This Is How You Should Live -- Crushing Words: "I Never Knew You" -- 08/22/2021
Notes
Transcript
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us . . .
What life is like in the kingdom of heaven
What life is like in the kingdom of heaven
Persons who enter the kingdom of heaven, enter by doing the will of God. Within the Kingdom of heaven, they find the ability to live meaningfully in this fallen world and eternal life beyond death. Jesus concludes his sermon with a clear choice: eternal life within the kingdom of heaven or eternal destruction outside of the kingdom. Jesus presents that in a series of four warnings:
Jesus warns us there are:
• Two groups of travelers: one group travels the highway to life, the other group travels to destruction (7:13-14)
• Two kinds of prophets: true prophets and false prophets (7:15-20)
• Two types of disciples: true disciples and false disciples (7:21-23)
• Two builders: one wise and the other foolish (7:24-29)
In each warning Jesus forces this issue: are you with me or are you against me? Your belief in me and your obedience to me are the most practical issue of your life – it is literally a life-or-death decision. Are you with me or are you against me? “There is no middle ground, there is no other choice, and a decision must be made.”[1]
In the Gospel of Luke, we read about a certain ruler who came to Jesus and asked, “Good teacher what must I do to be saved.” Upon questioning, the ruler asserted his faithfulness to the Mosaic Law. Then Jesus said, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have . . . then come follow me. When the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.”[2]
One of the major messages of the Sermon on the Mount is this. Whatever keeps you from believing in and obeying me must go. If it is your wealth, get rid of it. If it is your anger deal with your heart problem, if it is your lust be ruthless in removing it, and if it is your religious pretense get real or lose your heavenly reward.[3]
Oswald Chambers makes this commentary on Jesus’ encounter with the rich ruler.
Jesus did not show the least concern that this rich young ruler should do what He told him, nor did Jesus make any attempt to keep this man with Him. He simply said to him, “Sell all that you have…and come, follow Me.” Our Lord never pleaded with him; He never tried to lure him— He simply spoke the strictest words that human ears have ever heard, and then left him alone.
This man understood what Jesus said. He heard it clearly, realizing the full impact of its meaning, and it broke his heart. He did not go away as a defiant person, but as one who was sorrowful and discouraged. He had come to Jesus on fire with zeal and determination, but the words of Jesus simply froze him. Instead of producing enthusiastic devotion to Jesus, they produced heartbreaking discouragement. And Jesus did not go after him, but let him go.[4]
Chambers asks this,
Have you ever heard the Master say something very difficult to you? If you haven’t, I question whether you have ever heard Him say anything at all. Jesus says a tremendous amount to us that we listen to, but do not actually hear. And once we do hear Him, His words are harsh and unyielding.[5]
This morning Jesus speaks harsh, unyielding, crushing words: “I never knew you.”
He speaks these piercing words to those who claim to be his disciples, to those who have done mighty acts in his name. It should cause a shiver to run down our spine. If it does not, it may be a sign that our fear of the Lord is waning. We often hear that there is nothing to fear in God. Really, is there nothing to fear in the supreme being in the universe? Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “the fear of the Lord” is the first step to wisdom. Proverbs 19:23 tells us “the fear of the Lord leads to life.” Jesus said,
Luke 12:4–5 (NIV)
“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
The sense of the Greek word translated “fear” in this passage means “to be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a situation or event.”
The contemporary Euro-centric church (North America, Western Europe, and Australia) has bent so far over backwards to not make God feel uncomfortable to anyone under any circumstance that we are ushering many people down the broad road to hell. The worse mistake, the greatest error anyone can make is to believe that he or she can live a life that ignores God or opposes God and somehow be welcomed into God’s kingdom.
The main point of our passage this morning is simply this: our correct thoughts about Jesus, our correct words about Jesus, our correct actions on behalf of Jesus are meaningless and will not gain us entry into the kingdom of heaven if we have no relationship with Jesus. If we do not sincerely love and obey Jesus, we have no hope. Our baptism will not get us in, our profession of faith will not get us in, a lifetime of service in the church will not get us in. There is only one entry Gate, and His name is Jesus. We must enter Jesus. We must have a living relationship with Him that shows itself in our love for Him and our obedience to him. Without this, literally, nothing else matters.
In our passage this morning the scene is . . .
