WEBVTT 00:00:01.129 --> 00:00:03.029 I'm going to ask you to open your Bible with 00:00:03.029 --> 00:00:06.690 me to the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. 00:00:09.009 --> 00:00:11.830 A week ago, no one knew the name Scott O 'Grady. 00:00:14.009 --> 00:00:15.789 This morning, there are a few Americans that 00:00:15.789 --> 00:00:20.390 are not familiar with his name. Scott O 'Grady 00:00:20.390 --> 00:00:24.969 was rescued from Bosnia after six terror -filled 00:00:24.969 --> 00:00:29.829 days. His F -16 had been shot out of the sky 00:00:29.829 --> 00:00:35.179 by a missile. And for those days he hid his face 00:00:35.179 --> 00:00:41.500 in the dust of the earth, praying, hoping, trembling. 00:00:44.820 --> 00:00:49.859 And then at last he heard the sound of the American 00:00:49.859 --> 00:00:52.560 jets high overhead and turned on his transmitter. 00:00:54.020 --> 00:00:57.899 And they heard him. And within a few minutes 00:00:57.899 --> 00:01:01.609 the choppers were on the way. and they arrived 00:01:01.609 --> 00:01:05.349 and plucked him off the face of that war torn 00:01:05.349 --> 00:01:10.069 part of the earth and he was safe in American 00:01:10.069 --> 00:01:15.430 hands. I can't imagine the relief that Scott 00:01:15.430 --> 00:01:20.469 O 'Grady must have known as he laid back on the 00:01:20.469 --> 00:01:23.829 floor of that helicopter and was whisked away 00:01:23.829 --> 00:01:29.959 to the carrier at sea. Maybe we can identify 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:34.879 with it just a little bit. If we remember some 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:39.099 experience in our own lives when we were rescued 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:42.879 from a danger that we greatly feared. Perhaps 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:48.799 it was a disease or a car accident. Maybe it 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:53.150 was the bully on the playground at school. But 00:01:53.150 --> 00:01:55.829 can you remember the relief that you had and 00:01:55.829 --> 00:01:59.670 then that wonderful sweet assurance that swept 00:01:59.670 --> 00:02:02.950 over your soul that you were safe now, that you 00:02:02.950 --> 00:02:09.129 didn't have to be afraid anymore? When you and 00:02:09.129 --> 00:02:12.590 I come to faith in Jesus Christ, we are just 00:02:12.590 --> 00:02:19.960 as safe as we can possibly be. We are safe from 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:23.060 the condemnation of our sins and the judgment 00:02:23.060 --> 00:02:33.960 of God. And because of that safety there is assurance 00:02:33.960 --> 00:02:37.560 that comes into our souls. Now for some of us 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:41.580 that assurance came slowly. That was the case 00:02:41.580 --> 00:02:48.960 with me. I trusted Christ as a young boy. But 00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:51.659 shortly after I came to Christ, the pastor in 00:02:51.659 --> 00:02:54.960 our church left and another man came who did 00:02:54.960 --> 00:03:03.900 not preach the Bible. As a result of that, I 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:07.180 did not come to deeper understanding of what 00:03:07.180 --> 00:03:13.500 salvation was all about for some time. It was 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:16.599 several years, in fact, before I began to enjoy 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:21.580 a sense of safety and security in the Lord. And 00:03:21.580 --> 00:03:26.460 I well remember when it began. Before that, there 00:03:26.460 --> 00:03:29.580 were many times when I cried out, Oh Lord, save 00:03:29.580 --> 00:03:35.099 me. I felt guilty because of my sins as a pre 00:03:35.099 --> 00:03:40.270 -adolescent youngster. But oh, how sweet was 00:03:40.270 --> 00:03:42.750 the assurance that came to my heart eventually. 00:03:45.090 --> 00:03:47.949 I love the doctrine of the assurance of salvation. 00:03:51.650 --> 00:03:54.490 The assurance of our salvation is somewhat resting 00:03:54.490 --> 00:03:58.090 upon our feelings, but certainly not the security 00:03:58.090 --> 00:04:01.699 of our salvation. The Scottish theologian Samuel 00:04:01.699 --> 00:04:04.759 Rutherford said, Believe in God's love and power 00:04:04.759 --> 00:04:07.680 more than you believe in your own feelings and 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:12.699 experiences. Your rock is Christ and it is not 00:04:12.699 --> 00:04:16.220 the rock that ebbs and flows, but your sea of 00:04:16.220 --> 00:04:24.399 feelings. There are times when we may feel more 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:29.279 like Christians than others. But thank God that 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:34.019 the rock doesn't ebb and flow as our emotions 00:04:34.019 --> 00:04:39.540 do. I thank God for the assurance of salvation 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:43.360 that we can have. And it is not my intent this 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:47.100 morning to disrupt the settled assurance that 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:50.180 any child of God has regarding his salvation. 