Matthew 7:21-23 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. 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!’”
We have considered false prophets, their fruit, and their horrible results. But what about the GOOD people who have prophesied, cast out demons, and worked miracles, all in the Name of Jesus? What’s wrong with those things? Isn’t that precisely what Jesus has commanded us to do? If we are working in Jesus’ Name, how can we possibly go wrong?
True, all those things are good; however, the key phrase here is “he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” God may honor our efforts, not because we are worthy, but because those coming to us desperately need help. Remember that God once spoke to Balaam through a donkey. Yet another consideration: Have we been doing what God wants us to do or have we been using God’s name while doing our own will?
Prophesy can be fatally attractive. Utter a few prophecies and you soon learn how to put that quaver in your voice and vary the tone and pitch of your voice to impress the maximum number of people. Throw in a few key phrases such as “Thus says the Lord,” and your audience will all sit there going, “OOOH! This man/woman really speaks for the Lord!” Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit may be sitting there crying out, “That’s NOT from me! Where did you get that stuff? Don’t listen to him/her!”
Casting out demons is another sure-fire crowd pleaser, particularly if you scream at the demons or demand their names. Funny thing, nowhere does the Bible record that Jesus ever screamed at a demon. Jesus simply spoke with the voice of authority and the demons left. Sometimes, Jesus would actually urge people NOT to tell anybody about his work as an exorcist. Why would God allow someone to exercise authority over a single demon when they are showing off rather than giving Him glory? God sometimes uses those with hidden agendas because He wants to bless innocent seekers. God may use someone to cast out a demon because nobody else is available.
Finally, there are miracles. Do obedient believers work miracles in Jesus’ name? Absolutely! But those who truly work miracles frequently work them very quietly so that God will get the credit and not them. Kathryn Kuhlman was one of the most prolific miracle workers of her generation of evangelists. The anointing of the Holy Spirit was so strong that sometimes people who were simply waiting to enter her meetings would get healed before the meeting ever started. But Kuhlman was careful to always give all the credit to God, refusing to take any credit for herself. Other evangelists have been far less humble and far more willing to take all the credit; in fact, some evangelists have gone so far as to plant people in the audience who will fake healings.
“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” OUCH! God knows the human heart and God knows if we are working for Him or against Him. When we take credit for anything God has done, we become practitioners of lawlessness, no matter what explanations we might give.
The warning for would-be disciples is simple: be available but give God all the glory and allow Him to work as He wills and not as you will. Anything else is lawlessness!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to work only as You want us to and to always give You the credit, realizing that apart from You, we can do nothing. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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