Judgement Day and Jesus is the Judge
Judgement Day and Jesus is the Judge
We know this by the simple phrase, “on that day.” There are many references to “that day” or “the day of the Lord” as a time of judgement, I will cite only one.
See, the day of the Lord is coming —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger— to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.
Our passage takes place on Judgement Day. Jesus judges those who claim to be his disciples. They fall into two groups. The first group consists of persons who do the will of God and therefore enter the kingdom of heaven. The second group comprises people who do not enter the kingdom of God and are forever banished from his presence.
The dividing line between the two groups is not their beliefs. Both groups claim Jesus is Lord. It is not their witness. Both groups engage in public witness that Jesus is Lord. It is not their service, both groups serve in the name of Jesus. The difference between the groups was the nature of their relationship with Jesus. To one group Jesus says, “I know you because you do the will of my Father.” To the other group Jesus says, “I never knew you, because you do not do the will of my Father.”
This raises the question . . .
What does it mean to do the will of the Father?
What does it mean to do the will of the Father?
Jesus makes this clear in John chapter 6. Jesus miraculously fed 5000 people then crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. When the crowd Jesus fed realized that he and his disciples were gone, they got into boats and went to find Jesus. When the crowd found Jesus, they asked, “What must we do to do the work God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
To do God’s will is to genuinely believe in Jesus, and in doing so to gain eternal life.
“At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”” (John 6:41, NIV)
Jesus said to them,
John 6:56–57 (NIV)
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
To genuinely believe in Jesus is to enter the life of Jesus, to be conscious of the reality that Jesus lives in me, and I live in Jesus. You may be asking . . .
How do I know that I genuinely believe in Jesus?
How do I know that I genuinely believe in Jesus?
Jesus tells us clearly in John 14,
John 14:15 (NIV)
If you love me, keep my commands.
John 14:23 (NIV)
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
We know we genuinely believe in Jesus when we love Jesus. We know we love Jesus when we obey his teaching. Love of Jesus and obedience to Jesus are inseparable – they are the same thing. It is impossible to say we love Jesus and not obey his teaching. Jesus said so himself,
John 14:24 (NIV)
Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.
The problem in our passage with these false disciples who exist within the church is that their love for the Lord is a sham because . . .
Their hypocrisy is genuine
Their hypocrisy is genuine
Hypocrisy is a pretense masking an inner reality. This hypocrisy that cost the folks in this passage eternal life in the kingdom of heaven, is a Christianity that is present in name only. It is an outward show of spirituality that may appear to be sincerely devout. However, their hearts are far from God.
Hypocrisy, like all sin, is a heart problem. Jesus points out in Mark 7:20-23,
Mark 7:20–23 (NIV)
“What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
Just as with true and false prophets it may be difficult, even impossible, for us to accurately know the genuineness of some people, but every heart is laid bare before God,
1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
These hypocrites held right doctrine. They confessed Jesus as Lord. They did good works. They prophesied, drove out demons, and performed miracles all in the name of Jesus. Note that Jesus does not contest that they actually did what they claimed to do. Lest we think this to be strange that false disciples can do these things, we read in Acts 19 about Jews who went about driving out evil spirits in the name of Jesus.[6]
The hypocrites in today’s passage were not private disciples of Jesus; their verbal professions and ministry actions were public. This false public display requires a public judgement.
The phrase translated, “I will tell them plainly” in the Greek carries the sense of a public declaration.[7] Jesus is saying, I will tell these false disciples before everyone, “I never knew you.”
To be known is at the heart of every intimate relationship. Our closest relationships are with those “who know us best”. In that knowing, they have a level of understanding of us that others do not. And we too know them and understand them in ways others cannot know and understand. In an intimate relationship between spouses, other family, or close friends the mutual sense of being known and understood must be there.
Conversely, the worse relationships are those in which we sense that we are not known and not understood – no matter how the relationship may appear to those on the outside. We all know how that is possible. It is possible to have a marriage that is completely falling apart between the spouses, yet they can maintain a strong public face that all is well . . . at least for a while. In the end, however, the pretense cannot be maintained, and the broken relationship becomes a matter of the public record.
Jesus is saying to these false disciples, there was never any relationship between us. You kept up a strong public face, but now it comes to light that we never knew each other intimately the way my true disciples live in me, and I live in them. This public pretense is wrong, and it must be put right.
This brings us to . . .
