Introduction:
Signs That You are Self-Deceived (Matthew 7:21-23)
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You profess the truth without being CHANGED BY THE TRUTH. (Matt 7:21)
Romans 10:9 – Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
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You point to your works rather than CHRIST’S WORK. (Matt 7:22)
Isaiah 64:6 – All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
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You presume that you know Jesus but JESUS DOES NOT KNOW YOU. (Matt 7:23)
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
Small Group Discussion
Read Matthew 7:21-23
What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
How can you evaluate if you are self-deceived and lack self-awareness of who you are and whose you are?
How has the truth of the gospel changed you? In what areas do you need to be further changed?
What is the difference between knowing a lot about Jesus and knowing Jesus?
Why do you love Jesus?
Breakout
Pray for one another.
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Please turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7.
Matthew chapter 7.
Have you ever met a person who thought they had a certain skill
that they actually didn't possess?
Have you ever been that person?
You were convinced that you had this talent, you had this ability.
But then someone came along to burst your bubble,
or you put yourself out there and you embarrassed yourself big time.
I can think of no better example than this than American Idol.
Who's watched American Idol at some point in their lives?
I don't know about you, but I've never watched an entire season of American Idol.
I always turn it off after the first round.
Because what happens after the first round,
all the terrible singers are sent home.
And maybe this tells you something about me,
but I love to watch those horrible auditions of those people who think they can sing,
but they can't carry a tune in a bucket.
They confidently stand before Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Simon Cowell
to claim that they are phenomenal singers.
And then they belt out the most wretched noises imaginable.
Today, I will sing Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You."
And I will always love you.
Thank you.
You'll never know if that's my real singing voice or my fake singing voice.
After giving it their all, these individuals are absolutely shocked at the judge's reactions.
They weep as Paula Abdul lets them down gently.
Their jaws are on the floor as Randy Jackson gives his patented "pfft" to know from me, dog.
And they fight back in Simon Cowell when he says something horrible like,
"That was absolutely dreadful."
And as you watch it at home, you can't help but think to yourself,
how do they not recognize that they sound horrible?
How do they not realize that they are terrible singers?
Do you know the answer to those questions?
The answer is self-deception.
Self-deception.
They are clueless to who they actually are.
They are lying to themselves.
Their view of themselves has no basis in reality.
They lack self-awareness.
And it's so easy for you and I to sit in our couches and pass judgment on these individuals
as their delusions go before our eyes.
But never forget an important truth.
You too can be self-deceived.
You too can lack self-awareness.
You may not truly understand who you are and whose you are.
Your self-deception may be far worse than believing that you're a world-class vocalist.
Your self-deception may have eternal consequences.
What if you think you're a Christian but you're actually not?
What if you confidently believe that you are a child of God but you're actually a son or daughter
of the devil?
What if you believe that you are heading to heaven
while you're on the path to hell?
We're in the final section of the Sermon on the Mount, the heart ready for judgment.
It's been made abundantly clear that Jesus is not going to pull any punches
as he rounds out his most famous sermon.
Two weeks ago, Pastor Jeff unpacked the really tough truth that the gate to everlasting life is what?
Narrow. And few people go that way because it is hard.
While the gate to never-ending punishment is wide, it is massive.
And most people go that way because it is so easy.
And last week we learned that there are so many false teachers pointing to the wide gate.
And it's obvious who they are because of the fruit that they produce.
Maybe you heard those messages and even agreed with those messages
but you didn't internalize what was said.
You didn't truly evaluate your heart to see if you're on the narrow path or the wide path
to see if you are falling for false teaching.
Well this morning, Jesus is going to tighten the net even more.
The walls are going to be closing in on you so that there's no more wiggle room
to escape what the Lord has to say about judgment.
Matthew chapter 7 verses 21 through 23 contain the most chilling words in the entire Bible.
And for me, there isn't a close second.
Jesus says that many are self-deceived in this life
and they will be shocked that they won't end up in heaven someday.
I want to encourage you, please do not tune out and think,
"Well, there's no way Jesus is talking about me so I can just kind of daydream
and plan out the rest of my week."
No, tune in and ask yourself, "What if Jesus is talking about me?"
What if I am self-deceived?
What if I am lacking self-awareness of who I am and who's I am?
So before we continue, let's go the Lord and ask for His help.
I ask that you pray for me.
Are we faithful in proclaiming God's Word?
And I will pray for you that you are faithful to receive it.
Father, we come to you and we ask that your spirit will bring clarity,
that He would bring illumination, that He would bring conviction and challenge.
