Matthew 7:21-23 "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. 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? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
I realize that these verses of scripture are often used in connection with those who would spend eternity without Christ. They have a much more immediate lesson for us. Entering into the kingdom that Jesus is speaking of here rests squarely on whether we have done the Father’s will. The only man who was ever able to do the Father’s eternal will was His Son, Jesus Christ (John 6:39).
We cannot enter the blessed kingdom of heaven here in this world on lip service (Matthew 15:8). I can say that I love Jesus, but if I do not love my brother then I have lied. I can tell you about the joy you will find in following Jesus’s teaching, but if I do not follow His teaching then I am as the scribes and Pharisees; a hypocrite. I may do kind deeds in the community, but if I do them in a way that gets me honor instead of giving honor to God then my heart is far from Him.
When we fail to recognize that we are sinners in need of a Savior, we work iniquity. When we judge other’s failures to follow Jesus and do not walk in His ways ourselves, we work iniquity. If we say we love God and treat our brother or sister with hate, we work iniquity. If we willfully work iniquity in our lives, we will not enjoy the peace of His kingdom here.
Dear ones, Jesus was cautioning His disciples in these verses. He was telling us that it takes more than talk to enjoy the blessing of the kingdom. He will never acknowledge us or walk with us here when we continue in iniquity. Facing the trials of this life outside of His kingdom here is an unbearable torment. Let us do the Father’s will and believe on Jesus whom He has sent (John 6:29).