Biblical Holiness

Providence Baptist Church iconProvidence Baptist Church

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"“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 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 do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ " - Matthew 7:21-23

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And then I'm grateful for the Lord's providence. I'm grateful that you're here today.
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It's not an accident that you're here today It's not an accident that I can't preach from the microphone today.
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I'm stuck right here because a battery issue No, no big deal. But if y 'all see me start wandering away say hey get back to that.
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Hey If you could I Don't know what's about to happen here.
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So All right, if you could
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Tell someone Yeah Good work
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Connell If you could tell someone ten things Ten things about yourself that distinguishes you from others
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What would those things be now think about that for just a moment ten things about yourself that distinguishes you from others?
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What would those things be? It probably wouldn't be generic things, right?
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Like well, I have two ears It would probably include
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Aspects of your personality it would include maybe your talents or maybe your lack of skills like Napoleon Dynamite or whatever
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Well, but but the point is there are things about you that make you who you are
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This is true of churches as well What makes Perryville second Baptist Church distinct is is not that we have a church building not that we have a steeple
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Not that we sing songs Those are not bad things, but they aren't what make us
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Distinct and so in this series that we're looking at now We're looking at ten distinctives of Perryville second
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Baptist Church We paused in Ephesians and we're starting the new year thinking through what is it that makes us distinct as a church?
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And we're working in this series to identify who we are by identifying
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Christ vision for the church In one sense, it's like the
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Ephesians series has has led us to this point Much of what we're going to talk about is
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Actually in Ephesians we and we've covered a lot of what we're talking about in Ephesians in one way or another
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But of course we had no way of knowing that that where we're going to be today was where we where?
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We had no way of knowing that where we are today is where we were going to be when Ephesians began
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That was in September of 2020. That's what I'm trying to communicate But but this is how the Lord's good providence works a secret and good providence for the glory of Christ The good of his church and so we pause the
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Ephesians series. We take up Christ's vision for the church We're thinking about ten biblical distinctives I've I gave them to you last week, but they're all mapped out for you in in the foyer grab a copy
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I'm gonna read that preamble again We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ truly
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God and truly man risen from the dead and now seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty as King of all and this is such an
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Important line here is worthy of a healthy church in Perryville, Arkansas So we believe taking these ten distinctives together sets us apart as a local church in the location where God has planted us
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These distinctives do not exhaust all of our beliefs as a body
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But they are a non -negotiable part of who we are as a local church we hold these truths according to the
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Bible for the purpose of the good of one another and our community and Ultimately for Christ honor and glory.
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So last week we covered biblical sufficiency We believe the Bible is the inerrant infallible authoritative sufficient necessary clear
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Word of God and this lays the groundwork for everything else We really believe what the book says so this morning turn to Matthew 7
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Our second distinctive that will cover is biblical holiness Christ's vision for his church is that it would be full of Regenerate people who live holy lives doing the will of the
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Father together For the glory of God, this is not a gimmick for us. This is not a game for us
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This is not optional for us. We desire holiness in this church because our King the
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Lord Jesus warns us against any form of Christianity that isn't holy and We desire holiness here because we desire to do what the
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King Desires us to do and we desire holiness here because we desire to bring honor and glory
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To our King Matthew chapter 7 an interesting passage
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I understand but we're going to read it because it's so important So Matthew chapter 7 verse 21 through 23, would you stand with me as we honor the reading of God's Word?
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Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord Will enter the kingdom of heaven
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But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven on that day many
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Will say to me Lord Lord Did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?
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And then will I declare to them? I Never knew you Depart from me you workers of lawlessness
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Let's pray father help us to understand the reality of this text
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Lord we don't Want to see this text uses a club in an unnecessary way, but rather as a surgeon scalpel scalpel and Lord that You would use it
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To cut into us this morning in any area that we need and we would understand the reality of false conversion
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That we'd understand the necessity of biblical holiness That we would love your truth
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We'd love your ways Show us Christ today And let us
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Desire to follow him Well today perhaps there are one or two or more in this room who are not truly
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Converted if that's the case, I pray their heart would not be hardened today But it'd be soft and tender and hear what
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Christ has to say and they would respond in repentance and faith We pray
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Lord that you would help us to articulate these distinct as well Remember our motivation.
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Our motivation is that Christ is worthy of a healthy church in this place We pray that you would move among us today by the
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Holy Spirit that he would work And we pray it all for the glory of our King Amen, you may be seated biblical holiness.
