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welcome to everyone you may turn in your Bibles to Psalm 96 for our call to worship Psalm 96 I'll begin reading in verse 1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song sing to the Lord all the earth sing to the Lord bless his name proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day declare his glory among the nations his wonders among all peoples for the Lord is great and greatly to be praised he is to be feared above all gods for all the gods of the peoples or idols but the Lord made the heavens honor and Majesty are before him strength and beauty are in his sanctuary give to the Lord o families of the peoples give to the Lord glory and strength give to the Lord the glory due his name bring an offering and come into his courts all worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness tremble before him all the earth say among the nation's the Lord reigns the world also is firmly established it shall not be moved he shall judge the peoples righteously let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad let the sea roar and all its fullness let the field be joyful and all that is in it let all the trees of the woods then all the trees of the Woods will rejoice before the Lord for he is coming for he is coming to judge the earth he shall judge the world with righteousness and the people's with his truth amen will please turn in your hymn book to psalm 46 will sing Psalm 46 C as in Charlie once you find that you can stand and will sing together [Music] let us pray father it's a joy to gather in your house again on the Sabbath evening it's a joy to gather in the presence of God Most High and what a delight to sing these Psalms of praise unto you to be reminded of Psalm 46:10 that exhorts us to be still and to know that you are God that you will be exalted among the nation's you will be exalted in the earth God in heaven may we indeed embrace this reality may we embrace the consistent teaching of Holy Scripture that blessed divine sovereignty which speaks peace and comfort and stability to your people God we ask thee would cause us to each and every day seek that blessed word we know that the Word of God is truth and we pray that you would continue to provide it to us continue to help us to internalize it and God in heaven may we respond with gratitude with great thankfulness to you for such a great salvation that you have wrought in our lives we pray tonight that you would be exalted on our praises that you would be pleased to bless the word as it goes forth that you would encourage our hearts as we fellowship with one another and that you would strengthen each and every one of us with might and the inner man we rejoice in your loving kindness and in your goodness we rejoice in the gospel of our salvation that binds us together here we rejoice in the life and the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that you made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him we thank you for his blessed life of obedience to the Father we thank you for that death at Calvary in our place and we thank you for that resurrection on the third day and God we do look forward to his coming again in glory to judge the living in the dead what a terrible and terrifying prospect this would be apart from his righteousness apart from the gospel of free grace how we thank you that you've prepared us for that day it is not based on our works it's not based on our performance but it's based solely and alone upon what Christ has done and our God in heaven we as more and more people hear these truths more and more people would be called out of darkness in the marvelous light confessing their sins unto you and finding that mercy and grace in the gospel of our salvation we ask now that you would forgive us for our sins Lord God when we consider your holiness when we look at your at your glorious law we see your perfections and we see our own waywardness and our own proneness to wander and to leave the God that we love we ask that you would cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lord Jesus we can facet times Lord God we despair and we we grieve and we sorrow and we we yearn for that day when there will be no more sin but on this side of heaven may we indeed employ the advocacy of our Lord Jesus Christ as John says I write these things so that you may not sin but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous may this always be fresh in our hearts and minds not as an argument or a reason to sin but when we do sin may we find that that blessed forgiveness that comes from our gracious Father we pray that others would know this as well that others throughout this world would taste and see that the Lord is good that they would reflect upon the reality that there is a holy God in heaven that they are sinful men and women and that one day we will be called to account before you God we pray that as this gospel is preached throughout the world many more would come to know you as Lord and Savior father thank you for your temporal blessings upon us thank you for the beauty of the day thank you for providing this place we thank you that our dear sister Bev can be with us tonight and God we just pray that you would bless our time together thank you as well that Linda is here we continue to pray for others that are struggling with their health father we know that you are over all we know that you are a good god and that even the trials that we do suffer you are working for good in our lives and Lord may this encourage and may this strengthen each and every one of us and may it cause us to go forward in the fear of God in the comfort of the Holy Spirit seeking to glorify you Lord we just pray now that you would continue with us as we sing and we pray and as we look to Holy Scripture and we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well you can turn with me in your Trinity hymnal - 389 that's 389 we'll stand as we sing together a most sober hymn reflecting upon the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 389 please stand with me [Music] amen we can turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 