Theological term
Lawlessness
2 sermons · All terms
The Judgment Seat of Christ
Matthew 7:21–23 confronts the reader with Christ's own words at the final judgment: 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.' The sermon argues that this passage is not a call to more good works but a stark exposition of the doctrine of justification by faith alone — the false professors are condemned not for lack of works but for resting upon their works as the ground of their acceptance with God. Self-righteousness is identified as a species of lawlessness, as damning as any gross immorality. The believer's only refuge is the doing, dying, and rising of Christ, received by faith alone, and it is to Christ — not to personal performance — that all assurance must be anchored.
The Parable of the Tares Explained
Matthew 13:34–43 records Christ's private explanation of the parable of the wheat and tares to His disciples, and the sermon works through that explanation in two movements: the purpose of parabolic teaching and the seven details of the parable itself. The disciples' question falls on the tares, not the wheat, and the sermon follows that emphasis — the final destiny of the wicked, cast into the furnace of fire, stands at the center of the exposition. The identity of the sons of the kingdom and the sons of the wicked one is traced from Genesis 3:15 through the New Testament, establishing that the antithesis between the two seeds runs the entire length of redemptive history. The sermon closes with urgent evangelistic appeal: flee to Christ now, for every person will stand before the Son of Man who is both Savior and Judge.