"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'"

You've chosen the narrow gate. You've learned to check the fruit. You're watching for wolves in wool. You're being discerning about who you follow. But now Jesus turns the spotlight on you. Because it's not just about identifying the frauds out there. It's about examining the faith in here.

Here's what makes this passage so shocking. Jesus isn't talking about casual Christians. He's talking about people with a religious resume. These people prophesied in His name. They cast out demons in His name. They did mighty works in His name. They had ministries. They had results. They had followers. They looked successful by every measure we use in church.

And Jesus says, "I never knew you."

Think about that for a second. These aren't people who walked away from Jesus. These are people who never truly walked with Him in the first place. They knew about Jesus. They used Jesus's name. They even did religious things in Jesus's name. But Jesus says the most terrifying words in all of Scripture. I never knew you. Depart from me.

So here's the problem. They called Him Lord with their mouths, but they didn't submit to Him as Lord with their lives. Religious performance doesn't equal relationship with Jesus. You can have all the right words, all the right activities, all the right appearances, and still be a complete stranger to the One you're calling Lord.

Jesus asked this same question in a different sermon. Luke 6:46 says, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you?" Same question. Different audience. Same problem. Why do you call Me Lord if you're not going to treat Me like Lord?

Can I just say something? This should shake us up. Because it's actually possible to be in church every Sunday, know your Bible, serve on a team, and still be a stranger to Jesus. It's possible to look like every other Christian on the block and have no foundation at all.

James puts it even more bluntly. He says, "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." You know what he's saying? If you think you can just sit in church and listen and nod and go home unchanged, you're lying to yourself. You're playing a game. And the only person you're fooling is you.

Now let me pause here because I know what some of you are thinking. Pastor Scott, are you saying I can lose my salvation? Are you saying I'm not saved because I'm not perfect? No. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is this. If there's no fruit, there's no root. If there's no obedience, there's no belief. If there's no change, there's no Christ.

I'm not talking about perfection. I'm talking about direction. Is your life moving toward Jesus or away from Him? Are you growing or are you stagnant? Are you obeying or are you just performing?

First John 2:3 says, "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments." That's the test. Not perfect obedience. But is there obedience? Is there growth? Is there fruit? Is your life moving in the same direction Jesus walked?

Here's the real question. If Jesus evaluated your life right now, would He say "I know you" or "I never knew you"? Because knowing about Jesus and being known by Jesus are two completely different things. Just like a farmer can know everything about soil and seeds but never actually plant a crop, you can know everything about Jesus and never actually surrender to Him.

Tomorrow we'll discover how to make sure your relationship with Jesus is real and not just religious, because it all comes down to what you build your life on.

Stop calling Jesus "Lord" for 24 hours unless you're willing to do what He tells you. Instead, every time you're tempted to use that word, ask yourself, "Am I actually treating Him like Lord right now?"
Let that question change your actions.