How To Know For Sure You're Saved

Sermon from 1 John 5:11-13 preached on June 15, 2014

Lance Armstrong Is A Liar

“All liars will have their part in the lake of fire.”

“Thou shall not lie.” --- God


Lance Armstrong cheated and then lied about it.

I used to be a huge Lance fan. His story (which turned out to be a lie) was so compelling. An elite athlete…sidelined by cancer…fought and beat cancer…came back and won a record 7 times. Winning the Tour de France is an incredible athletic accomplishment. Winning it 7 times is historic. Coming back from cancer and winning 7 times is legendary. Now, it is all a lie.

What makes the story worse is that for years Armstrong was accused and denied the accusations with incredible consistency and vehemence. He sued people who accused him of doping. He was ruthless to those who said he was taking peds. He publicly denied that he used steroids over and over and over again. Now, in an interview with Oprah, he has admitted the lie publicly.

Lance Armstrong is a cheater, a deceiver and a LIAR. Lying is a sin against God. Lying is serious to the Lord. The Bible says that all liars deserve to be thrown into the waves of fire that make up the place called hell.

I am glad I am not Lance Armstrong. You probably are too.

I have never lied about taking performance-enhancing drugs in order to win the Tour de France. You probably haven’t either. But, but, but, but….I HAVE LIED…about other things.

The sad truth is that I haven’t just told one lie in my life, I’ve told more than one. And you know, YOU KNOW, that you have lied too. Hasn’t everyone? Do you think there is one person on this planet that has never told even one lie? No way! We have all told lies. The fact that everyone has told lies does not lessen the offense to the Lord. If everyone were a murderer it wouldn’t make murder less serious. The same is true with our lies.

Let’s try and quantify our lying for just a moment. If we were to estimate the number of lies we have told, would it be: in the hundreds or thousands? It’s hard to truly remember them all, but they are numerous…aren’t they?

So, what do we call someone who has told numerous lies? A human being. Of course, but more specifically someone who tells multiple lies is a LIAR. We don’t just tell lies we are liars. Those who commit sins are sinners.

This is a direct violation against the law of a Holy God. He is infinite in His Holiness, Righteousness and Justice. That means that even the little white lie is cosmic treason and rebellion against a Holy God. When we break His law we deserve the just punishment for our crime.

The Bible says that the punishment for our sin is certain and eternal death. (Romans 6:23) The Bible says that “all liars will have their part in the lake of fire (hell).” (Revelation 21:8)

If God gave us liars what we deserve it would be the punishment of an eternity in hell. That is what we deserve.

Well, maybe we can make up for our lies. Maybe Lance Armstrong can do enough good deeds to pay for his lies. He has, after all, done some incredible good. The Livestrong Foundation has done some great work in battling cancer. Lance should be applauded for his charity and philanthropic works. But, does his good deeds absolve him of his status as a liar? Not with God.

Think of it like this: if a murder comes to the judge and says, “Judge, I know I murdered by I have done all of these good things, and I promise that I will do even more good things in the future…can’t you let me go free because of my goodness?” No good Judge can let a murderer go free of his crime.

God is a just and righteous Judge. He cannot let sin go unpunished.

Uh oh! We are lying sinners and deserve the punishment of God, and there is nothing we can do about it. That is the truth. But, God is also amazing in Love. He loves sinners so much that He has done something for us that we could not do for our self. God has a solution to the problem of our sin, something only God could accomplish.

Sin had to be punished and paid for. We could never pay it to satisfy the demands of justice. Jesus could and did. Jesus, the sinless Son of God, came to pay for our crimes. He did this because He loves you and to satisfy the demands of justice.

It’s like this; suppose there is someone guilty of a crime. They are before the judge and the just penalty is 1 trillion dollars. The guilty man has no money; there is no way he can pay the fine for his crime. The Judge cannot and will not let the man go without the fine being paid. Then a stranger comes into the court. He walks up the judge. He has the full amount that he earned through his own hard work. He pays the judge the full amount for the crime of the guilty. The judge accepts the payment and offers freedom to the guilty.

