I Never Knew You: Reality Check for Christians

 

 

I Never Knew You

 

 Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me you workers of lawlessness.'

- Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV)  

 The first time I ever read this verse, it shook me to my core. I was always under the impression that as long as I believed in Jesus, I would go to heaven. However, this verse challenged my faith to its very foundations. I am not afraid to admit that it took me a long time to come to terms with what this verse was trying to tell me. Thankfully, through the Holy Spirit, God was able to guide me to an understanding. Even though my current understanding is even more fearful, but this time it is for my fellow Christians who have strayed from the narrow path.

 Growing up, church felt more like a popularity contest and the goal was to be present for man, and not for worshiping God. This has become the standard for many churches which is why the Holy Spirit has written it on my heart to explain how we are coming up short. There are many people who do not live lives that are focused 100% on God and are caught up in the binding of the worldly sensations. The self proclaimed "children of God" are not living up to the expectations that God has set before us. There is so much more to the Christian faith than saying "I believe in Jesus." You can't just verbally announce something and then pretend your obligations are over. That would be like telling your friends that you are working out but then never going to the gym. Jesus made the expectation very clear in the gospel of Luke:

 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

- Luke 9:23-25 (ESV)

 Paired along with Paul's 2nd letter to the church of Corinth, we see that we are made new when we follow and live our lives in Christ:

 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (ESV)

 The true children of God put Christ first in our lives on a daily basis. We need to stop treating him as the guy we go asking for forgiveness on Sunday mornings and repeat our sins again the next week. This is our God who came into this world as a man and sacrificed his life for us so that we may take part in his heavenly kingdom for eternity. It is an absolute tragedy that we are so wrapped up in the world and in the dealings of the devil when we should be bending over backwards for our savior, Jesus Christ.

 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." 

- John 3:16-21 

 So what does that mean for Christians? When we give our lives to Jesus, we are no longer bound by sin. Sin is now a foreign action that our old selves used to partake in. Our footsteps are now holy as we walk the narrow path to the kingdom of heaven. Now don't get me wrong, you will stumble and fall into sin. It is all about your response to your stumble. Will you fall back into sin permanently or hold yourself accountable and reject sin?

 Some may ask, "Why would I go through all this trouble for this invisible God, wise man, and spirit?" Well what most people forget is that our God is an incredibly personal God which can be hard for our finite human minds to comprehend. All God wants is a loving relationship with his creation. God knows us more than we know ourselves which is fairly evident in verses throughout the bible. More specifically, we were created in God's image and he has know us from the times in our mother's womb. 

 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

- Genesis 1:27 (ESV)

 "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb"

- Psalm 139:13 (ESV)

 The Bible is evidence of the the most famous love story to ever be told and written in the history of the universe. And it was written to us by our loving Father. 

Now what? 

Like I said, God is looking for all of us to have a true relationship with Him. Just like all fathers want to have relationships with their children. We must obey His commands in the same way we obey our earthly father's commands. When you simplify what is being said, it becomes incredible easy. Put God first in your life, love with all your heart and do as your told. But of course everything is easier said than done! Just make sure you take it one step at a time. God's timing is perfect and he is waiting for you with open arms.

I pray that this teaching was helpful and God blesses each who have found this teaching. God is great and will work miracles in your life when you are faithful to him. Amen!

 

 What are your thoughts on Matthew 7:21-23?