Oct 23, 2009

What Bondage? — John 8:31-36

I have one point to make tonight and I am just going to plow through. I am hoping that this is going to be a moment of truth for us all tonight. A time when the words, the teaching of Jesus would shine a light on each of our hearts and expose whose we truly are.

This is a key reason for preaching. We who are called to proclaim God's word are not called to make names for ourselves. We are not even called to build bigger, better, brighter churches and to bring feel-good self-help messages to the masses, right.

We are called to preach the word in season and out in order to draw sinners to Christ and to continue to work with the Spirit of God – the Holy Spirit – in the work of sanctification.

That means that if you are here tonight and you don't know Christ, than my chief aim is to shine a light on the sin in your life and your desperate need for a savior in order that you might come to Him TONIGHT, without any further hesitation or reservation or excuse. I believe that He is after your heart and there is no better place to be than in a loving, saving relationship with Jesus.

And if you are here tonight and you are a believer – a brand new Christ follower or an old gray-head of the faith – my chief aim for You, and I know most of you fit into this category, my chief aim, my ultimate goal is to force you out of any comfort zone and prompt you to look into your heart and search out the things that are holding you back from a deeper relationship with Christ.

In short, we are here, the long time Christians, the young Christians, the non-Christians and even myself at the pulpit. We are all here to be transformed by the renewing of the mind; a renewing that only comes through the word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Tonight, we will dive right in, we will not sing and lift up our praise to God in THAT way tonight, but we will pray.

Please bow your heads and close your eyes with me as we go the Lord in prayer...

Okay, my question tonight, our topic of discussion is:
Are you a slave, or are you a disciple?
Please turn in your Bible to John 8:31-36

While you're getting there, I'll give you a rundown of where we are at with Jesus in this passage of the Bible.

Jesus is talking to Jewish religious leaders and to the regular Jews in a gathering and trying to tell them that if they knew the father, if they REALLY knew God, they would know Jesus. And then He hinted at His upcoming death on the cross and He said at that point it would be obvious to them that He was who He claimed to be. And after all that, verse 30 says MANY put their faith in Him. Many but not all.

Now picking up at John 8:31, let's read through 36.

And then Jesus goes on to call the Pharisees children of the devil. We don’t have time to get to that tonight, let’s go back and unpack what we’ve read.

And before we do that, let me add the never overstated instruction of: Don’t look at this story and say, “Tisk-tisk, those horrid Pharisees.”

No, Ask yourself, am I one of them? If so, Lord, help me!
Okay, let’s dig

Now let’s define disciple, because it is a word that is often used in church, but it’s hardly ever defined. Simply put: A disciple is a learner, a pupil, or a student.

I think Dallas Willard put it well when He compared discipleship to apprenticeship. Think of the bricklayer, or the plumber or the electrician. There is schooling for sure, but the real learning happens on the Job right. They work as an apprentice to a master craftsman, electrician or whatever.

When I was in college, I worked under a number of great, veteran photographers in order to learn how to do the job and to do the job like a professional.

So with the apprenticeship idea in our heads, Willard says a disciple is “…someone who has decided to be with another person, under appropriate conditions, in order to be capable of doing what that person does or to become what that person is.”

So for us to be a disciple, we need to follow Jesus CLOSELY. And we need to follow His example, in the way He talks, in the way he acts, in the way He deals with people, in the way He prays, in the way he obeys the father.

That is what it is to “hold to His teaching.”
But, we’ve made this point before and I don’t think we’ll stop anytime soon. Holding to His teaching won’t make us His disciples, if it doesn’t start with FAITH. Let’s read it again:

Listen, if you are here and you don’t believe in Jesus. If you only think He was a good teacher or something. If you don’t believe that He is God the Son, who came to Earth to pay the debt of our sins and to absorb the justified Wrath of God that we deserved. And if you don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead in what we call the Resurrection, then all the moral behavior modifications in the world won’t save you.
Being Good enough from here on out will not get you to Heaven. Jesus taught that He was the only way; that belief in Him, dependence on Him was the narrow gate to the Kingdom.

So, you can do as He did, you can talk like He talked, to can be compassionate to the poor and vulnerable, you can pay your taxes, you can be merciful and forgive people that hurt your feelings, you can be true to your wife or your husband, you can teach your children well and be respectful to your folks, you can stop lying, you can learn to be content with what you’ve got and never be jealous of what other people have, you can stop with one glass of wine and not get drunk, you can refrain from being angry, you can stop and breathe deep and look at your “What Would Jesus Do?” wrist band before each and every action, or comment or thought.

But if it doesn’t all spring up out of a belief, a trust and heart knowledge that Jesus came to you when you were a sinner and picked you up out of that muck and cleansed you and made you right with God by dying on the cross. If your good actions -if your apprenticeship doesn’t spring forth out of FAITH, then you will simply remain a slave.

Now allow me to go on a small tangent here.
This is why I get so agitated by our own people. People with in the family of God who spend their time bashing non-Christians in public about their sinful ways.

Should we abhor sin? Absolutely! It is a spit in the face of God, our Father. But we are not called to beat them over the head and tell them how BAD they are. We aren’t put here to tell them to act better, to shape up, to be morally upstanding citizens. Again, making them behave without starting with faith still sends them to Hell. We want hearts changed for Christ.

Our job is to be disciples of Christ and reflect how GOOD HE IS!

It is only when a person recognizes the Holiness of God, that they ever see themselves in the right light.

So you and I need to reflect God to draw people to the light.

