In these verses Jesus is speaking to the Jews, the members of the church of that day. And he says that some of them would hear these words from Jesus on the final judgment day: “I never knew you.” Does reading this make you a bit worried?

But Jesus doesn’t want to scare us here. He wants to welcome us into heaven. And that’s why he gives us a warning in these verses. Many of Jesus’ listeners thought that because they were great grandchildren of Abraham they would be saved. They even did a lot of good things in Jesus’ name. They thought that these things would surely save them. It would be the same as us believing that just because we are members of the church or because our parents believe we will be saved.

But Jesus tells us that we all need to have a living faith. We can’t just say to Jesus, “I sang praises to you in church, and I gave collection money. Surely that will be enough to save me.” Jesus says that we have to do the will of our heavenly Father. We have to truly love the Lord.

So how do you know if you have a living faith? Do you truly love the Lord? Do you want to talk to him in prayer? Do you ask the Lord to be with you, and do you thank the Lord for his love for you? Is God important in your life? Are you truly sorry for your sins and do you ask the Lord to forgive you? Do you want to obey the Lord? Do you want God to be glorified by the things that you do? Do you realize that you are a sinner and can only be saved because of Christ’s work?

If you love the Lord and go to him with your sins, if you know that Jesus alone can save you and you ask him to do this, then you can know that you are safe in the arms of Jesus. Then he will welcome you into heaven with him.

Reflection with your child:

Why is saying, “Lord, Lord,” not enough to save us?

Source: Sermon by Rev. I. Wildeboer