Tender Mercies or True Love?
“I Never Knew you!”
“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!’ Matt7:21-23
In the Phony professing Christian world of WWJD (what would Jesus do) we have a multitude of missions, soup kitchens, outreaches and self-help programs all existing in ‘Jesus’ Name’ but NOT preaching His Gospel. But they never seen to stop and ask themselves would Jesus open a soup kitchen or outreach provide the physical needs of people and leave them in bondage to their miserable sinful addictions with a pat on the back and an imaginary cover that excuses them from their personal responsibility to Come Clean with God, stop sinning and do what is Right?
This is one of the Central reasons that MOST professing Christians involved in doing these kind of things will hear those awful words at the Judgment, ‘I Never knew you, depart from me you workers of iniquity’, because they NEVER put forth any effort to bring anyone OUT from their Bondage to sin (including themselves!) THAT’S why they are called ‘workers of iniquity’, NOT as a denial of the things they did in Jesus Name, but as the reality that everything they did was in VAIN because no one ever ESCAPED the Corrupting influence of Sin through Repentance and Faith Proven by Deeds. (Acts26:18-21) In the Book of Acts we see plenty of outreach work going on, feeding and clothing the people and providing for their needs, BUT we ALSO see the imperative of TURNING away EVERYONE from their INIQUITIES! (Acts3:26) And that ‘historically’ has NOT been done by the so-called Churches reaching out to humanity in Jesus Name! They may cry out: ‘Lord, Lord’ but they were never acceptable in His Sight.
As difficult as it is to cast dispersions on man’s good works done in Jesus Name, we must face the reality of His Teaching. It’s true all the Church missions and outreaches are under the Strong Delusion of Substitution and preach the ‘repeat after me’ Gospel (to one degree or another) BUT that doesn’t absolve them of their responsibility to make things Right, Repent of these falsehoods and Start proclaiming the TRUTH! Certainly it ‘feels good’ to help people (especially sick and hurting children) and it’s commendable in the sight of man, with praises heaped on such sacrificial service devoted to the greater good of mankind. But without TRUNING them from their sin (iniquity) it’s POINTLESS! The great difficulty in their path is that Preaching the Whole Counsel of God requires diligent effort on their part (to stop sinning and tell others they must stop) and that’s just NOT part of the ‘work’ required to enter the Kingdom. The sin issue to taken care of in advance, their Ministry is to help the people ‘feel’ better about themselves as poor helpless sinners saved by grace. (Acts20)
So those of us on the outside of this mess, looking in and seeing all the unrestrained iniquity, crying out for them to Come Clean with God in Repentance Proven by Deeds are the angry finger pointing, evil Judges considered intolerant unloving and uncaring of their real needs. YET through ‘spiritual’ eyes we SEE their REAL NEED, to FIRST and foremost be DELIEVERED from their Bondage to Sin, SET FREE in Christ to sin no more and bring further misery on themselves and others, thereby reliving the constant ‘ministry’ of their reprobated condition. THAT’S the True PURPOSE of the GOSPEL!! To bring them from Darkness to Light from the Power of Satan to God! (Acts26:18, John8:31-39) Unless this is done at the beginning all labor for the Lord is in VAIN and this warning should serve as wake up call to all those out there involved in doing ‘Mighty works’ but proclaiming a Message that has everyone Wallowing in iniquity.
If Works could be done without regard to Sound Teaching why this dire warning; people can give themselves to be burned totally without purpose (1Cor13:1) so can a life given over to sacrificial service be Pure in the sight of God unless it’s accompanied by the Truth about sin? The Judgment will Declare it! BUT those who have ears to hear will discern and heed.
To conclude, a great proverb! Pro 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
