Bel Air #3
Notes
Transcript
False Assurance
False Assurance
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Pray
We need to address this serious teaching from our Lord and Savior.
We need to address the facts
We need to understand that there are people in this world living their lives thinking they are in a good place with God.
We need to see what our Lord is showing us with this teaching,
We don’t want to have a false assurance
How do we understand the concept of our salvation?
Are we 100% sure?
Jesus is making clear with these statements that there are people right now
People as I am talking, right now in this country, in the world, maybe even in this room
Who think they are in a good place with the Father, and they are not.
They have a false assurance of salvation.
Notice Jesus is not talking to the atheists, the non believers, the people who believe in false religions
They would not be calling Jesus , Lord Lord
He is talking to people who think they are Christian
They call Jesus Lord Lord
This is a term of endearment, meaning I really believe I am saved
He is talking to people who have been in church their whole life
People who have gone and bought Christian books and listened to Christian music
People who go on social media and try to make Christian posts while mingling with ungodly posts
These people think they have the interest in Christ so they believe they are in Christ.
So there are a lot of people who like Jesus but are not like Jesus
Let us look at Jesus’ teaching at the Sermon of the Mount
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
This is the choice most people will take
This is the easy path
The imagery here implies something easy to see
easy to get through
It also suggests that they will accommodate their own preferences
wide gates gives us more choice over how to pass through
since what lies on the other side of that gate appears to be easy, it is the choice most people will take
this is the sad implication for the eternal fate of most people.
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Jesus commands His followers to choose the more difficult road, they must choose the narrow gate
Remember the wide gate that leads to destruction will accept many different approaches
Remember brothers and sisters Scripture is clear on this point
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
there is only one way to salvation
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
which is Christ.
Those who prefer to go their own way are simply leading the charge to their own doom.
The narrow gate, though, opens to the hard way of following Jesus
Why is the gate narrow?
there is only a single means of salvation.
Why is it difficult?
Persecution, obedience, repentance, asking for forgiveness
To follow Christ means the world will hate you
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Beware of people who make false claims on Christianity
These people will give you an appearance of innocence or brotherhood.
In truth, they are deceptive
I have been telling you, don’t take anything anyone says as truth
It is your duty as a servant of Christ to check the Scripture and make sure they are being truthful to you and to God
Assuming a person is right, means you can be lied to and led down a false path.
Now let us get into the heart of this teaching
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
What does this mean?
People may come across and appear impressive at first glance
Time, however, will always reveal a person’s character
Do their actions match their teaching?
Do they give care to others when no one is watching?
Christ really clarifies His point here
Healthy trees bear good fruit
sick trees bear bad fruit
The law of nature is true of people as well as trees
Jesus words here are close to what John the Baptist said to the Pharisees
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
Jesus is making it abundantly clear that false teachers can always be known by their fruit, what comes out of their lives.
What do we mean by fruits?
Jesus said this
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
What is the fruit that Jesus means?
Paul gives us the fruits of the Spirit with these verses
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Why is this important?
One problem is we pretend to bear good fruit
we become experts at routines
the lingo
acting Christian
All of this while never experiencing no real power or bearing no eternal fruit
Our hearts remain self centered, angry, and joyless even while we go through the motions of serving God.
When we love, desire, pursue, and fear the same things that the rest of the world does, we are not abiding in Christ
And often we don’t realize that we are living fruitless lives
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Now we can see the scariest verses of the bible
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Scripture clearly states that salvation is entirely by grace through faith and not earned by good deeds.
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
The Bible also strongly reminds us that all people, especially those who are born again, have sin that needs to be addressed
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
However, God’s Word indicates that those who are truly born again will see that salvation reflected in their attitudes and actions
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
We know that it is Christ that saves and yet submission to Christ is the expected result of salvation
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Let us look at our next verse
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Christ says “on that day” some judged to be non believers will protest
The complaint of some people will be that they performed all kinds of impressive deeds
It does not prove that they deserve heaven
What does this mean to us?
