The one who does God’s will
Matthew 7:21
“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.”
The next 2 verses (22-23) are merely examples of those who did NOT do God’s will.
Jesus says to them:
“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
The wise builder of his salvation (which is a life-long process)
Matthew 7:24-25
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them,
I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and
beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
The next 2 verses (26-27) shows the results of NOT doing Jesus’ sayings:
“And great was its fall.” … which was the foolish builder’s salvation!
Does this remind you of anyone else who fell away?
“believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8, Matt 13, Mark 4)
“you have fallen from grace” (Gal 5:4)
“impossible … if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance” (Heb 6:6)
“lest anyone fall short of the grace of God” (Heb 12:15)
Okay, this is all very nice indeed!
“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17)
Romans 12:2
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
1 Thes 4:3-8
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage
of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we
also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”
1 Thes 5:16-22
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies.
Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
Hebrews 10:35-39
“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need
of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
‘For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’
But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”
This is a personal favorite of mine because it again shows Paul’s usual great optimism!
He always pours on the encouragements, the exhortations, the edifications, etc.
P.S. Paul has no idea how many of these Jewish Christians will make it through to the end.
1 Peter 4:1-3
“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind,
for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest
of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough
of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles — when we walked in lewdness, lusts,
drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.”
Lastly, we have a promise …
1 John 2:17
"And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Matthew 7:21
“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.”
The next 2 verses (22-23) are merely examples of those who did NOT do God’s will.
Jesus says to them:
“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
The wise builder of his salvation (which is a life-long process)
Matthew 7:24-25
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them,
I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and
beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
The next 2 verses (26-27) shows the results of NOT doing Jesus’ sayings:
“And great was its fall.” … which was the foolish builder’s salvation!
Does this remind you of anyone else who fell away?
“believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8, Matt 13, Mark 4)
“you have fallen from grace” (Gal 5:4)
“impossible … if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance” (Heb 6:6)
“lest anyone fall short of the grace of God” (Heb 12:15)
Okay, this is all very nice indeed!
“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17)
Romans 12:2
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
1 Thes 4:3-8
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage
of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we
also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”
1 Thes 5:16-22
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies.
Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
Hebrews 10:35-39
“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need
of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
‘For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’
But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”
This is a personal favorite of mine because it again shows Paul’s usual great optimism!
He always pours on the encouragements, the exhortations, the edifications, etc.
P.S. Paul has no idea how many of these Jewish Christians will make it through to the end.
1 Peter 4:1-3
“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind,
for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest
of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough
of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles — when we walked in lewdness, lusts,
drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.”
Lastly, we have a promise …
1 John 2:17
"And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”