And in conclusion - Pt. 1

Kingdom Instructions for Kingdom Dwellers  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  35:29
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A Paradox

Jesus draws to a conclusion the Sermon on the Mount in these last two paragraphs (Mt7:21-23; Mt7:24-29). Keep in mind this series has been about Kingdom instructions for Kingdom dwellers; but are all who think they are kingdom dwellers, kingdom dwellers? Jesus has already used a paradox and continues to turn the people upside down in their thinking as He draws to a close the sermon.
Some simple truths:
Most people believe they will go to heaven when they die; Jesus says few will enter (Mt7:14)
People build their hope on what a preacher, pastor, priest or rabbi say which may or may not be in line with the Bible
We have many who are Bible illiterate
People want to hear Good News without the bad (2Tim4:3)
Hearing, believing, confessing, repenting, baptism and obedience are not what they want to hear
People want to hear about grace, forgiveness and mercy and God’s giving in abundance.
It is common to believe all you have to do is believe to enter the kingdom
If this were true, then even the demons would be going to heaven for even the demons believe ( ref only to Jam2:19)
There is a theology that boasts works of salvation, yes you have to believe but it is your works that earn your salvation. In other words earn your way to heaven by being good and not as bad as the other guy.
This theology is in direct opposition to what the Word says (Eph2:8-9)
Ephesians 2:8–9 NASB95
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
You may think Jesus started His conclusion back in (Mt7:13-14) but without a doubt He does here (Mt7:21-23)
Matthew 7:13–14 NASB95
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
and now may we take just a minute to look at our passage for tonight (which we will cover in greater detail later)
Matthew 7:21 NASB95
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Matthew 7:22 NASB95
22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
Matthew 7:23 NASB95
23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Jesus in His paradoxical teaching method bring in some radical truths. The shift come in. It is no longer about instructions for kingdom dwellers it is about application for kingdom dwellers and to identify who the kingdom dwellers are for eternal life depends on it.
J.C. Ryle says
“The Lord winds up the Sermon on the Mount passage by a heart-piercing application. Going from false prophets to false teachers; From unsound teachers to unsound listeners.”
Where what we are looking at this week and next you will clearly see they show the right and wrong responses to Christ’s teaching. You will be able to see the conclusion that there is no middle ground, no neutrality. A radical choice needs to be made and is proven out in how we morally respond and live, apply the teaching.
In our passage we see the mere verbal profession without moral application. And in the passage next week the intellectual knowledge without moral application. Kingdom instructions (the Sermon on the Mount) is no good, avails nothing without application. The application here is outside of what the people believed and had been practicing for hundreds of years.
Doing the right thing with the wrong heart is still the wrong thing! Jesus emphasis internal obedience for eternal entrance into the kingdom of God.
So having said all that maybe just a couple of things to look at tonight.
What is the kingdom of heaven (brief review)?
Who will enter the kingdom of heaven?
When profession is not good enough, then what?

What is the kingdom of heaven

I know we have previously defined the kingdom of heaven but it has been awhile so lets look again briefly.
Kingdom of heaven; kingdom of God are interchangeable (Mt4:17; Mk1:14-15)
Kingdom is focused on the person Jesus Christ and His rule, reign in the hearts of men (LK17:20-21)
I said keep it brief so only going to briefly touch on a few scriptures at this point and encourage you to take your outline and read all the scriptures note
Luke 17:20–21 NASB95
20 Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Kingdom is spiritual in nature (Jn18:36; Rom14:17)
Kingdom began when all authority was given to Jesus (Mt28:18; Act2:36; Eph1:20-23)
Kingdom is now, and believers are in it now (Col1:13-14; Rev1:9)
Ephesians 1:20–21 NASB95
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1:22–23 NASB95
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
The kingdom was inaugurated on the day of Pentecost and will be culminated when Jesus comes back to deliver the kingdom to God (1Cor15:23-28)
I just want to highlight a portion of the 1Cor passage
1 Corinthians 15:24–25 NASB95
24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
In our passage we see “on that day” (Mt7:22) or in the Corinthian passage “comes to an end” (1Cor15:24-25) meaning there is a future element, aspect to this kingdom, or the kingdom to come. Jesus is speaking in our passage of the future element a day of judgment(Act17:30-31)
For we can know that God has fixed a day (Act17:30-31) that judgment will be delved out and the kingdom here will become the kingdom there and we need to know who will enter that kingdom since that is what Jesus is addressing.
Acts 17:30–31 NASB95
30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Who will enter the kingdom of heaven?