So the next time you want to bash a politician or an entertainer or a public figure, or a family member who is obviously outside of the family, STOP. Do NOT HINDER THE GOSPEL!
Paul puts this subject this way in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11, He says…

The answer there is YES, but even then, do it well. And do it personally. If the person is a professing Christian, if they say they are in the family and they are blatantly sinning. Don’t talk it over with your friends, don’t Facebook about it, don’t write a zealous letter to a newspaper or publication. No, go to that brother or sister in a spirit of restoration — NOT CONDEMNATION — and show them Scripturally why you have concerns.

If you are not willing to do that, stop typing on the keyboard, stop writing the letter, or stop opening your mouth in the public square.

Don’t Hinder the Gospel. Okay, the rant is over. Are we all tracking?
Back to the passage in John. If you and I, if we start out at a base line of belief, of trust in the finished work of Jesus then from that foundation:


If you have any knowledge of the history of the nation of Israel, you can see just how absurd this remark was from the Pharisees. “We’ve never been a slave to anyone.”
It would actually be funny, if it wasn’t so sad and so telling in my own life. In our own lives.

Jesus could have easily laid out a basic history lesson.
Never been a slave huh, how about all those years making brick in bondage to Egypt, how about those 70 years in Babylon, how about this control of the Romans?

But even though they were blind or in denial to their physical enslavement, Jesus didn’t even touch on that. He went to the more important matter, the bondage of their soul to sin.


And this is where I want to dwell tonight. Not only on slavery to sin, but blindness to that bondage.

He could have mentioned Egypt or Babylon or Rome, But Jesus instead want the people to think on their pride, on their anger, on their lust. The Nation of Israel was set aside to be His chosen people, to serve the one true God. But they turned their backs on their family connections and sold themselves into the slavery of sin.

And they were slaves so long that they didn’t even recognize it anymore.

It’s like Stockholm syndrome when an abducted hostage begins to shows signs of loyalty or identification to the hostage-taker despite the danger or risk involved.

So we can see the flaws of the Pharisees, we can be the people who watch the movie and scream at the screen, “Get out of there. Get away from that. Get away from Him. Get away from her.”

But can we see it in our own lives? Can you see where you are still allowing yourself to be held captive?

This is something to look at in either case, whether you are in the faith, or if you don’t know God. The difference is, if you are like me and have come to faith in Christ. You are free and you simply aren’t living in that freedom.

You know the truth of the Gospel, but it is only in our head, it isn’t marinating into your heart and into your life.
What are you bowing down to, what are you following?

If it isn’t Christ, ONLY Christ, then you are living your life as a slave when He has died to make you His disciple.

Is it an addiction that owns you? Is it meth, or vodka, or porn? Is it your emotions that own you? Is it your anger, is it having things your way? Is it control? Is it the pursuit of worldly happiness, which is dependent on situations and people that can let you down?

Is it your past that owns you? Are you enslaved by your old mistakes? Are you a slave to the repercussions of how other people abused you? Are you a slave to a longing for a lost love? Are you a slave to expectations that you can’t meet? Are you a slave to the feelings you have when other people don’t meet your expectations? Are you a slave to being right at all costs and letting people know that you are right? Are you a slave to your appearance — to your reputation — to your standing in the community? Are you a slave to tradition? Are you in bondage to fear? Fear of the unknown? Fear of loneliness? Fear of Death? Fear of Poverty? Fear of Homelessness? Fear of Hunger? What Owns You?
Is it your job that owns you? Is it your wife or husband; is it your obligations to organizations? Is it financial security at the expense of family friends and rest? Is it something that I haven’t mentioned? Have you been praying that I wouldn’t name your slave-sin while I read down this list?

I want you to see that thing or those things for what they are.
That sin is a discipleship blocker, it is a killer of your joy — of the true joy that is found in Christ.
It is a killer of relationships that find their beginning in a devotion to Jesus and flow with the peace of His presence, and the mercy of His love.
That sin, that thing that you allow to own you, controls the thoughts, the actions, and the relationships in your life.
That sin, that slave master, becomes the framework in which you see the world. It controls how you think about other people; it controls how you treat others and how you treat yourself.
That sin, that master controls the plans that you make, it controls the vision that you have for your life.
Most important is that sin blocks the non-believer from a saving relationship with God. That sin clouds the judgment of the Non-believer and makes the Gospel hard, if not impossible, to understand or accept.

And to the believer, to those of us who have been justified by our faith in Christ alone, that sin that we allow to guide our actions, thoughts and words, blocks us off from the glorious fellowship with Jesus and with the body of the church. That sin causes us to doubt our connection to the Father. That sin causes us to forget the permanence of the gift of God’s grace and mercy. That sin causes us to wallow in guilt instead of walking in Freedom!

Let’s close it out in verses 35 and 36 tonight,

I am going to plead with you tonight. I have been praying for you before we got here tonight, that this would be a moment of dramatic, eternal changes in your lives and mine.

I don’t do many alter calls, but this week, I feel compelled to make this plea.

If you have been trying things your own way for your whole life and your eyes are opening to the uselessness of life on your old terms; or if you have been living your life as close to Jesus’ example as you could muster, but you have never truly, laid it all down at His feet and realized that you must rely on Him and only Him for your salvation; no matter which road you’ve been traveling, blatant sin or Christ-less moralism if your heart was stirred tonight to reach out for God, to reach out for Jesus, to surrender to Him, than I want you to say a prayer with me now. It isn’t the prayer that saves you — it is trusting in Him, in Jesus.
This prayer is simply a way of fixing this moment in your mind. (pray)

Now, looking at verse 35 again, we are reminded that once we are sons, or children of God, adopted by God by the reconciling work of Jesus — once we are His children, we belong to the family forever, forever, and forever!