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I'll read that it's in your outline, but it's also in the distinctives in the foyer, but We believe
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That God really and truly saves the vilest of sinners by his marvelous grace through the righteous life prophetic fulfillment
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Vicarious death and victorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ those who are truly born again persevere in grace and holiness
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We acknowledge the sad reality of false converts in our day and teach and priests preach against false assurance
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That is those who say they are Christians, but display no demonstrable love for Christ His word his ways the local church in his mission
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We believe that genuine Christians desire to be a holy people and because they follow
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Christ will ultimately be hated by the world Holiness is defined by God's book
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Now there are many passages in the Bible It's strange that we've landed here today in a sense because there's so many passages in the
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Bible that we could have gone to To talk about the subject of the holiness of God's people
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But as I thought about this as I prayed about this I thought it prudent to go to the go -to passage as it were about false
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Conversions and then work out the need for holiness and the reality of holiness from there
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Alright, so let me state this up front There are people now.
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This isn't just my idea Okay, this is from the text
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There are people Who profess to be followers of Christ?
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who profess to be saved Who profess today to be
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Christians? Who will go to hell
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That's sober Listen to the text not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven
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But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven On that day many will say to me
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Lord Lord Did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?
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And then I will declare to them. I never knew you depart from me you workers of lawlessness
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This is not as though people came to savingly know Christ and then they didn't just keep up their end of the bargain and then
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So Jesus says well then get out of here. No. No, he says I never knew you Okay, so again to restate it
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There are people who profess to be Christians today who profess to be saved who are in church
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Maybe even in this room who say that they are Christians and they will go to hell and it is because of this reality today
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That we prize biblical holiness I'll explain that connection in a bit.
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But first let's deal with our passage. I want to explore this morning Whether or not you have properly responded to Christ.
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I Don't want to see a single person in this room. I don't want to sing a single person in our community
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To stand before Jesus on the day of judgment and have him say to you I never knew you depart from me you workers of lawlessness
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Let's read this passage again Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven
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But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven on that day many will say to me
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Lord Lord Did we not prophesy in your name and and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?
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And then will I declare to them? I never knew you depart from me You workers of lawlessness?
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Two things I want to point out before we get into the outline. The first is Did you notice how
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Christ? Saturated this text is What I mean is 13 times in these three verses
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Jesus is referred to directly and And with the pronouns and all that he is the one speaking
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Jesus Let me just tell you something very very clearly and I'm saying a reverent way But Jesus has a very high view of Jesus in other words
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He's not asking anyone else's opinion here. He's saying I I I not everyone who says to me
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Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven on that day many will say to me
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Lord Lord Did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?
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Then will I declare to them? I never knew you depart from me You workers of iniquity?
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Listen as you think about that, would you just would you just for a moment? Would you think on the loveliness and majesty of Christ Okay on one hand and I've preached this before and I want to make sure that we this is biblical
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So on one hand, we want to maintain this reality There is no more authority in these words in Matthew chapter 7 than there is in say
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Romans chapter 9 You say well, why put Jesus the words of Jesus in red in my
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Bible above Paul's words? No, no No No We don't do that because we understand the reality that from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 and everywhere in between the whole
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Bible is the Word of God, right? So we don't rank parts of the scripture all of it.
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All of it is breathed out by God So we want to maintain that yet also when we hear our
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Lord Jesus speaking We don't want to we don't want to dismiss the reality and the beauty and the majesty of the incarnation
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Here is Christ. Here is the the lovely and beautiful and majestic Christ Before us and listen, listen these words that he's giving to us.
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These are not heavy -handed words These are not words that he is trying to bruise his church with these are not words that he's trying to Obliterate his church.
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These are not words that he's he's trying to make his church sinfully scared or whatever rather Jesus in his love
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For his people in his love for his church He gives this sobering reality and this critical warning
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Our Christ our Savior our mediator. Our Messiah is so tender and he's so Loving and he's not willing to compromise the truth and So he gives this warning here
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The second thing I wanted to mention First is this is Christ saturated The second thing
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I wanted to mention as we begin this is this reality the people that Jesus is referring to in this text
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They are deceived now we'll develop this in just a moment, but I Cannot be clear enough with this these people in this text are deceived because they give an argument.
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So in verse 21 You know there Jesus says not everyone says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven and Verse 22 they don't accept it.
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They actually give an argument They give an argument in other words They think that they have a reason that they ought to be in heaven like wait a second
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Jesus on That day many will say to me Lord Lord. Here's the argument Do we not prophesy your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?
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Why do they bring the army because they're deceived they see heaven they see the celestial city
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They see the Saints and join the eternal rest and they say that's where I'm supposed to be
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But they're deceived in other words You have to embrace this reality
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I don't say this to scare you you have to embrace the reality that it is possible for a person to be
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Deceived about his or her salvation it is possible even in this room for you to be deceived about your salvation
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But you say well, no way. I know I'm not deceived. But let me ask you this. How do you know? Because do you think that deceived people know that they're deceived?
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Right if a deceived person knows that they're deceived. They are then no longer deceived, right?
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And so You need to consider this sobering reality today
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We want to handle this text with care and with wisdom, but we need to consider what our Lord Jesus is teaching in this passage.