00:04:51.040 --> 00:05:00.180 However, I have an apprehension. My fear is that 00:05:00.180 --> 00:05:05.120 the contemporary evangelical church culture makes 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:11.279 it easy for unregenerate persons to come in to 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:18.540 the church's fellowship, be comfortable, and 00:05:18.540 --> 00:05:22.399 eventually to assume and convince himself that 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:28.850 he's on his way to heaven. It's too easy to learn 00:05:28.850 --> 00:05:33.449 the language, to observe the manners of being 00:05:33.449 --> 00:05:37.629 Christian and adopt them, without experiencing 00:05:37.629 --> 00:05:44.610 the reality of the new birth. Churches are populated 00:05:44.610 --> 00:05:49.610 with people, God alone knows how many, who look 00:05:49.610 --> 00:05:53.389 and talk and act like Christians, but who have 00:05:53.389 --> 00:05:58.189 never repented of their sin. or savingly trusted 00:05:58.189 --> 00:06:03.389 in Jesus Christ as Lord. Behaving like a Christian 00:06:03.389 --> 00:06:09.870 doesn't make one a Christian. A Christian ought 00:06:09.870 --> 00:06:12.870 to belong to the church, but joining the church 00:06:12.870 --> 00:06:16.829 doesn't make a person a Christian. A Christian 00:06:16.829 --> 00:06:20.189 ought to pray, but saying a prayer doesn't make 00:06:20.189 --> 00:06:24.759 a person a Christian. A person ought to read 00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:26.779 his Bible, but reading the Bible doesn't make 00:06:26.779 --> 00:06:30.120 a person a Christian. One can behave like a Christian 00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:36.860 without being a Christian. This morning as we 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:40.240 think about firming up our foundation, which 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:43.500 is our theme for the summer, I want to talk about 00:06:43.500 --> 00:06:53.139 this vital bedrock issue of our salvation. In 00:06:53.139 --> 00:06:56.339 Luke chapter 6 we have the recording by Luke 00:06:56.339 --> 00:07:03.019 of the Sermon on the Plain. He says Jesus delivered 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:05.220 it on the Plain. This is not the Sermon on the 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:09.839 Mount. Now the content is very similar. Jesus 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:13.379 probably gave his messages many times and in 00:07:13.379 --> 00:07:16.899 different settings. That could well account for 00:07:16.899 --> 00:07:20.600 some of the variety between what Matthew records 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:24.569 in chapters 5, 6, and 7 of his gospel, the Sermon 00:07:24.569 --> 00:07:27.889 on the Mount, and what we see here in the gospel 00:07:27.889 --> 00:07:32.189 of Luke, which he calls the Sermon on the Plain. 00:07:33.550 --> 00:07:39.649 Now when Jesus delivered this message, he gave 00:07:39.649 --> 00:07:43.250 the same conclusion each time, and it's the conclusion 00:07:43.250 --> 00:07:46.110 that we want to look at. I'm going to begin reading 00:07:46.110 --> 00:07:53.100 in verse 43. For there is no good tree which 00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:58.779 produces bad fruit Nor on the other hand a bad 00:07:58.779 --> 00:08:03.800 tree which produces good fruit For each tree 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:07.100 is known by its own fruit for men do not gather 00:08:07.100 --> 00:08:11.300 figs from thorns Nor do they pick grapes from 00:08:11.300 --> 00:08:16.199 a briar bush The good man out of the good treasure 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:19.500 of his heart brings forth what is good, and the 00:08:19.500 --> 00:08:22.180 evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth 00:08:22.180 --> 00:08:25.800 what is evil, for his mouth speaks from that 00:08:25.800 --> 00:08:31.800 which fills his heart. And why do you call me 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:41.450 Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? and hears 00:08:41.450 --> 00:08:46.009 my words and acts upon them, I will show you 00:08:46.009 --> 00:08:50.129 whom he is like. He is like a man building a 00:08:50.129 --> 00:08:53.669 house who dug deep and laid a foundation upon 00:08:53.669 --> 00:08:58.690 the rock. And when a flood arose, the torrent 00:08:58.690 --> 00:09:01.230 burst against that house and could not shake 00:09:01.230 --> 00:09:03.970 it because it had been built, had been well built. 00:09:05.309 --> 00:09:08.570 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly 00:09:08.570 --> 00:09:12.230 is like a man who built a house upon the ground, 00:09:12.730 --> 00:09:16.450 without any foundation. And the torrent burst 00:09:16.450 --> 00:09:19.629 against it, and immediately it collapsed, and 00:09:19.629 --> 00:09:25.090 the ruin of that house was great." I repeat, 00:09:25.090 --> 00:09:27.309 in this message this morning, I don't want to 00:09:27.309 --> 00:09:29.769 upset the faith and stability of the genuine 00:09:29.769 --> 00:09:34.649 believer. However, if I can burst the balloon 00:09:34.649 --> 00:09:39.450 of false assurance in someone, who is deceived 00:09:39.450 --> 00:09:42.210 about being saved, my prayer for this message 00:09:42.210 --> 00:09:47.529 will have been answered. I speak of false assurance. 