back to index2017-06-18 Marks of Genuine Saving Faith
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All right, other than that, why don't we turn our Bibles to Romans chapter 10? 00:00:09.040 |
And again, I'd like to read from verse 5 all the way down to verse 13. 00:00:13.520 |
But our focus today is going to be on verse 9 through 13. 00:00:21.560 |
For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based in the law, that the person who does 00:00:29.140 |
But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend 00:00:40.480 |
The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart. 00:00:45.880 |
Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that 00:00:49.080 |
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 00:00:52.600 |
For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 00:00:57.240 |
For the scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.' 00:01:01.640 |
For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord over 00:01:05.440 |
all, bestowing his riches on all who call upon him. 00:01:09.060 |
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 00:01:18.000 |
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this morning. 00:01:20.720 |
I want to especially thank you, Lord, for our collegiates who have labored in the last 00:01:25.360 |
four years, Lord God, to finish up their college life. 00:01:30.040 |
And I pray that you would continue to bless them in their transition, whether they will 00:01:33.920 |
go on to study more or to work or just headed back home. 00:01:38.160 |
I pray, Lord God, that this transitional period, Lord, that you would especially watch over 00:01:44.200 |
Their hearts would not stray with the challenges that come with transition. 00:01:48.360 |
And help them, Lord God, to find brothers and sisters that they will continue to run 00:01:53.880 |
We pray for the families that are here, that you would watch over them, that as they celebrate, 00:01:59.960 |
their hearts may be full, and that you continue to remind them, Lord God, that it is your 00:02:03.680 |
grace and your sovereign hands, Lord, that's watching over their home. 00:02:08.320 |
We also want to pray for the fathers of our church. 00:02:11.520 |
As we celebrate Father's Day, I pray, Father, that you would bless the fathers of our church, 00:02:18.240 |
that with all the challenges of living in this fallen world and trying to provide and 00:02:22.760 |
protect and lead our homes, I pray that you would continue to give them strength, that 00:02:30.840 |
And I pray, Father God, that today will be a source of much encouragement, Lord, to give 00:02:38.760 |
So we ask, Lord, that you would make your scripture alive this morning and speak to 00:02:49.320 |
Just to kind of give you a heads up, I know we've been talking about what's happening 00:02:52.880 |
in India, and as you guys know, we've started a ministry out in India, or not started, but 00:03:00.560 |
And so we've announced to you when we came back from India in February that we're going 00:03:06.640 |
to get behind them, we're going to help them build a training center for the pastors, because 00:03:12.200 |
where they are, they don't have any place to meet. 00:03:13.760 |
They have about 30 or 40 pastors that gather together in a tiny room and probably could 00:03:18.600 |
fit no more than six or seven people, but they have 30 people crammed in there, and 00:03:24.080 |
So we're actually building a training center with the two other churches, with BMC and 00:03:29.520 |
Cross Life, and so they actually found the land, and then they're going to purchase the 00:03:34.560 |
property, and then they're going to start building pretty soon. 00:03:37.400 |
And so I may have to fly over there to kind of, again, assist with the funding and all 00:03:43.280 |
But as you guys know, the work out in India is very interesting, because there's persecution 00:03:48.840 |
is ramping up, and so the work that they're doing, they really require our prayers and 00:03:54.400 |
that hopefully we're not just watching from a distance, especially those who went with 00:04:00.840 |
And again, as you guys know, last time we went, the two of the pastors were beaten up. 00:04:05.680 |
And what was interesting or challenging to me was, we were all obviously very, very shocked 00:04:12.800 |
because the pastors literally got beaten up right in front of us, but after it was all 00:04:16.600 |
done, we were concerned for them, and the simple response that they gave us was, "We're 00:04:24.400 |
So we were the ones shaking up, and they were just kind of like, "Yeah, this, obviously 00:04:29.760 |
it's not fun, but every once in a while something like this does happen." 00:04:33.040 |
So the ministry that's happening there, again, even though we're just doing support work, 00:04:40.360 |
I've been out to India probably about six times now, and especially in the beginning, 00:04:45.800 |
and even now, there's certain things that I need to adjust to. 00:04:49.400 |
And one of the things that I need to adjust to is, every time, some of you guys know or 00:04:53.200 |
been to India, when they agree or disagree, they usually just kind of shake their heads 00:05:00.200 |
