The Peril of Pretending

Let me bring you up to date on some of the latest religious news: Last week, nationally known television preacher Jimmy Swaggart was pulled over for a traffic violation in the state of California. The woman who was in the car with him at the time was known to the police as a prostitute.

Three years ago, Swaggart was defrocked by the Assemblies of God for soliciting sexual favors from prostitutes. This occurred on the heels of Swaggart’s vocal denunciation of the sexual misconduct of Jim Bakker and fellow Louisiana preacher Marvin Gorman. Gorman promptly sued Swaggart over the allegations, claiming that Swaggart was trying to run him out of the ministry.

Recently, the lawsuit that was brought by Marvin Gorman was decided in favor of the plaintiff, to the tune of 10 million dollars. Swaggart has appealed the decision.

Following the events of 1988, Swaggart tearfully confessed his sins to his congregation in a televised special. But he declined to seek counseling, spurned the discipline of his denomination, and refused to give up his pulpit. He continued to preach from his headquarters in Baton Rouge, LA. Although his popularity plunged, and the donations to his ministry fell drastically, he still commanded a loyal following among fans of his hellfire and brimstone preaching.

The incident with the prostitute in California last week led to renewed demands that Swaggart step down. He was reportedly considering doing so, but in a stunning announcement just a few hours later, he said that God had spoken to him and told him to continue making television programs. As for what he was doing with a prostitute in his car, Swaggart told his congregation that the Lord said “It was flat none of their business.”

We come today to a very difficult passage of Scripture. It’s not tough in the sense of being hard to understand - actually, it’s very clear. It’s tough in that it deals with a subject that’s very uncomfortable for us to think about. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus talks about the peril of pretending to be a Christian; of wearing the label without living the life.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

These are hard words. Jesus is warning us here, in no uncertain terms, that there is a very great danger that people can delude themselves into thinking that they are Christians when in fact they are not. He says that a person may confess the Lord with his lips, but deny him with his life. And if that’s the case, that person will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

You see, it isn’t what you say, it’s what you do that matters to God. Many people who think that they are saved, and say that they are saved are actually living ungodly lives. They are quick to confess Jesus as Lord with their lips, but their lives indicate that Jesus is anything but Lord.

Their experience with Jesus is only skin deep - they have a veneer of Christianity. You’ll find them in church on Sundays, singing the hymns, and talking up a storm. But if you look at the way they live the rest of the week, it’s obvious that their allegiance to Christ hasn’t penetrated to the core of their life. Jesus isn’t shaping their values, Jesus isn’t molding their goals. When it comes to making decisions, they don’t even take Jesus into account at all.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. So what does this mean? Is Jesus teaching a salvation based on works? No. How you live isn’t what gets you to heaven. But how you live proves whether or not you’re going there. There’s a difference.

It’s important that you understand this. The Bible talks about two great spiritual concepts: justification and sanctification. Justification is when God makes a guilty sinner righteous in response to his faith in Jesus Christ. If you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, then as far as God is concerned, it is just as if you had never sinned.

Before he became mayor of New York City, Fiorello LaGuadia was a judge. One day, as he was presiding at police court, a poor man who had stolen a loaf of bread was brought in. It was during the Depression, and the man had lost his job and was having trouble feeding his large family. “You’re guilty, and I’ve got to punish you,” said LaGuardia. “The law makes no exceptions. I have to sentence you to a fine of ten dollars.”

But no sooner had he said that than LaGuardia reached into his own pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill. He tossed the bill into his hat, and said “There’s the ten dollars to pay your fine. Furthermore, I am hereby going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a man has to steal bread in order to feed his family. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.” They passed the hat and gave the proceeds to the stunned man, who left the courtroom with forty-seven dollars and fifty cents in his pocket.

Jesus Christ payed for your sin when he died on Calvary. God applies that payment to your account when you believe in Jesus. That process, that spiritual transaction, is called justification. That’s what your salvation is based on, and nothing else.

But the Bible goes on to say that when you are justified - a work that God does on your behalf - then you will begin to experience another spiritual process called sanctification. Sanctification is when God begins to transform your life to bring it into line with his standards, his values, his vision of what your life should be. He’s making you holy. He’s working on your attitudes, on your desires, on your priorities. He’s working on your choices, on your relationships, on your lifestyle. He undertakes a massive renovation project in your life.

I’m sure that when you’ve been driving in your car, you’ve seen those signs that say “Men at Work”. Well, every genuine Christian bears a sign on his life that says “God at Work”. The work that’s going on is the work of sanctification. God is in the process of making you holy.

Now here’s the kicker: Every person that God justifies, he sanctifies.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

The beginning of the work is justification; the completing of the work is sanctification. If there has been justification, there will be sanctification. But if there is no sanctification in a person’s life, it’s because there was no justification to begin with.

This is the kind of person Jesus is talking about in Matthew 7. He’s talking about people who sound like they’re justified. They call Jesus “Lord, Lord”. Now that’s really something. In order to call Jesus Lord, you have to believe that he is the Messiah, the Son of God. In other words, you have to have your doctrine straight.

