Submit to God and Have Life

Matt 7:21-27

21 “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. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Well, here we come to the end of this passage of Scripture that Matthew the Apostle has given to us to represent the typical things that Jesus taught about. At the end we have a warning about not interacting with Jesus’ teaching in a healthy manner. We see people rejected by God who thought they were doing well. And Jesus says that many people will find themselves in this situation.

 

  1. The Kingdom is Ruled by the King

 

  1. God sets the standards of the kingdom

        We don’t get to decide how we are gonna act in life and then tell God to accept it. These folks are doing miracles in Jesus’ name and yet they are not submitted to the kingdom of God. This may seem impossible and yet today folks teach greed as a Christian value and do not understand the importance of service, sacrifice and loving people who disagree with them.

 

 

  1. The kingdom of God is about God ruling you

        We must submit to the will of God. We must pursue the knowledge of God. God has given us all a measure of freedom and He allows us to go our own way. If you don’t see this in yourself then you are astray currently.

“Many will come to me in that day saying: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’…”

 

And Jesus will tell them to depart because they do not know Him. How do we know Jesus? By applying His teachings to our lives and submitting our will to God’s will in obedience.

 

  1. You are not the king

        Neither was Jesus. If He was forced by God to submit to His will and do things that He did not want to do then so will you be. Get over yourself and get to work submitting to the will of God. How should you start? Begin studying the Bible looking for ways that your life can conform to how Jesus treated people and His own life. Fix your heart on verses like Phil 2: 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,

 

Stop competing with other people and start serving them.

Stop comparing yourself with other people to excuse your bad behavior.

Work to be honest. We are to live straight in a twisted world. That means it’s gonna take some work!

 

 

  1. A Ditch on Both Sides of the Road to Life

 

        Give specific examples of each of these.

  1. Mistakes related to faith

 

        Say you have faith but have no works.

            James 2: 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

 

Do works in Jesus’ name for your own benefit.

 

Make your own ideas of what God’s will is that you trust in.

 

 

  1. Mistakes related to works

        Trust in your own works, your own ability to behave well enough to gain God’s favor. This is a misunderstanding of the consequences of sin and makes the cross unnecessary.

 

Galatians 2:21 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness[c] were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

 

        Since I am not saved by my works, I don’t have to work. Ephesians 2:10. Genesis 1:27. Romans 3:23

 

Romans 6: 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,[c] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

 

 

  1. Mistakes related to will

        My will and God’s will can become confused. God is for me. God loves me. God is good. God is powerful, therefore I should expect only good things in life.

 

 

III. You are Deciding How to Live Best

 

  1. You have a choice of foundation material

        Jesus used the metaphor of building a house. What is our foundation? What motivates us?

What ideas are you building your life on? What is important? What do you spend your time on? What do you spend your money on? How do you manage your marriage, family, job, community interactions etc.?

 

Do you do what is best according to God’s Word? Or do you do what is best for yourself? Does there have to be a difference? God does not micromanage as much as He sets guidelines and turns us loose.

 

 

  1. Storms come to all lives

        Covid-19 is a storm

Losing a job is a storm

Having your spouse hate you, cheat on you, threaten you is a      storm.

Health problems are a storm

Having a loved on suffer is a storm

        Political upheaval is a storm

        Death of a loved one

 

  1. Jesus came to be your foundation

 

        “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

 

The kingdom of God is all that God is doing in this world and our lives. God is still creating life. All of your life is to be built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. So, at home, you are to follow Jesus’ teachings so that you may have a strong marriage and family. At work you are to follow the teachings of Jesus so that you might be a good boss or good employee. So you might serve the public well.

 

In the community you are called to love and serve others, this includes those who would be your enemies.

 

Upon this foundation of living is where the fruit of the Spirit is found. If you are not experiencing the fruit of the Spirit then there is a foundation problem. Find Jesus in your life and pursue His teachings applied to every aspect of your life!