Following the Wrong Jesus — E.A. Johnston

The Biblical Path of Discipleship

There is a path of discipleship that the Christ of the Bible has laid out for all who follow him. But I fear many today tread a different path of religion Following a different Jesus than the one found in my Bible.

They have convinced themselves that their brand of Christianity is all right in God's sight. And that God has done away with the demands of discipleship By doing away with his commands. And these deceived Religionists have convinced themselves that there is no longer a cause to be considered Nor a cross to be taken up in following Christ.

But their brand of religion exists mainly in their own fallible interpretation and their own love of their sins and preservation of self. Because these religionists travel in large herds. They put their security in their numbers for they mistakenly believe that there is strength in numbers.

Self-Centered Christianity and the Loss of the Cross

I guess they never read the story of Gideon's 300. What has taken place today friends and many of our churches are popular religious? movements that place self at the center of Christianity and Self-gratification has replaced the cross of discipleship.

Liberty and grace are the new catchwords for a license for Licentious living. We're self rules on the throne of the heart because God is more accommodating today In regard to what we used to call sin.

But this contradiction of scripture can only make progress When the church has moved away from the Holy God of the Bible and many have fallen into deep spiritual declensions that that are so gross and misleading that they make the angels blush and the Seraphims to take their wings and cover their face at the sad spectacle.

The Broad Road and the Wrong Jesus

That is the modern church. Many a say unto you friends are adherent to a gospel not found in my Bible living for a God that only exists in their own imagination and following the wrong Jesus on a broad road of deception and destruction.

The title of my message today friends is Following the wrong Jesus and my text can be found in the gospel of Luke in chapter 14. You can turn in your Bibles there now friends. We will be in verses 25 through 27.

Jesus’ Demand for Costly Discipleship

And let me read you friends what Jesus has to say about following him along the narrow way in a life of discipleship that has both a cost and a cross and It is my prayer That the Spirit of the Lord Will attend the reading of his holy word and bring conviction and change.

Here now is the Word of God and There went great multitudes with him and he turned and said unto them if any man come to me and hate not his father and his mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters.

Yea, and his own life also he cannot be my disciple and whosoever Doth not bear his cross and come after me Cannot be my disciple. I will pause here friends. Jesus just disqualified most of the church membership today from going to heaven.

Our trouble is we have our Bible as a rule of life. But we want Jesus without his rule over our life. So we compromise and say but God isn't like that anymore and that's not for our day. Listen to me friends.

False Shepherds and Churches Without Holiness

Don't let some deceived false shepherds sell you his gods. They're idols of self. They'll be burned up at the judgment. I Visited a church where the blue-jeaned t-shirt wearing pastor had his Bible class made in a cigar lounge Where all the men of the church smoked cigars?

This particular pastor quoted popular religious heretics throughout his message and even though he was a graduate of a conservative Baptist seminary he promoted loose living and preached a broad way of salvation and a gospel that Had no blood in it and a Christianity that had no cross in it.

He kept saying his favorite pastime was to watch keeping up with the Kardashians and the young man Who was his assistant who led the opening prayer each Sunday? I never took off his ball cap to pray. Their brand of Christianity had no reverence for God and no fear of God.

Because their God was not the God of the Bible. Now I have a fight on my hands with that one a lot of religious people who claim to have Liberty Will come after me for saying that but listen to me friends if you're in a church where sin is not preached against and holiness is not promoted and Repentance is never mentioned and hell is a forgotten word.

Then run for the doors. It doesn't matter what their theology is if their lives don't mirror the Lord Jesus. I Preachers of old still knew the gospel as it's found in my Bible. I believe with all my heart that if a man like Rolf Barnard could come back today and take a look at the church and see the spiritual runes of what we call church and Christianity today he would rebuke the entire lot of us.

Rolf Barnard on the Narrow Way

I want to read you a sermon extract from one of Barnard sermons called the narrow way. For I feel I can't preach it any better than Rolf Barnard as to a word to the church of our day. Listen to his words friends and see how far we have removed ourselves From what true Christianity is and how doomed we are as a church and nation.

If we don't return to the Christ to the Bible. Here now are the words of Rolf Barnard. Multitudes had rather be a nice little church member Than to be a real Christian. The broad way is pleasant for according to what they call salvation now.

You can have this world and the next one too. But according to our Lord Jesus you have to make a choice. You have to die to this world to get to the other one. If you have all of this you will have to go to hell.

You have to say goodbye to all of this if you would have heaven. The broad way is easy. Anybody can walk it. All you have to do is make a profession of faith. Join the church put a little money in the plate every once in a while and live to please your sinful flesh.

And the preacher will preach you into heaven at the funeral while you are in hell. The narrow way is hard, but it must be traveled. Jesus said if any man will come after me Let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

There is no such thing as God. Failing to bring Christian perfection to everybody. He saves. The evidence that you are Christian is that you walk in this narrow way. Some people say I am a Christian, but I'm not living for the Lord.

That is not true according to the Bible. People like that are sincere, but they are deceived. Salvation is to be joined to a living Lord. You can't walk with a living Lord without living for him. And if you are not walking with him, you don't know him.

Returning to Biblical Christianity

I Will stop there friends. I don't think we know what biblical Christianity is anymore because we are so far removed From it and the God of the Bible. We pattern our churches after popular Man-centered movements that catch on that scratch or itch and we get us pastors who don't disturb our conscience or pester our little idols.

Listen to me friends. Popular religious movements come and go like the wind. Eternity is forever. Don't let a false shepherd lead you down the wrong path of religion in following the wrong Jesus. Along a broad road that leads to hell and destruction.

Get to Christ savingly and live under his rule as Lord of your daily life. Let us return to him. Let us pray.