Trinity 8 August 7, 2022
Matthew 7:15-23
Lord! Lord!
v.21 [Jesus said], "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.
Dear friends in Christ, our text for today contains some of the harshest words of Jesus in the gospel records. Matthew 7 is the tail end of Jesus' great Sermon on the Mount, in which He expounds (and expands) upon the Ten Commandments. In our immediate context, Jesus is giving warning to His hearers about false prophets, echoing the warning of the prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament reading, just as we see St. Paul give warning to the saints of Ephesus in our reading from Acts 20.
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves," Jesus says. These wolves are those within the church who arise to proclaim a message to God's people—His sheep—but whose message does not come from God at all. They speak words of their own imagination—often, for their own selfish gain—failing to proclaim the fullness of the Word of God.
They are those who speak words to make themselves popular in the world today, but who lead God's sheep down the road to eternal perdition in hell. For they fail to proclaim the truth of mankind's sin—and so also fail to proclaim God's remedy for sin—the salvation He offers through faith in His Son, Jesus. As Jeremiah declares the Word of the Lord regarding these false teachers (23:17), "They say continually to those who despise the Word of the Lord, 'It shall be well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, 'No disaster shall come upon you.'" Indeed, rather they are those whom St. Paul warns Timothy about in his second letter (2 Tim.4:3) who scratch the peoples' itching ears, scorning sound teaching from God's Word, and teaching instead those things that suit human beings' sinful passions.
And it is not just the obvious false teachers in the church that Jesus is warning against: those who encourage sexual immorality (living together apart from marriage, homosexual unions, etc.), or those who deny that destruction of the unborn is indeed murder, etc. No, Jesus is particularly admonishing us to beware those who would look to preach a shallow faith in Jesus. That is, a lip service to God where there is no root of faith. Those who think they can say, "I believe in God," while never intending or desiring to go to His house and hear His Word—never wanting to keep His Word of truth in any way, but instead continue to live their lives however they please—those who think they can call on Jesus' name, while at the same time ignoring, and even ridiculing His Word in what they say and do. To them (to us) Jesus declares, "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."
Beloved, how difficult these words of Jesus are for us to hear! For we all know people—loved ones!—who say they believe in God. They claim to have some sort of "faith," but what does that mean? Jesus teaches in John 6:40, "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the Last Day." So, the will of the Father is to believe in the One Whom He has sent—Jesus. Furthermore, in John 8:42 and 47 Jesus specifically says to many Jews who thought that they truly believed rightly in God and He was their Father, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but He sent Me…Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God."
So we see that those who claim to believe in God, but who do not believe in Jesus—as evidenced by their willingness to hear His Word and do it—do not truly believe in the one true God, after all. They claim to have called upon the Lord, but as Jesus says, "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.'"
Oh beloved, how this tears at our hearts to hear these words, but hear them we must! For we must know that the hour draws nigh—the time is coming soon when the Lord Jesus will return in glory to Judge the living and the dead. On that Day it will be too late for our friends and neighbors—but that time has not yet come! The Lord is merciful in His delay. We have time and opportunity to share God's Word with our family and friends. We speak the fullness of God's Word—both His Law that declares what we are to do and not do—no matter how unpopular that may make us in the sight of the world—and His Gospel—all that God has done for us in Jesus to forgive our sins and grant us eternal life with Him in heaven.
Jesus desires us to be saved—all of us!—for that is the will of His Father too! For God our Savior, "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time" (1 Tim. 2:4-6). Jesus, beloved, is our Mediator between all mankind and God the Father. For He is our Redeemer. It is Jesus who went to the cross to win our salvation by shedding His blood on our behalf. It is Jesus who kept all of God's Law for us so that we would not have to. It is Jesus who has given us His Word to lead us to bear the good fruit of righteousness in what we think, say, and do. It is Jesus who calls pastors to His church to preach the truth of His Word in all its severity and sweetness. And it is Jesus who calls all His sheep to hear and rejoice in this Word and share it with others.
Those who will be saved are those who do the will of the Father in heaven—who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior—putting all their hope—all their peace—all their joy—in Him and His shed blood for them on the cross—trusting in Him alone for salvation. His Spirit has come into your hearts and rooted out the sin and evil within—cleansing you with the waters of Baptism—giving you true prophets of His Word (pastors)—feeding you with Jesus' body and blood in the Sacrament—enriching your faith through the forgiveness of all of your sins—so that you are healthy trees that bear good fruit. Know, dear friends, that "A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit."
You are bearers of good fruit because you are connected to the vine—the Lord Jesus—and His tree of the cross—which has borne the best fruit of all—forgiveness for all of your sins and life in His name. It is now your joy to proclaim the truth of this saving Word to all people—to be workers of righteousness, not lawlessness. For Jesus' Word alone gives life—for His Word is living and active—powerful to save—even sinners such as you and me.
Therefore, we are not swayed by the words of false teachers who would have us abandon God's Word. Nor are we swayed by our loved ones for whom we are tempted to soften God's Word—emptying it of its power by twisting it to say something other than what Christ has given. No, we speak the truth beloved. We speak it in gentleness and love—and we trust that the Holy Spirit will change diseased trees to healthy trees—through the message of Christ crucified for all. For we who cry out in faith to Jesus—seeking His mercy by calling on His name, "Lord! Lord!" will be saved. For you will be recognized by your fruit. The fruit of faith in Jesus—for you are His sheep—and He is your Good Shepherd. Jesus welcomes you into His presence—and comforts you with His love and mercy. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Matthew 7:15-23
Lord! Lord!
v.21 [Jesus said], "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.