Lord, in the past 13 years of preaching, I don't know if I ever felt more inadequate
to proclaim a text than this one.
But I thank you in advance that you will preach a much better sermon
in people's hearts than I ever could with my mouth.
Show up in a great mighty way, Lord.
Come to seek and save the lost.
And for the rest of us, Lord, help us to be blown away by your awesome love.
And we ask all these things in Jesus' name, amen.
Signs that you are self-deceived.
Sign one, you profess the truth without being changed by the truth.
You profess the truth without being changed by the truth.
Let's read chapter 7 verse 21.
This is the Lord Jesus speaking.
"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."
In this verse, Jesus talks about the here and now as well as the there and then.
According to Jesus, what you say about who you are here and now may be proven to be wrong
there and then at the final judgment.
What you profess to believe with your mouth here and now may be proven to not be a genuine
reality in your heart there and then as you stand before Jesus.
You can be confident here and now that heaven is in your future,
but then be banned from heaven when that future finally arrives.
You can call Jesus Lord, Lord, which means that you claim him as God.
You can even claim Jesus as your God.
You can say all the right things about Jesus, but still not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Isn't that terrifying?
You may be thinking to yourself, "Taylor, how is that possible?"
I thought it's all just about believing and confessing.
That's it.
Well, the combination of belief and confession is absolutely essential and you cannot be saved
without it.
Paul backs this up in Romans 10, 9, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
What a glorious truth that you should cherish, memorize, and hold on to.
But unfortunately, so many people misuse and abuse that verse.
Well, as long as you pray the prayer, as long as you say the right words, you're good to go.
God has stamped your one-way ticket to heaven.
Doesn't really matter what you do or how you live from now on.
Once saved, always saved.
But people who say that miss a key word in this verse, heart.
Believe in your heart.
This belief in Christ must take root at the deepest level of who you are.
This belief in Christ must take over every single aspect of your life.
True belief isn't a mere acknowledgement of the facts.
It is an act of faith that transforms you from the inside out.
Some who say, "Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven because they were transformed by their
belief." Many others who say, "Lord, Lord will not enter the kingdom of heaven because they were
never transformed by their belief." It is possible to profess the truth without being changed by the
truth. And if you have not been changed by the truth of the gospel, then let me tell you,
you have not truly believed in the truth of the gospel.
So how can you tell if you have been changed by the truth or not?
It's a very simple test according to Jesus. He says, "You don't just say, 'Lord, Lord,' you do
the will of your Father who is in heaven. You say and you do."
Last week, Pastor Jeff said that false teachers are revealed by their words and their actions.
The same is true for followers of Christ. Genuine faith is proven by believing and confessing the
right things, but that can't be the only standard according to our Lord. Genuine faith is also proven
by doing the right things. Doing the will of your Father in heaven means that you obey
His word. You have an internal desire to do what God says, and then you act on that desire.
You act on what you say you believe. You say that you should passionately pursue after the Lord
and His word and in prayer. So you do passionately pursue after the Lord in word, in His word
and in prayer. You say that you should daily repent and turn from your sin, so you do daily
repent and turn from your sin. You say that you should share your faith more and make disciples,
so you do share your faith more and make disciples. What you say carries no weight
if it doesn't line up with what you do.
I want to make something crystal clear to avoid being misunderstood.
You are not saved by what you do. You are not saved by what you do, but what you do reveals
if you are saved or not. What you do reveals if you are saved or not.
You know, almost 20 years ago, I took the written test to get my learner's permit.
I studied that PA Driver's Manual inside and out. I knew all the right answers about driving,
and I could regurgitate them on a test. Let me ask you, did passing that 18 question permit test
make me a driver? No. For a number of years, I went to seminary. I went to a number of classes,
read a countless number of books, listened to so many lectures, and I learned about what a pastor
should be, what a pastor should do. In 2020, I was given my Master of Divinity. Let me ask you,
did receiving that piece of paper in the mail make me a pastor? Not one bit. You can get 100%
on your permit test and still not be able to enter a car and drive it with any level of competency.
You can get the best theological training in the world and still not be able to enter into a church
and be its pastor. You can ace a Bible Pop quiz and still not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Do not be deceived and think that you're safe and sound just because you grew up in a Christian
family and went to church when you were younger. Do not be deceived and think that you're safe and
sound just because you fill a seat on Sunday mornings. It is not enough just to have the
correct facts stored in your brain. The correct facts must change who you are.
Signs that you are self-deceived. Sign number two, you point to your works rather than Christ's work.
