Empty Words B

If you want to spot someone is deceived. Look first of all, for someone seeking feelings, blessings, experiences, healings, miracles, what chances are there more interested in the byproducts of the faith and they are the favorites for what they got.

And you know, even a short person and be fooled about salvation convinced he's a Christian when really he's not. So how can you make sure that's not you. How can you be certain you're going to heaven.

What are the marks of a true Christian. John MacArthur is looking at all those crucial questions in his series titled simply salvation survey were going to be looking at Christ's sermon on the mount today, so if you have your Bible turn to the book of Matthew chapter 7. Here's John. Matthew 721 29. Let me read this to you as the setting for our day and asked the spirit of God would speak to us in these tremendous truths. Not everyone that Seth on the me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he didn't do it the will of my father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and my name is cast out demons, and in my name done many wonderful works and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Therefore whosoever here with these sayings of mine, and do it them, I will liken him unto a wise man who built his house upon a rock and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock and everyone that here at the sayings of mine, and do with them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man who built his house upon the sand in the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell. And great was the fall of it and it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes and you will notice that at the end of verse 21 you a key word there but he that do the will of my father who is in heaven is not the ones who say and it is not the ones who here is the ones who will who do. In other words the Lord is saying if you do not live a righteous life. I don't care what you say or what you hear your deceived. Keep this in mind Lord is not speaking to ear religious people.

He is speaking to people who were literally obsessed with religious activity are not apostates and not heretics.

They're not anti-God and not atheists or agnostics. They are overly religious people, but their damn because they're on the wrong road, and they are self-deluded in the deceived come in a couple of categories. I think in the church apart from the hypocrites who want to see their phony and they know it with her.

Try to live up to their life standard or try to appear religious. For whatever reason, but apart from hypocrites are two categories of the deceived and the church.

The superficial and the involved superficial are the ones who call themselves Christians because when they were little.

They went to church or Sunday school. I got confirm or made a decision: code for Christ and you are very often people when they get baptized safe while I receive Christ when I was 12, but my life was a mess. After that now I want to get back to that well. The truth probably is that they never received Christ at all when 12 they went through some religious activity and these are the superficially come to church now they were somewhere in the background, race and religion become a Christmas and Easter become the weddings and funerals and thinker Christians in the superficial who are deceived others. The involved were deceived and there are much more subtle and serious group there in the church up to their neck involved. They know the gospel and over theology, but they don't obey the word of God.

They live in a constant state of sinfulness.

How does the deceived person always deceived. How can we spot such a person gives some cheese what you think is through. Not everybody in these cheese I want to give you is really deceived, but these are good indicators that someone might be deceived if you want to spot someone is deceived. Look first of all, for someone who seeking feelings, blessings, experiences, healings, Angels, miracles, what chances are there more interested in the byproducts of the faith than they are.

The faith itself. There more interested in what they can get than the glory God can get there more interested in themselves than the exaltation of Christ. Second, if you're looking to see who might be deceived look for people who are more committed to the denomination, the church, the organization them to the word of God there kind of Christianity may be purely social. I'm up Presbyterian. While I've been a Baptist all my life I belong to the more committed to the organization than AR to the Lord's work.

Thirdly, look for people who are involved in theology as an academic interest. You'll find them all over the colleges and seminaries of our land people who study theology write books on theology absolutely void of the righteousness of Christ theology for them is intellectual activity forcefully look for people who always seem stuck on one over emphasized point of theology.

This is the person who bangs the proverbial drama for his own little area some crazy quirk and it usually is not some great divine insight. They like to think that they are so close to God. They have a great divine insight. No one else has the effect of the matter is there seeking a platform for the feeding of their ego. Watch for people with a lack of balance in one of the when you look for somebody you might be deceived look for someone who is overindulgent in the name of grace overindulgent in the name of grace lacks penitence through contrite heart so for now they'll maybe deceived on the broad road to destruction. Thinking all the while they're going to have now our Lord warns these people in verses 21 to 27 the Lord says in this passage that these people are the deceived these people think they're on the right road, but they are not in first in the paragraph verses 21 to 23 is the folly of empty words in verses 24 to 27 the folly of empty hearts notice again in verse 21. Not every one that saith verse 22 many will say the claims are amazing. The claims are beautiful but they don't do what they claim. Elton Trueblood has said that our main mission field day. As far as America's concern is within the church membership itself.

