WEBVTT 00:00:04.110 --> 00:00:06.209 If you have your Bibles, if you would open them 00:00:06.209 --> 00:00:10.150 to Matthew chapter 7. I really debated a lot 00:00:10.150 --> 00:00:13.609 this week whether I would continue in this sermon 00:00:13.609 --> 00:00:16.929 series knowing this is my text. You know, I believe 00:00:16.929 --> 00:00:20.170 in expository preaching as we go verse by verse 00:00:20.170 --> 00:00:22.989 making our way through each book of the Bible. 00:00:23.969 --> 00:00:25.969 And sometimes you come to some harder verses, 00:00:26.730 --> 00:00:30.300 certainly more sobering. You know, there are 00:00:30.300 --> 00:00:32.140 days in which the Sunday falls, the Wednesday 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:34.700 falls, and, you know, I really thought, Lord, 00:00:34.899 --> 00:00:37.399 do I want to, do you want me to preach a comforting 00:00:37.399 --> 00:00:40.020 song? But I just didn't have any peace about 00:00:40.020 --> 00:00:42.619 that. And so I decided, no, I'm going to stick 00:00:42.619 --> 00:00:45.079 where we were and trust that God's providence 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:48.799 has brought us to this passage before us, although 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.899 it is Mother's Day. And with that, I wish all 00:00:51.899 --> 00:00:53.960 of you ladies a very happy Mother's Day. It's 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:56.600 a gift of God's grace to us. And we celebrate 00:00:56.600 --> 00:00:59.079 and we honor you this morning. that we worship 00:00:59.079 --> 00:01:02.600 Christ, and we have to hear from him. And this 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:04.579 is how he has spoken to us. He has spoken to 00:01:04.579 --> 00:01:07.159 his church through his word. We're in Matthew 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:11.579 chapter seven, verses 21 through 23. Jesus himself, 00:01:12.060 --> 00:01:15.140 the divine son of God, he says, not everyone 00:01:15.140 --> 00:01:19.299 who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into 00:01:19.299 --> 00:01:22.000 the kingdom of heaven. Now right there is terrifying. 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:25.620 That's terrifying to me. That he who does the 00:01:25.620 --> 00:01:29.209 will of my father in heaven. Many will say to 00:01:29.209 --> 00:01:33.129 me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied 00:01:33.129 --> 00:01:36.870 in your name, cast out demons in your name, and 00:01:36.870 --> 00:01:39.930 done many wonders in your name? And I will declare 00:01:39.930 --> 00:01:44.349 to them I never knew you. Depart from me, you 00:01:44.349 --> 00:01:47.930 who practice and notice lawlessness. Some translations 00:01:47.930 --> 00:01:51.549 may say iniquity. Let us ask the Lord for help 00:01:51.549 --> 00:01:56.640 this morning. Would you join me in prayer? Our 00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:00.760 Father, Lord, speak by Your Spirit to Your people 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:04.379 who are gathered in Your name, Lord God. We profit, 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:07.599 Lord, by hearing from heaven. Lord, we realize 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:09.539 that it must be the Spirit of God that brings 00:02:09.539 --> 00:02:13.360 conviction as well as illumination. Lord, I pray 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:14.939 that I would not be a distraction. Would You 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:19.300 help me to speak clearly, boldly, yet humbly, 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:22.870 Lord? I need You in this regard. Father, I beg 00:02:22.870 --> 00:02:24.729 of you, Lord God, I pray that you would help 00:02:24.729 --> 00:02:29.610 me to speak, Lord, by your spirit so that Christ 00:02:29.610 --> 00:02:32.650 and Christ alone will get glory this morning. 00:02:32.949 --> 00:02:37.270 And we pray this in his blessed name, amen. As 00:02:37.270 --> 00:02:39.370 a teacher, whenever something is important or 00:02:39.370 --> 00:02:42.349 I want to emphasize that my students really need 00:02:42.349 --> 00:02:45.169 to know something, I will usually give a warning 00:02:45.169 --> 00:02:47.909 or more than that, I usually just drop a hint. 00:02:48.729 --> 00:02:51.569 And the warning may go something like this. If 00:02:51.569 --> 00:02:54.509 I were you, I would highlight this because you're 00:02:54.509 --> 00:02:56.389 probably going to be seeing this again in the 00:02:56.389 --> 00:02:58.689 future. And the idea there, if you're a teacher, 00:02:59.069 --> 00:03:00.889 everyone knows, well, that's going to find its 00:03:00.889 --> 00:03:04.389 way on a test. Warnings like that are very helpful 00:03:04.389 --> 00:03:06.310 because they arrest the student's attention. 00:03:07.009 --> 00:03:08.770 They cause them to think about why I just said 00:03:08.770 --> 00:03:11.090 it was important. And that's what warnings are 00:03:11.090 --> 00:03:14.389 really designed and supposed to do. As we come 00:03:14.389 --> 00:03:17.870 to the text today, it is not a teacher, but it's, 00:03:17.870 --> 00:03:21.680 again, the Son of God. And he issues the most, 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:26.479 and I say that with all seriousness, the most 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:30.659 sober, the most serious, and I believe the most 00:03:30.659 --> 00:03:34.840 sad warning of all. Jesus says not everyone who 00:03:34.840 --> 00:03:37.960 calls him Lord is going to enter into the kingdom 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:41.439 of heaven. That means that some who assume they 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:44.419 belong to Christ do not belong to him. In other 00:03:44.419 --> 00:03:46.939 words, there were some on that day who were listening 00:03:46.939 --> 00:03:50.120 to Christ speak and they were deceived believing 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:54.120 that they were right with God. Yet sadly, Jesus 00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:55.900 said they will be cast away from the presence 00:03:55.900 --> 00:04:00.539 of Christ for all eternity. It's a dire warning. 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:03.759 And with dire warnings, we do well to take heed 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.659 and listen carefully to what he's saying. We 00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:09.659 need to understand context, right? We're nearing 00:04:09.659 --> 00:04:11.599 the end of this great sermon, known as the Sermon 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:14.550 on the Mount. He opened it. He began with those 00:04:14.550 --> 00:04:17.230 Beatitudes. Blessed are. Blessed are the poor 00:04:17.230 --> 00:04:19.490 in spirit. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are 00:04:19.490 --> 00:04:21.430 the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart. 00:04:21.709 --> 00:04:23.470 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after 00:04:23.470 --> 00:04:26.750 righteousness. And in it he was giving the qualities 00:04:26.750 --> 00:04:29.930 of those people who do enter the kingdom of Christ. 