that we know him. It doesn’t prove that we know him.

Now, I’m not trying to get you to doubt me and think, wow, is he really a Christian? I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins. I trusted him as my one and only Savior as a five-year-old child.

And I’m trusting in that. I’m trusting in what he did for me. But people would look up and a lot of people would say, well, he’s a preacher.

Obviously, he’s saved. Obviously, he’s going to heaven. Or she teaches Sunday school.

She’s a good person. Obviously, she’s going to heaven. Ladies and gentlemen, our teaching, our knowledge of God, our knowledge of the scriptures, our ability to teach others, our ability to lead in the church, however you want to put it, in and of themselves, by themselves alone, do not prove that we are Christian and are not what is going to get us into heaven.

I preached a lot of sermons. Brother Shank, I’m sure, has preached a lot of sermons, more than I have. Not one of those that I’ve ever preached was good enough to earn my way one foot closer to heaven.

all of them together will not get me any closer to heaven. If this morning you’re trusting that, hey, I know a lot about God. I know the Bible.

I’ve been going to church, and I’ve learned a lot of this stuff in my time. It’s not going to get us one bit closer to heaven. And if we’re trusting in that to get into the kingdom, Jesus tells us at the end, depart from me, you that work iniquity.

I never knew you. Second of all, this morning, our apparent spiritual power doesn’t prove that he knows us. Our apparent spiritual power doesn’t prove that he knows us.

Now, there are a lot of people who have spiritual experiences, and they think because of that that they’re going to end up in heaven, that they’re in good standing with God. Jesus even said that some of those who were later going to be cast out had cast out devils. I’m trying to remember the exact quote, but I was reading a writer the other day who was talking about this very passage and said it is a sobering thought that so many who will be one day cast into hell had cast out devils themselves.

It’s a sobering thought to think you can exercise that spiritual power and still not understand the source and where it comes from. There are a lot of people who have spiritual experiences and they’re trusting in that. I must be in good standing with God because look at what’s going on in my life spiritually.

I remember being told by a friend several years ago, I got saved, I’m going to heaven. Fantastic, what happened? Well, I was just praying and I felt this warmth come over me.

That’s a terrifying thing to have someone tell you. That feeling. And by the way, they weren’t talking about a feeling they got when they trusted Christ. I’d say, okay, well, that’s fine.

Wonderful feeling. Good for you. Nothing wrong with that.

Continue trusting Christ. Don’t trust the feeling. But they weren’t even talking about that. They were saying, well, I was just praying for God to show himself to me.

And I had this warm feeling like liquid fire. Okay, maybe an interesting spiritual experience. I don’t know where that comes from in Scripture, but I’m telling you, that is not anything to trust your eternity in.

And people today with all the talk about angels and spiritual experiences and Oprah and this and that and the other, well, I had this experience, where I felt like God spoke to me on such and such day, where I saw an angel. People have all kinds of spiritual experiences, and they think, because I had that experience, God must like me fine. I must be okay.

And a lot of people are trusting in something that God never said was worth our trusting our eternity in. And there were a lot of people who had experienced great spiritual power, even the ability to cast out devils. They’re going to stand before God.

And Jesus is going to say, depart from me, I never knew you. Third of all this morning, our many good works do not prove that he knows us. Our knowledge and teaching don’t prove that he knows us.

Our apparent spiritual power doesn’t prove that he knows us. and our many good works don’t prove that he knows us. As believers, as Christians, we ought to do good things.

Not as much agreement on that as I would have hoped. We ought to do good things as believers. You know what?

As Christians, we should be the ones out helping the poor. We should be the ones out there taking care of the ones who can’t take care of themselves. We should be the ones out there standing up for the weak and the downtrodden.

We should be the ones taking care of our neighbors. We should be the ones volunteering to help even if they didn’t ask us. And I’m going to, you know, just, we should be doing these things.

We should, as Christians, be doing good things. And a lot of the reason, ladies and gentlemen, that we’ve got either people not having needs met or looking to the government to meet those needs is because the church is not doing what it’s supposed to be doing. We as Christians should be out doing good works, but it is a result of what Christ has done.

And just doing good works on its own does not get us any closer to heaven. It doesn’t mean that he knows us. I can go out and mop up soup kitchens all day.

I can go take care of homeless people and orphans all day. I can go clear around the world and build houses for people who live in garbage dumps. And there are people who live in garbage dumps even today.

I can go out and do incredible good works that the world would look at and applaud and say, that’s wonderful. We should all be more like Him. And you know what?

It doesn’t prove that I know Him. Because we can do good works for all sorts of reasons. We can do good works because we want to help.

We can do good works because we feel sorry for somebody. We can do good works because we want the praise and accolades of men. Anybody can go out and do good things.

He says it’s not those who’ve said, I’ve done wonderful works in your name that are going to get into the kingdom of heaven. Because He says to many who have done wonderful works, even in His name. I never knew you.

I never knew you. Just doing good things doesn’t mean that He knows us. Should we do those good things?

You bet. But they’re a result of salvation, not the cause of it. Very important we don’t confuse those two.

Because out of the three things mentioned here, the three things that I’ve talked about this morning, this is the one that most people are looking to today and saying, that’s what’s going to get me in. There are more people in this world who are trusting in good works in some form or fashion than are trusting in Jesus Christ this morning. Do you realize that?

There are only two religions in the world. I know, I know we hear about the five or six, seven major world religions. We hear about 34,000.

I heard somebody talking about 34,000 Christian denominations the other day. We hear about all the cults that spring up or atheism. Guys, there are only two religions in the world.

There’s the gospel of Jesus Christ and there’s the false religion of works. The gospel of Jesus Christ said Christ has done everything that’s necessary for our salvation. Well, the false religion of works says I’ve got to be good enough.

I’ve got to do enough. I’ve got to work harder. And if I’m just good enough, maybe God will love me.

Maybe I’ll get into heaven that way. Every religion in the world is based on that premise other than Christianity. And a lot of people are out there doing good works and thinking, I’m going to get into heaven because of this.

I donated to charity this week. I must be a good person. I don’t hurt anybody.

I tell the truth. I’m going to heaven. And he says of those who’ve done many wonderful works, even those who’ve done many wonderful works, I never knew you.

Guys, our many good works don’t prove that we know him. The way that we know him is by doing the will of his father in heaven. And what is doing the will of his father in heaven?

The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And what he’s talking about in a broader context in that verse, in that passage, is that we would all, God’s will is that all of us, God’s desire is that all of us would understand that we have fallen short of his perfect holiness, of his perfect standard of righteousness. There’s not one of us who meets God’s standards.

We think we’re good people, and we probably are by comparison to other people, But that’s not the standard by which God judges us. The standard by which God jud

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