I never knew you

intro:

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unforgettable Christmas party

Dec 22nd drop off at 5 Pick up at 9

no students on December 1st

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

21 “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. 22 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?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

what we are looking at a very very important text this text deals with the false gospel of I

This gospel is a gospel that says

I am enough

I can do it

I have it in me

I can work

I can strive

I can be good

But this isn't the gospel you see the gospel doesn't say try harder to be good be good enough or do enough words to please God

In the world today oftentimes we feel like we can do anything that we are able to be good enough but the reality is is God's standard is perfection

In our society there is a belief that all people are basically good but that's not true

What we like to do as a society is look at the worst person and compare ourselves to them and say we're better than them

But we are to compare ourselves with God's perfect law and then see how we match up

Romans 3:10–12 ESV

10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

You see according to the Bible through Adam's sin all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God

And because of this the Bible says the wages of sin is death

On our own we are not enough and the problem is the law requires us to be perfect to enter heaven

And in our text we see the person say Lord Lord

This is somebody who is declaring respect and honor to God but then they shifted from God to themselves saying look at what I did look at what I accomplished look at what I have done

This person looked very Christian looked like somebody who we would say is super spiritual but looks and outward appearance isn't everything

In Luke 18 18 to 27 we see Jesus really explained this well

Luke 18:18–27 ESV

18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

The reason I bring this text is Jesus points out that no men is good and Jesus shows that this man cannot follow the whole law

that this man had sinned in his life he didn't want to turn away from

This wasn't the sin of wealth but this was the sin of idolatry he valued something more than he valued God

Breaking the commandment you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength

And Jesus clearly shows that it is impossible to go to heaven

But with God all things are possible

You see in Hebrews 11:1 it says it is impossible to please God without faith

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

So tonight what I want us to focus on is first and foremost do we know Jesus do we know who he is do we know what he did on the cross and do we know his word

But along with that does Jesus know who we are is there a relationship that we have with him

These people who go to God believe that they have a relationship with him based upon the works that they have done based upon their church attendance based upon their knowledge of the Bible based upon everything they've done

But a relationship with God is based upon what he has done

A relationship with God is based upon his death on the cross for our sins his burial and rising from the dead three days later

So tonight have you been a person that's been deceived ?

Do you believe that you are good enough to go to heaven apart from God's saving grace have you been pretending for a long time just attending church and youth group

If that's you please turn to Christ tonight asking him to save you because of his ability and his power and his grace

Romans 10 9 says if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved

Because the reality is if we know who God is but we don't have a relationship with him we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven

If I walk up to a famous celebrities house and knock on the door and I can tell them their favorite color their birthday their favorite hobbies but they have no idea who I am I'm not going to go into the house

So does God know you ?

Or are you basing your hope for salvation in things that you control instead of what Christ did

Because I can tell you no one in this room will ever be good enough for God but that's OK

Because God loves us anyway

Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

It's about his love for us his sacrifice and his victory on the cross not about anything that we can do in and of ourselves it's about who Christ is so to night leaders take time to reflect and really see if we know the Lord

And I want to encourage you if you don't know Christ you don't believe in any of this be honest about that that's OK we want to be here to answer questions you may have

The worst things we could ever do would be to pretend so open up be honest and seek the lord tonight in growth community

chat GPT version

Corrected and bullet-pointed text:

Sign up for Remind.Unforgettable Christmas Party:

Date: December 22ndDrop-off: 5:00 PMPick-up: 9:00 PMReminder: No youth group on December 1st.

Introduction:

We are looking at a very important text tonight.This text addresses the false gospel of "I":

"I am enough.""I can do it.""I have it in me.""I can work, strive, and be good."But this isn't the gospel.

The gospel doesn’t say, “Try harder to be good, do more, or be good enough to please God.”

Reality Check:

God's standard is perfection.Our society often believes all people are basically good—but this is false.We compare ourselves to the worst people and think we’re better.Instead, we must compare ourselves to God's perfect law.

What the Bible Says:

Through Adam's sin, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.Romans 6:23: "The wages of sin is death."On our own, we are not enough.God's law requires perfection to enter heaven.

The Example in the Text:

The person in the text says, “Lord, Lord.”

Shows respect outwardly but focuses on themselves:

“Look at what I did, accomplished, and achieved.”Outward appearance isn’t everything.

Luke 18:18–27:

Jesus encounters the rich ruler.Jesus reveals:

No one is good.The ruler cannot follow the whole law.His sin wasn’t wealth but idolatry.

He valued something more than God.This broke the command to love the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Key Points:

Jesus shows it is impossible to get to heaven on our own."But with God, all things are possible."Hebrews 11:1: "It is impossible to please God without faith."

Focus for Tonight:

Do you know Jesus?

Who He is.What He did on the cross.What His Word says.Does Jesus know you?

Do you have a relationship with Him?Or are you basing salvation on:

Works? Church attendance? Bible knowledge?

What Salvation is Based On:

Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins.His burial and resurrection three days later.

Self-Reflection:

Have you been deceived into thinking you're good enough apart from God's saving grace?Have you been pretending—attending church and youth group but lacking genuine faith?

Romans 10:9:

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Illustration:

Knowing facts about someone doesn’t mean you have a relationship with them:

You could know a celebrity’s favorite color, birthday, and hobbies, but if they don’t know you, you won’t get into their house.Likewise, does God know you?

Key Takeaway:

No one here will ever be good enough for God—and that’s OK.It’s about God’s love, sacrifice, and victory—not about what we can do.

Leaders:

Reflect tonight on whether you know the Lord.Be honest if you don’t believe in this—ask questions, and seek answers.

Encouragement:

The worst thing we can do is pretend.Be open, honest, and seek the Lord tonight in your small groups.