21 “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. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Our name, cast out demons in Our name, and done many wonders in Our name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’—Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)
Why do we, especially those of us who call ourselves Christians, feel we can live anyway we want without consequences? Why do we think that we can live a sin-filled life and still go to Heaven when we die? Is it because we believe that since we’ve been baptized, we are excused from righteous living? Or perhaps, it is because we feel that since Christ paid it all, we can live however we please since we are under grace?
Jesus tells us that people who live like that are just fooling themselves. He warns that there will be many people who will be disappointed on the Day of Judgment because they think that they are in when, in reality, they are not. They will be standing before Him expecting Him to say, “Well done,” but instead He is going to say “Depart from Me. I do not know you.”
It amazes me how we believe that we can cuss, steal, fornicate, get drunk, abuse drugs, and even indulge in homosexuality and expect to be welcomed into Heaven when we die. It will not be those who names are on the church rolls that will be saved but those whose names are on the Honor Roll of Heaven. Their names are written in the Lambs Book of Life (Revelation 20:12). If our names are written there, we truly have been born again. If not, we are just fooling ourselves.
People who have been born again live like it. They want to live a life that is pleasing to God because they know what salvation cost Him. Those who don’t live godly do so because they don’t care. It is not enough to join a church to be saved. The devil has people on the church rolls. What is important is that we repent of our sins and submit our life to Christ. When we submit our life to Christ, then we live as He would want us to live not as we would want to live. In addition, the Spirit will convict us of unrighteous living. In other words, we won’t be happy doing the things that do not please God.
Jesus said it will not be those who try to appease me by calling me ‘Lord’ that will get into Heaven. We cannot sweet talk Jesus. We cannot call Him Lord and not do what He commands (Luke 6:46). If He is really our Lord, then we would do the things that He commands. What does He command? He commands that we pray (Matthew 6: 6), read our Bibles (Psalms 1:2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17), bear witness of Him (Matthew 28:18-20), go to church (Hebrews 10:24-25), love one another (1 John 4:7), and give to support the ministry (Malachi 3:10, Matthew 6:3).
Jesus goes on to say in verse 26, “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Those of us who do not do what He commands is likened unto a fool, one who is fooling themselves because they are heading for a big fall.
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