Don't I know you?

I was sharing with someone last night that I could easily put together a year of sermon illustrations from my 52 most embarrassing moments. In other words, I have put my foot in my mouth so many times that I have grown accustomed to the aftertaste of leather. Most of us have seen a face that we recognize and felt a little embarrassed that we couldn't remember the name. That's not so bad. But what if we don't recognize a face of someone that we have met recently? When I was pastoring in Arizona I approached a person on Sunday morning after service because he appeared to be new. I introduced myself and welcomed him to the church. His reply was a little abrupt. He said, "I know who you are, I ate dinner at your house a few weeks ago". I had failed to recognize him as a person who had indeed been to our house for dinner with some friends. Before closing out the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus clarified that not everyone who thinks they are known by Him are really known by Him. In fact, He described "judgment day" as a time when "many" will hear the words "I never knew you" from Him. That's a strong admonishment to make sure we have an authentic relationship with Jesus.