" 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, 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," Matthew 7:21-23
INTRODUCTION
A. Many presume that there are many ways of " entering the kingdom of heaven."
1. But in this passage, there is only ONE way of entering the kingdom.of heaven.
2. Let us know the truth as Jesus said " You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you," John 8:32
B. This lesson shall be divided as follows:
1. The " MUST " for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven
2. What is the WILL of the Father in Heaven?
3. Things Not Accepted in the Kingdom of Heaven
4. Lawless Workers Not Known By Jesus
DISCUSSION
A. The Must for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven
1. Man thinks and does what is RIGHT in his own eyes, Proverbs 21:2
2. Yet " the way of man is NOT in himself," Jeremiah 10:23
3. As God is the Savior, He gives the MUST or requirement to enter HEAVEN
4.Therefore, we have to KNOW and ACCEPT the MUST of " entering the kingdom of heaven!"
5. " No man can enter the kingdom of God unless he is BORN of water and the Spirit," John 3:5
B. What is the WILL of the Father in Heaven?
1. Jesus prayed that the Father's will should be done on earth and in heaven, Matthew 6:10
2. The Father's will is that we should " listen to Him," ( Jesus ) Matthew 17:5
3. God is now speaking to us through His Son, Hebrews 1:2
4. Jesus said, " All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me," Matthew 28:18
5. Jesus prayed for the UNITY of all believers, John 17:21
6. " The will of God is our sanctification," I Thessalonians 4:3
7. We must " test and approve what is good, pleasing and perfect will of God," Romans 12:2
C. Things Not Accepted In The Kingdom of Heaven
1. Without doing the WILL of the Father in Heaven, the following are NOT acceptable with Christ:
a. Calling Him ' Lord ' but not obeying Him
b. Prophesying in Jesus' name
c. Casting out demons in His name
d. Doing many mighty works in His name
2. Paul in I Corinthians 13:1-3 wrote that speaking in tongues and other good deeds are " useless " without love.
3. Jesus said, " If you love Me, you will keep My commandments," John 14:15
4.It is clear that we can say and do many good things for God but IF it is NOT according to God's will, it will NOT be acceptble.
D. Lawless Workers Not Known By Jesus
1. Christ Himself will declare to them " I never KNEW you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness," v.13
2. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus said to the unrighteous, " Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the ETERNAL FIRE prepared for the devil and his angels."
3. " They will go away to ETERNAL PUNISHMENT, but the righteous to eternal life," Matrhew 25:46
4. As Jesus does not KNOW the workers of lawlessness, He will tell them to " Depart from Him."
CONCLUSION
A. It is indeed clear that " knowing and doing God's will" is the sure and only WAY to enter Heaven.
1. Jesus said in John 8:32, " You shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall make you FREE."
2. Further, He declared " I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, no one comes to the Father, except through ME," John 14:6