When Jesus died on the cross He was paying for our crimes of sin against God. He paid, with His life’s blood, for our sin against a Holy God. He took what we deserved. And He rose from the dead on the third day. He lives. And because of Jesus, the demands of justice have been met and God extends the love of His grace towards sinners. It is His free gift of forgiveness that He offers to us.

What do sinning liars have to do? Simply receive the free gift that Jesus purchased on the cross. The Bible says the way we receive the gift of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life is by repentance and faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 3:19)

Repent means to turn. Turn from yourself and your sin and turn TO Jesus Christ.

Believe means to entrust your entire life into the hands of Jesus. You give Him complete control of you. Faith is not just going to church or assenting to certain facts. True faith is giving everything you are over to Jesus to be the LORD and BOSS of your life.

This is the only hope for Lance Armstrong. It is the only hope for all of us liars.

Please consider this and turn to Christ in repentance and faith today.


If you have never done this and would like to, one way you can express your desire to repent and believe is to say a prayer like this:
Dear God,
I admit to you that I am a sinner. I am guilty of sin and deserve Your punishment. I realize that Jesus died for my sin on the cross and that He rose from the dead. I desire to turn from my sin and trust you as my Lord and Savior. I want to give my life over to You today. Thank you for saving me, forgiving me, and coming to live in me. Thank you for the promise of heaven.
I ask this in Jesus’ name,
Amen


(if you have just done this, please let me know)

Are You a Good Person?

Got this from the guys a Living Waters (Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron)

Needing a Savior

All human beings enter the world as sinners and condemned because they are sons and daughters of Adam (Rom. 5:12-19). Sin blinds human beings to their own wickedness and tricks people into thinking that they are righteous. Sin is not merely a matter of peccadilloes or mistakes. Human beings are fiercely rebellious and stubborn, which is captured in the metaphor of being stiff-necked. The sin of human beings is manifested supremely in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. All enter into the world spiritually dead toward God and heading toward physical death and judgment. By nature, humans are children of wrath and rotten trees. From birth, they are under the dominion of the old age of the flesh instead of the new age of the Spirit. They are a brood of vipers instead of children of God.

The power and depth of sin function as the backdrop to God's saving promises, for such promises represent astonishing good news, given the devastation that sin inflicts on human beings. With the coming of Jesus Christ, the era of salvation and deliverance has dawned; with the death and resurrection of Jesus, the tyranny of sin and death has ended."

A quote from Magnifying God in Christ by Dr. Thomas Schreiner, page 172.

Massive Story - The Gospel

An exerpt from Al Mohler's book, He Is Not Silent
When Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:21 that "for our sake Hee made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God", he is talking about a cosmological reversal that is beyond anything we can understand. If our people think of the gospel as a small story in which they get to befriend Jesus and walk alone with Him in a garden, if they don't understand what a massive thing their salvation from sin really is, theen we are robbing them of the gospel.

Every time we preach, we need to create dissonance in the minds of our hearers. We need to declare their own wretchedness, our sin, and our powerlessness, and we need to admit frankly that we can't solve this problem. And then we proclaim the gospel. We show our people how God himself did what they were wholly unable to do. We tell them that the problem of sin was only solved when the sinless Son of God died on the cross as a substitute for His people. (page 101)

Please Accept Me

Have you ever had to plead for something? Have you ever had to really cajole someone into going somewhere with you?
Kids do this all the time, with no shame. "Dad can we please, please, please go to the water park (or fill in the blank with the latest, greatest thing)?"

I think that is how some people present our Lord Jesus. That He is pleading and cajoling people to accept Him. Is Jesus saying, "would you please, please, pretty please, accept me into your heart?"

Listen to this quote from David Platt's book, Radical,

"We have taken the infinitely glorious Son of God, who endured the infinitely terrible wrath of God and who now reigns as the infinitely worthy Lord of all, and we have reduced Him to a poor, puny, Savior who is just begging us to accept Him. Accept Him? Do we really think Jesus needs our acceptance?"