Shifting from heaven on earth, kingdom of the beloved Son, now we will briefly look at the “who” element of the future dwellers of the heavenly kingdom that is the one presented to God. There are those who are the will not’s and the those who will.
_________________________________________________
Not everyone who professes Jesus will enter (Mt7:21; Jm2:24; Jm2:19; then the importance of Jn8:30-32)
Not everyone who does good works will enter (Mt7:22; Tit3:3-7) a good illustration (Act10:1-4; Act11:14)
Jesus condemns lawlessness (Mt7:23)
So who will be saved? (Mt7:21; Jm1:22-25; Lk17:10; Rom6:17-18; Heb5:9; 2The1:7-9)
_______________________________________________
Matthew 7:21 NASB95
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Not everyone who confesses will enter, even the one’s who call Him Lord Lord.
There are many who have the belief “faith alone” and by believing they are saved. Even though that is contrary to this passage
James 2:24 NASB95
24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
For even the demons believe
James 2:19 NASB95
19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
Believing is not enough as noted in John
John 12:42–43 NASB95
42 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
The one who enters is the one who does the will of God as noted in Mt7:22 and also here again in a passage in John
John 8:30–31 NASB95
30 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. 31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
John 8:32 NASB95
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
While belief is essential for entrance into the kingdom, it is not alone, it is not your free ticket into heaven
Not everyone who does good works will enter
Many will say did we not do this, do that, and do it in Jesus name? Good works cannot earn our way into heaven. Salvation is by grace not by merit
Titus 3:3–4 NASB95
3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
Titus 3:5–6 NASB95
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Titus 3:7 NASB95
7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Good works are good, but they cannot save, here is a good illustration in looking at Cornelius
Acts 10:1–2 NASB95
1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.
Acts 10:3–4 NASB95
3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
Acts 10:5 NASB95
5 “Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;
Acts 11:14 NASB95
14 and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’
Our definition of good work, good works, as they are called filthy rags (ref to Isa64:6) can oftentimes be done without authority because we practice lawlessness
Matthew 7:23 NASB95
23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
It is not Jesus condemning them for the works, just as He did not condemn the one doing wonders and was not a follower of Jesus and the Apostles as noted in (Mk9:38-41). the acts are being done without authority. We may be great in doing great works but if we live in sin, practice lawlessness we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
So the question now arises, who can be, will bill be saved?
In our passage the answer is found.
Matthew 7:21 NASB95
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
The one who does the will of the Father!
James elaborates on that too, by saying those who do good works, works of faith, not for faith are blessed in (Jm1:22-25)
Salvation is by grace through faith that will produce works of faith, but in no way does any works we do make us worthy.
The Fathers will does include obedience, obedience of heart
Romans 6:17–18 NASB95
17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
for Christ is the author of our salvation, we do not do it ourselves
Hebrews 5:9 NASB95
9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,
And it is not good for those who do not obey the gospel
2 Thessalonians 1:7–8 NASB95
7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 NASB95
9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
Now thinking back on our passage tonight, what could be wrong with these people, they are making the public profession (did we not say) and professing Jesus (Lord, Lord), there is nothing wrong with the profession per se, but without application of Jesus as Lord over your life it lip service like (Mt15:8; Lk6:46) Works and behavior (life style) do not match, may you consider (2Tim2:19)
Matthew 15:8 NASB95
8 This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.
Lip service is not proof of a heart change.
Luke 6:46 NASB95
46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Obedience is important.
This passage tonight shows Christ describing people with a profession (saying) and works that appear good, but without moral application if avails nothing. Yes there needs to be a verbal confession (Rom10:9-10) and that is made under the power of the Holy Spirit (1Cor12:3) which is where we have our power to apply the morally in our obedience not for salvation but from salvation.
May we know where we stand by our faith, by our moral application and by our fruit from a good tree
Matthew 7:17 NASB95
17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
Matthew 7:20 NASB95
20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Bear a good fruit bearer in your life and you will know that the entrance into the kingdom is abundantly supplied to you (2Pt1:11)
2 Peter 1:11 NASB95
11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
(encouragement slide 1) encouragement (Encouragement slide 2) prayer
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