00:04:31.350 --> 00:04:34.629 We then were directed, our attention was, to 00:04:34.629 --> 00:04:37.149 the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, the scribes 00:04:37.149 --> 00:04:41.540 and Pharisees. Jesus himself said that his disciples, 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:44.560 they are the light of the world, they're the 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:47.879 salt of the earth. He talked about a narrow gate 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:52.439 that led an open to a narrow way, a difficult 00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:55.600 way is the word thepsis in Greek, and it ends 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:59.379 in life. We saw there was a danger posed by false 00:04:59.379 --> 00:05:02.680 teachers who infiltrate the church and they lead 00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:06.980 people astray. And today we come to the most 00:05:06.980 --> 00:05:10.600 sobering passage yet. Jesus said there's going 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:13.740 to be some who are shut out of the kingdom of 00:05:13.740 --> 00:05:16.959 God on the day of judgment. That means not everyone 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:19.319 who says they are saved are saved, and not everyone 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:23.920 who calls Jesus Lord is saved. Is there anything 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:26.420 more tragic than that? I mean, I don't think 00:05:26.420 --> 00:05:28.759 there could possibly, there is nothing more devastating 00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:31.420 than to come to the end of your life and find 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:33.860 out that you have been denied entrance into this 00:05:33.860 --> 00:05:37.740 glorious kingdom of God. Nothing stands to that. 00:05:38.379 --> 00:05:41.939 Everything pales in comparison to that. Jesus, 00:05:41.959 --> 00:05:44.560 remember, there's two gates. Two gates open, 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:47.399 they lead to two roads. And they lead to two 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:50.350 different destinations. As I said, there's that 00:05:50.350 --> 00:05:52.730 narrow gate, but since it's a narrow way, again, 00:05:52.829 --> 00:05:55.029 the Greek word there, it's difficult, it flips 00:05:55.029 --> 00:05:58.790 us, it hones you in. It's a way fraught with 00:05:58.790 --> 00:06:03.850 danger. It ends in life. There's a very broad 00:06:03.850 --> 00:06:06.430 gate, a very wide gate, opening to a very easy, 00:06:06.709 --> 00:06:11.370 well -worn path. Looks enticing, yet it ends 00:06:11.370 --> 00:06:13.879 in destruction. And that's the problem, that 00:06:13.879 --> 00:06:17.060 easy path, that wide gate, it's enticing because 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:22.040 it makes absolutely no demands of you. The wide 00:06:22.040 --> 00:06:24.160 gate would say there is no cost at all to following 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:27.939 Jesus. The easy road says, hey, you can have 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:31.240 your cake and eat it too. You can have Jesus 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:33.579 as Savior and no, he does not have to be your 00:06:33.579 --> 00:06:39.910 Lord. That's a lie. Jesus said, not only are 00:06:39.910 --> 00:06:41.470 there two gates leading to two roads leading 00:06:41.470 --> 00:06:44.649 to two destinations, there are two types of trees 00:06:44.649 --> 00:06:47.649 which represent two groups of people. There are 00:06:47.649 --> 00:06:51.550 good trees and there are bad trees. Well, how 00:06:51.550 --> 00:06:54.230 can you tell them apart? Jesus said it's very 00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:57.310 easy. The good trees will bear good fruit. The 00:06:57.310 --> 00:07:00.829 bad tree either bears no fruit or it bears a 00:07:00.829 --> 00:07:05.209 corrupt bad fruit. Here's the problem. The bad 00:07:05.209 --> 00:07:08.620 trees may look like good trees, for a while. 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:12.439 But in the end, the fruit will always reveal 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:15.439 what type of tree it really was at its root. 00:07:16.819 --> 00:07:18.759 The trees, obviously, are serving as a metaphor 00:07:18.759 --> 00:07:22.639 for the disciples of Christ. See, both types 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:24.639 of people, both the good trees and the bad trees, 00:07:24.740 --> 00:07:27.939 both claim to belong to Christ. They both say 00:07:27.939 --> 00:07:31.040 they're disciples of His, but Jesus said only 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:34.459 the tree that bears forth good fruit actually 00:07:34.459 --> 00:07:38.189 belongs to Him. And then he said, hey, to his 00:07:38.189 --> 00:07:43.850 disciples, be on guard. Be vigilant. Why? Because 00:07:43.850 --> 00:07:46.230 Satan is going to make sure there are false teachers 00:07:46.230 --> 00:07:49.910 who are on that broad, easy path, and they will 00:07:49.910 --> 00:07:52.589 be beckoning people to join them. Now, these 00:07:52.589 --> 00:07:56.370 false teachers are coming in sheep's clothing. 00:07:57.269 --> 00:07:59.930 They look like Christians. They sound like Christians. 00:08:00.089 --> 00:08:04.629 They are not Christians. The broad way, it's 00:08:04.629 --> 00:08:08.540 the way of indulgence. Pride. It'll appeal to 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:14.540 your flesh. The narrow way. It's hard. It's a 00:08:14.540 --> 00:08:21.740 way of cross bearing. Surrender. Humility. Repentance. 00:08:22.759 --> 00:08:26.079 It is a hard way, folks. And yet it is compelling. 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:29.800 It is compelling to those who are truly regenerate 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:33.809 because the true disciple of Christ sees and 00:08:33.809 --> 00:08:36.570 understands the cost of following Jesus, yet 00:08:36.570 --> 00:08:41.250 He does not let that deter Him. Why? You are 00:08:41.250 --> 00:08:45.049 compelled to follow Christ because your eyes 00:08:45.049 --> 00:08:48.389 and your heart have been opened to see how glorious 00:08:48.389 --> 00:08:52.490 He is. You can't deny it. You see Him and you 00:08:52.490 --> 00:08:56.649 must follow Him. But in the passage before us, 00:08:56.669 --> 00:09:00.940 Jesus was addressing a mixed audience. See, on 00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:02.639 that day, he said they were gathered. You have 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:06.399 true disciples. Then you had false converts or 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:10.039 false disciples, we might say. Some of them who 00:09:10.039 --> 00:09:11.539 were gathered there on that day were just merely 00:09:11.539 --> 00:09:15.059 curious. They hadn't made up their mind. But 00:09:15.059 --> 00:09:17.980 we also know the scribes and Pharisees were there, 00:09:18.340 --> 00:09:20.659 the leading religious officials, and they were 00:09:20.659 --> 00:09:23.259 deceived. And all of them were gathered. There 00:09:23.259 --> 00:09:26.379 was a crowd there that day. Now, our text, verses 00:09:26.379 --> 00:09:29.669 21 through 23, is connected to the passage we 00:09:29.669 --> 00:09:32.190 looked at last week, verses 15 to 20. Let me 00:09:32.190 --> 00:09:35.509 show you real quickly. In verse 15, Jesus warns 00:09:35.509 --> 00:09:38.789 his followers, watch out for whom? False prophets 00:09:38.789 --> 00:09:42.230 who come dressed as sheep, right? Verse 22, our 00:09:42.230 --> 00:09:45.029 text today, the people who are shut out of the 00:09:45.029 --> 00:09:48.350 kingdom, what are they crying out? We've prophesied 00:09:48.350 --> 00:09:53.090 in your name. Verse 19, Jesus says that tree 00:09:53.090 --> 00:09:55.450 that bears no fruit at all is going to be cut 00:09:55.450 --> 00:09:58.990 down and thrown into the fire. It's a sign of 00:09:58.990 --> 00:10:02.370 God's judgment. Verse 23, though, our text today, 00:10:02.889 --> 00:10:05.610 those who are shut out of God's kingdom are cast 00:10:05.610 --> 00:10:09.490 away from Christ, depart from me. Again, it's 00:10:09.490 --> 00:10:12.769 a sign of God's judgment. So we understand false 00:10:12.769 --> 00:10:14.590 prophets that Jesus issued the warning in verse 00:10:14.590 --> 00:10:18.889 15. They are religious leaders. They are people 00:10:18.889 --> 00:10:22.590 who claim to speak for God. And in this case, 00:10:22.629 --> 00:10:25.909 they even preach in the name of Jesus. But not 00:10:25.909 --> 00:10:29.230 only do they preach in Jesus' name, they cast 00:10:29.230 --> 00:10:33.950 out demons in His name, they actually work wonders 00:10:33.950 --> 00:10:37.389 in His name. Now, you're probably right there, 00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:39.629 you're a little bit puzzled. Well, if they're 00:10:39.629 --> 00:10:43.450 false, how do they do those things? If they are 00:10:43.450 --> 00:10:45.450 false prophets, then how are they doing these 00:10:45.450 --> 00:10:48.710 mighty signs and wonders? I think there's a couple 00:10:48.710 --> 00:10:52.049 reasons. I think back to the Exodus event. And 00:10:52.049 --> 00:10:53.549 Moses and Aaron are standing before Pharaoh, 00:10:53.669 --> 00:10:56.370 and Pharaoh has his own sorcerers and magicians. 