I'm going to ask you to open your Bible with
me to the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
A week ago, no one knew the name Scott O 'Grady.
This morning, there are a few Americans that
are not familiar with his name. Scott O 'Grady
was rescued from Bosnia after six terror -filled
days. His F -16 had been shot out of the sky
by a missile. And for those days he hid his face
in the dust of the earth, praying, hoping, trembling.
And then at last he heard the sound of the American
jets high overhead and turned on his transmitter.
And they heard him. And within a few minutes
the choppers were on the way. and they arrived
and plucked him off the face of that war torn
part of the earth and he was safe in American
hands. I can't imagine the relief that Scott
O 'Grady must have known as he laid back on the
floor of that helicopter and was whisked away
to the carrier at sea. Maybe we can identify
with it just a little bit. If we remember some
experience in our own lives when we were rescued
from a danger that we greatly feared. Perhaps
it was a disease or a car accident. Maybe it
was the bully on the playground at school. But
can you remember the relief that you had and
then that wonderful sweet assurance that swept
over your soul that you were safe now, that you
didn't have to be afraid anymore? When you and
I come to faith in Jesus Christ, we are just
as safe as we can possibly be. We are safe from
the condemnation of our sins and the judgment
of God. And because of that safety there is assurance
that comes into our souls. Now for some of us
that assurance came slowly. That was the case
with me. I trusted Christ as a young boy. But
shortly after I came to Christ, the pastor in
our church left and another man came who did
not preach the Bible. As a result of that, I
did not come to deeper understanding of what
salvation was all about for some time. It was
several years, in fact, before I began to enjoy
a sense of safety and security in the Lord. And
I well remember when it began. Before that, there
were many times when I cried out, Oh Lord, save
me. I felt guilty because of my sins as a pre
-adolescent youngster. But oh, how sweet was
the assurance that came to my heart eventually.
I love the doctrine of the assurance of salvation.
The assurance of our salvation is somewhat resting
upon our feelings, but certainly not the security
of our salvation. The Scottish theologian Samuel
Rutherford said, Believe in God's love and power
more than you believe in your own feelings and
experiences. Your rock is Christ and it is not
the rock that ebbs and flows, but your sea of
feelings. There are times when we may feel more
like Christians than others. But thank God that
the rock doesn't ebb and flow as our emotions
do. I thank God for the assurance of salvation
that we can have. And it is not my intent this
morning to disrupt the settled assurance that
any child of God has regarding his salvation.
However, I have an apprehension. My fear is that
the contemporary evangelical church culture makes
it easy for unregenerate persons to come in to
the church's fellowship, be comfortable, and
eventually to assume and convince himself that
he's on his way to heaven. It's too easy to learn
the language, to observe the manners of being
Christian and adopt them, without experiencing
the reality of the new birth. Churches are populated
with people, God alone knows how many, who look
and talk and act like Christians, but who have
never repented of their sin. or savingly trusted
in Jesus Christ as Lord. Behaving like a Christian
doesn't make one a Christian. A Christian ought
to belong to the church, but joining the church
doesn't make a person a Christian. A Christian
ought to pray, but saying a prayer doesn't make
a person a Christian. A person ought to read
his Bible, but reading the Bible doesn't make
a person a Christian. One can behave like a Christian
without being a Christian. This morning as we
think about firming up our foundation, which
is our theme for the summer, I want to talk about
this vital bedrock issue of our salvation. In
Luke chapter 6 we have the recording by Luke
of the Sermon on the Plain. He says Jesus delivered
it on the Plain. This is not the Sermon on the
Mount. Now the content is very similar. Jesus
probably gave his messages many times and in
different settings. That could well account for
some of the variety between what Matthew records
in chapters 5, 6, and 7 of his gospel, the Sermon
on the Mount, and what we see here in the gospel
of Luke, which he calls the Sermon on the Plain.
Now when Jesus delivered this message, he gave
the same conclusion each time, and it's the conclusion
that we want to look at. I'm going to begin reading
in verse 43. For there is no good tree which
produces bad fruit Nor on the other hand a bad
tree which produces good fruit For each tree
is known by its own fruit for men do not gather
figs from thorns Nor do they pick grapes from
a briar bush The good man out of the good treasure
of his heart brings forth what is good, and the
evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth
what is evil, for his mouth speaks from that
which fills his heart. And why do you call me
Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? and hears
my words and acts upon them, I will show you
whom he is like. He is like a man building a
house who dug deep and laid a foundation upon
the rock. And when a flood arose, the torrent
burst against that house and could not shake
it because it had been built, had been well built.
But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly
is like a man who built a house upon the ground,
without any foundation. And the torrent burst
against it, and immediately it collapsed, and
the ruin of that house was great." I repeat,
in this message this morning, I don't want to
upset the faith and stability of the genuine
believer. However, if I can burst the balloon
of false assurance in someone, who is deceived
about being saved, my prayer for this message
will have been answered. I speak of false assurance.
