This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Sermon on the Mount” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, October 28, 1990.
About this sermon
Christ warns about sheep-eaters in 7:15-23 and describes people who say ‘Lord, Lord’ and still hear him turn them away. God’s covenant reaches wider than his election, and so many are called while few are chosen. Matthew 25’s sheep and goats sound the same warning in a different key.
Sermon transcript
Our scripture reading this morning begins in Matthew 25. We will start with verse 31. Here is the word of God. When the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the King say unto them that are on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was in hunger, and he gave me meat. I was thirsty, and he gave me drink. I was a stranger, and he took me in naked, and he clothed me. I was sick, and he visited me. I was in prison, and he came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, When saw we thee hungered, and fed thee, or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, insomuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say unto them also unto them on his left hand, Depart from me. he cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was a hungred, and he gave me no meat. I was thirsty, and he gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and he took me not in naked, and he clothed me not, sick and in prison, and he visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, and a thirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee, Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did not do it unto one of the least of these, ye did not do it unto me.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.” Then turning back to Matthew 7, verses 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.”
Hello, God. Your word is given as a light, as a lamp. And Father, our love for the light would draw us to your word. We are pleading with you, Lord, that there would not be any darkness found in us. Rather, may there be that light, that light that shines forth from what you have said that light that shines forth in Jesus, your son. For he is the light of the world, and he lightens every page of your word that we might understand, then, the true meaning of what you have for us there. Therefore, Lord, we ask that we might be drawn to him through what we read and hear. And may that word be to us as life itself, for truly you have given to us in your Son the words of eternal life. This we ask in Jesus’ name, amen.
Now, one of the major questions about this portion of the Sermon on the Mount, which we have read this morning, these three verses, verses 21 through 23 of that seventh chapter, one of the major questions about these verses is, how do they fit within this portion, within this section of the service?
How do we move to these verses from what has preceded? Invariably, these verses have been treated as the conclusion of what we find in verses 15 through 20. that section which speaks about the false prophets. Verse fifteen, “…beware,” says Jesus, “…beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” And Jesus developed that thought a bit in verses sixteen through twenty, as he talks about the two types of priests. the good tree, the bad tree, and consequently the good fruit and the bad fruit, for good fruit doesn’t come from bad trees. So there is invariably that approach which sees these verses, verses 21 through 23, as the conclusion of what Jesus has been saying in verses 15 through 20. What he has been saying, then, about those false prophets and the two types of trees.
In my own study Bible, the Bible that I prefer for study, which is the New American Standard version, verses 15 through 23 appear as a single section, as a single paragraph. They are held together that way, there are no paragraph marks to interrupt the flow as you move from verse 15 through verse 23. So even in that study Bible, they are treated as a whole. In terms of the content of these latter verses, verses 21 through 23, we can also see the point, the connection. It would seem that Jesus’ words here have specific application to those who have a specific ministry. a particular ministry with respect to the people of God. You remember how we developed that earlier section.
Jesus has given warning with regard to the narrow gate and the wide gate. He has given warning with respect to the narrow way and the broad way. And then, as if to fill in a few details with respect to the way upon which we find ourselves, he tells us, Beware of the kind of guides you select or gather around yourself. Beware of the kind of guides that you employ. Beware, therefore, of false prophets.
As Jesus moves on here from verse 21 and following, it would seem that he has, then, specific application for those who are satisfied for particular ministry. He has in mind those who would be ordained. He has been dealing with false prophets. false teachers, those who would lead wrongly, who would suggest to the people of God ways that are not in keeping with the path that God has laid out for them. False prophets, teachers, leaders, spokesmen for God among God’s people. In view specifically, then, Jesus has in mind that new community that is taking shape, that is organizing around him. And in that new community, within that organization that is taking shape around him, he is speaking about those, then, that would presume to preach, or those who would rise to the status of preacher, teacher, or leader within the congregation of the people of God.
He warns us, then, against bogus guides. His own language, wolves disguised as sheep, who are in actual fact sheep eaters. those who do not serve the sheep, but feed on the sheep. Notice how Jesus speaks about those denied entrance to the kingdom in verses 21-23. This also convinces us that, to some degree, Jesus has in mind those who are set apart for specific ministry. They are those, so says Jesus, whose response to him in the great day will be, Did we not prophesy in your name? And in your name did we not cast out devils and work wonders?”
Obviously, those who speak here are the ones who have particular ministry, particular responsibility in the community of God, in the household of God, in the Church of Jesus Christ. that they were engaged in what is described here as prophesying, makes that claim. The mighty works they mention are their badge, their identification as prophets or spokesmen for the Lord. They are then, in their own estimation, God’s own called and ordained ministers.
