Sermon on the Mount: The Will of the Father
Sermon on the Mount: The Will of the Father
Matthew 7:21-23 and Matthew 25:31-46
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
Matthew 7:21-23 NASB1995
This photo choice jumped out at me when trying to find a relevant image for this passage in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has been talking a lot about doors and narrow paths and admonishing us about false prophets and having discernment. The keys to the Kingdom of God are not just given for receiving the grace of salvation by accepting Jesus as your Savior and Redeemer. That is the starting line. If you receive that grace and then just go back to all of your sinful habits and casual mockery or denial of God to be “cool” and practice lawlessness and “tolerance” of sin, then you will not be known by Jesus because believing in Him means establishing a relationship with Him, which will lead to doing His will, not your own will. Good works and even miracles and prophesying without this relationship are also not tickets to paradise. Remember, at the very beginning of this sermon, Jesus says that those that are “poor in spirit” are blessed, because they will see the Kingdom of God. The Beatitudes laid out the behavioral expectations for us as believers. We are to be humble, mournful, and meek and thirst for His righteousness.
Believers must always be aware that a day like no other day is coming in that all of us will be judged by the Son of Man. People dismiss this notion (it’s not “scientific” in this day and age) or don’t like to think about that day. But Jesus addresses this “day” again later in Matthew 25:31-46 and it is the governing theme of the second half of the book of Revelation. There will be many that day who are smug and confident in their salvation who will be surprised at the outcome.
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.””
Matthew 25:31-46 NASB1995
A true relationship with Jesus is life-altering for the believer. We leave our old sinful lives and live for Him, which is reflected in how we treat our brothers and sisters. We see Jesus in them and act accordingly, with mercy, love and grace. I am still a beginner in this relationship in many respects (I have had problems with sin, of course, and opening my heart to others because of my self-centered nature), but the Holy Spirit is constantly guiding me onto the right path.
David Guzik from Enduring Word commentaries talks about “Lord, Lord” and its implications for the goats and sheep:
i. We must use the language of “Lord, Lord” – we cannot be saved if we do not. Though hypocrites may say it, we should not be ashamed to say it. Yet it alone is not enough.
ii. This warning of Jesus applies to people who speak or say things to Jesus or about Jesus, but don’t really mean it. It isn’t that they believe Jesus is a devil; they simply say the words very superficially. Their mind is elsewhere, but they believe there is value in the bare words and fulfilling some kind of religious duty with no heart, no soul, not spirit – only bare words and passing thoughts.
iii. This warning of Jesus applies to people who say “Lord, Lord,” and yet their spiritual life has nothing to do with their daily life. They go to church, perhaps fulfill some daily religious duties, yet sin against God and man just as any other might. “There are those that speak like angels, live like devils; that have Jacob’s smooth tongue, but Esau’s rough hands.” (Trapp)
My next Sermon on the Mount devotional examines the last verses from this epic Sermon, Matthew 7:24-27 - The Two Foundations. I will then summarize what we should have learned and then start a devotional series on Romans 8.
Enduring Word commentaries by David Guzik are used with written permission.