Karl Barth was by no means an evangelical, but did say some things that were true, said the true function of the church consist first of all, in its own regeneration. We get our act together were low with people who are filled with empty words, they say they say they say they say they don't do God's will is nothing wrong with saying I mean if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart got his range from that to be say. So you've got to say confession is necessary, but confession without obedience is a sham. Look at me for a minute very briefly at their confession, verse 21, they say, Lord, Lord. Verse 22. They say Lord who are this is an interesting phrase the first time they say Lord it could be there respect word means master teacher server determines dignity and respect, recognition, saying Lord in them. In a sense that we respect you. The second time, Lord, Lord, may emphasize the orthodoxy of their claim for the word Lord Cleary asked is the word translated in the Septuagint of the Old Testament for the name of Jehovah there saying we know your God. We know your Jehovah. We accept all your deity involves your virgin birth, miraculous life, substitutionary death, powerful resurrection intercession second coming there respectful. They are Orthodox these the right terms the right attitudes notice, Lord, Lord, the fact that they say it twice, indicates their zeal and their passion and their fervency and their commitment and their strength of devotion and by the way, if this is occurring at the great white throne judgment and there saying this is the great white throne judgment.

If this is the day at which he speaks when he says in that day then it's very possible that those who come there have already spent centuries in a place of judgment and punishment, and that even adds to their fervency Lord law are what we've been doing and where we, as others a fervency and orthodoxy in a respectfulness and then in verse 22. They say three times in thy name in thy name in thy name. I mean they are even so self-centered and that since we been doing for you we been preaching for you and we been casting out demons for you we been doing miracles for you. That's amazing, claim it is respectful is Orthodox is fervent is zealous it, they proclaim they do works well that sounds good.

We say these godly Christians. I mean there respectful there Orthodox there fervent in their private devotion there zealous in their public ministry of word and work sound so good. But verse 21. Not every one that says that is going to enter because not everybody who says that has been doing the will of the fathers and so the Lord will confess in verse 23 is my confession normal again.

Oh I never knew you depart from me, you that work iniquity. What a shock. He says I want to give you a confession and by the way this is taken right out of some 68. I want to confess this to you. I never knew you only say what you mean he got his know who they are, no, of course, he knows who they are and knows everything and talking simply about an awareness not talk about mental comprehension.

The word no is using the Bible, you have to watch this of an intimate relationship. For example name is 32 God says of Israel.

You only have I known among all the nations that mean the only people he knew about the Jews know it meant that he had an intimate relationship with him.

My sheep hear my voice and I know them and put it more intimately.

I think this will help you understand it in the Old Testament since Cain knew his wife and she bore a son doesn't mean he knew she was or he knew her name. It means you knew her in the absolute intimate act of marriage and you remember that when Mary was pregnant with our Lord as he is the divine seed was infused by the spirit of God. Joseph was shocked and the Bible says he was shocked because he had never what known her. You see the word no embodies an intimate relationship. And Jesus is I never had any intimate relationship with you while you're around the fringes, but I never had to see what you and then he says, depart from get out of my presence forever. Why because the end of the verse 23 you do always continue to work long last nests as a present participle. Why, because instead of doing the will of my father by the way, that is a term that picks out all of the rest of the sermon on the map instead of living by these righteous principles you do always continue to do law last nests. And instead of doing God's will is righteous standard. You do continually always work lawlessness know what it means to profess Christ absolutely nothing. If your life is back at that's what Peter said what he said if you can't add to your faith virtue that you not know you really redeem is what James meant when he said they minus works equals zero dead profession is valueless. In fact, I believe that to profess Christ and claim Christ in validly is taking the Lord's name in vain. In the ultimate sense I don't think taking the Lord's name in vain is saying Jesus Christ or God out on the streets. That's one way, but the enemy of violating God's name is to claim Christ when he is in yours G, Morgan is well cited the blasphemy of the sanctuary is far more awful than the blasphemy of the slow is a Judas kiss to say, Lord, Lord, and then disobey. That is a Judas kiss. We must be consumed with doing the will of God.

