I Never Knew You

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

I NEVER KNEW YOU.

I

Never

Knew

You

People through the years have made old age jokes and among the topic of old age the memory failing is a big thing. The jokes while meant to be funny and often are, stop being funny when a loved one really loses their memory from dementia, or Alzheimer's. It is TRAGIC when we hear of those who truly are losing their memories. There have been numerous television movies about Alzheimer's and many television shows that include the topic.  One thing they all have in common is the tragedy it is not to be recognized by a loved one, someone you've known possibly all your life .  Think of your loved one whether they are a mother, father, daughter, son, friend, sister, brother… think of them and imagine them NOT knowing who you are. You go to greet them and they recoil from you. You've known them for YEARS and suddenly, they are denying you. You'd try to get them to remember you, to admit they remember you, that they know who you are. You'd bring up all sorts of shared memories only to realize they are no longer shared.  It's AWFUL to imagine.  Personally I've not had to deal with this sort of thing with anyone. I've never know a person with Alzheimer's or severe dementia of any sort, or anyone who has lost their memory.  I truly can only imagine what it has to be like to try and get someone to admit they know you, because you know them and have known them.

We have to think about this on this sort of level because this is a reality we can hear and see, even touch for ourselves.

These are facts, these sorts of tragic circumstances. 

Why am I going on about this, because of the absolute heartbreak it has to cause to no longer be recognized by someone you love, someone you've known for a long time.

Now imagine the heartbreak of the One you believed to be Your Savior turning to you and telling you- 'I never knew you'.

It won't be a disease that has stripped the memories away. Those words will not be heard because of a sickness, or a head injury has caused forgetfulness.  Those words- like ALL the words Jesus speaks- will be heard because they will be the TRUTH.

Of all the one-sided relationships, this will be the most devastating one of all.

The thing is...the NOT knowing of Jesus will be by choice, not because He did not make Himself available to be known. It won't be because He's been hiding from anyone, He's in PLAIN SIGHT. Access to a relationship with the Savior is available to ALL. You don't have to be rich, in fact that might even be more of a hindrance than an asset. You don't have to be anything but… human. If you fall under the category of being human then you have an opportunity to know Jesus Christ as your PERSONAL Savior.

Do you know Jesus?

Go ahead, answer that question. Do you know Jesus? You do, don't you? You've read all about Him, you've seen movies, read books, heard stories, sermons and such, right? You know who Jesus is, you know Jesus.  Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior? You know He is the Savior and has the power to save you from the horrors of sin in this world, the sin that warrants our damnation, not salvation.  Has Jesus saved you? Has He forgiven you? Does He continue to save you, and forgive you? You can answer yes, if this is true for you.   Now, ask yourself another question- an important question-

Does Jesus know you?

You want to answer instantly, yes, of course He knows me. How could I know Him and He not know me?

Now before we go a step further we have to pause for a moment and contemplate something else. As God with God, Jesus knows everyone, so this is more than the mere knowledge of our existence that is in question here. He knows we exist just as we know many people we've never met, exist. We can know someone exists, without knowing them.  But then you go on and say, but Jesus knows everything about me, I can't know everything about anyone else that exists even if I do know them and have met them.  This is true as well. So WHAT does Jesus really mean when He says- 

'I never knew you.'

These are Jesus' words, not mine.  Jesus is saying 'I never knew you.' 

What does He mean?!

Read this--

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Sound familiar?

Christ says He doesn't know those who are claiming to know Him because they WORK INIQUITY.

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

'Let EVERY ONE that nameth the name of CHRIST DEPART FROM INIQUITY!'

Ye work iniquity.

We know what it means when people say those two know each other in the Biblical sense- it means they've had sexual relations.   It doesn't necessarily mean they know each other in any other way because you can have sex with a stranger, a couple can get married having never met until that day and they certainly can't say they know each other in any sort of way except for merely meeting. 

Jesus knows who we are, but can say He never knew us because we CHOOSE to live with a barrier between us, never allowing Him to really know us by SAVING us from our sins. He never knew us because in order to  know us we have to recognize ourselves as sinners in need of constant forgiveness. Our problem lies in ever believing we are sinless in an of ourselves. We only become sinless through HIM and it has to be a CONSTANT relationship of being SAVED. Jesus cannot know us if we live in our sins without ever seeking forgiveness for them.