00:09:48.769 --> 00:09:53.070 That is, one who believes himself to be saved, 00:09:54.490 --> 00:10:00.789 when in fact he is not. Where does false assurance 00:10:00.789 --> 00:10:06.250 arise? Well, I think it can arise from misunderstood 00:10:06.250 --> 00:10:11.860 invitations. Sometimes invitations are given, 00:10:11.860 --> 00:10:15.179 and there's nothing wrong with it, to lift the 00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:21.840 hand, or to come forward in the service, or to 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:25.539 say a prayer, and all of those things can be 00:10:25.539 --> 00:10:31.460 fine. But some people misunderstand and they 00:10:31.460 --> 00:10:34.830 think that by doing those things, by lifting 00:10:34.830 --> 00:10:37.730 the hand or coming forward or saying the prayer, 00:10:37.950 --> 00:10:42.049 that's what makes them a Christian. And it's 00:10:42.049 --> 00:10:47.370 not. But they've done that with the misunderstanding 00:10:47.370 --> 00:10:50.730 and therefore they have a false assurance. Some 00:10:50.730 --> 00:10:53.669 people have even written a date down in their 00:10:53.669 --> 00:10:56.370 Bible somewhere saying, on this date I prayed 00:10:56.370 --> 00:11:00.809 a prayer. And they think because of that, they 00:11:00.809 --> 00:11:03.309 have assurance of salvation when in fact it is 00:11:03.309 --> 00:11:09.269 a false assurance. I think false assurance can 00:11:09.269 --> 00:11:13.690 also come from the kind of faith that does not 00:11:13.690 --> 00:11:20.710 include repentance from sin. There is a stream 00:11:20.710 --> 00:11:23.870 in the evangelical church of what is called easy 00:11:23.870 --> 00:11:28.919 believism. Which says basically all you need 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:31.860 to do is accept Jesus into your heart, and it 00:11:31.860 --> 00:11:36.639 doesn't deal with sin The message doesn't deal 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:43.320 with repentance of sin And so people take a very 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:48.039 glib step of Asking Jesus into their heart whatever 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:50.679 that means and they think that because they've 00:11:50.679 --> 00:11:54.080 done that they have the assurance of salvation 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.179 And then I think false assurance can be learned 00:11:59.179 --> 00:12:03.840 from routine. The routine of good Christian activity. 00:12:04.519 --> 00:12:09.840 By reading the Bible. By serving in church. By 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:12.720 teaching Sunday school. By singing in the choir. 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:17.059 They learn good routine. I mean these are important 00:12:17.059 --> 00:12:20.980 things that I've just listed. But by learning 00:12:20.980 --> 00:12:23.259 this routine they have the idea that somehow 00:12:23.259 --> 00:12:28.299 that makes them a Christian. No wonder the apostle 00:12:28.299 --> 00:12:31.460 says, with a bit of disgust actually, at the 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:36.419 Corinthians, for they were judging him as to 00:12:36.419 --> 00:12:38.539 whether he was a true apostle or not. And he 00:12:38.539 --> 00:12:40.940 writes to them at the conclusion of 2 Corinthians. 00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:46.580 And he says, test yourselves to see if you are 00:12:46.580 --> 00:12:52.100 in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you not 00:12:52.100 --> 00:12:55.080 recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ 00:12:55.080 --> 00:13:00.279 is in you? unless, indeed, you fail the test? 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:08.379 You see, salvation is a transforming work of 00:13:08.379 --> 00:13:13.919 God that produces lasting evidence of its genuineness 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:21.279 in a person's life. That's my basic point. Salvation 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:24.419 is a transforming work of God that produces a 00:13:24.419 --> 00:13:28.049 lasting evidence of its genuineness in a person's 00:13:28.049 --> 00:13:32.470 life. I notice from our text today in Luke chapter 00:13:32.470 --> 00:13:36.269 6 the following. First, the salvation changes 00:13:36.269 --> 00:13:40.850 the nature of the heart. Jesus uses an illustration 00:13:40.850 --> 00:13:47.009 from agriculture as well as from economics. From 00:13:47.009 --> 00:13:51.070 agriculture he says, a particular tree bears 00:13:51.070 --> 00:13:56.789 a distinctive fruit. We would say if you plant 00:13:56.789 --> 00:14:01.549 an apple tree you expect to harvest apples. If 00:14:01.549 --> 00:14:04.049 you plant an orange tree you expect to harvest 00:14:04.049 --> 00:14:11.970 oranges. From economics he says what is inside 00:14:11.970 --> 00:14:20.429 in the treasury is what you get out of it. His 00:14:20.429 --> 00:14:25.720 point is that the heart of an unregenerate person 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:31.059 