Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Evidence of Eternal Life Pt.2

Hallelujah! Amen! Remember to pray for the guys in Africa and just continue to hold them up. It's a daily grind there as they're warring against the principalities and powers of a nation, as we shared, that's very, very similar to the days of Constantine. It's a strong religious spirit throughout the nation. Makes things really tough in discerning the different gifts that may be manifesting themselves. Those that profess themselves to be a part of the body are, in fact, wolves. There's the leaven that has to be contended with. Much of what we're facing here, but really in a way that's magnified in a number of ways. The guys really need wisdom. We ask that you just continue to hold them up on a daily basis. They've been there long enough now that we can just kind of realize they're there and pray. We need to contend with the principalities and the powers that they're facing. They're there as part of us representing the kingdom, representing us as a family, so don't forget to hold their hands up. They can feel your prayers; there's no questions about that. So, be prayerful.

Also, just continue to pray. Right now, we're looking, still waiting for some feedback from the county on different zoning things that we're having to face here and the possibility of--we're trying right now to go in with the minimal restrictions necessary to do the remodeling here and we're going to need favor without it taking a long time and a lot of red tape. If we don't get favor it's going to be quite a process. Pray that God will give us favor and that they'll be people wise enough to see that what we're doing is not something new. We're just raising this ceiling 20 feet higher and putting on a 50 foot porch. So, if you see it for what it is it really isn't much of an issue. We really want to receive the favor that's necessary there so be prayerful.

Thanks for those already being faithful in your giving. How many of you noticed that the Joash chest is already on its way up, praise God? We're at, I believe, over $100,000 that's come in. So I think we've received about $85,000 or something. Is Dan in here this morning? $85,000 up until the other day and the Lord enabled us to be able to put in a good chunk of money and so we're up to $120,000 or a hundred and something thousand right now, so we thank God for that, Praise God. It's a blessing.

Let's turn, if you would, to Matthew chapter seven. We want to continue with our study and we're going to be talking about the evidence of eternal life. The evidence of eternal life. When you live in a Christian nation like Kenya or professed Christian nation like America--we know it's not, but people seem to think that it is. Many people identify themselves with a religion, in this case Christianity, and think that because it's what the nation was founded upon that they just naturally become citizens and partake of the benefits, and by name they call themselves Christians. Tragically, not a lot of people know what it means to be a Christian. The Bible says that they were first called Christians at Antioch. The word "Christian" means what? Christlike. Now, how many of you realize that changes the things very quickly on when we look around us and say, "Are most Americans Christlike?" And the answer to that is, "No, they look little more like their father, the devil." So, that's what we're looking at. What about within the church? Does going to church make you a Christian? And of course people have said, "No. No more than going out and standing in your garage makes you a car." It's not just coming and sitting inside the building that makes you a Christian.

What about the creeds that we hold to? What about the different creeds? The things that we say we believe. Is it mental assent? Is it the moral codes that we hold to? Is it the desire that we would be able to live in a peaceful environment and this is a way that it could be done if we would adhere to the different Judeo-Christian ethics-which is what a lot of people are looking for, just the ethics of the Judeo-Christian foundation. They like those and they would like to live at peace and they would like people to treat each other properly and to keep the golden rule, to do unto others as they would do unto you. That would be a nice way to live. They assent to that. Where people have a little bit of trouble is when they come to understand what real Christianity is all about. It's death to self and the recognition of the Lordship of Jesus in our personal lives on a daily basis to where we're no longer our own, the Scripture says, but we're bought with a price. This sojourn that you and I are involved in is a daily taking up a cross and dying to our own appetites, our own intellect, and the death of our own will. Christianity, then, is a daily process of recognizing the lordship of Jesus Christ. Without that, we've not partaken of the full benefits of redemption that Jesus purchased on the cross. Of course, He speaks toward it real clearly in Matthew the seventh chapter.

So, let's turn over there and pick up where we left off in our last session. Matthew the seventh chapter. The Lord in this great sermon that we call, "The Sermon on the Mount," gets down to the real issue in verse 13. And He says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." Remember to whom He's speaking. He's speaking to a nation that professes to know God. He's speaking to people that are saying they desire to follow Him and to become part of the Kingdom. These are a people that were aware of the teaching of John the Baptist when he said, "Repent ye for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). He said, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world" (John 1:29). These people began to follow Him, understanding that He was--not necessarily fully understanding He was the messiah at this time--but He was a great messenger of God. He had a word for them in their generation and they were coming to hear what that word was. He said, "Those of you that are seeking the kingdom of God, you're seekers, you're coming after the knowledge of God." He said, "You need to understand something. There are two ways. There's a straight and narrow way and there's a broad way that leads to destruction." In this, He's not talking about the pagans. He's not talking about those people that are obviously rebelling against God, God-haters, have no desire of a knowledge for God. He's talking about the seekers. As He's looking to these that are seeking. He says, "You have to be careful in your quest to realize there are two ways. There's a straight and narrow way and there's a broad way. They're both appearing to be pursuing God." One brings you to damnation, the other one to eternal life. Tragically, our churches are full of people that are on the broad way. It's religion. It has all the Christian trappings and the jargon. There are billions of people that are on this way that we're talking about here in the world today.