8 for our scripture reading this evening Genesis chapter 8 I'll begin reading in verse 1 then God remembered Noah and every living thing and all the animals that were with him in the ark and God made a wind to pass over the earth and the water subsided the fountains of the of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped in the rain from heaven was restrained and the waters receded continually from the earth at the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased then the art rested in the seventh month the seventeenth day of the month on the mountains of Ararat and the waters decreased continually until the tenth month in the tenth month on the first day of the month the tops of the mountains were seen so it came to pass at the end of 40 days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made then he sent out a raven which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth he also sent out from himself a dove to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground but the Dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot and she returned into the ark to him for the waters were on the face of the whole earth so he put out his hand and took her and drew her into the ark to himself and he waited yet another seven days and again he sent the dove out from the ark then the Dove came to him in the evening and behold a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth and no one knew that the waters had receded from the earth so he waited yet another seven days and sent out the Dove which did not return again to him any more and it came to pass in the six hundred first year in the first month the first day of the month that the waters were dried up from the earth and Noah removed the covering of the Ark and looked and indeed the surface of the ground was dry and in the second month on the 27th day of the month the earth was dry then God spoke to Noah saying go out of the ark you and your wife and your sons and your sons wives with you bring out with you every live thing of all flesh that is with you birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth so that they may abound on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth so Noah went out and his sons and his wife and his sons wives with them every animal every creeping thing every bird and whatever creeps on the earth according to their families went out of the ark then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar and the Lord smelled a smoothing a soothing aroma then the Lord said in his heart I will never again curse the ground for man's sake although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done while the earth remains seedtime and harvest cold and heat winter and summer and day and night shall not cease amen well let us pray our Father we thank you for this blessed promise we thank you for the this noahic covenant and the security it provides and we thank you as well for your your grace to the law to the family of Noah in the midst of judgment in the midst of decimating the the created order and a real way father you spared Noah and his family and God how we thank you that in the coming judgement that is ahead you'll spare your elect you will spare those who by your grace have believed on your dear son we know father that you are righteous that you are holy that you are just that you must must punish sin and how we thank you that there is provision for sinners in and through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and we pray in his most blessed name amen well for our final him before the preaching we can turn to 458 458 will stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] well please turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew's Gospel Matthew chapter 7 Matthew chapter 7 I mentioned last week in the Sunday evening sermon that justification is a one-time Act it doesn't have the first part in life and then the second part when we stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ on hope to demonstrate that to you tonight here in Matthew 7 at verses 21 to 23 I do want to pick up reading in verse 13 and read to the end of the chapter so Matthew 7 at verse 13 enter by the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves you will know them by their fruits do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles even so every good tree bears good fruit but a bad tree Bears bad fruit a good tree cannot bear bad fruit nor can a bad tree bear good fruit every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire therefore by their fruits you will know them not everyone who says to me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father in heaven many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in your name cast out demons in your name and done many wonders in your name and then I will declare to them I never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain descended the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it did not fall for it was founded on the rock but everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain descended the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it fell and great was its fall and so it was when Jesus had ended these sayings that the people were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one having Authority and not as the scribes amen unless again ask God's help as we look to this passage father we thank you for the written word of God we thank you that it's given by inspiration of God and we know its profitability in our hearts and lives and we pray to that end now that you had fill us with the spirit she would give us understanding into this passage may had a ford the comfort that I believe it is designed to do for believers and may it speak fear and terror to those who are unbelievers and may you work in the hearts of those who are outside of Christ and caused them to reflect upon their sin before only God and cause them to reflect upon the reality that in Christ Jesus there is everlasting life forgive us now for our sins and our transgressions and take away everything that would darken our understanding and we pray in his