We usually do this by going, "Yes" or "No," but they shake their heads sideways. 00:05:04.360 |
So it's very confusing because we don't do that here. 00:05:08.240 |
So we're used to shaking our heads this way, and they do it exactly the opposite. 00:05:11.080 |
So I remember the first or second time that I was there in India, and I would do some 00:05:16.200 |
training in how to study the Bible, and then I would say, "Yes, do you agree?" 00:05:21.480 |
And then they would sit there and go like that. 00:05:25.920 |
So after the class, I pulled one of the pastors aside saying, "When you say this, what does 00:05:46.400 |
So when you go like this and you say, "Okay," is that a positive or negative? 00:05:57.040 |
It's just the body, they just gotten so used to it that it's kind of like, "Uh-huh, mm." 00:06:02.440 |
That's kind of like the way, I guess the best way I understand why they do that. 00:06:06.040 |
But even after six years of going and interacting with the pastors, every time they shake their 00:06:10.720 |
head, I have to take a step back and, "Okay, what did he mean by that?" 00:06:16.480 |
And the Indian culture is a very Asian culture, so they're not direct. 00:06:20.520 |
So if they agree or disagree, they're not very expressive. 00:06:23.560 |
So you kind of have to know the culture and kind of figure it out. 00:06:28.560 |
Now the reason why I share this with you is because there are certain things that I've 00:06:31.480 |
gotten so accustomed to, being raised in the United States, that certain gestures mean 00:06:38.320 |
So every time I go out to India, I have to readjust. 00:06:41.920 |
What I see isn't necessarily what it means to me. 00:06:46.900 |
So I have to constantly work to turn that off in order to understand what they mean 00:06:52.640 |
Again, even after six years, even after all these interactions, it's still my immediate 00:07:05.920 |
Again, the reason why I share all of this is because there are certain things that we've 00:07:10.280 |
become so accustomed to, things that we have become so accustomed to, sometimes it blinds 00:07:20.600 |
The Jews, the passage that we're looking at, we're talking about the gospel message, and 00:07:25.800 |
they were so convinced that they were God's chosen people and they were the ones closest 00:07:33.000 |
And so when Christ came and preached the gospel and began to rebuke the religious leaders, 00:07:43.960 |
The Messiah that they were waiting for didn't look anything like what Jesus was saying and 00:07:51.780 |
And even with the apostles, when they began to preach the gospel, the people that were 00:07:56.400 |
coming in and were taking ownership of the early church were the Gentiles. 00:08:01.160 |
So even the supposed converted Jews had a very difficult time understanding that the 00:08:06.280 |
Jews and the Gentiles are in the same boat, that the only way of salvation is by the name 00:08:12.260 |
of Jesus Christ and everything that they've done prior to meeting Christ, Paul calls it 00:08:20.160 |
In fact, if you read most of the New Testament, it's written to combat that prejudice, that 00:08:26.440 |
the Judaizers just could not let go of their prejudice because they spent so much time 00:08:30.720 |
thinking that their Messiah was going to look like this and salvation came in this workspace, 00:08:37.600 |
And then all of a sudden he says justification is by faith and by faith alone. 00:08:42.840 |
They received some parts of it and rejected other parts of it. 00:08:45.640 |
And even though they received at one point, they would forget it, you know, a couple of 00:08:50.600 |
Remember, even Peter and Barnabas had an issue with that. 00:08:55.640 |
Peter was the leader among the disciples and he had a hard time with that. 00:09:03.920 |
There are things that as Christians being raised in a church and in a Christian culture 00:09:10.160 |
and maybe even say a post-Christian nation that we've become so accustomed to that this 00:09:22.920 |
And there are things that you, if you first start studying the Bible and read it carefully 00:09:26.820 |
and see how it was applied in the book of Acts and how the early church behaved and 00:09:30.760 |
what they did and then you apply that to Christianity we see today, it's nothing like it. 00:09:37.520 |
So I can understand why so many people come to church and say, well, you know, it's a 00:09:43.680 |
They have never seen anybody really apply what they see in scripture. 00:09:48.640 |
You know, the danger of becoming accustomed to a form of religiousness and yet having 00:09:55.400 |
no power is that we become blind to the real power. 00:10:00.520 |
We become so accustomed to religiosity, just coming to church and doing the work and because 00:10:07.520 |
this is all we see and this is all we've experienced that we think that's normal. 00:10:10.960 |
And anything that comes from outside that challenges that, that seems abnormal. 00:10:17.560 |
And we end up shunning the very thing that God may be bringing into our lives to open 00:10:29.200 |
Even though they had all the benefits, all the preparation, they had the laws of God, 00:10:35.560 |
