21. "I never knew you"

08/05/21 • 40 min

In this episode we take a close look at Jesus' words 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.'"
The main points were:

Just because someone verbally says that Jesus is Lord does not automatically mean that they are truly saved.
Just because someone does some spiritual/religious things does not automatically mean that they are truly saved.
True salvation is evidenced by a changed life. If someone can continue in sin and have no desire to stop or if someone doesn't actually have the desire to know Jesus, then that individual may very well not know the Lord at all.
True salvation is found in truly knowing Jesus, not just doing and saying the right things.
There is no way to have a relationship with God apart from through Jesus Christ.
For those who are truly born again, there has been a change. They are no longer who they were but have become a new creation.

We covered a lot of Scripture in this episode and I wanted to include some of the references for those of you who want to go back and reread them. These are (roughly) in order of appearance in the episode:

Matthew 7:21-23.
Ephesians 2:8-9.
Psalm 119:160.
John 17:17.
2 Timothy 3:16.
2 Peter 1:20-21.
John 1:12-13.
John 20:30-31.
John 3:16.
John 14:6.
Acts 4:12.
1 John 3:4-10.
1 John 1:8-2:6.
Ephesians 2:10.
John 17:3.

**CLARIFICATIONS**

Early on I say that the Sermon on the Mount describes what a Christian should be like. This is most definitely true, but the Sermon on the Mount is even more than just a description of how a Christian should behave. In it we see much about the character of God, salvation, trusting the Lord, and many other things. I simply used that abbreviated description in passing. Nevertheless, I wanted to elaborate on it a bit.
At one point I say something like, “It’s faith in these things that leads to salvation.” I want to clarify: it’s faith in J

Feel free to email the podcast at [email protected], and we will respond as soon as we are able!
I WANT TO BE DISCIPLED

I am on staff with another ministry called Mentoring Men for the Master (M3). M3 is a discipleship ministry; so, if you are interested in being discipled and having someone come alongside you to invest in you and your walk with Jesus, or if you would like to do this in someone else's life, feel free to email us at [email protected]. You can also check out M3's website by clicking "I want to be discipled". Also note that despite the ministry's name, M3 disciples both men and women; so, the offer is open to all!
I WANT TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER
If you would like to sign up to receive newsletter updates, simply click "I want to sign up for the newsletter" and fill out the form. Also, feel free to check out our most recent newsletter.
I WANT TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

If you feel so led, you can support the podcast by clicking "I want to support the podcast". I Just Want to Talk about the Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which means that any donations made are tax-deductible. Thank you so much for giving as the Lord leads!
...

Just because someone verbally says that Jesus is Lord does not automatically mean that they are truly saved.
Just because someone does some spiritual/religious things does not automatically mean that they are truly saved.
True salvation is evidenced by a changed life. If someone can continue in sin and have no desire to stop or if someone doesn't actually have the desire to know Jesus, then that individual may very well not know the Lord at all.
True salvation is found in truly knowing Jesus, not just doing and saying the right things.
There is no way to have a relationship with God apart from through Jesus Christ.
For those who are truly born again, there has been a change. They are no longer who they were but have become a new creation.

Matthew 7:21-23.
Ephesians 2:8-9.
Psalm 119:160.
John 17:17.
2 Timothy 3:16.
2 Peter 1:20-21.
John 1:12-13.
John 20:30-31.
John 3:16.
John 14:6.
Acts 4:12.
1 John 3:4-10.
1 John 1:8-2:6.
Ephesians 2:10.
John 17:3.

**CLARIFICATIONS**

Early on I say that the Sermon on the Mount describes what a Christian should be like. This is most definitely true, but the Sermon on the Mount is even more than just a description of how a Christian should behave. In it we see much about the character of God, salvation, trusting the Lord, and many other things. I simply used that abbreviated description in passing. Nevertheless, I wanted to elaborate on it a bit.
At one point I say something like, “It’s faith in these things that leads to salvation.” I want to clarify: it’s faith in J

Previous Episode

20. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

In this episode I share a teaching that I did with the ministry that I'm with. As I mentioned in the introduction, there are a few things that made sense if you were in the room but might not have been as clear if you were not. I thought these things were minor enough to still post the teaching here.
At one point I used my hands to briefly describe the layout of first century Israel. HERE is a map of Israel during Jesus' physical ministry so you can see what I was talking about.
Winning the War in Your Mind by Pastor Craig Groeschel can be purchased HERE.
1,000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp can be purchased HERE.
**CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS**

When I was discussing Moab and Mt. Seir regarding Deuteronomy 2, I said they were the descendants of Esau. The people of Mt. Seir were indeed descended from Esau, but the people of Moab descended from Lot, Abraham’s relative.
I slightly paraphrased Philippians 2:14 (although it didn’t change the meaning). Here is the exact text: “Do all things without grumbling or disputing...”
At one point I paraphrased Romans 8:28. Here is the exact text: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
Near the end I was quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. I accidentally slightly switched the word order in verse 18. While it didn't change the meaning of the text at all, I still wanted to include the passage verbatim here: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Feel free to email any questions or comments you have to [email protected]. Please note that while it may take a little while to receive a response, your email is very important, and it is not being ignored.

Next Episode

22. Hear and Obey

In this episode we talk about the vital importance of not just hearing the Word but also of doing it.
Here are the resources that I mentioned in the episode:
The George Müller quote can be found HERE.
Open Bible can be accessed HERE. (This link will take you directly to the page where you can search for topics; so, it removes a step in how I described it on the episode).
Got Questions can be accessed HERE. (This website has extremely helpful articles on almost any topic relevant to Christianity. While I don't 100% agree with absolutely everything in all of the articles, I use this phenomenal resource very frequently and would commend it to just about anyone).
A list of biblical topics can be found HERE. (This link will take you directly to the page; so, you can skip all the steps that I mentioned in the episode).
Some of the primary Scriptures I referenced:
James 1:22-25.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18.
John 8:34-36.
Matthew 5:3.
Matthew 5:8.
Matthew 7:24-27.
Matthew 4:4.
2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Psalm 119:160.
John 16:13.
John 17:17.
Proverbs 12:15.
Proverbs 28:26.
**CLARIFICATIONS**
At around 6:45 I said that for some people conviction is a spiritual experience. Conviction from the Holy Spirit is indeed a spiritual experience for all of us. My point was simply to say that many people feel as though they are doing well simply because the Holy Spirit convicted them of something even if they don't act on that conviction. This would of course be hearing but not doing.
At around 39:00 I said something along the lines of wanting Jesus to be real in our experience. I try to be careful to accurately communicate what I mean when I use this type of verbiage. Obviously, Jesus is real. Period. Whether or not someone believes in Him does not affect the fact that He is real, that He is alive, and that He is at the right hand of God. What I meant was that He will become more real to us in our practical experience. To say it another we, we experience Him more intimately.
At around 48:00 I quickly quoted Matthew 4:4. My wording was slightly off (although it did n