“I Never Knew You”—The Scariest Words in the Bible

Do you ever stop to consider why you do what you’re doing?

If one message has come through to me in living color, full volume from this journey through Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, it’s the importance of motive. Outward obedience isn’t even half as important as our heart attitude. True righteousness penetrates beyond mere appearances, and it wipes out the human tendency to cozy up to “the line” to indulge in as much selfishness and sinfulness as possible while still maintaining appearances.

The scariest words in the Bible serve as our warning:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Familiarity without Relationship

Notice the repetitive “Lord, Lord” Jesus begins with. In biblical writing, the repetition of a name is a sign of familiarity with the person being addressed. For example, God addressed little Samuel in that way in the Old Testament and questioned Saul at the beginning of his apostolic career, calling, “Saul, Saul!”

Those who imply closeness to Jesus with their words but have no relationship that yields a love for His will can be sure they will hear the chilling words, “I never knew you.”

Those who imply closeness to Jesus with their words but have no relationship that yields a love for His will can be sure they will hear the chilling words, “I never knew you,” the scariest words in the Bible.

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Flashy Deeds without Substance

Some people were born for the limelight. They possess a combination of charm, confidence, and pizazz that is easy to enjoy and seems genuine enough. Their deeds are admirable; their speech is articulate. They have the lingo down pat, and many people may actually benefit from their ministry throughout their lifetime.

But what if there’s no relationship with Christ behind it all?

Notice in verse 22 that the laundry list of accomplishments done “in Jesus’s name” is all flashy, showbiz quality deeds—the kind of thing that gets you noticed. We’ve spoken before about Jesus’s warning to teachers, and I think there’s a warning here again for anyone involved in “up front” ministry.

Our works will not atone for our sins, and even the most spectacular ministry career will not replace saving faith that results in a relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ. We certainly cannot always discern the motives of others, but (as much as we can know our own hearts) these words of Jesus serve as a wake-up call to a sleeping conscience.

Only those who do the will of God will enter his Kingdom. How loving and gracious of Jesus to frame this warning around a hypothetical hypocrite to put potential hypocrites on alert to the danger of their ways!

In his model prayer, Jesus has given us the meek and humble words to form our hearts around a faithfulness that may not draw a crowd, but will connect us to the heart of God: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.”

Praying Together

Lord, these words may be among the scariest in the Bible, because we know our hearts are deceitful. Often we don’t know ourselves and our motives as well as you know us, so renew in us a commitment to follow you by faith. And by faith, may we lay our “ministry,” all the work that puts us in public view, may we lay it on the altar and submit it to your scrutiny and to the flame of your holiness. On this narrow path, help us to make the knowing and the doing of your will our highest treasure.
Amen

Let’s continue this conversation:

• Does Jesus’s warning stop you in your tracks?
• If you are involved in public ministry, what keeps you from falling into the trap of empty deeds?
• Have you ever been exposed to a Christian worker who turned out to be a “false prophet” and their ministry was just for show?

Holding You in the Light,

Those who do the will of God will enter his Kingdom. In his model prayer, Jesus gave us words to form our hearts around a faithfulness that may not draw a crowd but do connect us to God’s heart: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.”

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This post is part twelve of a series about Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.
You’ll find part one on the Beatitudes HERE, and part two on Salt and Light HERE. 
In week three, in light of Jesus’s warning to teachers, we wondered what motivates teachers to take on the heavy responsibility of communicating the truth.
Then, in part four, Jesus answers the question, “What does it really mean to be righteous?”
Part five carries Jesus’s warning to believers about the subtle pull of public displays of righteousness, and part six explores the connection Jesus makes between our culture’s pervasive anxiety and our attachment to our “stuff.”
Part seven challenges parents to tend to the logs in their own eyes before attempting “eye surgery” on their kids.
Part eight considers Jesus’s invitation to ask, seek, and knock alongside our response to what he has given.
Last week, in part nine we examined what it might mean to live by the Golden Rule, and part ten asks what believers mean when we talk about choosing “the narrow way.” Part eleven reminds us of the connection between discernment and having a thorough knowledge of scripture.

I invite you to join me each Sunday for the next few weeks as we sit under the teaching of Jesus together and consider how his words and his life should be impacting the way we live, work, think, and pray.

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