Jesus said in His message. Listen. "You need to make sure that you enter at the strait gate." The narrow gate. Not this broad Christianity that's being offered to everybody who just says they believe in the name of Jesus. "All you have to do is believe in the name of Jesus. Pray the sinner's prayer, 'Jesus, come into my heart,' you're saved." We need to understand that the kingdom of God, to be apprehended, it suffers violence and the violent take it by force, the Scripture says. It's not something that's without war, without striving, without effort. And it's not something that's available to the masses. "For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." Now, these are the people that are seekers. "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto [eternal] life, [Then say it with me, the last phrase] and few there be that find it" (John 1:14). That ought to be something that causes concern to the hearts of people today. Many are seeking and few find it. Now, there are different doctrines that deal with this. Some say that God in His sovereignty has predestined a segment to Heaven and a segment to Hell. The Bible doesn't teach that. The Bible says, "Whosoever will may come." Amen. Aren't you thankful for that? But the Bible also teaches that no man can come except he be drawn. So you can't come whenever you feel like it, you come when you're being drawn. You come when God is enticing you. No man, the Scripture says, seeks God. God sought us. While we were yet sinners He loved us and died for us, the Scripture says. So, God's pursuing us and He's wooing us to Himself. He's not willing, the Scripture says, that any would perish. God hasn't predestined anybody to hell. He's not willing that any would perish. He so loved the world, the Scripture says. As many as will, may come, but He says, the way is narrow. There's only one way.

There's a thing coming on, I don't know if it's tonight on TV. On the advertisement, it says, "You'll be surprised that Christianity and Islam have more in common than you would think." They have nothing in common. There is nothing in common. You have the Lord of Glory who founded one of the religions and a terrorist who founded the other one. A man who's dead, rotting in hell today, and the other one is seated at the right hand of God and ever lives to make intercession for us. There's nothing in common between these two religions at all. The world is trying to make all one. "There are many paths to God." What does the Scripture say that makes it so unique? There's a straight and narrow path and there's no other name under heaven whereby men can be saved, but the name of Jesus. Amen? He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life and no one cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6). Praise God!

The entrance into this kingdom is very, very narrow. The Scripture tells us there are many things that can hinder it. It says it's a very difficult thing for people that are affluent to enter in. He's talking to Americans. "Well, man, Praise God, I'm glad He's not talking to me. He must be talking to Donald Trump." No, He's talking to you. By the world's standards, you are filthy rich--those that are making the least among us. He said it's a tough thing to enter into the kingdom as a rich man. He said it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. "Well Lord, how can we be saved?" With God all things are possible. There are things that hinder us from entering into the Kingdom. You can't enter in, what He's saying in that passage, with all of the baggage of this world. This strait gate means that everything has to be put aside and we have to seek first the kingdom of God, His righteousness.

When we're talking about the evidences of eternal life, you're going to see it in these nine categories that we're going to speak toward that'll show that we are truly born again people. God has set up a very obvious criteria for entering into the Kingdom and there's evidence that's obvious in the Scriptures, we call it fruit. Jesus speaks toward it in this passage as we go on.

He says, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). We're going to talk about what fruit it is that's to be evidenced in our life. He makes a real interesting statement here concerning that fruit, as we read on. He said, "It's a straight and narrow way, it's a way that requires a cross, it requires death to self, it requires the forsaking of mother and father and houses and lands and if you don't you're not worthy of Me." He said, "I'll have no other gods before me." It's a straight and narrow way. As He goes on in this teaching for you and I, He said there are very few that are really in this way. Now, it's relative. We know that out of--let's say just today, in the world today, can you imagine that in the world today there are over a billion and a half professing Christians alive on the planet? Think about that. Twenty-five percent of the world's population says they're Christian. That's just alive right now. What evidence is there of that? Well, cathedrals, churches, bingo games, chicken dinners. What is the evidence that the church is alive and well and representing its Lord? What was Satan's strategy to destroy the ministry that was left to the church? The first thing that he did was to try to come and obliterate it, and he found out that only caused it to grow.