You point to your works rather than Christ's work.
Let's read verse 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?"
Once again, Jesus is taking us into the future. He fasts forward the movie of life to show us
what the final judgment will look like. As we've already seen, some who say, "Lord, Lord, will
enter the kingdom of heaven." But many others who say, "Lord, Lord, will not enter the kingdom of
heaven." And that second group is the focus of this verse. In verse 21, "Lord, Lord was a profession
of belief, but in verse 22 it is used as a desperate plea." This is a Hail Mary pass. It is a one last
effort to avoid judgment. This is an attempt to convince Jesus that a mistake has been made.
Lord Jesus, I know you have a lot of people to see and judge today. It makes sense that a few
people are going to fall through the cracks and a few mistakes are going to be made. Let me remind
you of who I am. Let me remind you of all the things I've done for you. Here's my resume.
It's a really impressive resume, isn't it? Casting out demons,
prophesying, doing many mighty works in miracles. You may look at this list and think,
"How could someone with this resume not enter the kingdom of heaven? How could someone like this
not be saved?" Well, there are three possible explanations that lead to the same sad result.
Option number one, these mighty works are done by the power of the evil one.
These mighty works are done by the power of the evil one.
Pastor Jeff talked about this in depth last week, but Instagram, Facebook, YouTube,
Christian TV stations are filled with corrupt and dishonest pastors who claim to proclaim the word
of God and do many mighty miracles in the name of Christ. They look really great with their three
pea suits, their expensive sneakers, their luxurious jets and fancy cars, but they are nothing but
frauds and workers of Satan. They are not in ministry for you. They are not in ministry for Jesus.
They are in ministry for themselves. They are after power, money and public adoration.
At the very least, they operate in their own power, or at the very worst, they operate by the power of
Satan himself. And you may be thinking, "Taylor, you seem to be a bit too tough on these guys."
Well, Pastor Jeff, I'm simply applying your message from last week. I'm evaluating the fruits
that these false teachers produce. Could it be that you don't like what I'm saying because you
are being fooled? Because you are being led astray. Could it be that you're mistaking their bad fruit
for good fruit? Option number two, these people are making false claims.
Have you ever interviewed someone who patted out their resume with accomplishments they didn't
actually accomplish, with awards they didn't actually win? What leads a person to lie about
things they're so easily fact-checked in 2025? Once again, the answer is self-deception.
There's no way I'll get caught. I can get away with it. They try to puff out their
chest and make themselves look better than they actually are. They polish their imaginary trophies.
Is it a good idea to lie to your potential employer? Let me ask that again so you can wake
up a bit. Is it a good idea to lie to your potential employer? Is it a good idea to lie
to Jesus Christ? Maybe you don't worry about where you'll end up in eternity because you have a high
opinion of your ability to sweet talk your way into things or sweet talk your way out of things.
I spoke into a lot of guys in the past that, "Yeah, I'm not worried about the afterlife.
God and I will have a conversation at the pearly gates and he'll see why I should be in there.
I'll be just fine." That is a horrible plan. That plan is foolishness. You cannot smooth talk Jesus.
He knows everything and he sees everything. He knows what you've done and he knows what you haven't
done. He sees right through your flimsy resume of fake accomplishments. Third option, God allows
phony believers to accomplish amazing things for his kingdom and glory. God allows phony believers
to accomplish amazing things for his glory and kingdom. Let me just think about the storyline
of Scripture and how this plays out in the Old Testament and the New Testament. God put his
own words in the mouth of a dirty donkey and then in the mouth of a wicked false prophet.
The high priest Caiaphas who hated and opposed Jesus unintentionally prophesied that Jesus would
die for the nation. In Philippians, the apostle Paul rejoices in the truth that men with horrible
motivations can truly proclaim the good news of Jesus. Let's step away from biblical
illustrations for a second and hit a bit closer to home. You can take the preaching class at
harvest and deliver a killer sermon while you are engaging in a secret affair that you have no plans
to confess or end. You can teach kids back at Harvest Academy while you mistreat your own
children at home. You can go on mission trips overseas and help a ton of people over there
while you defraud and deceive your clients over here. You can be the number one most dependable
volunteer at harvest while being the most loyal customer at your local liquor store.
God can use whoever he wants, whenever he wants to accomplish whatever he wants.
God can use those who are walking in holiness and he can use those who are not walking in holiness.
God can use those who truly belong to him as well as those who don't truly belong to him.