The infinitely worthy Savior doesn't need acceptance, He demands surrender.

Too Common A Converstation

The following is a fictional conversation. It is one that I don't think would go over very well in our church saturated yet passionless Christianity culture. See what you think.

Person 1: So, you are a follower of Christ, a Christian?

Person 2: Yes, I am.

Person 1: Do you pray?

Person 2: Well, not really.

Person 1: Do you read and study the Bible?

Person 2: Well, not really.

Person 1: Have you joined and are you serving in a church?

Person 2: No. Not really?


Commentary:
You can claim to be Christian all you want, but if you don't walk with the Lord in prayer(meals don't count), if you don't walk with the Lord through His word, and if you do not walk with the Lord by serving His church, then are you walking with the Lord? Are you a follower of Christ? Not really.

A Life of Obedience

I have been reading some classic works by Andrew Murray lately that have been very edifying. Let me share a thought from his little book on Obedience with you.

The beginning of the Bible has the account of Adam and Eve. Here are the elements: a paradise, a tree, and a command to obey. Man chose to disobey and the effects of sin entered the world. Paradise was lost.

Much of the rest of the story of redemption is how paradise is regained. Revelation tells us that paradise contains a tree - the tree of life.

Listen to what Murray writes, "From beginning to end, from Paradise lost to Paradise regained, the law is unchanged: it is obedience that gives access to the tree of life and the favor of God. How was the change effected? The Cross of Christ. From disobedience at the beginning that closed the way to the tree of life, to obedience at the end that gained entrance to it again, that which stands midway between the beginning and the end is the Cross of Christ. Romans 5:19 says, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."

What is the command that we are to obey to regain the favor of God? Repent and believe. Mark 1:15 records the words of Jesus' first sermon, "Repent and believe the gospel." Acts 17:30 says, "But now God commands all people everywhere to repent." It is only when you obey the call of Christ to repent and believe, truly believe, that His blood atones for your sin and Paradise is regained.

Don't Forget Being Saved: The Tragic Story of Abraham Shakespeare

Abraham Shakespeare was a humble man of with not much means. He was an assistant truck driver and still lived with his mother in a rural area near Tampa, Florida. He didn’t have much and never really did. An article in the AP writes that he could hardly read and had a criminal record.

His friends reported that they were pleased when they saw Abraham join a local church. He seemed to have a new interest in spiritual things. He was even baptized at the church.

It was shortly after this that Abraham’s life took another turn. He won the lottery. Literally, he purchased and won $30 million dollars from the Florida Lottery. He took the lump sum payment and instantly pocketed $17 million dollars. Whoa!

And that is exactly what everyone who ever knew Abraham thought. They showed up in droves at his door with hands outstretched. He was generous and did give some of his wealth away. He bought a million dollar home and other things.

It was then that Abraham got into a relationship with a swindler named Deedee. She pilfered his money, and then took his life. Abraham went missing and was recently found. He was buried 5ft below ground, in a slab of concrete – dead!

That is not even the most tragic part of this story.

Listen to this quote, “Meanwhile, friends and family puzzled Friday over Shakespeare's rapid rise and fall. Jones said his friend lived a humble life, and just before he bought the winning ticket he joined a church and was baptized. "When he won the lottery," Jones said, "he forgot about being saved."

1 Timothy 6:9
"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction."

Matthew 13:7; 22
“A sower went out to sow, and some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them…
“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”

AP story here.

Here is a link to the story from the NY Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/01/06/2010-01-06_30m_lottery_winner_abraham_shakespeare_feared_murdered_for_his_jackpot.html

It's not a difficult story to find, all you have to do is google search abraham shakespeare.

Privacy Please, Pt. 2

You can’t see my faith because it is private. My faith is a private matter.

I’ve heard this expressed in different ways. “He is just very private about his faith.” “They are quiet about God.” “They believe, but they are just not very religious.” “I believe, I just don’t show it like others.”

