“I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.”

I read these verses repeatedly, and I keep coming back to one question. How do I know if Jesus knows me? Many times in my faith walk I have wondered, am I doing it right? Most of the time I feel like I am missing the road sign or messing it all up. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says, “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 will enter.” If you stop right there, you may end up with some questions. How do I know if I am doing God’s will and not my own? How do I know if I call to the Lord he will let me enter?

We must continue to look at scripture for answers, for scripture backs up scripture. You will know them by their fruits. Just one verse above. We see an example, but it is not a single fruit, it is plural. That tells us multiple fruitful moments throughout our walk with God. Yet, we see in verse 22, Jesus says “Many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” Wait a minute, these sound like they could be fruitful moments, more than one, yet Jesus says in verse 24, He will declare to them, “I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.” My Bible has that last bit in all caps, Jesus just may be yelling, or loudly declaring this! How are these acts not fruitful? In Isaiah 29:13 “God says, people draw near with their mouth and honor with their lips, while their hearts are far from God, and their fear of God is a commandment taught by men.” They appeared to be following God, but their rituals became mechanical, their hearts are not in it. The will of the Father is for us to know Him, to seek His heart!

Have you ever prayed but your heart wasn’t in it? I have, sadly, more times than I would like to admit. Especially right before dinner. I’m starving, and drooling and this yummy food is before me, if I remember to pray before I take a bite, which is not always the case, I find I am more focused on the food than my thankfulness and praise to God for the food. Sometimes it’s the same prayer always ending with “watch over us and keep us in your care, Christ may I ask this, amen.”  Was my heart more into the food than God? I confess, sadly yes.

Jesus also mentions people who practice lawlessness. Walking through the book of Jude, I have learned that Jude too speaks to lawlessness and ungodly people creeping among unnoticed. Jude chapter 1 verse 4 “certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” How did they creep in unnoticed? They were leaders, profits, scribes doing the motions with no intention of knowing Christ. All of that can seem a bit discouraging if you stop there but we can’t stop there, for the sermon isn’t over yet!

Verses 24-29 comes in with the resolution. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on a rock.” Facts! I want to build my house on rock because look at the example Jesus gives about building your home on rock. You can weather the rain, the floods, and winds, yet your house will not fall! Life is full of storms, but building yourself in a firm relationship with God means you can weather the storm. Jesus didn’t say act and there will be no rain, flooding, or wind, he said the rain fell, the floods came, and the winds slammed! So we can know that storms will come but act on the desire to know Christ in your heart, not because it’s sound logic but for the love set aside for you. After Jesus came down from the mountain the crowds were amazed for they recognized His teaching as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Their hearts recognized Jesus! Fam, we will find ourselves in machinal rituals, for we fall short. My prayer is that when we do, we recognize our lethargic spirit and seek God’s heart, like David, 1 Sam 13:14. May our hearts recognize Jesus, and we will give Him all authority over us. Amen!

-Nikki Fiedler