DOES THE LORD KNOW YOU?

Matthew 7:21-23 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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

We are living in an age where many people acknowledge that the things they have obtained are by the help of God, and they openly express their thanks to God; however, their lifestyle is questionable. I believe God requires more of us than words; I believe He is expecting us to live a godly life 24 hours a day.

In the above three recorded verses of Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus is coming to a close of His sermon on the mount, and He makes some pertinent facts, and they are:
1.Anyone can acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
2.Entrance into the kingdom of heaven is not granted because you acknowledge Him.
3.People can prophesy, cast out devils, and perform miracles and yet be denied access to the kingdom of heaven. Entrance to the kingdom is not granted solely on your works.
4.There are requirements to enter the kingdom of heaven.
5.Despite all that you have done in the work of the ministry, there is a possibility you were never recognized as a candidate for the kingdom.
6.God has a standard of living which requires a believer to be righteous and holy. Iniquity, when translated from the Greek, means lawless, transgressor, wicked, and unrighteousness. Candidates of the kingdom of heaven will not be called any of these.

Though some are teaching that grace will cover the believer’s ungodly lifestyle, this is not true. Please know Romans 6:1-2, 15-16, 22-23 repudiates this claim. It states, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” Because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus we have obtained power and freedom from the penalty of sin. We are to move on from sinning and embrace a lifestyle of servanthood to God. This servanthood requires obedience and allegiance that ultimately renders us eternal life.

No doubt, Jesus shared the verses in Matthew 7 because many will stand before Him at the White Throne judgment declaring the works that they have done, but they will hear the fatal words of Jesus, “I never knew you: depart from me.” Therefore, today, we have the opportunity to confess our sins, enter into a right relationship with God, and daily seek His help in being an overcomer. Finally, I pray this blog has helped and encourage you to live a life that is well pleasing to God.