When the Lord spoke to Peter, of course, he told him that he was going to build his church upon Peter's statement of faith that, "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). He said, "And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter and upon the rock I will build my church [on that statement, on that revelation, because flesh and blood didn't reveal this to you but my Father which is in heaven. This didn't come out of your ability, Peter, this came out of revelation. And on that revelation, I'll build my church] and the [what?] gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). The true Church is the one that's attacking Hell, not hiding. The true Church is the one that's offensively going into the highways and the byways and compelling those that are lost to come. The true Church is the one who has freely received, the Scripture says, and now is freely giving, that's standing upon the housetops and shouting it out into the world, that Jesus is risen, Praise God, that He's Lord and that there's no other way to the Father, but by Him. The true Church is a militant church. Not politically. Not militarily. Our weapons are not carnal, they're mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. We're a unique people. Jesus said, "If my people were of this world, then they would fight for me. They're not going to fight naturally. They're going to fight supernaturally through prayer, through intercession, through martyrdom, through the uncompromised proclamation of the gospel, the power of God unto salvation."

Satan saw, then, that the persecution did nothing but fuel the church and make it strong. So what did he have to do? He had to delude it. A house divided against itself cannot stand. So we begin to see the delusion, the compromises, the carnality. In other words, instead of opposing the church, the devil joined. He's a faithful member in most churches and came in through the false prophets. Jesus says in the next verse, look at it. "Beware of false prophets..." (Matthew 7:15). You see it's the false teachers over all of these centuries that brought the church to where it is today. Those who for personal gain, power, prestige, money have entered in under the direction of the lordship of Satan and deluded the church and brought another gospel. Paul said to the Galatians, "I'm amazed that you've so soon departed unto another gospel, if it be call a gospel. It's not the gospel," he says. (1:6-7).

We see from the very first century the spirit of antichrist that these false prophets introduced, and we shared in the past that it was in two basic forms and it's still very much expressing itself today. We found the Judaizers and the Gnostics on the other hand, as we've shared with you in the past. The Judaizers, of course, were those who were wanting to add to Jesus' redemptive work, the keeping of the Law, that you needed to be circumcised. Paul said, "If you're trusting in circumcision, then Christ is dead in vain" (Galatians 5:6). He didn't mix anything with Judaism. With that one statement, he so clarified and made distinct the finished work of Jesus exclusive from the works of the law that no one could misunderstand it. Yet, there are still people among us today that are wanting us to keep Sabbath days and they're wanting us to keep different feasts, they're wanting us to live under external holiness guidelines and what Paul said is still the same, "that they might boast in our flesh." They just want to control things and boast. What they're afraid of, Paul said, is the same thing that people are afraid of today. They're afraid of the persecution of the world. They're afraid of making a distinct break from all the other religions into the holiness of God, so they do that that's palatable. A form of godliness the Scripture says, but no power. The world will tolerate form. If you want to wear fancy robes and hats and sprinkle incense around and have the "amma amma" one another drink type services. (That's just kind of my rendition of a high mass.) Those guys get smashed during mass, those high ones, they can really tip a few back during those. Have you ever been to high mass? I have, I've been to a number of them, it's interesting.

That's palatable, that's "Christianity"--a form but no power. Nobody leaves changed. They go into the world, they sin, they live like the world, they talk like the world, they have the same ambitions of the world, they come in, somebody blesses them and says, "You're okay," and they go out, never changed. I want to tell you something, when you come into the presence of a Holy God, you'll never be the same again. When the coals come off of the altar and touched your lips, you'll never be the same again. When you encounter Him, you'll come like Moses and there'll be a radiating glory of God out of your life and people will know that you've been touched, Praise God! They'll say, "Something is different about you." I don't know about you, but when I got saved my friends and my family knew I was different. They knew that wasn't the same guy. The guy that walked into the presence of God came out different. The evidence of eternal life? Old things pass away all things become new. What change is there? You see the false prophets come and tell us, "You don't need to change; you just need to accept the love of God. You just need to know that God loves you and believe that Jesus died for your sins. That doesn't mean you're going to change or live any differently. He just paid the price on the cross so that you don't have to go to hell. Go ahead and live any way you want. God's grace is sufficient." That's not what the Bible teaches.

In the First Epistle of John (which we're going to spend quite a bit of time there over the next couple of sessions), in the First Epistle of John you remember, we said was written primarily to combat Gnosticism. Let's refresh our memories on what that is. The basic truths of Gnosticism are this: that man is a spiritual being, that everything that is material, including our bodies, is temporal and it's evil and, in fact, came from a lesser god called Jehovah, of which there is this supreme god, somewhere unseen, unheard of that they referred to as light. Jehovah, to them, was an inferior god because he was the creator of the earth, he involved himself with matter, and he was some kind of an inferior god; but there's this great god of light somewhere, and the Gnostics had this mystical spiritual knowledge that transcended everything else that everybody knew to the point that you can't even communicate it, it's so spiritual. That's kind of where these guys lived. It's a secret knowing, and it's so secret that only us special messengers really know it, but (you should) believe it.

