Why Do You Call Me Lord?
There's a sobering reality woven throughout Scripture that many Christians prefer to avoid: not everyone who claims Jesus as Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. This isn't a comfortable truth. It doesn't fit neatly into our modern understanding of faith as a simple prayer or a one-time decision. Yet Jesus Himself spoke these words in Matthew 7:21-23, and they demand our attention.
The Gap Between Saying and Doing
"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."
These words from Jesus cut through religious pretense with surgical precision. They expose a dangerous gap that exists in many lives—the gap between profession and practice, between what we say and what we do.
Anyone can say the right words. Anyone can attend church, sing worship songs, and use Christian language. But Jesus draws a sharp, unambiguous line between verbal allegiance and lived obedience. Words are not proof of worship. The profession we make is only as good as the actions that follow it.
The purpose of confessing Jesus as Lord is to unmask our unrepentant hearts and begin a journey of transformation. It's meant to reveal that our hearts have been in bad shape and now we're repenting—truly turning from our old ways to follow His ways. Confession without submission is hypocrisy. Affirmation without obedience is meaningless.
The Deception That Deceives Many
Perhaps the most shocking part of Jesus' teaching is what comes next. On the day of judgment, many—not a few, but many—will stand before Him and say, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Cast out demons in your name? Do many mighty works in your name?"
These are people who were spiritually active. They performed miracles. They had power. They were busy in ministry. By all external measures, they looked successful in the faith.
Yet Jesus' response is devastating: "I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."
This reveals a critical truth: spiritual busyness does not equal spiritual intimacy. Power without purity is meaningless. Ministry without relationship is empty. These false disciples mistook spiritual gifts for spiritual fruit and used Jesus' name like a magic formula to accomplish what they wanted to accomplish.
Achievements don't equal good standing with God. Faithfulness and obedience to Him as Lord—that's where we find ourselves in good standing.
What Does God's Will Actually Look Like?
So what is this "will of the Father" that Jesus speaks about? Many Christians get caught up chasing specific direction—who to marry, what job to take, where to live—while ignoring the general will of God that's clearly laid out in Scripture.
The Bible is remarkably clear about God's will for every believer:
Repent of your sins. God commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). This isn't just an invitation; it's a command.
Believe in Christ. Place your full trust in Jesus, entrusting your entire life to Him (John 6:40).
Be sanctified. Be made holy. Abstain from sexual immorality. Control your body in holiness and honor (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4).
Live holy in all conduct. Your life should look distinctly different from the world. Your language, what your eyes see, what your ears hear—everything should be set apart for God (1 Peter 1:15-16).
Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Continuously, constantly be immersed in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:17-18).
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in everything. This is explicitly stated as God's will in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
Love one another. People should look at the Christian community and see radical, sacrificial love (John 13:34-35).
Be submitted and humble. Put to silence foolish accusations by how you live (1 Peter 2:13-15).
Be willing to suffer for doing good. It's better to suffer for righteousness than to compromise (1 Peter 3:17).
Bear fruit. Your life should be heavy with the fruit of good works (Colossians 1:9-10).
Make disciples. Not just converts, but mature followers of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20).
Persevere and endure. Keep going, keep faithful (Hebrews 10:36).
When we focus on obeying God's general will, the specific direction we seek begins to unfold. The specifics flow from faithfulness in the general.
The Narrow Way
Jesus warned that the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14). He never promised that following Him would be easy. If it were easy, we wouldn't need constant encouragement not to grow weary in doing good.
The way into the kingdom is exclusive—there's only one gate, and that gate is Jesus. Yet it's also inclusive—everyone is welcome. But walking this path requires doing things His way, on His terms, under His lordship.
There's a deception spreading in this hour that convinces people they can have Jesus as Savior without having Him as Lord. That they can claim His benefits without submitting to His authority. That grace covers ongoing, willful disobedience. But this is not the gospel Jesus preached.
What Jesus Is Really Looking For
After hearing about all those who performed miracles and cast out demons yet were rejected, we might wonder: what does Jesus actually recognize?
The answer is simple: relationship.
"I never knew you," Jesus says. The Greek word used here—*gnosko*—refers to intimate, relational knowing. It's not about knowing facts about someone; it's about truly knowing them in relationship.
Jesus isn't looking for impressive resumes or ministry statistics. He's looking for friends. He's looking for people who know Him intimately and are known by Him.
Throughout Scripture, this is what God's people have always sought:
Moses pleaded, "Show me your ways that I may know you."
David desired one thing above all: to dwell in God's presence and behold His beauty.
Jeremiah declared that the only thing worth boasting about is understanding and knowing God.
Paul counted everything as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.
Peter prayed that grace and peace would be multiplied through the knowledge of God.
The Question That Matters
The question isn't, "Do I call Jesus Lord?" The question is, "Does Jesus know me, and do I know Him?"
It's not what our lips are saying; it's what our lives are doing.
Those who reject lordship are essentially telling God, "Depart from me. Don't tell me what to do." And the tragedy is that at the day of judgment, God may simply give them what they've been asking for their entire lives: "Depart from Me."
But for those who truly know Him—who love Him, serve Him, and do His will—different words await: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy set before you."
Lordship isn't lip service. It's love. It's friendship. It's obedience. It's really knowing Him and being known by Him.