they had the prophets, they had God's written word. 00:10:39.660 |
And yet when the Messiah came, because he did not fit their culture and what they were 00:10:48.480 |
In the previous passages we looked at in chapter 10 where Paul says that he confesses that 00:10:54.560 |
they had zeal but not according to knowledge. 00:10:57.980 |
They didn't lack passion, they didn't lack application, but they just did not know God. 00:11:05.680 |
When we look at this passage this morning in verse 9, again in conclusion or in continuation 00:11:11.000 |
from the previous week, Paul says those who live by the law, those who obey the law, they 00:11:19.960 |
In other words, they have to obey it completely. 00:11:22.560 |
You can't just do your part and God does his part. 00:11:24.720 |
If you are trying to be saved by the law, he said you have to go all the way. 00:11:29.920 |
And if you break even one of them, you're guilty and you're a lawbreaker. 00:11:34.400 |
He said the first thing about accepting justification by faith alone, he says we do not say who's 00:11:44.880 |
In other words, it is absolutely impossible that you cannot earn your own salvation, you 00:11:51.040 |
can't go up and then do something to bring him down to be gracious. 00:11:55.040 |
You have no power to bring up Christ from the dead to atone for our sins. 00:12:00.920 |
In other words, what Paul was saying in three different ways, it is impossible to add to 00:12:10.920 |
So in verse 9 he says because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe 00:12:15.900 |
in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 00:12:19.640 |
Our primary focal point this morning is going to be on verse 9 and what that means and then 00:12:23.920 |
again and how the ramification of that is in the following passage. 00:12:27.800 |
So this morning I want to look at three separate things that he says about justification by 00:12:39.720 |
Nothing I'm going to say to you this morning is probably going to be new to you. 00:12:46.020 |
But I want you to take a closer look, not only what it says, but what does it mean in 00:12:53.420 |
Number one, saving faith requires genuine belief. 00:12:55.920 |
Number two, saving faith is confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. 00:13:00.560 |
And third, saving faith requires genuine belief in right doctrine. 00:13:14.060 |
If you've been raised in the church, I mean that's probably all you've heard. 00:13:21.880 |
We're called Protestants because we protested against salvation by works. 00:13:27.760 |
That there are no mediators between us and God. 00:13:30.080 |
There's no priest that we have to go through. 00:13:31.640 |
We don't have to go to confession to get to God. 00:13:34.680 |
So we protest it and say salvation is by faith alone. 00:13:38.880 |
So the backbone of Protestant faith, which you and I are part of, is justification by 00:13:45.980 |
So if you've gone to an evangelical church, you probably heard this growing up all your 00:13:53.400 |
But if you've ever shared the gospel with somebody outside the church, and you kind 00:14:01.920 |
If you weren't a Christian until later on in life and you remember what it was like 00:14:05.960 |
to hear the gospel for the first time, some of you may remember thinking, "That's it?" 00:14:15.760 |
I've had people reject, in the context of sharing the gospel, reject salvation by faith 00:14:25.240 |
You mean that all the sins that I've committed, you mean those guys who are doing all the 00:14:29.840 |
terrorists who are killing people, that if they just believe in Jesus, that all of that 00:14:35.600 |
is going to be wiped out and they're going to be in heaven too? 00:14:38.800 |
And you have people like Mother Teresa and Albert Schweitzer that if they don't confess 00:14:49.240 |
See, if you've been raised in a church, it's very strange to hear anything different. 00:14:57.360 |
But if you hear that as a non-Christian, you mean that's all that is required. 00:15:04.900 |
No wonder you Christians are a bunch of hypocrites because you guys are just saying things because 00:15:19.480 |
The simple answer to that question is yes because that's exactly what Jesus said. 00:15:28.020 |
Mark 16.14 says, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not 00:15:36.400 |
So the simple answer to salvation by faith alone, you mean that's it? 00:15:51.380 |
You can't ascend up to heaven and you can't descend and bring him up. 00:15:57.300 |
So the only way of salvation is by genuine faith. 00:16:03.080 |
In fact, in John chapter 6, 26 through 29, some of you guys who know that passage, that's 00:16:13.980 |
The disciples go to the other side to rest and those people who were fed, they crossed 00:16:19.460 |
and find out where he is and they finally meet Jesus in John chapter 6, 26. 00:16:29.340 |
He says, "You're not coming to me because you know who I am." 00:16:32.900 |
"You're coming to me because you ate and you want more." 00:16:42.700 |
So many Christians come to Christ because they believe that if you go to church, God's 00:16:47.540 |
going to bless their business or they're going to make you healthy, answer prayers, our children 00:16:53.140 |
