Back To The Basics
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Introduction:
Introduction:
I want to welcome you again this morning.
First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.
I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.
I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
Over the past couple of years we’ve been doing that through the NT book of Acts. A book written by a First Century disciple named Luke who wrote it for a couple of reasons:
First, to give us a history of how the church started, who was there, and the circumstances that surrounded it.
Second, in a way, to give us a template on how to accomplish the mission that Jesus gave us to take the gospel to the entire world.
With that said, if you haven’t been with us I would encourage you to go online to http://www.mcf.life or to our Facebook page where you can watch previous messages leading up to today.
Today however we are finishing out Acts 24 as we rejoin the Apostle Paul on his journey towards Rome.
You may recall this journey started back in the city of Ephesus as Paul felt like the Holy Spirit was leading him to take the gospel to the Capital city of Rome. Luke described it like this back in Acts 19:
21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
But as we’ve learned, the journey to Rome has been a difficult journey for Paul.
It all started as Paul arrived in the city of Jersualem where he was quickly assaulted, beaten, and arrested by Roman soldiers. An arrest that led to a Jewish assassination plot on Paul’s life, that then led to a trial before a Roman Governor named Felix, where Paul was charged with rebellion against Rome and temple violations against the Jewish temple, both of which were capital offenses.
But as we learned last week, for the most part, the trial worked to Paul’s advantage as he was able to prove that the charges laid against him lacked sufficient evidence.
As a result, instead of finding Paul guilty, Felix decided to dismiss Paul’s accusers and hold Paul in custody until he could further determine what to do with Paul.
The question then is, “If Paul wasn’t guilty, why did Felix keep Paul in custody?”
I would say there are at least three reasons Felix didn’t exonerate Paul and release him:
Reason #1 - While Paul is innocent, releasing him would create political unrest between Felix and the Jewish leaders. Unrest that could work against Felix since it was his responsibility to keep the Jewish people under control.
Reason #2 - Since the Jewish leaders were bent on killing Paul, releasing Paul could lead to his death. This again would work against Felix on the Roman side. Because if you recall, Paul was a Roman Citizen. And if a Roman citizen, who was found innocent, was killed by his accusers on Felix’s watch, that could work against Felix with his superiors.
Reason #3 - God didn’t want Paul to be released.
Now, when I say that, you might be thinking, “What’s up with that pastor? Why wouldn’t God want Paul to be released from prison? Doesn’t God want us to be happy? Why would God want Paul locked away in prison?”
We talked about this a couple weeks ago, and what we discovered, is that when we put our faith in Jesus, that doesn’t mean life is going to get easy. It actually means it will more than likely get harder. And the reason it’s going to get harder is because not everybody is going to be open to Jesus. Jesus puts it like this:
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus says when we follow him, we can count on trouble. Why trouble? Jesus makes it very clear in John 15:
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
Jesus says, “Trouble will come because the world rejected me, and if they rejected me, they’re going to reject those who follow me” Which means, just like Jesus was persecuted, we can plan on being persecuted as well. Jesus describes it like this:
12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness.
In this passage Jesus warns his disicples that they will be arrested, they will be persecuted, they will be imprisoned, and they will be brought before governors? Will it be because you broke the law? NO. It will be for His name’s sake. In other words, because you are a Christian.
HOWEVER, Jesus says, it will result in an opportunity to share the gospel.
And almost to the letter, this is the situation Paul finds himself in. Which now gives him opportunity to share the gospel.
So, why hasn’t Paul been released? He has’t been released because God wants him to bear witness to Felix the governor. He wants Paul to share the gospel with the most powerful man in the region.
Which brings us to our passage today. Because as we come back to Acts 24, we come to Paul’s opportunity to share his faith with Felix.
But before we get to our passage today, I want to take a few moments to set up our subject matter today. And in order to do that, I want to begin by asking you to consider a question. And the question is this.
Question - How many of you understand in order to be good or proficient at something, you must first understand the “basics” of the subject matter at hand?
For example, if you want to be proficient in the English language, it starts with knowing the “ABC’s”, right?
Or, if you wanted to be a computer programmer, you would need to know the basics of computer programming, which believe it or not is called “Basic”, which is an acronym for “Beginner’s All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code”.
