Title: Grounds and Evidence of Faith
2011.8.14 Sunday morning worship service
Bible: Matthew 7:21-23
Title: Grounds and Evidence of Faith
Matthew 7:21-23 ‘21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many mighty works in your name?” 23. Then I will tell them plainly, “I I never knew you; I will say, 'Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.' - Amen.
The basis of Christian faith is the Bible. Strictly speaking, there is no salvation if you live a religious life without living your life according to the Bible. James 2:26 “Faith without works is dead.” If you do not live according to the purpose of the Bible, it cannot be called faith. Let's listen to the Christian <grounds and evidence of faith> again.
1. We must follow the word of God (Jesus)
Text Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Heavenly Father's will is to live according to the will of the Bible. What, then, is the meaning and purpose of the Bible? The ultimate goal is to believe in Jesus and be saved.
John 6:40 “For my Father’s will is that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him has eternal life, and I will raise it up on the last day.” Catholicism, for example, establishes and believes in the arbitration of Mary's grace, which is not in the Bible. So there is no salvation. This is because they are rebelling against the will of God the Father, who gave us salvation through Jesus alone.
1 Corinthians 4:6 “…do not go beyond the written word…”
2. We must live according to the word rather than ability
The Bible also tells us to receive power, but in the negative aspect, there is also Satan's work in power, so he commands us to be careful especially in the last days. Matthew 7:22 “On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many mighty works in your name?”
‘In that day many people’ - ‘That day’ here means the last days (Luke 10:12). This is a case where many people who say they are doing God's work cannot be saved. But he exercised his power. The problem is that you have broken God's law. Matthew 7:23 “At that time I will say to them plainly, I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.”
Lawlessness (anomia, ajnomiva) also means breaking God's law and doing something evil. Heretics are not only unbiblical, but they also deceive and kill the people. It harms souls and families as well.
Jeremiah 23:32 Behold, I will strike against those who prophesy and say false dreams, and deceive my people by falsehood and vanity, saith the LORD; I have not sent them, nor have I commanded them; they are of no benefit to this people. ' saith the LORD' (27:15 '...the prophets who prophesy to you will perish)
People listen and listen and they just sit and listen, but they do not have the intention of living while pondering the Word and thought in their lives. After all, it is unbelief. Ezekiel 33:30-31 ‘30. Son of man, your people shall speak of you by the wall and at the gates of their houses, speaking every man with his brethren, saying, Come on, let's go and hear what the LORD has to say. Just like you, I sit before you and listen to you, but do not do what you say, for with your mouth you show love, but your heart seeks profit.
In the last days, 1 Timothy 4:1 says, “...in the latter days some will turn from the faith and follow the teachings of deceiving spirits and demons.” The current religious society is more corrupt than in the Middle Ages, but there is no awakening movement. This seems to be a situation that is going straight to the last days. I pray that you and I will live according to the Word, looking to the Bible and Jesus with all our might. *