00:10:56.649 --> 00:10:58.870 And remember when Moses' rod is thrown down and 00:10:58.870 --> 00:11:01.309 becomes a snake? So they threw their rods down. 00:11:01.509 --> 00:11:04.549 What happened? They became snakes. They were 00:11:04.549 --> 00:11:08.210 able to duplicate some of Moses' and Aaron's 00:11:08.210 --> 00:11:11.149 miracles. Not all. Now we do know that Moses' 00:11:11.330 --> 00:11:13.350 snake ate up their snakes. But nevertheless, 00:11:13.409 --> 00:11:17.049 that's what happened. So it could be done by 00:11:17.049 --> 00:11:21.259 the power of Satan. It could be done with permission 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:25.919 from God. And you're like, why? He tests His 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:29.200 people. He weeds out the false from the true. 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:32.240 In Matthew 24, speaking about the end, it says, 00:11:32.539 --> 00:11:35.440 for false Christs and false prophets will rise 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:38.120 and show great signs and wonders to deceive, 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:43.460 if possible, even the elect. Now, it's not possible, 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:46.200 but they're going to be doing such mighty signs 00:11:46.200 --> 00:11:48.299 and mighty wonders that if it were possible, 00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:51.629 even the elect would be deceived. So we learn 00:11:51.629 --> 00:11:54.289 something very clearly here. Being able to do 00:11:54.289 --> 00:11:57.730 signs and wonders is no guarantee of the authenticity 00:11:57.730 --> 00:12:00.710 of the one performing them. So let me just tell 00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:03.529 you, pay heed to what you see on Christian broadcasting. 00:12:04.769 --> 00:12:08.309 Not all that glistens is gold. There's a call 00:12:08.309 --> 00:12:11.429 for discernment. Because these false sheep, false 00:12:11.429 --> 00:12:13.629 prophets, they come dressed in sheep's clothing, 00:12:13.929 --> 00:12:16.750 so they look good, they sound good, they're doing 00:12:16.750 --> 00:12:20.690 mighty works, evidently. And you say, but if 00:12:20.690 --> 00:12:23.250 these mighty works don't confirm authenticity, 00:12:24.850 --> 00:12:26.889 and we know that they're false, then how are 00:12:26.889 --> 00:12:29.889 we not to be deceived? How can we know for sure 00:12:29.889 --> 00:12:34.889 who is actually speaking the truth of God? First, 00:12:35.190 --> 00:12:37.769 as our Lord taught us, you must examine the fruit 00:12:37.769 --> 00:12:40.360 of their lives. Listen, let me just say an easy 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:42.080 test, low -hanging fruit here, and this is not 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:44.980 the only one. Those Christian broadcasters who 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:47.019 are fleecing the flock of God and getting filthy 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:49.100 rich and living in mansions and having private 00:12:49.100 --> 00:12:51.360 jets, they're false. Look at the fruit of their 00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:53.539 lives. It appeals to the flesh. That's an easy 00:12:53.539 --> 00:12:56.639 way. Don't listen to them. That's not hard. It 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:58.899 gets much more difficult because there are some 00:12:58.899 --> 00:13:01.639 who are much more deceptive than that. Secondly, 00:13:02.139 --> 00:13:03.399 not only do you examine the fruit of their lives, 00:13:03.460 --> 00:13:05.759 you must examine carefully the content of their 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:10.500 message. Is their message consistent with revealed 00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:12.720 truth that the church has always taught from 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:14.639 the beginning? So we need to go back, we need 00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:16.500 to know something about history, we need to know 00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:18.620 something about apostolic teaching passed down 00:13:18.620 --> 00:13:20.940 through the generations. Is it consistent with 00:13:20.940 --> 00:13:23.980 that? Peter, James, and John, do you remember 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:26.320 on that day they were permitted to go up with 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:28.820 the Lord to that mountain and they saw him transfigured 00:13:28.820 --> 00:13:32.419 before them? Not only, they were eyewitnesses 00:13:32.419 --> 00:13:34.440 of his glory, but they also heard the voice of 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:37.860 God the Father from heaven. See, three men, they 00:13:37.860 --> 00:13:40.259 saw Christ's glory, they heard God the Father's 00:13:40.259 --> 00:13:42.679 voice, thunder from heaven, and then Peter writes 00:13:42.679 --> 00:13:45.000 this though. And the King James says we have 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:47.279 a more sure word of prophecy. I'm reading the 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:49.740 New King James. And so we have the prophetic 00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:54.700 word confirmed, which you do well to heed as 00:13:54.700 --> 00:13:57.200 a light that shines in a dark place until the 00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:59.240 day dawns and the morning star rises in your 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:03.740 hearts. Knowing this first, no prophecy of scripture 00:14:03.740 --> 00:14:06.429 is of any private interpretation. Yeah, you don't 00:14:06.429 --> 00:14:07.850 get to come up with your own interpretation. 00:14:08.909 --> 00:14:12.789 For prophecy never came by the will of man, but 00:14:12.789 --> 00:14:16.289 holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the 00:14:16.289 --> 00:14:20.909 Holy Spirit. There is something even more sure 00:14:20.909 --> 00:14:25.110 than signs and wonders, and that is the Word 00:14:25.110 --> 00:14:29.990 of God. We must evaluate every miraculous sign, 00:14:30.429 --> 00:14:33.330 every mighty wonder. Even, now listen carefully, 00:14:33.889 --> 00:14:37.110 personal experience must be examined and judged 00:14:37.110 --> 00:14:41.429 by the sure word of God. I've had people through 00:14:41.429 --> 00:14:42.950 the years tell me about personal experiences. 