So if you are brand new to the family or if you have been in the family for a long time. Stop believing the lie that you have to serve that old slave master. YOU ARE FREE! WE ARE FREE!

Romans 8:1 tells us that THERE IS NOW NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST Jesus. That now means NOW! It is our present reality. What past is past, it no longer controls you, that guilt is gone, that condemnation that you are feeling for what you did last week or last night or earlier today, is not a condemnation from God. It is another lie of Satan and it is not true.

Walk in the truth! Live in the Truth! Make your decisions in the light of the truth! Choose your words in the light of the truth! Think thoughts that are soaked in the truth of your redemption!

You are free the truth has set you free, forever, praise be to God, our Lord Jesus Christ!

Let’s pray…

One last thing before we dismiss, if you came to Christ tonight, we want to celebrate that, we want to explain what the Bible says are to be your next steps. Most of all we want to welcome you into the family!

Otherwise, you are dismissed. Go walk boldly in the truth.
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Work vs. Toil

In my life, there have been times where I simply did not want to get out of bed and go to work. Granted, some of those times were during my teenage years – but some were just a few years ago. I was working long hours, at a job I disliked, working for a corporation that put profits ahead of people. And while I knew that this situation was bad for me, I had a family to support. So I kept at it, TOILING day after day, putting everything I had into this job.

And as I continued to drag myself through life, I became a pretty unpleasant person to be around. I took out my frustrations on my family – and it was especially hard on my wife; not only because of the way I was ignoring her (putting all of my energy into this job) but because she could sense my pain and knew there was nothing she could do to help.

When the weekends came, I would either spend my time sleeping (trying to catch up) or simply plop down in front of the TV. I was disconnected – from family and friends; but most importantly I had disconnected myself from God – and I was empty and miserable.
At the end of each workday, I was physically and mentally exhausted. I felt like a hamster on an exercise wheel – running and running as fast as I could, but getting nowhere.
I am willing to bet there are at least a few of people here today that feel that way, especially with the state of the economy.

Men – how many of you feel trapped in your job? But we soldier on, don’t we – because even in a society that trumpets equality between the sexes, our culture still says that the man is the breadwinner. When you have a family, the responsibility of providing for your loved ones can feel like a giant weight on your shoulders – if you don’t provide, who will?
I can still remember the day when my wife and I learned we were going to have our first child. We were both jumping for joy, and then a little while later, I felt this darkness creeping over me – I was going to be responsible for providing food, shelter, clothing, etc. for a newborn. It’s one thing if I have to do without, but you can’t not provide for a baby. That’s when I first felt the weight….

Women – it’s no easier on you. Our culture still places primary childcare responsibilities in the hands of the woman. And if you have to work to help make ends meet, then you get extra guilt for not being there for your child – letting strangers raise your child.
It’s no wonder that many of us are simply making our way through life – toiling.

If you are like me, toiling day after day can take a serious toll: Exhaustion; Pain; Relationship problems. It can also bring up questions – questions that many of us are not prepared to answer, but we know that they are important:
Is there something wrong with me? Am I the only one who feels this way? Probably harder on men then on women – guys aren’t supposed to share their feeling or show weakness. So we go through these struggles alone, when we are probably surrounded by other folks who feel the same as we do.

Am I doing what I was meant to do? I would say that most of us want to do work that we enjoy, that makes us feel good. Sometimes we find that we aren’t qualified to do that work; sometimes we simply aren’t sure what that work is that would make us feel so fulfilled. Or we feel that we cannot make a living (i.e. provide for our family) doing what we love.

Does my job (my life) have meaning? This can be a very dangerous question. Sometimes we measure our worth by what we do, or how successful we are in our employment. And if our job is meaningless, then what does that mean for our worth as a person?

If you feel this way, be comforted that you are not alone. And this is not a modern problem – it goes way back to the beginning. And so the good news is that the Bible has an answer.
It’s simply a question of whether you are working or toiling….
Let’s go to Psalm 127:1-2
Let’s look at verse 1 again –
What I learned about this passage, is that the word “house” can be interpreted several ways – it can mean the “House of God” (temple); or it can mean a physical dwelling (literally a home); or it can mean “family”. Think about what it means for many of us when we use the word “work” – to me it means going to a job, getting paid and providing for my family (food, clothing, shelter). And that’s fine, but if God is not in my life, if I am ruled by sin, then it’s likely that this world will tear my family apart.

If I do not ground my family in God’s word and we have nothing to lean on when the troubles of the world come (and they will come) then my “house” will crumble. If our family is to last, it must be built by God.

On to the second half of 127:1 - In biblical times, cities were the fortresses where people would go in case of attack. They were supposed to be a refuge against the hostile world, and so they would have guards posted along the walls of the city around the clock to keep an eye out for trouble and fend off any attackers. We are reminded, however, that no matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, we cannot ultimately be successful without God’s help. If we put our trust and faith in those people who are around us, they will (at some point) fail us.

This verse reminds us that the Lord rules over all. If we are not following his path, then we have no guarantee that we will achieve success (not success as defined by this world, but success as defined by salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ). Our home (our family) may not withstand the pressures and problems of life; our cities (safe havens) will crumble without the protection of the Lord. Simply put, if our work is not aligned with God, then we are simply wasting our time – we are toiling!

