Creator, Father, King #187

Not everyone who calls out to me, “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

JESUS WAS NEARLY FINISHED with his Sermon on the Mount. He had given the people plenty to think about.

As he surveyed the huge crowds on the mountainside, his heart must have ached with compassion and love—but also a righteous passion for them to hear hard truth. Many of them had tagged along, hoping to see a fantastic miracle (Matthew 4:23-25).

Jesus didn’t want tagalongs. Nor did he want people to have a false perception of salvation. So he drove home a very important point about true discipleship:

Not everyone who calls out to me, “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, “Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.” But I will reply, “I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.”

Let’s discuss what the Savior meant by these strong words.

What’s It Mean?

Jesus was a master of word economy. In only three verses, he said a great deal about false assurances of salvation and true discipleship.

Look at the people’s response in Jesus’ story. What were they basing their entrance into heaven on? It wasn’t Jesus’ righteousness. It was their own warped sense of works-based morality. They gladly pointed out that they had “prophesied,” “cast out demons,” and “performed many miracles” in his name.

Jesus was thoroughly unimpressed. On their own merit, our good deeds “are nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) in God’s sight.

To enter heaven, Jesus said, one must “do the will of my Father” (Matthew 7:21). Naturally, then, we ask, What is that? Jesus tells us in John 6:40: “It is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life.”

Many of the mountainside crowd that day were willing to call Jesus Lord. But they lacked faith in him as their Savior from sins.

What about you? Are you willing to call Jesus Lord and follow God’s will by believing in him as Savior?

Now What?

Make sure to read tomorrow’s devotion, which answers the ensuing question: “So how can I be assured of my salvation?”

Did You Know?

The Bible records many instances of miracles being done outside of true discipleship and faith in Jesus (Exodus 7:11-12, 22; 8:7; Acts 19:13-16; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:13-14).