Does He Know You?

Generally, when we're considering someone's salvific status (whether or not they're saved), we will ask the question, "do you know the Lord?". This question is geared towards finding out whether or not that person "knows the Lord" in the pardon of their sins and as their personal Lord and Savior. Of course, you cannot go to Heaven and receive the gift of Eternal Life if you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. But the question I'd like to raise today is, Does the Lord Know You? Yes, there are many a person who has made a personal confession of Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and would adamantly say, "oh yes, I know the Lord". But one of the things that we fail to realize is that, if the Lord doesn't know you, you're not going to make it in. So, we really need to make sure that in light of our confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, that we can confidently say that yes, the Lord Knows Us.

I'm sure that some of you can relate to a relational situation where you feel like you've known somebody for a significant period of time and then, all of a sudden, they switch up on you. You used to be close and now you're not. They used to be nice and now they're mean. They used to be kind and considerate and now they're insensitive and selfish. And as a result you may make the statement, "I don't know them anymore". This can happen with parents and children as their children move from childhood to adolescence. This can also happen with married couples as the marriage extends over time and spouses change. But believe it or not, it can also happen with the Lord. Of course the Lord changeth not (Malachi 3), so we don't have to  worry about Him changing up on us. But as fickle as human beings are, we are definitely apt to change up on the Lord.

Jesus says in the 7th chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew, "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 I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." I've always wondered, how can someone prophesy, cast out devils and do all of these wonderful works "in His Name", and Jesus not know them. Saints, it's a hard concept to fully grasp, but we must understand that one's work for the Lord and their ministerial productivity, does not constitute nor define the Relationship. This is the problem with a lot of us as preachers. We think that God is pleased because we preach so hard, or we teach so well, or we prophesy His word. Wrong. Yes, God wants us to be faithful over the gifts and callings for which He has ordained us to fulfill. But none of that defines our relationship with the Lord. Our Relationship with Christ is defined by our Character and the Substance of our Spirit. There are several ministers of the Lord that are truly gifted and anointed, but they're nasty, mean and arrogant. That is not of God! And when you serve the Lord in that type of "anti-christ" spirit, the Lord's going to say, "I don't know you!".

There are many of us that are faithful to our calling, but are we faithful to the relationship? Are we as diligent about growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ as we are about preaching a sermon or pastoring a church? Are we committed to insuring that the fruit of the Spirit is demonstrably seen in the character of our lives? The Apostle Rick Joyner said that the Lord said to him (and I paraphrase), "in heaven the rank of a deacon who loves is higher than the rank of an apostle who doesn't". It's not about the titles, it's not about the ministerial rank, it's about the Love. Let us make sure that we're majoring on loving others as Christ has loved us. Otherwise, you may be eternally challenged with the question of, Does He Know You?