00:14:43.350 --> 00:14:45.129 I don't ever try to argue with them and tell 00:14:45.129 --> 00:14:47.149 them they didn't have it. But I can tell you 00:14:47.149 --> 00:14:49.710 if they're biblical or not. Just because they 00:14:49.710 --> 00:14:51.950 saw something or had some religious experience 00:14:51.950 --> 00:14:54.009 leading to religious affection does not make 00:14:54.009 --> 00:14:56.809 it of God. We're called to be discerning here. 00:14:57.500 --> 00:15:00.399 So we have to understand there are false prophets. 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:03.580 Everything must be judged by the canon of Scripture. 00:15:04.220 --> 00:15:07.940 It's the only infallible guide. So there's false 00:15:07.940 --> 00:15:11.559 prophets, but there are also false converts. 00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:14.539 You know who was there on that day when Jesus 00:15:14.539 --> 00:15:19.980 was speaking? Judas. Judas preached in Jesus' 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:22.820 name. He was part of the one sent out. Apostolos, 00:15:22.860 --> 00:15:25.820 one of the sent ones. He cast out demons in his 00:15:25.820 --> 00:15:28.789 name, we know. Judas was permitted to do signs 00:15:28.789 --> 00:15:32.490 and wonders in Jesus' name. And for all those 00:15:32.490 --> 00:15:35.750 things, he was never a true convert. He was not 00:15:35.750 --> 00:15:39.289 a believer. He spent time with Jesus. He spent 00:15:39.289 --> 00:15:42.830 three years with him. And yet he never knew Jesus 00:15:42.830 --> 00:15:46.809 in a saving way. For all the external garb, for 00:15:46.809 --> 00:15:50.529 all the external works, Judas had no internal 00:15:50.529 --> 00:15:54.960 reality. He was a false convert. And then Jesus 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.200 is saying, not everyone who says to me, Lord, 00:15:57.259 --> 00:15:59.980 Lord, will enter into his kingdom. But he gives 00:15:59.980 --> 00:16:04.120 a caveat here. Who does enter the kingdom? The 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:05.759 one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:11.460 The one who does the will of God. The one who 00:16:11.460 --> 00:16:13.100 enters the kingdom of heaven is the one who does 00:16:13.100 --> 00:16:15.539 the will of God. Doesn't that sound like works 00:16:15.539 --> 00:16:19.759 righteousness? Is Jesus somehow suggesting that 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:23.059 our entrance into His kingdom is based on our 00:16:23.059 --> 00:16:28.500 works? Is that what He's saying here? No. We 00:16:28.500 --> 00:16:30.679 must listen to the whole counsel of the Scriptures. 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:33.759 In Ephesians 2, and I know these are common verses, 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:37.059 but bear with me. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9. For by 00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:39.460 grace you have been saved through faith, and 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:43.120 that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, 00:16:43.899 --> 00:16:47.309 not of works. Why not? lest anyone should boast. 00:16:48.230 --> 00:16:51.690 No man, no man, no woman will ever boast before 00:16:51.690 --> 00:16:54.149 God that he has somehow contributed anything 00:16:54.149 --> 00:16:58.549 to his salvation. Salvation does not come by 00:16:58.549 --> 00:17:01.769 our works. It is a gift, a gift of God received 00:17:01.769 --> 00:17:06.430 by faith or in faith. Titus chapter 3, Paul speaking 00:17:06.430 --> 00:17:09.400 there. Notice, not by works of righteousness 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:12.220 which we have done, but according to His mercy 00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:15.039 He saved us. How? Through the washing of regeneration 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:17.880 and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:22.519 not of you. 2 Timothy 1, 9, speaking of God, 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:27.839 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:31.640 not according to our works, but according to 00:17:31.640 --> 00:17:33.940 His own purpose and grace which was given to 00:17:33.940 --> 00:17:37.799 us in Christ Jesus before time even began. I 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:39.279 mean, the scriptures are abundantly clear, and 00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:42.920 that's a sampling. The sinner is saved by grace 00:17:42.920 --> 00:17:45.180 alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, 00:17:45.259 --> 00:17:49.460 to the glory of God alone. So what did Jesus 00:17:49.460 --> 00:17:51.180 mean when he said the one who does the will of 00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:53.859 God is the one who will enter into his kingdom? 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:57.440 Again, we must consider the whole of scripture. 00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:01.980 What were these people calling Christ? Lord. 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:08.240 Kurias. Kurias means master. owner. The Greek 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:10.900 word there, it was used of supremacy and authority. 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:13.460 It can refer to deity. It could also just refer 00:18:13.460 --> 00:18:17.319 to an elevated status. So these people were calling 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:21.960 Christ, kurios, master. But they didn't do his 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:27.940 will. Master, I'm your servant. Who doesn't serve? 00:18:28.900 --> 00:18:33.480 That's an oxymoron. Luke 6, Jesus said, Why do 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:35.680 you call me Lord, Lord?" That's exactly what 00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:39.519 these people were doing. And do not the things 00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:43.660 which I say. Jesus is saying, stop it. Be done 00:18:43.660 --> 00:18:47.019 with the fakeness. He loads it. Read Revelation 00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:49.259 with the Church of Laodicea. Don't call him Lord 00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:51.960 and then not obey him. He says, you call me Lord. 00:18:52.099 --> 00:18:54.279 You recognize that I'm someone special and you 00:18:54.279 --> 00:18:56.619 don't follow me. You don't serve me. You don't 00:18:56.619 --> 00:19:01.200 obey me. I'm not your Lord. They only called 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:03.880 him Master. But they didn't do what He commanded. 00:19:04.920 --> 00:19:08.420 They didn't honor Him as Lord through their obedience. 00:19:09.700 --> 00:19:12.579 And what did Jesus just say? Every tree is known 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:17.579 by its fruit. That means you can say He is Lord. 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:21.119 You can mouth those words all you want. Your 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:24.619 actions will show if that is true or not. Their 00:19:24.619 --> 00:19:27.619 profession of Christ as Lord was only that, a 00:19:27.619 --> 00:19:31.650 profession. They never bowed their hearts. to 00:19:31.650 --> 00:19:36.730 Christ. It's the same today. Many will call Christ 00:19:36.730 --> 00:19:40.109 Lord, but their lives show no evidence that they 00:19:40.109 --> 00:19:42.029 really mean it or that there's any reality behind 00:19:42.029 --> 00:19:44.009 it. People call themselves Christians all the 00:19:44.009 --> 00:19:46.349 time. Christians literally is the diminutive. 