Do the Father’s Will
Matthew 7:21-23
Introduction.
In the military, our servicemen are conditioned to follow lawful orders.
What happens when they don’t?
The soldiers on the ground don’t often know the whole operation.
If they don’t obey their orders, they could be jeopardizing the mission.
What’s worse, they could be endangering their lives or the lives of others.
No doubt, anyone who disobeys orders thinks it’s the right thing to do.
In fact, sometimes it does happen and they are rewarded.
But these are rare exceptions, especially since the ones giving them orders are not omniscient like our God is.
In the NT, we are often likened to soldiers in God’s army.
God wants in us that sense of obedience, following His orders, His will.
Last week, we discussed wolves in sheep’s clothing.
I mentioned two different types of false teachers: the intentional ones and the unintentional ones.
We focused on the intentional ones last week.
This week, we will consider those who think they are saved, but are not.
These are, perhaps, some of the most chilling words in all of Scripture (7:21-23).
These were people who thought they were on the right track, that narrow, difficult road.
But they were sadly wrong.
We will consider: What They Did, Where They Went, What They Should Have Done.
Body.
What They Did.
They said, “Lord, Lord.”
There are many in the religious world today that say all you have to do to be saved is call on the name of the Lord.
They even have Scripture to back them up! (Rom. 10:9-13).
It’s true, if you call on His name, you’ll be saved, but they do not consider all of Scripture to find out how to properly call on His name.
So they define calling on His name as believing and saying, “Jesus is Lord.”
They will point to this as evidence of the fabled Sinner’s Prayer.
But it is clear in the passage we read that this is not enough!
You need something to back it up! What is that thing? Mighty works?
They did many mighty works.
And these certainly were mighty works.
They prophesied, cast out demons, and did great things in His name.
Or at least they thought it was by His authority.
There is no indication that any of this was truly by His authority, particularly if it were not in accordance with His will.
While we may not be able to do these miracles, we can think of those who do great things today.
Think of the world’s greatest philanthropists today: Bill Gates, Warren Buffett.
They can give a lot because they have a lot, but will their great philanthropic works save them? No.
Their good deeds do not outweigh what they have done wrong—we all are in need of a Savior!
Consider in Titus 1:16 that those who profess to know Christ but deny Him with their works are disqualified for every good work.
No matter how much good you do, you cannot work your way into heaven!
They were practicing lawlessness.
These individuals thought they were doing good, but Jesus reveals they were practicing lawlessness.
Sin is defined as lawlessness (1 John 3:4) – KJV “transgression of the law.”
To practice things counter to the law is to sin.
The law we are under today is the law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2).
There has never been a time when mankind did not have some kind of law given by God.
Jesus defined practicing lawlessness earlier as not doing the will of the Father in heaven.
It is God’s will for us to obey Him, not do our own thing.
Despite this, they thought God would be pleased.
Where They Went.
This scene will take place on the Day of Judgment (“that day”).
There are several parables that depict what this day will be like.
One of those is the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Mt. 13:24-30, 36-43).
Matthew 25 has three parables that talk about it, too.
Ultimately we see that they were not permitted into the kingdom of heaven.
The Bible uses this phrase in different ways: could refer to church or heaven itself.
In this context, it refers to heaven, because this is a future event (“in that day”).
Though we note that only those in the kingdom here on earth (the church, His church) will be allowed entrance into that kingdom in heaven.
The Lord never knew them.
Greek word for “never” (οὐδέποτε) – “denying absolutely and objectively; lit. not ever.”
This is Jesus categorically denying them! (Matt. 10:33; Tit. 1:16).
Those who say all you have to do is believe (mental ascent) in Jesus might say they never really believed in Jesus.
When you read vs. 22, does it sound like these people didn’t really believe?
They believed so much, they did so many great things for Him!
These people were never in fellowship with Christ.
So what else did they have to do? – the Father’s will!
It’s more than just calling Him your Lord, and not dependent upon doing great things!
They were told to depart from Him.
Heaven is an ultimate fellowship with our Lord (2 Cor. 5:6, 8).
If we are told to depart from Him, He is denying us heaven!
Back to the Wheat and the Tares.
In that parable, Jesus tells of a man who sows good seed, and an enemy who sows bad seed after him.
No one knows it until the seeds sprout.
The man’s servants ask what they should do, and he says to let them be.
At harvest, gather them all up and separate them later.
The faithful are of the good seed, and the wicked are of the bad seed.
The harvest is the end of the age.
But I want you to pay attention to what Jesus says about the unrighteous (Mt. 13:41-42).
Included here are those who practice lawlessness, just as we read in 7:23.
They will be cast into the furnace of fire, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth!
That’s what it means to be told to depart from our Lord!
What a scary thought to be cast into hell, thinking you’re okay!
What They Should Have Done.
What won’t save you.
Saying, “Lord, Lord” won’t save you (Luke 6:46).
Doing great things won’t save you.
Doing the Father’s will will save you.
How do we know the Father’s will?
I know it seems old hat now, but the only way we can know is to study His Word.
The two major divisions in the Bible, we call the Old and New Testaments.
A testament can also be called a will.
If we do the Father’s will, we are doing what He has told us in His testament.
Since He has given all authority to Jesus (Matt. 28:18), that will is the New Testament.
To do God’s will is to do what the NT says!
Do we need to follow all commands in the NT perfectly to be saved?
No, because then no one would be saved—we all sin.
But we do need to take care of our sin!
In the OT, they took care of their sin through animal sacrifices.
They obeyed God and did His will to take care of their sins.
We have the eternal sacrifice of Christ to take care of our sins.
But there is still something we must do!
It is something we talk about in every conclusion, in every invitation.
Cornelius is an example (Acts 10:1-6).
He did many great things: devout, feared God, gave alms generously, prayed to God always.
An angel comes to him and says he needs to talk to Peter.
Peter will tell him, “what [he] must do.”
His belief wasn’t enough; his good works weren’t enough; there was still something he must do.
He was told to believe (10:43) and be baptized (10:48).
It is how his sin was taken care of, and it is no different today (Mk 16:16).
Conclusion.
We have been given clear orders in Scripture for what we must do.
We are to do the Father’s will if we expect any hope of heaven.
There are many out there in the religious world who think they are fine.
They might even think they are doing the Father’s will, but they are not.
They are listening to wolves in sheep’s clothing, not having sought long and hard enough for the truth.
We cannot expect to be in heaven based on a mere verbal confession, or doing great things.
What can we do?
We all sin and fail to do His will.
The only thing we can do is take care of our sin.
First, if you’re not a Christian, become one today: HBRCB.
If you are a Christian, and need to make things right: RCP.
These are the simple commands of our Lord to do His will.
Make things right today and secure your spot in heaven!