Kingdom Contrasts: Two Trees and Two Confessions
Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 34:29
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“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
The Contrast of Two Gates, and Two Paths.
The Contrast of Two Gates, and Two Paths.
(Matthew 7:13-14)
The Contrasts of Two Trees.
The Contrasts of Two Trees.
(Matthew 7:15-20)
Fruits correspond to roots.
Fruits correspond to roots.
The fruit of one’s life which is their actions and deeds.
The fruit of one’s life which is their actions and deeds.
The fruit of one’s life is their teaching.
The fruit of one’s life is their teaching.
The Contrasts of Two Claims.
The Contrasts of Two Claims.
Jesus gives an example of one of those who have an association with Him but have really never known Him.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
The phrase “Lord, Lord!” reflects feelings of intimacy and closeness.
They see the Lord Jesus as a friend.
They see the Lord Jesus as near to them.
We are going to see why they think the Lord is near to them in just a moment…
But Jesus compares the person who professes closeness with the one’s who are actually close to Him.
Example of a Person Coming to the White House
Matthew 7:22 (ESV)
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name…
Claiming Intimacy is insufficient to validate profession.
Claiming Intimacy is insufficient to validate profession.
Matthew 7:22 (ESV)
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name…
Many people are under the impression that “intimacy” with Jesus validates their profession.
But intimacy as the modern church uses it does not translate to how the Bible uses it.
Intimacy according to the modern church corresponds to something of “liver quivers” of the nearness of Jesus.
It corresponds to something of hearing from Jesus apart from the Word of God.
But “intimacy” here is NOT enough.
Intimacy here does not validate a profession of faith.
Saying, “I love Jesus!” is not what is required.
Having good feelings toward Jesus is not is what is required.
There will be people who “love Jesus” that have never actually known Him.
Matthew 7:22 (ESV)
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name…
Signs and wonders are insufficient to validate profession.
Signs and wonders are insufficient to validate profession.
Matthew 7:22 (ESV)
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name…
“On that day…”
This phrase picks up on a larger theme throughout the OT.
In the OT it is described as “the Day of the Lord.” (Isaiah 24:21, 25:9, 26:1, 27:1)
On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
The ominous day when final judgment will occur.
The day when all the records are opened.
The day when God will judge the living and the dead.
Notice that this profession before Jesus is not something merely done in private.
It is the profession that a person brings with them to the last day.
The scene Jesus paints here is public and seen before many people.
The scene is almost like that of a court room.
And the profession is one that is open and outright.
Notice also that Jesus places Himself at the center of this end of days: DAY.
It’s the day of all days.
And Jesus describes Himself as at the center of it.
Matthew 7:22 (ESV)
…’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name…
The people who are claiming this have been USING Jesus’ Name.
Jesus told us to pray in His Name before the Father.
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray in line with His will and purposes.
It’s possible to pray in Jesus’ name and the prayer be opposed to the will of Christ.
We even see this happening in the book of Acts.
And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
These Jewish exorcists were trying to use the Name of Jesus as though it was a powerful weapon to be yielded.
They used His Name to try and cast out demons.
And Jesus even promised this as much in later prophecy and even later letters written by the Apostles.
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Unbeliever
To find Jesus’ name USEFUL is NOT enough.
There will be many people on the last day that find Jesus useful.
Useful to make them feel better.
Useful to make their ministry better.
Useful to give them a better life in the future.
Matthew 7:23 (ESV)
‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
“If finding Jesus useful is not enough, then what should we do?”
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
It’s not just finding Jesus USEFUL.
The Christian finds Jesus BEAUTIFUL.
Beautiful in obedience to the Father.
Beautiful in His earthly ministry.
Beautiful in atoning for OUR SINS.
Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Notice the comparison between the UNBELIEVER and the BELIEVER.
Mighty works are insufficient to validate profession.
Mighty works are insufficient to validate profession.
Let me give you a really concrete example of this in the life of Jesus’ own disciples.
In Matthew 10, Jesus sends out His disciples to preach the kingdom of God.
And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
We don’t often think about this but Judas went out with the disciples.
He was there with them casting our demons, casting out unclean spirits, and all the rest.
What’s the difference between Judas and all the other disciples?
