“Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of Father which is in heaven.”

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matt. 7:21-23)

Everyone who names the name of Jesus should be well aware of these amazing words of Jesus! The kingdom of heaven is reserved for one class of people, and one alone! The exclusivity of the kingdom is such that only a certain kind of person can hope for admittance. This message is shocking to say the very least! One does well to notice that it is not only the ungodly people who are excluded from the kingdom: He included the ultra-religious people, the so-called prophets, those who cast out demons, and those who perform supernatural works -- all in His name. They are all grouped together. The warning is plain, the message is straight, there is no mystery, parable, or double-speak here. Jesus stated that the qualification for entering the kingdom is DOING HIS FATHER’S WILL!

Let’s face it, belonging to a church, being a “good” person, having the ability to work miracles, even claiming to have been “born again,” are no guarantee that a person will be ultimately saved. Too many people are relying on some past experience, or their church membership, to ensure their right to enter the kingdom. Jesus scuttled all the blarney about religiosity and the show of religious activity. He got right down to the bare facts of life eternal, in that it all depends upon one’s DOING the Father’s will.

Doctrine Is Not The Issue

We humans put too much importance upon doctrinal belief. This is not to say that we should assume a position of neutrality regarding Bible truths, but we need to have the proper perspective of the importance of tenets of the faith. Truth is important, but the only truth which saves is Jesus Christ: “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” He affirmed. “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

In one group we have people utilizing the Hebrew names of God, thus proclaiming that you must not refer to God in any language except Hebrew. They have set themselves apart from all other believers, believing that they are the only true believers: they alone have THE truth.

Then there are the “Jesus Only” people whom believe they alone have the essential doctrines. In order to make it, they say, you’ve got to adhere to their belief in the Godhead.

Many Pentecostals declare that you aren’t really saved until and unless you have spoken in tongues.

Sabbatarians generally believe that all Sunday keepers will end up in hell.

There are many others who make the same kinds of absurd claims. It would be impossible for a person to measure up to all of the hundreds of different ideas of what is necessary for eternal salvation. Jesus cut through the fog of question and doubt, and went directly to the heart of the issue. Entrance into God’s kingdom is limited to those who DO the Father’s will. What Is His Will? The word “will” is synonymous with desire, pleasure, and determination. It is easier for most people to understand the meaning of “will” when they apply it to themselves. We usually do what we want to do, that is, within our capability to do whatever it is we want. Our will is reflected by what we do and how we do it. Though we may not call these actions “my will,” they consist of what we want to do. If we have children, we usually have some idea of what we want them to do. We have certain rules for them to follow. We may designate specific chores for them to perform, and will no doubt have definite opinions concerning how said chores are to be accomplished. This constitutes “our will.”

Our Heavenly Father also has specific desires for His children, and these desires constitute His will. Of course, no one can do His will who does not know His will. Fortunately for us, we can know the will of the Father! His Will, His Word. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son....” (Heb. 1:1-2a) The Father’s will, then, has been expressed to us by Jesus Christ. Indeed, He asserted again and again that His words were not His own, but that He repeated that which He had heard from His Father. (John 8:28; John 12:49,50; John 8:38; John 14:10) The will of the Father is revealed in the sayings and words of the Lord Jesus. This means, then, that everyone who has a copy of the words of Jesus has a record of the will of the Father!

This also means that everyone who has access to the sayings of Jesus is without excuse. The Father’s will, spoken by Jesus and recorded in the sacred Scripture, is available to the greater part of professing Christians today. The fact that few believers read or practice the words and commands of Jesus is an indictment against this present generation. Consider the contradiction of claiming to be a Christian but not adhering to the edicts and commands of Christ!