most blessed name amen well as I said this particular passage does not teach a second phase of justification justification is unique in that as soon as one believes on the Lord Jesus Christ they are forgiven of their sins and they receive the righteousness of Christ it's imputed to them and it's received by faith alone we don't grow in our justification some aren't more justified than others Paul and us are justified in the same way we've received the same benefits imputed righteousness and that forgiveness of sins now there is sanctification there is growth and grace the bible does afford a category for sanctity in the christian life but in terms of our final acceptance by God what I think this passage teaches is oftentimes contrary to the way that it's taught and I think this passage is often used as a bludgeon against the people of God to try to get them to do more things well the problem with these professors on that day isn't that they didn't do more things it's that they didn't believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and I hope to demonstrate that so when I looked first at the event described secondly the parties identified and then thirdly the verdict rendered I think everybody likes a good court case we're all sort of drawn to that we're mesmerised back in the early 90s it was the OJ Simpson trial I think many people were glued to their televisions while that wall that carried on there's something unique there's something interesting about it and I think that's the way we approach a passage like this it's a courtroom it's the Lord Christ presiding he is the judge over the eschatological Kingdom and in the event or the event rather is is that very thing now in terms of the larger context this is the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5 to 7 and then in the immediate context what I read Jesus is calling for action Jesus is calling for decision Jesus is calling for a response he doesn't just present the material in the sermon and sort of leave it out there but now he issues these challenges and he highlights there are two ways there's a broad way and a narrow way he speaks of two trees he speaks of two claims which were looking at now and then two builders at the end of the message he wants the people that hear him to respond ideally in faith and with repentance now notice in terms of the actual event the two future tense verbs point us to the future notice that Jesus says will say and will declare to them he's talking about a future a future thing and most commentators are agreed that what's in view here is the Judgment Day the Judgment Day wherein all men will stand before the Lord God Almighty and give an account of deeds done in the body whether good or ill we see that in Acts chapter 17 and verse 31 the Apostle Paul says that that God has raised Jesus and Jesus will be the agent by which men are judged he see it in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 you see it Romans to 2nd Timothy 4 Hebrews chapter 9 that's the reality there is a day appointed for us to die and then comes judgment that will happen on an individual basis but then there is that great Judgment Day where everybody will be raised that general resurrection will all be assembled before the Lord Christ and this is what this event is pointing us to Christ is speaking about rather Christ is speaking about entering into the kingdom of heaven he's not speaking about sanctification in this life there are passages that highlight that sanctification are the good works that believers do are fruits or evidences or Consequences of the justification that we have received that's not what's happening in this tax this text is dealing with those who enter into the kingdom of heaven now secondly we ought to notice the parties and there are two here there are false professors and there are true professors I want to focus first on the false professors and notice in the first place their number there does seem to be many of them we see that also in chapter 7 at verses 13 and 14 broad is the way and many there are who find that way the narrow way there are a few who find that and I don't think that means there's not going to be that many people in heaven the Bible speaks of a great multitude that no man can number the Bible speaks as well to the to the many whom Jesus shed his blood for but in terms of the ethical impression that Christ is making he wants you to consider your state before God are you on the broad way or are you on the narrow way are you a false professor or are you a true professor are you somebody that will enter into the kingdom of heaven or will you hear those words from our Lord Jesus depart from me I never knew you he is making an ethical impression upon the hearers he wants them to respond he wants them to come to him in faith but in terms of the number the language suggests that self-deception is a reality notice in verse 22 they're surprised by the Lord's indictment when Jesus says not everyone who says to me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father in heaven verse 22 many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not there is a surprise in their hearts about the verdict that is rendered they are surprised that they are not entering into heaven self-delusion is a reality and we need to be conscious of that fact and this text indicates that many go to destruction by the broad way the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 he says do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God he goes to say do not be deceived don't deceive yourself don't be polluted do not have this idea that your false profession of faith is somehow going to avail with God Almighty notice the profession that they make not everyone who says to me Lord Lord these aren't Muslims these aren't Buddhists these aren't atheists these are people who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ now it's not real faith but you get my point they're not persons that are calling upon the Buddha they're not persons that are calling upon Muhammad or Allah their persons addressing the Lord that is their profession or their identification they are not