May 24, 2021
Morning Service

Last week Jesus gave us a command to ask, seek and knock.  He also promised that we would receive, find and the door will be opened for us.  We were challenged to apply these promises to our spiritual life and pray for the “fruits of the Spirit” to flourish in our lives and bring glory to our Savior.  “Seek Him first” in your life.  Jesus also made it very clear that His call to “Follow Me” would not be an easy road.  He described it as “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it.”  We as Jesus followers walk a different path than those around us.  We march to a different drummer.  We give when others are taking, we love when others hate, and we forgive when others seek revenge.  This is because of the “transforming” power of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we allow to work and shape us into the image of our Savior.  We are trying to walk in the footprints of the One we are following.  Today we will look at three important points that we need to understand in our walk with Jesus.  We are to be fruit inspectors, know the difference between religion and relationship, and build on the Rock.

Mat 7:15-20 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  (16)  You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?  (17)  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  (18)  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  (19)  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  (20)  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

            Jesus began this chapter with the command “Judge not, that you be not judged.”  Here Jesus explains to us that we can use the gift of “discerning the spirits” mentioned to us by Paul in the 12^th chapter of I Cor.  There is a difference in discerning, which means to perceive or recognize something, and judging, which means to form an opinion or conclusion about something.  Here Jesus encourages us to be “fruit inspectors.”  We are to look at someone’s fruits, how they act and interact with others, and discern whether or not their words and actions match their testimony or not.  If you see apples on a tree, then you can discern that it is an apple tree.  You are not judging why it is an apple tree only that it a has the fruits of one.  When we see the actions of a person shows them to be deceptive and treat others without respect, we can discern that they are not at the place God wants them to be.  We therefore must use that discernment in any advice they give to us.  We all have used this gift as we know who we can trust with private, personal information and who we know we cannot.  Pray for the gift of discernment as it is vital now with all the access we have to information, we must be able to discern good from evil in this deceptive world.  Our filter to run everything through is our Bible.  As we read and study, the Holy Spirit within us will recall that knowledge for us and alert us to someone trying to deceive us.  If you don’t read, then it makes it much easier for you to be deceived.  Inspect fruits of others and allow the Holy Spirit to assist you in discerning if they are speaking the truth from God or lies from the father of lies.  Jesus now explains one of the most important points that we need to understand in our walk with Him for us.

 

Mat 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  (22)  Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  (23)  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

            Jesus reveals to us that following Him is not only about changing our ways and actions as a religion would be but, it is about relationship and honestly, intimately, and truly knowing Jesus.  As Paul showed us in I Cor. 13, the love chapter, we could do some pretty impressive acts such as allowing our bodies to be burned, give all our all you own to the poor, and have faith to move mountains but have not love we are nothing.  Jesus tells us the same thing.  We can call Him Lord, preach to others, cast out demons, and do other miracles BUT if we don’t know Him personally it does us no good at the judgement.  To know Christ is to love Him and surrender your life to Him.  Paul said it like this”

Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

God’s desire for you is to surrender your heart to Him and allow the Holy Spirt to dictate your actions creating the fruits of the Spirit to flourish in your life.  It is not “what” you do it becomes “who” you are; you are His.  We can’t just vow to become a “better” person and change our lifestyle to please God, it goes much deeper than that.  You belong to Him and have become one with Him.  It is the mystery revealed that Christianity is not a religion of “do and don’ts” it is a relationship with our Creator and Savior.

Col 1:26-27 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.  (27)  To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

We have spiritually died in the waters of baptism and arose to walk in the newness of life.  That new life is not just “doing the right things” it is surrendering your heart to Him.  We have accepted His call to follow and we have given ourselves fully to doing it.  He dwells within us and we allow Him to guide our steps, words, and actions by yielding my will to His.  Believe me there is nothing more freeing than to surrender to Him.  My will is no longer what drives me, but doing His will is my single greatest desire.  It becomes my identity; who I really am.  Jesus again gives us an example of what that looks like with a parable of things we can understand.

 

Mat 7:24-27 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: (25) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  (26)  "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: (27) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

            Lehigh is building a preheater tower that will stand 400 feet tall.  As they began to design this tower, the first thought was the foundation that it would stand upon.  It had to be big, deep and strong.  The foundation they built used 3500 yards of concrete (350 10 yard trucks).  They made sure the foundation would hold whatever they built upon it.  Foolish people don’t purposely build upon a foundation that will fail.  They just don’t understand or think about the importance or need for it.  Many are building their lives on things that will not matter in the end.  Money, power, prestige, political views and material things all can be lost in an instant and will not last for eternity.  That foundation will crumble.  Those who are building on Jesus, the Rock, build wisely upon a foundation that is secure for eternity.  No storm, pandemic, economic collapse, or devil from Hell will shake this firm foundation; it is built to last forever!

            What are you building your life’s foundation upon or rather Who?  My prayer is that Jesus is your Rock that your whole life is built upon.  To follow Him is to love Him and to love Him is to know Him.  Do you know Him? Are you building upon Him?  When the storm comes will it reveal you built upon the Rock or the sand?