That is, one who believes himself to be saved,
when in fact he is not. Where does false assurance
arise? Well, I think it can arise from misunderstood
invitations. Sometimes invitations are given,
and there's nothing wrong with it, to lift the
hand, or to come forward in the service, or to
say a prayer, and all of those things can be
fine. But some people misunderstand and they
think that by doing those things, by lifting
the hand or coming forward or saying the prayer,
that's what makes them a Christian. And it's
not. But they've done that with the misunderstanding
and therefore they have a false assurance. Some
people have even written a date down in their
Bible somewhere saying, on this date I prayed
a prayer. And they think because of that, they
have assurance of salvation when in fact it is
a false assurance. I think false assurance can
also come from the kind of faith that does not
include repentance from sin. There is a stream
in the evangelical church of what is called easy
believism. Which says basically all you need
to do is accept Jesus into your heart, and it
doesn't deal with sin The message doesn't deal
with repentance of sin And so people take a very
glib step of Asking Jesus into their heart whatever
that means and they think that because they've
done that they have the assurance of salvation
And then I think false assurance can be learned
from routine. The routine of good Christian activity.
By reading the Bible. By serving in church. By
teaching Sunday school. By singing in the choir.
They learn good routine. I mean these are important
things that I've just listed. But by learning
this routine they have the idea that somehow
that makes them a Christian. No wonder the apostle
says, with a bit of disgust actually, at the
Corinthians, for they were judging him as to
whether he was a true apostle or not. And he
writes to them at the conclusion of 2 Corinthians.
And he says, test yourselves to see if you are
in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you not
recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ
is in you? unless, indeed, you fail the test?
You see, salvation is a transforming work of
God that produces lasting evidence of its genuineness
in a person's life. That's my basic point. Salvation
is a transforming work of God that produces a
lasting evidence of its genuineness in a person's
life. I notice from our text today in Luke chapter
6 the following. First, the salvation changes
the nature of the heart. Jesus uses an illustration
from agriculture as well as from economics. From
agriculture he says, a particular tree bears
a distinctive fruit. We would say if you plant
an apple tree you expect to harvest apples. If
you plant an orange tree you expect to harvest
oranges. From economics he says what is inside
in the treasury is what you get out of it. His
point is that the heart of an unregenerate person
is divulged by the character and the behavior
of that person. Likewise, the heart of a regenerate
person is revealed by his character and by his
behavior. Salvation changes the nature of the
heart. It's the transforming work of God. The
heart that was evil and that therefore produced
evil in the life is radically changed by the
power of the Gospel to become a good heart. And
that change is given evidence of by the fruit
of the life. There's no New Testament writer
that draws out this idea more than the Apostle
John. I invite you to turn to 1 John for a moment.
John, as you know, lived longer than any of the
other apostles near to the end of the first century.
And by that time, John was seeing on the horizon
a teaching that he knew was dangerous. And later
it became a very serious heresy in Christianity.
And so before he died, he attacked this teaching.
just as it was beginning to make its way into
the church. Unfortunately, it didn't stop it.
It was the teaching of Gnosticism. He had a number
of ideas, including dualism. That anything physical
is bad, everything spiritual is good. That there
was a separation between the two. That the important
thing was what you know in your spirit. And what
you did with your body was unimportant. It was
physical. It wasn't going to be saved anyway.
It was no good. So just, if your body has some
urge, some desire, fulfill it. It doesn't make
any difference. The important part is the knowledge
you have, the invisible, the spiritual part of
you. And so the ethical standards of Gnostics
were very, very low. They said just give in to
any indulgence you want in the flesh. It doesn't
make any difference and Some Christians were
beginning to pick up on this and so John says
in verse 5 of chapter 1 of 1st John 1st John
chapter 1 verse 5 and this is the message we
have heard from him and Announced to you that
God is light And in him there is no darkness
at all. He is not talking about the physical
properties of light and darkness. He is talking
about, among other things, the moral qualities
of light and darkness. Light representing what
is pure and holy and good, and darkness representing
what is evil and sinful. And he says in God there
is light. He is light. and there is no darkness
in him at all. There's no sin or evil in God.
Then he says, if we say, and he will say this
now several times, use that phrase, if we say,
if we say that we have fellowship with him, with
God, and yet walk in the darkness, we lie, and
do not practice the truth. You see, John is saying
the same thing that Jesus was talking about.
We can't claim to be related to God, who is the
light, and walk in the darkness of sin. We're
lying. Verse 8, he says, if we say that we have
no sin, then the Gnostics would claim that. They
said, it's the body that's the problem. It's
not me. John says if we say that we have no sin,
notice that's sin the principle, sin the power,
not the individual acts of it. If we say that
we have no principle of sin, we are deceiving
ourselves. The truth isn't in us. But if we confess
our sins, on the other hand, He's faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we
have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word
is not in us. Now these are strong, strong words.
