Are you saved?
If you do a quick survey, you will find that many people claim that they are Christians - even in church, but are they? Many still live in sin, with their hearts and will not yielded to God. Are they saved? Have they truly given their lives to God? Is it enough to say the sinners prayer? What happens after that?
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Before you met Christ, you could only sin. You could not, but sin. You had no option but to sin. Through His loving gift, you now have the choice to not sin.
Matthew 7
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Small is the gate. Narrow is the road. A road implicates a journey that goes on after entering the gate. Salvation doesn't end at "Save me, Amen." Salvation needs to be worked out, it continues with "Set me apart." We are not saved by works, but works are definitely an outpouring of faith working in our salvation through grace. Are you journeying along the narrow road?
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
How can we know we're saved? By our fruit. If we have truly encountered God and something has truly happened, we will be able to know by the fruit the follows. If we claim to have encountered God at camps and seminars etc, give it some time. If changes are permanent, you have encountered God. If not, you have encountered hype and heighten emotions. If you claim to be alive in Christ, only time can tell if you're still delighting in sin. How can the same mouth that proclaims profanity continue to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord?
We may not be sinless, but we can choose to sin less. When we sin and falter, God the Father will lovingly correct us and bring us back. Pruned so that we can bear good fruit. If you've never given up your bad roots for good tree roots, how can bad tree grow good fruit? That sorta tree is cut down and thrown into the fire. Are you going to be thrown into the fire?
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!"
How important is doing God's will in your life? Is He an accessory? Is it safe to say that if God is an accessory to you, and submitting to His will is secondary... you're not saved? Many 'Christians' profess to Jesus being Lord, yet doesn't do the will of the Father. How do you know what God's will for your life is? It's all written in the Bible. To discover Him and be more like Him is His will for your life. Do you realise you can go to church, serve and still not be saved? You can worship Him on Sunday, lift Your hands and sing with your mouth and cry out, 'Lord, Lord' and still not be saved?
It's not enough to profess that you know Jesus, you need Jesus to say He knows you. That is how you enter the kingdom of heaven. If someone knocks on your door and claims he knows you, but you have no idea who he is... would you invite him in? It'd be a whole different story if you know who he is, right? I can claim to know George Bush but that doesn't grant me access to the White House. George Bush needs to know me. Jesus needs to know us, and that is through the doing of the Father's will. Does Jesus know you?
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."
Does Wise builder, foolish builder = Wise Christian, foolish Christian?
or does it really mean Wise builder, foolish builder = Christian, non Christian?
Could it be, by any chance at all, that "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice" = Heb 4:2 "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith."?
If you were to walk in front of a moving truck today, I believe something will change in you. In fact a lot of things will change when you encounter a moving truck. I might not be able to recognise a flatten you. Isn't our God bigger than a moving truck? If you claim to have encountered our great BIG God, would I still be able to recognise you?
Will you be standing or will you fall on THAT day?
James 1:22-24
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
Will we examine ourselves today? Are we truly saved? Will I reflect upon His Word and walk away forgetting what it says about me?
Maybe many Christians need to be saved today.
WillZ
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Before you met Christ, you could only sin. You could not, but sin. You had no option but to sin. Through His loving gift, you now have the choice to not sin.
Matthew 7
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Small is the gate. Narrow is the road. A road implicates a journey that goes on after entering the gate. Salvation doesn't end at "Save me, Amen." Salvation needs to be worked out, it continues with "Set me apart." We are not saved by works, but works are definitely an outpouring of faith working in our salvation through grace. Are you journeying along the narrow road?
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
How can we know we're saved? By our fruit. If we have truly encountered God and something has truly happened, we will be able to know by the fruit the follows. If we claim to have encountered God at camps and seminars etc, give it some time. If changes are permanent, you have encountered God. If not, you have encountered hype and heighten emotions. If you claim to be alive in Christ, only time can tell if you're still delighting in sin. How can the same mouth that proclaims profanity continue to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord?
We may not be sinless, but we can choose to sin less. When we sin and falter, God the Father will lovingly correct us and bring us back. Pruned so that we can bear good fruit. If you've never given up your bad roots for good tree roots, how can bad tree grow good fruit? That sorta tree is cut down and thrown into the fire. Are you going to be thrown into the fire?
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!"
How important is doing God's will in your life? Is He an accessory? Is it safe to say that if God is an accessory to you, and submitting to His will is secondary... you're not saved? Many 'Christians' profess to Jesus being Lord, yet doesn't do the will of the Father. How do you know what God's will for your life is? It's all written in the Bible. To discover Him and be more like Him is His will for your life. Do you realise you can go to church, serve and still not be saved? You can worship Him on Sunday, lift Your hands and sing with your mouth and cry out, 'Lord, Lord' and still not be saved?
It's not enough to profess that you know Jesus, you need Jesus to say He knows you. That is how you enter the kingdom of heaven. If someone knocks on your door and claims he knows you, but you have no idea who he is... would you invite him in? It'd be a whole different story if you know who he is, right? I can claim to know George Bush but that doesn't grant me access to the White House. George Bush needs to know me. Jesus needs to know us, and that is through the doing of the Father's will. Does Jesus know you?
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."
Does Wise builder, foolish builder = Wise Christian, foolish Christian?
or does it really mean Wise builder, foolish builder = Christian, non Christian?
Could it be, by any chance at all, that "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice" = Heb 4:2 "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith."?
If you were to walk in front of a moving truck today, I believe something will change in you. In fact a lot of things will change when you encounter a moving truck. I might not be able to recognise a flatten you. Isn't our God bigger than a moving truck? If you claim to have encountered our great BIG God, would I still be able to recognise you?
Will you be standing or will you fall on THAT day?
James 1:22-24
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
Will we examine ourselves today? Are we truly saved? Will I reflect upon His Word and walk away forgetting what it says about me?
Maybe many Christians need to be saved today.
WillZ
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