Or let’s say you wanted to learn how to weld. In order to do that, you would first need to learn the basics of welding, which might involve learning the different types of welding methods along with safety measures that need to be taken.
The reality is, if you want to understand something or be good at it, you have to know the basics first.
I ask you to consider this question, because as we come to our passage today and Paul’s presentation of the Gospel, we come to what you might call a “Basic presentation of the Gospel”.
That being the case, while it would be easy for us to quickly move past this passage and assume everybody knows or understands the basics of the gospel, I think that would be a mistake. And I think it would be a mistake because I’m not convinced that most Christians actually understand the basic Gospel message, and in some cases, might not even believe it.
You might ask, “Pastor, what are you basing that on? How do you know most Christians don’t understand or believe the basics of the Gospel?”
I base it on a recent survey that was conducted by Arizona Christian University where it was discovered that most Christians don’t know the basics of the gospel.
For example, when asked, “What does it take for a person to be saved?”, 52% of Christians said that salvation comes by works.
In other words, 52% of AmericanChristians believe salvation is something that must be earned through our goodness or our works.
When broken down denominationally, here’s what that looks like:
Of Pentecostals, 46% believe in a “works oriented” gospel.
Of mainline Protestants, 44% believe in a “works oriented” gospel.
Of Evangelicals, 41% believe in a “works oriented” gospel.
Of Catholics, 70% believe in a “works oriented” gospel.
In addition to that, while 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians. Of those who describe themselves as Christians, only 54% believe they will experience heaven after they die. And only 33% believe they will go to heaven BASED SOLEY on FAITH in JESUS and His work on the cross.
So let me put it like this. When it comes to heaven, only 5 out of 10 Christians believe they’ll go to heaven. And only 3 out of 10 believe salvation is based on faith and faith alone in Jesus.
If we look at it by age groups, it gets even more concerning. Because according to this study, only 20% of Christians between the ages of 18-29 believe that when they die they will go to heaven based on faith in Jesus.
Of those ages 30-49, only 40% believe salvation comes by faith in Jesus.
And of those 50 and older, only 40% believe salvation comes by faith, and faith alone in Jesus.
When it comes to the subject of Hell, the numbers get even more disturbing.
For example, when it comes the belief in Hell, of Catholics, only 63% believe there is a hell while 37% are not sure or don’t believe. And when it comes to Protestants, 82% believe in hell while 18% are not sure or don’t believe.
Not only that, but when Christians were asked if they new what the “Great Commission” was...
6% said, “I’m not sure”.
51% said, “No”.
25% said, “Yes, but I can’t recall the exact meaning”.
And only 17% said, “Yes, and it means...”
Which means, based on those percentages, there’s a good chance that many in the room don’t know what the Great Commission is.
So, what is it? Jesus put it like this:
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Jesus says our “Great Commission” is to take the Gospel to the entire world.
All that to say, while you would think most Christians understand or believe in the basics of the gospel, survey says otherwise.
That being the case, I believe it would be a mistake to skim over these next few verses. In fact, we are going to spend this week and next looking at just four verses. Four verses where Paul succinctly defines and declares the gospel.
Which means, we have two goals over the next two weeks:
Goal #1 - From what Paul shares about the gospel, to determine what the basics of the Gospel are.
Gaol #2 - Once we determine the basics, to ask ourselves this question, “How does my understanding of the Gospel compare to what the Bible actually says?”
That being the case, let’s jump into our passage as Paul faces continued confinement and new opportunity to share the Gospel. Picking up in verse 24 Luke writes:
24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”
In this passage Luke says after a certain number of days, Felix sent for Paul in order to discuss Paul’s faith in Jesus. Which means, with only Felix and his wife Drusilla present, Paul now has the opportunity to share the gospel with a captive audience.
The question then is, with this unprecedented opportunity, what exactly will Paul choose to share with Felix concerning the gospel?
According to Luke, Paul focuses in on three basic aspects of the gospel message. Two of which we are going to look at today, and the third one next week. So, what are they? Here’s the first one.
Aspect #1 - Righteousness.
