Known by Christ

MATTHEW 7:21–23 — KNOW AND DO

SERMON IN A SENTENCE: The Father's will has always been to know Him and walk in His ways; what Israel promised and could not do, the Son did, and by His Spirit He is doing it in those He knows.

SPINE: Knowing God and doing His will are one covenant reality, never two. Israel said "we will do" and did not. The Son did the will perfectly, obedient to the point of death on a cross. Faith receives His obedience, and the Spirit works that same will in those the King knows. Severity lives in Movements 1–2, the ground of assurance in Movement 3, and the fruit of assurance in Movement 4.

REFRAIN: "His obedience paid. Ours follows." (Alternate: "The will He requires, the Son fulfilled, and the Spirit produces.")

FAITH, WORKING DEFINITION: Genuine faith knows who Jesus is, agrees that it's true, and rests its whole weight on Him — His obedience, not ours.

THE WILL OF THE FATHER, SUMMARY LINE: The will of the Father is that you believe the Son, hear His words, and be made holy by His Spirit.

Intro

▸ The turn: last week the danger was out there, the wolf. This week Jesus turns the mirror around. ▸ Reconnect to the mirror image and the three questions from the series opener: What does this reveal about the King? About His kingdom? About me?

[Stand and read Matthew 7:21-23]

[Prayer]

MOVEMENT 1 — Verbal Profession

The King on the Throne ▸ Who is speaking? They plead to Jesus, and He renders the verdict. The King who sat down on the mountain is the Judge on that Day. ▸ The Sermon is framed by authority: it opens with an enthronement (5:1–2) and closes with "as one who had authority" (7:29).

"Lord, Lord" ▸ The double address signals earnestness and familiarity. They are orthodox in confession and sincere in tone. ▸ "Many” ✦ Isaiah 29:13: "…this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me…" ▸ Jesus quotes this text against the Pharisees in Matthew 15:8.

The Question Planted: Mouth Without Heart ✦ (slide) Romans 10:9–10: "because, 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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." ▸ Isaiah 29:13 “And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,” ▸ Leave the question open: if the confession was right and the ministry was real, what was missing? Hold the answer. ✦ (no slide) James 2:19: "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" ▸ Accurate belief is not saving faith.

The Résumé ▸ Prophecy, exorcism, mighty works. ▸ Notice what is missing: not one word asking for mercy, but every word points back to what they did. ✦ Matthew 6:2: "…Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward." ▸ Connect back to Matthew 6: they performed righteousness to be seen, and they received their reward — the ministry, the platform, the power.

The Three People in 7:22 ▸ "Did we not…" — moralism. ▸ "Prophesy in your name" — hyper-spiritualism. ▸ "Mighty works" — missional movement.

The Saul Pattern ✦ (no slide) 1 Samuel 15:22: "And Samuel said, 'Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.'" ▸ Religious performance substituted for obedience is an old story.

Every Tongue Will Confess ▸ (slide) Philippians 2:8–11 “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The Beatitudes Bookend ✦ Matthew 5:3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." ▸ The Sermon opened with the poor in spirit. It closes with people rich in spiritual credentials.

[Vivid memory of my decision to say yes to CFA Corporate opportunities]

TRANSITION: So if confession isn't enough and ministry isn't enough, what does Jesus mean by "the one who does the will of my Father"? This is the question Israel has been asking since Sinai.

MOVEMENT 2 — Know the Lord

The Repeated Beat of the Old Testament ▸ Know that the LORD is God, and walk in His ways. Knowing comes first and obedience follows. ✦ Deuteronomy 4:39–40: "know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time." ▸ Optional resonance: "in heaven above" / "my Father who is in heaven." ✦ Deuteronomy 7:9: "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations"

The Will Was Never Secret ✦ Deuteronomy 29:29: "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." ▸ Plant this here; it pays off with the spiritualist in Movement 4.

Knowing God Is Defined by Doing ✦ (no slide) Jeremiah 22:16: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? declares the LORD." ▸ Context: Josiah contrasted with his son Jehoiakim (22:13–17). Here knowing God is not information. It is covenant faithfulness lived out. ▸ New Testament believing isn't mere information either. Name that link in one sentence.

"We Will Do" — and They Didn't ✦ Exodus 24:7: "Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.'" ▸ Israel said "we will do" and did not. The history is that pattern repeated, all the way to exile. ▸ Be honest here: we are Exodus 24:7 people. We say "we will," and we don't.