those who are caught unawares but rather they expect this they stand before Jesus and they actually address him as Lord now notice their argument and this is the problem herein lies the issue notice at verse 22 after he has said not everyone who says to me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven he says there's going to be those excluded even though they've said Lord Lord they will be excluded and not enter into heaven he identifies and we'll look at that in a moment that he who does the will of my father in heaven and then notice their argument many will say to me in that day Lord Lord again not Muslims not Buddhists not atheists they address Jesus as Lord Lord have we not prophesied in your name cast out demons in your name and done many wonders in your name they remind Jesus that they prophesied that they exercised and that they had done these wonders notice the ground of their appeal for their acceptance into heaven it's not Jesus blood and righteousness it is rather the works that they themselves have done and notice as well that Jesus doesn't deny that they had done these things he doesn't say you're fakes you're frauds you didn't prophesy you didn't exercise and you didn't do these many wonders he doesn't say that they had actually done this thing Judas Judas Iscariot had been one of the disciples of the Lord Judas Iscariot had gone out Judas Iscariot had prophesied Judas Iscariot had exercised and Judas Iscariot had done many wonders so Christ does not deny the validity of the claim but rather the problem is is that their banking their acceptance with God on what they've done our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness we sing in another place nothing in my hand I bring simply to thy cross I cling these guys would say say saying everything in my hand I break never to thy cross I cling you see the problem isn't works the problem is a lack of faith in the Lord Jesus and we'll see that in just a moment the problem with their argument as john gill says it may be observed that these men lay the whole stress of their salvation upon what they have done in christ name and not on christ himself in whom there is salvation and in no other they say not a syllable of what christ has done and suffered but only of what they have done you see that right this is problematic Lord haven't we done this haven't we done this haven't we done that based on what we've done Lord you should accept us into the into the Kingdom of Heaven their plea their hope their ground for their salvation or supposed salvation is upon their performance of the works of the law brice says that's not going to happen many will say to me on that day but I will not allow them access it is the one who does the will of my father in heaven now again the works of a true believer are fruits of justifying faith I would never neglect that and I would never teach otherwise but this text is not the text we ought to appeal to to try to prove and to try and demonstrate that these persons are resting their acceptance with God upon their works the Michael Brown not the charismatic one a better one says some turned the New Covenant into a bastard covenant of works by adding there works righteousness - faith that's the problem here you have to appreciate it it's not a matter of faith and words or faith with no words it's a matter of faith versus no faith that's the issue that Christ is dealing with with these two claimants with reference to acceptance by God into that Kingdom now note that Jesus highlights their true condition in verse 23 the very end verse 23 reads and then I will declare to them I never knew you it's not that they were saved and lost it is not that they were in than they were out I never knew you they were not of us for if they were of us they would have continued with us but the fact that they laugh indicates that they were never of us first John 2:19 highlights that reality with reference to apostasy so he says I will declare to them I never knew you depart from me you who look at the language practice lawlessness when you think about practicing lawlessness real quick what pops into your mind smoking crack visiting prostitutes this self-righteousness ever pop in when we think of lawlessness do we ever consider that our attempts to broker favor with God by our actions is actually condemned as lawlessness by the Lord Christ Almighty see we're good at this we're very very polished when it comes to looking down our noses at those people who do those dastardly sins and yet neglect the reality that our self-righteousness is a foul stench in the nostrils of God Almighty see when we think lawlessness we typically think of of self given over to indulgence and and to lust and carnality and wickedness and profligate living we never stop and consider the reality that Jesus spoke to in Matthew 21 when he condemned the Pharisees and the scribes of his generation and when he says that the harlots and the publicans are entering into the kingdom of heaven before you are what does that it means that self-righteousness is a problem it doesn't mean go out and visit prostitutes and smoke crack has got to love you more that's not what it means please don't take it that way but we need to identify that a self-righteous approach to God's kingdom is lawlessness in the language of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ lawlessness here is probably an attempt to use God's law unlawfully Paul tells us in 1st Timothy 1:8 that we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully there's stipulations placed on the law it's like giving a child hair clippers and saying okay son go ahead and give yourself a haircut none of us in our right minds would ever do that we don't plug something in that sharp and able to cut hair and hand it to a little child it must be used responsibly and the law of God is that way if we take the law of God and we try to use it as a means for our acceptance with God we have used it unlawfully and hence we have become law less in the sight of a holy God the lawlessness here is the self righteousness which has always and ultimately an attack upon the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Paul