He says, my little children, I'm writing these
things to you that you may not sin. John says,
in writing this, I'm not encouraging you to sin.
But he says if anyone does sin, he recognizes
that possibility. We have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he himself
is the propitiation for our sins. That is, he's
dealt with the sin problem. And not only for
ours, but also for those of the whole world.
Now we pick it up again in verse 3. And by this
we know that we have come to know him. If we
keep his commandments, that is, if we observe
his commandments, if we hold them in memory,
that's how we can know that we know God. There's
been a change, a heart change. The one who says,
I have come to know him and does not keep his
commandments is a liar and the truth is not in
him. In other words, a person who professes to
be a Christian but has no concern about observing
the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ is
not a Christian. And if that person has assurance
of salvation, it is a false assurance. Whoever
keeps his word, however, in him the love of God
has truly been perfected. By this we know that
we are in him the one who says he abides in him
on himself to walk in the same manner as he walked
That is as Jesus walked Beloved I'm not writing
a new commandment to you, but an old commandment
Which you have had from the beginning the old
commandment is the word that you have heard on
the other hand I am writing a new commandment
to you, which is true in him In you because the
darkness is passing away and the true light is
already shining verse 9 the one who says he is
in the light and Yet hates his brother is in
the darkness until now In other words one who
professes to be a Christian Even one who has
some assurance of salvation, but who hates his
brother has a false assurance and is not saved.
Salvation, you see, changes the heart. It transforms
its nature from evil to righteous. Now John makes
it clear that a righteous heart, one that has
truly been changed, can still sin. Don't misunderstand
me. I'm not thinking of perfection. I'm thinking
of the direction of the heart when I talk about
a change. Not perfection. But the direction has
been changed. The bent of the heart. The predisposition
of the heart is changed toward what pleases God.
John continues this in chapter 3 and verse 6.
He says, no one who abides in Him sins. Now,
it's kind of hard in the English translation
to pick up the tenses of the verbs and the implications,
so let me try to put that in here for you. Verse
6. No one who abides in Him sins as a practice
of life. No one who sins as a practice of life
has seen Him or known Him. The one who practices
sin as a habit of life is of the devil. For the
devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son
of God appeared for this purpose that he might
destroy the works of the devil. No one who is
born of God practices sin as a habit of life.
Why? It says because God's seed abides in him.
There's a change. And he cannot sin as a practice
of life, because he is born of God. He has a
new nature. By this the children of God and the
children of the devil are obvious. Anyone who
does not practice righteousness as a way of life
is not of God. And the one who does not love
his brother. So John just underscores the fact
again. that genuine salvation transforms the
heart. And so as we think about our own profession
of salvation, we have to ask ourselves the hard
question, what is the fruit of my life? Have
I experienced a change of heart? Or am I professing
to know Jesus Christ while I'm walking in the
direction of sin? Now let's go back to Luke chapter
6, where we see something else that Jesus says
regarding the evidence of salvation. He says
salvation involves the lordship of Christ. Verse
46. probing words. Why do you call me Lord? Lord.
And do not do what I say. Now the term Lord is
used as a title of respect in the Bible. But
it's also used in a more deep way, a more significant
way, as a substitute for the unspeakable name
of God, Yahweh. That's how the Jews used this
very term. And here it is used that way. Jesus
is saying, you call me Lord, not only in respect,
but in recognition of my deity. You call me Lords
using a term that says I have the right to rule.
In fact, you don't just call me Lord, you call
me Lord, Lord. Which is an intensive way of saying
it. with a lot of zeal. He says, you zealously
say to me, Lord, but you don't do what I say
to do. That is not salvation. In his Sermon on
the Mount, Jesus elaborates a little more on
this as Matthew records it for us. He puts it
this way, not everyone who says to me, Lord,
Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But he
who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Now here they hear him. This is Jesus talking.
Many, many, many, many will say to me on that
day, what day? The day of judgment. We'll talk
about that in a minute. Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast
out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?
Lord, Lord, look at what I did, the miracles
that were done. Look at the demons that were
cast out. Look at the sermons I preached, the
Sunday school lessons I taught. Jesus says, then
I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart
from me, you who practice lawlessness. What's
the point here? Jesus says, it's not sufficient
to call me Lord. You must do. what I say. For
in doing what I say, you are proving the genuineness
that I am your Lord. Otherwise, it's just a name.
