As Jesus approaches the end of the Sermon on the Mount, He describes a series of choices His listeners need to make: “Which Gate?” “What tree, what fruit?” “Which Lord?” “Where do you build?” Today, we will consider the question: “Which Lord?” This is the second part of Jesus twofold warning. The first was to be aware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Be watchful of people who profess to be followers of God but inwardly seek whom they may devour. Today, we will consider the second half: Be aware not to fool yourself.
Key points
1. The second part of a twofold warning. Jesus made it clear that some people can pretend to have faith and trick themselves into believing they are born again, without truly being born of the Spirit.
2. We will all stand before God. It is possible to declare one’s allegiance to Jesus, to serve others in His Name, but to do so without legitimately trusting Him for salvation.
3. Depart From Me. Jesus’ words may sound harsh to us, but they also contain great truth. Great works will not earn a person entrance into the kingdom. Jesus is also making an enormous claim in this verse about His role in the kingdom of heaven: He is the One Who will declare whether someone can enter.
Main Text Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV)