The problem with this excuse is that it is an attempt to justify something that probably doesn’t exist. James addresses this very issue(James 2:14-24). If someone claims to have faith, but there are no outwardly visible indicators of faith in action, it is not biblical faith.

I believe that it is impossible for someone to have truly experienced the power of salvation by the Almighty Lord Jesus Christ and it have no outward effect on their life. It just ain’t so! (See also John 15:1-5)

If your faith is so private that it has no public demonstration, it might not be a true, biblical faith.

Privacy Please, Pt 1

I have heard people occasionally say something like this, “My faith is a private matter.” Or, “they were private in their faith.” Or, “Don’t ask me about my walk with God, it’s a private matter.”

Is it true, that faith is a private matter?

There is an aspect of faith in which you could say it is private. But, I don’t think the way most people use that sentence is true.

If you are truly a follower of Christ, i.e. soundly saved, there are some aspects, but not all, of your relationship with the Lord that are personal and private in a sense. If I commit a sin by having a thought in my mind, I need to confess that sin, but not to you. That is a private aspect of my walk with God. Jesus said, that I am to go into my “prayer closet” to pray, instead of standing on the street corner for all to see. There are times for corporate praise of God, but there are also private moments of praise between just me and the Lord. Those are a few examples of how faith can be private. Your confession of sin, and praise of the Lord, or the things that the Lord speaks to your heart, does not have to be published for the entire world to see. In that sense, your faith can be a private matter.

I do not think that is what most people mean when they refer to their faith being private. Most of the time, “private faith” is a bad excuse. Many times it is the retort of someone who claims to have faith but doesn’t have much in their life to back it up.

Stay tuned for more to come

Tiger Trouble

I have been a long time fan of Tiger Woods. He is an amazing competitor and arguably the best golfer ever.

He is also an adulterer. What started out as tabloid fodder has turned into a fact corroborated by Tiger's admission of "transgressions" today. Tabloids are just that, and not the banner for journalistic integrity, but Tiger's confession confirms the truth of his adultery.

Here are some stats about Tiger.

Forbes lists Tiger as the first Billion dollar athlete.
Last year he won over 10.5 million dollars on the PGA Tour alone.
He has won 71 PGA events and 14 Majors.
He is 33 years old.
He has been married for 5 years.
He has two children.
He is an adulterer.

"“You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14, ESV)

"He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself." (Proverbs 6:32, ESV)

" “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:27-28, ESV)

Tiger is not, as has never been, the paragon of virtue and morality. Why should he be? He has everything!

I know what Tiger needs. He doesn't need me to cast stones. Measured by God's standards I am a sinner too. So is everyone else. What I needed, is the same thing Tiger needs. A Savior.

What Tiger needs is to repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is more valuable than billions of dollars and you can't win Him in a golf tournament. By repenting and trusting in Him as Lord, your sins can be forgiven and your soul spared. That is priceless!

I pray for Tiger's salvation.

Thoughts on Luke 16:14-16

Luke 16:14-16
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it."


The Pharisees had major problems. Jesus never shied away from confronting them with the error of their ways. In this little discussion he has with them many things jumped out at me today.

Here are some of my thoughts:

#1 - “What is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
What they prided themselves on and was applauded by men was actually offensive to God. And these men were seen as the cream of the religious crop. Empty religious acts may fool many people, but not God.

I should not seek to be put on the proverbial pedestal. My name may never be known among the “who’s who” lists. But, am I loving the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind? That is what truly matters.

#2 – "The Law and the Prophets were until John, since then the good news is preached.”
The Law and the Prophets bear witness of the coming Messiah. The one whom John the Baptist said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” And he also said, "I am unworthy to even untie his sandals.”“

#3 – “Everyone forces his way into it.”
The Pharisees and many others believed that you could force yourself into God’s kingdom. They had more laws, stipulations, and requirements than the Texas Penal Code Book. And they prided themselves on keeping every single one. Why? They thought it earned them a special place with God. The truth was quite the opposite.