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So Let me from this passage give us four improper responses to Christ number one for improper responses to Christ number one just knowing about Jesus Improper response number one.
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Well, I know about Jesus when you talk about Jesus. I know the stories I know about Jesus and Zacchaeus.
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I know about Jesus Feeding the 5 ,000. I know about Jesus walking on the water. I know about Jesus down on the cross
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I know about Jesus raising again from the dead. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I know I know about Jesus verse 21
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Jesus is not everyone who says to me Lord Lord In other words, they don't look at him and say
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They don't call him some other name of some other God they they call him Lord they seem to recognize him
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It's not enough. In other words to outwardly confess that Jesus is Lord. This is not enough in its fact
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It's a gross misunderstanding of Romans 10 9 and 10 These people outwardly confess that Jesus is
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Lord. They say that right? They don't call him Bob. They don't call him, buddy They don't call him friend
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They say Lord they call him Lord Verse 23, and then
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I will declare to them. I never knew you So it's not enough what I'm saying is it's not enough to just profess that someone is
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Lord or that Jesus is Lord They're making in other words in Orthodox confession. They're not calling Jesus, sir, right?
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They reckon is recognize him as Lord and judge and all there and in the reality is there will be many people who profess that Jesus is
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Lord Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven But the one who does the will of my father who's in heaven verse 22.
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Listen, listen, listen, listen on that day many many The word many is the same word used in verse 13
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Go back in your Bibles to verse 13 Jesus says enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction and those who enter by It are what?
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many Many so those who go toward destruction are many those who stand before the
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Lord with a false profession The Lord says are many. Here's what I'm saying this morning
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If you walk around today and you say that Jesus is Lord, you just profess that he is
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Lord You've at some point in your life. You felt sorrow. Maybe you felt bad for your sin Maybe you even felt conviction for your sin.
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I'm telling you that there in and of itself is Not enough for a person to be in heaven
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Number two number one just knowing about Jesus number two merely thinking you have a personal relationship with Jesus Number one just knowing about Jesus number two
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Merely thinking that you have a personal relationship with Jesus not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven
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But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven on that day many will say to me Lord Lord Do we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?
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And then I will declare to them. I never knew you Depart from me you workers of lawlessness
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Okay, here's the point here. Notice how the people are talking to Jesus They're not just calling him
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Lord What are they calling him? Lord Lord Now that's important because throughout the
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Bible we see that when you use a person's name twice. It's a Jewish Hebrew Reality when you use a person's name twice
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You're often communicating deep personal intimacy, I'm gonna read to you some verses you'll recognize these
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Genesis 22 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said
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Abraham Abraham And he said here I am Exodus 3 4 when the
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Lord saw that he turned aside to see God God called to him out of the bush Moses Moses And he said here
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I am First Samuel 3 10 and the Lord came and stood calling as at other times
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Samuel Samuel and Samuel said speak for your servant here's
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Luke 13 34 Jesus says Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.
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How often would I Have gathered you your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you were not willing or Luke 22 31
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Jesus says Simon Simon behold Satan Demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat.
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Okay. Here's what I'm saying in our text now The people are not simply calling
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Jesus Lord, but they say his name twice Not everyone who says to me
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Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven on that day many will say to me listen listen
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Many will say to me Lord Lord in other words They're communicating not merely that they acknowledge that he's
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Lord But they're communicating to him as though they have an intimate and personal relationship with Jesus They they more than merely knew about Jesus, but they believe in and of themselves that they know
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Christ Personally, they don't just call him Lord. They say Lord Lord But according to Jesus Right.
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In other words, they're not just saying Jesus is Lord. In other words in one sense. They're actually saying Jesus is my
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Lord But according to Jesus according to the
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Bible That's not enough Lots of people know about Jesus lots of people in their own minds know
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Jesus in a personal way They call him in one sense friend. What a friend I have in Jesus they sing
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But according to this text Jesus is not their friend So we've told people
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You just need to ask Jesus into your heart And so we funneled people through a through a system of like a machine like okay
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Here we go. Ask Jesus into your heart. Boom. I asked you isn't my heart. You really meant it I really meant boom. You're saved on with your life.
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Boom. Here. Come here. You want to be saved? Yep, ask Jesus your heart. Yes, you know. Yeah. Yeah, you mean it? Okay, boom Save next next next and we funnel all these people through but the reality is that phrase is not in the
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Bible You never told to ask Jesus in your heart not once and you're never told to seek a personal
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Relationship with Jesus not once and these people in this text think that they have a personal relationship with Jesus And what is he going to do?
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He's going to send them to hell He says I never not that you knew me and we you know got uh, things went wrong.
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No. No, I verse 23 I never knew you Okay. Yeah, but Quatro, I'm good because I just feel
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Jesus in me. I know that I have Jesus in my Sarah Okay, you do how?