Prophets, then, are the subject of verses fifteen through twenty, and we can say, from what we have observed so far, that prophets again are the subject of verses twenty-one through twenty-three. Now, while it is true that our understanding of The prophet is certainly accommodated for the circumstances that pertain presently. Yet we are admitting this much, that the prophetic office does find its counterpart in those who are preachers and teachers amongst God’s people in our contemporary setting. those who are set aside within the community to bring the word of God to his own. So even though in these verses Jesus speaks about prophets, false prophets, even And we know that there are no prophets, per se, walking around in the world today, that is, those who receive their messages directly from God and can come into the church and declare those to you week by week, if not day by day, even though there are some who think that. Even though we are in that situation It is true that the counterpart to the prophet of which Jesus speaks is the one who bears the word of God for the benefit of the people of God presently. So in these verses it would seem that those who have particular ministry, the ordained ministry, are in view. This approach is confirmed by what we find in other passages in the gospel.
For example, in chapter 25 of Matthew, at the very beginning of that passage, Jesus tells the story of the wise and foolish virgins. I think you all know that story. Do you recall how at the end of that story, that parable, the foolish virgins come late to the wedding? because they had to go and buy oil for their lamps.
And how, when they sought entrance, saying, notice the language, Lord, Lord, does that sound familiar? It sounds like what Jesus here has quoted from those demanding entrance into the kingdom of heaven in verse 22 of chapter 7. Lord, Lord, open to us, say the foolish virgin. And then the bridegroom says to them, Truly I say to you, I do not know you.”
That sounds familiar, too, does it not? There is a parallel between those two passages, then, what we find Jesus saying in Matthew 7, and also what we find him saying in the parable of the wise and foolish virgin. We recognize the similarity of the language between these two passages. But what we may miss is the fact that Jesus is speaking as he is.
He is delivering this parable directly to his disciples. whom he is addressing as those faithful and sensible servants that will be put in charge over his household. You will note the lead into chapter 25, chapter 24, verse 45. In other words, Jesus is speaking specifically to the disciples in that parable, as the disciples are leaders. as they are faithful and sensible servants whom he intends to put in charge over his entire house.” Jesus’ words, therefore, in the parable of the ten virgins are directly pointed at the leadership of God’s people, and Jesus is saying directly to them, As you will note, that parable concludes in verse 13 in Matthew 25, “‘You leaders, you must be on the alert, for you do not know the time or the hour.’” Well, this is all very good news, isn’t it?
Jesus is talking to the leaders, he isn’t talking to you. And those rather strict and stern and even harsh words that he utters there in Matthew chapter 7 verses 21 through 23, well, they’re directed towards preachers, not people. On the assumption that preachers aren’t people. So here we are, we’ve worked our way through the passage a bit now, we see Jesus is talking to the leaders, to preachers, to teachers, and we’re breathing a great sigh of relief. Otherwise, this sobering passage, if not terrifying and unsettling passage, would be too heavy. that Jesus has in mind specifically the ordained, you might well think that you are off the hook.
I want you to look once more at the passage in Matthew 7. While it is true that Jesus means a deliberate continuity from verses 15 through 20 in what he says about false prophets and good and bad trees, a deliberate continuity from those verses to the latter verses 21 through 23, that he intends specific reference there for the leadership of his people at the same time He intends a broader application of his message. There are three things that help us to see this. First of all, will you note verse 20.
Here is what Jesus says, “…so then you will know them by their fruit.” Now, in that you will notice as well that he is repeating himself. He is repeating what he said in verse 16. You will know them by their fruits. That statement in verse 20, then, serves as a concluding remark. It brings, as it were, his comment at that point to something of a clone. There is a break. The words that are used there are instructive. In my translation, that is, the New American Standard Version, we have the words, so then, you will know them by their fruits.
Obviously, Jesus is intending to bring his statement there to some sort of conclusion. Indicated in the language is a type of break. as you move then into verse 21. But note this as well in the second place. The descriptions that he gives in verses 21 through 23 are inclusive descriptions. He opens up in verse 21 by saying, Everyone is brought in view.
Not everyone, however. Jesus goes on. He speaks in verse 22, of the many. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, more. The descriptions are deliberately inclusive. They push us. They push us beyond mere consideration of those who are ordained, those who bear office, those who may be the teachers and the preachers among the people. They bring before us the entirety of the congregation. You will also notice the breadth the breadth of Christ’s statement in verse 21.
At the end of it, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Can we say that that is a statement that pertains merely to the leadership of the people of God, or does it pertain to all inclusively? Surely what Jesus says here, then, is applicable to all of God’s people, leaders and lay, if you like, even though there may be something special here which leaders ought to take note of. And finally, in this regard, you have the theme of the section, which is entering. Not everyone who says unto me, Lord, Lord, will enter. the kingdom of heaven.
And that theme of entering takes us back to the subject that Jesus has been speaking about all along. You will know how it was introduced, first of all, in verse 7 of this chapter. The great invitation, ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. Well, you knock on a door, don’t you? And when the door is opened, you enter it, do you not?
Then Jesus continues with that theme of entering. Verse 13, Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. The theme of entering then rises again in this latter text, in these latter verses. And surely, as that matter of entering is brought before us, so is the scope, the breadth, of the people of God.
All of the people of God are in you. It is not just the leaders that are to knock in order to gain entrance, it’s not just the leaders who are to enter in by the narrow gate. All of God’s people are to go in by that route. And surely the objective, the goal, all the people of God is to enter the kingdom of heaven. A confirmation of this broader application comes to us from a number of places where similar thoughts are expressed.
For instance, There is that parable, that rather interesting parable given by Jesus in Matthew 22, the first 14 verses. It’s the parable of a wedding feast. Do you remember how it goes? The King sends out his invitation, and the invitation is rebuffed by many, rejected There are many who refuse to come, and the king discouraged them, sent his servants into the highways and byways to bring in whom he willed that the wedding feast might be filled with guests. And the joy multiplied. And of course we understand what Jesus is speaking of there, as he directs his comments to the leaders of Israel, and he is telling them that the invitation has gone out to them and they have refused, and now God is turning to those who may be considered by them to be unworthy, turning to the Gentiles, if you will, and bringing them into the wedding feast of the bridegroom. the bridegroom than being none other than Christ himself. But do you remember how that parable ends?
How the many come and then there’s this one fellow who doesn’t have the right apparel, and he’s denied entrance because he doesn’t have the right apparel. And the words that are used there are very similar to the words we find here in Matthew 7, as Jesus speaks in the Sermon on the Mount. The man is literally cast out. It’s a tragic scene, and we might be put off by Jesus’ words there. Why should the man be denied entrance? But it is Jesus’ way of stating his case in that instance, as he has stated his case here. Not all who come will in fact enter.
Is the covenant broader than the company of the elect? Will many a church member come to that day and be denied entrance? Yes. Will there be those who have depended upon family ties to get them into the kingdom of heaven? Will there be those who have contented themselves on with respect to special powers that they may have had, special privileges, special endowments, to get them in? Yes. The covenant is broader, then. The covenant is broader. than the extent even of God’s election. Many are called, but few are chosen.
There is that story as well that Jesus gives at the end of Matthew 25, which we read this morning about the sheep and the goats. And once more, it’s the people of God in their entirety that are brought in view by what Jesus is saying there. And yes, the great separation will come, not so much as to put unbeliever over against believer, but within those who claim to believe there will be a separation. Yes, the people of God as a whole are then clearly in view in Matthew 7, 21-23, and that’s why these verses are so serious.
The continuing note of the leaders is also distinctly heard, but leaders and people do go together, do they not? Leaders do, in fact, incur the greater judgment, as we are told by James and a number of other passages in our Bible. Nevertheless, you, the people, will be scrutinized. We all, leader and people alike, shall be judged. And what shall be the basis of the Lord’s judgment with respect to us?
A mere ability to recognize Jesus as Lord? Those who confess in verse 21 call Him Lord. They say, Lord, Lord. They so address Him and so recognize Him. No, the basis of our acceptance into God’s heavenly kingdom will not be our ability to recognize Jesus as Lord and so address Him. Nor will it be the claim that we have carried on some unique ministry or performed some unique service for him. They cast out demons. They performed wonders. No, in the end, the Lord will welcome us only if he recognizes us.
The basis of our acceptance will not be our ability to recognize Him. The basis of our acceptance will be His recognition of us. And how will He recognize you? He will recognize you only if He recognizes Himself in you. Only if He can see Himself in you. Only if you reflect back to him what he is. Now how is it that you reflect back to him what he is?
You are united to him, your faith ties you to him, you are bound to him by your faith. With your faith you see him, he who is unseen. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Without faith you cannot see Him. Without faith it is impossible to draw near to Him. It is impossible to be justified by Him without faith. So with faith you draw near, and with faith you see and you behold Him. And by faith now beholding Him, you, embalmed with Him, begin to reflect him to him. And what does it mean to reflect him to him?
He has said it already. He put it in close, compact language for us, verse 12 of this very chapter. Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do so for them, for this is the law and the prophet. Let’s translate that again as we have been doing. Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, when you ask of them, do for them when they ask of you. Give out of love. Faith works by love. And if it doesn’t, it’s not faith.
You see the power then of his parable with regard to the sheep and the goats? Jesus at work, recognizing himself in the works of others, neared back to him. Those who give after the similitude of Christ’s giving are those who are recognized as belonging to him. of the congregation that loves and gives, if they are not manifest testimony to that, not so as to build you up not so as to produce any excuse for vanity or self-righteousness within ourselves, but do you see the evidences of Christ’s work in our midst?
Do you see the testimony of the Spirit at work here in Grace Church? The telephone call, the open door, the fact that you take someone into your house and you treat them with kindness, and you give until you think you can’t give anymore. is what Jesus is talking about.
Are you ready? Will you do it? And are there not manifest testimonies to that kind of love in our midst for which we can praise God? Your concern, the card, the little note. No one asked you to write it. The bulletin, week after week, sent to you. If you’re not here. The readiness of one to jump up and help you. Lay some cement. Move your household. Visit you when you’re sick. cry with you when you cry, cheer you up, and laugh with you when you laugh.
Not everyone who says to me on that day, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But only he who does the will of my Father, which you see in me, says Christ. not with vain hope or false confidence, but with a confidence born of your spirit and your word. May we approach the doors of the kingdom, and may we delight, Lord, in those testimonies that arise in us that the very life of our Savior is at work in us for the benefit of others and to the glory of your name. On that great day, may Jesus recognize in us
The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.