We we see this in verse 25 where Luke writes:
“And as he reasoned about righteousness...” Acts 24:25a
The word translated “righteousness” here is translated from the Greek word “dikaiosyne”, “dee kyo see nay” and in the context of this passage refers to what it takes for a person to meet God’s righteous requirements.
Another way to say it would be, “What does it take for a person to be right with God?”
And from what Luke tells us this is where Paul starts as he “reasons” with Felix concerning the matter of what it takes for a person to be right with God.
So, what does Paul have to say about righteousness? Well, Luke doesn’t give us those details in this passage. The good news though is, from Paul’s NT letters, we can get a rather accurate idea of what he more than likely said in this conversation about righteousness.
Because this is a subject matter that Paul highlights in almost every NT letter he writes.
So, to help us get a Biblical understanding of what it takes for a person to be right with God, we are going to look at some of Paul’s letters where he talks in great detail about the subject matter of righteousness. And to help make it simple, we are going to look at three facts concerning righteousness that Paul gives us. The first one is found in the book of Romans, and I would state it like this: When it comes to being right with God, we first must understand that:
Fact #1 - We’re not righteous.
We wee this in Romans 3 as Paul highlights the sinfulness of mankind and our inability to be right before God. And in doing so he writes this:
10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
In this passage Paul quotes from two Psalms in the OT. The first is Psalm 14, and the second is Psalm 53, both of which say the same thing. Look at what the Psalmist says:
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
And then…Psalm 53
2 God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
Notice what the Psalmist says. He says when God looks down from heaven, He doesn’t see anybody that is righteous.
So, what does He see? According to the Psalmist, He sees a fallen creation. He sees corruptness. He sees no one who does good, no not one.
In fact, it’s so bad, that Paul goes on to write this in Romans 3 concerning mankind:
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
That’s what God sees when He looks down on us.
Which means none of us are righteous. None of us are right before God.
But it gets even worse, because here’s the second fact that Paul highlights in the book of Galatians concerning our inability to be right before God, and I would state it like this: When it comes to being right with God...
Fact #2 - We don’t have the ability to be righteous.
In other words, not only are we not righteous, there is nothing we could ever do in ourselves that would make us right with God. Paul puts it like this in Galatians 3:
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
In this passage Paul states that anybody who relies on works to be right with God is under a curse. Why? Because Paul says, the only way to be righteous by works, is if you are able to keep God’s law, and not just part of it, but all of it.
And therein lies the problem for us, because the fact is, nobody has the ability to keep all of God’s law. The fact is, at some point we have all broken it. Which is why when God looks down, he doesn’t see anybody that is righteous.
Now, at this point, some of you might be thinking, “Ok, I get what you are saying pastor. But I’m not sure if I agree with all that. Because here’s the deal. I know you don’t know me very well, but I’m actually a pretty good person. I’m nice to people. I pay my taxes. I obey the law. I provide for my family. I’m good to my spouse. I love my kids. Pastor, for the most part, I would say I’m a good person.”
I get what you are saying. But here’s what we need to understand, when we talk about being a good person and being righteous, we’re not talking about the same thing.
The fact is, you can do good things. Many of us do, and that’s great. But that doesn’t make us righteous.
Because the only thing that could make us righteous is if w were able to keep God’s law perfectly. But we can’t, and none of us have.
For example, when it comes to the Ten Commandments, which represent God’s law, the fact is, we’ve all broken at least one of those commandments.
Because at some point, you’ve taken something that’s not yours and committed theft.
At some point you’ve put something before God and committed idolatry.
At some point, you envied and desired something and coveted your neighbors possessions.
At some point you’ve looked lustfully on somebody that wasn’t your spouse and committed adultery.
To which you might say, “Now hold on pastor, I’ve never committed adultery! Don’t put me in that category.”
Hate to tell you this, but Jesus says if think it in your heart, you’ve done it. He puts it like this in Matthew 5:
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
The fact is, you might be a person that does good things, but that does’t mean your righteous. In fact, you’re far from it.
Which means, based on our track record, we are not right before God, which is why when he looks down from heaven, he sees no one that is righteous, no not one.
Which lead us to a third fact concerning righteousness:
Fact #3 - Only faith in Jesus can make us righteous.
Paul puts it like this in Ephesians 2:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
In this passage Paul verifies that the only one that has the ability to make us righteous is Jesus. And that it’s a gift that comes through faith in what He has done for us.