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How do you know that? Because it is possible that your own love of self has deceived you into a false sense of Security and why do
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I say that not to be harsh not to be harsh not to not to make you stay up at night It's never never what in my desire to make a genuine
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Christian doubt their salvation However, the Bible pushes us time and again second
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Peter 110 Peter says make your calling in election Sure, I think it's 2nd Corinthians 13 5 where Paul says
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Examine yourself to see whether or not you're in the faith And so it's not my it's not my desire to make a genuine believer doubt their salvation
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But it is my desire as your pastor and as one who loves you to not see any of us any of you
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Stand before God and to be one of these people who said not just Lord, but Lord Lord Because is it possible that even you're coming here today is part of this grand scheme of self -deception
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Whereby because you come to church you walk away and you just feel better about yourself because you've checked
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God off the box These people looked at Jesus and they called him Lord and they called him
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Lord Lord, and he turns them away number three false ways To come to Christ number three doing religious activities with an unregenerate heart
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Doing religious activities with an unregenerate heart going through the motions of religion without being born again
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Now, I just want to tell you verse 22. That's impressive list On that day many will say to me
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Lord Lord now look at look like they're not just like hey Didn't we give a little extra money to the guy on the exit?
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No, that's not what they say. They say did we not prophesy in your name cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name
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These people are claiming to have preached in Jesus name They're claiming to cast out demons in Jesus name.
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They're they're claiming to do many mighty works in Jesus name Okay for our day, we'd say something like this
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They were a good Southern Baptist They prayed for the offering in Jesus name.
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They give their tithes and offerings in Jesus name They sing songs in Jesus name.
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They go on mission trips in Jesus name They teach Sunday school in Jesus name
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They come to church and sit in their pew every Sunday or in this case in the chair every
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Sunday in Jesus name Look at all that are doing in Jesus name
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But you know what Jesus says about that he calls him in verse 23 look at that workers
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Lawlessness in other words if you don't get this, right Then all this stuff that you're doing is actually it's not getting you any closer to heaven
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It's actually the opposite It's actually heaping up more condemnation upon you
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Jesus essentially says to them all your mighty works all these things that you're doing all the money that you thought that you're gonna give to the
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North American Mission Board all the Efforts that you were gonna give to the mission trip all the Sunday school lessons you stayed up Saturday night to come up with All of these things are lawlessness to me
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You're a worker of iniquity Matthew Meade noted in his book the almost
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Christian discovered the ground of many a man's Engaging in religion is the trouble of his conscience.
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So in other words what Meade notes is Some people are involved in church
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Just enough to ease their conscience or maybe they go headlong in to church to ease their conscience into thinking that that they're pleasing
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God and it's actually amazing and Alarming how many outwardly righteous deeds people can do without being born again, and I'll give you an example.
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I Have a family member. I Have a family member who at one time was in the
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Peace Corps I thought when I was growing up, I was like boy, that's really neat. This person is out there helping people.
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That's really really neat Well, this family member is completely unregenerate Okay, what
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I'm saying is there are organizations. There are people out there today that are Quote -unquote helping humanity quote -unquote doing good deeds, but they have no new heart and This is a reality not just in outward organizations, but even within the church as we see in our text
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There are preachers. There are Sunday school teachers. There are pastors. There are deacons. There are stay -at -home moms
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There are hard -working dads that all fit in this category There is a way to have given your life to these things and to not have eternal life.
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I Will declare to them verse 23 says I never knew you depart from me you workers of Lawlessness there is a crisis.
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Let me speak to pastors of my own Ministry, there are there is a crisis of unconverted pastors in our day.
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I'm convinced of this that is There are people out there today who might be well -meaning in terms of the world.
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They want to help people They want to see people off drugs. They want to see happy marriages and happy children, but but but they're not converted
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They're really about the crowds and they do not follow Christ. And this is a reality for pastors
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That leads me to my fourth point Claiming to be born again apart from a holy life
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So number one just knowing about Jesus number two merely thinking that you have a personal relationship with Jesus number three
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Doing religious activities with their unregenerate heart and then number four claiming to be born again but no holy life and this sets us in on our
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Distinctive it's very clear. It's very good. It's like so plain.
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It's so plain on the day of judgment Who enters the kingdom of heaven?
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Only those who've been saved by grace Through faith in Christ, but what this life looks like is in verse 21
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By the way, this is in the context of what the Sermon on the Mount and in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is showing what kingdom living looks like not that we live this way in order to get into the kingdom but because we've been born again because we are poor in spirit because Impurity of heart because of these things that be attitudes back to Matthew 5 because of grace
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This is the way we now live. So look at verse 21 and don't miss the point. I'm Rambling on it.
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Don't miss the point. That's so plain in verse 21 not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but Okay, who who will enter the kingdom of heaven?
