KNOWN BY HIM
Here is a recap of Sunday’s message from Pastor Steve: “The Power of Obedience — Part 2: Known by Him”
We walked into one of the most sobering moments in the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus warns in Matthew 7:21–23 that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is terrifying not because God is cruel, but because it exposes how easy it is to live with false assurance, doing spiritual things, using spiritual language, even seeing spiritual results, yet never truly surrendering to Jesus as Lord. Jesus draws a line between knowing His name and being known by Him.
Pastor unpacked four big movements: who Jesus is talking about (false followers), who He is talking to (true disciples), the test of authenticity, and the call to die so we can truly live. We saw that it’s possible to prophesy, cast out demons, and do miracles in His name and yet still hear Him say, “I never knew you.” The difference is not the size of your ministry, but the surrender of your heart. Obedience isn’t about earning salvation, it’s the evidence that salvation is real.
We heard a clear distinction between being a fan of Jesus and a follower of Jesus. Fans love forgiveness but resist self-denial, followers deny themselves, take up their cross, and walk closely with Him. Jesus doesn’t just want your gifts, your platform, or your Christian vocabulary. He wants you. Through the Greek words He uses - kyrie, kyrie (“Lord, Lord”), ginōskō (to know relationally), anomia (lawlessness), aparneomai (deny yourself), stauros (cross), and akoloutheō (follow closely). We saw that Christianity is not about performance, but about possession: being fully His.
Practical takeaways:
• Don’t confuse saying “Lord” with living “Lord.” Verbal confession without surrendered obedience is empty.
• Ministry without intimacy is dangerous. You can do works for God and still not walk with God.
• Love and obedience are inseparable. John 14:23 shows that if we truly love Jesus, it will show up in how quickly we obey.
• Surrender is the proof of salvation. Authentic followers are known by their willingness to deny self, take up their cross, and follow.
• Your fruit reveals your root. Over time, your actions, attitudes, and patterns will tell the truth about who leads your life.
• You can’t receive Spirit power while clinging to self-control. There is no infilling without emptying, power falls on surrender, not pride.
• The gospel doesn’t make bad people good; it makes dead people live. Resurrection life only comes after the death of self.
Images that stuck:
• The scene of judgment day where people cry, “Lord, Lord, look at what we did,” only to hear, “I never knew you”. A true heart-check for all of us.
• A fan in the stands vs. a follower on the field, one watching and cheering, the other carrying a cross and following orders.
• Laying down the “steering wheel” of your life so you can finally pick up the “sword of the Spirit”. You can’t hold both at once.
• The daily choice to climb back on the altar, dying to self so that Christ can live freely through you.
• The cross not as jewelry around your neck, but as the place where your will dies and His will takes over.
Below are the verses that were read during the message.
Matthew 7:21–23 (NLT)
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those
who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out
demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’
But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”
Matthew 7:20 (NLT)
“Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”
Matthew 16:24–25 (CEV)
“Then Jesus told his disciples: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about
yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me.
If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find
it.”
John 14:23 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and
make our home with each of them.”
Galatians 2:20 (NLT)
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live
in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Matthew 16:25 (NLT)
“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will
save it.”
Philippians 4:13 (NLT)
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
A closing encouragement from the service: Jesus is not trying to scare away sincere believers; He is waking up sleepy ones. When He says, “I never knew you,” He’s not rejecting the broken and repentant, He is exposing the religious, the unsurrendered, the fan who never became a follower. Today, the invitation is clear: move from fan to follower, from calling Him “Lord” with your lips to crowning Him “Lord” with your life. Lay down your pride, your self-rule, and your need for control. Die to self and discover real life in Him. The One who will one day judge you is the same One who died to save you. Let Him not only know your name, let Him truly know you.