On to 127:2
This is a tough one for me – I was raised with a strong work ethic; it is part of who I am and how I was raised. I was taught that if I was going to do a job, then I should do it right, no matter how long it took. And if you are in fear for your job – if you think there is any possibility that you might be fired – then you might overcompensate by working extra long hours to show your value or loyalty to the company.

However, when we take that burden to provide upon ourselves, and fail to turn our lives over to God, we will toil in vain.
At the end of this verse we get a glimpse of the positive. For those who follow God, He will bless you and provide for your needs. Proverbs 10:22 puts it this way
The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.

When we are toiling, we are apart from God – we are in bondage to sin.
Pride (I can do it all by myself) – here we take God out of the equation and count on our own skills to provide; putting ourselves before God; this is where I tend to falter, wanting to rely on me instead of putting my life into His hands (either because I am arrogant or scared). As I mentioned before, we can achieve success as defined by this world without God, but that success, and the satisfaction that comes with it, is fleeting. It won’t last into the next world, and it may not even last through the night

Luke 12: 16-21

Coveting (keeping up with the Jones’) – instead of aligning ourselves with God and allowing Him to provide for our needs, we turn our efforts to gathering material possessions.

How many of us have taken a raise or a bonus and dropped it on a new “toy”?
The Bible is clear that if we choose something other than God (choose sin), our labors will be in vain. A great example of this is the book of Ecclesiastes (author is believed to be King Solomon, blessed with wisdom from God).
Ecclesiastes 1;2-3

Ecclesiastes 4;4

If we are not putting our faith in God and turning our lives over to him, we are wasting our time. All of our labor (our toil) will have been in vain once we die and stand before Him.
Great news! We can just kick back, put our faith in God and he will take care of everything – no more work! Not so fast…

2Thessalonians 3:10

We have to be careful here – in this world, money does have a practical function. It is the physical thing that we use to get the food and the clothing and the shelter that we need to take of ourselves and our families. However, money (or possessions) should not be the end game – they are not our reason for existing. If stuff is your ultimate pursuit, if it is what drives you, then in the end you will have nothing. Just like the old saying – you can’t take it with you (moth and rust destroy)

So we see the fine line – put your trust in the Lord, and he will provide what you need (and that includes the skills and abilities to be employed and earn the money needed to provide); but you can’t just sit around doing nothing. As Christians, we are told to do the work that the Lord sets before us.

1 Corinthians 15:58

So what exactly is “the work of the Lord”?
For a clue we can look to Jesus’ words regarding the greatest commandment:
Matthew 22:34 – 40

Our work as Christians, is first to love God. And it stands to reason that if we love God, we will love those whom he loves – our neighbors:
• The poor and the homeless;
• The sick and the imprisoned;
• Those in our community whose lives have been shattered by sin and who need someone to show them God’s light

When we turn our lives over to God, He will do his work through us. And if you ask Him (in prayer), He will show you what work He wants you to do. It doesn’t necessarily mean that He is calling each of us to pick up and move to a far corner of the world. He may not even be calling us to change jobs or move to a different city. Putting this in action really begins with adjusting our hearts and submitting to His will for us.
If you are toiling….
If you are struggling…
If you have not yet put your faith in God, there is a better way. When you turn your life over to God, he will provide for you what you need
Not what we want
Not what we covet
Simply what we need

And when that happens, you will experience a relief and freedom that you may not have thought possible. When I turned back to God (set aside my pride) and put my trust in Him to provide, it was like a great weight being lifted off my back. He gave me the time and energy to heal my relationships; He opened doors for me that I could not have foreseen.

And now, here I am, allowing Him to work through me. Remember the promise at the end of verse 2
for He grants sleep to those He loves.

Now it is important for us to stop for a second and remember that it is not our works that gets us into heaven. It is simply our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; His death on the cross comes by the grace of God and washes away our sins so that we may spend eternity in His presence. We can’t get to heaven on good deeds, but if we are His, we will have the righteousness of Christ. And out of a thankful heart and an obedience springing from love, we will (should) manifest a reflection of His righteousness in the fruit of the spirit (good works).

I’d like each of us to close our eyes for a moment and think about the question I posed earlier.
Are you working (for Him)?
Or are you toiling (in bondage to sin)?

If you are toiling, there is hope – it begins by going to God in prayer and asking Him for help. Find the sin that causes you to toil and lay it at the foot of the cross. Then take some time to be still and listen. And if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, now is a great time.

Note of caution here - you might not hear anything right away. Remember that God has a plan for you, and it is laid out according to God’s time, not ours. Sometimes you just have to be content with waiting for His time to come around. I don’t know about anybody else, but that is tough for me (I am not a patient person). All I can say is to keep praying and keep listening, and open up to those around you. This is a great example of why the Church, the body of Christ, is important in the life of every believer. God puts people in our lives for a reason, and as the body of Christ we are here to encourage and help one another.

Bring your concerns first to God, and then share them with one another and let God work through the members of the Church.
If you are saved and doing the work of the Lord, then praise God! I would also encourage you to check your heart as well. Many times we can become so focused on our works (ministry, church attendance, etc.) that we lose sight of why we are doing what we are doing. Make sure you don’t make the works an idol.