is divulged by the character and the behavior 00:14:31.059 --> 00:14:34.759 of that person. Likewise, the heart of a regenerate 00:14:34.759 --> 00:14:38.899 person is revealed by his character and by his 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:44.580 behavior. Salvation changes the nature of the 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:52.779 heart. It's the transforming work of God. The 00:14:52.779 --> 00:14:56.639 heart that was evil and that therefore produced 00:14:56.639 --> 00:15:01.559 evil in the life is radically changed by the 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:08.679 power of the Gospel to become a good heart. And 00:15:08.679 --> 00:15:11.519 that change is given evidence of by the fruit 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:15.960 of the life. There's no New Testament writer 00:15:15.960 --> 00:15:19.919 that draws out this idea more than the Apostle 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:25.759 John. I invite you to turn to 1 John for a moment. 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:29.840 John, as you know, lived longer than any of the 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:32.820 other apostles near to the end of the first century. 00:15:34.139 --> 00:15:37.559 And by that time, John was seeing on the horizon 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:42.740 a teaching that he knew was dangerous. And later 00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:45.580 it became a very serious heresy in Christianity. 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:50.440 And so before he died, he attacked this teaching. 00:15:51.380 --> 00:15:53.919 just as it was beginning to make its way into 00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:57.019 the church. Unfortunately, it didn't stop it. 00:15:57.559 --> 00:16:01.460 It was the teaching of Gnosticism. He had a number 00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:04.960 of ideas, including dualism. That anything physical 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:10.019 is bad, everything spiritual is good. That there 00:16:10.019 --> 00:16:15.039 was a separation between the two. That the important 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:20.379 thing was what you know in your spirit. And what 00:16:20.379 --> 00:16:25.360 you did with your body was unimportant. It was 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:29.120 physical. It wasn't going to be saved anyway. 00:16:29.139 --> 00:16:32.100 It was no good. So just, if your body has some 00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:34.340 urge, some desire, fulfill it. It doesn't make 00:16:34.340 --> 00:16:37.539 any difference. The important part is the knowledge 00:16:37.539 --> 00:16:39.940 you have, the invisible, the spiritual part of 00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:44.379 you. And so the ethical standards of Gnostics 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:48.309 were very, very low. They said just give in to 00:16:48.309 --> 00:16:50.870 any indulgence you want in the flesh. It doesn't 00:16:50.870 --> 00:16:55.070 make any difference and Some Christians were 00:16:55.070 --> 00:16:57.269 beginning to pick up on this and so John says 00:16:57.269 --> 00:17:03.950 in verse 5 of chapter 1 of 1st John 1st John 00:17:03.950 --> 00:17:07.170 chapter 1 verse 5 and this is the message we 00:17:07.170 --> 00:17:10.650 have heard from him and Announced to you that 00:17:10.650 --> 00:17:14.769 God is light And in him there is no darkness 00:17:14.769 --> 00:17:16.829 at all. He is not talking about the physical 00:17:16.829 --> 00:17:19.809 properties of light and darkness. He is talking 00:17:19.809 --> 00:17:23.410 about, among other things, the moral qualities 00:17:23.410 --> 00:17:26.970 of light and darkness. Light representing what 00:17:26.970 --> 00:17:30.250 is pure and holy and good, and darkness representing 00:17:30.250 --> 00:17:35.170 what is evil and sinful. And he says in God there 00:17:35.170 --> 00:17:40.119 is light. He is light. and there is no darkness 00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:42.779 in him at all. There's no sin or evil in God. 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:48.539 Then he says, if we say, and he will say this 00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:51.839 now several times, use that phrase, if we say, 00:17:53.220 --> 00:17:56.539 if we say that we have fellowship with him, with 00:17:56.539 --> 00:18:04.480 God, and yet walk in the darkness, we lie, and 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:08.319 do not practice the truth. You see, John is saying 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:10.599 the same thing that Jesus was talking about. 