Am I Really Saved?

Over the past few weeks as we have been studying the Parables we have heard Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom of God. The parables are like taking a master class from Jesus. In these stories, Jesus teaches us all kinds of things about what is true now that the Kingdom of God has begun invading the current moment in which we live. In the first week we looked at how God desires for his people to be persistent in prayer-through the Parable of the Persistent Widow. In the second and third weeks, we learned about how our money tells a story about our salvation—and you responded to that…many of you started living generously and Im thankful for that. Over the last 3 weeks our church given nearly $50k to the Lord…Praise God for that...

Last week we looked at the Parable of the Treasure in the Field. And in that story Jesus tells his disciples that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that is hidden in a field, upon which a man stumbles upon and finds it....and when he finds it, because he sees the worth of the treasure…he covers it back up, goes and joyfully sells everything that he has and then goes and buys the field in order that he might attain the treasure.”

The point that Jesus makes in that Parable is simple. He teaches us about the worth of His Kingdom. That it is so unbelievably valuable that when someone genuinely stumbles upon it, by the providence of God, they are joyfully willing to give up everything else in life they once found valuable in order to gain the treasure of the Kingdom.

But here is what I have found out throughout the years. I have found that for many of us, we think we can have both. We think that we can have the Kingdom of Heaven, while also holding onto our worldly kingdoms here on earth. And so in the church today it has become almost laughable at times how we talk about

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his followers about His Kingdom that He was establishing. Jesus came to a world that was made up of many different kingdoms and governments. And in this Sermon found here from Matthew 5-7, Jesus is teaching about his own Kingdom that he would build. John the Baptist had prophesied about this Kingdom by saying that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand, and he encouraged his hearers to, “Make straight the way of the Lord…and to bear fruits in keeping with repentance.” In other words, what John was saying was essentially this, “Now that Jesus has come…there is

Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV)

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Jesus ends the sermon on the mount with a call to response.

Matthew 5:11 (ESV)

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

John 15:18–21 (ESV)

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.

Matthew 7:15–23 (ESV)

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’