“Not every one 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,” Matthew 7:21-23.
The means by which we gauge whether or not we are true Christians are easy to use and ready to hand. It entails using the same procedure that we employ whenever we seek to determine the nature and value of the things that are around us.
We look for the marks which accompany the genuine and permit their presence or absence to make the decision for us. This is the method which the Saviour refers to in verses 16-19.
On the question of whether or not we have a false or a true profession of faith, we see if there are the true fruits of faith visible in our lives and upon that basis make our decision.
In the light of what I say, there ought NOT to be false professions, but it is clear from our text that there is.
This encounter between Christ and the false professor will take place after Christ’s return when He gathers the ‘professing church’, those that are alive at His return, before Him for judgment, Matthew 25:31-46, 2 Cor 5:10. Let this truth solemnise us all today!!
I. IT IS A PROBLEM OF CONSIDERABLE PROPORTIONS
The saviour says that MANY will be seen to have been deceived about their souls. He repeats the waring in His parable of the sower. “Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them,” Matthew 13:5-7.
1. The deceived have been found in every age. In the times of brightest witness and revival there have been false professors: Judas in the days of the Saviour, Simon the sorcerer in the days of the apostles, Acts 9:5-24.
2. The deceived have been found at every level. Ahithophel, the friend of David, Ps 41:9, Judas, John 13:18. Demas, 2 Tim 4:10. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him,” 1 John 2:15.
3. The false professors may speak reverently of Christ. “Lord, Lord.” This a commendable method of addressing Christ. It shows that they have some knowledge of the Saviour's dignity, His deity. They are not those who openly deny the Saviour's person but they are NOT true believers.
4. They may have engaged in good works. But Christ said they worked ‘iniquity’ (v23) - breaking of God’s Law! When they make that claim it is not denied. They had not a religion of words only. But they do not claim to love the Lord or to have obeyed Him.
5. They have a confident expectation of going to heaven. They stand and argue with the Lord. It shows that they have little regard for Christ’s word. It was not the infallible and final word!
The true believer has a REAL confidence that is based upon God's word. Some true believers may doubt and tremble at times regarding their getting to heaven but the Word of Christ settles the matter for him or her. They rely on it, John 6:37, I John 5:10-13.
II. THE PROBLEM IS MADE ALL THE WORSE BY THE RELUCTANCE OF THE FALSE PROFESSOR TO EXAMINE HIMSELF
The spirit that they display here in arguing with the Lord on the day of judgment they displayed all of their life. They claimed they were ready for heaven and would not discuss the matter. We are a ALL commanded to examine ourselves. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates (not what they claimed to be)?” 2 Corinthians 13:5.
1. They are content with their own estimates of of their religion. V 22. No mention of that which entails fellowship and intimacy with Christ, What they think of themselves outweighs what CHRIST thinks of them!
2. The reluctance is prompted by a spirit of self-deception. They are willingly ignorant of the truth about themselves. They are like those mentioned by Christ in John 3:19-20. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” What a contrast is given in V 21!
3. The reluctance is promoted by the deceiver himself, the devil. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them,” 2 Corinthians 4:4. It is the devil they heed and not Christ! Instead of the Spirit of God speaking peace they most certainly have the devil doing so. He comforts them with a false peace.
III. WHAT OUGHT WE TO SEE IN OUR LIVES IF WE ARE TRUE BELIEVERS?
The Saviour mentions what it is we should see on self-examination, if we are true believers.
1. A doing of the will of our Father in heaven. Just what is His will? The true believer will be most anxious to find that out. Saul of Tarsus - Acts 9:6.
The fountain-head of His will is found in Matt 17:5, explained in John 6:29 and further amplified in I John 3:23. The true believer will be seen to ADVANCE in God’s will. They will not be content with a mere show of ‘religion’, 2 Peter 1:3-10. The true believer will not have to be coached, cajoled or flogged into obedience of some sort by the rod of rebuke.
2. The true believer knows Christ and is known of Him. The Saviour says to these false professors, “I never knew you.”
This is a knowledge based upon personal experience. The true believer knows Christ because they have met Him, talked with Him, sat at His feet, looked upon Him and by every means open to them have increased their knowledge of the Saviour. “Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind,” Luke 8:35.
3. The true believer has followed the injunction of Peter: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” II Peter 3:18.
This was the driving ambition of Paul. Phil 3:8-14.
It is not hard to discern whether or not we are truly saved.
What direction is your heart and life moving in?
Is it toward or away from Christ and the place where His honour dwells?