That's why the prayer says, thy will be what done not only in heaven but where in earth, and that means through me, through me you say will John what about if I don't do.

If I fail, the prayer goes on to say, forgive us our trespasses are dense, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Yes, we know that were going to fail. But that's where we come for forgiveness. And that's part of the righteous act the righteous standard Jesus speaks of assumes will fail. But when we fail will be there confessing. That's why first John 19 says if we are the ones continually confessing our sins we give evidence of the ones that are being forgiven. In other words, the ones being forgiven are the ones confessing seat. He's not saying here's the perfect standard. If you ever failure out he saying here is the perfect standard and part of the perfect standard is that when you fail you deal with it. That's got and I would dare say that if the sermon on the Mount is not the direction of your life, not the perfection of it. But if it's not the direction of your life.

I don't care what confession you've made. I don't care if you been baptized or whatever, you're not a Christian member in John six they said to him what we do the work the works of God and he said this is the work of God, that you believe on him that sent him where you start with the will of God, believe on Christ. The only thing acceptable to God is a righteousness that is the product of repentant faith in Jesus Christ that produces good works. That's not there no matter what you say doesn't matter if absent, doesn't matter. So the Lord says in verse 23. If I can paraphrase, not for one single moment have I acknowledged you as my own or no new intimately.

You are forever expelled from my presence because you continue to work lawlessness makes it so shocking, just do this in close. What makes this so shocking is the claims they make are amazing. Verse 22. Lord, Lord, we prophesy cast out demons done wonderful works three words prophecy exorcism and miracles. I know some some people try not to be legitimate.

Some who were true prophets, some who truly name of Jesus Christ cast out the enemy summit God used to do marvelous things, mighty things, but there are plenty were going to claim it and it isn't true, isn't true.

That's knocking to do it was a well-meaning boy, do they really do this they really preached prophesy. They really cast out demons. They really do mighty works.

Three alternate number one they did by God's power.

Number two I think about number three they didn't speak all three could be true saving of the unbelievers that could be true. Yes, you know that God has worked through unbelievers will look back in the Old Testament, you'll find that God is actually worked his work through unbelievers. For example, in Numbers 23 five it says and the Lord put a word in pendulums mouth and Bailey says Peter loved the wages of unrighteousness.

He was like an unrighteous evil profit for hire. But God used his math there been times when God is even work through unregenerate people. I suppose you have to say the crucifixion of Christ is one of the most monumental ones in first Samuel 1010 and 11. The apostate king of Israel, who was by no means righteous of him.

It says the spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied amazing of Caiaphas in John 1151, 52, the Lord put a prophecy in the mouth of that file high priest so that he prophesied the death of Christ for all men.

It's very possible that some of these self-deluded people were actually used by God did actually speak God's truth that's within the realm of possibility. Second, it is possible that they may have done wonderful things cast out demons and preached under the power of Satan, for Satan can express his power goal. Satan expressed his power on Joe Bimini in death, destruction, disease, a question about, you know that there were the sons of Stephen in acts 19 that actually went around casting out devils. Jesus even acknowledged that the Jews had disability when Jesus said if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, who do you cast demons out through he was recognizing that perhaps they and you could cast out demons. Perhaps some righteous Jews did by the power of God, perhaps some unrighteous Jews did it through the power of Satan to say why would Satan cast out Satan because he's confused to begin with this whole system is a mess. You know that Deuteronomy 13 it says it with some false prophets, and they would prophesy certain things, certain signs and wonders and they would come to pass and you still want to believe them and maybe they were satanically energized. You know the details in Matthew 24, 24, false Christ, false prophets will come into signs and wonders.

Second Thessalonians 2 verses 8 to 10 at the antichrist is going to come into false signs and wonders. Satan can do some amazing things and then there's the whole area just plain fakery and I think that's what was cooking up in Egypt. I think that the magicians of Egypt were trying to mimic the miracles of Moses were just pulling off fake things when they reproduce what Moses did. I think it was a chicanery just their own little magic. I called magic shop stuff tricks of the point is this the these people say we preached and we cast out demons and we mighty works and maybe some of them were used by God to do that God will use bands asked to use anything. Maybe they did by the power of the devil masquerading as God white magic maybe was just plain old hocus-pocus like most healers you see today. The point is, and how they did at the point is, they were to see they thought it was God but wasn't God wasn't.

