Welcome to BibleTalk

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
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Jesus has not been looking at our works but rather at our hearts! He searches our hearts, and as He had said just earlier here in the Sermon on the Mount, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. {Mat.5:8} Our hearts are to be filled to overflowing with His love—the only heart purifier there is.

All of our words and all of our works originate within our hearts. Remember that the Lord said, ‘For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,’ {Mat.12:34} The apostle Paul had written to Timothy, his son in the faith, that the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. {1Tim.1:5} As always, the love of God—receiving it and returning it, sharing it with others—is the foundation of everything of importance in our lives.

It was James who wrote that we must prove ourselves to be doers of the Word and not merely hearers who delude themselves. {Jas.1:22} Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit to make that clear to us when he wrote to the believers in Corinth that if we have spiritual gifts, knowledge of religious things, power to work miracles, and more, if we were to give all of our possessions to feed the poor, and even be willing to die for our faith, but don’t have love, it profits us nothing. {1Cor.13:1-3} Anything that we do that is not empowered by the love of God is vanity.

At the end of the day, when people have breathed their last breath and come face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ, many will start telling Him of all the things that they have done, things they believe have earned their way into His eternal bliss. However, those many who think that will certainly be shocked when they hear His response: ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ {Mat.7:23}

The Word tells us that we don’t know how to pray as we should. {Rom.8:26} But I for one thank the Lord because He taught us how we should pray and filled us with the Holy Spirit so that we can and will have an effective prayer life. In light of what we just read, pay special attention to the close of this prayer that Jesus Himself taught us: ‘For Thine is the glory.’ {Mat.6:13} And remember that the Lord said that He will not give His glory to another. {Is.42:8}

“Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

TEST EVERYTHING BY THE WORD OF GOD