Please LORD, we would be KNOWN by YOU. Forgive us Lord, forgive us, You are our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! It is only through YOU and YOUR constant forgiveness that we dare hope to be KNOWN by YOU!

Please Lord, KNOW US, SAVE US!

All in YOUR LOVE.

Please Lord, know us!

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Not some...not a few, but MANY are going to say to Jesus when it is time for His people to enter the kingdom of heaven--  Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works.

Prophesied in Jesus' name.

We know this…

Mat_7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Mat_24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Mat_24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

2Pe_2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

1Jn_4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

FALSE prophets will be prophesizing in Jesus' name!

We know this…

Act 19:13  Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

Act 19:14  And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

Act 19:15  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

Act 19:16  And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

These vagabond Jews - exorcists- tried to cast out devils using Jesus' name!

All the time people do wonderful works, many, many wonderful works and they do it in Jesus' name-  but they are NOT known by Jesus! They are workers of iniquity!

Yes, it is possible to be a false prophet, to even cast out devils, and do MANY wonderful works in the name of Jesus and NOT be KNOWN BY HIM!

It's NOT enough to know the name of Jesus.

It's NOT enough for people to do good things while touting the name of Jesus.

It's NOT enough to prophesize while claiming Jesus.

People love to hate Christians.  There is more Christian persecution today than ever before. People love to claim their own hatred of Christianity and they do it as they tout the scores of Christians that have been proven to be anything but Christ's followers. They'll point at the innumerable sex scandals and abuses  involving those claiming to be Christians and the financial schemes as well.  Great ministers who claim to be close to Jesus have been some of the greatest sinners, having led many into their false worship, their false beliefs, their deceptions. They were wolves in sheep clothing who went about truly devouring many, all the while appearing like sheep, not the wolves they really are.

Jesus wants us to know that He agrees with those people who point out the great apostasy, the immense hypocrisy among those who claim His name. He won't dispute that there are many using His name wrongly.  He has NO personal relationship with those people, they've chosen Satan as their leader.

It's important to comprehend that right up to the END, right up to the time when the wicked are still alive and fighting to enter God's kingdom, they will believe they are HIS, and they will try to convince Jesus that they are His. They are DECEIVED. Far from being His, they are in fact WORKERS OF INIQUITY.

Every single good thing, every devil supposedly cast out, every prophecy ever uttered by those unknown by Jesus will have been borne not of a true love of Jesus, but rather a self love, self preservation in action that is a work of sin because it is NOT selfless, NOT of JESUS' love at all!

Remember this…

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

And just how many of these people will claim Christ as their Savior without ever truly meaning it?!  They'll have a FORM of godliness! They'll seem godly! They say they believe but that belief stops far short of a real living, breathing spiritual relationship with the Savior.  I can believe in the Queen of England but I'll NEVER have a relationship with her because there is no opportunity for me to do so.  I can believe in Jesus but I'll only have a relationship with Him if I die daily to self and rise daily in HIS love, by HIS power, through HIM in a very real spiritual life. He's left me with all the instructions I will ever need to form this relationship with Him through FAITH. I can believe in Jesus and NEVER read the instructions, never forming a relationship, and without that relationship my belief in Jesus is nothing more than my belief in the Queen of England.  It's a true belief, but even devils believe.

Jas_2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Only those devils are not going to say LORD, LORD… trying to get into the kingdom of heaven on their own merit, they know better and they tremble.  People will say LORD, LORD, MANY PEOPLE, and they will be LOST all because they did NOT really know Jesus at all.

Please LORD, know us!

Are you like the world?

Ro. 12:1,2

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Our bodies-

A living sacrifice.

Holy.

Acceptable unto God.

Our service.

We cannot present our bodies as living sacrifices, as holy, as acceptable to God and all the while be CONFORMED to this world.

We have to be TRANSFORMED.

We are transformed by the RENEWING of our MINDS.

That renewing allows us to PROVE - what IS THAT good, acceptable, and perfect WILL OF GOD.