You might ask, “What has He done for us?” Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Paul says He who knew no sin became sin, so that we could become the righteousness of God.
In other words, in order to make us righteous, Jesus, the Son of God, left heaven, became one of us, and in doing so exchanged his righteousness for our unrighteousness You might ask, “How does that work?”
He did it by doing what no man had ever done. He lived a life of righteousness. The writer of Hebrews puts it like this:
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
The writer says Jesus faced every temptation we face, but in facing it He never sinned. Which means he never stole anything. He never lied. He never gossiped. He never looked at a woman lustfully. He never clicked on a pornographic link. He never cussed somebody out. and the list goes on.
And the reason that’s so important, is by never sinning, Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for mankind. The writer of Hebrews states it like this:
12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
The writer says in his righteousness, Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins. And because He was sinless, death could not hold him. Here’s how Luke puts it in Acts 2:
24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
Why couldn’t death hold Jesus? Because death is the result of sin, and in Jesus there was no sin. The Apostle James puts it like this:
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
The fact is, Jesus never went down that path. Was he tempted? Yes. But he never gave into the desire to sin. As a result, in never conceived and birthed sin in Jesus’s life. Which then means, death couldn’t hold Him down. Why? Because there was no sin in Him. Because that’s what kills you not only physically, but spiritually.
Which is why Jesus now sits at the right hand of God.
And here’s the good news of the gospel. Because we are not righteous. Because these is nothing we are able to do in order to be right before God. In order to be right with Him, God offers us the gift of salvation through his Son. Jesus puts it like this:
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
And all we have to do in order to receive that gift is put our faith in what Jesus did for us. The Apostle Paul puts it like this in Romans 10:
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Paul says all we have to do is put our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and we will be saved. Why? Because Jesus paid the price for our sin on our behalf. Here’s how Paul puts it in Galatians 3:
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
So, that’s how we become righteous before God. It comes as we recongize we are no righteous, that there’s nothing we can do to be righteous, and that the only one that can make us right before God is Jesus.
And I can promise you, this is what Paul would have shared with Felix.
Which leads us to the second subject matter when it comes to the basics of the Gospel. And we’re going to call this aspect:
Aspect #2 - Self-control.
Luke records it like this:
“As as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control...” Acts 24:25b ESV
Paul says along with the subject of righteousness, Paul brought up the subject of self-control.
So, a great question would be, “What does self-control have to do with faith in Christ?”
To understand, we need to look at the first century use of this word. And what it literally meant was to restrain oneself from passions and emotions.
In other words, to restrain oneself from the sinful pleasures of the flesh.
An example would be sexual immorality, which is something that Felix was known to give himself too.
And so by brining up self-control, what Paul is now highlighting is the importance of keeping oneself from sinful action.
You might ask, “How is that possible?” Because if we’re not righteous, and there’s nothing we can do to be righteous, how do we keep ourselves from sinning?
Well, by yourself it’s not possible. But in Christ, it’s possible. Because through our faith in Jesus, not only has Jesus saved us from our sin and made us righteous before God, but through the power of the Spirit He now gives us the ability to overcome the temptations of the flesh. The writer of Hebrews puts it like this:
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The writer says because Jesus was tempted in every-way we are, and because he overcame sin, that if we go to Him when we face temptation, He can help us overcome it as well. That’s good news, right?
Now, does that mean through faith in Jesus we will now live perfect lives? No, nobody will live a perfect life on this side of heaven. What it means though is, if we ask Him, Jesus can help us overcome the temptations we face, and in doing so, we can live a life that is more and more pleasing to Him. Paul puts it like this in Ephesians 2:
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Paul says through faith in Christ, we are now the workmanship of Christ. Which means, through our faith, day by day Jesus is transforming us more and more into His image, which means, more and more our lives should reflect who He is.
And to be frank, this is where a lot of Christians miss the mark on what it means to put your faith in Jesus. And to some degree the modern church is to be blamed for this. Blamed because in our desire for people to be saved, we’ve made salvation more about a decision than a changed life.
It goes back to Romans 10 where Paul writes:
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
While this is an amazing passage of scripture, it is a scripture that has often been used inappropriately.