Dear friends in Christ, our text for today contains some of the harshest words of Jesus in the gospel records. Matthew 7 is the tail end of Jesus' great Sermon on the Mount, in which He expounds (and expands) upon the Ten Commandments. In our immediate context, Jesus is giving warning to His hearers about false prophets, echoing the warning of the prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament reading, just as we see St. Paul give warning to the saints of Ephesus in our reading from Acts 20.
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves," Jesus says. These wolves are those within the church who arise to proclaim a message to God's people—His sheep—but whose message does not come from God at all. They speak words of their own imagination—often, for their own selfish gain—failing to proclaim the fullness of the Word of God.
They are those who speak words to make themselves popular in the world today, but who lead God's sheep down the road to eternal perdition in hell. For they fail to proclaim the truth of mankind's sin—and so also fail to proclaim God's remedy for sin—the salvation He offers through faith in His Son, Jesus. As Jeremiah declares the Word of the Lord regarding these false teachers (23:17), "They say continually to those who despise the Word of the Lord, 'It shall be well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, 'No disaster shall come upon you.'" Indeed, rather they are those whom St. Paul warns Timothy about in his second letter (2 Tim.4:3) who scratch the peoples' itching ears, scorning sound teaching from God's Word, and teaching instead those things that suit human beings' sinful passions.
And it is not just the obvious false teachers in the church that Jesus is warning against: those who encourage sexual immorality (living together apart from marriage, homosexual unions, etc.), or those who deny that destruction of the unborn is indeed murder, etc. No, Jesus is particularly admonishing us to beware those who would look to preach a shallow faith in Jesus. That is, a lip service to God where there is no root of faith. Those who think they can say, "I believe in God," while never intending or desiring to go to His house and hear His Word—never wanting to keep His Word of truth in any way, but instead continue to live their lives however they please—those who think they can call on Jesus' name, while at the same time ignoring, and even ridiculing His Word in what they say and do. To them (to us) Jesus declares, "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."
Beloved, how difficult these words of Jesus are for us to hear! For we all know people—loved ones!—who say they believe in God. They claim to have some sort of "faith," but what does that mean? Jesus teaches in John 6:40, "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the Last Day." So, the will of the Father is to believe in the One Whom He has sent—Jesus. Furthermore, in John 8:42 and 47 Jesus specifically says to many Jews who thought that they truly believed rightly in God and He was their Father, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but He sent Me…Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God."
So we see that those who claim to believe in God, but who do not believe in Jesus—as evidenced by their willingness to hear His Word and do it—do not truly believe in the one true God, after all. They claim to have called upon the Lord, but as Jesus says, "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.'"
Oh beloved, how this tears at our hearts to hear these words, but hear them we must! For we must know that the hour draws nigh—the time is coming soon when the Lord Jesus will return in glory to Judge the living and the dead. On that Day it will be too late for our friends and neighbors—but that time has not yet come! The Lord is merciful in His delay. We have time and opportunity to share God's Word with our family and friends. We speak the fullness of God's Word—both His Law that declares what we are to do and not do—no matter how unpopular that may make us in the sight of the world—and His Gospel—all that God has done for us in Jesus to forgive our sins and grant us eternal life with Him in heaven.
Jesus desires us to be saved—all of us!—for that is the will of His Father too! For God our Savior, "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time" (1 Tim. 2:4-6). Jesus, beloved, is our Mediator between all mankind and God the Father. For He is our Redeemer. It is Jesus who went to the cross to win our salvation by shedding His blood on our behalf. It is Jesus who kept all of God's Law for us so that we would not have to. It is Jesus who has given us His Word to lead us to bear the good fruit of righteousness in what we think, say, and do. It is Jesus who calls pastors to His church to preach the truth of His Word in all its severity and sweetness. And it is Jesus who calls all His sheep to hear and rejoice in this Word and share it with others.
Those who will be saved are those who do the will of the Father in heaven—who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior—putting all their hope—all their peace—all their joy—in Him and His shed blood for them on the cross—trusting in Him alone for salvation. His Spirit has come into your hearts and rooted out the sin and evil within—cleansing you with the waters of Baptism—giving you true prophets of His Word (pastors)—feeding you with Jesus' body and blood in the Sacrament—enriching your faith through the forgiveness of all of your sins—so that you are healthy trees that bear good fruit. Know, dear friends, that "A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit."
You are bearers of good fruit because you are connected to the vine—the Lord Jesus—and His tree of the cross—which has borne the best fruit of all—forgiveness for all of your sins and life in His name. It is now your joy to proclaim the truth of this saving Word to all people—to be workers of righteousness, not lawlessness. For Jesus' Word alone gives life—for His Word is living and active—powerful to save—even sinners such as you and me.
Therefore, we are not swayed by the words of false teachers who would have us abandon God's Word. Nor are we swayed by our loved ones for whom we are tempted to soften God's Word—emptying it of its power by twisting it to say something other than what Christ has given. No, we speak the truth beloved. We speak it in gentleness and love—and we trust that the Holy Spirit will change diseased trees to healthy trees—through the message of Christ crucified for all. For we who cry out in faith to Jesus—seeking His mercy by calling on His name, "Lord! Lord!" will be saved. For you will be recognized by your fruit. The fruit of faith in Jesus—for you are His sheep—and He is your Good Shepherd. Jesus welcomes you into His presence—and comforts you with His love and mercy. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.