Tuesday, February 23, 2010
just heard a mind-blowing sermon on the dangers of self-deceit of being a Christian when in fact you are not.
Taken from Matthew 7:22-23:
Many will say to me "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoes."
To me this a disquieting and discomforting verse. How many of us fall into the self-deceit of thinking that they are Christians when in fact they are not. And how can we be sure that on the Day the lord comes, he will not say to us "I never knoew you. away from me, you evildoers."
A few verses before that, verse 13-14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enters through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
And the general outlook seems difficult. In one of the first few sermons Jesus has ever preached (Matthews 5:20), He said,
"For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
God also said that we must be perfect just as He is perfect. This seems to be impossible, as how we are all sinners and God is perfect. It is not humanly possible and there is nothing that we can do to achieve that. It is only possible through the justification by God. He gave us Jesus, so that he can take away our sins, and give us righteousness. We are made perfect through Christ.
This is the biggest distinction between human works, which is all about self-righteousness, and divine accomplishment, which is all about faith. That is what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions in the world.
Ultimately, the biggest step is to realise that we are spiritually destitute. To be spiritually means we have to acknowledge that we have nothing. We are not sick, or ill, or diseased. We are "dead in our transgressions and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).
And in the beatitudes (Matthews 5:3), blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I have difficulty understanding this at first, but it means realising that we are spiritually empty and we need Jesus in our lives.
And lastly, why the way to kingdom of God is narrow and few are able to find it, is because the demands of getting to heaven are so high. He asks us to deny ourselves, take up His Cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
SO... it is important to understand what it means to confess Jesus as our Lord and to become a member of His kingdom.
Personally, i felt that my response has been inadequate all these while and was quite struck my this online sermon. I pray that I will be able to act upon this message and ask for guidance to walk upon the narrow path that leads to life.
Great sermon overall. I recommend listening to it. Even if you do not have the time to listen to it, MAKE TIME!
you get it from here
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/date
the sermon is titled "Foundations of Grace, Part 2: The Lordship of Christ" by John MacArthur (sermon code: 80-338)
Left his memories on 2:05 AM|
~ It's just a goodnight and not goodbye ~
