How does Matthew 7:23 challenge our understanding of true discipleship? Key Verse “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ ” (Matthew 7:23) The Scene Jesus Paints • Spoken at the climax of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) • Addressed to people who called Him “Lord” and had impressive spiritual resumes (vv. 21–22) • Follows warnings about the broad road, false prophets, and bad fruit (vv. 13–20) The Shock of His Words • “I never knew you” – relationship, not mere recognition, is missing • “Depart from Me” – eternal separation is declared by Christ Himself • “Workers of lawlessness” – continual disregard for God’s commands exposes the heart What True Discipleship Is NOT • A verbal confession alone (“Lord, Lord”) • Miraculous or public ministry success (prophesying, casting out demons, mighty works) • External religiosity that masks an unchanged heart What True Discipleship IS • Personal, saving relationship where Jesus genuinely “knows” the believer (John 10:27) • Ongoing obedience that validates faith (1 John 2:3 – “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments,”) • Life shaped by the Spirit producing visible fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) How Jesus “Knows” His Own • He chose and called them (John 15:16) • They respond in repentance and faith (Acts 3:19) • His Spirit bears witness with their spirit that they are children of God (Romans 8:16) Lawlessness vs. Loving Obedience • Lawlessness: habitual resistance to God’s moral will, regardless of religious talk • Loving obedience: not perfection, but a settled direction toward righteousness (1 John 3:9-10) Practical Checkpoints for Today • Examine motives: Am I seeking Christ Himself or merely His benefits? • Watch for fruit: Do my words and choices consistently align with Scripture? • Cultivate intimacy: Am I daily abiding in Him through the Word and submission? • Rely on grace: Do I rest in His finished work while actively pursuing holiness? Echoes in the Rest of Scripture • Luke 6:46 – “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” • Titus 1:16 – “They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him.” • James 1:22 – “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Takeaway Matthew 7:23 pierces any comfortable assumption that discipleship is outward performance. It redirects our focus to a living bond with Christ that inevitably produces obedient, transformed lives. |
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