Here’s what I mean by that. In many churches, when people are challenged to put their faith in Jesus, the pastor typically asks them to say a prayer. Some refer to it as the sinner’s prayer. And it typically goes something like this:
“Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for your forgivness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite you to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior.”
Sounds like a great prayer, right? And it is. In fact, it even goes along with Romans 10 where Paul says to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.
And so the goal in most churches then is to get people to say that prayer so that we can then declare them as saved.
And I’m not saying that’s a bad goal. But here’s the deal. Salvation doesn’t just come from saying a prayer and cognitively acknowledging that Jesus is Lord. In other words, it’s not just spoken word that brings salvation. So, what does?
Paul says Salvation comes when that confession makes it into the heart.
Because Paul didn’t say, believe with your head. He said, believe with your heart.
And when I say heart, I’m talking about more than cognitive belief and verbal acknowledgement. I’m talking about a decision that whole heartedly make it into every aspect of your life.
Let me explain it like this. When it comes to the physical heart, medically speaking, the heart is the organ that pumps blood throughout the body via the circulatory system, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removing carbon dioxide and other waste. That’s how it works.
In the same way, the heart Paul is referring to, the spiritual heart, does something very similar as your faith in Jesus, which represents the blood and sacrifice of Jesus, makes its way, via the Holy Spirit, throughout every aspect of your life, supplying and building the new you in Christ, while at the same time removing the old you. Which is exactly what Paul is talking about when he writes in 2 Corinthians:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
And this is where I think many churches and pastors have failed in helping people understand that putting your faith Jesus isn’t just a verbal commitment and a head decision, but a heart transformation. A heart transformation that leads to a complete change in a way a person thinks and lives.
Which means, when we talk about self-control, we aren’t just talking about a decision to refrain from the flesh. In other words, we aren’t talking about behavior modification. What we’re talking about is a new way of processing decisions that comes from a renewed heart and a transformed mind, which then leads to new desires, new disciplines, a new way of living. Which again is what Paul is talking about when he writes in Romans 12:
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
So, I know that’s a lot to process, so let me give you a couple of hypothetical example of how this might work in the life of a new believer:
Example - Lets say prior to putting your faith in Jesus, as a man you struggled with pornography. But since coming to faith in Jesus, you begin to recognize this is something you need to get out of your life.
The question then is, “How do you know it shouldn’t be in your life?” You know because all of a sudden something inside of you begins to challenge it. Something inside of you, almost like a voice says, “This isn’t good. This needs to go. This does’t honor your life. This is warping your mind.”
So, what is that something? What is this voice?
Whether you realize it or not, it’s the voice of the Holy Spirit. It’s the Spirit of God rewriting your spiritual mindset. It’s the Holy Spirit rooting out the old you. It’s the Holy Spirit challenging you to go a different direction.
The theological term for this process is called sanctification. Sanctification being the ongoing spiritual process of making you more and more like Jesus.
And the good news is, not only does the HS want to transform you, He wants to help you overcome the sin issues and temptations in your life. Paul explains it like this in Romans 6:
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Paul says because of our faith in Jesus, we are no longer enslaved to sin. That through Jesus, we can be set free from it. That through His power we can now have the strength to say no to sin and yes to righteousness.
And to be honest, this is how you tell the difference between the person who has made a head versus heart decision. Because for the person who has made a heart decision, true transformation begins to take place. A new way of living begins to take place as the old them beings to fades away.
But for the person who just made a head decision, nothing much changes. Why? Because the message of the gospel stopped at the head and never made it to the heart. Yes, they said the prayer. Yes, the pastor declared them as saved. Yes, the got a certificate of salvation. But the truth is, there’s a disconnect. For whatever reason their decision and their prayer wasn’t genuine. Because if it was, there would be evidence of change in their life.
This is what the Apostle John is talking about when he writes:
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Notice what John says. He says, “No one born of God...” In other words, No one who has put their faith in Jesus…makes a practice of sinning.” Why? Because the HS abides in him. And if the HS abides in him, he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born again.
He then says, “And it is by this change we know who are the children of God, and who are not.”
Now, the truth is, as I talk about this, some of you are not liking it. Not liking it one bit. Why? Probably because it’s raising questions and doubts about your salvation.
