This morning I will be speaking about the illusion of salvation. Nobody in their right mind would wish to see any person much less friend or family miss going to heaven because they thought they were saved.
We live in a time when the message of knowing you are a child of God is now. The certainity of salvation is important. Assumption and ignorance go hand in hand, but we are told that the days of ignorance are over. There is a need for critical self-examination concerning our spiritual state, purpose, destiny, and eternal well-being.
When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, He will ask the questions concerning our identity with Him. Who are you? Do I know you?
Calling Christ, your LORD does not make Him your LORD. Many will say to me that 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? Using the name of the LORD does not prove salvation. The question I ask is, how well do you know the LORD?
I have been around some people for years, and you would never know they were a Christian, except they said they were a Christian. Their lives do not add up to the will of God. Those who do the will of God are stamped approved and sealed with God's approval.
God has only one will, and it is good and acceptable and perfect. God wants His people to realign their thinking to His way of thinking. The whole plan of salvation is based on the transformation of soul, body, and mind.
We must start with the mind. Romans 12:2 Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. We must have the mind of Christ.
It is time to forget the nonsense about being just outside the will of God. Some people act as if anywhere on the target is acceptable to God. The word for sin is harmatia or missing the mark. How often have you heard someone use the term God's permissive will?
The distinction between God's sovereign will and the permissive will of God is filled with risk and tends to generate untold confusion.
In ordinary language, the term permission suggests some sort of positive sanction. To say that God "allows" or "permits" evil does not mean that He sanctions it in the sense that He approves it. It is easy to discern that God never permits sin in the sense that He sanctions it in His creatures.
What is usually meant by divine permission is that God simply lets it happen. That is, He does not directly intervene to prevent its happening. Here is where grave dangers lurk. Some theologies view this drama as if God were unable to do anything about human sin.
This view makes man sovereign, not God. God is reduced to the role of spectator or cheerleader, by which God's exercise in providence is that of a helpless Father who, having done all He can do, must now sit back and simply hope for the best. He permits what He cannot help but permits because He has no sovereign power over it. This false view is not merely a flawed view of faith; it is plain disbelief. To say that God has given us a license to miss the mark and still get the maximum points is to make God unjust. Eph 5:11
God has only one will.
Why is it that there are people who call themselves by Christ's name and live a lifestyle approved by the demons of hell? What is amazing is these people believe they will have the reward of heaven.
These pseudo-Christians will tell you they believe in Jesus and go to church. Yet, they have never made a life-changing connection with the LORD. They have a form of godliness but lack the power of the Spirit-filled life.
Salvation is a transformed life, not a ticket. If a one-time encounter or some spiritual experience were enough, then Judas would have made it to heaven. He had an encounter with Jesus, he was called by Jesus to be a disciple, he went out with disciple to do the works of Christ, yet he was a devil.
We don't like to think of ourselves as being a devil, but have we betrayed the LORD? Just because we have walked among Christians, attended church, and done churchy things does not mean we have been transformed.
In surveys completed by this generation, the perceived number one need was to be entertained--not love, not belonging, not relationships, but entertainment. From movies to sports, we love to be entertained. Even at church, we must be entertained. I have heard Christians say if the church is not fun, they were not interested in showing up.
The problem with this premise is that it is flawed. Our faith is not based on entertainment. Paul told Timothy there would be those who would not endure sound doctrine. They would find people who would tell them what they wanted to hear and make them feel good. After all, I am a good person, but I don't wear my religion for everyone to see. I am a good person is a relative statement. Why are you good? I am good because I am helpful, I have never robbed or killed someone. I am a kind person, and I attend church sometimes, I give to the church.
All of these statements are what you will hear from good people. I spoke a few Sundays ago about good people and how God looks at good people.
There is only one way to be good enough for God.
That way is through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. He died for our sins when we were sinners. It is through the transforming power of His redemptive sacrifice that we are made good enough for God.
There two things required of us. The first is a new birth. Repent of our sins. To repent of our sins is more than being sorry. When we were small children and caught doing something that resulted in punishment, we were tearfully sorry. Not because we were sorry but because we were caught. The punishment never brought about a change in our behavior. It would not be too long before we were once again being punished for the same misbehavior. Our behavior changed when we learned to follow the rules. That is like true repentance when you learn to stop sinning and follow the commandments of the LORD.
Each one of us had a time and place of our physical birth. We are often asked when you were born. Every time I go to pick up medicine, they ask for my birth date. They can see that I was born. I am standing in front of them, talking to them, I am visible to them. Yet, they still want to know when I was born.
The question I would ask you is, when were you spiritually born? Can you give a date, time, and place when you were born again? Or do you have only an illusion of salvation?
The second is surrendering to the will of God.
You are letting the LORD have control of your will. God is looking for people to get connected and stay connected. Every church has a mandate from heaven to fulfill it. It is carried out by the people who have had their life transformed by the power of God. God divided Israel into twelve tribes, each with a different function. So, today you need to find the right tribe (church) and connect with it. When you do, you will find the vision God has for your life. I have seen that when people are connected to the right tribe (church), they get connected to God's will for their life. When you yield your will to God's will, He can use you to accomplish His will.
It is time to put an end to the illusion that just going to church will keep you from the eternal punishment of the Lake of Fire. Only a life hidden in Christ can do that. God loves the true church with a holy passion. He is jealous over her and will not share the bride with another.
Are you connected with the LORD Jesus Christ? Are you in the will of God and connected to the right tribe (church)?
Those who call themselves "Christian" and believe that being a Christian and being a disciple are two different things. This misconception is an illusion that has put them on the road to hell. You cannot be a Christian and not be a disciple. To be a true follower, Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. To keep the commandments, we must first learn those commandments. We become disciples when we study the Word of God and apply it to our life.
There is a need for critical self-examination concerning our spiritual state, purpose, destiny, and eternal well-being. When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, He will ask the questions concerning our identity with Him. Who are you? Do I know you? Do not have only an illusion of salvation, but accept the transforming power of redemption.