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The one who does the will of my father Who is in heaven now now we we actually do uncompromisingly affirm that Christ does dwell in Believers hearts we saw that in Ephesians 3 and we affirm that believers do have a personal relationship with Jesus However, we understand the biblical teaching here that those who have encountered
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Christ in a saving way Those who have been born again by the power of God They have a life that is now actually and really and actually does live new
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Look at verse 21 and ask yourself this question does verse 21 say that they know the will of the
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Father or does verse 21 say That they do the will of the
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Father it says very plainly The one who does
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The will of my father who is in heaven now, we understand that it's the will of the Father to repent
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Acts 17 says that God commands all men everywhere to repent so it is the will of the
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Father that we repent and put our faith in Christ and it's also the will of the Father that We we do what he's shown us in his word and we live holy life
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So let me give you an example around here all the time and maybe some of you will say this to me today
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I doubt you'll say to me today after the message But but but maybe you'll you'll say something like this because I run into people all the time that that do this.
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I Know What I need to be doing Quattro, I know
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I Need to be reading the Bible At this weekend. I ran into a man
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Who I saw him twice It's like one of those things I saw him in one place and we kind of had informal chitchat you know how it goes then
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I saw him again in another place within like 10 minutes and I was honestly like Okay, Lord, I get it.
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I know what I'm supposed to do. I avoided it the first time you've been gracious So this is what I did.
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So I talked to him. I pulled him aside and I said, hey, man I'm not trying to beat you up I'm not trying to you know, cast undue judgment on you or something like that But let me tell you something now that we've ran into each other twice
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This person profess to be a believer You have to get your family in church
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You have to you're the head of your home. You have to get him in church I love you, man, and I'm not saying this in a way to beat you up I'm just telling you that you've got to lead in this and you've got to get your family in church and he says to me
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He looks down at the floor and he says I Know I Know you're not beating me up.
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I'm beating myself up. I know I Know I need to do this. I know but do you understand that there is a difference?
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between knowing and what and doing I Don't know where this man is this
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Lord's Day It is my prayer that he heeded my counsel and is taking his family to church
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But you'll not be able to stand before the Lord one day and say I Knew what I was supposed to do.
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I knew what the Bible said. I knew theology I knew I was supposed to be in church.
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I knew I was supposed to read the Bible more I knew I was supposed to seek you in prayer. I knew I was supposed to give
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I knew I supposed to live a holy life, I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know but knowing without doing is
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Condemnation Jesus says Not everyone who says to me
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Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does The will of my father who is in heaven.
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I Want to demonstrate this more if it's okay, it's gonna be okay We're gonna go to another passage now first Peter.
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Let me demonstrate this more first Peter first Peter chapter 1
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Okay, I'm gonna read verses 14 through 16. Now. This is Peter's letter to the churches to the exiles
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He calls them the elect exiles and Peter says it's 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 14 1st
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Peter chapter 1 verse 14 as obedient children do not be conformed to the passion of your former ignorance But as he who called you as holy you also be holy in all your conduct
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Since it is written you shall be holy for I am holy Now the context is in this is in the context of not people were trying to work for their salvation
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But in a people who've been born again, how do I know look at go back to first Peter 1 3 Peter says Bless me the
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God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his great mercy. The language is very important here He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
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So Peter is talking to people who he believes are Regenerate so so if we can understand these verses correctly
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I think it'll help us clear up a tremendous amount of confusion about what it means to be a Christian So when you get back to verse 14, this is now a person who's born again.
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They've been encountered the gospel They have been made new and now verse 14 Peter says that there are obedient children
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Okay, we've been born again into a new family. If you're not a Christian, you're not a child of God, right?
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Everyone's a child of God. You'll not find that in one place in the Bible It's only those who are born again who are adopted into God's family
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Okay, if you're not a Christian God is your enemy and if you stay in that state you'll face him in judgment
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But in the gospel God has offered terms of peace and a new family in Christ You must accept those terms of peace and repent of your sins and believe on Christ now in and of yourself
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You will never do that. You will never do that You will never repent in and of your own power
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Not because not God is not letting you like I really really really really really want to repent but God won't let me
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No, you won't repent because you don't want to repent. That's a huge theological
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Bombshell, right? Do you know why people more? Do you know why more people aren't believers today and you might say well
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It's because the church is messed up or something and and maybe there's some reality and some some application we'd want to make there
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But let me just lay it to you like this. Do you know why more people aren't Christians today? Do you know why churches aren't more full today?
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Do you know why more people in Perryville don't follow Christ today? They don't want to They don't want to You you you this morning you may know the
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Father's will but you don't actually desire it Right.
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I know what I'm supposed to do, but I don't want to do it Right And so the God of every unregenerate heart is the
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God of self and you will never let the God of the Bible Truly rain on your throne of heart.
