A dangerously wrong presumption

Let us read today’s verses in Matthew 7:19-27.
(Jesus spoke:) "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me `Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

God’s faithful children have the ability to discern if a person is a real believer. They know what fruit to look for in the person’s life. The presence of God’s fruit (such as those written in Galatians 5:22) is a signal that the person lives in obedience to God’s will and is trustworthy in God’s eyes. The presence of sinful ways in a person’s life (such as those written in Galatians 5:19-21) would warn believers that the person has not lived in obedience to God’s will and is therefore not trustworthy; he will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Many dare to call themselves as Christians; many even take up positions as leaders in Christian churches; some even succeed in doing much religious work. Outwardly, it may appear that such people can rightfully claim a reserved place in the kingdom of heaven. The public might even call them saints, based on what the public had seen them do and had heard them speak.

But today’s verses give no importance to outward appearances. These verses say that God’s focus is on the inward realities of a person’s life. In the final analysis, Jesus will decide who will or will not enter His kingdom based on what He sees within a person’s soul, and not on any credentials and public achievements.

Many so-called evangelists today abound who boast of mighty works that they have accomplished. Many claim the ability to prophesy and work awesome miracles — even invoking the name of the Lord Jesus as they carry out their performances. Yet these accomplishments do not guarantee their entrance into heaven, according to Jesus. When judgement day comes, they would be very surprised if they were not allowed to enter heaven; their audiences who trusted and followed them would be surprised too.

Jesus said that obedience to God is the key to entering heaven. In today’s verses, our Lord emphasized it by saying it twice. Those that listen to what God tells them personally and obeys, they will enter. They have based their faith on a solid foundation that will endure any destructive challenge. Their obedience will be honored by Jesus in accepting them into heaven.
It is entirely true that some can perform mighty works for God and yet not be living in obedience to God. Some preach eloquently, some can prophesy, and some can stage mighty works of healing and casting out demons. But it cannot be presumed that they do these in living obedience to God. Many do it as a livelihood. Many do it for recognition, fame, and other worldly motives. They only succeed in misleading others as they attain their selfish objectives.

But the most dangerous presumptions come upon those who perform mighty works which had been empowered by God, and yet later live in disobedience to God. They had experienced the empowerment of God as His Spirit used them to do amazing deeds. Subsequently, they refused to obey God. Instead of serving the glorious God, they chose to serve themselves. They exchanged the glory of God with worldly gain. The Bible contains examples of such persons.
Saul, before he became king, was a humble man. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied (1Sam.10:9-11). A real empowerment from God! After he became king, Saul turned into a proud and ungodly man because he often disobeyed God. The rest of Saul’s life was displeasing to God.

Judas was an apostle of Jesus. He was among the 12 men who were closest to our Lord. He had spent plenty of time with Him. In Matthew 10:1 it is written that Judas was empowered by Jesus to perform mighty works: And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. In spite of his closeness to Jesus, Judas did not pursue a life of submission to God’s ways. His materialistic heart learned to rebel against the spiritualistic ways of the Lord. He later sold Jesus to the priests and Pharisees. Judas traded the glory of Jesus which he had personally experienced, all in exhange for 30 silver coins.

Lawlessness is one way that the Bible describes disobedience. It describes the person’s refusal to be led by the guidance of God who keeps trying to guide us towards His ways. Such a person will choose to do only what his heart desires, disregarding whatever God may be guiding him to do. Even if that person’s deeds are not outrageouly wicked and even if his deeds result in good things, if he is not obeying God he is still disobedient.

Judas did not violate the Mosaic Law or disobey any of the 10 commandments. Some would even credit him for the act that allowed Jesus to fulfill His mission to die. Still, Jesus called him the "son of perdition" (John 17:12), a phrase describing a person who is headed toward final judgment and destruction.

Saul and Judas are examples of the kind of people that Jesus warns us about in today’s verses. Yes, there are others like them, many of whom presume that their mighty works are an assurance of their automatic acceptance into heaven. According to Jesus, many of them will be surprised on judgment day because He will reject them.

The ones whom Jesus will accept into His kingdom are those that do the will of the Father. The New Testament says that the will of the Father is that we abide in Jesus whom He had sent. Those who live their lives in obedience to the teachings and examples of Jesus are actually doing the will of the Father. Because they abide in Jesus, He abides in them and reigns supreme in their thoughts, their words, and their deeds.

Jesus will bring into heaven those faithful ones, they that chose to serve Him in total surrender rather than serve themselves. He will even proclaim them before His Father’s throne.
The Judge Himself guides us in today’s verses. Let us live accordingly. God bless us all.