00:19:46.390 --> 00:19:48.990 It means a little Christ. Today we use it to 00:19:48.990 --> 00:19:51.329 refer to as followers of Christ. So you have 00:19:51.329 --> 00:19:54.529 followers of Christ who don't follow Him. Do 00:19:54.529 --> 00:19:57.710 you see the problem Jesus has? You want the kingdom 00:19:57.710 --> 00:20:01.680 of God, but you don't want to follow God. So 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:05.319 what is Jesus saying? To say that He is Lord 00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:10.259 is to bend and bow our will to His even when 00:20:10.259 --> 00:20:14.700 it's uncomfortable and when it's unpopular. See, 00:20:14.819 --> 00:20:17.859 the true disciple of Christ strives to obey the 00:20:17.859 --> 00:20:21.880 will of God, albeit imperfectly. There's always 00:20:21.880 --> 00:20:24.180 been two dangers in the church, and I'll talk 00:20:24.180 --> 00:20:26.339 briefly about them. Do you have legalism, and 00:20:26.339 --> 00:20:28.980 then we could call license. But I prefer the 00:20:28.980 --> 00:20:31.140 term antinomianism. Don't get hung up on the 00:20:31.140 --> 00:20:34.940 terms. Legalism is where, and this is my definition, 00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:38.180 there's a better definition out there. Legalism 00:20:38.180 --> 00:20:43.200 is where one so emphasizes works that they begin 00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:45.180 to believe, now they may be orthodox and no it 00:20:45.180 --> 00:20:48.019 doesn't, but they begin to believe that their 00:20:48.019 --> 00:20:50.839 works play a part in their standing before God. 00:20:51.539 --> 00:20:54.079 This would be Jesus plus something equals salvation. 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:57.220 You go to the churches in Galatia, it was Jesus 00:20:57.220 --> 00:21:00.559 plus circumcision, then you could be saved. So 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:03.099 legalists, here's what they believe. Your works 00:21:03.099 --> 00:21:08.079 somehow will earn merit before God and increase 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:12.319 your standing before Him. And friends, that's 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:18.519 a damnable lie. Isaiah 64 6. all our righteousnesses, 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:20.359 and I know it's a weird word, they made it plural, 00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:25.259 are like filthy rags. See, our acts of righteousness 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:28.740 and the quality of righteousness both are reprehensible 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:33.279 to God. Why? Because the only way for our works, 00:21:33.380 --> 00:21:36.160 in order to be acceptable to God, they would 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:39.400 have to be pristine and absolutely perfect according 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:44.019 to His holiness. And that's an utter impossibility 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:47.730 for those born of Adam. That's legalists. They 00:21:47.730 --> 00:21:50.410 believe somehow, I'm working, I'm contributing. 00:21:50.690 --> 00:21:52.809 Now they may not say that, but that's their MO, 00:21:53.089 --> 00:21:54.869 that's their modus operandi, that's what they're 00:21:54.869 --> 00:21:57.829 working from. But you have on the other hand, 00:21:58.869 --> 00:22:03.349 you have the antinomians. They distort God's 00:22:03.349 --> 00:22:06.930 grace. They say it doesn't matter really how 00:22:06.930 --> 00:22:10.970 you live because grace covers it all. So they 00:22:10.970 --> 00:22:14.119 would say, Christians are not bound by any ethical 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:17.819 or moral law because we are justified by faith 00:22:17.819 --> 00:22:22.859 alone and not by obedience to a law. Now we are 00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:27.859 not saved by obedience to any law, but you are 00:22:27.859 --> 00:22:31.789 never without law to Christ. 1 Corinthians 9, 00:22:31.890 --> 00:22:33.809 when Paul is talking about how he does all things 00:22:33.809 --> 00:22:36.329 to win some, to the Jew becomes like a Jew, to 00:22:36.329 --> 00:22:38.089 one without the law, he acts like one without 00:22:38.089 --> 00:22:40.069 the law. But notice what he said in 1 Corinthians 00:22:40.069 --> 00:22:43.049 9, 21, to those outside the law, that's Gentiles, 00:22:43.470 --> 00:22:45.589 I became as one outside the law, but notice, 00:22:45.650 --> 00:22:48.109 let me highlight this, not being outside the 00:22:48.109 --> 00:22:50.670 law of God, but under the law of Christ. This 00:22:50.670 --> 00:22:53.849 is Paul. that I might win those outside the law. 00:22:54.329 --> 00:22:56.309 What he meant by there, I'm not going to go observe 00:22:56.309 --> 00:22:57.990 the kosher laws. I'm not going to observe the 00:22:57.990 --> 00:23:00.069 ceremonial laws because I'm dealing with Gentiles. 00:23:00.089 --> 00:23:02.150 I don't need to do that. But the whole time he 00:23:02.150 --> 00:23:04.990 knows he's operating, I still have an obligation 00:23:04.990 --> 00:23:09.769 to obey God. I'm under the law of Christ. Elsewhere 00:23:09.769 --> 00:23:12.849 called the law of love. Friends, if he's Lord, 00:23:14.009 --> 00:23:19.009 if he is Lord, it is our duty to obey him. Not 00:23:19.009 --> 00:23:22.589 to be saved. but because we belong to him and 00:23:22.589 --> 00:23:25.730 we have been purchased by him for his holy purposes. 00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:30.569 First Corinthians 620, for you were bought, don't 00:23:30.569 --> 00:23:35.529 look at 19, for you were bought at a price. That's 00:23:35.529 --> 00:23:39.829 a son of God dying for you. Therefore, glorify 00:23:39.829 --> 00:23:42.529 God in your body and your spirits which are gods. 00:23:43.289 --> 00:23:45.109 You don't even belong to yourself. It's not your 00:23:45.109 --> 00:23:46.750 life. It's not your body. It's not anything of 00:23:46.750 --> 00:23:50.740 yours. Paul put to death the antinomian view 00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:53.880 in Romans 6. What shall we say then? Shall we 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:55.859 continue in sin that grace may abound? Hey, sounds 00:23:55.859 --> 00:23:58.500 like a good idea. God loves to sin. God loves 00:23:58.500 --> 00:24:01.259 to forgive. Let's just keep that going. Verse 00:24:01.259 --> 00:24:05.640 2. God forbid, certainly not. How shall we who 00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:08.680 died to sin, that's a Christian, live any longer 00:24:08.680 --> 00:24:12.440 in it? Do you not get it? Antinomianism is a 00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:16.640 perversion of God's grace. Titus chapter 2, for 00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:18.920 the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:21.400 to all men. Notice what the grace of God does, 00:24:21.859 --> 00:24:25.200 teaching us that denying ungodliness, denying 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:27.900 worldly lusts, you and I as Christians should 00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:30.039 live soberly, that's seriously, righteously, 00:24:30.259 --> 00:24:32.880 that's holy, and godly, just like Christ, in 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:38.160 this present age. So grace does something. The 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:41.200 grace of God teaches us to obey and to follow 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:44.410 Christ. But today, surprisingly, in this area, 00:24:44.609 --> 00:24:46.609 in Lawrence County this morning, there are people, 00:24:46.730 --> 00:24:48.829 there are false teachers who say that repentance 00:24:48.829 --> 00:24:52.450 from sin is unnecessary for salvation. And yet 00:24:52.450 --> 00:24:53.930 Jesus said, unless you repent, you're going to 00:24:53.930 --> 00:24:56.170 perish. John the Baptist said, unless you repent, 00:24:56.170 --> 00:24:58.369 you're going to perish. You read Peter and Paul, 00:24:58.450 --> 00:24:59.630 they said, unless you repent, you're going to 00:24:59.630 --> 00:25:02.029 perish. We've reached it today, so you don't 00:25:02.029 --> 00:25:07.440 need to repent. Just believe. It's false. There 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:10.660 are teachers who say you can continue to live 00:25:10.660 --> 00:25:13.599 in sin and open rebellion to God and be a Christian. 