THE DANGER OF ORTHODOXY WITHOUT ORTHOPRAXY

Matthew 7:21-23

For the past two weeks we’ve been looking at the tail of the Sermon on the Mount. From verse 13, Jesus repeatedly points out two opposites. For instance, in verses 13 and14 there are two gates, the narrow and the wide. Then there are two ways, the narrow and the broad. There are also two destinations, life and destruction, and two groups, the few and the many. Also in verses 15 to 20 Jesus continues to point out two opposites, namely there are two kinds of prophets, true and false; two types of identifications, sheep and wolves. There also two kinds of trees, the good and the bad, which produces two kinds of fruits, the good and the bad.

Tonight our Lord Jesus continues from our text to point out two opposites, such as, those who say and those who do, those who will not enter the kingdom of heaven and those who will enter, and those that Jesus will reject and those that Jesus will receive.

Every section of this tail of the Sermon on the Mount has a strong warning. If verses 13 and 14 are a warning about false direction and verses 15 to 20 are a warning about false teachings and false teachers, then this section is a warning about false professions and false assurances. As we will see in a minute there is undeniable connection between false professions and false assurances with self-deceptions and self-delusions.

In Hebrews 9:27, the Bible says, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (ESV). And based on what Jesus says here in our text I believe that the Day of Judgment is going to be a day of many surprises. Many who think they are saved will not be saved. Many who think that Jesus will receive them will reject them. That is why the Day of Judgment is going to be a day of many surprises for many people. This indeed is a worst case scenario for those that are self-deceived and self-delusional. It will be a frightening day. And it will truly be a day of great awakening if you will, but it will be too late for a last minute decision-making. That is why Hebrews 9:27 teaches that just as everyone will die, after that comes judgment, not last minute decision-making as though you’ll have time. That is why God’s Word commands us to make wise decisions now, not later.

• ^NAU 2 Corinthians 6:2 for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION “–

Tonight we come to another hard saying of Jesus. It is not pretty. It is not pleasant. It is not very peaceful. Nonetheless, these are the words of Jesus. It is a job of a shepherd to balance his duty of feeding the sheep and warning the sheep. If a shepherd only warns the flock but never feeds them, they will die of malnutrition. On the other hand, if he only feeds the flock and never warns them, he is simply fattening them up for the kill. Hence it is my job as a pastor to feed you with the Word of God and also to warn you with the Word of God.

And tonight the words of warning from Christ are crystal clear. Self-deceptions and being self-delusional come in various forms. From our text Jesus points out four common self-delusions that people have, and I want to address them to you tonight. And then, I want to conclude the message with what we must do.

Before I do that, I must point out the most important words in this section, and they are “not” and “but,” which both are found in verse 21. This is a very important distinction to say the least. It separates who will not enter and who will enter. It separates those that Christ will reject and those that Christ will receive. Hence its distinction has eternal ramification. And I’m going to use not-but distinction to make four common self-delusions and then close out the message with what we must do.

I. Four Common Self-Delusions According to Jesus

Self-Delusion #1: Everyone who prays to God will enter the kingdom of the heaven.

Unfortunately, that’s how many people think. It doesn’t matter what your religious beliefs are because after all there is only one God, so as long as you pray to God, he will listen, so people think. Many people think God is just another name for Allah or another name for “the Higher Being,” or another name for whatever you make of it and so on. Hence God is an all-inclusive being that listens to all prayers of all religions.

But what did Jesus say? Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven (v. 21a). What Jesus says here not only applies to other religious beliefs, but more so with those professing Christians since the terminology “Lord” is used more often in Christian communities than other religious faiths. And since praying is the only means in which someone can address to Jesus, what this means is not everyone who prays to Jesus “Lord, Lord” are truly saved. In other words, someone can pray to Jesus and not be saved. So at the beginning of verse 21, Jesus destroys one of the common self-deceptions.

Self-Delusion #2: Everyone who professes Jesus as Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Unfortunately, this is what many professing Christians think. They say, “I’m a Christian because I believe Jesus is Lord.” And such notion is how it is conveyed in so-called evangelism or gospel presentation by asking people “Do you believe that Jesus is Lord?” And if people reply by saying yes, then they get the false assurance that they are now Christians. That is a form of easy-believism. Just believe that Jesus is Lord and you’ll be a Christian; it’s that simple, they say.

That is far from what Jesus preached and taught in the Gospels. That is why he says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.” People don’t realize that having orthodox truth alone will not save them. In fact, having the right theology about Jesus will not save anyone. Here’s a case in point. Would you please turn your Bible with me to Matthew 8? Let me draw your attention to verses 28 and 29.