John begins to write combating that spirit because it began to come into the church in this guise--that you could be right with God spiritually and still go to all of the Corinthian feasts and still visit the temple prostitutes and still practice gluttony and still hate your brother and rip him off in business and still sleep with your neighbor's wife, because that's what the flesh does and there's no way to control it. It's inherently evil and it's going to continue to go the way of the flesh, but the key is to be right with God in your heart. We say it this way today, "They have a good heart." Or we say this, "They mean well." Or we say this, "They're pursuing God. They have a heart for God, they just have a life for the devil. They mean well, they're nice people." Our churches are full of them. The false prophets, the Scripture says, prophesy to them smooth things; they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, the Scripture says. It says they love to have it so, as we combine all three of those Scriptures together. So, it's what everybody wants. The people like to hear that message. "You mean I can be right with God, have the assurance that I'm going to go to heaven, and still live any way I want. You mean Jesus can just be a Sunday morning Jesus?" For some people an Easter Sunday Jesus.

We begin to make God in our image. "I'll tell you one thing, bless God, my God would never send anybody to hell." No, your God wouldn't, because you've created him in your own image. The reason that you've compromised the blood of Jesus, the reason that you refuse to believe the Word of God, is because of your own rebellion and your own terror and fear of judgment. So men create religions that don't have any judgment in them. They create religions that have a purgatory. They create religions that have annihilation. They create religions like Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons that do away with that aspect of the revelation of God that brings about just recompense for a man's works.

Jesus says, look at it, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Now, this is talking about the preachers. We're going to talk about us as a group here in just a moment, but this is talking about the preachers, the teachers. He said, "These false prophets they come in sheep's clothing." They come into our midst and they're giving the appearance of being part of the flock, but Jesus makes an interesting statement about this in His teaching doesn't He? He said, "One thing that you need to be aware of is this: "My sheep [what?] know My voice and another they'll not follow." In other words, how do we recognize the true sheep of God? Very clearly. Are they following the Chief Shepherd? The under-shepherds, the pastors, the prophets, the teachers can't ever bring revelation that's unique or distinct from this. They have to begin, at all times too, with the representation of the more sure Word of prophecy. So how does the church protect itself, then, from false prophets? It knows the Word. You know the Word, so that you know what the teachers are speaking is from Jesus or not.

The churches are full of people that don't know God and don't know the Word, being led by people that don't know God and don't know the Word. If the blind lead the blind, everybody ends up in the ditch. That would be a good name for a lot of churches. "Church of the Big Ditch." It's a tragic thing that the Word has become so diluted today. Churches won't stand for more than ten minutes of preaching. Oh, you can have skits and plays and drama and singing. Bless God you have everybody and their brother in there, you have Lawrence Welk and the Lenin Sisters and Bon Jovi. That's the seeker-friendly churches that are so popular today. They have the pop-forty songs. You would never hear, "Holy, Holy, Holy," but they'll sing some "Song Sung Blue" or something. The people love it. You get flyers in the mail. How many of you get those? I get these flyers in the mail, a new church just started in the area locally. It says, "You'll love us, we do nothing." That's basically what it says. And they talk about, "Come on out and we barbecue during the service and dogs are welcome." Have you all got those things? I don't remember what all it says on there so I'm just kind of winging it. But basically it's--"One thing you can count on, we will not offend you with the Word of God." Tragically--it's to different degrees--but He says, "Beware of false prophets that come in sheep's clothes." They come and they appear to love and to be so concerned about humanity, and in the process are Satan's tools for directing them to a devil's hell. They're the friendliest, kindest, sweetest--who through, as the prophet said, "...good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts [and minds] of the simple" (Romans 16:18