The reality of our faith is demonstrated by the fruit we bear in obeying the will of God. Our salvation is not earned by what we do—it's revealed by what we do. When the books are opened on that day, may our deeds match the confession of our lips. May we be found among those who not only said "Lord, Lord," but who truly knew Him and were known by Him.
The Gap Between Saying and Doing
"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."
These words from Jesus cut through religious pretense with surgical precision. They expose a dangerous gap that exists in many lives—the gap between profession and practice, between what we say and what we do.
Anyone can say the right words. Anyone can attend church, sing worship songs, and use Christian language. But Jesus draws a sharp, unambiguous line between verbal allegiance and lived obedience. Words are not proof of worship. The profession we make is only as good as the actions that follow it.
The purpose of confessing Jesus as Lord is to unmask our unrepentant hearts and begin a journey of transformation. It's meant to reveal that our hearts have been in bad shape and now we're repenting—truly turning from our old ways to follow His ways. Confession without submission is hypocrisy. Affirmation without obedience is meaningless.
The Deception That Deceives Many
Perhaps the most shocking part of Jesus' teaching is what comes next. On the day of judgment, many—not a few, but many—will stand before Him and say, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Cast out demons in your name? Do many mighty works in your name?"
These are people who were spiritually active. They performed miracles. They had power. They were busy in ministry. By all external measures, they looked successful in the faith.
Yet Jesus' response is devastating: "I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."
This reveals a critical truth: spiritual busyness does not equal spiritual intimacy. Power without purity is meaningless. Ministry without relationship is empty. These false disciples mistook spiritual gifts for spiritual fruit and used Jesus' name like a magic formula to accomplish what they wanted to accomplish.
Achievements don't equal good standing with God. Faithfulness and obedience to Him as Lord—that's where we find ourselves in good standing.
What Does God's Will Actually Look Like?
So what is this "will of the Father" that Jesus speaks about? Many Christians get caught up chasing specific direction—who to marry, what job to take, where to live—while ignoring the general will of God that's clearly laid out in Scripture.
The Bible is remarkably clear about God's will for every believer:
Repent of your sins. God commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). This isn't just an invitation; it's a command.
Believe in Christ. Place your full trust in Jesus, entrusting your entire life to Him (John 6:40).
Be sanctified. Be made holy. Abstain from sexual immorality. Control your body in holiness and honor (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4).
Live holy in all conduct. Your life should look distinctly different from the world. Your language, what your eyes see, what your ears hear—everything should be set apart for God (1 Peter 1:15-16).
Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Continuously, constantly be immersed in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:17-18).
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in everything. This is explicitly stated as God's will in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
Love one another. People should look at the Christian community and see radical, sacrificial love (John 13:34-35).
Be submitted and humble. Put to silence foolish accusations by how you live (1 Peter 2:13-15).
Be willing to suffer for doing good. It's better to suffer for righteousness than to compromise (1 Peter 3:17).
Bear fruit. Your life should be heavy with the fruit of good works (Colossians 1:9-10).
Make disciples. Not just converts, but mature followers of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20).
Persevere and endure. Keep going, keep faithful (Hebrews 10:36).
When we focus on obeying God's general will, the specific direction we seek begins to unfold. The specifics flow from faithfulness in the general.
The Narrow Way
Jesus warned that the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14). He never promised that following Him would be easy. If it were easy, we wouldn't need constant encouragement not to grow weary in doing good.
The way into the kingdom is exclusive—there's only one gate, and that gate is Jesus. Yet it's also inclusive—everyone is welcome. But walking this path requires doing things His way, on His terms, under His lordship.
There's a deception spreading in this hour that convinces people they can have Jesus as Savior without having Him as Lord. That they can claim His benefits without submitting to His authority. That grace covers ongoing, willful disobedience. But this is not the gospel Jesus preached.
What Jesus Is Really Looking For
After hearing about all those who performed miracles and cast out demons yet were rejected, we might wonder: what does Jesus actually recognize?
The answer is simple: relationship.
"I never knew you," Jesus says. The Greek word used here—*gnosko*—refers to intimate, relational knowing. It's not about knowing facts about someone; it's about truly knowing them in relationship.
Jesus isn't looking for impressive resumes or ministry statistics. He's looking for friends. He's looking for people who know Him intimately and are known by Him.
Throughout Scripture, this is what God's people have always sought:
Moses pleaded, "Show me your ways that I may know you."
David desired one thing above all: to dwell in God's presence and behold His beauty.
Jeremiah declared that the only thing worth boasting about is understanding and knowing God.
Paul counted everything as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.
Peter prayed that grace and peace would be multiplied through the knowledge of God.
The Question That Matters
The question isn't, "Do I call Jesus Lord?" The question is, "Does Jesus know me, and do I know Him?"
It's not what our lips are saying; it's what our lives are doing.
Those who reject lordship are essentially telling God, "Depart from me. Don't tell me what to do." And the tragedy is that at the day of judgment, God may simply give them what they've been asking for their entire lives: "Depart from Me."
But for those who truly know Him—who love Him, serve Him, and do His will—different words await: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy set before you."
Lordship isn't lip service. It's love. It's friendship. It's obedience. It's really knowing Him and being known by Him.
The reality of our faith is demonstrated by the fruit we bear in obeying the will of God. Our salvation is not earned by what we do—it's revealed by what we do. When the books are opened on that day, may our deeds match the confession of our lips. May we be found among those who not only said "Lord, Lord," but who truly knew Him and were known by Him.
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