Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Today, we continue Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount! Day 77, Matthew 7:22 — The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 7:22 (NASB1995) “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 many miracles?’ Yesterday's Review We started discussing the most terrifying and convicting passage in all of Scripture. It is a passage that is profoundly challenging and confusing for many and one that some people heavily misunderstand and debate to this day. It is a passage that says not all who proclaim Christ or identify as Christian are truly saved. There are many well-meaning professing Christians, but salvation is more than a confession of faith, church membership, doing ‘good’, casting out demons, or understanding doctrine. Jesus says these spectacular displays of spiritual power do not prove a thing. Only those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven. But that does not mean salvation is works-based—it means genuine salvation produces works aligned with God’s will. Discussion Today, we read the second part of this passage about proclaiming Christians who call on Jesus’ name and do mighty works in His name but also are not truly saved. We confirmed that salvation is in Christ alone. While yesterday’s verse made it seem like we must work for our salvation, today’s verse completely destroys that thought as Jesus says those who demonstrate mighty works in His name will also be rejected on judgment day. So, Jesus is saying that many people who say they believe in Him and also those who demonstrate miracles and other supernatural works in His name are not saved? How is this possible? This is a hard truth to swallow for many whose entire ministries are grounded in performing supernatural works. Does this mean many of them are not saved? There is no way for us to know this other than discerning the fruit a person produces. It is important to understand that this passage does not stand alone. It is easy to apply any context or theme to this passage and then become engrossed with anxiety because of misinterpretation. Jesus has provided context about how to discern false prophets and teachers (7:15-20). He has also provided some insight into false believers with bogus confessions of faith (7:21). Now, He is providing further insight into those who believe in Him and His divine power (7:22). We should not become overwhelmed with anxiety because of misinterpretation… but we should also reflect to make sure our lives align with God’s will and confirm that our faith in Christ is genuine. The question we should ask ourselves is not ‘Do I believe in Jesus’ but ‘Am I born again?’ This a question that we should ask the many who profess to know Jesus. A person might have the ability to perform many great works and get results, but that determines nothing about his salvation. People claim to have great ‘power’, ‘authority’, and ‘anointing’ in the name of Jesus and might even walk it out, but Jesus says, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord.” Doug O’Donnell has a brilliant quote in his commentary on this matter. He says, “We need to hear this well in a day when there are thousands who are claiming that in Christ they have supernatural powers. People say to me they have heard of some bizarre thing going on and will comment that it is okay because the individual uses Jesus' name every time he does it. Using his name does not prove anything.”[1] His quote is from a decade ago (2013). Now, in late 2023, the majority of professing evangelical Christian leaders proclaim a gospel that includes supernatural works and divine power. You cannot go very far without finding a popular charismatic church demonstrating what seems like powerful signs and wonders of God. I believe many works we see are genuine. I believe and hope many of them are genuinely born again. But Jesus says that demonstrating these works does not mean the person performing them is saved. “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 many miracles?’” So, how can an unsaved person perform genuine miracles? Remember, salvation is not just a profound, demonstrable heart obedience, but an obedience and zeal that permeates our inner being. It is a genuine, humble obedience to the Father and His will. Sadly, the difficult and terrifying truth is that many professing Christians are not genuinely born again. How can someone know then? The principle Jesus is teaching here is to not boast in your works. There are many who boast about their credentials, miracle-working, understanding of doctrine, etc., but forget to look inward. Does their character align with Christ? Are they humble? Are they meek? Are the peacemakers? Are they fully submitted to Christ both at home and in public? How do they react when trials happen? When brothers or enemies treat them unfairly or unjustly? Are they forgiving? Are they loving? Are they compassionate? Are they merciful? Are they genuinely seeking to glorify God rather than themselves? It is easy to throw Jesus’ name on whatever we are doing. This will lead to people affirming that this person is completely ‘anointed’ and a genuine believer. But are we looking at results or the heart and character? This is what Jesus is saying. This is who Jesus is condemning. It is those who do boast in their works. Those who are assertive and prideful. Those who cause divisions. Those who are unforgiving. Those who hate. Those who hold grudges and seek vengeance. Those who seek self-glory and possessions rather than glorifying God and dying to self. I hope today’s discussion provided helpful insight into the context of what Jesus is saying in this passage. We will conclude this passage tomorrow. Application Yesterday, I provided some personal testimony in the application. Today, we have biblical examples of how to apply this passage. It is sadly clear that many false believers exist, but it is also clear that we can listen to the Holy Spirit and repent if we are one of them. It is easy to have great zeal for the LORD, but also easy to get caught up in the moment and forget about Jesus. Even though He is the one doing the works through us, and we are doing the works for Him, we can get twisted in our minds into self-glory or pride. It is important that we always think about this passage in the context of its roots in the Beatitudes. We must always walk by the Spirit and rebuke the self-gratification of the flesh. We should ask ourselves if we are truly born again. We can judge this not by our actions but by our attitudes. Are we faithful, forgiving, humble, peacemakers, merciful, etc.? Or are we inwardly unbelieving, boastful, vengeful, begrudging, hateful, unrepentant, etc.? This is how we can reflect and apply this seemingly troubling passage. While it is still a passage that can and should convict us, we can rest in Christ knowing that it is not our works that determine our salvation, but His work on the cross. We have nothing to boast about. Casting out millions of demons or healing millions of ailing and sick people means nothing if we are not genuinely born again and transformed by the Spirit of God. May we take time today to reflect on what we have learned and repent of where we need to turn back to God. Thank you, Jesus, for Your mercy, for Your grace, and for the truth of Your Word. Thank you, LORD, for your salvation and finished work on the cross. Thank you that our works are not good enough, but Yours is. Help us to always remember this and give you glory. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 7:23. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] O’Donnell, Doug, “Matthew: Preaching the Word Commentary.”
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