If we are conformed to the world our mind will NOT be renewed.

What does is mean to be conformed to the world?

'1. to conform one's self (i.e. one's mind and character) to another's pattern, (fashion one's self according to)'

To be like the world.

Are you like the world?

Do you stand apart from the world?

Are you so conformed that none could tell you aren't a part of the world and its ways?

Seriously.

Have you conformed in spite of your label of Christianity? Do you claim Christ but live the world?

Christ will KNOW everyone who has conformed to the world and it won't matter one single bit if they cry to Him, 'Lord, Lord.' THEY AREN'T HIS and HE KNOWS!

Why do we INSIST upon leading lives contrary to Christ's teachings and then turn around and expect to be called His? Why?

Why do we do things over and over that we KNOW in our heart of hearts HE would NOT APPROVE of and yet we simply choose not to care, reasoning that HE WILL UNDERSTAND why we couldn't buck the system. We say that He has to understand why we had to CONFORM to the world.  We'll IGNORE everything that points out conformity in ourselves so we can continue to FOOL ourselves. We LOVE our blinders! We LOVE those very special individually crafted, one of a kind, made just for us, Satan produced blinders!

Don't kid yourself, you ARE that important to Satan. He'll craft your blinders himself if it means you'll end up as HIS and not GOD'S.

Those blinders will allow MILLIONS, and I do mean MILLIONS and MILLIONS of people to keep themselves from being truly CHRIST'S and all that means.

It is those blinders that will keep those millions and millions believing they are Christ's when they are NOT, and they WILL cry out to JESUS,  LORD, LORD!

Jesus teaches us this!!!! Not me!! JESUS!

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN!

Not the people blinded to their own condition, WILLINGLY blinded, SELF-INFLICTED blindness.

Those who DO the WILL OF GOD!

Rom_12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, WILL OF GOD.

Mar 3:35  For whosoever shall  DO THE WILL OF GOD, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

Eph 6:6  Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but AS THE SERVANTS OF CHRIST,  DOING THE WILL OF GOD FROM THE HEART

1Th 4:3  For THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication

1Th_5:18  In every thing give thanks: for THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS concerning you.

1Pe 2:15  For so IS THE WILL OF GOD, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men

1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the WILL OF GOD.

1Jn_2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that DOETH THE WILL OF GOD abideth for ever.

There is NO lack of knowledge concerning the will of God if we would but open His word and prayerfully asked to be guided to His truth.  Go back through these verses and read the verses before and after, you'll get God's message and He is NOT going to encourage anything in your life which is contrary to HIM and HIS WILL.

You choose.

Satan has your blinders ready.  If you are wearing them even now, by the grace of God may they be cast aside so you can see the truth in God's Word.  If you are tempted to put blinders on may God reveal all His truth to you and may you through HIS righteousness, through HIS love, through HIS grace keep the blinders away from your eyes.

Choose truth!

Do NOT conform to the world.

Do NOT accept the world's righteousness.

Do the WILL of GOD!

May we ALL DO THE WILL OF GOD all through HIS power!

In His LOVE, His MERCY forever!

Please LORD save us, not IN our sins, but from them! Reveal the sinfulness of sin to us so that we, through the Holy Spirit may keep from sinning. Help us to NEVER accept sin in any form!  Forgive us as we seek forgiveness, as we repent!

LORD! LORD! We want only YOUR TRUTH! LORD! LORD! We want to be YOURS, knowing and known by YOU!  SAVE US!

Your will Lord, Your will.

Sabbath sinning

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy

Holy- 'to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate'

To keep it holy.

To keep it consecrated.

To keep it sanctified.

To keep it prepared.

To keep it dedicated.

To keep it hallowed.

To keep it separate.

We reveal the IMPORTANCE of a day by various means.  For someone's birthday we treat them extra special with perhaps breakfast in bed, a nice lunch at a favorite restaurant, a yummy birthday cake, presents.  We do the same for anniversaries and various days we label holidays. The day is special and often times people are allowed the day off school and work when there are days we label extra special.  Because we allow days off we are saying this day is so special we don't want you to have to work or go to school on this day. For those professions where people work 24/7 year round they are more often than not given compensation for having to work on that special day of the year.