Listen, you can keep yourself busy with religious activities while you destroy yourself behind
closed doors and travel down the highway to hell. Serving your church, serving your community are
good and godly activities, but those good and godly activities cannot save you. Only Jesus Christ
can save you. Rip up your religious resume because I promise you it is not as good as you think it
is. Even your best efforts are stained by sin, pride, and mixed motivations.
Isaiah gives us a reality check about this when he says all of our righteous acts are like filthy
rags. What are filthy rags good for? What's the answer? Nothing. Filthy rags should be thrown away.
I assume that some of you will be going to a restaurant after church today with family and
friends. Imagine trying to pay the bill with garbage that you found in the dumpster outside the
restaurant. Would your server and the manager be very pleased with you? Why? Because you're offering
them worthless garbage. Trying to hand God your religious resumes that you can be saved is like
handing him trash and expecting that he'll be impressed. At this point, you may be kind of
confused. Taylor, you spent a long time talking about the importance of doing the right things,
but now you're kind of acting like doing the right things. Isn't that important?
Well, again, I want to emphasize that good works must flow out of your salvation,
but good works cannot contribute to your salvation, even a tiny bit. Salvation is 100%
the work of God and 0% you. Some of you are operating as if you're responsible for half.
25%, 5%, 2%, even 1% is too much. It's all of Jesus Christ.
Listen, your resume stinks while Christ's resume soars. Your resume is imperfect while
Christ's resume is perfect. You are a loser on your own while Christ is a winner.
But the good news is you can share in his victory by letting go of what you have to offer
by grabbing a hold of what he has to offer. Jesus Christ lived the perfect life you could never live.
He succeeded in every single way that you have failed. He then died the death that you deserve to die.
He rose again to give you the new life that you can never work your way towards. Do not be deceived
and rely on your own goodness and track record. Do not rest your eternal destiny on yourself.
Rest in Christ's work, not your own. Place your trust in Christ alone because
He alone can give you what you need, both now and forever.
Signs that you are self-deceived, final sign, and this is the hardest one of them all.
You presume that you know Jesus, but Jesus does not know you.
You presume that you know Jesus, but Jesus does not know you.
So after the religious resume has been read, Jesus gives the most devastating response.
And then I will declare to them, I never knew you.
Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.
Can you imagine anything more terrifying than hearing that from the most important person
in existence? Get away from me. I want nothing to do with you.
You are nothing but an unrepentant lawbreaker and evildoer.
Does that response shock you? You may be thinking, but how could Jesus say something so harsh?
Isn't He the definition of love and forgiveness?
Well, what's the reason He gives in the text? You are acting like you know me, but I don't know you.
You know, as a preacher, I enjoy listening to a lot of preachers. I'm somewhat of a pastoral nerd.
I follow a lot of pastors on social media. I have a list of my favorites that I've listened to some for decades.
And I learn about their personal lives. I learn about their ministries and their messages and their books,
and it can really feel like I know them. But do I actually know them?
I know a lot about them, but I don't know them. There is no relationship. There is no back and
forth. There is no give or take. It's just a one-sided admiration from afar.
Imagine I drive across the country to the house of my favorite online preacher.
I show up on his doorstop at 10 o'clock at night and I knock on his door,
keep ringing the doorbell. Eventually, his poor preacher shuffles the door and his bathrobe and his slippers, the toothbrush in hand.
As soon as he opens the door, I launch into, "Hey, man, it's Taylor. I got a lot of problems right now.
I really need your advice. Can I come in and chat?" How do you think he's going to respond?
Dude, you're acting like you know me, but I don't know you at all. You are a total stranger.
My wife and kids are at home and they're sleeping. I'm not just going to invite you in. You need to leave right now.
Is that an appropriate response? Yes, that's how he should respond. I should be turned away from him in that moment.
Let's change up the scenario a bit. At 10 o'clock tonight, I show up on Pastor Jeff's doorstep.
Knock on the door, ring the doorbell. He opens it and I give him the same exact spiel.
Will there be a different outcome? Will there be a different response? Why?
Because I don't just listen to Pastor Jeff from afar. I don't watch him on a screen.
We've been close friends for 13 years and he is my pastor.
I know Pastor Jeff and Jeff knows me. I don't just know a lot about him.
Do you know a lot about Jesus or do you know Jesus?
Does Jesus consider you a stranger or does he know you as his close friend,
his faithful follower, his blood-bought brother or sister?
Does he really actually know you?
Maybe you're thinking to yourself, "Well, how can I know if I know Jesus and he knows me?