And it's nothing more than superstition that if I don't attend, if I don't do the right 00:16:58.460 |
things, God's not going to bless my life so I need to go faithfully. 00:17:01.020 |
So it's nothing more than superstition, especially in a post-Christian culture. 00:17:05.900 |
See Jesus sees right through that and he sees a defective faith and he says, "You're coming 00:17:11.580 |
to me not because you believe me but because you ate and you want more." 00:17:17.260 |
How many people fall away from their faith because they want something and when Jesus 00:17:21.580 |
doesn't give it to them, they're disappointed with him. 00:17:25.460 |
Whether it's church people, whether it's leadership, or whether it's just friends or maybe circumstance 00:17:33.940 |
And as soon as he doesn't answer my prayers and doesn't give me my bread, whatever that 00:17:38.300 |
may be in our life, you say, "Well, he's not doing it for me." 00:17:42.620 |
Well Jesus sees right through that and he warns them in verse 26, John 6, 26. 00:17:48.780 |
Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me not because you 00:17:52.500 |
saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 00:17:56.380 |
Do not labor for the food that perishes but for the food that endures to eternal life, 00:18:08.540 |
So Jesus says, "You're coming seeking temporary things. 00:18:10.940 |
I've come to give you eternal things, to seek labor for things that are eternal." 00:18:15.700 |
In verse 28, "Then they said to him, 'What must we do to be doing the works of God? 00:18:21.980 |
If we're coming to you for the wrong reason, what should we do?'" 00:18:24.580 |
Verse 29, Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you do what? 00:18:35.660 |
If I'm coming to you for the wrong reason and he says, "Labor for things that aren't 00:18:40.220 |
going to perish but are eternal," what should I do? 00:18:43.940 |
And the thing that he tells them to do as a central thing for coming to Christ is to 00:18:52.220 |
So the simple answer to that question that may be difficult to understand, that even 00:18:59.860 |
the early church had a hard time understanding, is to believe. 00:19:05.300 |
The most important thing that a Christian needs to do every single Sunday is to believe. 00:19:11.660 |
The most powerful thing that a Christian can do in prayer is to believe that the person 00:19:17.700 |
that you're praying to is able to answer your prayers. 00:19:22.220 |
To believe is the work that he called us to do. 00:19:26.300 |
Because with unbelief, no matter what you do, you will be ineffective. 00:19:30.280 |
If you pray in unbelief, it is ineffective prayer. 00:19:34.020 |
If you worship in unbelief, it is not worship. 00:19:37.620 |
If you gather in unbelief, it will just lead to frustration. 00:19:41.420 |
So the central work of a Christian, he says, is to believe. 00:19:47.580 |
Now having said that, especially in the church, our automatic knee-jerk response is, "Of 00:19:56.660 |
I raised my hand years ago and came down the aisle. 00:20:03.100 |
And so we just make a knee-jerk reaction and we just assume genuine belief. 00:20:08.140 |
Now John talks about the subject of believing probably more than any other author. 00:20:14.340 |
In fact, the word "believe" or "faith" is mentioned three times more, up to four times 00:20:23.160 |
That word "believe" is concentrated in the Gospel of John. 00:20:27.420 |
So I'll encourage you, if you ever go back and study the book of John, go back and circle 00:20:38.280 |
He says the primary thing that Jesus calls us to do is to believe, but then he qualifies 00:20:46.060 |
He qualifies that belief so that we don't just assume that if you have these certain 00:20:52.020 |
doctrinal statements or certain things that you feel, he qualifies that in John chapter 00:20:58.220 |
31 through 34, Jesus is preaching and he says, "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed 00:21:05.320 |
in him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth 00:21:19.740 |
There's a distinction between the immediate reaction of the Pharisees and some of the 00:21:23.220 |
people who said, "That guy is filled with demons." 00:21:27.320 |
So those people immediately, they wanted to kill him. 00:21:36.540 |
He's not talking to the people who are rejecting him. 00:21:39.380 |
In this text, he's talking to a group of people who are hearing and saw the miracles. 00:21:43.920 |
Maybe some of them ate the manna, ate the bread and the fish. 00:21:51.660 |
And he says, "To those who believed in him," he emphasizes, "you have to abide in my word. 00:21:58.780 |
Then you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you 00:22:04.740 |
Now when they heard this, they didn't hear it like we hear it. 00:22:13.900 |
Because to be a slave at that time was the lowest person that you could be. 00:22:20.580 |
Basically if you were the lowest in society, it's like you have all these different groups 00:22:25.420 |
and said, and basically Jesus says, "You have to be set free. 00:22:35.980 |
So how can you say that you've come to set us free?" 00:22:38.860 |
Verse 33, "They answered him, 'We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to 00:22:51.940 |