But having your doctrine straight doesn’t make you a Christian. If it did, then Satan and the demons would be Christians. They’ve got their theology straight - they know exactly who Jesus is. The Bible tells us that the demons believe, and they tremble because they know the implications of sound theology. But they’re not Christians, even though they believe the right doctrine.

Now notice something else about these people. They’re very fervent in their belief. They don’t just call Jesus “Lord”, they call him “Lord, Lord”. Did you know that it’s possible to be very fervent in worship, to be demonstrative in your devotion to Christ, and not be a Christian? You can sing “He is Lord, He is Lord, He is risen from the dead and He is Lord” with your hands uplifted, and your face upturned toward heaven, and still not be a Christian.

Because it all comes down to what’s going on in your life! “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” There’s only one way to measure the sincerity of a person’s claims; that is by his practice. The only way to prove that you love Jesus is to obey him. Your fervency means nothing to God unless you are faithful to him in obedience. Your devotion is empty unless it flows from discipleship.

Now look at verse 22… Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

Now Jesus is upping the ante a little bit. What about people who actually do great deeds for Christ? What about preachers who preach the Gospel, and get people saved? What about miracle workers, and those wonderful people who liberate others from the demons that enslave them?

According to Jesus, there are people who will do great things in his name who will not even be Christians. Actually, we should not be surprised at this - the Bible is full of examples of this very thing.

Remember Balaam back in the OT? The Lord spoke through Balaam, even though he was not a believer. Remember the high priest Caiaphas in the NT? The Lord spoke through Caiaphas even though he was not a believer. You see, the ability to communicate the Word of God does not make you a child of God.

Up in Canada, we have a fellow named Charles Templeton. He’s a radio commentator, but he used to be a preacher. As a matter of fact, he was a contemporary of Billy Graham back in the days of the great YFC rallies in the late 40’s and early 50’s. In fact, many people back then thought that Charles Templeton was a better preacher than Billy Graham. He was used to bring thousands to Christ. But then he left the faith. Today Templeton is an agnostic; an outspoken critic of Christianity. Just because you can preach the Word of God doesn’t make you a child of God.

But what about miracles. Surely you cannot perform miracles unless God is with you? Don’t be so sure. What about the magicians of Egypt in Pharaoh’s court. They performed miracles but they sure weren’t on God’s side. What about the 7 sons of Sceva in Acts 19, who went around casting out demons. They weren’t believers. What about the false prophets and false messiahs that Jesus warned us would come in the last days, who would perform great signs and miracles. They sure aren’t Christians!

Miracles, and prophecy, and mighty wonders don’t make you a child of God. We live in a day when there are some pretty flashy preachers out there. Miracle workers, even. There’s a movement in Christian circles called the “signs and wonders” movement. And there’s a great movement toward deliverance theology - how to overcome the demons of alcohol, and drugs, and abuse, and overeating. And churches are starting up support groups and 12 step programs all over the place. Now these things may do a lot of good, but being involved in these things doesn’t make you a Christian.

Have you ever seen a counterfeit bill? It looks an awful lot like the real thing, doesn’t it? It fools a lot of people. But it’s phoney. Now let’s suppose that somebody gives you a counterfeit $20 bill. You don’t realize that it’s counterfeit, and you use it to pay for some gas so that you can drive a car full of kids to a youth retreat. The gas station owner doesn’t realize that it’s counterfeit, and he uses it to pay one of his employees. She takes it to the grocery store and uses it to buy some formula and diapers for her newborn baby.

The grocery store clerk gives the $20 bill to another customer as change, and that person puts it in the offering plate at their church that Sunday. The church includes it in a love offering to a visiting missionary, and he uses it to buy a new Bible to take back to the field with him. But then the Christian bookstore owner takes the $20 bill to the bank to deposit it, and the teller looks at the bill and says “I’m sorry, but this is a counterfeit bill.”

That bill did a lot of good while it was in circulation. But when it arrived at the bank, it was exposed for what it really was and it was put out of circulation. In the same way, Jesus says, a counterfeit Christian may do many good works - many spectacular and wonderful works even - but still be turned away from the kingdom of heaven.

Because what it all boils down to is what’s going on in your life. The chief characteristic of a follower of Jesus Christ is obedience that leads to a holy life. Miracles, prophecy, and mighty wonders do not equal a holy life. Sound doctrine and fervency in worship do not add up to a holy life.

Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

We evangelical Christians can get a little too glib about the assurance of our salvation. We say, well, I prayed a prayer, or I went forward to the altar back on January 12, 1969, so I’m in. And we don’t take into account what has been going on in our life since.

The apostle Paul wasn’t glib. He said “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” He urged the Corinthians “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.”

There is a day of reckoning coming when your life on earth will end. When you step out into eternity, and you stand before God, your life will be revealed for what it really is. You’ll undergo the acid test of obedience to Christ.

The way to be ready for that day is to obey Jesus Christ with you whole heart and soul and mind. The only way to prove that you really love Jesus Christ is to obey him. If you make that your #1 aim in life, I can guarantee that you will be ready for that day.