I think a lot of people today preaching a lot of people cast out devils while people healing. A lot of people do other stuff that they believe is God, and it isn't God, and a lot of people believe they still yes it's Lord must be got and it's nothing but satanic or trickery. But the point is simply this, no matter what they say, no matter what they claim, and no matter what miracles and wonders and stuff they said they've seen Jesus says you are not qualified to be in my kingdom. And that's the shock because he never came to the narrow gate never what a devastating thing. Well to make a mere verbal profession is not enough father thinking this morning for this word to us we hear the words in our hearts of Jeffrey O'Hara's anthem why call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things I see you call me the way and walk me not you call me the life and live me not you call me master and obey me not if I condemn the blaming you call me bread and eat me not you call me truth and believe me, not you call me Lord, and serve me not if I condemn the blaming and we cannot blame the Lord for condemning those who say but don't do, for they give evidence of not being a part of the kingdom. May no one go from this place in that category you work in all our hearts. Christ. This is grace to you featuring the Bible teaching of John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John is currently taking you through what he calls his salvation. Survey John you pointed out yesterday that lots of people have come to Christ after hearing you preach on this passage and I know that's true. I look at listener mail and and I also remember the first time I heard you preach on this passage, it's unsettling.

It does, it will cause you to examine yourself and I know for a lot of our listeners is going to shake up their assurance. So for those who may be wondering if God is really save them. What you say how how do we address doubts about our salvation. Well were not in a hurry to remove doubt were in a hurry to to determine reality.

So the goal of the preacher is not to make sure you don't doubt the goal of the preachers to make sure.

If you're not save you doubt right so you're driving at the very words of the apostle Paul in in his letter to the Corinthians that he administered to them for years is obvious that he was concerned about them is also obvious, but at the end of it all. He says to them, examine yourselves, whether you're in the faith, so that this is not a guy who just met some folks for the first time this is this is the Corinthian church, and he saying to them after years of interaction examine yourselves, whether you're in the faith. I honestly believe that one of the reasons for the Lord's table is that very same self-examination because that appears also in Paul's letter to the Corinthians were. He says don't come to the table until you've examined yourself so the Lord's table is an opportunity necessary opportunity for us to take a look at the true state of our hearts were not trying to produce doubt in the heart of a true believer, but we are trying to produce doubt in someone who is self deceived. It's very very important to start there. Let me remind you that we have the booklet called is it real is it real – the question is your salvation.

Real will send it to anyone who asked just anyone. If you want a copy of is it real, just let us know it's going to help you come to grips with the question, is my salvation. The real thing or am I deceived.

It's possible that your salvation is the real thing in this book will help affirm that on the other hand, it's very possible that you are self deceived the heart of the booklet 11 test questions for you to answer that will help you evaluate your true spiritual condition also includes discovery and application questions. Some prayer suggestions and a practical assignment.

The booklet is it real is yours free just asked for it when you contact us today. Yes friend. Nothing is more important than knowing if you truly save this booklet can help you dig into the important questions you need to answer again will send you the booklet. Is it real free of charge. Just contact us today.

Call 855 grace and that number translates to 800-554-7223 or go to our website Jide TY.org, is it real is a great booklet to go through with someone who's doubting his salvation or give it to a new believer to get your free copy. Call 855 grace or go to Jide TY.org and to help you grow in your understanding of genuine salvation, and so much more. I would encourage you to get our flagship resource. The MacArthur study Bible with dozens of maps and charts detailed introductions to each book in nearly 25,000 notes covering virtually every passage of Scripture. The study Bible is an all-in-one Bible study tool that will help you be at diligent student of Scripture to get the MacArthur study Bible, call 855 grace or go to our website Jide TY.org now for John MacArthur in the entire grace to you staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Thanks for being here today.

Come back again tomorrow as John continues to show you the marks of saving faith. That lesson is part of his current study, titled salvation survey missed the next 30 minutes of unleashing God's true one verse at a time on Wednesdays. Grace