00:25:14.380 --> 00:25:17.539 Let me read 1 John 2, not my words, this is inspired 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:22.480 text. Now by this we know that we know Him, if 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:24.279 we keep His commandments. That does not save 00:25:24.279 --> 00:25:27.019 us, this is how we know. He who says, I know 00:25:27.019 --> 00:25:29.940 Him, and does not keep His commandments, John 00:25:29.940 --> 00:25:33.220 says is a liar, and the truth's not there. Whoever 00:25:33.220 --> 00:25:36.519 keeps His word, Truly, the love of God is perfected. 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:38.359 It's matured. It's brought to completion in him. 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:42.400 And by this, we know that we are in him. See, 00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:44.519 the people that Jesus mentioned, they claimed 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:47.559 to be disciples, but they didn't obey him. And 00:25:47.559 --> 00:25:49.619 the whole point of Jesus' sermon, Matthew 5 through 00:25:49.619 --> 00:25:53.380 7, is what life in his kingdom looks like. It's 00:25:53.380 --> 00:25:56.359 an internal righteousness leading to external 00:25:56.359 --> 00:25:59.900 displays or works, we could say that. And he's 00:25:59.900 --> 00:26:02.920 really issuing an indictment on the scribes and 00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:06.119 Pharisees. Remember, they had twisted, they had 00:26:06.119 --> 00:26:08.900 perverted the law of God, leaving others astray, 00:26:09.119 --> 00:26:10.819 yet the whole time thinking we're actually serving 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:14.460 God. They were the most deceived. They were confident 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:17.319 in their relationship with God and the fruit 00:26:17.319 --> 00:26:19.619 of their lives, so there is no root there at 00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:22.900 all. But they couldn't see it. They were proud 00:26:22.900 --> 00:26:26.640 men, self -righteous, and worst of all, they're 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:31.119 hypocrites, who appeared to work for God. But 00:26:31.119 --> 00:26:32.900 as you got close to them and closely examined 00:26:32.900 --> 00:26:34.519 their lives, you could see they did not know 00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:38.640 God. They weren't poor in spirit. They were not 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:41.480 meek men. They never hungered and thirsted after 00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:43.160 righteousness. They hungered and thirsted after 00:26:43.160 --> 00:26:47.259 commendation. Do you see what Jesus is saying 00:26:47.259 --> 00:26:50.700 here? These people did religious works, but that's 00:26:50.700 --> 00:26:53.839 not a substitute for a changed heart, and a changed 00:26:53.839 --> 00:26:57.319 heart leads to a changed life. Obedience is a 00:26:57.319 --> 00:27:00.859 key. It's one of the tests of our sonship. Read 00:27:00.859 --> 00:27:04.259 through 1 John, 1 John 3, verse 10. Notice what 00:27:04.259 --> 00:27:08.680 he says here. In this, the children of God and 00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:11.640 the children of the devour manifest. Friends, 00:27:11.799 --> 00:27:14.039 that ought to make us stand up. I'm like, okay, 00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:19.500 let's listen to this. Whoever does not practice 00:27:19.500 --> 00:27:24.740 righteousness is not of God. Nor is he who does 00:27:24.740 --> 00:27:28.460 not love his brother. Pharisees, remember, a 00:27:28.460 --> 00:27:31.559 religious veneer. obeyed their man -made traditions, 00:27:31.599 --> 00:27:34.039 they kept them fastidiously, assuming they were 00:27:34.039 --> 00:27:37.799 okay, but there was no relationship in the heart 00:27:37.799 --> 00:27:42.519 that brought forth love, mercy, and obedience. 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:45.460 They were not marked by love, they were marked 00:27:45.460 --> 00:27:50.380 by pride. Those who know Christ, again, and we're 00:27:50.380 --> 00:27:51.859 not talking about perfection here, but they obey 00:27:51.859 --> 00:27:55.000 Christ from a heart that has been changed and 00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:58.930 it's now marked by love for Him. John 14, Jesus 00:27:58.930 --> 00:28:02.210 said, if you love me, keep my commandments. Who 00:28:02.210 --> 00:28:05.450 goes to heaven? You're saying, well, the person 00:28:05.450 --> 00:28:07.750 who's been saved by the grace of God, received 00:28:07.750 --> 00:28:11.269 in faith, yes. And yeah, as we look through scriptures, 00:28:11.430 --> 00:28:14.569 the grace of God produces something. First John 00:28:14.569 --> 00:28:18.150 2, the seed still abides in you. A heart of love 00:28:18.150 --> 00:28:21.190 and a heart of obedience in those who have been 00:28:21.190 --> 00:28:26.450 truly redeemed and received God's grace. So, 00:28:26.730 --> 00:28:29.829 who interests the kingdom of heaven? Jesus said, 00:28:29.890 --> 00:28:31.390 the one who does the will of my Father who is 00:28:31.390 --> 00:28:35.569 in heaven. What is God's will? At its core, it 00:28:35.569 --> 00:28:39.309 is to believe in Jesus, John 640, and to follow 00:28:39.309 --> 00:28:42.690 him in obedience. Friends, I need to say this 00:28:42.690 --> 00:28:45.049 once more. Salvation is not earned by works. 00:28:45.869 --> 00:28:50.589 It's not. It's all of grace. That true living 00:28:50.589 --> 00:28:53.549 faith that's united to Christ will always produce 00:28:53.549 --> 00:28:57.869 a fruit of obedience at some level. Transformed 00:28:57.869 --> 00:29:01.730 lives flow from transformed hearts, new hearts. 00:29:03.529 --> 00:29:05.910 Regardless of how weak our obedience seems at 00:29:05.910 --> 00:29:07.450 times, and I will tell you mine seems very weak 00:29:07.450 --> 00:29:10.869 at times, but even then there's contrition, there's 00:29:10.869 --> 00:29:13.509 shame. The Holy Spirit has His hand upon you. 00:29:14.250 --> 00:29:17.329 Bruce Hurt, he said this, do believers always 00:29:17.329 --> 00:29:21.089 do God's will? No. Sadly, the answer is no. We 00:29:21.089 --> 00:29:23.990 are not yet glorified. We still possess the fallen 00:29:23.990 --> 00:29:27.150 flesh. Clearly, genuine believers from time to 00:29:27.150 --> 00:29:29.009 time choose their will over God's will. Many 00:29:29.009 --> 00:29:32.470 times. But when they do, as disobedient children 00:29:32.470 --> 00:29:35.670 of God, they subject themselves to the discipling 00:29:35.670 --> 00:29:39.170 hand of their Father. Amen. In contrast, those 00:29:39.170 --> 00:29:41.390 individuals that Jesus is describing in this 00:29:41.390 --> 00:29:45.230 passage continually, habitually, and as their 00:29:45.230 --> 00:29:48.339 normal pattern of life, choose their will over 00:29:48.339 --> 00:29:52.000 God's will. In short, he says, what Jesus is 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:54.920 describing is not perfection, but direction. 