As we examine, over these next number of sessions, our own hearts, and we're studying this first of all to look at your own heart and then secondly, those that you come into contact with on a daily basis as we're out about our lives. He said, they have this appearance of "sheepness," but look what He says, and this is a fabulous spiritual law: "Ye shall know them by their fruits." Then He asks a question. Look. "Got a question for you." "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so [this is the bottom line] every good tree [does what?] bringeth forth good fruit..." (Matthew 7:17) "Well, they have good intentions. They have a good heart." No. You don't have a good heart if you don't have good fruit. "Well, my heart's good, you see my mouth--I'm just so hateful and I say ugly things and I lie, but that's not who I am." "...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." You are what you speak. What you believe comes out of your mouth. Positively, what was it the apostle said? "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." "I didn't mean it." Yes you did or you wouldn't have said it. What you mean is, "I didn't mean for it to slip out and reveal who I really am. That's what I mean; I didn't mean to expose myself. Can I have that back? I'm sorry I got caught." He speaks to us very clearly and He says, "...every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth [say it with me] evil fruit." Everybody's so afraid. "I don't want to judge." And of course we've talked about in the past the great most famous Scripture in all Christian churches, "Judge not." One little portion of a whole dialogue. "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged..." (Matthew 7:1-2). The Scripture says, "What's wrong? Isn't there anybody spiritual enough among you to judge?" The Scripture says, "...judge righteous judgment." It makes it very clear that we're responsible. "What's wrong? Is nobody spiritual among you to pass judgment on these actions? Don't you understand that you can't allow brothers to go to the civil courts one against the other? It's bringing a reproach on the body of Christ. Can't anybody judge these things? Don't you guys know how to judge the fact that there's adultery taking place and fornication in your church and you won't judge these things? Don't you realize that I have judged already?" Paul says. "Put that person out. Turn them over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh" (1 Corinthians 5:1-5).

Yes we're to judge, but we're to judge righteous judgment and we're to judge ourselves first so that we can see clearly, the Scripture says. "Take the beam out of your eye so that you can see clearly to help your brother with the spec that's in his eye" (Matthew 7:5). You will never go wrong when you assume, first of all, that you're the most corrupt person in this building. If you can approach everything assuming this: "I'm the guy that needs more help than anybody else and I'm going to work on this beam because I've been called to help my brothers with the specs that are in their eye. I've been called to try to help people to get to heaven. It's my responsibility as part of the community of the body of Christ. I don't live to myself and I don't die to myself." Where you're going to get in trouble is to think of yourself more highly than you ought, that God has somehow called you to be Numero Uno Fruit Inspector. Start on you. Check your own heart. Take the beam out of your own eye so that you can see clearly, and then when you're seeing clearly, speak the truth in love, praise God.

Certain things become very obvious, don't they? How many people want to be considered a good tree with corrupt fruit? "That's not right. Look, I acknowledge that's not right. That behavior's not right, that philosophy is not right. Those words are ugly, and I understand that and I'm really sorry, but that's not me." Are you calling Jesus a liar? Yes that's you. Corrupt fruit, evil fruit, corrupt tree. You'll never be free until you understand the condition of your heart. As you go out into the highways and byways, the churches are full of people that this spirit of Gnosticism has told them, "You're all right; that's acceptable."

First John says that if that seed remains in you, you shall not sin. We understand the Greek there and the fact that the tense is speaking that you will not be habitually sinning. It won't be a practice it's not something that's acceptable. When we talk about good fruit versus bad fruit, we are not talking about isolated incidents; we're talking about a lifestyle. What is habitual? What is prominent, dominant? We all sin. First John says, "If you say you don't sin, you're making God a liar." We all sin. He said, "I've written this epistle in First John for that purpose. That you would realize that if you confess your sin He's faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness, praise God! You're going to sin." "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

We're not talking about the fact that everyone of us is going to commit sin that we're going to fail, that we're going to be overcome by the sin that's in our members. Our flesh is going to get the best of us, but what are you doing habitually? What's the habitual fruit in the life of an individual? Jesus says it's by that that you'll know them. "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." I can't read that passage without going back to eight years of age at a little Baptist Sunday school. First Bible verse I ever saw. First Bible verse I ever memorized. Eight years old. I memorized that, and for that great accomplishment they gave me a New Testament. Then the Sunday school teacher said that we were not to watch any more of the football games because they advertised beer on the television program. So I took eight years off. The only time I'd ever been to church in my life. Eight years old, went one time. Memorized that verse. That thing got in there. "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Then a Judaizer took me off course. A good meaning Sunday school teacher who wanted to add to the Word of God to give it a little more power, who wanted their convictions to be impressed upon us young people. So I took eight years off.

God is so good. In that eight years, I got involved in so lascivious a lifestyle. God spared me on numerous occasions, spared my life as we were completely, insanely drunk and involved in revelry and riots. Should have been killed numerous times, and God spared my life. I often wonder if that Sunday school teacher had not been a Judaizer, if I would have gone through those things. I often wonder what scars I bear to this very day may not have been there if somebody would have just spoken the Word of God and let it stand.