The Necessity of Judgement and Our Hope in the Gospel
The Necessity of Judgement and Our Hope in the Gospel
On August 12, Major League Baseball held a regular season game between the White Sox and the Yankees at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. The game was inspired by the movie Field of Dreams. In the movie a farmer played by Kevin Costner hears a voice in his corn field tell him, "If you build it, he will come." He interprets this message as an instruction to build a baseball field on his farm, upon which appear the ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the other seven Chicago White Sox players banned from the game for throwing the 1919 World Series. To make a long story short, he built the field, there was a game, and Costner’s character was reunited with the ghost of a young version of his deceased father who was a minor league ball player during the 1919 World Series.
After the release of the movie Kevin Costner did an interview with Time magazine in which he said,
“I don’t really believe in an afterlife. I don’t believe in heaven and hell. I don’t even believe that right will necessarily triumph. But I know this almost all human beings have an almost primal need for judgement.”
- Kevin Costner
Tim Keller agrees with Costner concerning the human need for judgment. Keller said,
You stop and think for two minutes, and you will realize that you can’t face life if you don’t believe someday the evil and the injustice is going to be rectified. . . think of all the oppression and injustice. What if there is no afterlife? What if there is no eternity? What if there is no judgement day? Not only does that mean we will never be able to overcome injustice, but we also can’t even identify it. Unless there is an eternal standard by which everybody is judged, who is to say what is right and wrong. If I walk over you to reach my goals, who are you to say that’s wrong?[8]
If there is no eternal standard by which we will all be judged, then we must conclude, though few persons are honest enough to admit it, that the universe is meaningless. Right and wrong are subjective opinions, which makes right and wrong ultimately undefinable and unenforceable.
True justice comes through judgement. Justice puts an end to wrong and re-establishes what is right. If we, as individuals or as a society, act as if there is no eternal standard of right and wrong, then our whole basis of “justice” is subjective. We end up in a stalemate: what you call justice I call oppression and vice-versa.
Jesus clearly tells us what is right and wrong.
Right is believing in Jesus and obeying his teaching. Wrong is anything that obscures, impedes, or opposes believing in Jesus and obeying his teaching.
It’s just that simple. This is the eternal standard by which all of humanity will be judged.
Is this a call to perfection? Yes! Jesus calls us to perfection, but not in the way we think of perfection. Jesus knows we will never be perfect in all our attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions. That’s why he gave his own life to pay the penalty in his own blood for every one of our sins in our past, present, and future. What Jesus calls us to is a relationship with Him in which the filth of our sin is exchanged for the perfection of His righteousness.
In the righteousness of Jesus, we stand perfect, holy, blameless before our Father in heaven because we have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Because Jesus first loved us in this way, we love him. When we love Jesus, we obey him.
When the hard things of life come, we do not abandon Him for we know Him. More than this, we know He knows us. We experience that His love for us is enough for us. No matter how difficult our life his we are drawn, compelled, and even pushed forward by Christ’s love for us.
This great love of Jesus in us produces within us a love for Him that we cannot explain. There is a love in Christ that will not let us go and our heart responds with a love for Jesus that will not let him go. When we stumble and fall because of our own sin, even then, the love of Christ draws us onward. We know in our souls, his forgiveness, his healing, his restorative grace is our only hope and no matter how unworthy we feel we follow him onward, because His love will not let us go and our love for him keeps grasping tightly to Him.
An old hymn describes this intimate love we share with Jesus like this.
O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee.
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee.
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
and feel the promise is not vain,
that morn shall tearless be.
Jesus said,
John 5:24 (NIV)
Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
[1]Wilkins, M. J. (2004). Matthew (p. 321). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
[2]Luke 18:18-23
[3]See Matthew 5:21-6:4
[4]Chambers, Oswald, (2021) “Are you discouraged or devoted?” My Utmost for His Highest. Retrieved August 21, 2021 from https://utmost.org/are-you-discouraged-or-devoted/.
[5]Ibid.
[6]Acts 19:12-14
[7]Faithlife, LLC. (2021). to profess publicly (Version 9.7 SR-1) [Computer software]. Logos Bible Software Bible Sense Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, LLC. Retrieved from https://ref.ly/logos4/Senses?KeyId=ws.profess+publicly.v.01
[8]Keller, Tim (1993). “I came to set the Earth on Fire”. Gospel In Life. Retrieved August 21, 2021 from https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/i-came-to-set-the-earth-on-fire-6237/