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No, sir. No way. You're not getting in here I made I mean outwardly check some boxes so that you
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I feel like you get off my back But there's no way I will ever let you reign on the throne of my heart
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But for the believer what has happened? first Peter 1 3 Bless me the
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God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his great mercy. Listen, listen, listen, he has caused
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Us he has caused us he that is God has caused us
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To be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead in other words
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God for believers in his great mercy and his steadfast love in his sovereign grace has kicked down your walls of hostility
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You're never getting in here. God God said watch this and he caused you in his grace.
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I Think about that just for a moment. You ought to pray right now. We all ought to pray right now Why were your children and grandchildren yesterday
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Why? Were they not in attendance at the drag queen story hour not because you're better That's where we deserve our children to be the only reason they weren't there's because of grace
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The only reason you're here in this building this morning is not because you're better. You're smarter Yeah, it's only because of God's sovereign and kind and wonderful grace
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God and his mercy blew right through your obstinacy Without your permission and he caused you to be born again, and he showed you the glories of Christ He has shown you the wretchedness of his sin
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He has drawn you to the Lord Jesus and you have come then as the confession says most willingly and humbly and repented
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And trusted Christ by grace through faith. And so now what verse 15? But as He who has called you as holy you also be holy
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Verse 14. It says do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance
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Don't be conformed to former passions now in first Peter The word passions is used about four times and it just means strong immoral desires or lusts
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So Peter is saying this because as believers we have that old man that still calls out to us sometimes
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Right, we heard the cell phone ringing a minute ago. It's that's a good illustration the old man dials up our number and calls us
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So hey, what you doing? Why don't you check this out today? Don't you want to look at this?
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Hey that guy cuts you off in traffic. Come on if anything deserves a dirty word that does And so the old man calls out to us greed and anger and jealousy and sexual immorality
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Love for the world feeding the flesh These are the things which are characteristic of unbelievers and they still cry out to us at times
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And so Peter says no you cannot do that Do not be conformed to those former passions and instead verse 16.
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You shall be holy for I am holy Verse 15 as he who called you as holy you also be holy in what this is why it's important that you're reading the
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Bible With me because I would make a kind of a joke here I would say something like as he who is holy as he has called you as holy you also be holy in some of your conduct and you might think that that's what it actually says or He is who called you as holy be holy in most of your conduct, but that's not what it says
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It doesn't say in some of your conduct. It doesn't say in your church life be holy, but don't worry about it work
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And in church and home and church and work be holy. It doesn't matter what you watch on television at your home That doesn't matter.
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No. No, that's not what he says He says it's he who called you as holy you also be holy and what not some not most but all
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All Holiness is an attribute of a Christian that permeates every area
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We are to live differently. We are to live distinct from the world. Is it not alarming to you?
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It's not alarming to you. It ought to be to it's difficult to tell the difference between believers and unbelievers in our day
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This should not be the case has the gospel lost its power in Perryville Well, the gospel is just not powerful here
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Right has God lowered his his expectation and in work and believers has has the
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Lord ran out of grace Well, what is what is happening here? No, no, the issue is that for many we have separated being a believer from a holy life
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Well, we've created this strange class of Christians that can be saved but are never holy in all their
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Conduct and I tell you that I've been part of funeral after funeral after funeral This person was not in church for 40 years
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But I remember when they were eight and they asked Jesus in your heart So I can't wait to see them again in heaven and in the reality is they are suffering
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God's judgment. I Don't say this to make you weep for those gone on before I say it because it's a sobering reality for us this is
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Outrageous it is a damnable lie from the pit of hell and the church in America today must wake up We send so many people patting them on the back patting our numbers
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Telling people on social media and we send them on their way to hell Because they've said the right words
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And their life though remains unchanged Unchanged Friends, this is not a work salvation rather It's the reality of what
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God does in a believer when he brings about the new life writes his law upon our heart
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He's creating a holy people for himself Is this characteristic of you?
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Is this something that you strive after? Do you seek to align your life with Christ teaching?
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Do you desire fellowship with Christ daily? Are you walking in newness of life?
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The the life of faith in Christ It's a holy life Do you love the local church because because in the
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Bible belt man? I if there's one thing about my ministry, you know, it's not that I've been a ministry that long as I Started ministry,
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I guess officially in 2006. So however long that is Not far away from 20 years 17 years
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And if there's one thing that I could identify about my ministry that's gotten me in more trouble than anything else is to say this
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You know Christians go to church John could not be any plainer that is
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The Apostle John could not be any plainer first John 3 14. He says this We know okay pause not we think not we feel we know
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We know 1st John 3 14 that we have passed from death to life Not think not feel we know we know
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We've passed from death to life. Why? Because we have a k -love sticker on our car.