says in Galatians 2:20 1 I do not set aside the grace of God first righteousness comes through the law then Christ died in vain I mean you hear these fellows in verse 22 jesus should've said well by all means you prophesied you've exercised you've done many works why would I have ever come into this world centers to save why would I have ever gone to the cross you're such sterling upright specimens of human beings of course come on into the enter into the kingdom of heaven these guys are looking for a reward and typically brethren if persons have this mindset on that day of judgment before they stand before the Lord Jesus they have it presently in life they're the sorts of people that we see in Luke 18 that prove us with themselves I thank you God that I'm not like other men I thank you God that I'm not unjust I thank you God that I'm not an extortion I thank you God that I'm not like this this tax collector here you see that kind of arrogance that kind of boasting that kind of pride exhibited before the throne of God on the day of judgment is kinda stuff that you hear from the self-righteous even now you don't hear nothin in my hand I bring simply to thy cross I cling foul I to the fountain fly wash me Savior or I die you see what the hymn writer suggests there is that our condition is pretty bad really bad horrible to be sure and the only way the only hope of heaven is not based on our righteousness because we ain't got any not based on our performance of the law because we always do it imperfectly but it's based upon the performance of the Lord Jesus Christ that's the emphasis in our passage so far from using the text as a bludgeon to get the people of God to do more good things this text highlights the problem when the people of God or the professing people have God rest on those good things for their acceptance with God that is a huge issue that we need to be aware of so the lawlessness in this particular passage is most likely using the law unlawfully it is the lawlessness of self-righteousness gilligan he says they were workers of iniquity I mean if you just look at verse 22 they sound like pretty good guys I mean who would want these guys as friends you know they cast out demons that's good I'd want to hang out with that guy he's a good guy he casts out demons he works wonders he's a good guy hang out with that he prophesized in the name of God I wanna hang out with them they seem like good guys but Jesus calls them practices of lawlessness he'll says they were workers of iniquity it may be neither adulterers nor murderers nor drunkards what we typically think of workers of iniquity again I think if I could encourage all of us to get this in our head that our approach to God visa vie self-righteousness it's as bad as murder it's as bad as drunkenness it's as bad as adultery not yet for the civil polity it doesn't affect people in the same way I'll grant that I mean if I just himself right just sitting in my living room it doesn't affect my neighbor if I actually have adultery with my neighbor's wife that affects and so so yeah I guess there is that that gradation there but in terms of our position before God we really think that putting on a suit or reading our Bible or carrying our Bible or just coming to church is somehow commending us to God we somehow think that our acceptance with God is bound up in what we do now again I'm not talking about sanctity in the Christian life there is sanctity in the Christian life in terms of what's called sanctification we're talking about acceptance with God visa vie justification and a self righteous approach is condemned by God it is condemned by Christ in fact John Gerstner many of you don't know that name but you know his most famous pupil you know RC sprawl his mentor was a fellow by the name of John Gerstner and John Gerstner made this observation he says the main thing between you and God is not so much your sins it's your damnable good works that's good that's good it's not so much your sins Christ Jesus came into the world sinners to say no again we live in a day and age where a few comments on the neighborhood being dirty or a racist so so let me just qualify and make sure you understand what I'm saying okay let me just make sure everybody hears what I'm saying Gerstner is not saying go out and sin it's not saying go ahead and said he's saying the big problem isn't so much sin because Christ forgives it it's the self-righteousness that keeps you from seeing that you need that forgiveness it's the self-righteousness wherein you think that God's going to accept you because you've prophesied because you've exercised or because you've done many wonders that self-righteousness blinds people to the reality of their need Christ Jesus says I didn't come into the world to call the righteous but sinners to repentance so Gerstner is absolutely spot-on the main thing between you and God is not so much your sins it's your damnable good works when you trust in those things for your acceptance with God that's your problem if you're doing that tonight relinquish it stop hiding behind prophesy exercising many works stop hiding behind well I was brought up in the church my parents make a confession if a stop hiding behind my my wife or my husband they're they're believers you know go out and do tracks once in a while you know you'll hear the response of people that are just bizarre do you think you're gonna go to heaven do you think about gee well my granddad taught Sunday School well there you go you you should be fine then that's absolute craziness and yet that is the default position we won't come out into the open and accept what God has to say concerning our sin and concerning the provision he offers in the gospel but we'll hide among the trees we'll make those covers for art for our loins with well we'll run we'll cover we'll do everything we can and more often than not that coverage comes via our so are supposed good works so the problem with these people is that they were practices of lawlessness they used the law of God unlawfully they banked on or they rested in their self-righteousness rather than in Christ's