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:16.220 We can't claim to be related to God, who is the 00:18:16.220 --> 00:18:20.559 light, and walk in the darkness of sin. We're 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:29.000 lying. Verse 8, he says, if we say that we have 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:33.299 no sin, then the Gnostics would claim that. They 00:18:33.299 --> 00:18:35.539 said, it's the body that's the problem. It's 00:18:35.539 --> 00:18:42.109 not me. John says if we say that we have no sin, 00:18:42.509 --> 00:18:47.130 notice that's sin the principle, sin the power, 00:18:47.250 --> 00:18:50.190 not the individual acts of it. If we say that 00:18:50.190 --> 00:18:54.390 we have no principle of sin, we are deceiving 00:18:54.390 --> 00:19:00.509 ourselves. The truth isn't in us. But if we confess 00:19:00.509 --> 00:19:04.519 our sins, on the other hand, He's faithful and 00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:07.059 righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse 00:19:07.059 --> 00:19:12.019 us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:18.019 have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word 00:19:18.019 --> 00:19:21.940 is not in us. Now these are strong, strong words. 00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:26.819 He says, my little children, I'm writing these 00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:29.880 things to you that you may not sin. John says, 00:19:30.099 --> 00:19:32.740 in writing this, I'm not encouraging you to sin. 00:19:35.400 --> 00:19:39.079 But he says if anyone does sin, he recognizes 00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:42.559 that possibility. We have an advocate with the 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:46.160 Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he himself 00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:49.140 is the propitiation for our sins. That is, he's 00:19:49.140 --> 00:19:54.220 dealt with the sin problem. And not only for 00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:57.119 ours, but also for those of the whole world. 00:19:57.480 --> 00:20:01.400 Now we pick it up again in verse 3. And by this 00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:06.519 we know that we have come to know him. If we 00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:12.339 keep his commandments, that is, if we observe 00:20:12.339 --> 00:20:15.160 his commandments, if we hold them in memory, 00:20:15.740 --> 00:20:18.720 that's how we can know that we know God. There's 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:24.880 been a change, a heart change. The one who says, 00:20:25.140 --> 00:20:28.940 I have come to know him and does not keep his 00:20:28.940 --> 00:20:33.559 commandments is a liar and the truth is not in 00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:39.400 him. In other words, a person who professes to 00:20:39.400 --> 00:20:43.380 be a Christian but has no concern about observing 00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:46.180 the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ is 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:51.440 not a Christian. And if that person has assurance 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:58.460 of salvation, it is a false assurance. Whoever 00:20:58.460 --> 00:21:03.240 keeps his word, however, in him the love of God 00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:08.430 has truly been perfected. By this we know that 00:21:08.430 --> 00:21:12.170 we are in him the one who says he abides in him 00:21:12.170 --> 00:21:16.490 on himself to walk in the same manner as he walked 00:21:16.490 --> 00:21:20.730 That is as Jesus walked Beloved I'm not writing 00:21:20.730 --> 00:21:23.930 a new commandment to you, but an old commandment 00:21:23.930 --> 00:21:26.349 Which you have had from the beginning the old 00:21:26.349 --> 00:21:29.470 commandment is the word that you have heard on 00:21:29.470 --> 00:21:31.609 the other hand I am writing a new commandment 00:21:31.609 --> 00:21:35.250 to you, which is true in him In you because the 00:21:35.250 --> 00:21:37.930 darkness is passing away and the true light is 00:21:37.930 --> 00:21:41.930 already shining verse 9 the one who says he is 00:21:41.930 --> 00:21:46.089 in the light and Yet hates his brother is in 00:21:46.089 --> 00:21:51.789 the darkness until now In other words one who 00:21:51.789 --> 00:21:57.150 professes to be a Christian Even one who has 00:21:57.150 --> 00:22:00.670 some assurance of salvation, but who hates his 00:22:00.670 --> 00:22:06.579 brother has a false assurance and is not saved. 00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:12.119 Salvation, you see, changes the heart. It transforms 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:17.559 its nature from evil to righteous. Now John makes 00:22:17.559 --> 00:22:21.019 it clear that a righteous heart, one that has 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:27.740 truly been changed, can still sin. Don't misunderstand 00:22:27.740 --> 00:22:31.240 me. I'm not thinking of perfection. I'm thinking 00:22:31.240 --> 00:22:33.700 of the direction of the heart when I talk about 00:22:33.700 --> 00:22:40.720 a change. Not perfection. But the direction has 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:46.079 been changed. The bent of the heart. The predisposition 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:50.220 of the heart is changed toward what pleases God. 00:22:51.220 --> 00:22:54.079 John continues this in chapter 3 and verse 6. 