"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.”
Matthew 7:21 (NIV)
No
one likes a person who plays games with them or manipulates them for their own
ends. A person who says that they are your friend, only to get something out of
you, is not your friend in reality. A person who does favors for the purpose of
obtaining leverage at a later time is a deceiver.
In
the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns believers against the false prophets who
manipulate others for their own purposes. He calls them wolves in sheep’s
clothing. With smooth, soothing words, they lull people into a spiritual
lethargy that leaves them vulnerable. They speak boldly about the glory of our
faith and the expanse of God’s love, while downplaying the demands of
discipleship. They convince people that the road to heaven is broader than it
is and lead them into a false faith that cannot save them.
At
the end of this section (Matthew 7:15-23), Jesus adds a chilling warning. "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!' Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)
These
words of Jesus should cause all of us to pause and reflect upon our spiritual
journey. We can easily let our focus be outward, seeking to unmask the false
prophets among us. It is safer and more satisfying to point out the flaws in
another’s spiritual fruit. It is more sobering to inspect your own.
This
is a passage of scripture that I have struggled with all of my life, and
especially since I became a pastor. I deeply desire to be genuine in my faith,
but I am intimately aware of how often I fail to live up to it. I know how easy
it can be to be self-deceived. We all are quick to explain or excuse our
failures, while we condemn the failures of others. I need to regularly examine
the fruit of my life to see if it is good, flawed or rotten.
Jesus
highlights two ways in which we can spiritually deceive ourselves. The first
way is by placing our faith in saying the right words. We can convince
ourselves that because we have mastered the language of faith that we are
living in faith. In many ways, it is like a child saying the pledge of allegiance
to the flag in school. The child knows all the words, and can recite them
accurately, and yet it really doesn’t affect how he lives his life. I grew up in
a time when we recited the pledge every morning at school. But when the notice
came from the draft board many young men looked for any way possible to get out
of serving.
It
very possible for us to learn the basic doctrines of our faith, learn how to
form an acceptable prayer, sing hymns and praise songs with gusto, and still be
far from God. We gather at church to pledge our allegiance to Christ, but when
he calls us to serve we look for every excuse we can for why we cannot comply.
Jesus made it clear that unless our words are reflected in a measure of
obedience to the will of God, they are meaningless.
The
second way that we can deceive ourselves is through fervent activity. We live
in a culture that is driven by causes. If a person can find a cause and throw
themselves into it, they feel like they are making a difference. The cause
becomes a substitute for following Christ. The cause may be very worthwhile and
noble. It may even reflect the values of the Kingdom. The problem is that the
cause becomes a way for a person to prove himself to God and to himself. God
has to love me because I care so much for the poor or the marginalized or the
oppressed. God wants us to care about these people, but not as a substitute for
serving Him.
Many
young Christians fall into this trap of activism as a way to validate their
faith. It is called “works righteousness.” They hear the message that salvation
is a free gift from God through faith in Christ. They desperately want to
accept this good news. Yet, they still
feel like they must earn it. So they embark on a never ending journey of trying
to be good enough for God. I can speak about this with authority, because I
have walked that path. I had to come to the place where I surrendered all of my
efforts and placed my life in God’s hands. It is a constant struggle to not
slip back into that trap.
Jesus
said that there would be many people who spend their whole life doing amazing
things trying to win brownie points with God. Instead of receiving the free
gift of salvation, they will try to put God in their debt. They will stand
before Christ at the last judgment and say, “look at all I did for you.” Christ
will respond, “I never knew you.”
How
can we be sure that we are not playing games with God? The most important thing
we can do is focus on developing our relationship with Christ. Before we can
truly serve Christ, we need to sit at His feet and learn what it is that He
wants us to do. We need to be more focused on being followers of Christ than on
being doers of good deeds. Our good deeds must flow out of our commitment to
Christ. As James says, we must humble ourselves before Christ, so that He may
lift us up in due time. (James 4:10)
When
Jesus went to dinner at the home of Mary and Martha, Martha was consumed with
doing for Jesus. Mary was focused on being with Jesus. When Martha complained
to Jesus about Mary’s lack of activity, Jesus responded that Mary had chosen
the better way. There was nothing wrong with Martha’s activity. The problem was
that she was more focused on doing for Jesus then being with Jesus.
To
be a true follower of Jesus, we need to continually align our lives with
Christ. We will not do this perfectly. We will make many mistakes along the
way. But our focus must always be on being obedient to everything that Christ
commands. We must be disciplined to submit everything we do to Christ’s
authority so that our actions reflect his glory. We must fight against letting
anything or anyone beside Christ to sit on the throne of our lives.
Do
you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes
into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do
it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man
running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my
body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself
will not be disqualified for the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
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