Let us pray.
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Oct 10, 2009

Matthew 7:21-29 — Series on the Mount #31

Let’s Pray…
Tonight we close the Sermon on the Mount series that has covered 31 weeks. Since February or March, we have been dissecting the profound, often unsettling, completely counter-cultural and always-glorious words of our Savior Jesus Christ in His first major sermon found in the Book of Matthew.

We’ve taken it piece-by-piece and at times word-by-word, and examined what He was saying in the context of His time and then learning together how relevant His words are — even today, almost 2,000 years later.

And tonight we will close with the last portions of a warning that Jesus gave His hearers, both the disciples and the religious leaders and the regular Joe’s and Jane’s in the crowd that had been gathered around Him on that mountain and to us, sitting here tonight.

His warning, just like the rest of His teaching still works to cut away through all of the fluff, through all of our excuses, through all of our grand-human ideas and forces us to examine our hearts in the light of His, Jesus’ truth.

Before we get into that, let’s review the summary statement that opened this final part of His sermon:
Matthew 7:13-14:

Last week we studied Jesus’ warning to Watch out for false profits, because if we are following anyone who preaches any way to Heaven except through faith in the saving work of Christ on the Cross, than we are, as Jesus tells us, not on the right path. If we are putting out faith in ANYTHING else to save us because of somebody’s false teaching, Jesus says, we are headed for destruction, that is God’s wrath, death and eternal punishment and separation from God — Hell. (Revelation 14:11; Matthew 25:46)

It’s a sobering warning and not one that we should take lightly, Amen.

Expanding on that summary truth from verses 13 & 14. The truth that only a few will find eternal life with God, Jesus continues to press in and shows us some who may have a false assurance of their salvation.

Matthew 7:21-29
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. 22 Many 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?' 23 Then 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. 25 The 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. 26 But 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. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

When teaching a lesson on the Sermon on the Mount, Tim Keller talked about his uneasiness with the popular way we mistakenly preach the gospel as “two ways to live”.

He said that we must make it clear that there are in fact three ways to live.

We in Christian circles, usually end up teaching “God's way” vs. “Mans Way.” But Keller teaches that it is better to point out the three ways of (a) morality (doing the right things and following all of the laws of God or society in hopes of being saved Because of your “good” behavior), or (b) immorality (Saying forget the rules altogether because you simply don’t care, don’t believe or maybe you are living in outright rebellion) that’s the second way to live. Or (c) you can live the third way, the correct way, which is by the gospel.

Remember in a gospel centered life, we recognize how fallen and broken and sinful we are, and realize that even if we lived perfectly from here on out, we would still stand condemned because of our past sins. But then, with a Gospel understanding, we don’t fall into despair because of our brokenness, No!

Instead realize that we can and must turn to Christ, because by accepting God’s free gift of grace, which leads to faith in Christ as our savior, then all of our sins, from the first to the last and all of them in between; all of our sins, the “little” ones that we have shrugged off to the “big “ ones that we don’t want anyone to ever know about; they all are put upon Christ on the cross, he takes all of our sin away and gives us a covering of His righteousness and perfection in the sight of God the Father.

Now let’s dissect these, first the morality piece, that is, those who believe they deserve to be with God, because of their good behaviors or “right living.”

This is the first group attacked in Jesus’ teaching in this passage, let’s read it again.


Just look at the position of those who will be making this argument. They say, “Didn’t WE prophecy, and drive out demons and work miracles?!

It’s all about what they did! They will argue on the last day on the Day of Judgment, that God OWES them for all of their “good works!” It’s like the Pharisee in Luke 18:
Luke 18:10-14 (New International Version)

Now get this, by all accounts, this is a “good” guy, he’s doing all the right THINGS (praying, fasting and giving {Matthew 6}), but with the wrong heart.

What have we been saying since March? It’s the heart, the heart, THE HEART!

And here’s a warning I would put out there for all of us who are quick to write off the Pharisees. Those of us who automatically see them as the guys with the black hats in the cowboy movies. We look and we say, oh, they’re the bad guys. They’re the ones who just don’t get it. They just can’t get right.

I would warn us not to forget that we share many of the same traits. I would remind us all that our world operates on the same values. Work harder, work harder, earn your keep, pull YOURSELF up by your bootstraps.

That’s the world we live in. Jesus blasts the Pharisees and us all at the same time. He is totally counter cultural.

Now, moving on. In comparison to the Pharisee, who plays the first part of morality well, we then in the same passage see the tax collector.

Now by all accounts, this tax collector is a guy who has tried his own way he has lived by his own standards, by the second way to life — immorality, all in obvious violation of God’s Law.

But here’s the difference, he moves from the second way to live — immorality — into the third way to live, what Jesus shows as the only way to live. That third way is by the gospel! Let’s read:

Do you see the tax collector? He is living out the first two Beatitudes. He recognizes that he is spiritually bankrupt and he mourns his brokenness and sin. Then in verse 14, Jesus fills out the rest of the second Beatitude, saying the tax collector was justified. We can read comforted.

We see another example of the three ways to live in Jesus’ story about the prodigal father in Luke 15. We’ll read it together and look for the three ways. Here’s the hint, the younger brother. Like the tax collector will start out as the immoral person. The Older brother will try to live by morality and then at least one will come into the Gospel life.


17 "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. (Maybe into Gospel living) 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son (maybe into Gospel living!); make me like one of your hired men.' (Oh, No! into morality thinking! — he decides he can and has to work to be accepted by the Father and he doesn't realize that we can't WORK our way out of sin)

Now watch, the Father isn’t going to give the younger brother a chance to move out of Gospel living and back into morality nonsense.

25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field (We’ll see in a moment, how this was work in the morality mindset). When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on (Notice how we can be totally blind to what is going on in the Father’s house if we are focusing all of our efforts in our own works). 27 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' (Older brother shows us how morality, works-based salvation ideas can lead us to resent God when things don’t go our way and make us arrogant and unloving to those who the Father is bringing in from lost and broken lives of immorality)


So at the end of the story, we see that the immoral kid came to the Father broken and repentant and was accepted into the family. And the tax collector in the last illustration, who beat on his chest and cried out for God’s mercy, was justified, or made right with God. But the Pharisee was not made right even though he did a lot of “good” things. And we are never told what happened with the older brother outside pouting at the party.

What Jesus seems to point out in Luke 11, and 15 and in Matthew 7, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, is that there are a lot of people who think that they are heading to heaven because of their “good” works who are actually on the broad path to destruction, to Hell, because they put all their hope in THEIR works and not in Jesus.

Again, Jesus says they will say Lord, Lord, they will tack His name onto what they are doing, but their HEART will be resting in a hope of self-justification, self-righteousness, and self-saving works.

And that will lead Him to say, I never KNEW you.


When he says knew there in verse 23, it is the Greek word gee-no-sko, which doesn’t mean knowing something like knowing the answer on a math test, or know which way to go to get to Wal-Mart.

Nope, this is to know as in, to be intimately involved with. The bible says that Mary was confused as to how she would be a mother, since she had not “known” a man. In other words, it is related to the most intimate of relationships.

Brothers and sisters, we are called into an intimate relationship with the Triune God, Father, Son and Spirit through the avenue of the cross.

If we do not go to Jesus and look to Him and him alone for our salvation, we will never be known by God.

And, whether we did a bunch of good things or not, we will have no place with God in Heaven.


A great storm is coming friends, yes it is true that there will be storms in this life, but more so, there is a bigger storm coming.

The old preacher, Jonathan Edwards compared the wrath of God to a crashing river waiting to wash over those who do not accept Christ.

When those waves come and the winds of His judgment blow across the earth. Will your house stand? Not if you live in immorality it won’t. If you are here and you just flat out, don’t believe that God is real, or that He does not really hate sin and punish sinners, than you will be surprised on that last day and by then it will be too late.

But what about the rest of us, the “church folk?”
Will our houses stand when the waves come and the winds blow? Not if we are counting on our church attendance, or our parent’s faith, or our service to the church, or even our rigorous devotion to the Laws and commands of the Bible.
No, let me urge you, plead with you, to repent of your sin and rely on Christ and Christ alone for your salvation.

And, in case you think I am saying that you don’t need to follow the commands of God, I would first tell you to read the notes from any of the other sermons in this series.

I would say that we are ABSOLUTELY supposed to follow the commands and will of God as spelled out in the scriptures, but only in a loving and thankful response TO our salvation through Christ — NOT for our salvation.

A pastor named Michael Andrus once said in a sermon on this passage:
“…Someone is probably asking, ‘OK, how obedient do I have to be to be secure?’ We are so prone to probe the boundaries, unfortunately sometimes so we can know how far we can push the envelope. But even though the question may be wrongly motivated, let me do my best to answer it. I would say that if you have confessed Christ as your Savior, if you desire God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, if you feel godly sorrow when you fail to meet His standards, if you repent when you become aware of sin, if you are growing in Christ-likeness, and if the Holy Spirit witnesses with your spirit that you are a child of God, then I suggest you are secure and can legitimately have assurance of your salvation.

But if, despite your verbal profession of faith and perhaps even your membership in church, you have no overriding concern for the will of the Father; if violating His commandments is the norm in your life; if your conscience does not trouble you when you sin; if you feel no godly sorrow for your sin; if your lifestyle is really no different from that of your pagan neighbor; then any assurance you feel is mere presumption, because you are not, most likely, secure in your relationship with Him.”


One last thing to say here. The crowds were amazed by the teaching, they recognized His authority. But recognizing Jesus does not amount to turning your life over to Him. Surely, some in that crowd did. And surely some in this small gathering have or will, but, Jesus warns that only a few will. Are You in the few?

We are now going to join together in a time of reflection and remembrance. We will share in open communion. We are here to be a first step into church or back to church for all who would come, but this one practice, and the practice of baptism for believers, are two things we do specifically for Christians. If you are here and are not a follower of Christ, then we ask that you refrain from this sacrament.

And if you are a believer, remember that we are told to search our selves to make sure we are talking of the bread and the cup in a worthy manner. So don’t just go through the motions. Confess your sins to God before you partake of the body and the blood.
And before any of us take the elements, let us remember, that Christ didn’t come to live and die for us so that He could be an add-on in our life. He didn’t come to be part of the solution or part of our focus, or to take part of our lives. He is the whole thing.

He is our focus, He is our filter in which we see the world, and He is our Way to God the Father.

So when you take this bread and you drink from the cup do it in remembrance for and in the full knowledge of His love for you.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (New International Version)


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Matthew 7:15-20 — Series on the Mount #30

Let’s Pray…
Last week we tackled a Scripture that is the first of several warnings from Jesus at the end of the Sermon on the Mount.

In Matthew 7:13-14:

He commands us to enter the narrow gate. And as we said last week,
Jesus is that narrow gate. The narrow path is obedience to the will of our Father God. And that obedience must come from the right heart. It cannot be obedience in order to earn salvation. If that is our reason for obeying, we’ve missed the narrow gate.

