One of the saddest things in our world are people that claim Christ, but who our Lord and Savior says he will reject them because He never knew them. Many are part of self righteous, works based religious systems led by false teachers who deceive their members into thinking they’re saved because they repeated a prayer or completed some rituals based on man-made traditions, but whose lives show no regenerative fruit from the Holy Spirit, and who also never open and meditate on the Word of God (which would renew their minds and rescue them). People who can be defined by not believing the entirety of the word of God. Consequently, God has preserved His word through time in such an incredible way unlike any other literature, picking even the languages and times it was recorded for clarity, but these false believers want to pick and choose what they believe, often going against what God has instituted in His creation and relayed to them through divine revelation. And as our Lord and Savior says below, many go through the broad gate of false religion seeking heaven but their destination is hell. And as Paul said, the false teachers leading them are accursed, condemned to hell, forfeiting their opportunity to be saved having seared their consciences for gain as ravenous wolves. It is such a great human tragedy to go into death with the false assurance you’re going to heaven when salvation was so close to you.
Matthew 7:13–27
[13] “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
A Tree and Its Fruit
[15] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? [17] So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. [18] A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
I Never Knew You
[21] “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. [22] 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?’ [23] And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Build Your House on the Rock
[24] “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. [26] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. [27] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (ESV)
After John MacArthur’s health scares, he realizes that his time on earth is coming to an end being in his 80’s. So he has messages on his heart to relay before he goes home to be with the Lord, and it’s something to behold when a man is finishing well, rooted in the Lord and scripture, and standing firm. Not that we idolize the man, but we appreciate a yielded life to God, being faithful to the word of God, relaying a lifetime of knowledge studying the word of God and relaying its truth as observed through a long life. Many truths from scripture only come alive after you’ve lived and seen God at work in the world, in your life, and the lives of others. So we should treasure the time John MacArthur has left and what messages God places on his heart.