Matthew 7:21-23

There are scary verses in the Bible. Verses that you hear and you think, "Really? Really? I can't bear that."

This is one of those.

21"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. 22Many 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?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'


So we were talking about Chapter 7 in Matthew and we talked about this verse. And I got emotional. I said that it was one of those verses that thinking about my relationship with Jesus and knowing those moments in my life where the only reason I made it from breath one to breath two was that Jesus was right there. And to have him look at you and say, "I don't know you." And then wanting to scream NO! You were there. We were there together and it was You it was all You who helped me through who made me live. And there at the church in the front when I was crying and couldn't talk it was You. It was You who let me nod and You who had helped me stand up because I was too far down to stand. It was You. How can You not remember? Don't You Remember?

This morning still thinking about it, it occured to me how often I make Jesus feel that way though. How many times do I forget that I still need him to get from breath one to breath two. I think I'm just breathing, it's no big thing. And he's not infused in those breaths. It's just me going along doing my own thing, finding the cliff of poor decision that I'm about to jump off of again. And there he is behind me screaming: "No! Don't you remember. Don't you remember that this hurts? Why are you doing? This isn't the life I have for you. I'll come get you, but why do you insist on doing this. Don't you remember where I found you. Don't you remember how far we've come. Don't you remember all the good things I've told you. Don't you remember how much I love you? Don't you remember? Please come back."

And the way that I cry when I think of him saying, "I don't know you." Is the way he cries when I keep my back to him and continue to stare down the cliff into the pit...