Again Jesus’ work on the cross, provided a substitutionary atonement, in other words, He took our place, and took the wrath of God onto Himself for us. That is what saves us. It is not our works, it is Christ alone.
Instead, our obedience — We are commanded to obey — but that obedience is our response to our salvation, not FOR our salvation.

The other important point from last week is in talking about the narrow gate and road that leads to life, Jesus said, “only a few find it.” And it is safe to read that historically, nationally, racially, gender-ly, no matter how you divide it. Only a few will find it.

And that also includes those of us within the church. And I’ll keep pounding that point home for as long as you keep letting me preach.

And, just so we are clear, the Bible teaches, and Jesus will explain in the text again tonight, that those who don’t find it, those who don’t turn to Christ, will enter the wide gate instead and travel the broad road to destruction, to death, to eternal and complete separation from God — to Hell. (Revelation 14:11; Matthew 25:46)

So how do we ensure that we are on the right path? Jesus gives an answer in different illustrative warnings and instructions. Tonight we will focus on Matthew 7:15-20. And brothers and sisters, this is a warning to you and to me to those who gather to hear the word of God proclaimed and to those of us who feel called to proclaim God’s word.


The word translated here as “Watch out” is also translated “Beware.”
So Let me say BEWARE of false prophets! I would encourage you to read this like you would a sign on a fence. Beware of DOG! Beware Electrocution Hazard! Beware of Hazardous Materials!

This is not a sign, this is not a warning to keep on investigating. No! Get away! Get out of there! Your health, your welfare, your life, YOUR FAMILY may be in danger. Beware!

Now what are we on guard against? False prophets. What’s a prophet?

In the Old Testament, Prophets were the mouthpieces of God. They heard directly from Him and they were functioning in an office of a prophet, usually to guide God’s people back into fellowship with Him through repentance and genuine worship.

The prophets that we have records of in the Old Testament were almost always sent during times of moral failure in the Nation of Israel. Or times when the people were suffering for past sins.

At other times prophets were sent to other Nations to call them to repentance, we see this with Jonah.

There is nothing in Scriptures to suggest that God will not send actual prophets in the same way today. Paul writes that some of us will be given the Spiritual Gift of prophesy.

This passage has often been read to include men who are called to preach and pastor or shepherd in the church since we also see the prophets as shepherds, leading the people back to God, like a shepherd bringing lost sheep back into the fold.

And that’s where we are going tonight.


This is not necessarily to say they are going to be dressed like sheep. They are likely to be dressed like — to have the appearance of — shepherds. John MacArthur points out that the shepherds of Jesus’ day wore cloaks of wool (sheep skins) that they would need to make it through the cold nights outside with their flocks.

So we must, you and I must all beware of false profits that enter in as those who would help lead, but have a desire instead to tear us apart and lead us to destruction.

Again, keep this in context with the wide and the narrow path.

In Matthew 23:15, Jesus goes against the Pharisees, saying that they go all around the earth to make one convert, but because of their anti-gospel teaching, they end up making the convert into a “child of Hell” They were the false prophets leading a person (people) onto the broad path that leads to destruction.

And here’s another interesting piece. You may ask yourself, how could a false teacher get in? How would he make his way into the fold or into leadership?

I say, he’ll probably get in with help. We help by either not standing guard against them or by openly inviting them in or flocking to them.

In Acts 20:28-30 Paul says:

In other words, we as leadership in the church must maintain on eye on the flock, the church, and be ready to chase wolves away.

Let me make it clear, if you are searching for God and you want to find out what we believe about the God of the Bible, then you are welcome to come here.

But if your intention is to get us off the track of the Gospel to chase some rabbit trail, to get us focused on a pet issue instead of Christ and Him crucified than we will ask you to go.

Similarly, The leadership here is encouraged to keep an eye on me. I’m not some untouchable just because I get up and preach each week. If I hinder the Gospel, I will be disciplined and depending on the situation, I am replaceable.

In another context, Jesus says it is better to lose an eye than for the entire body to go to Hell.

Listen, we are a body of believers, but if anyone of us begins to lead this church — as a body — away from Christ then that eye is getting gouged out of the body. Amen.

Also, in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 Paul warns against a coming time when people will actually seek out false teachers, because they will not want to
hear the true Gospel. He tells us as leaders to keep doing what we are called to.


What's he talking about? In today's context. What kinds of false teachings do people want to hear? Watch a few hours of Christian television, and you'll probably find out.

You can see it in messages about, “Just believe God, if you're poor or sick you just need more faith. God doesn't want you to be sick or poor
does He?” BEWARE of that garbage.

Or you might hear it in the preachers who prostitute the message of the Gospel for political gain or recognition. Who put their standing as a
member of a political party, or even as a citizen of a country above their standing in the family of God. BEWARE!

But, real quick, we also need to address, that some pastors, prophets, preachers and teachers will be faithful to the word, we will say what needs to be said, we will shine a light on sin and call you to repentance and encourage you back to the loving outstretched arms of Christ on the cross, and there will still be those among the crowd that will never really hear the word in their heart.

They will hear the word of God and in their mind, they are going to warp it however they need to in order to keep on living in their sin without any conviction. Ezekiel 33:30-33

That’s why I like to say, don’t tell me it was a good sermon. Go, and live it out. Allow the word of God to work deep into your heart and mind.

As Paul says, no longer be conformed to the patterns of this world. No! Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Brothers and sisters don’t be deceived.