[Story slot, optional: a promise you made to God that you didn't keep. One sentence.]

The Verdict Language ▸ "Workers of lawlessness" (anomia). ✦ Matthew 5:17: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." ✦ Matthew 23:28: "So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." ▸ Outwardly righteous, inwardly lawless. The same word describes the Pharisees and the people at the gate.

TRANSITION: So the Father's will is clear: know Him and walk with Him. And the record is equally clear: Israel couldn't, and neither can we. Which means the question is no longer what we will do. It is who did it.

MOVEMENT 3 — The Will of the Father, Completed

Gethsemane: the Lord's Prayer, Prayed by the Son ✦ Matthew 6:10: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." ✦ Matthew 26:39: "And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'" ✦ Matthew 26:42: "Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, 'My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.'" ▸ The One who taught us to pray "your will be done" prays it Himself on the way to the cross.

The Descent: (slide) Philippians 2:5–8 ✦ "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." ▸ Name the obedience. Not moral excellence in general, but obedience all the way into the cross. This is the obedience that satisfied. ▸ Give the ground before the pattern. "Have this mind" follows from what He did; it does not replace it. ✦ Romans 5:19: "For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous." ▸ Where Israel said "we will do" and failed, the Son said "your will be done" and finished it.

The Exaltation: (slide) Philippians 2:9–11 ✦ "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." ▸ Close the loop: the obedient Son is now the enthroned Judge of Matthew 7:22. The one who says "depart" is the one who was obedient to death for His own.

Two Obediences ▸ His obedience is the ground. Ours is the fruit. ▸ His obedience paid. Ours can only follow.

What Faith Is: the Answer to the Question Planted in Movement 1 ▸ Faith is how His obedience becomes yours. It doesn't add to His obedience; it receives it. ▸ Knowing — who Jesus is and what He has done. ▸ Agreeing — that it's true. ▸ Trusting — resting your whole weight on Him, and letting go of everything else. ▸ The people at the gate had knowing (they used His name) and agreeing (they called Him Lord). Their weight rested on "did we not." ▸ Weak faith in a strong Christ saves. Strong faith in your résumé doesn't.

The Centurion: Another Way to Say "Lord" ✦ Matthew 8:8: "But the centurion replied, 'Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.'" ✦ Matthew 8:10: "When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, 'Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.'" ▸ He also says "Lord." His confession is "I am not worthy." Theirs is "did we not." ▸ His faith was great because it pointed away from himself.

REFRAIN: "His obedience paid. Faith receives it. Ours follows."

TRANSITION: So if His obedience paid and faith receives it, what is ours for? And what exactly is the will of the Father we're walking in? Paul answers the first question with a "therefore." Jesus answers the second in the very next verse.

MOVEMENT 4 — Do the Will

The Will Is His Words ▸ Jesus parallels 7:21 ("does the will of my Father") and 7:24 ("hears these words of mine and does them"). The Father's will is the words of the King, the Sermon they just heard. ▸ That is a staggering Christological claim. who is this man, that His words are the Father's will?

▸ Matthew's "will" thread: Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 7:21 ““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.”

Matthew 12:50 “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.””

Matthew 26:42 “Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.””

The "Therefore": Philippians 2:12–13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” ▸ Work it out; don't work for it. Fear and trembling means the severity stays. ▸ God works in you "to will." The will of the Father that 7:21 requires, God Himself produces.

Scripture Names the Will of God (Believe in the Son, Hear and Do His Word, Be Made Holy)

1. BELIEVE IN THE SON (the moralist) ✦ John 6:28–29: "Then they said to him, 'What must we do, to be doing the works of God?' Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.'" ✦ John 6:40: "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." ✦ Matthew 21:31–32: "'Which of the two did the will of his father?' They said, 'The first.' Jesus said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.'" ▸ In Matthew's own terms, doing the will begins with repentance and faith.

▸ Acknowledge: the commandments are good. ✦ Romans 7:12: "So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good."

▸ Reframe: Jesus took the commandments to the heart (5:21–48). ✦ Matthew 5:20: "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." ✦ Matthew 19:20–21: "The young man said to him, 'All these I have kept. What do I still lack?' Jesus said to him, 'If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.'" ▸ He kept the list and still lacked Christ. "Treasure in heaven" is a callback to the heavenly-mindedness sermon.