"And Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a 00:22:59.380 |
Now this encounter goes all the way down to verse 45 and 46. 00:23:03.620 |
And it concludes with Jesus saying to them, "You do not know who I am because you are 00:23:17.860 |
He began this conversation in verse 31 saying that these are ones who confess to believe 00:23:23.460 |
in Jesus and yet in verse 44 he says, "You are not a believer. 00:23:30.300 |
So John is qualifying the definition of believing. 00:23:43.660 |
They could not accept Christ as their Savior. 00:23:49.580 |
As our Messiah, as our King, you are welcome. 00:23:53.360 |
As someone who's going to provide and heal and feed us, you're welcome. 00:23:58.000 |
But when Jesus said, "I've come to set you free because you are bound in your sins," 00:24:01.660 |
they were offended and said, "How dare you say that to us?" 00:24:06.700 |
See the word for abide in my word here is a very, very important word. 00:24:13.500 |
Because the word abide qualifies saving faith. 00:24:20.100 |
The word abide here qualifies genuine saving faith. 00:24:29.020 |
I heard the words of Jesus and it makes sense to me so I believe." 00:24:33.860 |
Those who believe, "If you abide in my word, then you shall know the truth. 00:24:40.900 |
Then you will be my disciples and the truth shall set you free." 00:24:45.340 |
See the word abide is mentioned again later on in John chapter 15 and he uses that word 00:24:51.460 |
abide about 11 times in that one short section saying that you cannot bear fruit if you do 00:25:06.460 |
You are the branches and if you do not abide in me, you cannot bear fruit. 00:25:09.520 |
So when he says you cannot bear fruit, basically it means you cannot live. 00:25:30.820 |
It is a transformation that takes place that causes us to be connected with him. 00:25:35.620 |
I want to look at one more passage before we get to the second point. 00:25:40.460 |
In Hebrews chapter 11, 6, where the author of Hebrews is warning these second, third 00:25:46.900 |
generation Christians who are reverting back to Judaism and after 10 chapters of Christology, 00:25:56.300 |
of not to, warning them not to drift away from this great salvation. 00:26:00.580 |
He says in chapter 11, 6, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever 00:26:06.300 |
would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those 00:26:15.740 |
Without faith it is impossible to please him. 00:26:23.880 |
You cannot come to God and add to anything Christ has done. 00:26:26.700 |
First and foremost, it is only by faith that we are connected to him. 00:26:30.060 |
But I want you to continue to read with me what he says. 00:26:32.940 |
"For whoever draws near to God must first believe that he exists." 00:26:39.780 |
Now the word "exists" here in Greek is the third person singular, where we get the 00:26:48.940 |
So the NASB has translated this that whoever would draw near to God must first believe 00:26:57.180 |
Remember the seven "I am" statements in the book of John? 00:27:09.180 |
He has seven "I am" statements saying all that you are seeking, you are seeking through 00:27:16.500 |
So what the author of Hebrews is saying, without faith it is impossible to please him, but 00:27:22.500 |
There's an assumption that if you believe him that you will come to God. 00:27:29.180 |
So genuine saving faith leads to a pursuit of Christ. 00:27:35.780 |
And those who pursue Christ will pursue him because they believe that he is. 00:27:54.300 |
If you don't believe that Christ is, then you're not going to be seeking him. 00:28:01.460 |
If you feel that, if you think that rest is found in vacation, that's what you're going 00:28:09.160 |
If you believe that joy and happiness is found in having things, then that's what you're 00:28:18.380 |
If you believe that to feel alive you need to follow the pattern of this world, then 00:28:27.620 |
Belief isn't expressed simply by coming to church. 00:28:33.580 |
Genuine belief isn't simply found by being active and serving in the church. 00:28:38.260 |
Genuine belief is expressed by what you are pursuing. 00:28:46.740 |
Now could coming to church be an expression of your belief? 00:28:51.580 |
Could coming to church and serving, is that an expression of your belief? 00:29:02.740 |
You can come to church all your life and pursue the world in a post-Christian culture. 00:29:09.980 |
You can find rest in going to places and not in Christ. 00:29:16.580 |
So he continues and it says, "For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he 00:29:23.260 |
is," that he is our pursuit, he is our life, he is our goal, "and that he rewards those 00:29:30.820 |
In the NIV it says, "who earnestly seek him." 00:29:33.780 |
In New King James it says, "who diligently seek him." 00:29:37.140 |
The word seek isn't just a casual looking or casual going. 00:29:43.820 |
He says, "He who comes to God must believe that he is." 00:29:48.500 |
And that's why you're pursuing him and because you find life in him you are diligently 00:29:54.900 |
Not acceptance in the church, not an easy life, not koinonia, at least the way that's 00:30:07.360 |
