Matthew 7:21-23 – Wrong Skins and Rotten Fruit – Bible study

Matthew 7:21-23 Wrong Skins and Rotten Fruit As I begin, let me say that I am not trying to make anyone angry. I am attempting to fulfill my calling. Every person sitting in this building-as well as every person alive-will have to stand before God one day. There are some things you need to know. Not things that I think, but things that God says. This morning, let me give you four facts. They are not alliterated or fancy, but they may save your soul. I. \#21-23\ Not everyone who is religious is going to heaven. Matt 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. A. Notice that Jesus was talking about people who thought they knew God. B. Even more specifically, He was talking about people who thought they knew HIM. 1. \#21\ "saith unto me" 2. "the will of my Father which is in heaven" 3. \#22\ "Many will say to me " 4. "prophesied in thy name" 5. "in thy name have cast out devils" 6. "in thy name done many wonderful works" 7. \#23\ "I never knew you" 8. "depart from me" C. In those statements, Jesus was telling that crowd that: 1. He is the Judge that will one day rule on them. 2. His name is the name of power and authority. 3. He is the Member of the Godhead who paid the price for sins and will judge every man and every woman who has refused His payment. D. Some say that Jesus never said He was the Christ. 1. Granted, Jesus did not talk about Himself being Christ in front of the scribes and Pharisees but He did in front of two crowds. a. Woman at the well: John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. b. And Jesus told this crowd. 2. Why did Jesus not tell the scribes and Pharisees. a. I dont know for sure but I imagine it was because they would have immediately stoned Him. (1) What was the problem with that? (2) He came to die. b. Yes, but Jesus picked the when and the how and this was not either. 3. So here Jesus openly and publicly spoke of Himself as God and these people were okay with that. E. \#23\ Notice Jesus statement-"I NEVER knew you" 1. Jesus was saying that at least some of these religious people were lost! a. Some of our friends who believe you can lose your salvation want to use this as a proof text. b. It isnt. c. Jesus did not say that He knew them and forgot them. d. Jesus said, to the religious people who knew something about Him. I NEVER knew you. e. Just because you know God who God does not mean that God knows who you are. 2. The fact is that most every writer of the Bible warned the religious that they may not be saved. a. The Apostle Paul 2Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. b. John (1) The whole book of 1John. 1John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (2) John said if the love of the world is in you the love of the Father is NOT. 3. Why would so many (if not all) of the Bible writers give these warnings? Because you can be religious and not to to heaven! II. The vast majority of religious people will die lost. A. Listen to that again: The vast majority of religious people will die lost. Matt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. B. Remember Jesus was talking to religious people not out-and- out heathen. Even those who were willing to consider Him to be the Christ. 1. To THEM Jesus said the road to hell is broad. 2. To THEM Jesus said the way to heaven is straight and few of YOU are on it! C. To think you are a Christian and to die lost and be cast into hell, all the time thinking you were saved would have to be the worst nightmare you could ever dream, but Jesus was telling those people that it was to be at some of their futures! III. \#15-18\ The proof of true salvation is in the life we live not the talk we give. Matt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. A. Here is where the title of the message came from. B. Jesus made this point in two ways: 1. \#15\ He said that it is what is on the inside not the outside that determines whether you are a Christian or not. a. Whether it is a false preacher in the pulpit or a false professor in the pew, you have to look deeper than the suit of clothes they wear. b. Anybody can stick on a lambskin. 2. \#16-18\ Its the fruit of the tree not the label on the tag that we look at. a. It takes some time to grow a tree and produce fruit. b. No individual act can be used to determine whether a person is truly saved or lost, but a track record of their fruit over a prolonged time will be a pretty good indicator. (1) You might stub your toe and say a bad word (you should not, but you might), but if you always talk with a bad language, thats bad fruit and a problem. (2) You might see a bad picture, but if you stay for the show, thats bad fruit and a problem. (3) You might think poorly of a person, but if you gossip about them, thats bad fruit and a problem. (4) You might want a better job, but if you are a bad employee, thats bad fruit and a problem. c. The day-in, day-out fruit of your life is the tell- tale sign of whether you know Jesus or not. IV. The Bible tells us what kind of fruit each kind of person bears. A. For right now, we will say that there are three kinds of people: lost, saved, and backslidden. B. If I were to make a list of those sins that mark a lost or saved person, I would be accused of judging or being a legalist; but did you know God already has. 1. God made these lists up before any of us were even born. 2. The newest list in the Bible would have to be more than 1900 years old. C. Gods list: 1. The unsaved: 1Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. a. These are the works of a lost person. (1) It does not matter how religious they may be. (2) God said if they do these works, they "will not inherit the kingdom of God" \#1Cor 6:9\. b. This list can be divided into four categories: (1) On that top of that list that marks a person as being lost are sexual sins: (a) adultery \#1Cor 6:9, Gal 5:19\-relations outside marriage. (b) fornication \#1Cor 6:9, Gal 5:19\-illicit perverted sexual sins (prostitution, homosexual and lesbian activity, bestiality, pedophilia, and many others) (c) abusers of themselves and effeminate \#1Cor 6:9\ is homosexually in all of its forms. (2) There is also the lost peoples list of heart sins. (a) hatred, wrath \#Gal 5:20\ (b) envy \#Gal 5:21\, covetous \#1Cor 6:10\ Always wanting things you dont have. i. It is amazing how much church talk, talk among Christians, is hatred and envy talk. ii. Back up, Jack! iii. You will not see hatred, envy, bitterness, tale-bearing and the like listed on the behavior list of the saved. iv. Those things are only listed on the behavior list of the lost. v. You say, "Preacher! I know I am saved." vi. I say, "Prove it." Live like you are saved and not like you are lost. (c) lasciviousness \#Gal 5:19\-given to fleshly desires i. We may not use the word much, but we practice the sin quite often. ii. All of those posters you have hanging on your wall of entertainers and hotties and hunks. That is lasciviousness. iii. Reading your portfolio more than your Bible. That is lasciviousness. iv. Preoccupation with cars, and carding, fishing, and fashion, trophies and travel. aa. The fleshly things that we are focused on need not be sinful. bb. The problem is not so much what are focused upon, but that we are so focused on them, putting Jesus and service to Jesus behind those things. cc. That is lasciviousness. (d) strife & seditions \#Gal 5:20\, murder \#Gal 5:21\-trouble making and plotting to make trouble, threating, rebelling, even complaining, all the way up to the actual act of committing murder. (3) Sins of body (a) drunkenness \#1Cor 6:10, Gal 5:21\ i. Drunkenness was, is and will be behavior of the lost. ii. Drunkenness in the Bible means intoxicated, and that does not have to be limited to intoxicated by beverages. iii. Drugs can induce intoxication as well. (b) revellings i. \#Gal 5:21\ partying ii. Every generation thinks they invented partying. iii. Afraid not. iv. You may have figured a way to take partying to a new low, but you did not invite. (4) Sins of worship (a) idolatry \#1 Cor 6:9, Gal 5:20\-Anything placed before God (b) witchcraft \#Gal 5:20\-From worshipping the dark and the mystic up to worshipping the devil himself. (c) heresies \#Gal 5:20\-Rejecting truth about God and believing a lie c. You can think what you like about yourself, but the Bible is the Word of God, and it declares that if your fruit looks like this, it is an indication you are not saved. 2. The saved: a. I will not even read these lists because of time, but you can and should read them. (1) \#Rom 12:9-18\ (2) \#Gal 5:22-25\ b. Those lists are divided into three categories. (1) \#Romans 12:9-10\ Demonstrations of the heart (a) love-Christians should be the most loving people. i. A love upward to God ii. A love outward to the body of Christ iii. A love downward to those who have less or know less than we do (b) kindness-the lubricant of unity (c) with an honor for the saved that prefers the saved to the lost! (2) \#Romans 12:11-13\ Demonstrations of the body: (a) \#11\ not slothful-hard working (b) \#11\ serving the Lord (3) \#Gal 5:22-25, Romans 12:11-16\ Demonstrations of the spirit: (a) \#11\ fervent in spirit (b) \#12, 15\ rejoicing (c) \#12\ patient in problems (d) \#12\ prayerful (e) \#13\ giving and hospitable (f) \#16\ of the same mind-humble (g) \#17\ forgiving (h) \#17\ honest (i) \#18\ peaceful 3. The backslider: \#Heb 12:4-7\ Hebrews 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? a. Notice some key words in this text. (1) \#Heb 12:4\ "not resisted" (2) \#Heb 12:5\ "forgotten" (3) \#Heb 12:5\ "fainted" b. Those words indicate that these believers once lived like a Christian, but the fainted and forgot who they were and eventually yielded to the pull of the world on them. (1) The problem I see with some is that you cannot forget what you never learned or cant faint from a battle you never entered. (a) At one time, these backsliders were living like Christians. (b) I fear a lot of religious people think they are backslid from Jesus when the truth is they never were close enough to Him to slide away to begin with. i. You cannot be in remission from a disease you never had. ii. You cannot retire from a job you never worked. iii. And you cant faint from a battle you never entered. (2) But even if you really are backslid, that means you quit on Someone you once loved dearly and stood for supremely. (a) That should not be a condition you want to stay in. (b) No! Once you realize it you should be flinging yourself upon Gods altar, begging God to forgive you and to make things right. c. \#Hebrews 12:6\ There are two more important words that sum of the condition the backslider is in, "chastened" and "scourged." (1) Chastened means corrected. (2) Scourged means whipped. (3) If you are backslidden, you have not forgotten God or been forgotten by Him. (a) Rather, you heavenly Father has been wearing your backside down. (b) Get it? Backslidden means something is happening to your spiritual "backside." (c) It is being chastened and scourged. (d) If you think you are a backslidden Christian and you are not walking with a severe spiritual limp from an exceedingly painful backside, you are not backslidden at all. (e) You are lost. V. In closing two more things: A. Someone might ask, "Doesnt the Bible say, Judge not lest you be judged.?" Yes, but it also says: John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. 1. Is that a contradiction? No. 2. The Bible is telling us that while I am not your judge, you had better judge yourself with Gods judgment and not your own. B. Some say, "I dont believe God will send me to hell because I do those things." 1. You are partly correct. 2. You are not lost because you do those things. 3. You do those things because you are lost. a. People today think God is GOING to judge them because of those works. b. That is wrong. c. God judged those works before man was ever created. d. You are just acknowledging you are lost by doing those works. Understand again what I said earlier. I am not trying to get you angry, or to embarrass you, or to hurt your feelings. I am trying to warn you that being Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Church of God, or anything else means nothing. That is nothing more than a tag on stump. What manners is what is under the wool. What matters is what grows on the branches. Instead of telling me what brand of Christian you think you are, show me what kind of fruits you are bearing. Thats what Jesus said tells is all.