Matthew 7:21-23 | Exposed by God's Judgment
When a matter is unclear or unsettled, we look to judgment to reveal the truth. Share a time in your life when you looked for judgment to reveal the truth. Whose judgment did you seek? (Examples: went to court before a judge or jury, asked a friend to help you sort through an issue, submitted a dispute to a church elder, sought the wisdom of an online guru, posted an issue to social media for the input of the masses, did some soul searching to find truth within.) What truth was revealed?
Read Matthew 7:21-23. What does it seem like Jesus cares about most? The faith we profess, the works we achieve, or something else?
Sometimes it’s helpful to hear the same idea in someone else’s words. Read James 1:22-25. How are Matthew 7:21-23 and James 1:22-25 similar?
God’s judgment exposes who we really are. God isn’t deceived about who we are, and he doesn’t want us to be deceived either. How does someone examine themselves? What are they looking for on the inside? What role does God have in our own self-examination?
It is good news that Jesus is our divine judge. What does it mean that God’s judgment embraces who we truly are, without any claim? What can’t we claim before God? Is there anything or anyone we can claim?
Read Psalm 139:23-24. How do you need God to do these things for you? What vulnerability do you feel about willing exposing yourself to God, to hear who he says you are? Share and pray for one another.