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Mission Statement
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DEPART FROM ME I NEVER KNEW YOU An Explanation of Matthew 7:20-24
Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 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. 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!’ Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock………………
In determining the meaning of a passage of scripture, it is always necessary to look at the context. In this case it is the Sermon on the Mount. A quick overview of what Jesus said before this particular statement is quite revelatory. 7:1 - Judge not 7:7 - Ask and it will be given 7:11 - God will give good things to those who ask Him 7:12 - Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them. 7:14 - Narrow and difficult is the gate and way that leads to life; few find it 7:15 - Beware of false prophets 7:16 - You will know them by their fruits
From this context, it is obvious that Jesus is saying, “Don’t just look at the acts of ministry in and of themselves; look for fruit in their lives.” The name of Jesus is powerful and brings forth results no matter how it is used or by whom. Do the acts of ministry come out of a works basis or a relationship basis? `We’ is the operative word here.
Clark’s Commentary has this to say about the passage: “Verse 21 - The sense of this verse seems to be this: No person, by merely acknowledging my authority, believing in the Divinity of my nature, professing faith in the perfection of my righteousness, and infinite merit of my atonement, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven - shall have any part with God in glory; but he who doeth the will of my Father - he who gets the bad tree rooted up, the good tree planted, and continues to bring forth fruit to the glory and praise of God. There is a good saying among the rabbins on this subject. “A man should be as vigorous as a panther, as swift as an eagle, as fleet as a stag, and as strong as a lion, to do the will of his Creator.”
“Verse 23 - You held the truth in unrighteousness, while you preached my pure and holy doctrines; and for the sake of my own truth, and through my love to the souls of men, I blessed your preaching; but yourselves I could never esteem, because you were destitute of the spirit of my Gospel, unholy in your hearts, and unrighteous in your conduct. Alas! Alas! How many preachers are there who appear prophets in their pulpits; how many writers, and other evangelical workmen, the miracles of those whose labour, learning, and doctrine, we admire, who are nothing, and worse than nothing, before God, because they perform not his will, but their own? What an awful consideration, that a man of eminent gifts, whose talents are a source of public utility, should be only as a way-mark or finger-post in the way to eternal bliss, pointing out the road to others, without walking in it himself!”
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