I find life in Christ and so I pursue Christ. 00:30:12.540 |
I find rest in Christ so I diligently seek Christ. 00:30:18.900 |
I find purpose in Christ so I am diligently and earnestly seeking him. 00:30:24.820 |
So he is qualifying, the saving faith isn't simply right thinking and right feeling. 00:30:34.340 |
All those things are true and we're going to get to that in a minute. 00:30:37.940 |
But genuine saving faith is qualified by abiding. 00:30:44.260 |
Now don't be confused, he's not saying that if you do these things that somehow that's 00:30:49.700 |
No, he's saying if there's a genuine faith in you and you believe that he is, why wouldn't 00:30:59.300 |
Sometimes we're confused and I may not get to the end of the sermon today but it doesn't 00:31:12.980 |
I think a lot of people in the church genuinely don't know if they really believe or not. 00:31:22.900 |
But in the quietness where there is no pressure, nobody is going to judge you and you ask yourself 00:31:29.860 |
without any judgment, you sit there and you don't really know. 00:31:34.620 |
There's a lot of confusion because you're busy at church. 00:31:43.620 |
You're paying tithe and you have on the outside, you're doing everything that a good Christian 00:31:51.020 |
And because of that, there's a lot of confusion in the church. 00:31:55.360 |
If you were to be honest with yourself and you ask, we ask ourselves, do I really believe? 00:32:21.220 |
Salvation is by faith alone but this faith has to be genuine. 00:32:28.580 |
That leads to our second point and I'm not sure I'm going to get to the third point but 00:32:31.700 |
the second point is, saving faith is confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. 00:32:49.260 |
I remember there was this guy I knew back in high school and this guy was just on fire. 00:32:56.500 |
He was constantly sharing the gospel and you ask him, how are you doing? 00:33:03.220 |
I mean this is like a high school junior and a senior and everywhere he would go, hey John, 00:33:14.420 |
We say Jesus is Lord in our songs, in the passes that we memorize. 00:33:21.700 |
So to confess, if he says all it requires is to believe and confess, I mean anybody. 00:33:26.940 |
So we made this sinner's prayer that anybody can just repeat and say. 00:33:33.380 |
And if you say these things, because he says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus 00:33:36.620 |
is Lord and believe in your heart that he was raised from the dead, then you're saved. 00:33:45.660 |
Maybe I kind of believe but if that's all I have to do, why not? 00:33:50.580 |
I buy a ticket just in case if I die and this thing is real, at least I have a ticket. 00:33:57.180 |
And it says we're not saved by works or whatever, whatever I'm doing, you know, maybe I feel 00:34:02.340 |
guilty but it has nothing to do with my salvation. 00:34:06.260 |
Maybe I'll be a church but if I'm not a good Christian, I'm not really pursuing Christ, 00:34:09.700 |
it doesn't matter because I confessed Jesus is Lord and I kind of believe that he was 00:34:15.940 |
I had some doubts but we never dig beyond that. 00:34:23.540 |
I did what the Bible required me to do to be saved. 00:34:27.200 |
And then there's so many people in the church who've hung their hats, their salvation on 00:34:33.580 |
I did what they told me to do so everything else is extra and if you make me feel guilty, 00:34:40.960 |
Is that what he really says when he says confession? 00:34:45.540 |
It's important for us, one, we understand that this scripture is being written during 00:34:50.580 |
an oral culture, meaning more people weren't able to read and write during this period 00:34:57.020 |
of human history than there were people who were able to read and write. 00:35:01.020 |
So everything was passed down in oral tradition, they had to memorize it. 00:35:04.580 |
So today, if we want to feel safe that somebody makes a promise, our words don't weigh a lot, 00:35:13.940 |
So if we want to feel secure, what do we need? 00:35:23.220 |
Write a contract and you write these things and then if you break this contract, here's 00:35:28.520 |
We get it notarized and we file it and so now we feel safe because it's written. 00:35:33.720 |
But you making a promise is like, what does that mean? 00:35:40.260 |
But remember, in an oral tradition where you couldn't enter into a contract with people 00:35:53.140 |
So the word confess here has much more weight than simply saying these words. 00:36:00.920 |
Because in that culture, saying it and being it was the same thing. 00:36:07.340 |
Secondly, the word for confession, at least in the way that it's used in the biblical 00:36:14.740 |
writers, was more than just something private that you say, you go in a closet and say, 00:36:20.860 |
The word is translated in other places as proclamation. 00:36:28.700 |
Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made a good 00:36:32.780 |
confession in the presence of many witnesses. 00:36:36.380 |
And again in Acts 24.14, Paul standing on trial because of preaching the gospel, he 00:36:43.260 |
says, "But this I confess to you that according to the way which they call sect, I worship 00:36:53.180 |
