Who do You Serve?
Matthew 7:21-23:
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. 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 may miracles?’ 23) And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you, DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
Matthew 7:21 is one of my favorite verses. It should remind us that we don’t do things for our pleasure or what we can get out of it. We serve the will of the Father and if we do our reward will be great and earned. We can call Him Lord and still follow our own will and we are warned that that will end in anguish not heaven. Seek always to the will of the Father and He will take care of us.
Matthew 7:22 is one that sometimes we tend to look outside of our bubble to. If I get up and the reason, I am preaching is for my benefit due to my vanity then I am just as guilty. When we set to serve one another, it shouldn’t be to gain a gold star beside our name, NO, it should be because that is the example that Jesus showed us. We should approach everything we do in order to glorify the Father and to encourage and edify one another. Yes, there are many false teachers out in the world, but we also need to be studying and listening to all that is taught to ensure that we are following what God would have us to. Not what is going to make me look or feel good.
Matthew 7:23 is a verse that should strike fear into everyone and ensure that we are doing and following the will of the Father. Imagine calling on the Lord and Him saying depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. There is nothing scarier than to be separated from God. You are out of the light and into the darkness and that’s not a place anyone will want to go. We must hold each other accountable, not in a way to say, aha, look at what Buddy did, but instead hey Buddy, you are headed toward the darkness, and I can’t bear to see that happen. Jesus came to save all, not some. Let’s do our best to ensure that no one we know ever has to be told “DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.”
Buddy German
