Laying a Firm Foundation - Obedience

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This is a sermon based on Matthew 7:21-23 that is part of Christ's Sermon on the Mount.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

Today we are finally finishing up a long series of messages that we have been doing in Matthew regarding the Sermon on the Mount. We have been examining the various topics discussed in His sermon as they relate to the story He gave at the end of the sermon regarding the wise man and the foolish man. Everyone who pays attention to the lessons and puts them into practice will be like a man who carefully and wisely lays a solid foundation before building his “dream house.” The obvious parable here is that the house represents one’s life. The storms represent the adversities and trials that everyone faces in life. The foundation represents the habitual practice of obeying the principles of Christ’s teachings. (see v. 24)

I think we can all agree that the presumed condition here is that everyone has a personal relationship with Christ by having been born again by the Spirit through faith.

A couple of weeks ago I spoke on verses 15-20 regarding false prophets / teachers and the need for discernment in order to distinguish between those who are true prophets of God and those who are not. Today’s theme seems to be somewhat similar except the focus is on false disciples rather than false teachers. There are a lot of people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ and claim to have faith in Him for salvation. They may possess a spiritual vocabulary and they may engage in certain kinds of activities that we might expect a disciple of Christ to perform.

However, in today’s text, Jesus clearly declares that no one maintains a relationship with Him merely by saying certain words, or performing certain activities. The relationship must be validated or authenticated with a life of obedience.

We have all undoubtedly read and heard many biblical texts that emphasize the fact that we are not saved by mere performance of biblical commands or rules. However, Jesus is emphasizing here the balancing truth – that is, we do not authenticate or validate our salvation through merely saying the right kinds of words/phrases or by performing incredible exploits for God. The only thing that counts is authentic love that results in explicit obedience to His Word and His will.

As we examine the words of Jesus in this portion of His sermon, I want to notice the conditions that do not qualify for admission into the kingdom of heaven as well as the condition that does qualify for admission into the kingdom of heaven.

I.          Admission into the kingdom of heaven is not based on...

A. A mere verbal acknowledgement of God.

“Not every who says, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Adam Clarke ties this in with the previous verses by his comment.

(Clarke, A Commentary and Critical Notes.) The sense of this verse seems to be this: No person, by merely acknowledging my authority, believing in the Divinity of my nature, professing faith in the perfection of my righteousness, and infinite merit of my atonement, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven—shall have any part with God in glory; but he who doeth the will of my Father—he who gets the bad tree rooted up, the good tree planted, [vv. 17-18] and continues to bring forth fruit to the glory and praise of God.

(Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible.) He shows, by a plain remonstrance, that an outward profession of religion, however remarkable, will not bring us to heaven …

It would appear that the point Jesus is making here is this: verbal acknowledgment of the existence of God, and the verbal acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Lord (i.e. the Divine Son of God), are not enough to guarantee entrance into heaven. Mental agreement with some spiritual facts merely qualifies one to have the same level of faith that demons possess according to James 2:19.

There are a host of people in our day, just as it was in Jesus’ day, who have learned to use a spiritual vocabulary and “talk the talk” of a person of faith. But deep down inside their hearts, they have no passion or desire to obediently live out the commands of the One they claim to love and follow. (The converse is also true – perform commands/rules w/o any love relationship that gives life and vitality.)

B. The mere performance of spiritual endeavors such as

1. Prophesying (Preaching)

As we have noted several times already in this series of messages, the word “prophesy” includes two meanings. (1) predict the future; and (2) proclaim the Word of God. The use here in this verse is probably the latter meaning, although either meaning or both could be intended.

(Matthew Henry) A man may be a preacher, may have gifts for the ministry, and an external call to it, and perhaps some success in it, and yet be a wicked man; may help others to heaven, and yet come short himself.

Various commentators made reference to examples in Scripture where people prophesied for God or in the name of God, but they were not necessarily servants of God. For example, Balaam and King Saul.

No matter how eloquently a person may preach the message of Christ, that, in itself, does not guarantee his or her acceptance into the kingdom of heaven. Many of you have perhaps heard stories of various preachers or evangelists who have enjoyed remarkable success in their ministry, particularly in preaching and seeing many conversions, but they were later exposed for various kinds of misconduct that had come to light.

The Apostle Paul said this, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 1 Corinthians 9:27 (KJV)

It is possible for someone to preach the gospel and enjoy a certain level of success and expertise at it and still miss the kingdom of heaven.

2. Exorcisms and Miracles

I’m combining the next two examples of spiritual activities together because they both represent the performance of something supernatural. The supernatural demonstration might be in the form of driving out demons or in the form of some other miraculous display of power.

(Barclay) [In the ancient world] miracles were common events. All illness was thought to be the work of demons…. If a man succeeded in convincing… himself into a belief that a demon was in him or had him in his power, that man would undoubtedly be ill. And if someone could convince him that the hold of the demon was broken, then quite certainly that man would be cured.

The leaders of the Church never denied heathen miracles…. There was many a charlatan who rendered a lip service to Jesus Christ, and who used his name to produce wonderful effects on demon-possessed people. (Acts 19:13 KJV) Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

Jesus clearly seems to imply that it is possible for someone to perform genuine miracles in His name without being in the right relationship with God himself. So His point is that one’s ability or history of performing miracles in the name of Jesus does not prove anything about the spiritual status of the one doing the miracle.

This reminds me of Paul’s statement in the love chapter, “…and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:2 (NKJV)

Miracle-working faith and power is not the litmus test. Genuine love for God and my fellow man that produces obedience to His commands is what counts.

II.        Admission into the kingdom of heaven is based on...

A. Obedience to the will of God.

Who are the ones that will make it into the kingdom of heaven? It is the people who do (practice) the will of God the Father in heaven. It is the people who do NOT practice iniquity (v.23). That is, those who do not practice lawlessness (NKJV, NIV, NASB). To practice lawlessness means to violate the commands of God and live according to my own will and my own desires rather than God’s will.

Obedience is the evidence of our love for God.

John 14:23 (NKJV)
²³ Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word…

Luke 6:46 (KJV)
⁴⁶ And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

What is the will of God anyway?

B. The will of God includes…

I’m convinced that the will of God includes the careful application of the principles in God’s Word into everyday life. This obviously requires reading and studying His Word, as well as the ongoing process of spiritual maturity that includes experience. This means that His will is not always clear, but it takes effort and commitment to discover what principles apply to each situation or decision in life.

Yet, we are not left completely on our own. The Bible does give us several references that speak directly about things that are or are not God’s will. A careful inquiry into God's Word will reveal numerous references that explicitly state what God's will is. Of course, all of His Word reveals His will implicitly.

Conclusion:

The whole point of Jesus’ message is that we can’t make it into the kingdom of heaven by mere professing certain truths, but it requires an authentic relationship of love that is backed up by obedience.

This brings us to the conclusion of His sermon where we started back in January. “Therefore” – (v.24) ties the story about the wise man and the foolish man in with the comments about obedience being a pre-requisite for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. It is as though Jesus is saying, “Obedience is not only the requirement for admission into the kingdom of heaven, but it is also the ingredient for a life of stability that will weather the most severe storms life can through at you.”

For our closing hymn today I have chosen a song that speaks about complete dedication to the Lord in the way we live out our faith in obedience. Please join prayfully in singing: "All for Jesus."