Dispensationalism, One Cause

It is nearly unbelievable that anyone (especially a professing Christian) could have the gall to state that the words of Jesus show neither the privilege nor the duty of God’s people in this age. Yet Mr. C. I. Scofield made that very statement in his annotated version of the Bible. He is actually stating that one is not required to do the Father’s will in order to enter the kingdom of God, a statement in total opposition to that which Jesus taught. Who knows best? Jesus or Scofield? Scofield (along with millions of modern Christians(?) despised the words of Jesus. Of the Sermon on the Mount he charged: “the Sermon on the Mount is pure law, and transfers the offence from the overt act to the motive. (Matt.5:21,22,27,28).” By this, Scofield was referring to the fact that Jesus said sin was reckoned in the heart, and not just in the act. Where it was once sin to commit adultery (the act), now He says adultery can be committed by an evil desire. That was evidently too much for Mr. Scofield to take, so he threw the entire sermon into a future era, which he chose to call the kingdom age, a position that is thoroughly condemned by the New Testament writers.

Today, there are multitudes of people who have put full confidence in Scofield’s notes and who categorically reject the commands, the words and sayings of Jesus, all of which are the revealed will of the heavenly Father, without which no one shall enter the kingdom of heaven! Now, this is serious business!

“The Strait Gate - The Narrow Way”

The word “strait” is quite different from straight. Strait indicates confinement. A few synonyms are, difficulty, adversity, affliction, distressful, and trouble. Narrow also carries out the thought of something confining, cramped, close, compact, compressed. Jesus said this is descriptive of the way that leads to life. In order to enter the strait gate and narrow way, one must search for it, because He said there were but few who FIND IT. Most probably, the majority does not want it, so they don’t seek for it. Also, most probably, many who find it do not want it. The Sermon on the Mount certainly circumscribes a “narrow” way of life. Anyone who attempts to live according to its precepts will be a marked person, singled out as an oddball, a fanatic, or worse. Yet the Will of the Father is set forth in these three revolutionary chapters of Matthew. Now, since we want eternal life, and want to enter the kingdom of heaven, doesn’t it make sense that we should DO whatever is necessary to see this accomplished?

Too many people expect the path of the Christian to be easy, pleasant, satisfying to the flesh, a garden of roses surrounded by beauty and tranquility. True, we are promised “joy unspeakable and full of glory” and “peace that passeth understanding,” but we are also promised tribulation, trial, persecution, and trouble. Consider the true saints on record (Heb. 11) who were inhumanly treated. The “way of the cross” (self-denial, humility, submission to Jesus) is a great separator. The insincere and hypocrite will not long tolerate the confinement of the “narrow way.” When the heat of the fire of adversity is turned up, the triflers will scatter like roaches exposed to a bright light, and will huddle down together in the darkness of carnality. The “honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15) will gladly endure the pressure of the way of the Lord, knowing that he is safe in the shelter of the Father’s will. For not only is the narrow way a separator, it is the means by which the pilgrims are purged, purified, and sanctified. Anyone who willingly bends and breaks his own will to conform to the will of the Father, enters into a state of harmony with God where the earthy people are aliens. They are not run-of-the-mill folks who embrace and cherish and obey the stark and pithy sayings of Jesus.

The Solid Rock

Following immediately on the heels of His denunciation of the “workers of iniquity” (lawlessness), Jesus cried, “THEREFORE,” or because of this, “whosoever heareth these sayings of mine (which are the will of the Father) and DOETH THEM, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock..” (Mt. 7:24) How utterly important it is that every Christian receives this message! Obedience to the sayings of Jesus is the only place of security and safety for the believer. Merely “believing on Jesus” does not spell security. Doing the will of the Father and doing the words of Jesus are one and the same thing. To do what Jesus said is to do the Father’s will, for Jesus received His orders from the Father. Here, under the canopy of His divine will, is all the protection one needs in order to successfully weather life’s many hazardous storms. Jesus stated that such a person cannot be moved!

Make no mistake about it: the only surety offered to anyone is in doing the Father’s will, and if you really want to know His will, find a red-letter King James New Testament and start reading, but remember, it is not he who knows God’s will who receives the guaranty, but “He that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

(Reprinted from Number 367, June 1994 issue of “The Testimony of Truth” with permission from “People of the Living God”)

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