So many theologians think that this confession is directly linked to public baptism. 00:37:00.460 |
Now we don't know that for sure, but just by understanding how that word confess is 00:37:04.820 |
being used, it wasn't something private, it wasn't something that you just thought, your 00:37:09.220 |
inner thoughts and say, "Oh yeah, he's Lord." 00:37:12.620 |
He's to make a public profession, declaration. 00:37:16.460 |
In our understanding, in our context, it was kind of coming into a covenant relationship 00:37:21.660 |
with God and making a public declaration and saying that He is my Lord. 00:37:31.420 |
I am no longer a citizen of this world, but He is my Lord. 00:37:35.100 |
So this idea of confessing is much more powerful than the way we would hear it today in English. 00:37:41.820 |
You know, years ago when we went to Romania, the Romanian church has a clear distinction 00:37:49.540 |
between somebody who was baptized and was not baptized. 00:37:52.620 |
You will see a church filled with maybe 50, 60 people and then we would ask them, "Hey, 00:37:58.900 |
And the first thing that they would say to you is, "Oh, I've been coming here three 00:38:05.060 |
So today we would think, "Oh, how come you're not baptized?" 00:38:08.340 |
And that's the first thing that we need to obey. 00:38:13.020 |
And then they would distinguish between other people in the church and they'd say, "Oh, 00:38:20.660 |
Now we didn't dig into how they understood that, but the distinction that they made was 00:38:25.460 |
if you were baptized, meaning you made a public profession, that there was no turning back. 00:38:33.580 |
That these people have no earthly possessions, that they're willing to pack up and leave. 00:38:43.820 |
And I thought that was interesting because I think that's closer to the biblical scene 00:38:47.460 |
that I see in the Bible than maybe the way it's being practiced today. 00:38:51.740 |
And so when Paul says, "To have faith and to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord," 00:38:58.900 |
it means to enter into this covenant relationship, publicly professing and denouncing the world 00:39:11.340 |
In Philippians 2.11, the scripture says that because Christ humbled himself, every tongue 00:39:17.540 |
will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 00:39:26.660 |
Now why is this Lordship, establishing Lordship, so important to Christian faith? 00:39:32.560 |
Because the essence of salvation is to reestablish his Lordship. 00:39:39.340 |
Sometimes we think of Lordship salvation versus non-Lordship salvation. 00:39:43.740 |
If Christ is not Lord, he's not your Savior because the whole point of salvation is to 00:39:59.840 |
And they decided that they're going to make independence and find life away from God. 00:40:04.800 |
It wasn't like, "Oh, I'm going to look for wickedness." 00:40:08.980 |
They ate of the tree that they weren't supposed to eat. 00:40:19.660 |
When was the last time you ate something and said, "Oh man, you know, this is so sinful." 00:40:24.720 |
You know, maybe in and out, too many in and out burgers. 00:40:29.280 |
I don't know, you know, chili cheese fries, maybe too many. 00:40:35.440 |
When was the last time you ate something and you thought, "Oh, this is going to disconnect 00:40:40.140 |
Why would that simple sin cause eternal damnation for mankind? 00:40:48.800 |
It wasn't the eating of the apple in and of itself. 00:40:52.760 |
It was Adam and Eve saying in their own hearts that, "I'm not going to believe in God. 00:41:03.120 |
And what happened was they rebelled against God and His lordship over their life. 00:41:08.100 |
So when salvation comes, the whole point of restoration is to reestablish His lordship, 00:41:20.360 |
So you can't be a Christian if He is not your Lord. 00:41:23.320 |
Because the whole point of salvation is to restore this relationship between creator 00:41:29.440 |
In fact, that's exactly how salvation is described in Colossians chapter 113. 00:41:33.960 |
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His Son 00:41:39.320 |
in whom we have redemption for the forgiveness of sins. 00:41:45.560 |
He transferred us from one kingdom to another kingdom where you had Satan as the king over 00:41:52.880 |
this world, fallen world, and now we have who? 00:42:01.000 |
See, when we talk about the word saved, we have two different meanings, even in English. 00:42:15.040 |
We saw a shark and then, you know, you're in danger so we saved you. 00:42:20.760 |
And a lot of people see our salvation simply as the first. 00:42:31.640 |
But the word saved also, even in English, has the other term. 00:42:38.960 |
If you're eating something and you have dessert and you really enjoy it and say, "How come 00:42:46.720 |
Maybe from you, you know, but you're saving it because you're cherishing it. 00:42:53.640 |
One is to save us from something and then saving for something. 00:43:04.680 |
From sin and its consequences and its judgment. 00:43:14.760 |
And that's why 1 Peter 2, 9 says, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy 00:43:19.200 |
nation, people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who 00:43:23.520 |