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No, it's not what he said because One time we felt a tingling go up our spine
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No, it's not what he says He says and check it out for yourself 1st John 3 14. We know that we have passed from death to life because King James we love the brethren.
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We love the brothers. We love the local church
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So listen very carefully if these things aren't true. It doesn't matter how many emotional experience that it doesn't matter
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You know, we churches some churches still do this. It's just nonsense at the end of service. Okay, here we go We're gonna play 15 songs until someone comes forward and cries their eyes out at the altar and then we can proclaim that they got saved
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It doesn't matter how many emotional experiences you've had. It doesn't matter if you felt it, you know chill bumps It doesn't matter if you think that you have inner peace if you are ignoring listen
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It doesn't I'm talking to you. You say he's not talking to me. No, he's not talking to me. No, no Listen, I'm talking to all of us in here.
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I'm talking to my wife. I'm talking to my friends I'm talking to my family. I'm talking to my parents.
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I'm talking to my children I'm talking to every single person in here whether you're the first time you've ever visited whether you remember
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I'm talking to myself I'm talking to all of us in here. And what I'm saying is it doesn't matter how you feel it doesn't matter if you think that you're safe if you are ignoring
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God's Word and if you're ignoring God's people and if you are ignoring God's ways then you have invented your own version of Christianity and in in yes, it may have some similar features to biblical
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Christianity However, ultimately your version of Christianity is only going to lead you to stand before Christ one day
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And he will say to you depart from me. I Never knew you must be born again
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And the only way to be born again is the power of God in the gospel listen the holiness that God accepts is
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That of Christ for us and then those who rest in Christ So in other words, we're positionally holy because of Christ and then those who rest in Christ we seek to by grace live lives
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Separated from the ways of the world in all of our conduct the text says in our home and our work on the golf course
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I mean, I got to be holy everywhere. But when I get the golf course, you know, I'll cheat a stroke or whatever I'll act a fool
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No, no everywhere and everything God's people are called to be holy because we've been born again
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We seek the will of the Father because we're in Christ Holiness cannot be ultimately attained by unbelievers.
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It's only Christians so so Peter's telling us here that Christians have been called with a holy calling and and and Have been commanded to be holy and that God himself is
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His example since it is written you shall be holy for I am holy that's verse 16 and In the reality is in the gospel
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God has made provision for our holiness When we're born again through the living and abiding Word of God what
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I'm saying is we're actually changed Here my issue another appeal to you if you're living in the style of Christianity today.
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This is I hear you Quatro Okay this time I'm really gonna try hard only in a week or two to fall on your face again Then what you need to do is you need to look to Christ Quit resting in what you can do and trust what he has already done and is able to do in and through you being born again creates
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Fruitful holiness. Okay back to Matthew 7 real quick back to Matthew 7
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Now Jesus says in Matthew 7 I'll just read verse 21
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Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven, so bringing it home a
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Distinctive of Perryville Second Baptist Church is that we will not tolerate unholy
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Christianity We believe in biblical holiness We believe it is the will of the
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Father that salvation is found only in Christ We believe that the Lord Jesus Fulfilled all righteousness on our behalf that he bore our sins on Calvary bearing the full measure of God's wrath against us
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He died and he was buried. He rose again on the third day in triumph He is now seated at the right hand of God the
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Father Almighty And he rules and he reigns the universe with all authority and listen to me very carefully here I don't care what your sins are.
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I don't care where what it is that you have done I don't care if you're the rankest idolater in this room this morning or the most appalling hypocrite
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I don't care if you are the most immoral person in Perryville, Arkansas today or even on the planet or if you're the most self -righteous
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I don't care what it is that you where it is What it is that you have done where it is that you are right now because this is what
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I know about the gospel the Lord Jesus saves he saves he really saves the vilest offender the prostitute the homosexual the
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Self -righteous greedy jerk the white -collar crimes the blue -collar crimes Jesus Christ saves
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He saves and we must look to him And we must trust his grace
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Grace and we must take this gospel to the nations and we must say the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes and God in his power right now can remove your heart of stone and he can replace it with a heart of flesh and You can't stop him
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And so we preach Christ And even in this room I call upon every soul to repent and believe the gospel will you have
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Christ And then we push this further those who truly call upon the name of the
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Lord desire to follow his will Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven
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But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven and so We don't just know the will of God we follow it
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It's why Paul says in 1st Corinthians 6 I'll just paraphrase it but he says the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God and By the way, he doesn't just talk about the sexually immoral though.
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He does Talk about the sexually immoral he talks about adulterers men who practice homosexuality, but he also talks about greedy people
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He also talks about thieves. He talks about drunkards. He talks about revilers swindlers. He says none of them
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Will inherit the kingdom of God none of them Do you believe that These people will not inherit the kingdom of God if these things describe your life sexual sin
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Thievery whatever you will not inherit the kingdom of God, but this is what
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Paul says in verse 11 That's who you you 1st Corinthians 6 11.
