The King Knows His People

Introduction and Review

<<PRAY>><<READ>>

There’s been a reckoning over the last thirty years in the world of martial arts. My first exposure to it was senior year in high school. I was friends with the owner of the local taekwondo studio. He was an incredible athlete, all of 5’3” and able to do cool, acrobatic flippy moves faster than I could do almost anything.

One of his instructors was a guy named Jess, and he was a good friend of mine, so after Jess was done teaching classes, we’d use the weight room at the taekwondo studio several times a week. Jess was also a football player, he was a second-degree black belt, and he was ripped.

So when Jess decided he was going to compete in the local Golden Gloves competition the following month, it made sense to me. But Sam, the owner of the taekwondo studio, was very frank. “You can’t fight boxers, Jess. Not without boxing experience. They will tear you apart.” I was in shock.

Around the same time, word was starting to get around about this thing called the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Nobody I knew had pay-per-view, but it was there in that same taekwondo studio that I first heard the phrase “Gracie jiu-jitsu.” What today we call Brazilian jiu jitsu. Martial arts were being tested against one another, and much of the forms and traditions were being exposed. They built self-confidence, athletics, health, and maybe self-defense, but they were not functional against a trained boxer or grappler.

The surprise that came in that reckoning was due to the fact that most of us believed that karate, taekwondo, aikido, that these were all equal in functionality to boxing, kickboxing, that sort of thing. But the test demonstrated the truth.

Our Sermon on the Mount series is drawing to a close. If I’ve counted correctly, this is the 21st sermon in the series that’s lasted from September through today. But Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount on one day, in one place. Like any prophet or preacher, Jesus returned to familiar teaching points from time-to-time, and reading the Gospels, even just the Gospel of Matthew, you’ll see Jesus use similar ideas or illustrations elsewhere, sometimes to make similar points and sometimes for very different circumstances.

But throughout this series, we’ve tried to keep in mind the fact that Matthew 5-7 is a single, unified message delivered on one day. If we split the Sermon into parts and treat them like self-contained sayings, we absolutely will miss Jesus’s message.

Nothing makes this clearer than separating today’s text from its context.

Jesus has just spent chapters 5-7 preaching, and now He is in the middle of applying His own teaching. Today’s text is the application of the Beatitudes, the application of His teaching on salt and light, the application of His teaching on the Law.

We’ve already seen two application points, in verses 13-14 and 15-20. Both of those applications had to do with matters of eternal life and eternal death. The same is true here, and the same is true in next week’s text.

Today, though, Jesus calls us to ruminate further on the topic He brought up in verses 15-20. There, He talks about false prophets so that we would recognize and beware them. In verses 21-23, prophecy is mentioned again, but the picture is broader. In verses 15-20, we are called to use good judgment regarding the teachings of others. In verses 21-23, we are called to consider the reality of God’s good and final Judgment.

There are indeed many who sit in churches today believing they will enter the Kingdom of heaven, who will find that they have been on the easy path to the broad gate. They are self-deceived and in great danger because they have trusted in things that could never save them. Is there a test that can reveal the truth?

Today, we’re going to identify the difference between false faith and saving faith by looking at verses 21-23 together with two warnings, and a call.

Q. ((HOLD: Does the King know me?))

I. Don’t trust in false faith

In verse 21, Jesus starts by saying, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven.”

The double statement, "Lord, Lord” is an explicit declaration about the identity of Jesus. This is the word used throughout the Greek OT and the NT to translate the Covenant Name of God, YHWH.

In Matthew 1:22 and 2:15, the LORD is the title given to the One who wrote the Old Testament.

Matthew 3:1–3 ESV

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”

John the Baptist says that he was sent to prepare the way for Jesus. And when we look back at Isaiah 40:3, we find that the Lord is none other than YHWH, Jehovah, God Himself.

In fact, in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, which was the common translation in Jesus’s day, every time the double title “Lord, Lord” appears, it refers to the LORD, Yahweh.

The New Testament regularly takes up Old Testament references to YHWH and applies them to Jesus.

To say “Lord, Lord” to Jesus is to say that He is the Lord, He is YHWH.

We saw in verses 13-14 that Jesus Himself is the Narrow Gate, the door to life. No one will enter the Kingdom of Heaven if they do not call Him Lord.

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 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.

Acts 4:12 ESV

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

But is it enough to say “Lord, Lord” to Him? No.

We must not trust in saying the right words, coming up with the right formulas.

I remember, as a child we said a statement of faith every Sunday called the Nicene Creed. It’s a beautiful summary of Christian belief that dates back to 325AD. It begins, “We believe in One God.” Every Sunday, long before I became a Christian, I said those words.

The whole church, believers and unbelievers, said that creed in unison. If saying true things about Jesus saved you, we had it on lock.

But Jesus says the opposite. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Do not trust in false faith.

False faith may call upon Jesus as Lord, but not from a heart that has submitted to Him as Lord.

Isaiah 48:1 ESV

1 Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right.

Isaiah 29:13–14 ESV

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, 14 therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

False faith is deceptive faith. Remember the distinction that Jesus has made throughout the Sermon on the Mount between the hypocrites and the people who inherit the Kingdom of heaven. The hypocrites look pious on the outside, but that’s as far as it goes.

So who will enter the Kingdom of heaven? According to verse 21, it is those who say to Jesus, “Lord, Lord” but also do the will of His Father in heaven.