Man has deemed several days every year to be this special, but God has deemed the SABBATH DAY to be this special and the SABBATH DAY occurs on the seventh day of every week, the day HE chose to rest upon, the day HE chose to sanctify to make holy, the day HE made for US.

We are to keep this day HOLY.  He tells us too, Jesus did throughout His entire life even resting in the grave on the Sabbath before rising on the first day of the week.  That Sabbath rest in His grave is something that is overlooked.  People tend to just gloss over it real quickly as if it wasn't important at all and only the first day of the week is significant because Jesus rose that day.  Jesus could have been crucified on any day, and Jesus could have risen on any day- but one.

Our Savior would NOT be put to death on the SABBATH.

Our Savior would NOT be called to rise from the dead on the SABBATH.

In fact, the Sabbath was drawing near after He'd died and HIS followers, HIS disciples, HIS loved ones wanted His body quickly put in the tomb BEFORE the Sabbath arrived. Why?

Living in a world such as we live in today when the majority of people do all sorts of things regardless of the day, it's almost too hard for people to fathom such restrictions.

They eagerly wanted the dead Jesus quickly taken care of. In fact, they KNEW they didn't have time to properly prepare Him for His burial, but they still wanted Him laid to rest before the Sabbath. 

Mar 15:42  And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,

Mar 15:43  Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

Mar 15:44  And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.

Mar 15:45  And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

Mar 15:46  And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.

Mar 15:47  And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

Mar 16:1  And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

This was the DEATH, the VERY REAL DEATH of the SAVIOR, the SON OF GOD and HE remained UN-ANOINTED for a FULL DAY.

Jesus' body, His lifeless body void of the breath of life, lay in the dark tomb not anointed on the Sabbath day and then until the next morning hours into the first day of the week which began at sundown.  He rested in death's sleep, laid in the tomb.

If Jesus had died on a Wednesday- the middle of the week- His body would have been anointed, there would have been time to anoint His body before the Sabbath. His body would NOT have rested before they anointed Him with the oils and spices they prepared.

IF our Savior had ended the weekly Sabbath observance there would have been no need for anyone, especially His followers who understood Him more than any others, to have kept from anointing His body.

Our Savior did NOT abolish the weekly Sabbath and HIS laying in the tomb without being anointed is one proof of this.

The Sabbath importance was the FIRST amazing reaffirmation made by our Savior after His death.

That Sabbath was KEPT HOLY, that very first Sabbath after Jesus' death was kept holy by all of Jesus' followers.

We are to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Why?

Because our GOD, our HEAVENLY FATHER, our SAVIOR asks us to do so.

Keep it holy. Set it aside. This day will be different from all the others of the week.  It's NOT the same as those days. It was made special for us.  Yet because in our sin warped world we tend to think of special days as something containing ribbons, balloons, streamers, posters, cakes, cookies, and a ton of self-indulgence, we don't quite want to understand how this day is to be Holy and to be Special without all the trappings.  A weekly day, a whole day, special?  Why don't we make this day special as we are told to do? And not through the concept of self-indulgence, but in self-sacrifice.

Seriously.  To set aside self for one day, just one day in every seven, and do that on God's holy Sabbath day, the seventh day, Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, a whole Biblical day.

Set aside self.

Why set aside self? Because in truth it is self we must set aside in accepting Jesus, isn't it?

I did not read the commandment to love self.

I did read the commandments to love God and to love my neighbors (all others).

I read this too-

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Let him DENY HIMSELF.

Let him TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY.

Let Him FOLLOW ME.

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

It is PERILOUS (DANGEROUS) to be among the 'MEN SHALL BE LOVERS OF THEIR OWN SELVES'!

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

WE - that self we tend to indulge - is CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST.  CHRIST lives in US when we are saved by HIM, choosing to follow HIM.  We have to continue to live in our flesh, but daily we pick up our crosses.  Daily we are allowing ourselves, our selfishness, our self-indulgence, our self-absorption be  CRUCIFIED with CHRIST.  CHRIST must LIVE IN US through FAITH.  We must allow CHRIST TO LIVE IN US.  And if we ALLOW CHRIST to live in us then we are allowing Him to save us from all that is in us that would destroy us.