That same idea is prevalent today. I talk to so many lost, churched people who still believe in some type of works based salvation. You cannot force your way into the kingdom of God.

#4 – Not one iota of the law has passed away.
An iota is a Hebrew vowel point. It was literally a tiny dot that was added to the root consonants of a Hebrew word. It was small and seemingly insignificant.
Jesus says that not one iota will pass away.
Here is the point that jumped out at me. The context is crucial. He is conversing with the Pharisees who prided themselves on keeping the law. Jesus demonstrates that they have not and this is what judges them. There are two ways they have not kept the law.
First, by their additions and subtractions they have elevated their own opinions above the law of God. They have created stipulations that allow them to get away with things that are contrary to the law. Jesus gives them an example in the following verses.
Secondly, the major purpose of the Law and Prophets was it pointed to the coming Christ. Here He is, Jesus, and they have rejected Him, and thus rejected the law.

I am thankful that God's grace is not something that I can earn. I pray that all my service will be more than a religious act, but an act of true devotion, love, and worship of the Messiah who died for my sins.

Deliver Us From Evil

Anyone who thinks that the world is basically good, and most people are as well, has placed themselves in a tough position. The tragic events on the campus of Virginia Tech were a horrendous evil. There is really no reasonable answer to the question of "why". Why did such a thing happen? We cannot climb into the mind of the killer.

I was reminded of the disciples when they come to Jesus and ask Him to teach them how to pray. Everyone knows the Lord's prayer, but we don't often enough dig deep into what Jesus was saying and teaching. One line of that prayer is particularly applicable in light of this tragedy.

Jesus said we are to pray to the Holy Father to "deliver us from evil". There is some textual evidence that this could be read, "deliver us from the evil ONE" - referring to Satan. But, the point here is the same. The world in which we live contains evil. And we cannot deliver ourselves out of it's grip. If we could, then we would not need to pray to the Holy Father to deliver us from it.

We need deliverance from evil. And this is not just deliverance from evil influences apart from us. We need to be delivered from our own evil.

I have never killed anyone, but according to Jesus I am a murderer. He says that if you hate someone then you have committed murder in your heart. I am sure that at some point in my life I have fallen into that category.

I am a great person, compared to the killer at Virginia Tech. Unfortunately, I am not compared to Him. I am compared to Holy God and His righteous standards. To these I don't measure up. "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23

Salvation is the gift of God's grace. It is God's delivering me from my own evil, and it is a work that could only be accomplished through the cross of Jesus Christ.

Final deliverance comes also as a gift of God's grace. One day, sooner rather than later, the Righteous Judge will return. When Jesus Christ comes again, those who are found truly in Him will receive the final gift of ultimate deliverance from all evil.

Christmas Gift

Up at the crack of dawn,
Eager and filled with glee,
Gifts wait no more,
Ripped, opened, seen,
Eyes full of surprise,
Hearts warmed with love.


It is a joy to watch kids on Christmas morning! The excitement builds to a crescendo until it is about to burst. It is a wonder that they ever went to sleep at all. Hannah and Emily got everything a little girl could possibly want.
I also received many gifts and presents, and opened them with the anticipation of someone much younger than I actually am.

I did finally take a moment to pause and reflect, and I am glad I did. Otherwise, I might have missed Christmas. I have received another gift, one much more important than something that comes in a box. I have received the gift of life. And not just any life, life in Christ, eternal and full of hope, love, joy, purpose...
It takes my breath away! To think that God would send His most treasured Son for someone like me. I am a worm, a wretched man, the chief of sinners, and God gave a Gift, a precious Gift, the Gift of His Son. And this came not in fancy wrapping, but "in the form of man, taking the very nature of a servant, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross".(Phil. 2:5-11) The Gift shed His blood for my wretchedness and sin. He died as my substitute, in my place. And the Gift rose again on the third day. I have received this Gift into my life, almost 18 years ago, by repentance and faith. Have you received the Gift -- Jesus Christ?

Thank You Lord for sending the Gift for us! I praise you!