Have you ever worked on a project or built something only to find out at the end you had done it wrong? Have you ever expected to receive something only to find out you weren’t able to get it? What about kids in school who don’t do their homework but still get upset that they didn’t make good grades? These are not pleasant situations.
The greatest tragedy of all, though, will be when the many who expect to go to Heaven will hear the words “I never knew you.” Those are the words that none of us want to hear from Jesus. But unfortunately many will. This is what Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23.
“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.’”
Jesus said that the only ones who will be going to Heaven are those who believe in Him and do the will of the Father. Those who believe but don’t do the will of the Father will not. If someone believes in God but is following false teaching then they are not doing the will of the Father. We cannot be pleasing to God if we are believing things that don’t match up with the Bible. There are a lot of passionate, sincere believers in God who will not go to Heaven because they are following false teaching. Also, those who say they believe in God and wear the name Christian, but are still living in sin will not be going to Heaven. The whole point of becoming a Christian is to give up our life of sin and live in the new life in Christ. We cannot claim to be a Christian and live a worldly life at the same time. That is not acceptable to God.
Only the ones who do the will of the Father are going to Heaven. Those who believe and obey what He has given us in His Word. Not those who believe false teachings. Not those who continue in sin. Only those who do the will of the Father. I want to make sure that I am doing the will of the Father. Don’t you? I want to make sure that everything I believe and am teaching and being taught is right in God’s Word. I want to make sure that I am not living in sin but that I am living a righteous life in Christ. We have the Father’s will. Let’s make sure we’re doing it. Let’s make sure that by the grace of God we will hear Him say “I do know you. Come with Me.”
A Cord of Blue 