00:22:55.500 --> 00:23:00.720 He says, no one who abides in Him sins. Now, 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:03.519 it's kind of hard in the English translation 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:06.559 to pick up the tenses of the verbs and the implications, 00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:10.019 so let me try to put that in here for you. Verse 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:15.859 6. No one who abides in Him sins as a practice 00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:22.339 of life. No one who sins as a practice of life 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:27.960 has seen Him or known Him. The one who practices 00:23:27.960 --> 00:23:32.460 sin as a habit of life is of the devil. For the 00:23:32.460 --> 00:23:36.119 devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son 00:23:36.119 --> 00:23:38.019 of God appeared for this purpose that he might 00:23:38.019 --> 00:23:40.940 destroy the works of the devil. No one who is 00:23:40.940 --> 00:23:44.660 born of God practices sin as a habit of life. 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:50.980 Why? It says because God's seed abides in him. 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:57.730 There's a change. And he cannot sin as a practice 00:23:57.730 --> 00:24:00.970 of life, because he is born of God. He has a 00:24:00.970 --> 00:24:05.690 new nature. By this the children of God and the 00:24:05.690 --> 00:24:09.069 children of the devil are obvious. Anyone who 00:24:09.069 --> 00:24:12.170 does not practice righteousness as a way of life 00:24:12.170 --> 00:24:15.809 is not of God. And the one who does not love 00:24:15.809 --> 00:24:23.809 his brother. So John just underscores the fact 00:24:23.809 --> 00:24:28.079 again. that genuine salvation transforms the 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:34.200 heart. And so as we think about our own profession 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:37.380 of salvation, we have to ask ourselves the hard 00:24:37.380 --> 00:24:44.220 question, what is the fruit of my life? Have 00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:52.000 I experienced a change of heart? Or am I professing 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:54.440 to know Jesus Christ while I'm walking in the 00:24:54.440 --> 00:25:03.579 direction of sin? Now let's go back to Luke chapter 00:25:03.579 --> 00:25:06.339 6, where we see something else that Jesus says 00:25:06.339 --> 00:25:12.259 regarding the evidence of salvation. He says 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:18.420 salvation involves the lordship of Christ. Verse 00:25:18.420 --> 00:25:25.700 46. probing words. Why do you call me Lord? Lord. 00:25:27.819 --> 00:25:33.380 And do not do what I say. Now the term Lord is 00:25:33.380 --> 00:25:39.180 used as a title of respect in the Bible. But 00:25:39.180 --> 00:25:42.039 it's also used in a more deep way, a more significant 00:25:42.039 --> 00:25:45.819 way, as a substitute for the unspeakable name 00:25:45.819 --> 00:25:48.400 of God, Yahweh. That's how the Jews used this 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:53.779 very term. And here it is used that way. Jesus 00:25:53.779 --> 00:25:58.359 is saying, you call me Lord, not only in respect, 00:25:59.339 --> 00:26:05.039 but in recognition of my deity. You call me Lords 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:09.079 using a term that says I have the right to rule. 00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:12.940 In fact, you don't just call me Lord, you call 00:26:12.940 --> 00:26:18.000 me Lord, Lord. Which is an intensive way of saying 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:23.769 it. with a lot of zeal. He says, you zealously 00:26:23.769 --> 00:26:29.450 say to me, Lord, but you don't do what I say 00:26:29.450 --> 00:26:40.670 to do. That is not salvation. In his Sermon on 00:26:40.670 --> 00:26:43.329 the Mount, Jesus elaborates a little more on 00:26:43.329 --> 00:26:47.259 this as Matthew records it for us. He puts it 00:26:47.259 --> 00:26:50.579 this way, not everyone who says to me, Lord, 00:26:50.680 --> 00:26:55.299 Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But he 00:26:55.299 --> 00:26:59.140 who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 00:27:01.940 --> 00:27:04.140 Now here they hear him. This is Jesus talking. 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:09.839 Many, many, many, many will say to me on that 00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:13.779 day, what day? The day of judgment. We'll talk 00:27:13.779 --> 00:27:19.960 about that in a minute. Lord, Lord, did we not 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:25.099 prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast 00:27:25.099 --> 00:27:30.000 out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? 