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. - Matthew 7:21 (ESV)Jesus isn't addressing those who criticize Him, but rather individuals who seem to follow Him—those who speak positively about Him and minister in His name. They engage in impressive activities:
- "Prophesy in your name" - Warning others and calling for obedience, sometimes revealing future events.
- "Cast out demons in your name" - Liberating people from spiritual bondage.
- "Do many mighty works in your name" - Performing good and miraculous deeds.
And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. - Matthew 7:23 (ESV)It's one of the most sobering sentences in all of scripture. They did great things for Jesus. They used his name, but they were never really with him! Their hearts are far from him.
True Christianity is always a matter of the heart.
God will not be satisfied with words. He will not be satisfied with behavior. He will not be satisfied with knowledge. He will not be satisfied with public acts of religion and good works. He wants your heart! My Heart.The term 'The heart' in scripture represents the core of your personhood, encompassing your thoughts, emotions, desires, decisions, and convictions. It acts as your control center and steering wheel in life, meaning that what governs your heart will ultimately shape your actions and words.
Jesus - teaching his disciples later in chapter 15 says,
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. - Matthew 15:18–19 (ESV).His point is that the motivations and desires of our hearts drive our words and actions. What owns your heart owns the essence of who you are. And so God is after your heart, because if He doesn't have your heart, He doesn't have you.
That's why you have those shocking words - I never knew YOU!
And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' - Matthew 7:23 (ESV)Jesus here is describing people who call him Lord and are doing great things in his name, but none of it is a true expression of their hearts. They don't really want Jesus; they just want what they think doing good things in Jesus' name can get them.
This is what false teachers are like. They are not included in the kingdom because, beneath their impressive good works, lies self-interest. They are driven by the desire for social, financial, or political gain, or simply by a need to feel successful or important. They engage in 'ministry activities' to obtain what they truly desire—recognition, approval, control, or a sense of worth.
Before you quickly dismiss this warning as merely a caution against false teachers, we must acknowledge that the tendencies it highlights are present in all of us.
When we, in faith, give ourselves to Jesus, we are welcomed into His kingdom - not as workers trying to earn our place, but as family joined to Him like a bride to her husband. He is perfectly faithful, and our union with Him is secure - nothing can separate us from his love. We are his.
Yet, even inside his faithful love, we still wrestle with wandering unfaithful hearts. We can still do things for God and yet be seeking something else — we can serve to feel important, lead to feel secure, or to be admired, we can obey to earn acceptance, or maintain an image. We can be very busy doing good deeds, preaching and teaching, sacrificially serving, and still be ruled by desires that have nothing to do with a heart of love and loyalty to Jesus Christ.
And when that happens, we are failing miserably at what matters most.
What God wants far more than good works, or knowledge, or success is your heart!
You see, the human heart is a worship center; you're continuously worshiping. You don't just worship on Sunday; you worship your way through every moment of every day.
Let me ask you this —at work, in school, in your home, at the dinner table, in the car with your family, in your daily routines — what are you worshiping? What rules your heart? What do your words and actions reveal about what truly rules your heart? What do you want? What do you crave? Does the Lord Jesus have your heart?
Jesus is making a critical point: our problem is an internal problem.
My issue is not primarily about physical or sexual immorality; it's about an immoral, lustful heart that desires things outside of God's will for me. Sometimes, I crave immoral pleasures more than I crave the honor of my Lord.
My struggle isn't with stealing things with my hands—it's the restless pull inside, a covetous heart that never seems satisfied. You know that feeling—wanting just a little more, even when you have more than enough. That kind of self-indulgence doesn't stem from a thankful heart toward the Creator, the One who made everything and generously gives us life and good things to enjoy.
The problem isn't the evil out there; it's our wandering hearts. You know this is true.
Author & teacher Paul David Tripp puts it this way, "It's only ever the evil within that hooks you to the evil without."
The only hope for us is that God sent His Son, who lived with a pure heart; who in every way loved and obeyed God in his humanity, and because of that, he became the acceptable sacrifice, satisfying God's requirement; by giving his life for ours on the cross, and then being raised to new life. Why? So that He, as the exalted Lord of all, could grant us forgiveness and adoption, righteousness and deliverance, so that we can love him.
When the Bible talks about Jesus giving me a new heart, it means He has tied His heart to mine. Now His Spirit is working to transform my heart - but it doesn't mean my heart is immediately free of all the old patterns, desires, and false gods that compete to rule over it.
When you see this clearly — when you're honest about the struggle inside of you — When you see how messed up your own heart is — and how faithful Jesus is to love you still — you'll want nothing more than for Him to rule your heart completely.
And that's what God wants most - your heart!
Whatever rules your heart will control your words and behavior. If Jesus doesn't rule your heart, something else will.
There are ways you can tell that your heart is wandering:
- When you need to be noticed and affirmed, or to stay in control.
- When you start seeing people as problems to fix or obstacles to remove, rather than sin-broken individuals who need grace and are to be loved.
- When serving starts to feel like a burden instead of a joy.
- When obedience feels more like performance than love.
When you notice the drift
Stop. Be honest before God. Name what's captured your heart. And then, pray like David prayed,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.Or pray the old hymn that says:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.Then rest in the fact that God is far more faithful toward you than you are to him, and let his grace free your heart to love and honour him more.
What God wants most isn't your ministry, your knowledge, or your sacrifice — He wants your heart. He wants your love, your loyalty. He wants you.
Look back over the last few months – what do your words and actions reveal about your heart – what do you really want?
Does he have your heart? Jesus wants you. Do you want him?
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