I NEVER KNEW YOU

  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

          In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the model of a moral Christian lifestyle and He stood as a perfect example of the same. He ends this authoritative sermon with warnings. In Matthew chapter 7 from verses 21 onwards, we see the warnings given to those who do not do the will of God. This passage doesn’t talk about the unbelievers or the idol worshippers, but those who call on the name of the Most High Lord! 

         The Scripture says, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”(Matthew 7:22,23) How pathetic, is this state of Jesus, not knowing us! This doesn’t mean theoretically knowing, but being in the relationship with Him. According to Jesus, it is possible to do wonders in His name, yet not being in relationship with Him, or doing the will of God. In these last days, churches have become a religious monument. It has imported the worldly things and clothed them in a Christian attire. Bible calls it as the whitewashed tombs. People are religious but aren’t spiritual. God through prophet Isaiah says, “These people come to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.”(Isa-29:13) 

       It is not about what we do for God, but whether we do it with God. God is not pleased with our own works in His name, but to do His will and through His strength. We need to completely rely on God in every aspects of our life. Nowadays, many congregations and religious leaders attract people and please them rather than honoring God. How much ever they toil to establish their churches and try to do God’s ministry with their talents and strengths, Jesus says, ‘Depart from Me! I never knew you!’ That’s devastating! Jesus is not threatening us, but wants us to be assured of our relationship with Him. We should be very careful and wise in doing the will of the Lord. Let our hearts be tuned to hear from God and our minds alert and conscious not to slip into the world. If we are in Christ today, it’s not our deeds but purely the grace of God. So, the one who thinks he is standing firm, should be careful not to fall.(1Corinthians 10:12)