WE MUST let CHRIST LIVE IN US!  In a real way, not in a seconds thought of Him as our Savior, but in a daily, hourly, minutely way where HE is with us in ALL we do, not just a few chosen moments we allow Him in our lives.

The SABBATH is to be kept Holy, set aside, sanctified, DIFFERENT from every other day of our week! On this day more than any other we are to be renewed by the Holy Spirit so that we can get through six days every week that have NOT been  set aside for us, but given to us to work, work, work, work, work, and work.

If we indulge in our SELF LOVE by giving into Satan's temptations that will draw us as far from God as possible on this day set aside, then we are missing out on a blessing, and we are SINNING. 

Yes, SINNING.

This is a COMMANDMENT from our SAVIOR, from our GOD the FATHER!

We sin when we do NOT keep the commandment MADE for us.

We throw away this amazing gift to us, and in doing so we proclaim that we have no need of this Sabbath, and no need of the God who commands us to keep the Sabbath.

LORD please, help us. The self inside of us, the flesh that would corrupt us fully and leave us without hope is fighting against us, making it so that we find it all but impossible to set aside a SINGLE day for YOU, a day YOU made FOR US, for our GOOD, our SPIRITUAL, PHYSICAL, and MENTAL GOOD.

Please SAVIOR GOD, please save us! FORGIVE us our sins! Forgive us for believing that we can do as we please, indulge self endlessly day after day, after day without any consequence. 

Please keep us from Sabbath sinning!

Help us LORD! Save US!

All in YOUR LOVE, by YOUR GRACE!

I know you not...

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Truth.

People will be saying- Lord, Lord.

Mat 25:11  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Luk 13:25  When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are

Saying- Lord, Lord.

People are going to be calling Jesus.

People are going to be saying, Lord, Lord.

Now ask yourself this, are these people who call on the Lord those who THINK they are His?

YES.

We can THINK we are His but not, in all reality, be HIS!

People who believe they will enter the kingdom of heaven but they won't!

We have to do the WILL of the Father God in heaven.

When you call someone not once, but twice, you really want their attention. You are emphasizing their name.  People will be calling our Savior, really, really calling our Savior.

Lord, Lord.

Say it aloud.

Lord, Lord.

And people will be saying it, believing they deserve the Lord's attention, believing they deserve entrance into His kingdom. 

We have to do the WILL of the FATHER in HEAVEN.

Our Savior wants us to do the WILL of His Father.

Rom_12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

This says so much!

BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD.

BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND.

THEN BE ABLE TO PROVE WHAT IS THAT GOOD, ACCEPTABLE, PERFECT WILL OF GOD!

Not conformed to this world.

Transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Not conformed but transformed.

Tit_3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus

Not conformed to this world. We have to EXAMINE ourselves and if we have CONFORMED to this world we are in trouble.

Be not conformed.  NOT CONFORMED.

More on this tomorrow… because there is so much conformity that the danger is very, very real for ALL OF US!

Please LORD, help us to understand, to comprehend, to really LEARN!  Help us, we are so weak, so sinful.  Please, we do not want to be among those who are calling out to you only to have you not know us, only to be among those who are NOT doing the Father's will and are not going to enter the kingdom of heaven with YOU.  PLEASE LORD help us! SAVE US!

By their fruit

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Mat 7:19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Do men gather grapes of thorns?

No.

Do men gather figs of thistles?

No.

Every GOOD TREE will produce GOOD FRUIT.

Every CORRUPT TREE will produce EVIL FRUIT.

A GOOD TREE CANNOT produce evil fruit.

A CORRUPT TREE CANNOT produce good fruit.

CORRUPT TREES are CUT DOWN and BURNED.

BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM!

A good tree cannot produce evil fruit and yet using this as an analogy to prophets and our being BEWARE of them, we have to comprehend that a GOOD PROPHET will not commit evil acts.

How many so called prophets in the last twenty or so years have been found out to be embroiled in sin and yet they preached, they prophesied, they gathered followers to them by the hundreds and even thousands?  A lot. They are secretly leading very sinful lives all the while preaching against sin, they are hypocrites!

