"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. 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?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matthew 7:21-23)
This passage always stops me in my tracks. No matter how many times I read it, the weight of Jesus' words grips me. There’s no ambiguity here; it’s clear and direct. Jesus, in His love and truth, is giving us a sobering reminder that doing good things—even great things in His name—does not automatically equate to truly knowing Him or doing the will of His Father.
It makes me think of a picture that came to mind recently. I imagine someone who has lived their entire life like an actor in a grand play. This person feels as though they’ve performed well—maybe even exceptionally. They’ve done many good deeds, given to charity, maybe even led others in the church, thinking, “Surely, God will be pleased with all I’ve done.”
But then the final curtain falls. And when they look up, expecting to hear the applause of heaven, they’re met with silence. No applause, no congratulations. Instead, they realize they’ve been performing to an empty room. Everything they thought was for God wasn’t really for Him at all. It was for themselves.
I believe this is the essence of what Jesus is warning us about in Matthew 7:21-23. It’s not about the quantity or even the outward greatness of our deeds. It’s about the relationship behind them—whether or not we are doing God’s will, walking closely with Him, allowing Him to guide our lives.
I know, personally, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that as long as I’m doing “good things,” I’m okay. But Jesus points out that even people who did miraculous works in His name—casting out demons and performing wonders—could still hear the words, “I never knew you.” That’s heavy. It means that no matter how impressive our actions may seem, if they aren’t rooted in a real relationship with God, they miss the mark.
To me, it’s like building your own theater, writing your own script, and putting on a grand performance for yourself. You might have all the talent in the world, but if you’ve shut the door on the One who gave you that talent, what’s it all for in the end? That theater will pass away. It will crumble because it’s not built on something eternal.
On the other hand, if we’re living our lives in God’s theater, where He is the director, everything changes. When we follow His lead, we are no longer performing for an empty room. We’re living for Him, and that changes not just what we do, but why we do it. It turns our life into something eternal because God Himself is eternal.
Jesus says it clearly in this passage: It’s not about what we do on our own, but whether we are doing the will of the Father. And what is that will? At its core, it’s about knowing Him, walking with Him, and letting His love and truth shape our lives. It’s about submitting to Him as the Lord of our lives, not just in name, but in reality—letting Him be the one who directs our steps.
Sometimes, people might wonder if it’s fair for God to reject someone who did so many good things in His name. But I’ve come to see it this way: If someone doesn’t want anything to do with God in this life—if they’ve built their own stage and kept Him out of the script—why would they want to spend eternity with Him? And why would God force them to?
Heaven isn’t a reward we earn for good behavior. It’s a continuation of the life we live with God here and now. If we’ve chosen to live for ourselves here, it’s no surprise that we might find ourselves standing before God and hearing Him say, “I never knew you.” But if we’ve chosen to live for Him, to know Him and be known by Him, then eternal life is simply the next act in His story of life and love. It’s not something we’re suddenly awarded; it’s something we’re already living out, even now.
This isn’t about being perfect or racking up points by doing good deeds. It’s about letting God’s will and direction shape our lives. It’s about knowing Him and allowing Him to know us in a deep, real way. When we do that, we’re no longer performing to an empty room. We’re part of something far greater—God’s eternal story.
And for those who live this way, Jesus’ words will be different. Instead of “I never knew you,” we’ll hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” That’s the promise for those who have lived their lives not as performers in their own play, but as servants in God’s eternal story.
And so, may we not just focus on doing good things but on doing the will of God, that we would live in such a way that, when the curtain falls on this life, we won’t be met with silence but with the voice of the One who knows us, calling us into the next act of eternal life with Him.
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