▸ Vision: the commandments show what a heart made new looks like. They are not a ladder up to God.

2. HEAR AND DO HIS WORD (the spiritualist) ▸ Callback: Deuteronomy 29:29 ““The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

God's revealed will is for us to do; His secret will belongs to Him. ✦ Romans 12:1–2: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

▸ Acknowledge: the Spirit does lead God's children. ▸ In context, the Spirit's leading means putting sin to death. It is sanctification, not private directions.

▸ Reframe: "prophesy in your name" was a claim to a word from God, and Jesus

▸ Vision: He speaks — in His Word, by His Spirit — and the Spirit never contradicts what He breathed out. Discern His will with a mind renewed by the Word, in community.

▸ Wisdom decisions: job, city, and similar choices are wisdom within the revealed will, not a hidden will you have to crack. This matters especially for the Young Adults. ✦ Colossians 1:9–10 “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” ▸ Knowing and walking again, and bearing fruit: a Roland tie.

3. BE MADE HOLY (the missional activist) ✦ 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

▸ Acknowledge: mission is commanded, and it is framed as obedience to His words. ✦ Matthew 28:19–20: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

▸ Reframe: the people in 7:22 were the most missional people in the room. Output is not evidence of being known.

▸ Vision: God's will is first who you are becoming, and then what you do. Fruit grows from a root; it doesn't create one.

God Works the Will in Us: the New Covenant ✦ (no slide) Ezekiel 36:26–27: "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." ✦ Jeremiah 31:33: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

Faith Always Works ✦ John 3:36: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." ✦ Ephesians 2:8–10: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

"I Never Knew You" / "I Know My Own" ✦ (no slide) John 10:14: "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me" ✦ John 10:27–28: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."

Obedience as Evidence, Never Ground ✦ 1 John 2:3: "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments."

Two "Nevers" ✦ John 6:37: "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out."

The Door Still Open ✦ Matthew 11:28–30: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

REFRAIN: "His obedience paid. Ours follows."

TRANSITION TO CLOSE: Jesus doesn't end the Sermon with the gate. He ends with a house.

CLOSE ▸ Hearing and doing, knowing and walking: one reality. ▸ Faith is only as good as what it rests on. ▸ The only posture for that Day is the one the Sermon started with: poor in spirit, empty hands, known by the King. ▸ Question to leave in the room: "Is your hope in what you’ve done in the name of Jesus, or what Jesus has done for you?”

[Call to respond: come to Him with empty hands.]

BENEDICTION ✦ Hebrews 13:20–21: "Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

OPTIONAL POCKET TEXTS

Those Who Say "Lord" in Matthew and Are Received (asking for mercy) ✦ Matthew 8:2: "And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.'" ✦ Matthew 8:25: "And they went and woke him, saying, 'Save us, Lord; we are perishing.'" ✦ Matthew 14:30: "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, 'Lord, save me.'" ✦ Matthew 15:22: "…'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.'" ✦ Matthew 15:25: "But she came and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, help me.'" ✦ Matthew 20:30: "…'Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!'"

Those Who Say "Lord" and Are Refused ✦ Matthew 25:11–12: "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'"

The Day of the LORD (heavenly-mindedness callback) ✦ Amos 5:18: "Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light" ✦ Malachi 3:2: "But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?"

Wrath Satisfied (canonical sources behind Philippians 2) ✦ Romans 3:24–25: "and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." ✦ Romans 5:9: "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." ✦ Galatians 3:13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'"

The Golden Rule as Summary of the Law's Intent ✦ Matthew 7:12: "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

If Someone Raises It Against 7:22 ✦ 1 Corinthians 12:3: "Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit." ▸ Paul means genuine Spirit-born confession, not words alone. Know the answer, but don't bring it up yourself.

EXEGETICAL NOTES

▸ "On that day" is eschatological, Day-of-the-LORD language. ▸ "Knew" (ginōskō) in covenant context means relational, electing knowledge, not information. ▸ "Lawlessness" (anomia) also appears in 13:41, 23:28, and 24:12. It is a Matthean thread tied to Matthew 5:17–20. ▸ The four pairs of 7:13–27: two gates, two trees, two claims, two builders. Each forces a choice. ▸ Matthew 7:21 and 7:24 are parallel: "does the will of my Father" and "hears these words of mine and does them."