Are You In For A Surprise?

Matthew 7:21-23 says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

I admit, every time I have read this warning of Jesus I have mixed emotions. I feel a bit of anger at the thought of the liar, Satan, deceiving so many with the very works they do. But they are not good enough to get us into heaven. They will never make us a child of God. Jesus makes that clear. And I have an amount of sadness at the thought of the surprise in store for those who never saw it coming. It will be a shock that will never wear off.

Jesus tells us here that it is the "relationship" that is important, not the works. Works without relationship will not be accepted. A right relationship with the Father, however, will always result in works acceptable to the Father. They still don't get us into heaven. Only Jesus has made that possible. But they are evidence of a right relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. The WILL of the Father is that we have a right relationship with Him over what we can give or do for Him. (Matthew 5:23-24) And Jesus is not teaching that we must maintain our salvation. Jesus does that as well. In this seventh chapter He says, to those who served fruitlessly, "I NEVER knew you."

This passage is a call to all of us to always "know" where we stand. (1 John 5:13) Many are lost, seeking to do good works to gain a home in heaven. It will never happen. Some are saved, yet their works are not "in the Spirit," but in the flesh. Those works will be consumed as the works are judged... but the one doing them, if a true believer, will be saved. (1 Cor. 3:15) And some are serving in "relationship" with the Father. The work is a result of that growing relationship. It is done by depending on and allowing the Spirit of God to do His work through our obedient actions. The relationship with the Father makes it possible to truly know when He is leading and working. These people are moved more by the relationship then they are the work. And whatever happens, no matter what others may do, they are steady servants... unswayed in their positive, joyful devotion. Are you a true servant, or are you in for a surprise?

The Problem With "Being Good"

Have you ever struggled with trying to be good enough to please God? Have you ever wondered if you are going to "make it to heaven?" The reason "living a good life" will not get us into heaven is that "being good" does not change our nature. Being "fit for the kingdom" requires a change of nature, something we cannot do on our own. We need a "spiritual nature." There are certain principles that the liar, Satan, wants to keep from you. It is important that we know the truth.

First, we don't make it to heaven because our "good deeds" outweigh our "bad deeds." It is important to remember that we can never "earn" our way to heaven. The bible makes that very clear. (Ephesians 2:8-9) At first that may cause a person to say, "Well, why even try?" But when we think it through we can see the hope. It will open up a whole new world for us. We need a change of nature, and being good will no more change our carnal nature into spiritual nature than teaching a parrot to talk will change it into a human.

Second, knowing we could not be His without a new nature, God sent Jesus to provide the new nature for us. It was the only way. The price that had to be paid had to measure up. For "eternal life" there had to be an eternal payment. No man could offer anything eternal. But Jesus could, and did. When He finished, essentially God said, "I accept Your payment for man's sin. Now whosoever will may come. I will give them a new nature fit for heaven." He didn't start it for us to finish. He "finished" it. (John 19:30)

Third, we are eternally secure. Since Jesus won our salvation through His faithfulness to God, those who accept Him are "given" to Jesus as His crown and reward. God will never take us away from Jesus. No sin can cause us to lose our salvation. Sin will cause us to lose our fellowship and oneness with God here on earth, but not our salvation. That is a permanent result of Jesus' work. Eternal means eternal. If you could lose it, it wouldn't have been eternal to begin with. Many of those who "leave the faith" were never part of it to begin with. (I John 2:19)

What freedom that brings. We are free from the struggle FOR salvation. And we are free to let God work, through the circumstances of life to become like Him. Accepting these truths opens our understanding of God's Word and brings new LIFE to life, a life of joy. "Being good" is no longer a chore...it is no longer a problem. Through Jesus it becomes truly possible.

Ask God to make you what He wants you to be. Give Him permission and He will do more than you can imagine. (Ephesians 2:10, Jeremiah 33:3)

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T