Guess what, Felix didn’t like it either. Because Luke says as Paul talked to Felix about this, Felix was alarmed. Another way to say it was that he we frightened.
Why was he frightened? He was frightened because Paul was raising doubt in his mind concerning his salvation.
And that’s why some of you aren’t liking this sermon today. Why? Because it’s raising doubts concerning your salvation.
But here’s what you need to understand. I’m not trying to get you to question or doubt your salvation. That would be cruel. What I’m trying to do is challenge you to affirm and confirm your commitment to Jesus.
In fact, that’s what Paul says we should all be willing to do, not just once, but continually. He puts it like this:
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
In this passage Paul challenges believers to make it a practice of examining their faith.
That day by day they would examine their commitment.
Examine their faithfulness.
Examine the decisions they are making.
Examine the habits they are engaged in. E
Examine the shows they are watching.
Examine the langauge they are using.
To ask ourselves, “Does my life represent a life committed to faith in Jesus?” And if not, why not. What is present that shouldn’t be? What is the Holy Spirit pointing out that I need to address or change in my life?
Because here’s what we need to understand. Following Jesus is a daily decision, and not a one time prayer. A daily decision that involves a life of spirit led self-control as the Holy Spirit daily renews your thinking, your desires, and your decisions on a daily basis.
So, here’s the deal. If you’ve made Jesus Lord of your life. If you’ve committed your life to following Him. If you are daily seeking to know Him, have relationship with Him, and allow Him to transform your life. Then you have nothing to be concerned about. You don’t need to be alarmed by this message.
However, if all you did is say a prayer. If all Jesus is to you is a get out of hell card. If you’re not committed to a daily walk. If you’re not allowing the Holy Spirit to renew your thinking and change your desires, then Houston, we have a problem. Maybe you should be alarmed.
Think of it like this. When two people get married, they stand at an altar and they make a commitment to one another as they each repeat their wedding vows.
Now, imagine if after the wedding, you never talked to your spouse. You never spent anytime with them. You were never intimate with them. And you basically continued to live your life like you were still single.
Now, let me ask you something, would that marriage work? And if that was your behavior, would you even be able to call what you have a marriage?
I would say no. And that’s exactly what some of you have done when it comes to your relationship with Jesus. You took the classes, showed up for church, said the prayer at the alter, but then you continued to live your life as if Jesus wasn’t involved in it. Why? Because while you said the words, you weren’t truly committed to the relationship. Why? I couldn’t tell you.
But actions speak louder than words. And the truth is, your actions say you want to live for the world. Your actions and behavior still represent the old you. That being the case, then I’m not sure you are really saved.
You might be thinking, “Pastor, how can you say that to me? Who made you the judge?”
I say it because I love you. And no, I’m not the judge, but I’m telling you what the Bible says. And we should all take it to heart, because the decision to follow Jesus is the most important decision you will ever make? Why? Because it’s a decision that has eternal consequences.
Which is what we are going to talk about next week. Because after reasoning with Felix about righteousness and self-control, Paul is going to move to the final aspect of the basics as he talks about life after death and the coming judgment.
Because whether you believe it or not, there is a heaven and there is a hell, and the fact is, each of us will spend eternity in one of those places, and what determines it is the kind of relationship we have with Jesus in this life.
So, as we close this morning, I think a great question for all of us to consider is, “Where am I when it comes to my relationship with Jesus?”
In other words, when it comes to Jesus, is He actually Lord of your life? And if He is, does your life represent a changed life? Has the old you gone and the new come? And if so, are you committed to a daily walk with Jesus that is resulting in you becoming more and more and more like Him?
And if it not why not? What has held you back? What are you still holding onto? What is keeping you from fully giving your life to Jesus? What do you need to let go of? What’s keeping you from moving past head knowledge to heart transformation?
Because here’s the good news. If you are ready to fully commit to a relationship with Jesus, Jesus is at the altar waiting. In fact, God puts it like this:
2 For he says,
“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
God says don’t wait. I you’re ready to commit. If you’re ready to let go. if you’re ready to fully put your hope and faith in Jesus, today is the day of salvation.
The question is, “Are you ready?”
Let’s Pray