God is good. He is merciful. There are no mistakes, and so I thank God for the course that's even today still being clarified and as we press on toward the mark, the prize, the high calling of God that's in Christ Jesus. I believed in God after that one day in Sunday school. I'd never heard about Jesus. I didn't know who Jesus was. I'd never heard about Jesus. I didn't know anything about who He was. I didn't know anything about church. The Spirit of God arrested my heart at eight years of age, and I believed--and I believed very sincerely--that I was going to hell. I knew that if I died I was going to hell, and yet looked like I was doing everything to speed the process up. I looked around and saw all the hypocrisy as one of my best friends, Joe, and I would get ready to go out drinking. Had the special girls that were what we were looking for, for that process. As we were going to pick up these particular girls for a night on the town and to go drinking, especially on Sunday we would stop at the Catholic Church. I had my car. I don't ride with people. I like to drive. (I did ride with Janet this morning in her new car. Prayed all the way, a mile and a half. No, she's not a bad driver.) I was the driver and I'd drive and we'd stop at the Catholic Church and Joe would go in to confession. I asked him, "Wait a minute. When you go in there, in the box, are you confessing what you did or what you're going to do?" I wasn't saved, and I knew that wasn't getting it. I had an eight year old's knowledge of God. I had one verse. I had one verse. That Catholic would get in the car and I had one verse, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Started out as a prophet.) I knew that wasn't right. God's not going to put up with this. That's not how it works. I knew enough. Wasn't born again. Didn't know God. I had one verse, but I knew that wasn't right, and you know that's not right, and they know that's not right.

Romans says, "These people are not only doing these things but they're taking pleasure in those that do them. They are inventors of evil" (Romans 1:30-36). You should read that passage in Romans. We understand the wickedness in man's heart to justify his own behavior, and yet we have these words that are inescapable. Verse 21. You better be real clear on this, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven..." "Not everybody that says they believe I'm the Son of God. Not everybody that says they believe that God has raised me from the dead." That's part of the Catholic jargon. You have to memorize that.

I'm not just after the Catholics today, but they're visible and the most obvious, so I might as well talk about it. Some of the basic theology in Catholicism, Roman Catholicism is right on. Some of it. Their theology's right. It's their application that's all wrong. Many are going to ask the question that Jesus presents here in just a moment. They're going to say, "Didn't we do all of these things?" He's going to say, "I never approved of any of your actions." That's what that word, "I never knew you," means. He knew of them. He said, "I never approved you. I never approved your course. I never approved your doctrine, your lifestyle. You were out doing your thing in My name. You say that you believe in Me. You believe that I'm the Son of God. You believe that I'm virgin-born, etc., but you lie against the truth because I've told you in My Word, very clearly, that you're to have no other gods." They raise up Mary to the point of deification. They hold tradition equal with the Word of God and, in actuality, superior when the Lord so clearly said, "Your traditions have made the Word of God of no affect," and yet their traditions have taken over.

I'm just trying to show you where men are today. If you're going to help out some Catholic folks, bring them to the Word of God. You don't have to necessarily attack the things that are wrong. Just ask them what they know about the Word of God and why is it that they hold tradition equal with the Word of God, when the Word of God speaks very obviously against that. Ask them who they really believe the head of the church is, the Pope, or Jesus.

Let me get back on the course, here. As He speaks to us, it's very interesting. Remember, we're examining our own hearts first. By their fruits you shall know them. Not everyone that says, "Lord, Lord," but by their fruits you shall know them. Not everyone that says "Lord, Lord" shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but by their fruits, verse 20, you shall know them. "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that [say the next three words with me] doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). Oh, so now we're talking about more than just professing.

What do we have today in fundamentalist circles? If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that God has raised Jesus from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Now, if you truly believe that and profess that in faith, you will experience regeneration, born again. There will be a renewing. If you've heard the gospel, the good news that God has raised Jesus from the dead, that He was the propitiation for our sins, that He was the substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf, and you believe those things that He was made sin with our sin and that we might be made righteous with His righteousness; if you really believe those things and believe that God raised Him from the dead and that He was the appeasement factor to God, and that that paid for your sins and that there's nothing you can do to obtain righteousness, then you shall be saved, regenerated. It's the initiation, but a lot of people seem to think that now, once I've done that, I'm part of the family of God and there are no other requirements.

Jesus says right here in this teaching, He says, "Now look, you have to do the will of My Father." "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:22-23). I never approved. Well, now wait a minute. How is it, then, that we're going to by fruit make a discernment, because we have people here prophesying, casting out devils. The Lord goes on and He says in verse 24, "Here's how you know." "You mean it's not then by what they're saying?" No we can't go by that alone. "And it's not by signs and wonders?" No, we can't go by that alone. "Well, what determines it?" Character. Dependence on the lordship of Jesus. Look at the summary in verse 24: "Therefore [listen] whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and [what?] doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." What rock? The revelation of God. The rock that He spoke of to Peter was the rock of revelation. The revelation of who Jesus was. The rock that we're building upon is the revelation of what God requires of us through His Word. He makes it very clear what His commandments are to those that are going to be part of His family, His church, His body.

