The King’s Servants (Matthew 7:21–23)

The apostle Paul addresses this reality in Romans 9:6–8:

Paul continues in v. 27: “And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ‘Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant will be saved.’”

The church, like ancient Israel, contains both the genuine and the nominal. In Matthew 13, Jesus illustrates this through the parable of the weeds, where an enemy sows weeds among wheat. The farmer’s servants want to uproot the weeds immediately, but the farmer wisely says to wait—to let wheat and weeds grow together until the harvest, when the distinction becomes clear, lest in pulling up the weeds, they also damage the wheat.

This is why church membership processes, while important, cannot perfectly distinguish between sheep and goats. Without extended observation, and given the reality of spiritual immaturity, the difference is not always immediately apparent.

A healthy church member does not depend solely on personal evaluation for assurance of salvation. The community of believers serves as witnesses, initially at baptism and continually through participation in the Lord’s Supper. When someone’s behaviour becomes inconsistent with regeneration, true love demands honest confrontation rather than comfortable silence.

We cannot see hearts, but we can assess fruit. This is precisely what Jesus calls us to do as discerning subjects of the kingdom. Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. We must be discerning both with teachers and when admitting new members, recognising that not everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is actually living under his lordship.

Jesus speaks of those who will not “enter” the kingdom of heaven, reflecting the already-but-not-yet nature of God’s kingdom.

The church is the people of the kingdom, yet we do not experience the new heavens and new earth in their fullness. The kingdom is here, and the kingdom is coming. Jesus is King now, ruling and reigning, yet there remains a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Here are two negative principles to draw from this text.

Those who enter the kingdom of heaven have more than religious rhetoric. Jesus warns that many will claim to belong to God only to hear the shocking verdict: “I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

These are among the most chilling words in Scripture. Jesus addressed not foreign nations but the Israelites—the supposed people of God. The people of Israel placed great confidence in their lineage as Abraham’s descendants, but they failed to understand that, just as God chose Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau, “it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring” (Romans 9:8).

Jesus reinforced this truth in his rebuke to the Pharisees in Matthew 3:9: “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”

Fleshly descent offered no salvation. The Israelites and Pharisees proclaimed themselves subjects of the kingdom while remaining self-deceived. Self-deception may be worse than being deceived by others—to have all the facts yet still deceive ourselves represents the ultimate tragedy.

Not everyone who calls himself a Christian, not everyone who belongs to a local church, not even everyone who preaches the gospel necessarily knows God. The phrase “Lord, Lord” indicates someone praying, someone engaged in religious activity. You can sing to God, pray to God, go through religious motions even in private, yet still not know the King.

Those who enter the kingdom have more than impressive ministries or supernatural activities. In v. 22, many will appeal to their prophesying, exorcism, and mighty works performed “in your name.” They will point to their glorious ministries and ostentatious efforts to impress God, only to be turned away.

Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 13:1–3: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

Love comes from God, who is love. Without knowing God, one cannot possess true love.

Hebrews 6 similarly teaches that it’s possible to have an effective ministry, perform miraculous works, understand doctrine better than the greatest theologians, yet remain outside the kingdom.

Verse 23 records the King’s assessment: “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

“I never knew you.”

Imagine hearing these words from Almighty God. Consider the horror of discovering after years of church attendance, after convincing yourself you were a subject of the kingdom of heaven, that you actually belong to hell. To realise when the time for reconciliation has ended that the verdict is final: “Depart from me.”

Where would such a person go? To what kingdom would they belong? This would be literally soul-destroying.

But there is hope. That day has not yet come for us. The offer of adoption remains open. Jesus asks: “But who will enter the kingdom of heaven?” His answer: “The one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

This might not initially sound like good news, but consider what Jesus means by doing the Father’s will. In John 6:28-29, when asked, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

The work of God—the Father’s will—is to believe in Jesus Christ. This is what you are called to do. This is what you must obey. Yes, you need to be made alive to believe. Yes, only God can raise the dead. But those who hear the call and respond are those to whom God is calling.

Although you may have failed at every point and cannot measure up, Jesus declared on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). His obedience to the Father, his accomplishment of the Father’s will on earth, was complete and perfect. The Father affirmed this by raising him from the dead, since it was impossible for Christ to be held by death.

Christ now offers to stand in your place and take your punishment. He offers to be your righteousness. The Father did not ultimately reject him but welcomed his acceptable sacrifice for the sins of his people. Christ was welcomed by the Father, not turned away. All those who are in him will likewise be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven.

The question remains: Will you take him at his word? Will you stop presuming you are in the kingdom when your life suggests otherwise?

For the true but doubting believer, wondering about self-deception versus genuine faith, ask yourself: Are you doing the will of the Father? Not, are you keeping the law perfectly? But, do you believe in the one whom he has sent (John 6:29)?

Is Christ’s blood and righteousness your hope today as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow? How do you respond when you sin? Are you repenting now? Are you believing now? Are you trusting Christ for forgiveness now?

His blood and righteousness alone can atone for sin. You cannot measure up. You cannot attain to the glory of God, but he can. Will you cling to him? Will you trust him?

He is your hope for the holiness, without which no one will see God (Hebrews 12:14). In Christ, sinners are declared righteous and gradually made righteous. Through the transformation of our minds, we are conformed to his image.

These are they who will serve the King and one day hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).

The church contains both genuine subjects of the kingdom and those who merely think they are. The distinction will become clear on the day of judgement. Until then, we must examine ourselves, repent of sin, and believe in Jesus Christ as our only hope for righteousness and salvation.

The call is urgent: “God now commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). There is no one who comes to the Father through Jesus who will be turned away. But do not presume upon his grace. Examine your heart. Trust in Christ alone.

It is not too late—but that day is coming.

AMEN