It is possible to declare one’s allegiance to Christ, to serve others supposedly in His name, and to do so without legitimately trusting Him for salvation.
Jesus indicated that the first and foremost “work” demanded by God is belief in His Son.
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
This statement comes after Jesus declares that good actions, themselves, are not righteous unless motivated by sincerity and truth
It also follows His warning that false believers can be identified to others by their spiritual fruit
The only means to assess the spirituality of others is what they say and do
We can and should do this
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
but always with a recognition of our own fallible nature
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Our own hearts , we can judge according to motives and we should do so
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Let us look at our next verse
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
This may sound harsh, but this contains great truth
Great works do not earn a person entry into heaven
People will claim that their performance has earned them a place in Christ’s kingdom
They will say they proved themselves
To those people, Christ will simply say He never knew them.
He will dismiss their great works as works of lawlessness.
I want to stress an important point here
Jesus is making an enormous claim in this verse about His role in the kingdom of heaven.
He is the One who will declare whether someone will enter the kingdom of heaven
He is the Judge who will grant entrance or condemn those who have not placed their faith in Him alone
Christians are not called to be naive either about others or themselves.
Believers ought to be sensitive to spiritual deception from others and from spiritual self deception.
Here is the conclusion from Jesus on this teaching
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Living according to Jesus’ teachings is like a wise man who builds his house on a foundation of rock
Jesus has emphasized that true righteousness should begin in the heart and be only for the notice of God.
16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
In that way, it becomes an expression of true faith in God’s Word.
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Christians who live their lives as their belief in Christ will always bring prosperity, ease, and freedom from disease or harm is living in a false faith and a blatant lie
Jesus warned His followers of the exact opposite, the path to life was a difficult one through a narrow gate
Christ does not promise there will be no storms
What He does promise is those who trust in Him will survive those storms
This house in this verse is a person’s spiritual strength, their beliefs, and the life they construct as a result.
Those who live by His teaching will be like the man who has built a house on a foundation of rock.
This “house” withstood the storms because the foundation was sound.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Jesus is illustrating the difference between living His teaching versus not living by them.
The person who followed Jesus’ teaching is like a man who built his house on foundation of rock
the storms came and the house stood firm
The “house” of one’s beliefs and faith must be built on something solid and true which is Christ only in order to withstand the attacks of the world
Now Jesus says that those who do not follow His teachings once they have heard it are like a man who built his house directly on sand.
He calls this man foolish for using sand as a foundation for a house.
The result of the storms hitting this house is very different
Jesus is not merely emphasizing that the difference is not hearing or not hearing His teaching.
The difference comes in living by Jesus’ teachings.
Those who truly believe Jesus’ words will follow them as they carry out their everyday lives
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Jesus concludes His point on foundations
The one built on a solid foundation withstood the storms
the one built on sand fell hard
The first builder was wise and the second builder was foolish
Christ is explaining only a worldview built on Christ alone creates a life that can withstand the natural attacks of human life.
A person who does as Jesus has taught is wise
No Christian is promised to escape the storms of life.
Those Christians who are solidly rooted in Christ will stand strong in them
The person who hears Jesus’ words but continues on without doing them is foolish
The same storm will level that person’s life.
The consequences will be dire
They will produce an eternity separated from God due to unbelief
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Who are we as Christians?
Do we practice and follow Christ’s teachings?
or do we choose to ignore those teachings so we can fit into our fallen world?
The reason this is the scariest passages in the Bible is because there is a lot of people who think they have salvation
They believe their relationship is solid
But their fruits show and demonstrate a different truth
The truly scary part of this is that they choose not to see it.
What can we do church?
We should self examine if we believe we are not following Christ’s teachings.
If we know a fellow brother or sister who might be choosing to follow the world and they are not showing the fruits that Paul wrote about, we need to minister and show the love necessary to help them self examine.
This is our challenge
We need to be minister to anyone who might feel weak and help them strengthen their faith
Do we follow Christ’s teachings?
Let me leave you with this
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
pray
