Summarize what we have learned in the sermon on the mount to this point:



We started this a long time ago back in Matthew 5 with the Beatitudes or The Blessed-Attitudes. These teach that believers are blessed when we are poor in spirit, when we mourn, when we are meek, when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, when we are merciful, when we are pure in heart, when we are peacemakers, and when we are persecuted for his name sake.
 Jesus also called for believers to be Salt and Light in a world that is tasteless and dark.
 We studied how we should handle some very difficult topics like: Anger, Lust, Divorce, Taking Oaths, Retaliation against those who wrong us, Loving our enemies.
 We studied about how to be a generous giver and giving anonymously.
 We studied the model prayer which we call the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6.
 We learned more about biblical fasting and laying up our treasures in Heaven and not in earthly things.
 We learned how to rightly deal with anxiety and fear.
 We studied how to correctly judge in a person’s life without being a hypocrite in Matthew 7.
 We learned about asking for the right things, seeking after godly things, and knocking on the correct doors in life and how God desires to give his children good things.
 A few weeks a go Pastor James taught about the Golden Rule and the Narrow gate.
 Last Week Pastor Chris taught about being aware of false prophets who teach in God name but lead people astray.
 And this week and next week we will be closing this sermon series with a harsh warning and a real gut-check.

THE CONTEXT...

o Jesus is speaking to a large crowd. His disciples were there, common people were there, curious people were there, and the religious leaders were there.
o Jesus was laying out what the Kingdom of Heaven was going to look like.
o Jesus was teaching what the life was to be like for those who believed, those who confessed, and those who committed their lives to following Him.
o Jesus was teaching what authentic faith was to look like, act like, talk like, and worship like.
o Jesus was teaching what it meant to be a follower of Christ and to be completely sold out for one’s faith.
o Jesus was teaching what a personal relationship with God was to look like daily.

 As Jesus was winding his sermon down, he zeroed in on his key message…. There will be true believers, but there will be many more who only followed half-hearted, who took the easy path, and who weren’t saved.

 Looking back at verses 13 & 14 Jesus said there was to be two paths or two gates by which all peoples will travel. A wide gate that is easy but, leads to destruction; and a narrow gate that is difficult, but leads to life. Very few will CHOOSE to travel this narrow path.

 Last week we studied that there will be 2 types of people: Those whose lives produce good fruit (We will talk more about what that means in a bit) and those whose lives produce no or bad fruit . These are cut down and thrown into the fire.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven”...

- This is difficult to hear, isn’t it??? This is not the way some Pastors today portray Jesus. Some very popular Pastors preach that God is Love, Jesus loves everyone and all roads lead to Heaven. Oprah and other “stars” have openly confessed to believe that their god sends everyone to Heaven.
- Some popular Theologians teach that love wins and everyone gets a free ticket to Heaven….. THIS IS NOT AT ALL WHAT JESUS WAS SAYING!!!!

o Jesus was VERY poignant…. NOT everyone will experience Heaven!!
o Just because someone says they love Jesus, this does not get them into Heaven.
o Calling oneself a Christian does not grant them entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.
o Going to Church does not make someone a follower of Christ.
o Dressing the part, acting the act, and talking the talk does not mean we got to Heaven.
o Jesus is saying that MANY who claim to be Christians will not be in eternity with Him in Heaven….. This seems very harsh doesn’t it???
o This is kind of scary if we are all being honest today!!!

So some will be in Heaven and some will not…. What will be the distinguishing factors as to who is and who isn’t???

o Simply knowing WHO Jesus is will not be enough when this life is done and we face the judgment seat of a Holy God. It won’t be enough to be a member of Creekside Church or any church, being a Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Pentecostal, Mormon or any other religion.

o Even being a teacher, pastor, or Elder won’t be enough to gain access into the Kingdom of God.

o Being a “Good Person” won’t be enough on the day of judgement.

o Going on mission trips or being a missionary won’t be enough to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

o So isn’t it enough to simply believe that Jesus is Lord? YES OR NO

- In Acts 16 When Paul and Silas are in prison the Lord caused and earthquake to happen and the prison gates flung open and this happens “ Then he (the jailer) brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:30-31. It seems that belief in Jesus was enough!

o But then in James 2:14-20 we read this “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?”


o The ONLY time the words “faith alone” are mentioned in Scripture are in James 2:24 “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

o James is saying that TRUE FAITH is in Christ alone, BUT it leads to a life that is changed, a life that produces works, a life that produces great fruit!!

o It certainly seems that simply believing in WHO Jesus is will NOT be enough on the day of Judgement!!!

o Belief in WHO CHRIST IS … PLUS having Him as your Lord and Savior over your complete life will be enough. You see…. There has to be a personal relationship!!! I have heard Pastors of old say “ NO JESUS… NO CHANGE; BUT KNOW JESUS AND KNOW CHANGE”

o The Key point today is “Knowing WHO Jesus is, is definitely is not the same is being known BY Jesus.”

Jesus goes on to say that even many people who did great things “In His name” will not be in the Kingdom of 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?’

o Jesus says some people will say they prophesied in His name, cast out demons, and did mighty works…. But they were not true believers.

o There will be people on the day of judgment that will claim to have done great things, but their hearts were not pure and they were not true believers. JUST LOOK AT JUDAS!

o Jesus has a harsh warning for those who deceive themselves about their faith…. Look at verse 23 “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

o I cannot think of any worse phrase to be uttered from Jesus’ mouth than “Depart from me…. I NEVER KNEW YOU!” Notice he didn’t say YOU NEVER KNEW ME. NO!! He said I NEVER KNEW YOU!

o I have wrestled with the term “believer” over my years in ministry…. Believer seems almost too vague. I have landed on the term “Follower” or “Child of the King”. I think this more accurately represents what it means to be a Christian. I think this represents the Change that must happen when we accept Christ into our hearts and our lives.

o Salvation leads to a life of action!

o So how do we know who is legit and who is not?? This might be confusing but I don’t want it to be today!!!

So who will be in the kingdom of Heaven for all of eternity???

o Jesus is very clear… Those who do the will of the Lord. Look again at verse 21 “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.”

o This a promise from Jesus Himself…. Those who do the will of the Father will be with Him in Heaven for eternity! THIS IS GOOD NEWS!

o So what does it mean to “Do the will of the Father who is in Heaven”

1. IT MEANS THERE IS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP..

- The word father used here is Patros or Pater which means Father of dad. It symbolizes a Patriarchal family. The dad is the head of the household and the children are subservient to the Father.

o So true followers of Christ are in the Family of God.

o In John 10 Jesus talks about the security of being held in the hand of the Father for the Christian “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”

o And In John 14 Jesus says this “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”….. “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

o Following Christ must be intimate and personal. It must be genuine and life changing. Having the Holy Spirit inside our hearts IS LIFE CHANGING!

2. IT MEANS BEING OBEDIENT TO THE FATHER...

o The will of God the Father is found in all sixty-six books of the Bible. His will is revealed in the Ten Commandments and in every command found in any Scripture.

o What the Father requires of true followers is to be obedient in all things, in all circumstances, and in all situations.

o Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

o In John 15:7:11 Jesus says “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

o And in 1 John 5:1-3 John says “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”
o Great quote by D.A. Carson “It is true that no man enters the kingdom because of his obedience; but it is equally true that no man enters the kingdom who is not obedient. It is true men are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ, but it is equally true that God’s grace in a man’s life inevitably results in obedience.”

Here at Creekside we believe this: We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, for the Glory of God Alone….

 I want to close by showing you what I mean when I say that “KNOWING is definitely not the same as BEING KNOWN BY!”….