We are NOT perfect by any means, but our LORD wants us to BEWARE of those who would trick us into thinking they are HIS when in fact they belong to Satan.

Inwardly these people are wolves- they are Satan's.

Outwardly these people are sheep- they are God's.

And so many will say that they hadn't a clue, they couldn't know, it was kept secret from them, they were deceived.  All they are saying is truth.  It's not hard to be in the dark, to be fooled, to be deceived.  Who among us can say in truth that we wouldn't have been like Eve and Adam, deceived into eating from the tree of Good and Evil?  We don't know, we just don't.

We have to pray NOT to be deceived.

We have to STUDY ALL that the prophet is saying, not just taking that prophet at their word.

We have to take every word they teach and hold it up against our BIBLE, hold it up against GOD'S TRUTH.

If the prophecies, the message coming from these people, contradict God's Holy Word then they could very well be WOLVES.  

Yes, they could be sinners- repentant, struggling sinners, or they could be unrepentant sinners. We have to take their message to GOD'S word and if it hold up to that LIGHT then they are GOD'S. 

Their message will not hold up to God's Word if they are WOLVES.

By their FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM!

We have to look at the FRUIT. There is EVIL FRUIT and lots of it. The quantity of EVIL fruit can be amazing, in fact, I'd venture to say that there is much more evil fruit out there than good fruit and yet it is all FRUIT- the product of a prophet, an evil prophet or a good prophet. If there is tons of evil fruit it is fruit that has allowed itself to be deceived.

The TRUTH exists.

The LIGHT exists.

If we choose darkness rather than LIGHT, we are accountable for it.

Joh_3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

There will be LITTLE light on earth when our Savior returns. The majority of the world will be lost to the darkness of evil and it will be lost to it, by choice.

Don't get me wrong, there will be a great deception and the majority will give the APPEARANCE of being in the LIGHT, but it will only be because they are now calling evil good.

Isa_5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

May GOD protect us from deception, from the evil that would have us calling evil good, and good evil. Please LORD as You asked the Father in Heaven, KEEP us from EVIL!

All by YOUR GRACE, in YOUR LOVE, in YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS ALWAYS!

Beware

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits…

Beware.

Our Savior is telling us to BEWARE.

Whenever we hear that word- beware we know it is a cautionary word. We are to be on our guard.  We are NOT to adhere to every single prophet which comes along.  There are going to be prophets and if we are easily sway, and NOT cautious, we will be seduced by them and we will LOSE our eternal life because we chose NOT to BEWARE.

Yes, the false prophets will get their punishment for deceiving people, but those deceived people will be punished as well by allowing themselves to be deceived.

EVE and ADAM were deceived- were they punished?  YES!

They weren't simply allowed to say hey, it's the serpents fault, punish the serpent, it's not my fault.

They were punished even though they were deceived.

All who are deceived will be punished, they won't be able to use the excuse of deception as a get out of eternal death free card. 

We are accountable for allowing ourselves to be deceived. 

And it's not like we haven't been warned, our SAVIOR is warning us. 

BEWARE.

In some movies we see warning signs saying BEWARE, and then we hear ominous music playing to get the point across that to us. The characters in that movie better be cautious or else.

When you see a BEWARE of Dog  sign you are instantly on guard against a dog coming at you. You will NOT enter an area with that sign without taking the risk of being attacked. If you enter that area it's your own fault if something happens.

Our Savior wants us to BEWARE of FALSE PROPHETS.  He even goes as far to tell us that they will appear to us as sheep but they are really wolves.  These false prophets are not going to look like the wolves they really are. They will appear like soft cuddly puppies, only to viciously go for our throats the moment we are hugging and snuggling them.  So if these sheep like wolves are going to confront us there has to be a way for us NOT to be deceived by them.

We will KNOW them by their FRUITS.

Their FRUITS.

Isa_8:20  To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

They HAVE to speak the SAVIOR'S word and no other!

What they produce from their preaching, from their prophecies, has to ALL be according to the LAW and to the TESTIMONY, or else it is DECEPTION!

We will know them by their fruits--

More on that tomorrow by the GRACE of GOD.

All in HIS LOVE.