What's the test of that?" Well, years ago, I heard a pastor say something in a sermon that
never forgot sense. He said, "You can tell a lot about a person by how they respond to a simple
question. Why do you love Jesus? Why do you love Jesus?"
He said, "You'd be shocked by how many people have no idea how to answer that question."
Because their intellectual knowledge of Jesus has not created affection for Jesus.
Friends, why do you love Jesus? If you can't think of anything, that's a huge problem
and you shouldn't ignore it. Imagine pulling me aside for a service and saying, "Taylor,
what do you love about your wife?" And I respond, "What does that tell you? I don't have a personal
and in-depth knowledge of my wife. I don't love her like I presume to. I should say, "Hey,
do you have a couple of days because my list is very, very long. There's not just one thing about
my wife that I love. There's a countless number of them. My wife has my heart, so my list of why
I love her is very long. But how much longer should your list be in my list be when it comes to Jesus
Christ and why we love Him? Life is too short to plumb the depths of His awesomeness. Why do you
love Jesus? I love Jesus because He died for me when I wanted nothing to do with Him. I love
Jesus because He loves me no matter what I do. I love Jesus because He is not ashamed to call me
His brother despite all the ways that I fail Him. I love Jesus because He cares about everything
that I go through. And He sympathizes with all of my weaknesses. I love Jesus because right now
He is interceding for me in heaven before the Father. I love Jesus because all the promises of
Scripture find their yes in Amen in Him. I love Jesus because He is always with me and He will
never forsake me even to the very end. I could keep going and going and going. Could you?
How can you say that you love Jesus if you don't even know why you love Him?
How can you expect that you'll worship Jesus for all of eternity if you can't think of a single
reason to worship Him right now? Do not be deceived. Heaven is not a place for fans and admirers of
Jesus. Heaven is a place for those who love Christ with a full heart. If you don't know Jesus
before your life comes to an end, Jesus will deny knowing you in the next.
For years, I used to laugh at the nickname that the Apostle John gave himself
in his own Gospels. Does anyone know what his nickname he gave himself was? The disciple whom
Jesus, what? Really, John? Ask him the nickname you gave yourself, the one whom Jesus loved.
And for years, I thought John was saying, "Yeah, you know what? I was Jesus' favorite.
Peter may be the most popular, but what can I say? Jesus loves me more."
Recently, I've come to the realization that's not at all what John had in mind. John is claiming
his identity by saying, "I am the one whom Jesus loved." He was saying the love of Jesus
was the most important thing about him. It doesn't even matter what my name is. What matters is that
Jesus loves me. The love of Jesus was the foundation of who he was and the motivation for all that he
did. How do you identify yourself? Do you primarily identify yourself as someone who has all the right
answers and says all the right things? Do you identify yourself as a good person who has an
impressive religious resume of good works? Do you identify yourself as someone who knows a lot
about Jesus? All of those identities are deceptive and destructive. All of those identities will
lead you to everlasting destruction. If those are your identities, you are self-deceived. You lack
self-awareness. I beg you to reject those identities and grab ahold of the love of Jesus Christ.
Embrace who he is and what he wants to give you. Give your life to him and Christ will become your
life. Give your identity to him and Christ will become your identity. You can be known as the one
whom Jesus loves by bowing the knee to him in unending submission. Make the love of Jesus Christ
the foundation of who you are and the motivation for all that you do.
It's so easy to lose sight of these spiritual realities in a physical world, isn't it?
In His infinite grace, God has chosen to give us a physical picture of His love in the Lord's Supper.
As we come to this meal together, we are graphically reminded of how Christ has shown His love
for us. He took our place on the cross. He died for us and He took upon Himself the wrath
that you and I deserve. Our worship leaders and communion servers can now make their way forward.
You don't need to be a member of Harvest Bible Chapel to take part in communion,
but you do need to be a member of the family of God.
Communion is only for those who know Christ and are known by Christ.
If you want to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, we're going to have two individuals back in guest
reception, Pastor Jeff and Lexie Cole. They would love to talk and pray with you.
And please just look at me for a minute. Please do not pass up this opportunity.
The Bible says that today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow is not a great day for salvation.
Next week is not a great time for salvation. When it's more convenient, it's not a great time for
salvation. Today is a great day for salvation. Jesus is commanding you to know Him today,
to love Him today, to trust in Him today. So please push aside your pride, push aside any
embarrassment you may feel. And go talk to Pastor Jeff and Lexie in the back. They would love to
pray for you and point you to Jesus and what next steps with Him looks like.