Notice that demons have two sound doctrines concerning Jesus: 1) that he is the Son of God and 2) that he will judge them at the appointed time. The demons have two solid doctrines of Christology right. But are they Christians? Will they enter the kingdom of heaven? Absolutely not!

In other words, just saying “I believe God” or “I believe Jesus” are not the sufficient ground for determining someone is a Christian. In fact James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder” (NIV).

Please don’t misunderstand me. It is utterly important to have sound doctrines, the biblical truths. And it is utterly important to recognize the lordship of Jesus Christ. In fact Romans 10:9 states “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” This means that there is undeniable connection between having right confessions of faith with salvation. So by no means am I discounting the importance of orthodox confession.

However, the other side of the coin of truth is that professing orthodox confessions of faith is not enough. If that was the case, then why such soul-shaking warnings from Christ and why is there numerous NT teachings concerning this? For instance, would you please turn your Bible with me to First John? I want to point out orthodox confessions of faith that are meaningless. Let me draw your attention to 1:6; 2:4, 6, 9; 3:18; and 4:20.

Self-Delusion #3: Everyone who preaches Jesus Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven.

I get this from verse 22 in which some will justify their assurance because they prophesy in his name. Like John Calvin, I take the verb “to prophesy” to mean “to preach.”[1] The verb is from propheteo, which refers to proclaiming God’s message, to preach, or to speak God’s message intelligibly (as opposed to speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 14). To prophesy in Christ’s name means to take on the role of a teacher as if he is teaching in behalf of Christ. It is a profound duty, but in this case it is phony because his life does not match his lips. This truly is a sobering reminder to anyone who is currently preaching and teaching, and anyone who is planning to teach and preach because of the weight of James 3:1, which says, “Let not many of you become teachers, brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

The implication that Jesus makes here is truly frightening because even preachers and pastors do not have a free ride to heaven. In other words, there are pastors and preachers who are self-deceived and delusional. In fact, to prophesy in his name means to preach or teach with the authority that was granted. Meaning, this does not refer to simply the manner in which he preaches, but also the means in which he was granted to preach. That means it does not matter whether a preacher has the license to preach, ordained to preach, or publicly recognized to preach, those things do not guarantee his salvation.

With that in mind would you please turn your Bible with me to Matthew 15? Let me draw your attention to verses 1-3 and 7-9. Jesus explicitly implied the terms “hypocrites” (v. 7) and “this people” (v. to the teachers of his day, namely the Pharisees and scribes (v. 1). Jesus later identifies them “blind guides” (v. 14), meaning these supposed spiritual leaders and teachers are self-deceived and delusional.

Self-Delusion #4: Everyone who performs religious works and miracles are of God, hence they are saved.

According to Jesus the self-delusional people trust and rely on their religious performances such as preaching in Christ’s name or in his name perform many miracles for assurances of salvation. And I must admit that churches today are filled with self-delusional people. Next time simply ask these people why they think they’re Christians. It’s not uncommon to hear responses like “Well, I’m a Christian because I was born into a Christian family,” “I am a Christian because I went to church all my life.” Or, I am a Christian because I was baptized or I’ve been confirmed or because I have faith or because I prayed the prayer and so on.

The implication that Jesus makes here is astonishing. He simply shatters the notion that religious performances equals being accepted by God or having favor with God. What sets biblical Christianity apart from false religions is the fact that no one can earn salvation. No one can earn favor with God by religious works, rituals, and performances. The biblical Christian message is “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Another astonishing implication is that not all miracles and miracle-workers are of God. A miracle simply means that a supernatural power is at work. But the real question is of whose power? Don’t be ignorant of the fact that Satan can also perform miracles. In Believer’s Bible Commentary, William MacDonald writes, “Satan may empower his workers to cast out demons temporarily, in order to create the illusion that the miracle is divine. He is not dividing his kingdom against itself in such a case, but is plotting an even worse invasion of demons in the future.”[2]

• ^NAU 2 Thessalonians 2:9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, ¹⁰ and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

Jesus himself said in Matthew 24:24 that false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

There you have it. I’ve just given you the four common self-delusions. As I mentioned earlier, keep in mind that the most important words in this section are “not” and “but.” Hence to turn these four common self-delusions to the proper perspectives is to begin with how Jesus begins in verse 21, namely with the negative “not.” So let’s turn these four common self-delusions to the proper perspectives:

1. Not everyone who prays to God will enter the kingdom of heaven.
2. Not everyone who professes Jesus as the Lord will enter the kingdom.
3. Not everyone who preaches Christ will enter the kingdom.
4. Not everyone who performs religious works or miracles will enter the kingdom.

According to Jesus not many hold to proper perspectives of the gospel and salvation. Rather, many are self-deceived, delusional, and blind.