And it doesn't make any difference how many good
works you do. It doesn't make any difference
how many miracles you perform. If you practice
Lawlessness. I never knew you. There are people
today who say all you need to do is to get together
under a banner that says Jesus is Lord. That
shows that you're a genuine Christian. But not
according to Jesus. That's insufficient. There
has to be some practice of righteousness in the
life. For anyone can say Jesus is Lord. But only
those who are genuinely saved can say that by
the Holy Spirit and give evidence of it in their
lives. I tell you, there are many people in the
world this day who in Jesus' name are feeding
the poor. Who are housing the homeless. Who are
giving clothing to those who have very little
to wear. And those are noble, noble works. But
because they're doing it in Jesus' name, they
think somehow they're Christians. I think of
one person, I will name her because it has been
done publicly, I think of Mother Teresa. Serving
the poor in Calcutta. And what an example she
sets for all of us. In compassion for those who
have nothing. But she is also one who believes
that we all worship the same God. We just call
Him different names. Now she calls Jesus Lord,
but if the Muslims called Him Allah, so what?
According to her theology. Now I am not condemning
her good works, but I fear for her that she is
among those who is doing wonderful things in
Jesus' name and even calls Jesus Lord And I am
not her judge, but I wonder if on the day of
judgment Jesus will say, come in or depart from
me. We can do lots of good things, but if we
practice lawlessness, it is evidence that Jesus
is not really Lord. If there isn't the law of
God in our hearts, Jesus is not really the Lord
of our lives. Jesus is warning here about not
giving obedience to him, but only using his name
for doing good. And then he says something else
in his closing illustration. He says that salvation
lays a foundation that endures the judgment.
This parable, which is among Jesus' best known,
illustrates that genuine salvation provides a
solid foundation. that survives when the torrent
of judgment comes. Notice that neither of these
houses was able to avoid the torrent. Likewise,
God's judgment is coming upon everyone. There
is one who built his house upon the ground, upon
the sand, as it says in Matthew. And when the
judgment came, it was destroyed. It was swept
away. There was one who built His house upon
the rock. And that's Jesus' way of inviting people
to come to Him and build their lives on Him,
the rock, the sure foundation. He says, they
come to Me. Notice how He says, they come. Verse
47. everyone who comes to me and hears my words
and acts upon them. He's the one who builds his
house upon the foundation. Salvation, genuine
salvation lays a foundation that endures the
judgment of God. And so in this great closing
invitation to Jesus' sermon, He invites his hearers
to come and in coming to become doers and Announces
that only in doing so will they be saved Salvation
you see is a transforming work of God It produces
evidence in the life of its genuineness. It changes
the nature of the heart It involves the Lordship
of Jesus Christ in the life. It lays a foundation
that endures the judgment of God. It's the only
kind of salvation in the end that there is. Is
that the kind of salvation that you possess?
You see, assurance about the welfare of your
soul that is based upon something less than this
is an assurance that is false and may well result
in shock when one arrives at the judgment seat
of Christ. The assurance of salvation is in the
change that takes place in the life because of
Jesus Christ. There is no other foundation Paul
says in 1 Corinthians 3, 11, no man can lay a
foundation other than the one which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ. So as we think today about
salvation, and we firm up the foundation of our
lives, we need to go right to the bedrock of
it all and ask ourselves the tough question,
is there enough evidence in my life to convict
me of being a Christian? Someone looking at my
life the last month, the last six months, the
last two years, is there sufficient enough evidence
of change in me? And of the lordship of Jesus
Christ, and of doing what Jesus says to do, that
they would conclude, yes, yes, it's real in this
person. We have to ask that about ourselves.
Let's pray. And let's look inside as we pray.
And can you say today within your heart of hearts
that you know that you've come to know Him? Is
there an assurance of salvation? That is genuine
because it is based upon the change That God
has made You can see the direction of your life
is moving in the right way Now you may be a genuine
Christian I've caught you on a tough day and
your feelings are low and you're down May God
comfort your heart and give you a reassurance
that you're genuinely His if that's the case.
But my friend, if you are here today and somehow
you've picked up the language, and you behave
like a Christian, and you do good things, even
in Jesus' name, and you call on Him as Lord,
and yet there is not the heart of a Christian
in you. If you've never been born into the family
of God, I hope you will today. And may God help
you right where you're seated to trust in Jesus
Christ alone. And to say, Lord, I repent of my
sins. I repent of my good works. I repent of
all the stuff in my life. that I've depended
on except you. And I receive you and you alone
into my heart as my Savior. Jesus Christ, come
into me. Give me birth into the family of God.
Change my heart. I want to assure you of something.
The Lord doesn't hear those words and cast them
off. He promises that if you will sincerely call
upon Him, He will save you, just as much as Scott
O 'Grady turned that transmitter on. And it reached
up to that jet in the sky who heard and who acted.
The Lord Jesus in great love and compassion for
you will hear your cry. All who come to Him,
He will not turn away. Father, seal this message
to our hearts by Your Spirit. This day we pray
in Jesus' name, amen.