He says to us real clearly here. He says, "Look, The wise man is building his house upon a rock." And we all think of our little kids back there doing their little dance, "The wise man builds his house upon a rock..." "And the rains are going to descend and the floods are going to come and the winds are going to blow and are going to beat upon that life. Trials, temptation, the adversities of life, and it doesn't fall." The Scripture makes it very clear that it's those that endure to the end that shall be saved. You're going to experience adversity, you're going to experience temptations and trials, and all of these different things; but if you're a doer of the Word, if you're not pursuing just for your own personal gain and ease. Many people become "Christians" because their wife left them, their business burned down, their child died tragically, they're alcoholics. Many of those things do cause us to gravitate toward God. Nothing wrong with that. What's wrong is when that concept, after having professed to encounter Him isn't radically changed. Once you come to know God you realize that He's not there to make life easy for you. It's not about you; it's about His glory. As soon as God stops making life easy and things continue to be hard and tragic, as Jesus talks about in the sower sowing the Word, the Bible says that what happens? They cave in, they faint, they have no root in themselves.

Many of our conversions today are based upon looking for God to make things easier. "I have to be able to cope with this tragedy. I have to be able to deal with these adversities, and somehow this religion gives me something to hold onto that can keep me on course." It's not what Christianity is about. The world perceives Christianity of being that. What do they call it? They say, "You're just a bunch of weak people that need a crutch." I don't need a crutch. I need a stretcher, because without Him I can do nothing. I've proved what I can do without His lordship in my life.

You see, man's religion, man's understanding, makes man the focal point. We try to seduce people, that way, into the kingdom. "Just accept Jesus and He'll heal your body and He'll pay off all of your debts and Jesus will make you happy and you won't have any problems." That's all a lie. We believe that we're a people healed by His stripes. We know that the joy of the Lord is our strength and that He gives peace not as the world gives. We know that He opens the windows of heaven and pours out blessings that we can't contain, but it's not to entice us. It's the benefits of those that are seeking first the kingdom. You want to present the gospel to somebody, don't throw all these carrots out there to them. Tell them this, "What you need to do is die. You need to realize that your righteousness is as filthy rags, you need to understand that nobody can be justified by the works of the law. It doesn't matter how good you are, how hard you try. You need to die to your own selfishness and the pride of life of wanting to dominate and control your own fate, and then you become a candidate for sonship."

The wise man will build his house on the Word of God, the sayings of Jesus and he'll be a doer of them. Look what He goes on to say, "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened..." Now remember, we're talking about obedience. Here is a people that profess. They say, "Lord, Lord." They've done a lot of good stuff. So we have people doing good things and saying, "Lord, Lord," but there's one thing they're lacking. They're not doing the sayings, and He said these are fools and they're building on the sand. They're building. They have this building built up, church. They have this building. A life that they see as a Christian, but it's not Christlike, which is what Christian means. It's a life that's acceptable by the traditional church, by the world's perspective of what the church should be and how it should behave. Jesus says, "Those that have been seduced by these false prophets, those who have heard the Gnostics teaching that says you can be right with God inwardly and live any way you want outwardly and neglect the commandments of God, I want to tell you who that person is. They're a fool."

"And the rain descended, [Verse 27] and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Do you want to know how great it's going to be? Read the book of Revelation. Babylon the great has fallen. The apostate religious system, the great whore that so many trust in today, as the spirit of Antichrist is revealed for who he really is in the midst of religion. Within all of that there's a remnant, there's this people that are on the straight and narrow path. Who are those people? Those that hear and do. The greatest in the kingdom, the Master said, are those that do and teach others to do. You can't be any greater in the kingdom than by being a doer of the Word and requiring everybody around you to do it. Instructing them in the knowledge of God, and that they're required to be doers of the Word. "What does the Lord God require of you but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). Do justly, walk in righteousness, accept the mercy of God that enables us and walk in humility and submission and obedience to God. "And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:28-29).

As we close for this morning, we'll pick it up here tonight, and then begin to go into some of these nine identifiable traits. This afternoon, take just a few minutes and read these few verses again, and when we're talking about verse 17 and 18, the good tree and the good fruit and the corrupt tree and the evil fruit, go over to John 15 and spend a little bit of time there. As you begin to read in John 15--we talked about it a little bit Wednesday night--the one thing that's very obvious is this: regardless of how much fruit is in an individual's life, it can be the most minute fruit, if there is spiritual life in an individual, the Bible says in John 15, if there is fruit evident--this is very important--if there is fruit evident, then God is going to what? Purge it. If there is any indication in any individual that you're looking and you're wondering, "I don't know if that person's a true Christian or not." They profess to be a Christian, and they're Roman Catholic. They profess to be a Christian and they belong to one of the historical Christian churches, Methodist, started with the Wesleys' Holiness Movement, and today they're ordaining homosexuals. They profess to be Christians, so we've come from Catholic to Methodist to some fundamentalist belief. They profess that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, just don't believe it. Then here's the test, here's the litmus test. How do they respond to purging, reproof, rebuke, instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work?

