When “Lord, Lord” Is Not Enough
That's when it hit me. It wasn't an audible voice, but a deep, unshakeable impression on my spirit, a message that burned with holy fire. God kept giving me this stuff, this heavy burden for the people sitting in the pews, convinced they're safe because of a prayer they said years ago. They're holding a little card, a spiritual "get out of hell free" card, and they plan to flash it on Judgment Day, expecting the gates to swing wide open.
But the Lord was showing me, in passage after passage, that this card is a counterfeit. It's a flimsy piece of paper printed by the enemy, designed to give a false sense of security while the holder's life produces no fruit, no evidence of a true relationship with Jesus Christ. I felt a holy anger rise up, not at the people, but at the deception. I felt the Lord saying, "We cannot hide the full counsel of God from these people." The podcast I had planned was forgotten. This was the message I had to share. This is the warning I have to give you today.
The Devil's Favorite Bible Verse
One of the enemy's most effective strategies isn't to deny the Bible, but to twist it. He's a master of "Bible chopping," taking one verse out of its context to build an entire doctrine of deception. If you think that's an exaggeration, just look at how he tried to take down Jesus Himself.
In Matthew 4 and Luke 4, the devil takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and tempts him to prove His divinity. And what tool does he use? Scripture. He quotes Psalm 91, saying, "...for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone" (Matthew 4:6 KJV).
Satan was using the Word of God to try and get the Word of God to kill Himself. Think about that. Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, sets the precedent for how we are to handle this tactic. He doesn't argue the verse; He completes the counsel of God. He responds, "...It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Matthew 4:7 KJV).
This is the key. It's not one verse; it's the sum of the Word that is truth. Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little (Isaiah 28:10 KJV). We are to meditate on it, hide it in our hearts, and let it dwell in us richly. If we don't, we become disciples of something else—the television, politics, or our own selfish desires. Jesus said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31 KJV).
So what's the modern-day equivalent of the devil's temptation? It's the verse I hear constantly, the one people pull out like a trump card when their lifestyle is challenged. It's their get-out-of-hell-free scripture:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9 KJV).
People build their entire eternal security on this one verse, ignoring everything else Jesus said about the cost of discipleship. They believe that because they said a prayer one time, maybe at a youth camp ten years ago, they're set. Jesus can be an accessory to their life, not the Lord of it. They don't have to feed the hungry, visit the prisoners, or clothe the naked. They don't have to produce any fruit. They just have to have that one-time sincere moment. But does that idea stack up against the full counsel of God? Let's look at what Jesus Himself has to say.
When "Lord, Lord" Is Not Enough
I've had conversations where I've gently tried to talk to someone about their life, about the clear absence of God's work in them, and they immediately get defensive. "Don't judge me," they'll say, "God knows my heart. And Romans 10:9 says I'm saved because I confessed him as Lord."
They're right about one thing: God does know their heart. And He also said, "I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings" (Jeremiah 17:10 KJV). Notice it says "fruit of his doings." James asks the piercing question, "...though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" (James 2:14 KJV). He goes on to say that even the devils believe there is one God, and they tremble. The demons will confess Jesus is Lord, but who do they serve? Their actions, their "works," prove who their true master is.
Jesus told a series of parables in Matthew that should make anyone comfortable with mere lip service tremble.
The Foolish Virgins
In Matthew 25, ten virgins are waiting for the bridegroom. Five are wise and have extra oil for their lamps; five are foolish and do not. When the call comes, the foolish virgins' lamps are going out. They have no oil—no presence of the Holy Spirit, no real, living relationship. They run off to buy some, but they're too late. They come to the door and knock, crying out, "Lord, Lord, open to us." (Matthew 25:11 KJV). They call him Lord. They use the right word. But His response is chilling: "...Verily I say unto you, I know you not" (Matthew 25:12 KJV). He didn't know them. There was no relationship.
The Unprofitable Servant
Right after that, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. A master gives talents to three servants. Two invest them and double their master's money. The third, out of fear, digs a hole and buries his talent. When the master returns, this servant comes forward and says, "Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man..." (Matthew 25:24 KJV). He calls him Lord. He acknowledges his position. But what does the Lord call him? "...Thou wicked and slothful servant" (Matthew 25:26 KJV). And what is his fate? He is cast "...into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:30 KJV). His confession meant nothing because it wasn't backed by faithful action.