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That's who you used to be He says it this way actually in the ESV such were some of you
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You used to be that way you used to be a thief you used to be greedy used to be a jerk
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You used to be sexually immoral Used to be an adulterer used to watch that junk on television
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You should let the field come out of your mouth. That's who you used to be But guess what that ain't the way you are anymore.
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Quattro's virgin there. You ain't like that anymore. Why? Christ oh
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Christ our Lord Jesus Has sanctified you
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He set you apart He's cleansed you you have been made new and this is what the power of the gospel does
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It takes who we were and it throws it into the sea of forgetfulness because your sins now
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Oh, they were many but his mercy is more and they've been cast off forever and atoned for in Christ and then the gospel takes who you are and Places you in Christ.
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Oh, what a glorious gospel of grace It's freely offered even here this morning
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Christ is yours if you'll have him We unapologetically believe here that those who are truly boarding in now
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Persevere in grace and holy not that we don't stumble not that we don't fall not that that we don't fight sin and succumb to it
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Even weekly daily we struggle But genuine Christians desire to be a holy people because we follow
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Christ and we ultimately will be hated by the world And I remind us again holiness is not you don't get to define that holiness and neither do
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I is defined by God's book We don't add to it. We don't take away from it and The local church is non -negotiable to this for so many reasons in the local church
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We have a group of people that sees our lives and let us know if our lives are consistent with the scriptures
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We exhort every one another Every day as long as it's called today. So so that there not be an unbelieving heart in any of us
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So so so we're in each other's lives when he courage one another way We look at me and when we see a person going that we say hey brother
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Don't you you don't need to be going that way, but but American Christianity says hey stay out of my life
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This is a relationship with me and Jesus but biblical Christianity comes in and says the local church has been given to you to help make sure that you're in the faith and To love you and to keep you accountable and to walk with you and this is who we are
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This is who we are not because this is what quattro thinks. We ought to be please hear me This is
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Christ vision for his church We affirm biblical holiness here
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We prize it We expect it We strive for it. We encourage it all by grace
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By the way, you can't beat like you ever tried this I have you can't beat biblical holiness in the people right, so like Okay Right Now you're gonna be holy.
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No, you can't beat biblical. Hope but but you can grace it into him And we'll talk we need to hold another account, but we'll talk about church of us all that in a later sermon but we also what
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I'm saying is we need to come alongside one another in grace and love and Compassion and patience and spur one another along in the faith
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Because it is our desire for the glory of Christ and for the love of one another that not one person among us would stand
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Before the Lord Jesus and be accounted in this mini in the text that he would not say to them depart from me
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I never knew you Okay, land the plane. Where does that leave you this morning?
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I Can't answer that question for you not everyone who says to me
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Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who Is in heaven on that day many will say to me.
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Oh Lord, do we not prophesy your name cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And then will
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I declare to them? I never knew you Depart from me you workers of lawlessness
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Will you take this seriously? Is this you? Your first temptation at hearing something like this is to either dismiss it or maybe cover it up all the more
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Well, I might be a hypocrite, but I can't I can't let anyone know that But but but here's what
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I'm saying. Will you this day in the providence of God? You're here. You're hearing this sermon. Will you this day hear the call of grace here is
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Christ before you? He's ready to receive sinful men and women and boys and girls
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God hates your lawless deeds. God hates your hypocrisy, but before you this day is the grace
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Lord Jesus and so the biblical admonition to you is to repair turn from your sins
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Turn from your false ways Turn from your wrong ideas about Christianity and come to Christ commit to Christ in repentance and faith
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Commit to his body the local church and then commit to God's way of holiness And that's why
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I'm calling the church. Let us commit to God's way of holiness together Let us never compromise these truths and maybe we'll look weird to the eyes of a watching world and maybe the world will hate us
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Maybe they'll make fun of us and maybe though they'll say pejorative things about us out there in the community
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But so what I'm not gonna stand before them one day. I will stand before the king of this book
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So will you Lord would you help us to understand the sobering reality that We're taught today in the
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Bible Lord, we don't want to go home and unduly or unnecessarily beat ourselves up That's not what we're trying to do, but we want to take seriously biblical
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Christianity We want to live the way that you would have us to live the way that your Bible said It's actually so plain the way that your
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Bible calls us to live They help us to love one another and encourage one another to hold each other accountable
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Lord. I pray today if there's a child if there's an old man or an old woman or a young man or a young woman or middle -aged man or middle -aged woman a teenage boy or girl
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God if there is one Soul here who thinks that they are
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Christian when in reality, they're not Would you show that to them today?
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Would you by your kind mercy and your steadfast love cause them to be born again?
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I pray that they would look to Christ in repentance and faith and trust him. I Pray the church would be challenged and encouraged and strengthened in holiness