Now once again, I want to draw your attention to “not-but” relationship in this section. We’ve just looked at all four not’s. Now, here’s the but, which answers the question what we must do. Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to Me…, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (v. 21).

II. What Must We Do?

What is Jesus saying? He is saying that orthodoxy is meaningless without orthopraxy. That means simply having true doctrines is not enough. Having true doctrines is meaningless without having true deeds. And this is the core of what Jesus is saying here. It is not simply saying Lord, Lord, but doing the will of God. And what do we call this in one word? Obedience! Would you please turn your Bible with me to Luke 6:46?

• ^NAU Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

In other words, either you stop call me Lord, Lord or do as I say! To say Lord, Lord and not being obedient is what hypocrisy is. There is inconsistency is talking and walking.

The chief characteristic of a genuine Christian is obedience. He/she doesn’t merely admire the will of God; it is done. A genuine Christian doesn’t simply study and discuss the will of God; it is done.[3] D.A. Carson writes:

It is true, of course, 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 that men are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ; but it is equally true that God’s grace is a man’s life inevitably results in obedience. Any other view of grace cheapens grace, and turns it into something unrecognizable. Cheap grace preaches forgiveness without repentance, church membership without rigorous church discipline, discipleship without obedience, blessing without persecution, joy without righteousness, results without obedience. In the entire history of the church, has there ever been another generation with so many nominal Christians and so few real (i.e., obedient) ones? And where nominal Christianity is compounded by spectacular profession, it is especially likely to manufacture its own false assurance.[4]

There is a famous saying that came out during the Protestant Reformation, which goes something like this: “Faith alone saves, but faith that saves is never alone.” That statement is simply a reiteration of James 2. Would you please turn your Bible with me to James 2?

• ^NAU James 2:14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

• ^NAU James 2:17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

• ^NAU James 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

And that statement is also a reiteration of Ephesians 2 isn’t it?

• ^NAU Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Just as there is undeniable connection between orthodox beliefs and salvation, there is also undeniable connection between orthodox practices and salvation. Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that orthodox practices will get you into heaven any more than having orthodox beliefs alone. But what I am saying is that the fruits of true conversion will be evidenced by orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Those two are what is considered by theologian-pastors “the evidences of saving grace.” And those two must go hand to hand.

With that in mind, would you please turn your Bible with me to Ezekiel 33? I’d like to make one Old Testament reference tonight. Let me draw your attention to verses 30 to 32. Although this was written in ancient time, it reads like a contemporary commentary on today’s churches. It amazes me that people enjoyed Ezekiel’s message and even encouraged others to listen to him, yet they failed to apply the message. One commentator writes, “They were ‘playing games’ with God. To them Ezekiel was no more than a good entertainer.”[5] He was amusing to listen to and to watch but that was it. What this means is it is very possible that we may enjoy listening to preaching, even good expository preaching that moves your heart and challenges your mind, but that is far as it goes. In fact that is far as you allow it to go because you’re not really serious about applying it. You’re not really serious about having the message to grip you and radically transform your life. Perhaps you’re just satisfied with where you’re at and afraid of changes that God’s truth may bring. Hence you may be a comfortable listener and even be a committed listener, but not a committed doer. All of us must seriously take this warning to heart.

What happens when people repeatedly reject this warning? Jesus says in verse 23, “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” This phrase “I never knew you” does not mean that Jesus is ignorant of who they are. Rather it means Jesus never recognized them as what they claimed to be.[6] They claimed him as lord and they claimed themselves as the people that belonged to him. For them to address Jesus as Lord meant they at least had some comprehension of the master-slave relationship, yet they refused to submit to his lordship with obedience.

When you read verse 23, what does this say about Jesus? It is a sobering reality that the same Jesus who has the power to let a person into the kingdom has the power to cast a person away from him. In Germany, there is a cathedral which has following engraved words:

Thus speaketh Christ our Lord to us.

You call Me Master, and obey Me not.

You call Me Light, and see Me not.

You call Me the Way, and walk Me not.

You call Me Life, and live Me not.

You call Me Wise, and follow Me not.

You call Me Fair, and love Me not.

You call Me Rich, and ask Me not.

You call Me Eternal, and seek Me not.

If I condemn thee, blame Me not.

---

[1] John Calvin, “Harmony of Matthew, Mark, and Luke,” translated by William Pringle in Calvin’s Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 368.

[2] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1995), 1230.

[3] D.A. Carson, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World (Toronto: Global Christian Publishers, 2001), 138.

[4] Ibid., 139-40.

[5] Ralph H. Alexander, “Ezekiel” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), 911.

[6] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, PNTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992), 181.