righteousness now let's look at the true professors notice what he says in verse twenty twenty-one not everyone who says to me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father in heaven now I want to probably shock some of you here to suggest that what he's talking about is is faith in Christ you know we see that language do the will of my father in heaven we think 10 commandments and we should think ten commandments again in the category of sanctification doing the will of God the Father means for us tomorrow morning getting up and not committing adultery it means not committing blasphemy it means today keeping the Sabbath holy it means tomorrow and today honoring our fathers and our mothers and being subordinate to the governing authorities it means not murdering people it means not committing adultery it means not stealing it means not lying it means not coveting that is the will of God revealed for us as believers through the ten common they are abiding for us today in toto all 10 of them are for the church in the normative application of God's law to his people but remember what we're dealing with in this passage we're not dealing with sanctification we're dealing with acceptance into the kingdom of heaven so what is the will of the Father in heaven if you could obey those 10 words perfectly if you could obey those 10 words exactly if you could obey those 10 words entirely and perpetually well then certainly you'd enter right into heaven but a moment's reflection should not or cause you to know we can't do that right right think with me brethren nod your heads you've got to follow this doing the will of my father in heaven with reference to acceptance by God into heaven is not our obedience to the law because it isn't perfect it isn't exact it isn't entire it isn't perpetual but Christ's is Christ is every jot and tiddle of God's law Christ fulfilled we've talked a lot about the imputation of Christ's righteousness the crediting of our account with the righteousness of another it'd be like if I went to the bank and I wrote a check and somebody had deposited a lot of money there to cover the check Christ's righteousness is credited to our accounts so Christ has performed the law according to God's will in a perfect manner so the way of appropriation of that for us is to believe on Jesus the issue in Matthew 7:21 2:23 isn't prophesying more isn't exercise more and isn't new more works but it's to do the will of my father in heaven John's Gospel fleshes out for us what that means in John 6 28 and 29 Jesus our rather than they said to him what shall we do that we may work the works of God jesus answered and said to them this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he sent and then in that same chapter in John 6 40 and this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day so again Matthew 7 21 to 23 the emphasis is not on keeping the Ten Commandments for entrance into heaven because we have forfeited that we forfeit it in Adam we forfeit it by our own actual transgressions that proceeded from that original sin there is no way any of us could ever earn our salvation based on God's requirement save the Lord Jesus Christ and the way that we gain access based on Christ's righteousness is by faith that's the emphasis in John 6:44 a an objection of course when we believe the gospel of course when we're justified freely by His grace there is sanctity it is Christ's work for us and it is the spirits work in us but our acceptance with God is ultimately Christ's work for us when it comes to those works it probably has to do with degrees of reward in heaven there's other things that need to be taken into consideration again that's not the emphasis of the text the emphasis is entrance into the kingdom of heaven many will say to me on that day Lord Lord did we not and he will say I never knew you the emphasis is not you didn't do enough works unfortunately this passage is often turned on it's at to try to tell the people of God to do more works can I just say it do more works by all means according to James do more works according to Paul in Ephesians 2:10 do more works there are tax that we can use to bludgeon the people of God to do more works I just want to make sure we don't think Matthew 7:21 2:23 is one of them it is not a passage designed to show us the the effects of justifying faith it is a passage design to show us who enters in to the kingdom of heaven isn't those who rasp their hopes on their performance it is those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that is what he teaches the statement of our Lord underscores the necessity of justification by faith alone I will argue in a moment citing two of my favorite guys that the purpose or one of the purposes of the Sermon on the Mount is to show us not why we should engage in self-congratulation but it should show us our desperation before a holy God like we mentioned this morning in our confession of faith study brethren the Sermon on the Mount is law when you hear people say we just need to live according to the Sermon on the Mount they have no understanding of the gospel I mentioned this morning matrons book you want to read a great book that's very appropriate today just like it was in the 1920s Christianity and liberalism by J Gresham machen he was dealing with theological liberals who just said we need to live like Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount are you nuts we don't live like Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount we never live like Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount do you know that Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect do any of us ever read that and say oh yeah that's in my wheelhouse I can perform that no were crushed when he says in matthew 5:20 that your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees that's a high standard in the context of the Sermon on the Mount it's not to try to cause you to say well I can do better than them no you can't the same self-righteousness that characterized them is the same sort of self-righteousness they characterizes a whole host of false professors in our own day one of