Does God Know You? – September 20, 2026

Jesus warns that not everybody who calls Him “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. The passage puts people in a hard place because some will stand before Christ thinking they are perfectly healthy, thinking they are on the right road, only to find out they were wrong. Jesus points to the day of judgment, when religious words, public service, and even mighty works cannot make somebody right with God.

Obedience does not cause salvation, and obedience does not sustain salvation. Obedience is the evidence of salvation. Paul says every person is a slave to somebody, either sin leading to death or obedience leading to righteousness. A new heart does not mean sinless perfection, but a new heart does mean new desires. Sanctification becomes that day by day surrender to God, becoming more like Jesus as the Holy Spirit works.

The people in Matthew 7 come with their pile of stuff. They say they prophesied, cast out demons, and did mighty works in Jesus’ name. Their argument is still, “Look at me. Look what I did.” Works cannot save anybody, whether those works are faithful church attendance, serving in the nursery, teaching Sunday school, giving money, helping people, or even preaching God’s Word. Judas himself had authority to do miraculous things and still did not belong to Christ.

Jesus brings obedience back to its heart: love God and love people. The Pharisees had the letter of the law, but they missed the heart of it. Love cannot be replaced with impressive religious activity. Obedience cannot be accidental, like giving forks when somebody needs a spoon. God calls for a life that seeks to know what He wants, trusts His character, and obeys Him out of love.

Jesus’ words, “I never knew you,” do not mean that God lacks information about anybody. Jesus knows every detail, but these people never had a saving, loving relationship with Him. Jesus is the only way to the Father. His sheep know His voice and follow Him. Jesus cannot be received as Savior while being rejected as Lord.

The cross makes surrender possible. Christ paid the higher price, dying for sinners and rising again to conquer death. The mirror of this text calls each person to quit looking around at somebody else and ask, “Is this me?” God still calls the breathing person to surrender, repent, trust Christ alone, and receive His righteousness.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Obedience reveals a new heart [29:14] Obedience cannot purchase salvation because no pile of good works can erase sin. A saved person obeys because God has given that person a new heart and new desires. The pattern may be messy and imperfect, but indifference toward Christ’s commands cannot be treated as normal Christianity. [29:14]
• 2. Religious activity cannot save anybody [32:18] Church service, giving, teaching, and even public ministry can become a way of saying, “Look what I bring to the table.” Jesus rejects that argument because salvation rests on His work, not human effort. A person can be around holy things, do impressive things, and still not know Christ. [32:18]
• 3. Love is the heart of obedience [39:38] Jesus sums up the law in love for God and love for neighbor. The Pharisees wanted righteousness on their own terms, but love does not pick and choose what feels comfortable. Love reaches even toward enemies and exposes the places where self-interest has been called obedience. [39:38]
• 4. Jesus must be Savior and Lord [50:02] Confessing Jesus as Lord means agreeing that He gets to tell a person how to live. His sheep learn His voice through His Word, trust His character, and follow Him. A life whose default is personal desire rather than surrender gives serious reason for examination. [50:02]
• 5. Surrender remains possible today [52:21] The warning of judgment is not given to crush a repentant person beyond hope. Christ died, rose, and offers forgiveness, redemption, and His own righteousness to those who trust Him. Every person still breathing can lay down self-made righteousness and come into a real relationship with Jesus.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [21:00] - Surrender and Opening Prayer
• [22:32] - Matthew 7:21-23
• [22:54] - Thinking Right With God
• [26:12] - Not Everyone Who Says Lord
• [27:14] - Pharisees and the Heart of the Law
• [28:59] - Obedience Is Evidence of Salvation
• [31:54] - The Danger of Trusting Works
• [36:36] - Judas and Mighty Works
• [39:38] - Love God and Love People
• [42:38] - Holding the Text as a Mirror
• [47:36] - I Never Knew You
• [50:02] - Jesus as Savior and Lord
• [52:21] - The Call to Surrender
• [58:55] - Invitation to Trust Christ

Bible Reading

Matthew 7:21-23
“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. 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?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'”
[26:12]

Romans 6:15-19
“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.”
[29:25]

Matthew 22:37-40
“And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'”
[39:40]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 7:21-23, what three works do the people point to when they stand before Jesus, and what is missing from their argument? [32:18]
2. According to Romans 6:15-19, what are the two masters Paul says people can serve, and where does each path lead?
3. What words in Romans 6 show that obedience comes “from the heart,” while also recognizing that believers still have human limitations? [30:12]
4. In Matthew 22:37-40, what does Jesus identify as the center of all the Law and the Prophets, and how does this expose the Pharisees’ lack of love? [40:33]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says that only the one who does the Father’s will enters the kingdom, yet salvation cannot be earned by works. How do Romans 6 and Matthew 7 together show that obedience is evidence of salvation rather than the price of salvation? [29:08]
2. Why would impressive ministry activity—including teaching, serving, giving, or even public spiritual work—not be a reliable basis for assurance before God? [33:51]
3. What does Jesus mean when He says, “I never knew you,” if He already knows every detail about every person? What kind of relationship is being described? [47:48]
4. How do love for God and love for neighbor protect a person from treating obedience as mere rule-keeping or doing only what feels comfortable? [40:39]

Application questions

1. When you think about standing before Christ, what are you most tempted to point to: your good works, church involvement, reputation, or Jesus’ work on the cross? What does that reveal about where you may be placing your confidence? [59:16]
2. Is there an area where your default response is, “I will do what I want,” instead of seeking what Jesus wants? What would surrender to His lordship look like in that specific area this week? [52:03]
3. Obedience is not sinless perfection, but a new heart brings new desires. Where do you see God growing a desire to obey Him, and where do you need to stop using grace as an excuse to avoid dealing with sin? [42:01]
4. Jesus calls His people to love God and love others, including people who do not think, act, or treat them well. Who is one difficult person you need God to help you love more sincerely, and what is one concrete way you could show that love? [41:10]
5. It is possible to give God “forks when He needs a spoon”—doing religious things while avoiding the obedience He is actually calling for. Is there a clear command, conversation, act of service, repentance, or sacrifice you have been substituting with something easier? [45:50]
6. This passage is meant to be held up like a mirror, not aimed first at someone else. As you examine your own life, what evidence of surrender to Jesus do you see, and what part of your life needs honest repentance and prayer? [43:21]
7. Christ died and rose again so that sinners can be forgiven, receive His righteousness, and begin a real relationship with Him. If you are unsure where you stand with Jesus, what would it look like to turn from self-made righteousness and trust Him alone today? [53:04]