1 Corinthians 12 is the apostle Paul’s exhortation to recognize the spiritual gifts available to every believer who acknowledges the presence of the Holy Spirit in them. I quote Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:1 (NKJV), “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.” Paul was chastising the Corinthian Christians for abandoning the work of the Holy Spirit in their personal lives and in church life.
It is not enough to know the basic truths of the Bible; knowledge should lead to understanding, and then the ultimate fruit of understanding is wisdom. Wisdom is the proper application of truth. In other words, we are called to be “doers” of the Word. Show More
You see, if you treat the truths of the Bible as something to be studied and to know and stop there, you miss the point of applying the truths to your life. Everyone at the beginning of their walk with Jesus starts out learning about the truths of the Bible, but eventually, the goal is to apply the truth to your own life; this is how one is blessed. Jesus says in John 8:32 & 36 that the “Truth will set you free,” but it does not simply know the truth; it is walking, breathing, and living the truth that sets you free. Don’t deceive yourself into thinking that knowledge alone is the key.
Deceiving myself
In my younger years, I wanted to learn how to fly an airplane; however, just wanting to fly didn’t make me a pilot. I also read all I could find on the history of aviation and the biographies of great pilots, and as a result, I was sure I could fly a plane. When I was about 22 years old, I signed up to a flight school to learn how to pilot a plane; the first thing they did was make me spend hours in classes learning about the science of flight. I learned about aerodynamic terms like lift, drag, thrust, and airspeed, and after hours of learning and testing, I thought, surely, I could fly a plane. Then, the day came when I got into the cockpit of an airplane and learned the purpose of all the controls and instruments. I was really sure I could pilot a plane. However, it wasn’t until the day came that I got into a plane’s cockpit, started the engine, rolled out onto the runway, and took off that I was flying the plane. The moment the wheels left the ground, I was piloting the plane.
The point is that learning the facts and theory of flight wasn’t enough; I had to apply all I knew to the task of actually flying a plane. The same is true of our life as a Believer in Jesus Christ. It is not how much you know about Jesus and the Holy Spirit; it is realizing how much Jesus and the Holy Spirit know you. I have known many in my life who were Bible scholars but lacked the love and compassion that is the hallmark of one who knows Jesus in a personal way. Understanding that you are loved and known by the Lord will change everything in your life. Jesus said in John 14:21 (NKJV), “He who has My commandments [or obeys my commandments]and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Known by God
There is a major difference between knowing about someone and being known by that someone. The Apostle Paul knew the difference. Listen to what he says in Galatians 4:9 [emphasis mine], “But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?” in this verse Paul is admonishing the new Christians to not return to their old forms of worship, worshiping those things which are not god. Paul is speaking to Born-again Believers because he refers to them as being known by God! It is not enough to know God; our faith and confidence should lie in knowing that he knows us!
I Never Knew You
Let’s look at a very powerful verse that speaks to the issue of being known by the Lord. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, “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. 22 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?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” From these verses, the individuals Jesus speaks about are followers of Christ in name only. They approach their Christianity in a ritualistic way. They know how to “talk the talk.” They dress right and act right, but they really don’t know Jesus; they know about Him but don’t know Him! So, what does a real Christian look like? The rest of Matthew 7 will give us some insight.
Matthew 7 – Known by God
1. Don’t Judge Others
The chapter begins with a warning that we should not judge others. What is especially important is that we do not judge others until we have judged ourselves. When we judge ourselves honestly, we often discover that we are in no position to judge others. Very much like the religious leaders who brought the women caught in adultery to Jesus in John 8. The hypocritical leaders expected Jesus to condemn the sinning woman to death by stoning as was prescribed by the Law. Instead, Jesus asked the simple question, “Whoever is without sin cast the first stone!” One by one, the accusers withdrew and left Jesus and the woman alone. In John 8:11, Jesus said to the woman, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” Instead of judgment, Jesus extended grace and mercy. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must do the same.
2. Keep Asking, Seeking, and Knocking
Then, beginning in verse seven of Matthew 7, we’re told that we’re to “keep asking seeking and knocking.” This is speaking of the fact that we should never give up on the promises of God, especially when we are going through difficult times. You and I both know that God is never late. He’s never early, but he is always on time. We struggle with the fact that there are times when God does not seem to move fast enough in our difficult situations or circumstances. However, we are to never lose heart; we must be persistent in coming before the Lord, making our petitions known to Him, and behaving as one who knows that the answer is coming.
3. The Narrow and Wide Gate
Then Matthew 7:13 tells us that the path to life, both in the present and future, is sometimes difficult. We are told to enter through the narrow gate, for the wide gate leads to destruction. There are no shortcuts in God. We must not abandon our righteous standing with the Lord. That means never resorting to lying, cheating, stealing, or any unrighteous act. We are called to be a people of integrity at any cost.
4. False Prophets or Teachers
Then, beginning in Matthew 7 15, we are warned that there are false prophets in the world; this phrase means that there are those who are intentionally trying to deceive us or, for lack of knowledge, lead us in the wrong direction. We are told to observe their fruit and that we shall know them by their fruits. This means that we need to watch them not only when they are in public because everyone behaves properly in public, but we need to find opportunities to observe them in private. Many people act righteously when in public but are unrighteous in their private lives. How a person treats their family will tell you much about that person.
5. I Never Knew You
Now we arrive at the relevant scriptures to the message today: Matthew 7:21 and I quote, 21 “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. 22 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?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ pay special attention to verse 23, Jesus says, “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
You see, it’s one thing to act like a Christian. It’s another thing to be a Christian. A true Christian is one who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That means he has surrendered his will to do the will of the Father, just as Jesus did. To do the will of the Father means, first and foremost, to love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and here comes the hard part that you will love others as you would have them love you. This may seem difficult at times, but remember you have the “Helper,” the Holy Spirit of God living in you!
6. Build on the Rock of Obedience
The key to being known by the Lord is found in the following section, which is Matthew 7:24, and it has to do with building on the rock. I’m sure you know the parable of the two builders; one builder built a house on the sand, the other built a house on the rock. Jesus said that the floods rose, the winds came, and the wind blew down the house built on sand, whereas the one built on the rock withstood the storm. We know that Jesus is the Rock that we need to build our lives upon Him, but the parable is really about hearing (knowing) and doing what Jesus taught and not just hearing (knowing) alone. We are called to be “doers” of the Word and not just hearers. Being a doer of the Word is the kind of believer Jesus knows.
Conclusion
The evidence that you are known by God is that you love God; this means that you are obedient to Him to the best of your ability. Listen to what Jesus says in the Gospel of John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” Loving God is the natural response of the Holy Spirit in you, and the Holy Spirit is the evidence that you are known by the Lord.
To love God means more than an emotional feeling of love; the kind of love that God is talking about is what the Greeks called “Agape.” Agape love is unconditional; it is the kind of love God has for us. It is not earned or deserved but given as a gift of grace. As followers and disciples of Jesus, this is the kind of unconditional love that God responds to. Someone defined love as “living your life for someone else’s good.” That is a good way for us to look at how we are to respond to those around us. The Lord only has good for you, as we like to say in church, “God is good, He is good all of the time!” We demonstrate our love for the Lord by blessing and glorifying Him through our lives. Our words and deeds reflect the grateful heart that we know that the Lord knows us! As it says in 1 Corinthians 8:3, “But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.”
Live your life as if Jesus were always by your side because He is. Do this, and you will never have to worry that Jesus would say, “I Never Knew You!” because you are His, and He is yours. James 4:8 (NKJV) says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”