the aspects or one of the functions of the Sermon on the Mount is to cast us to the foot of the cross and in Matthew 7 21 22 23 is is powerful in doing that the works that believers do are not taken into consideration by our Lord as the basis for our entrance into the kingdom of heaven he they had it he doesn't deny that they had it if he would have said no you never did do that you're lying you're you're full of hot air here you did you didn't really prophesy our exercise kids when I say exercise I don't mean bench press or you know jumping jacks exercise with an O means cast out demons so just want to make sure I clarify that I'm talking about the squat or or running or cardiovascular stretching or anything like that exercise with an O means to cast out demons he never denies that they did these things if ever there was somebody that could have walked into heaven based on their words it's it's these guys now notice the verdict rendered as we move to the end of the exposition here the verdict rendered verse 23 I will declare to them I never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness Jesus Christ is the judge on the day of judgment this is a bit of high Christology a bit of very high Christology Christ is asserting now he's a man in this particular context teaching the Sermon on the Mount and he is saying to his hearers that I the one you see now will be that judge on that day and it will be my declaration that either embraces or excludes men from the kingdom of heaven that's a huge assertion that is a massive statement and that does indicate high Christology in Matthew's Gospel so the fact that he is the eschatological judge underscores his glory in fact turn to Matthew 10 I'm certain that I would hope the disciples made this connection because he mentions here in Matthew 7:21 2:23 that it's he that will exclude men from entrance into the kingdom of heaven and the notice in chapter 10 at verse 27 whatever I tell you in the dark speak in the light and what you hear in the ear preach on the housetops and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell you know what Jesus saying right fear me don't fear them fear me it's one of those things that we don't often think about in Revelation chapter 6 we the judgment of God is coming the strong man the brave man and the soldiers are all crying upon the rocks and the mountains to fall and to hide them and to cover them from the wrath of who from the wrath of the Lamb the Lamb of God is the one who ultimately excludes people from the kingdom of heaven and he says in 10:28 fear me I have the power the ability to throw both body and soul into hell so going back to Matthew chapter 7 in terms of the believers he doesn't speak a lot concerning them but he does identify them as he who does the will of my father in heaven they are those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ he knows them we know that for sure he welcomes them into this kingdom of heaven and he blesses them what greater joy is there than for us to enter into the kingdom of heaven I mean the prospect of that day ought to fill our hearts with great joy and with great encouragement I think at times we get mired down in this world we get mired down in the political scheme we get mired down and all the all the things that affect us in burden ASSA and caused us to just find some some sense of sorrow we need to fortify our soul with that prospect of entering in to the kingdom of heaven but then notice with reference to the lawless he makes the declaration they declare confidence in their works he declares he never knew them it's Christ that enters or that welcomes ment or it's Christ who excludes men he never denies their claim he states that he never knew them in fact turn to 1st John 2:19 again I think this is a an idea that is out there that people can be saved and then lose their salvation well that if it were true reflect upon the Savior because if it were possible for saved men to lose their salvation we most certainly would you shouldn't doubt that for a moment if you and I could lose it we would lose it that is absolutely positively true if it were in your capacity to not end up in heaven after Jesus had saved you you would not end up in heaven the reality is is that there are those who profess their are those who make a claim there are those who say Lord have we not but were never of us first John 2:19 they went out from us that they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us a few weeks ago in our studies in the in the confession of faith we looked at Hebrews 6 in Hebrews and those are apostasy passages they're not passages concerning people that were actually saved and then fell away these are apostates they are defectors they were never believers on the Lord Jesus Christ and that's what we meet with in this particular passage he never knew them as well he condemns self-righteousness as lawlessness if you take one thing away from this sermon well I hope you take some other things but take that away your self-righteousness and mine is bad when we you know fancy that we're in the state of grace by some goodness on our part we are delusional we have missed it by a long shot praise God that he even forgives self-righteousness praise God that there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared even when it comes to our arrogance and our boastfulness and our thought that somehow God needs us or somehow God has rewarded us according to our worth or merit that is absolute unbiblical thinking that we need to dissipate he excludes false professors from the kingdom of heaven John Gill makes an interesting statement he says for as it is his presence that makes heaven it is his absence that makes hell I think that's fundamental said before how people think that Heaven's gonna be whatever they like on earth magnified it's gonna be a big kitchen if you're a woman no I'm just kidding I just wanted to see if everybody is awake it's gonna be a garage if you're a man it's gonna be a shop gonna be a basketball it's not it's where Jesus is that's what makes heaven heaven he's altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand wherever Christ is that's heaven and that's where we're heading and then deal makes this observation an awful consideration it is that men should be able to cast out Devils and at last be cast to the devil did we not prophesy in your name did we not cast out demons in your name did we not do many wonders in your name they're able to cast out demons on this side of heaven but when it comes to that day of judgment they are cast into the presence of devils sobering passage but an encouraging passage because the emphasis is upon the gospel of free grace it's upon belief on our Lord Jesus Christ in conclusion the two parties the contrast is not between profession with works vs. profession without words rather faith in Christ Jesus for salvation versus no faith in Christ Jesus that's the contrast the text is not highlighting the place of good works subsequent to salvation by grace yet the Bible teaches that everywhere our confession of faith teaches that everywhere Isaak pointed out that nagging help we had a few more people that are at our Bible study this morning in the confession hour think we're going to do it back-to-back and continue in Chapter 11 next Sunday morning to see how the confession treats the subject of justification by faith alone but that faith doesn't remain alone it's always accompanied by other saving graces so that what James says is absolutely consistent with what Jesus says with what Paul says were saved by grace through faith in Christ and then we do good works but when it comes to our acceptance by Christ into the kingdom of heaven it's all about what Christ has done it's his life it's is righteousness it's his death that is the basis upon which any sinner will ever enter in to that heavenly kingdom I mentioned the pedagogical function of the Sermon on the Mount pedagogue means child tutor that's a function of God's law we preach the law to show sinners their sin so that they then see their need for the Lord Jesus Christ do not neglect this in the Sermon on the Mount do not forsake that approach with reference to the Sermon ah it baffles me it's not just the theological liberals that machen was dealing with in the early part of the 20th century but it's today oh we just need to leave like live like Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount and again I agree we need to live like Jesus on the Sermon on the mountain I'm not suggesting we we don't but to think that will be accepted by God based on how we live according to the Sermon on the Mount we are seriously deluded if we think that's our pathway to heavenly life listen to Mei Chen he says the Sermon on the Mount rightly interpreted then makes a makes man a seeker after some divine means of salvation by which entrance into the kingdom can be obtained the Sermon on the Mount like all the rest of the New Testament really leads a man straight to the foot of the cross please when you read Matthew 5 to 7 think that way yes be good yes don't commit adultery yes don't murder yes all the things that Jesus highlights they're the antithesis but also think how much you need Jesus and then lloyd-jones says there is nothing listen to this this is powerful there is nothing that so utterly condemns us as the Sermon on the Mount there is nothing so utterly impossible so terrifying and so full of doctrine indeed I do not hesitate to say that were it not that I knew of the doctrine of justification by faith only I would never look at the Sermon on the Mount because it is a sermon before which we all stand completely naked and altogether without hope in other words if you read the Sermon on the Mount you feel good about yourself and your own righteousness you're not reading it properly it ought to cast you to the foot of the cross it ought to cause you or evoke from you nothing in my hand I brain simply to thy cross I claim foul eye to the fountain fly wash me Savior or I die and then one final aspect with reference to our text the place of assurance the place of assurance how do we find assurance of faith well it is by faith in the Savior faith in the Lord Jesus now certainly when we have faith in the Lord Jesus when we have faith that will be accompanied by all other saving graces there will be a degree of obedience there will be a heart for God there will be a desire for the things of the Lord as we saw this morning behold he is praying the regenerate man is a praying man give not a hundred hours a week but there are those seeds there are those things present so those fruits help us to to identify the presence of faith but ultimately it is that looking it is that cleaving it is that clinging unto our Lord Jesus Christ another unknown theologian that more people should know by the name of Samuel Peto said I have often thought if Christians did give more attendance to such direct acts of faith that is looking to Christ alone in the free promise of the gospel and spent less time in questioning their conditions are giving way to doubting about them they would find their interest in the covenant cleared up yayyyy and consolation also coming in as by-the-by lords your assurance is tied up with Jesus Christ in His righteousness your assurance is tied up with that precious blood your assurance is connected to him so the lesson is look to him in faith Jesus said this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the Son and believes an end may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day that's what it means to do the will of the Father in Matthew 7:21 2:23 well let us close in a word of Prayer father thank you for your word thank for this passage of scripture thank you for the consistency that we find in our Bibles and God I pray that this text would speak comfort to our hearts and encouragement if we are in Christ if not I pray that sinners would be shaken they would be awakened they would see their need for the Savior and that by your grace they would believe on Him whom you have sent we ask that you would go with us now watch over us in this coming week and cause us to grow in the Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we pray in his most blessed name amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed you