Lord, Lord

Proverbs 28:5 draws a hard line between evildoers and those who seek the Lord. Matthew 7:21-23 takes that same line and brings it right up to the gates of heaven, where Jesus hears people cry, “Lord, Lord,” and still says, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.” The repeated cry, “Lord, Lord,” matters because words can sound right while the heart stays far away. Jesus does not treat religious activity, spiritual power, or impressive works like a substitute for relationship.

The word “evildoer” ties the two passages together. Proverbs says evildoers do not understand what is right, and Jesus says evildoers can still prophesy, drive out demons, and perform miracles in his name. The missing thing is not vocabulary. The missing thing is not church activity. The missing thing is knowing Jesus and being known by him.

The Elvis picture makes the difference plain. A family can claim some kind of connection to Elvis, talk about his music, and know facts about him, but that does not mean Elvis knew that family or left anything in the will. Jesus’ name can be known in that same shallow way. The name can be used, admired, and talked about while no real relationship exists.

Sister Abby’s pew gives the living picture of what Jesus is calling for. Her husband and two boys were murdered, and her body was fighting stage four cancer, but her heart still said, “I need to go have church.” Her pew was not marked with a placard, but everybody knew it was hers because she needed room to praise the Lord. The relationship with Christ had become more real than pain, grief, cancer, or tomorrow.

The “frozen chosen” image warns that quiet bodies are not the problem, but frozen hearts are. Jesus is not asking for fake dancing or forced noise. Jesus is asking for a heart that knows him, wants him, needs him, loves him, and cannot be satisfied with simply saying his name.

The battered desk at heaven’s gate pictures the terror of hearing “away from me” after a life of religious performance. The will of the Father is not complicated in Matthew’s frame: trust Jesus, know Jesus, obey Jesus, and live under the law of Christ. The law itself was always built around the coming Messiah. Loving and following Christ is not a side issue. Loving and following Christ is the checklist.

The football paint-up picture pushes the church past half-heartedness. Jesus deserves more excitement than a game, more readiness than a Sunday routine, and more than a borrowed word on the lips. Jesus wants the whole person, the good, the bad, and the ugly, so that the final word at the gates is not “I never knew you,” but “welcome home.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Saying “Lord” is not knowing Jesus Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7 cuts deeper than bad behavior because the people at the gate have religious language and impressive works. The frightening part is that “Lord, Lord” can be spoken by mouths that never belonged to hearts surrendered to Christ. The issue is not whether Jesus’ name was used, but whether Jesus knew the person using it. [37:11]
• 2. Worship can hold unbearable sorrow Sister Abby’s grief did not disappear, and cancer did not become easy, but worship became the place where pain met the Friend who could carry it. Her testimony shows a faith that does not deny suffering, but refuses to let suffering become the final lord. Praise became holy defiance because Christ mattered more than everything that had been taken. [43:09]
• 3. God’s will centers on Christ The will of the Father is not first a secret map for every decision, but a call to trust, know, obey, and live under Jesus. The law was pointing toward the Messiah, so following Christ is not a shortcut around obedience but the heart of obedience itself. A life can miss God’s will while chasing details, if it does not love and follow the Son. [51:35]
• 4. Quiet bodies can hide burning hearts The “frozen chosen” problem is not stillness, because a person can sit quietly and still be on fire for Jesus. The danger is a heart that looks respectful but has no living affection, no need, no joy, and no hunger for Christ. Jesus is not measuring volume, but he is exposing whether the soul is alive toward him. [47:45]
• 5. Jesus wants the whole person Christ is not looking for a Sunday version, a pulpit version, or a cleaned-up version that hides the ugly places. The relationship he desires reaches into tears, goofiness, weakness, memories, fears, and all the hidden rooms of the heart. Being known by Jesus means bringing everything to the Friend who smiles, holds, heals, and welcomes home.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [34:30] - Father’s Day Without Dad-Bashing
• [37:11] - “Lord, Lord” And Evildoers
• [38:50] - Knowing Of Elvis Is Not Knowing Elvis
• [40:04] - Sister Abby And Her Pew
• [42:48] - Worship Through Murder And Cancer
• [45:31] - The Best Friend Who Takes Pain
• [47:45] - Frozen Chosen Hearts
• [48:04] - The Raggedy Desk At Heaven’s Gate
• [51:35] - Doing The Father’s Will
• [55:31] - Painting Up For Jesus
• [59:40] - Jesus Wants More Than A Name
• [61:38] - Praying For “Welcome Home”
• [66:41] - Leaving With Fire For Worship

1. In Matthew 7:21-23, what are the people at the gate saying they did in Jesus’ name, and what shocking response do they receive from him? [37:26]
2. What shared word connects Proverbs 28:5 and Matthew 7:21-23, and how does that word divide the two kinds of people in both passages? [37:46]
3. What details in the Elvis story show the difference between knowing about someone and actually being known by them? [39:15]
4. What specific hardships did Sister Abby carry, and what did she still want to do in the middle of that pain? [43:09]

1. If people in Matthew 7 can preach, cast out demons, and do mighty works and still hear “I never knew you,” what does that reveal about the difference between religious activity and a real relationship with Jesus? [38:28]
2. Proverbs 28:5 says evildoers do not understand what is right, while those who seek the Lord understand it. How does Matthew 7 deepen that warning by showing that a person can sound spiritual and still be far from Christ? [37:53]
3. Jesus says the one who enters the kingdom is the one who does the Father’s will. How should “doing the Father’s will” be understood when it is summed up as trusting Jesus, knowing Jesus, obeying Jesus, and living under his law? [51:35]
4. Quiet bodies are not the real danger, but frozen hearts are. How does that help a group think more clearly about worship, emotion, and what Jesus is actually looking for? [47:42]

1. Jesus can be used as a name on the lips while still being kept at a distance in the heart. Where is the group most tempted to settle for “Lord, Lord” Christianity instead of closeness with Christ? [59:44]
2. Sister Abby wanted to worship even in grief, loss, and sickness. When pain hits, where does each person usually run first, and what might it look like to run toward Jesus instead of away from him? [45:32]
3. A person can be quiet in church and still burn for Jesus, but a heart can also go cold while everything on the outside looks respectable. What are some honest signs that a heart is growing frozen toward Christ? [01:06:52]
4. The Father’s will is not mainly a hidden code for every life decision, but a call to love and follow the Son. In this season, which part needs the most attention: trusting Jesus, knowing Jesus, obeying Jesus, or living under his law? Why? [52:45]
5. Jesus wants the whole person, not a cleaned-up church version. What parts of life are still being kept behind a locked door from him—the good, the bad, the ugly, the goofy, the fearful, or the grieving? [01:01:18]
6. If Jesus deserves more excitement than a football game and more preparation than a weekly routine, what practical change could help each person come into worship more ready, more awake, and more engaged? [55:49]
7. Everyone is moving toward one of two words from Jesus: “Away from me” or “Welcome home.” What would need to change this week so that each person is living with that final meeting in view? [01:02:28]