00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:35.299 Lord, Lord, look at what I did, the miracles 00:27:35.299 --> 00:27:38.480 that were done. Look at the demons that were 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:43.819 cast out. Look at the sermons I preached, the 00:27:43.819 --> 00:27:50.839 Sunday school lessons I taught. Jesus says, then 00:27:50.839 --> 00:27:59.359 I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart 00:27:59.359 --> 00:28:09.779 from me, you who practice lawlessness. What's 00:28:09.779 --> 00:28:13.799 the point here? Jesus says, it's not sufficient 00:28:13.799 --> 00:28:23.069 to call me Lord. You must do. what I say. For 00:28:23.069 --> 00:28:27.589 in doing what I say, you are proving the genuineness 00:28:27.589 --> 00:28:31.369 that I am your Lord. Otherwise, it's just a name. 00:28:33.269 --> 00:28:35.910 And it doesn't make any difference how many good 00:28:35.910 --> 00:28:40.369 works you do. It doesn't make any difference 00:28:40.369 --> 00:28:45.789 how many miracles you perform. If you practice 00:28:46.940 --> 00:28:58.960 Lawlessness. I never knew you. There are people 00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:01.960 today who say all you need to do is to get together 00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:06.920 under a banner that says Jesus is Lord. That 00:29:06.920 --> 00:29:13.400 shows that you're a genuine Christian. But not 00:29:13.400 --> 00:29:19.490 according to Jesus. That's insufficient. There 00:29:19.490 --> 00:29:22.569 has to be some practice of righteousness in the 00:29:22.569 --> 00:29:31.630 life. For anyone can say Jesus is Lord. But only 00:29:31.630 --> 00:29:35.450 those who are genuinely saved can say that by 00:29:35.450 --> 00:29:38.650 the Holy Spirit and give evidence of it in their 00:29:38.650 --> 00:29:44.369 lives. I tell you, there are many people in the 00:29:44.369 --> 00:29:46.750 world this day who in Jesus' name are feeding 00:29:46.750 --> 00:29:56.609 the poor. Who are housing the homeless. Who are 00:29:56.609 --> 00:29:58.849 giving clothing to those who have very little 00:29:58.849 --> 00:30:05.609 to wear. And those are noble, noble works. But 00:30:05.609 --> 00:30:07.970 because they're doing it in Jesus' name, they 00:30:07.970 --> 00:30:15.720 think somehow they're Christians. I think of 00:30:15.720 --> 00:30:22.339 one person, I will name her because it has been 00:30:22.339 --> 00:30:27.019 done publicly, I think of Mother Teresa. Serving 00:30:27.019 --> 00:30:31.039 the poor in Calcutta. And what an example she 00:30:31.039 --> 00:30:35.000 sets for all of us. In compassion for those who 00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:40.799 have nothing. But she is also one who believes 00:30:40.799 --> 00:30:44.730 that we all worship the same God. We just call 00:30:44.730 --> 00:30:50.750 Him different names. Now she calls Jesus Lord, 00:30:51.049 --> 00:30:53.890 but if the Muslims called Him Allah, so what? 00:30:56.930 --> 00:31:01.750 According to her theology. Now I am not condemning 00:31:01.750 --> 00:31:07.410 her good works, but I fear for her that she is 00:31:07.410 --> 00:31:09.950 among those who is doing wonderful things in 00:31:09.950 --> 00:31:15.420 Jesus' name and even calls Jesus Lord And I am 00:31:15.420 --> 00:31:18.339 not her judge, but I wonder if on the day of 00:31:18.339 --> 00:31:22.779 judgment Jesus will say, come in or depart from 00:31:22.779 --> 00:31:30.319 me. We can do lots of good things, but if we 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:33.460 practice lawlessness, it is evidence that Jesus 00:31:33.460 --> 00:31:37.759 is not really Lord. If there isn't the law of 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:43.319 God in our hearts, Jesus is not really the Lord 00:31:43.319 --> 00:31:49.019 of our lives. Jesus is warning here about not 00:31:49.019 --> 00:31:52.200 giving obedience to him, but only using his name 00:31:52.200 --> 00:31:57.680 for doing good. And then he says something else 00:31:57.680 --> 00:32:02.259 in his closing illustration. He says that salvation 00:32:02.259 --> 00:32:04.880 lays a foundation that endures the judgment. 00:32:05.980 --> 00:32:09.339 This parable, which is among Jesus' best known, 00:32:10.160 --> 00:32:13.400 illustrates that genuine salvation provides a 00:32:13.400 --> 00:32:17.960 solid foundation. that survives when the torrent 00:32:17.960 --> 00:32:25.160 of judgment comes. Notice that neither of these 00:32:25.160 --> 00:32:30.119 houses was able to avoid the torrent. Likewise, 00:32:30.339 --> 00:32:36.779 God's judgment is coming upon everyone. There 00:32:36.779 --> 00:32:39.779 is one who built his house upon the ground, upon 00:32:39.779 --> 00:32:43.779 the sand, as it says in Matthew. And when the 00:32:43.779 --> 00:32:46.799 judgment came, it was destroyed. It was swept 00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:51.720 away. There was one who built His house upon 00:32:51.720 --> 00:32:56.819 the rock. And that's Jesus' way of inviting people 00:32:56.819 --> 00:32:59.960 to come to Him and build their lives on Him, 00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:05.920 the rock, the sure foundation. He says, they 00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:09.059 come to Me. Notice how He says, they come. Verse 00:33:09.059 --> 00:33:15.579 47. everyone who comes to me and hears my words 00:33:15.579 --> 00:33:21.039 and acts upon them. He's the one who builds his 00:33:21.039 --> 00:33:27.259 house upon the foundation. Salvation, genuine 00:33:27.259 --> 00:33:31.200 salvation lays a