called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 00:43:27.920 |
There are a lot of people in churches, in our generation, who is absolutely convinced 00:43:36.520 |
that they are saved from their sins, but have no trace of any fruit for what they are saved 00:43:51.800 |
Lordship in their life is just empty confession of mouth. 00:44:00.040 |
I can say, walk around and say, "I love you, I love you, I love you." 00:44:05.720 |
I can just go on campus and say, "I love you, love everybody." 00:44:12.680 |
No one's going to stop because they don't believe me. 00:44:23.160 |
Saying I love you with nothing to show for it has no power whatsoever. 00:44:32.560 |
He's talking about covenant relationship with Christ has been established as Lord over our 00:44:39.320 |
Now let me touch down where the rubber meets the road. 00:44:48.840 |
What is the most tangible evidence of his Lordship over our lives? 00:44:53.760 |
The two things that every single person cherishes and protects, your money and your time. 00:45:06.000 |
You can see if Christ is Lord over your life by the way you spend your money and by the 00:45:14.180 |
You can say he's Lord, but if your money spending is independent of his Lordship, it's empty 00:45:22.640 |
You can call him Lord, but if the way that you spend your time has nothing to do with 00:45:31.740 |
The Jews in the Old Testament refused to say the word Yahweh because in the Ten Commandments 00:45:38.800 |
it says you should not use the Lord's name in vain. 00:45:40.640 |
So they were so afraid of using the Lord's name in vain, so they replaced all the places 00:45:47.940 |
where Yahweh is mentioned and what did they change it with? 00:45:54.720 |
So if you look at your Hebrew translation in the Old Testament where the word Yahweh 00:46:01.120 |
is mentioned, it is translated with capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. Lord. 00:46:08.320 |
And when it is all in capital, it means that in Hebrew the word actually is Yahweh. 00:46:14.380 |
So what they did was because they wanted to show reverence toward the name of God, they 00:46:19.280 |
chose a name or a word that best would describe their relationship with God. 00:46:33.840 |
That they understood that their relationship with God was the creator and creation. 00:46:41.120 |
Even though this creator calls us his son, even though he cherishes us, fundamentally 00:46:55.360 |
I didn't come, he didn't save me so that he can live the rest, I can live the rest of 00:47:00.760 |
my life with God saying, "Okay, now what do you want? 00:47:03.280 |
I've done that for you, now what do you want?" 00:47:15.440 |
So the essence of salvation, the very essence of salvation is to have genuine faith that 00:47:24.600 |
causes us to pursue him diligently for what purpose? 00:47:33.640 |
I'm not going to get to the third part today. 00:47:40.620 |
And I want you to take some time to really wrestle and think about this because like 00:47:44.040 |
I said, there are certain things that you've gotten so accustomed to, you and I, and I'm 00:47:49.040 |
included in this, that you and I have become so accustomed to, we just have a knee-jerk 00:47:57.540 |
And as difficult as this may be to swallow, especially in a Bible teaching church where 00:48:04.400 |
you feel like you have all the right doctrines, when the scripture says, "The end time's 00:48:10.200 |
going to come, you call me Lord, Lord, but I had nothing to do with you," could we be 00:48:21.400 |
Could people in our church be in danger, have form of godliness, yet not know Christ? 00:48:33.000 |
That you have zeal, but not according to knowledge. 00:48:37.640 |
That you're checking off all the right boxes, but if you were to honestly confess, do you 00:48:50.840 |
Is it he that you believe is where you're going to find life and Sabbath? 00:48:56.840 |
It is by faith, and by faith alone, but because it is by faith, and by faith alone, it is 00:49:04.760 |
absolutely imperative that we have absolute assurance that this faith is saving faith, 00:49:15.120 |
Would you take a minute to pray with me as we invite our worship team to come up? 00:49:25.840 |
I don't think you need me to explain again why this is so important, and why this keeps 00:49:38.220 |
The reason why I keep pounding this up on the pulpit is because the pull to nominal 00:49:48.140 |
The pull to just conform to Orange County Christianity is so strong, because I feel 00:49:57.560 |
I have to fight every day to watch my heart, that I don't just assume anything. 00:50:05.480 |
That even in preaching, even in leading Bible study, even as I'm going to India to help 00:50:12.800 |
these pastors, even in the context of doing all of that, I have to constantly ask myself, 00:50:25.260 |
It is not enough, and it is not safe where you and I live. 00:50:33.900 |
Not to question, not to assume, and to constantly ask ourselves, because what's going to lead 00:50:40.340 |
you to sanctification, what's going to lead you to a passionate love for Christ is not 00:50:45.500 |
a knee-jerk reaction, but genuine and sincere contemplation. 00:50:58.300 |
Let's take some time to pray and seek the Lord genuinely from our hearts as our worship