Where's the works, where's the fruit? Let me ask you something. You're saying you're a Christian. Why can't you be discerned from the rest of the people here on the job? Why are you talking the way they talk, why are you living the way they live? Why do you have the same ambitions that they have? Why is it that there's no joy in your life? Why are you not sharing the gospel? "Who are you to judge me?" I'm a spiritual individual. Paul said, "What's wrong? Nobody is spiritual enough to judge?" I'm spiritual enough to judge. I'm asking you a question. According to the Word of God, why are you professing to be a Christian and you're living like the world? I'd just like to know how you can justify that? "It's none of your business." Is he a Christian? No. How do we know? Because every good tree that is abiding in the vine, that is bearing fruit, will be purged by the washing of the water of the Word. It will be cleansed by the revelation of the Word. The more Word you give it, the more it likes it. These people are offended by the Word. You quote the Word to them, they get ticked off. You quote the Word, they'll give you tradition. You quote the Word, they'll give you the fact that, "Well, my dad built that church." Who cares? It's on the sand, probably. Watch what happens, and here's how we know. Every true Christian runs to the light. Whenever you point to darkness in their life, they welcome the light. "I didn't see that. Give me more." Good trees want purging. They seek it, they long for it because they understand that it brings forth more fruit. When there's more fruit, God does what? Purges it again that it might bring forth much fruit, John 15 says.

That's how we really begin to understand, "...by their fruits ye shall know them." It's not by casting out devils, prophesying in His name. It's not by saying, "Lord, Lord," proper doctrine, recognizing that He is the Son of God. As we're going to look at First John this evening we're going to find out it's by those that are doers or by those that keep His commandments. "Don't call Me Lord and not keep My commandments. If you love Me you will love My commandments. Every time you step out of line and the commandment comes to you either by my spirit, by one of my messengers, the body of Christ, you will love that and embrace it and say, 'That's right, Praise God! It's right, I'm wrong.'" It doesn't stop there; then there has to be what? Repentance and a change in course, and there needs to be evidence of more fruit. There has to be habitual obedience, not sporadic obedience. There should be sporadic sin and habitual obedience, and that's the man of God. That's the one that's walking in the spirit and not fulfilling, being dominated by, the lust of the flesh. To be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Father, we thank You for the Word of God this morning. As we take these moments and rest in Your presence, we just want to thank You for the newness of life. We thank you that when we were enemies and haters of God, You loved us and You sought us. Today, You live in us by Your Spirit and we abide in You, and because we abide in You, Your life flows through us and fruit is evident that remains. We so want to be like You. We long to be free from this power in our flesh. We don't seek ways to gratify it, we want free. We understand it's there and we understand that it expresses itself, but we have no appetite for it. We do not make provision for the flesh. It's our desire to be able to know You as we're known. We believe You're coming soon and You said in John's epistle that one of the signs of eternal life abiding in us is the appetite for Your soon coming and that we would purify ourselves even as You're pure, that we're to walk as You walked.

If you get a chance, read First John this afternoon. If you read it out loud, you can just read it out loud at the pace that I'm speaking right now and it's only 20 minutes. It's probably the most important book in all of the Bible about eternal life.

Father, we ask that You make it real to us and help us to seek You. You said if we seek You with all of our hearts, we'll find You. If we draw nigh unto God, He'll draw nigh unto us. Make it real Father, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand before the Lord.

By their fruits you'll know them. The regional director for Racers for Christ came over yesterday to our trailer and he said, "I need to ask you something, I need some council. I'm praying whether to go full time or not in just areas I don't want to make any mistakes. Since I met you guys last year I go to your website all the time and it's obvious that the Word of God has first place. What's the Bible say about this?" I began to share the principles with him on being in the way and the steps of the good man being ordered and being set right and the proper motives. As he left, he just said, "Thank God. I don't have anywhere else to go. Thank you for the Word of God." We need to be a people that are known to speak the Word. "I know if I go talk to those people, they're not going to give me their opinion, they're going to give me the Word of God." That's what our desire has been. That's what we long for the testimony to be. I believe that it is. Doers, instructors, helpers, great in the kingdom.

Let's sing this together and just thank Him for His presence. Sing it again. Hallelujah! Father, it's our heart's desire and we just long to know You more. We ask You, Lord, to purge our hearts. Sometimes it's through adversity and trials, sometimes it's through the revelation of the Word of God, but we want to bring forth more fruit that men would glorify our Father in heaven. Let our lives be known as people that do the Word of God, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "Need some more fruit."

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