00:29:55.619 --> 00:29:57.779 Direction of one's life as evidenced by your 00:29:57.779 --> 00:30:01.579 daily thoughts, words, and deeds. Believers, 00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:05.079 while not perfect in this life, are headed toward 00:30:05.079 --> 00:30:07.960 heaven. That's the direction. Although from time 00:30:07.960 --> 00:30:09.559 to time they do live like they're headed in the 00:30:09.559 --> 00:30:12.680 opposite direction. See, this is what makes it 00:30:12.680 --> 00:30:14.980 so hard. Do you remember the seed that was sown 00:30:14.980 --> 00:30:17.299 in the field that produced wheat and tares? And 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:18.579 the disciples said, do you want us to go pick 00:30:18.579 --> 00:30:20.980 the tares? And Jesus said, no. Leave it alone 00:30:20.980 --> 00:30:22.700 until the end, because inevitably you're going 00:30:22.700 --> 00:30:26.160 to pick up some wheat when you do it. It's hard. 00:30:27.660 --> 00:30:29.380 But we have to understand there's a warning here 00:30:29.380 --> 00:30:32.640 that we need to heed. Spurgeon, he explains the 00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:34.720 danger of these false converts. He said they 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:36.940 had a religious character, but they never had 00:30:36.940 --> 00:30:40.079 a renewed heart. They had religious actions but 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:44.220 never born again. They were fluent talkers, earnest 00:30:44.220 --> 00:30:48.420 workers, but they had not confessed or repented 00:30:48.420 --> 00:30:50.839 of their sin or laid hold of Christ by living 00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:56.200 faith. And then Spurgeon, he counsels those like 00:30:56.200 --> 00:30:57.799 us who've made a profession in Christ. Here's 00:30:57.799 --> 00:31:02.579 what he said, covet, seek, desire most of all, 00:31:03.299 --> 00:31:06.680 seek holiness, the holiness that does not want 00:31:06.680 --> 00:31:09.180 to be seen. That's just the opposite of the religious 00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:11.099 leaders. Remember, they would sound a trumpet 00:31:11.099 --> 00:31:13.519 before they gave. They loved to be praying outside 00:31:13.519 --> 00:31:15.559 where people could see them. They loved all these 00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:16.900 things. They loved it when you knew they were 00:31:16.900 --> 00:31:20.099 fasting. Spurgeon says, no, seek to be holy in 00:31:20.099 --> 00:31:24.180 private. Plain, honest, dealing with God in private. 00:31:24.980 --> 00:31:27.240 Much secret prayer, much meditation upon the 00:31:27.240 --> 00:31:30.339 Word, in brief, a life of consecration to God. 00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:35.319 This is his counsel to converts. We're quickly 00:31:35.319 --> 00:31:37.940 nearing the end. MacArthur, he says there's two 00:31:37.940 --> 00:31:39.920 reasons why there's so many false converts in 00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:41.920 the church. His two reasons, and I thought these 00:31:41.920 --> 00:31:43.720 were pretty good. He said, first of all, there's 00:31:43.720 --> 00:31:45.799 many preachers who give a false doctrine of assurance, 00:31:46.140 --> 00:31:48.099 and I would say amen to this. I've seen it many 00:31:48.099 --> 00:31:51.160 times. So many professed Christians have a false 00:31:51.160 --> 00:31:54.720 doctrine of assurance. Often it is because the 00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:56.920 person who witnessed to them told them that all 00:31:56.920 --> 00:31:59.339 they had to do was make a profession of faith, 00:31:59.759 --> 00:32:02.940 walk an aisle, raise a hand, say a prayer, and 00:32:02.940 --> 00:32:04.859 never doubt what the Lord had done in their lives. 00:32:05.490 --> 00:32:07.410 I can tell you how many people I have talked 00:32:07.410 --> 00:32:09.190 to through the years that will tell me of their 00:32:09.190 --> 00:32:11.549 salvation at a vacation Bible school when they 00:32:11.549 --> 00:32:13.609 were in second or third grade, and that was the 00:32:13.609 --> 00:32:15.269 last sign. And they're like, well, I know I saved 00:32:15.269 --> 00:32:19.230 them. I'm like, how do you know that? Well, I 00:32:19.230 --> 00:32:21.349 know, because the preacher told me if I do that. 00:32:23.009 --> 00:32:24.990 Unfortunately, many evangelists, pastors, and 00:32:24.990 --> 00:32:27.849 personal workers, they attempt to certify a person's 00:32:27.849 --> 00:32:29.849 salvation apart from the convicting work of the 00:32:29.849 --> 00:32:32.269 Holy Spirit and the evidence of fruit with continuance 00:32:32.269 --> 00:32:35.680 and obedience of the word. Secondly, he said 00:32:35.680 --> 00:32:38.900 there's a failure to examine themselves. Do you 00:32:38.900 --> 00:32:42.000 know we're told to test ourselves? Paul told 00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:44.440 the Corinthians that. Examine yourselves as to 00:32:44.440 --> 00:32:47.819 whether you're in the faith. Test yourselves. 00:32:48.960 --> 00:32:52.039 Do not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in 00:32:52.039 --> 00:32:55.980 you unless indeed you are disqualified. Test, 00:32:56.099 --> 00:32:58.359 examine. Some never examine their lives though. 00:32:58.670 --> 00:33:01.150 They simply will look back on a time when they 00:33:01.150 --> 00:33:03.190 made a profession of faith or said that prayer 00:33:03.190 --> 00:33:06.710 and they satisfy their hearts with that. I know, 00:33:06.730 --> 00:33:11.069 I know what I prayed. A person who is not concerned 00:33:11.069 --> 00:33:14.269 about having his present sins cleansed has good 00:33:14.269 --> 00:33:16.269 reason to doubt that his past sins have been 00:33:16.269 --> 00:33:18.829 forgiven. A person who has no desire to come 00:33:18.829 --> 00:33:21.509 to the Lord for continued cleansing does have 00:33:21.509 --> 00:33:23.130 reason to doubt that he ever came to the Lord 00:33:23.130 --> 00:33:25.910 to receive salvation. When a couple lives together 00:33:25.910 --> 00:33:27.990 without being married, when a person practices 00:33:27.990 --> 00:33:30.569 homosexuality, when a person is deceptive or 00:33:30.569 --> 00:33:33.289 dishonest in business, is hateful, vengeful, 00:33:33.430 --> 00:33:35.869 and I've had to lying or habitually practice 00:33:35.869 --> 00:33:38.490 a sin without remorse or repentance, such persons 00:33:38.490 --> 00:33:41.170 cannot be Christian no matter what sort of experience 00:33:41.170 --> 00:33:43.170 they claim to have had or what sort of testimony 00:33:43.170 --> 00:33:47.289 they now make. Jesus said there will be some 00:33:47.289 --> 00:33:51.190 shut out of his kingdom. And verse 23, he said, 00:33:51.490 --> 00:33:54.700 and I will declare to them. I never knew you. 00:33:54.720 --> 00:33:58.900 Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness." 00:33:58.900 --> 00:34:01.960 I never knew you. Now you say, but I thought 00:34:01.960 --> 00:34:03.799 Jesus is God. Doesn't He know all things and 00:34:03.799 --> 00:34:05.539 all people? Yeah, He's not saying He doesn't 00:34:05.539 --> 00:34:07.099 recognize them. He's not saying, I don't know 00:34:07.099 --> 00:34:10.840 your name. New means relational intimacy. He 00:34:10.840 --> 00:34:13.719 is declaring that He has never had a relationship 00:34:13.719 --> 00:34:16.000 with these people, meaning they're not part of 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:19.900 His flock. John 10, Jesus said, I'm the good 00:34:19.900 --> 00:34:23.309 shepherd and I know my sheep. 