We could probably answer this question in many ways.
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
The spirits being subject to the disciples IS NOT the MOST significant thing here.
It’s NOT that they are able to do mighty works.
It IS the fact that their names are written in Heaven!!
But somewhere along the way, those who come to Jesus on the day of final judgment have begun rejoicing in the gifts that come from God.
Boasting in the gifts from Him more than rejoicing that we are known and loved by God in the gospel.
At it’s core, they had all kinds of gifting but love for Christ was not present.
A faulty profession can mimic almost everything in the Christian life except for love.
Love for Christ is not able to be mimicked.
Expository Thoughts on Matthew Matthew 7:21–29: Uselessness of Profession without Practice,—The Two Builders
It will then be proved, that to be saved means something more than “making a profession.” We must make a “practice” of our Christianity as well as a “profession.”
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Right doctrine is insufficient to validate profession.
Right doctrine is insufficient to validate profession.
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
I’m NOT saying that doctrine is bad.
I’m NOT saying we shouldn’t learn doctrine.
I’m SAYING it’s NOT sufficient to validate profession.
Demon’s have great theology.
They know exactly what God is like and they hate Him.
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
They know all sorts of theological truths and it does not move them in the slightest.
Orthodoxy without orthopraxy is demon faith.
Even the demons believe true things about God.
They even shutter as they do so.
But the person with an empty, hollow faith has the same kind of faith.
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”
And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
James speaks of a kind of faith that does not save.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
James does not say that faith cannot save a person.
James says that there is a “kind” of faith that cannot save.
It’s a dead faith.
It’s not if faith can save or not.
But there’s a kind of faith that saves and a kind of faith that does not save.
The kind of faith that saves is the kind of faith that works.
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Whereas a kind of faith that leads to death and it does not obey.
An empty faith does not save anyone.
“We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.”
Doctrine ALONE doesn’t save us.
Doctrine can help us understand God.
But Doctrine can also be used an INTELLECTUAL pursuit apart from the Triune God.
It can be used to
Matthew 7:21 (ESV)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Obedience will correspond to profession.
Obedience will correspond to profession.
Matthew 7:21 (ESV)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
It’s not merely profession alone that makes a person a disciple.
It’s profession that corresponds to obedience.
The direction of a person’s life is the direction of obedience.
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
This comes back to what is attested to in many other places in Scripture.
Confession without a changed life is useless.
Profession without a changed direction of life is vanity.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World: An Exposition of Matthew 5–10 Two Claims (Matthew 7:21–23)
It is true, of course, that no man enters the kingdom because of his obedience; but it is equally true that no man enters the kingdom who is not obedient. It is true that men are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ; but it is equally true that God’s grace in a man’s life inevitably results in obedience. Any other view of grace cheapens grace, and turns it into something unrecognizable.
The Apostle John says the exact same thing…
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
“The knowledge that counts is not our knowledge of God, but His knowledge of us.” (Brian Rosner, pg. 115)
Paul when talking about the reality that IDOLS are nothing in 1 Corinthians.
Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.
If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.
“Pride inflates self and is narcissistic and self-absorbed…Knowledge should not become an instrument to advance oneself, but should be a vehicle for helping others…True knowledge is adorned with humility and accompanied by love, and if these qualities are lacking, one’s knowledge has not been applied correctly. Love, on the other hand, is others-centered and is concerned with building up and strengthening others. ”—Thomas Schreiner
But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
Your knowledge of Christ does not matter as much as His knowledge of you.
Your knowledge of Christ does not matter as much as His knowledge of you.
God has known those who love Him before time existed (Romans 8:29, Romans 11:2).
His knowledge of us proceeded our knowledge of Him.
Your confession corresponds to your obedience evidenced in your faith working through love.
Your confession corresponds to your obedience evidenced in your faith working through love.
When we love God, we show ourselves to be elected in grace (2 Peter 1:10-11).
This is not something we apprehend but He has in fact apprehended us.
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.
Galatians 4:9 (ESV)
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God…
He commends that we learn that we are “known by God” which is short-hand for God’s electing grace toward us.
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
Your confession corresponds to your obedience evidenced in your faith working through love.
Your confession corresponds to your obedience evidenced in your faith working through love.