And if we forget that this is Jesus’s application of the entire Sermon, this is where we will go badly wrong. Divorce verse 21 from the rest, and you will be tempted to think that Jesus is teaching some kind of salvation by works. So we must ask: What does it mean to do the will of the Father? And this leads us to the second point, another warning: Don’t trust in false faith, and:

II. Don’t trust in false righteousness

<<READ vv22-23>>

Jesus brings our attention to the Day of Judgment - “that day” when books are opened and all people will stand before Him. Notice that Jesus says “many will say to me,” reminding us of verses 13-14

Matthew 7:13–14 ESV

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

The many repeat their accurate theology - they call Jesus “Lord, Lord” once again. Notice how they protest their worth. They repeat themselves - “Lord, Lord,” “in your name,” “in your name,” “in your name.” Their deeds, they say, were the right kind and in the right name. To prophesy in Jesus’ Name is to say that Jesus is the One who gives prophecy. That He is the LORD. These many recognized His power over demons. They say they did many mighty works - miracles - in His Name.

Why is this their response? Because they have not understood what it means to do the will of the Father.

They hear Jesus mention doing the will of the Father and say, “Yeah, exactly - didn’t we do that?”

Do you see how easily we read or hear Jesus’s words and try to smuggle self-righteousness in there? This is the religious instinct of every fallen human being. Bereft of righteousness, we try to justify ourselves anyway.

Our desire for self-glory, to keep a little credit for ourselves, is ingrained in us, and only begins to be weeded out by the Holy Spirit’s work over a lifetime. Even the mature Christian fights against self-righteousness every day. I fear, lest I smuggle it in this very sermon and deceive you into thinking the answer is to say the right things and do enough works. That is a life-destroying, broad-gate lie from hell.

The false disciple has a false faith and a false righteousness. The falsehood of both is revealed in Jesus’s response to them in verse 23:

I never knew you

Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

These works - in Jesus’ name prophesying, in Jesus’ name casting out demons, in Jesus’ name doing miracles - they turn out to be the opposite of righteousness.

Like the Pharisees and scribes, who divorced the Law from the Lord and then claimed to keep it in chapter 5, like the hypocrites whose religious deeds were not out of love for God but out of love for self, like the false prophet who looks like a sheep but devours like a wolf, like a good tree but out of his heart produces poison fruit, the false disciple’s great works are worse than worthless. They do not diminish, but add to his condemnation for one reason:

He was never known by the King. That turns out to be the test that reveals true and false faith.

But before we conclude, let’s spend some time thinking about the false disciple’s false righteousness. This is an impressive resume. So let’s bring ourselves up against the false disciple. If you think on Judgment Day that Jesus will look at you and say, “You said ‘Lord, Lord’ and did my Father’s will” because of your own faith plus good works,

What have you done? How many miracles have you done?

False disciples have an inflated sense of their own importance, and of their own righteousness. When you stand before God on judgment day, is this what you’ll say? “Didn’t I cast out demons in your name?” Or will you say, “I think I was an ok dad?” “I voted the right way?”

A modern heresy - that genuine righteousness is measured by how quickly you respond to current events on social media. Our society has no fear of judgment by God, but is terrified of judgment by strangers on the internet.

But this distracts us from a more urgent Judgment. And the question returns: Are you trusting in false righteousness? Poison fruit?

Our text warns us - don’t trust in false faith, don’t trust in false righteousness. And this brings us to the question that Jesus’s words in verse 23 demand we answer:

Q. Does the King know me?

This is the question that sets apart those who do and do not enter the Kingdom of heaven. It pushes us back to the Beatitudes, and it sends us searching the rest of Scripture to understand it.

Who enters the Kingdom of heaven? Those who say “Lord, Lord” and do the Father’s will. Those who do Christ’s words.

They are poor in spirit. They hunger and thirst for righteousness because they don’t have it. Yet their righteousness exceeds the scribes and Pharisees, because

They have come by the hard way to the narrow gate. They have been satisfied by the righteousness of Christ, the gift of God by faith.

Later, in

Matthew 18:1–4 ESV

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Earlier in the series, we saw how Jesus continually pointed to the absolute requirement for a perfect righteousness, and the impossibility that we could fulfill it. And then, He turns and says “Your Father knows what you need before you ask.”

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness...”

“Everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks finds.”

“How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask.”

Luke 12:31–32 ESV

31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

To become like a child is to come to the Father without pretense, without claim, humbled and poor in spirit, calling upon the name of Jesus.

This is the will of the Father. To do His will is to trust in His Son alone. This is the one thing the false disciple will not do.

John 6:28–29 ESV

28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

John 6:39–40 ESV

39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 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.”

And we return to the question: Does the King know me?

On the day when Jesus judges all people, He will say to the false disciple, “I never knew you.”

The false disciple never came to Jesus by faith. I think back again to all those times I said the words of the Nicene Creed, because that’s what my parents taught me to do. How many are here today, just because it’s what you were taught? You have all the right words, but no life. If I asked you, “Who is Jesus?” You’d say, “The Lord.” If I asked why Jesus died, you’d say, “To save us from our sins.” But if I asked you if you personally have come to Jesus, poor in spirit and mourning for sin, longing for forgiveness and knowing that it can only come through Him, how many would say, Yes!

Yes!

I! I have come to the Lord. I came to Him like a child, and He rescued me. If you can’t say that for yourself, then you are not a disciple.

No matter how many Bible verses you know, no matter how many times you come to church, whether you’ve been baptized or even been to seminary or even served as a deacon or an elder or a pastor, whether you’re 5 years old or 95, the test that reveals true or false faith is this:

Does the King know you?

If you don’t know the answer to that question, I invite you now to resolve it once and for all.

Jesus says,

John 10:14–16 ESV

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

John 10:27–30 ESV

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

And David says to you today in Psalm 95:

Psalm 95:6–8 ESV

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

Do not trust in false faith, do not trust in false righteousness. Hear the Lord’s voice & come to Him, and you will be known by Him.

If you would like to be known by the Lord ((PRAYER))