2 Timothy 2, the 00:34:23.309 --> 00:34:26.929 Lord knows those who are His. Friends, this is 00:34:26.929 --> 00:34:28.989 the good news. The Good Shepherd is acquainted 00:34:28.989 --> 00:34:31.510 with His sheep. Why? Because it is for them He 00:34:31.510 --> 00:34:33.969 died, and it is for them that He ever lives to 00:34:33.969 --> 00:34:36.550 make intercession. Of course He knows those who 00:34:36.550 --> 00:34:39.989 are His. So the ones who are denied access into 00:34:39.989 --> 00:34:44.510 the kingdom never belonged to the kingdom. He 00:34:44.510 --> 00:34:47.449 says, you who practice lawlessness. The Greek 00:34:47.449 --> 00:34:51.199 word is anomia, without law. It's where we get 00:34:51.199 --> 00:34:55.000 the word antinomian. These people have lives 00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:59.980 marked, characterized by iniquity. They are Lord 00:34:59.980 --> 00:35:03.559 of their lives, not Christ. They refuse the rule 00:35:03.559 --> 00:35:06.659 of Christ in their life. They govern themselves. 00:35:07.500 --> 00:35:10.679 They're not submitting to Him as Lord. In 1 John 00:35:10.679 --> 00:35:13.539 2, Jesus said, John says, he who says, I know 00:35:13.539 --> 00:35:15.760 him and yet does not keep his commandments as 00:35:15.760 --> 00:35:18.420 a liar and the truth is not in him. I don't know 00:35:18.420 --> 00:35:20.079 how to be any more clear than the Apostle John 00:35:20.079 --> 00:35:24.079 is. But there's people that'll explain it away, 00:35:24.239 --> 00:35:27.539 explain it away, and explain it away. I don't 00:35:27.539 --> 00:35:28.599 think we ought to explain it away, I think we 00:35:28.599 --> 00:35:32.940 ought to listen. Even Billy Graham, who is known 00:35:32.940 --> 00:35:35.960 as this big evangelical leader, not always known 00:35:35.960 --> 00:35:38.219 for being the most theologically precise, even 00:35:38.219 --> 00:35:40.960 he said, no man can be said to be truly converted. 00:35:41.230 --> 00:35:44.010 to Christ who has not bent his will to Christ. 00:35:44.389 --> 00:35:46.170 He may give intellectual assent to the claims 00:35:46.170 --> 00:35:49.010 of Christ, may have had emotional religious experiences, 00:35:49.210 --> 00:35:51.789 however he's not truly converted until he has 00:35:51.789 --> 00:35:53.369 surrendered his will to Christ as Lord, Savior, 00:35:53.389 --> 00:35:58.809 and Master. You can profess many things. That 00:35:58.809 --> 00:36:00.989 your lives that are marked by a lack of obedience, 00:36:01.030 --> 00:36:03.530 that are marked by having no law to God, he does 00:36:03.530 --> 00:36:06.510 not rule over you, show that you don't belong 00:36:06.510 --> 00:36:08.809 to the kingdom. And the most loving thing I can 00:36:08.809 --> 00:36:11.699 do today is to preach what Jesus said. Salvation 00:36:11.699 --> 00:36:14.699 and obedience are inseparable. Salvation produces 00:36:14.699 --> 00:36:17.260 obedience to God's will. It's not a perfect obedience, 00:36:17.320 --> 00:36:19.679 it's not a complete obedience, but there is a 00:36:19.679 --> 00:36:22.800 level of fruit being produced. Because a good 00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:26.599 tree cannot bear bad fruit, which is why Jesus 00:36:26.599 --> 00:36:31.400 said, buy their fruits, you will know them. I 00:36:31.400 --> 00:36:32.900 close with these words. They're actually engraved 00:36:32.900 --> 00:36:34.539 on a cathedral in Germany. I thought that might 00:36:34.539 --> 00:36:36.659 be hyperbole, but no, it really is. These are 00:36:36.659 --> 00:36:39.659 engraved on a cathedral there in Germany. Thus 00:36:39.659 --> 00:36:42.739 speaketh Christ our Lord to us. You call me master 00:36:42.739 --> 00:36:45.719 and obey me not. You call me light and you see 00:36:45.719 --> 00:36:49.380 me not. You call me the way and you walk me not. 00:36:50.099 --> 00:36:53.659 You call me life and you live me not. You call 00:36:53.659 --> 00:36:57.440 me wise and follow me not. You call me fair and 00:36:57.440 --> 00:37:01.360 love me not. You call me rich and ask me not. 00:37:02.280 --> 00:37:06.719 You call me eternal and seek me not. If I condemn 00:37:06.719 --> 00:37:12.070 thee. Blame me not. Friends, this is not to scare 00:37:12.070 --> 00:37:13.989 anyone this morning. My prayer has been, Lord, 00:37:13.989 --> 00:37:16.949 help us not to do that. I also want to make sure 00:37:16.949 --> 00:37:19.510 that we are not emphasizing obedience at the 00:37:19.510 --> 00:37:21.690 point of your thinking. That's what brings you 00:37:21.690 --> 00:37:24.969 into the kingdom. But what he's saying is those 00:37:24.969 --> 00:37:27.110 whose lives have received the grace of God don't 00:37:27.110 --> 00:37:30.630 receive it in vain. Those who call him Lord bow 00:37:30.630 --> 00:37:33.289 their knee to him. They don't rise up in self 00:37:33.289 --> 00:37:36.030 -governance. And friends, this is the word of 00:37:36.030 --> 00:37:38.570 the Lord this morning. I would say if you're 00:37:38.570 --> 00:37:40.789 here this morning and you know you're like, my 00:37:40.789 --> 00:37:44.349 life, I can tell you right now, I've never, I've 00:37:44.349 --> 00:37:46.929 never repented of my sin and bowed my knee. This 00:37:46.929 --> 00:37:49.230 is what Jesus said, all those who come to me, 00:37:49.530 --> 00:37:50.929 those who are given by the Father are going to 00:37:50.929 --> 00:37:52.869 come to me and all those who come to me, they 00:37:52.869 --> 00:37:55.650 will be received. Jesus does not reject you. 00:37:55.849 --> 00:37:58.590 If you understand that you are a sinner and you 00:37:58.590 --> 00:38:01.210 believe Christ is Savior, then you bow your knee 00:38:01.210 --> 00:38:03.909 to Him, confessing Him as Lord and He will receive 00:38:03.909 --> 00:38:08.659 you. And I pray that God would so work in your 00:38:08.659 --> 00:38:11.380 life that that would be true even today. Let's 00:38:11.380 --> 00:38:14.159 pray. Father, I pray, Lord, this morning, God, 00:38:14.179 --> 00:38:18.880 for your help. Father, if there's been anything 00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:22.059 that I've said that's been unclear, unhelpful, 00:38:23.099 --> 00:38:26.719 or at last untrue, Lord, I pray that not only 00:38:26.719 --> 00:38:28.400 would there be correction, but the Holy Spirit 00:38:28.400 --> 00:38:30.699 would bring that to my mind. But Lord, I pray 00:38:30.699 --> 00:38:35.340 for those who are listening this morning. Lord, 00:38:35.480 --> 00:38:38.000 your word always tells us, he who has ears, let 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:40.639 him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 00:38:42.139 --> 00:38:44.099 Lord, this is what we're wanting to do. Lord, 00:38:44.460 --> 00:38:49.619 Father, help us to preach Christ, but the whole 00:38:49.619 --> 00:38:53.380 Christ. Lord, he's not just Savior, he is Lord. 00:38:54.539 --> 00:38:57.719 Lord, grace does something. And Lord, God, let 00:38:57.719 --> 00:38:59.519 us, Lord, fight this good fight of faith. Lord, 00:38:59.559 --> 00:39:01.880 let us proclaim the truth. And Lord, I pray that 00:39:01.880 --> 00:39:04.599 you keep me back, Lord, that by any means, Lord, 00:39:04.599 --> 00:39:07.400 we would begin to slip either into legalism, 00:39:07.619 --> 00:39:10.559 where we believe our performance brings us merit 00:39:10.559 --> 00:39:13.159 before you, or Lord, where we would, on the opposite 00:39:13.159 --> 00:39:16.019 hand, just be lawless before you because of grace. 00:39:16.380 --> 00:39:18.400 Lord, help us, Lord. God, we need you, Lord. 00:39:18.400 --> 00:39:20.500 God, we need your forgiveness. We need your work. 00:39:20.519 --> 00:39:22.940 We need you, Lord, because the most desirous 00:39:22.940 --> 00:39:25.179 thing that we have, Lord, is to know Christ and 00:39:25.179 --> 00:39:27.400 to make him known. It is to live for the kingdom 00:39:27.400 --> 00:39:29.860 of God and seek you first, Lord, and your righteousness. 00:39:30.280 --> 00:39:32.400 And we ask all this in Jesus' mighty, glorious 00:39:32.400 --> 00:39:33.280 name. Amen.