Morning Devotions With Pastor Dan – 7-26-2020
(Matthew 7:21-23)…..“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!’
This verse out of Matthew’s Gospel has always been one of the most fearful verses to me as I have studied the Scriptures through the years. It is certainly a section of Scripture that gets the reader’s attention quickly. Imagine if you would spending your whole life in church fellowship, active in religion, and then miss heaven and all God’s glory all because you really did not know Him as your Savior and Lord. Or rather yet, that Jesus Himself had no intimate relationship with you and pronounces Himself, “He never knew you.” And the words that you would hear because of the missing intimacy would be “depart from Me, I never knew you.
Let me ask you something today, “Does Jesus know you? A lot of people can say “I know Jesus.” “I’ve heard of Him.” But most can’t say for sure that God knows them.
(John 10:3)…..To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Notice in this text, “He calls His own….by name….”
Listen to what Oswald Chambers has to say on this……….
When I have sadly misunderstood Him? (see John 20:11-18). It is possible to know all about doctrine and still not know Jesus. A person’s soul is in grave danger when the knowledge of doctrine surpasses Jesus, avoiding intimate touch with Him. Why was Mary weeping? Doctrine meant no more to her than the grass under her feet. In fact, any Pharisee could have made a fool of Mary doctrinally, but one thing they could never ridicule was the fact that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2); yet His blessings were nothing to her in comparison with knowing Jesus Himself. “…..she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus…..Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ ” (John 20:14-16). Once He called Mary by her name, she immediately knew that she had a personal history with the One who spoke. “She turned and said to Him, ‘Rabboni!’ ” (20:16).
When I have stubbornly doubted? (see John 20:24-29). Have I been doubting something about Jesus – maybe an experience to which others testify, but which I have not yet experienced? The other disciples said to Thomas, “We have seen the Lord” (20:25). But Thomas doubted, saying, “Unless I see…..I will not believe” (20:25). Thomas needed the personal touch of Jesus. When His touches will come we never know, but when they do come they are indescribably precious. “Thomas…..said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ ” (20:28).
When I have selfishly denied Him? (see John 21:15-17). Peter denied Jesus Christ with oaths and curses (Matthew 26:69-75), and yet after His resurrection Jesus appeared to Peter alone. Jesus restored him publicly before the others. And Peter said to Him, “Lord…..You know that I love You” (John 21:17).
Ask yourselves, “Do I have a personal history with Jesus Christ? The one true sign of discipleship is intimate oneness with Him – a knowledge of Jesus that nothing can shake.
Oswald Chambers