Are you a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven? What does it take to become one? Find out the answers to these questions and much more in this message.
- TEXT: Matthew 7:21-23
- SERIES: The Gospel of Matthew
- SPEAKER: Jason Dollar
- DATE: November 27, 2011
Subscribe to RMLBC Sermon Podcast
Matthew 7:21-23 “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.’”
INTRO: The Kingdom of Heaven is the overwhelming theme of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus Christ is the King of this Kingdom and has come to make a way of entrance for guilty sinners.
In this passage there are at least 5 vital truths about what it means to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
(1) Every person must decide to enter as an individual.
(2) The “Kingdom of Heaven” is the kind of thing that can be “entered.
Mt. 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate”
Mt. 18:3 “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
(3) To enter the kingdom of heaven, there must be a saying (“Lord, Lord”) and there must be a doing (“does the will of my Father”).
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.
(4) There is a “Day” of judgment where the final separation of kingdom citizens from those under judgment will occur.
(5) Knowing Jesus Christ personally is the mark of distinction between Kingdom citizens and “workers of lawlessness.”
APPLICATION: Talk to God about your citizenship in His Kingdom.
