SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 7:20-27
20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
We can see from Jesus’ own words here, it’s not what you “say” that matters and what you “do” ONLY matters if you are in a covenantal relationship with the Lord.
Today we will examine talkers, doers, and those who are truly saved and have a covenant with the lord Jesus Christ.
INTRODUCTION
From our scripture reading today, as well as in many other places in the New Testament, we see that the most important issue with Jesus is that we need to have a covenantal relationship with Him.
This relationship is not about saying magic words, or doing special tasks, but consists of confession of sin, repentance from that sin, and accepting the Word of God, Jesus Christ and the New Covenant “as a whole”, being therefore baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Most of the people I meet that claim salvation is theirs, pick and choose which parts of the scripture they believe and adhere to, while ignoring the other parts.
We must understand that true biblical salvation can only come from the total acceptance of the Word. If God be anything, then He must be everything!
ILLUSTRATION:
I had a friend when I was in school, who had been everywhere and done everything, or so he said.
No matter the discussion, he always had to one up the next guy. He always had a story more extraordinary than yours.
Even when caught in a bold-faced lie, he would not change his ways, and continued with the next story of amazement.
What a person “says”, is not always the truth.
Over the years I have met a few more people like my friend, who say many things.
Someone “saying” they are a Christian, does not make it so.
I. SAYING
a. Matthew 12:34 “...For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
i. This is true, and if the heart is full of lies and deceit, the mouth will also speak these things, even when it comes to whether or not you have a relationship with Christ Jesus.
ii. This is why we are told to watch the actions to know whether they are counted among the sheep, or the wolves.
iii. No matter how well they lie, eventually their actions will show what their heart is truly filled with, and whether or not they really do have a relationship with Christ.
b. Sometimes liars even lie to themselves.
i. Obediah 1:3 “The pride of your heart has deceived you...”
ii. In their own vain thinking, they convince themselves that their form of religion is acceptable to God.
1. In most cases, one invents his own form of religion because he is unwilling to stop sinning. Therefore, he invents a religion in his own vain thinking, which allows him to continue to live in his sin.
2. Romans 2:11-12 “11For God does not show favoritism.
12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.”
3. Those who live in their sin will never see forgiveness, even if they “say” they are sorry for that sin, confession without repentance is pointless. You MUST repent to receive forgiveness, and you must be forgiven to receive salvation.
a. Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
i. Until you repent, you are a sinner, living in sin.
b. Matthew 3:8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”
i. Repentance is not something you do once...it is something you continue to do.
iii. Lying to oneself, creating a form of religion in your own mind that you think is acceptable to God, this is exactly what Cain did. He was given the Word from God, and he took what he knew to be true from the Lord, and did what he wanted instead. He then wondered why God rejected his offering, but accepted Abel’s, simply put, Abel obeyed God’s Word.
1. Abel met with God on God’s terms, Cain was angry when God would not meet with him on his.
iv. We cannot tell God how we will meet Him on our terms...We MUST meet with God on His terms! He is God.
c. People in life will say many things to you, others and themselves. However, one thing is certain, if we examine a person’s fruit, it will reveal who they really are.
So we see that salvation goes much deeper than saying a few magic words, or confessing the fact that you are saved, or that you believe in God or Jesus...
II. DOING
Words are pointless if they are not followed by actions. These actions are the fruit we produce in our walk with the Lord.
We must produce fruit in keeping with repentance, and spiritual fruit which comes naturally from the Holy Spirit within us if we are saved.
We must remember though, what we “do” in itself does not save either! Our fruits MUST come from a right heart, for the right reasons!
ILLUSTRATION:
Bill Gates gives;
$1.5 billion expanding childhood immunization
$1.37 billion to the United Negro College Fund
$465 million to the MVI Vaccination Initiative
$355 million to the Polio eradication
$290 million to help teachers
$264 million to African farmers
$112 million to Save the Children
$85 million to United way - and so on, and so on...
BILLIONS given to help fellow men.
Mr. Bill Gates is listed among the top celebrity Atheists.
In a 1996 interview for the January edition of Time magazine, Mr. Gates was asked about whether or not there was something special, perhaps even divine about the human soul. His response on this theistic point of view was simply, “Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.”
Doing “good” counts not for good, if that fruit is coming from a “bad tree”.
Matthew 7:17-20
17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
One may say, “but this fruit he produced by giving seems good, judging by that fruit, he must be one of God’s children?”
But, there is far more “fruit” produced in Mr. Gates life, than giving away money to charities.
He denounced the divinity of God publically in an interview. He is listed among the top celebrity atheists.
The scriptures teach us that bad fruit cannot come from a good tree.
If someone is producing bad fruit in their life, lying, stealing, cheating, pornography, etc...this bad fruit is a warning that the individual is at odds with God, and in desperate need of confession, repentance and forgiveness!
Let us take a look at where we as people are in the Lords order of things.
You are either;
A) A lost sinner who has never heard the Gospel of Truth
B) Someone who has heard and confessed your sin, repented, and accepted the covenant of Christ, receiving “Salvation”
C) If you are B, you are either in good standing with the Lord, or you have wandered from the Truth, or lastly
D) You have heard the Truth, and rejected God and His covenant, and thus become an enemy to God and His people.
III. COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST JESUS
a. Lost - unsaved - sinner “Neighbor”
If you are a lost, unsaved sinner, you have not had the opportunity to hear the True Gospel of Christ. This is what God REALLY thinks about sinners!
i. Matthew 18:14 “...your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”
ii. Luke 15:1-7 “1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
iii. Luke 19:10 “...the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
iv. Matthew 9:12-13 “Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Sometimes unsaved people will ask me to pray for them, or they will tell me that they have prayed for something and nothing happens...
John 9:31 gives us the answer to this problem...
We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.
For God to hear you and your prayers, you must belong to Him.
Until then, the only prayer He will hear from you is, “God forgive me, I am a sinner! “
b. Found - saved - forgiven “Brother”
i. Follower of Christ - Seven Evidences
1. You have confessed your sin to God
2. You have asked for His forgiveness
3. You have repented of that sin
4. You have accepted the New Covenant
5. You are a “doer” of God’s Word, not just a hearer
6. You produce fruits worthy of your repentance
7. You produce Spiritual Fruits of Galatians 5
ii. Wandered from the Truth
1. James 4:8 “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
2. James 5:19-20 “19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
3. Luke 9:62 “62Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
c. Anti-Christ - Rejected Truth “Enemy”
i. Romans 2:8 “But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”
ii. I Thessalonians 4:8 “Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”
iii. I Timothy 1:18-20 “18Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 20Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.”
iv. John 12:48 “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.”
v. John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
CONCLUSION
Our words alone do not save, or prove salvation. Our actions alone do not save or prove salvation.
Salvation comes ONLY by confessing your sin, asking the Lord for forgiveness, REPENTING, accepting the covenantal relationship with Christ Jesus, and producing fruits worthy of repentance, and fruits of God’s Holy Spirit in your life.
Being therefore a “doer” and obeying everything, Christ has commanded!
