hears the words of God

"Words You Never Want to Hear" {Matt7:21-29}
* Intro: Plenty of words you can imagine you wish never to hear (tragedy, police, et al). Worst is "Depart from me; I never knew you"
- Prior to this, Lord presented audience w/ choice: destruction or salvation
- Cannot choose both destruction and Lord concurrently
* Avoid a mere verbal profession
- Verbal or outward show of religiosity provides false sense of security; not about religion but heart
- Satan can provide power to his believers to do counterfeit acts of supernatural (Acts8 and Simon, for example)
- Not about what seems like great religious works; must be in His will
* Avoid a mere intellectual knowledge of Christ
- v21 about say v do; v24-27 about hear v believe/do
- Crisis often reveals foundation of our trust
- Lord says only He as foundation will survive storm
* Response of crowd
- Amazement at authority
- Pharisees spoke about religiosity; Lord spoke as Savior & God
- Obedience needed more than amazement
* Our response today
- Choice before all at the throne: wide road of destruction (no Christ), or narrow road of life (salvation in Jesus)
- Make a choice this very day