Serving Two Doers Facts for 9-13 Year Olds

Categories: Sermon on the Mount

• The end of the Sermon in coming near.
• Jesus continues to lay out the choices facing his disciples – are they ready to follow his teachings, or not?
• The third division is at hand.
• It is important to remember that the people standing at this point are all the disciples who found and entered through the narrow gate.
• They made that right decision, and they also have a genuine message.
• They are not wolves dressed up in sheep's clothing.
• But now there is another choice to be made—between the right and wrong message.
• Jesus wants us to make choices for a good life.
• Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.”
• Just saying the words is not enough.
• The ones who will enter the kingdom are the ones “who do the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
• “Doing the will” means you do God’s will all the time.
• “Doing the will” is following Jesus’ commands as laid out in the Sermon.
• Simply saying, reciting the words of the Sermon isn’t the same as doing the work that he commands.
• He continues, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’”
• Using someone’s name is to invoke that person’s authority or power.
• In this case, they use Jesus’ name is if it provides some magic formula. So, they’re really disrespecting Jesus.
• The sons of Sceva tried to imitate Paul in the same way with pretty bad results (see Acts 19:13).
• “Prophesying” does not only mean telling the future; it also means speaking truth from a position of power.
• Prophesying, driving out demons, and performing miracles can be genuine and honest, or they can just be spectacular “tricks.”
• Jesus and his disciples accomplished these deeds honestly.
• Jesus is making the difference between doing things genuinely, and doing things to get attention from unsuspecting folks and gain a following.
• What people should be doing is focusing on the required deeds taught in the Sermon, not trying to get praise from others.
• Now, these self-seekers may look very successful. They may even help others. They may cast out demons. They may “heal” others.
• How can this be? It helps to remember that various people performed miracles in the ancient world.
• Illness was thought to be the work of demons.
• Highly charismatic people had the ability to convince those who were sick that the demon had left them. Sometimes they would call on Jesus’ name in the process.
• They might look like they are working for God, but they are not working under God’s direction.
• Jesus knows the difference and will say, “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
• Jesus isn’t trying to get good people away from him. The word for “evildoers” is better translated “the person of lawlessness.”
• So someone who is lawless is not following God’s law.
• And saying, “I never knew you” is more like saying, “I have nothing to do with you.” Jesus is simply pointing out that they are not following his teachings. Jesus’ ways have nothing to do with lawlessness. Jesus teaches people to follow God’s law. If they’re not following his commands from the Sermon, they really shouldn’t be using his name.
• Jesus isn’t fooled by their impressive outward tricks. He knows their hearts and what motivates them.
• They perform works, tricks, for the compliments and praise from others, not because they want to follow Jesus’ teachings.
• These are the people who say, “Lord, Lord, wasn’t I great?”
• Remember the beatitudes about the poor in spirit, and the hungry, and the pure in heart? Are these people following those beatitudes?
• Jesus says, “I have not known that person.” Jesus does not recognize God’s work in “that person” who calls on God to enhance tricks and refuses to obey God. And so, their tricks will be uncovered.
• The main premise of the Sermon has to do with inward elements, with obedience to God, with issues of truth and mercy and justice.
• Jesus is reminding people to have a pure heart and pure motives, to practice what they preach, to follow his commands, to obey God.