foundation that endures the 00:33:31.200 --> 00:33:35.480 judgment of God. And so in this great closing 00:33:35.480 --> 00:33:41.250 invitation to Jesus' sermon, He invites his hearers 00:33:41.250 --> 00:33:45.509 to come and in coming to become doers and Announces 00:33:45.509 --> 00:33:56.650 that only in doing so will they be saved Salvation 00:33:56.650 --> 00:34:00.809 you see is a transforming work of God It produces 00:34:00.809 --> 00:34:03.670 evidence in the life of its genuineness. It changes 00:34:03.670 --> 00:34:07.259 the nature of the heart It involves the Lordship 00:34:07.259 --> 00:34:11.480 of Jesus Christ in the life. It lays a foundation 00:34:11.480 --> 00:34:14.300 that endures the judgment of God. It's the only 00:34:14.300 --> 00:34:21.480 kind of salvation in the end that there is. Is 00:34:21.480 --> 00:34:24.619 that the kind of salvation that you possess? 00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:32.619 You see, assurance about the welfare of your 00:34:32.619 --> 00:34:36.769 soul that is based upon something less than this 00:34:36.769 --> 00:34:42.710 is an assurance that is false and may well result 00:34:42.710 --> 00:34:45.530 in shock when one arrives at the judgment seat 00:34:45.530 --> 00:34:52.909 of Christ. The assurance of salvation is in the 00:34:52.909 --> 00:34:57.550 change that takes place in the life because of 00:34:57.550 --> 00:35:03.739 Jesus Christ. There is no other foundation Paul 00:35:03.739 --> 00:35:06.539 says in 1 Corinthians 3, 11, no man can lay a 00:35:06.539 --> 00:35:09.239 foundation other than the one which is laid, 00:35:10.300 --> 00:35:16.980 which is Jesus Christ. So as we think today about 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:21.639 salvation, and we firm up the foundation of our 00:35:21.639 --> 00:35:23.840 lives, we need to go right to the bedrock of 00:35:23.840 --> 00:35:26.239 it all and ask ourselves the tough question, 00:35:26.619 --> 00:35:29.320 is there enough evidence in my life to convict 00:35:29.320 --> 00:35:36.610 me of being a Christian? Someone looking at my 00:35:36.610 --> 00:35:39.449 life the last month, the last six months, the 00:35:39.449 --> 00:35:43.030 last two years, is there sufficient enough evidence 00:35:43.030 --> 00:35:48.409 of change in me? And of the lordship of Jesus 00:35:48.409 --> 00:35:53.989 Christ, and of doing what Jesus says to do, that 00:35:53.989 --> 00:36:00.070 they would conclude, yes, yes, it's real in this 00:36:00.070 --> 00:36:05.210 person. We have to ask that about ourselves. 00:36:07.989 --> 00:36:12.070 Let's pray. And let's look inside as we pray. 00:36:14.989 --> 00:36:17.570 And can you say today within your heart of hearts 00:36:17.570 --> 00:36:24.829 that you know that you've come to know Him? Is 00:36:24.829 --> 00:36:30.570 there an assurance of salvation? That is genuine 00:36:30.570 --> 00:36:35.530 because it is based upon the change That God 00:36:35.530 --> 00:36:40.449 has made You can see the direction of your life 00:36:40.449 --> 00:36:49.090 is moving in the right way Now you may be a genuine 00:36:49.090 --> 00:36:51.289 Christian I've caught you on a tough day and 00:36:51.289 --> 00:36:55.869 your feelings are low and you're down May God 00:36:55.869 --> 00:37:00.679 comfort your heart and give you a reassurance 00:37:00.679 --> 00:37:05.139 that you're genuinely His if that's the case. 00:37:07.019 --> 00:37:09.559 But my friend, if you are here today and somehow 00:37:09.559 --> 00:37:14.099 you've picked up the language, and you behave 00:37:14.099 --> 00:37:18.380 like a Christian, and you do good things, even 00:37:18.380 --> 00:37:21.300 in Jesus' name, and you call on Him as Lord, 00:37:21.360 --> 00:37:25.079 and yet there is not the heart of a Christian 00:37:25.079 --> 00:37:29.489 in you. If you've never been born into the family 00:37:29.489 --> 00:37:41.989 of God, I hope you will today. And may God help 00:37:41.989 --> 00:37:44.389 you right where you're seated to trust in Jesus 00:37:44.389 --> 00:37:48.809 Christ alone. And to say, Lord, I repent of my 00:37:48.809 --> 00:37:53.489 sins. I repent of my good works. I repent of 00:37:53.489 --> 00:37:57.900 all the stuff in my life. that I've depended 00:37:57.900 --> 00:38:05.500 on except you. And I receive you and you alone 00:38:05.500 --> 00:38:10.719 into my heart as my Savior. Jesus Christ, come 00:38:10.719 --> 00:38:16.900 into me. Give me birth into the family of God. 00:38:18.179 --> 00:38:24.159 Change my heart. I want to assure you of something. 00:38:25.670 --> 00:38:28.550 The Lord doesn't hear those words and cast them 00:38:28.550 --> 00:38:32.670 off. He promises that if you will sincerely call 00:38:32.670 --> 00:38:35.849 upon Him, He will save you, just as much as Scott 00:38:35.849 --> 00:38:40.190 O 'Grady turned that transmitter on. And it reached 00:38:40.190 --> 00:38:43.989 up to that jet in the sky who heard and who acted. 00:38:45.449 --> 00:38:48.269 The Lord Jesus in great love and compassion for 00:38:48.269 --> 00:38:57.130 you will hear your cry. All who come to Him, 00:38:58.650 --> 00:39:07.010 He will not turn away. Father, seal this message 00:39:07.010 --> 00:39:09.369 to our hearts by Your Spirit. This day we pray 00:39:09.369 --> 00:39:11.630 in Jesus' name, amen.