Okay, back to the false prophets? How will we know them? By their fruit.


First and foremost, if a person is preaching something to you and obviously not living it out, if there is not evidence of a regenerate heart, then beware!

The old cliché is, if you want to see the root, look at the fruit.

Now, I must add a caveat here, there is no perfect pastor, no perfect leader, no perfect Christian here on this side of eternity. We all sin and fall on our face before the Lord, depending on His righteousness and not our own.

So don’t think that church leader, prophet, pastor, preacher or whoever will be without blemish. The key here is what is the heart. It will be evidenced in the fruit.

Matthew Henry points out that we must look for the fruit that is naturally produced, the genuine product; the fruit of the person that comes out plentifully, constantly and consistently. Not a once in a while peculiar fruit.

Imagine a great big watermelon in an apple tree. In the same way, a man who is systematically rotten to his family to his co-workers or employees, and on and on cannot then be thought of as a good leader in the church because of an occasional “good deed.” Even if that “good deed” involves a sizable monetary donation, or even if he himself has lead some to Christ.

Look for the consistent fruit — In all areas of his life, in church and in the marketplace; in the pulpit and at the ballpark.

And here’s a key, look at the fruit of the tree in the hard times. Does the ordinarily even keeled man lash out? Keep an eye out.

Also, even though none of us are perfect, as leaders, God calls us to a higher level of accountability. So don’t let, “No one is perfect,” become an excuse.

Moving on. How else can we spot a wolf? If a person is preaching a false doctrine, a doctrine of salvation through works, then beware!
Is he cutting certain “controversial” or culturally unaccepted material, BEWARE!

If there is a motivation chiefly for money or power or prestige, then Beware!
There are more, and many times you will have to pray to God for discernment, but Watch Out! Be on your guard. This is no joke.

Why is this so important? Throughout the history of the Bible, where the leaders go, the people follow.

With that in mind, Matthew 7:19 says

If the false prophets, the false leaders in the church are shepherding the people in the wrong direction, then the people will receive the same penalty for rejecting Christ that the leaders do. Beware!

Now, before we go, I want to ask and answer a question that came up in my studies this week.

Why do they tell us what we want to hear instead of what we need to hear? Sin.

Some are simply wolves. They know that they are leading people astray.
David Korish, Jim Jones, these guys twisted scripture for their own sick motives or delusions and many people died on account of them.

But there is another group that is much more deadly and these are the ones that I want to beat into you the message of, BEWARE. Because the crazy cult leaders don't get as many people hooked. They are usually obviously off to anyone who can read the bible for themselves.

The other group will be convincing, they will be able to keep people in to their message for a long time, possibly for an entire generation. And the problem that we are trying to warn against is not one in which you drink poisoned Kool-Aid or take on the U.S. Government at your compound.

No, We are warning against following a false prophet all your life and finding out when you come face to face with Jesus that you were never
really His because you never heard the true Gospel from your leader, who turned out to be a false profit.

It's like this.

If I don't preach what the word says about homosexuality or adultery, because I think it will cause a backlash in our culturally relativistic society.

Or, if I refuse to rebuke you when I see you making our country into an idol that you are more devoted to than God, because I'm afraid of the backlash of fervent patriots.

Or, if I refuse to talk about giving to the church financially, because I'm afraid of the backlash from people who have made their financial standing into an idol.

If I don't preach on God's hatred toward sin because you only want to hear about love and grace, or you just want to find out about your “Best Life Now.” If I refuse to preach on ANYTHING that God lays out for me to say in Scriptures because of any fear that I have of anyone and their reactions, then that is a sign of disobedience to God. It's sin and it turns me into a false prophet.

At that point I would be making cultural relevance, or my own reputation or how people think of me into an idol to be worshiped above God.

Or, maybe God is putting it onto a pastor's heart to preach a hard message because his flock has strayed and needs to be lead back to repentance.

If he refuses because he is afraid of losing people to other churches, or just back out to the world. If he worries about offending the big givers in the church, because he wants to maintain the structure to the detriment of the Scripture, then that reveals a heart. A heart that places the church or its size or even the flock above his dedication to God. And he has become a false prophet.

And furthermore, it would be a sign that we, as leaders, did not care about you if we refused to give you all God has for us to say.
Let's go to Ezekiel 33 again.

I just heard another pastor preaching on this passage last week, and I knew it would fit perfectly in this message, so credit on this part goes to Francis Chan. (9/20/09)

Ezekiel 33:7-9

We aren't playing games. We aren't even in a simple, earthly life or death situation. We are talking about eternity.

So, choose your leaders well. Is the man who preaches to you following God first? Is he willing to bring the full Gospel; both your sinfulness and God's grace filled gift of faith in Jesus Christ, which saves you?
If not, BEWARE. Run to safety. If you are unsure, get with some people you trust and ask for advice.

And whether I am your primary pastor, or someone else on Sunday; even if you are sure that your pastor is following God, continue to pray that he would do so boldly, unflinchingly, lovingly and in steadfast faithfulness.

And, for your own sake GET INTO THE SCRIPTURES!

In Acts 17:11 we are told:

Even if you are sure about me or another pastor, look for yourself. Study the word. The Scriptures are inerrant, but we aren't. Check what we say against the Word of God.

And if you see a deficiency, come to us one-on-one just like you would a brother in sin and seek clarification. Because one of us at that point is misunderstanding and we need to get that corrected, Amen.

Let's pray...
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