The Goats on the Left
Finally, Jesus describes the final judgment, separating the sheep from the goats. The sheep are welcomed into the kingdom because they fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and visited the sick. Then He turns to the goats on His left. And who are these goats? They aren't atheists or pagans. They are people who were part of the flock, who thought they belonged. They are shocked by the judgment. They ask, "Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" (Matthew 25:44 KJV). They call him Lord. They are standing right there in the congregation. But because their faith produced no works, no compassion, no fruit, they are sent away into "everlasting punishment" (Matthew 25:46 KJV).
In every single case, the people being condemned call Jesus "Lord." Their lips are saying the right thing. But their lives tell a different story. Their hearts are far from Him.
Personal Reflections
This message got a hold of me and set me on fire because I see this deception everywhere. It's the popular, easy-believism gospel that fills seats but empties lives of their power and purpose. It creates lukewarm Christians that God says He will spew out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16). It's a doctrine that inoculated millions against the true, life-transforming, supernatural power of a real relationship with Jesus Christ.
Early in my walk, especially during the experiences I detail in my book, OPEN YOUR EYES MY SUPERNATURAL JOURNEY, I learned that following Jesus wasn't a passive activity. It was a daily battle, a constant choice to abide in Him. I learned that the spiritual realm is real and that our actions have eternal consequences. The idea that I could just say a prayer and then live for myself became absurd. If He is truly Lord, then He is Lord over everything—my time, my money, my relationships, my future.
This isn't about earning your salvation through works. We are saved by grace through faith. But a faith that is real will inevitably produce fruit. It's the evidence of the salvation that has already taken place. As I write in my other book, Overcoming Night Terror, true freedom comes from a deep, abiding connection with the Spirit of God, not from reciting a formula.
Jesus put it this way in John 15: "I am the vine, ye are the branches..." (John 15:5 KJV). A branch that is truly connected to the vine cannot help but bear fruit. It's the natural result of receiving life and nourishment from the source. But He also gave this terrifying warning: "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away..." (John 15:2 KJV). And later, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned" (John 15:6 KJV).
My passion, the reason I started ConradRocks.net, is to see you develop that authentic, abiding, spiritual relationship with the biblical Jesus. I don't want you to be shocked on Judgment Day. I don't want you to be one of the many who will say, "Lord, Lord," only to hear the most horrifying words an individual can ever hear: "I never knew you; depart from me."
Key Takeaways
- One Verse Isn't Enough: Building your theology on a single, isolated verse is dangerous. The devil himself quotes scripture. We must understand the full counsel of God.
- Faith Without Works is Dead: True, saving faith will always produce the fruit of good works. It's the evidence of a transformed heart.
- Lip Service is Not Lord Service: Calling Jesus "Lord" is meaningless if He is not the actual Lord of your life, thoughts, and actions. The foolish virgins, the unprofitable servant, and the goats all called Him Lord.
- Abiding is Everything: The Christian life is about a continual, moment-by-moment relationship with Jesus—abiding in the vine. Without that connection, we can do nothing and will eventually be cut off.
Conclusion and Call to Action
It's time to tear up the counterfeit "Get Out of Hell Free Card." It's time to get honest with ourselves and with God. We need to stop playing church and start being the Church. We need to build our house on the rock of hearing Jesus' sayings and doing them.
Read the words in red. Read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. See for yourself the kind of life Jesus calls us to. It's not a life where He is an accessory; it's a life where He is everything. It's a life of fruit, a life of love, a life of service. That is the only life that provides true assurance of salvation, not because of what we've done, but because of who He is in us.
I urge you to examine your own life. Are you a branch connected to the Vine? Are you bearing fruit? Or are you holding a worthless card, hoping it will be enough? Don't be deceived. Dig deeper.
Action Items
- Read Matthew 25: Prayerfully read the entire chapter. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you identify more with the wise or foolish virgins, the faithful or slothful servant, the sheep or the goats.
- Conduct a Fruit Inspection: Take an honest inventory of your life this past month. Where have you actively served others? How have you used your time, talents, and treasure for the Kingdom of God? Write it down. The results may be revealing.
- Abide for 15 Minutes: Commit to spending 15 uninterrupted minutes every day for the next week simply abiding. No agenda. Just sit in silence, read a Psalm, and ask Jesus to speak to your heart and fill you with His Spirit.
- Find a Place to Serve: Stop waiting for a perfect opportunity. Find a local ministry that feeds the hungry, helps the poor, or visits the lonely, and sign up to volunteer this month. Put your faith into action. You can check out my "Missions" tab at ConradRocks.net for ideas.
