Empty Hearts B

Those who claim Christ as their own are willing to dig deep, they have thought out responsibility don't rush into some profession later to rush out of the throne out and find a consumer with his new deception with greater consequences than to think you're a Christian. When truth is you're not. That's a deception that not only affects your life today. It determines your eternity. So where do you stand John MacArthur is helping you be certain about your relationship with Christ in his current study on grace to you. He calls it salvation survey so get your Bible or open the study Bible app on your mobile device and turn to Matthew chapter 7. Here's John MacArthur with today's lesson. Matthew chapter 7.

Beginning in verse 21. Our Lord climaxes the sermon by saying not everyone that sent on to me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that do with the will of my father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, that we not prophesied in thy name and in my name of 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, that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and with 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 hath 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 in great was the fall of 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. Now in verses 24 to 27 the Lord again reminds us that the standard of righteousness is required for entering the kingdom of God. And unless your life is built on that standard. No matter what it looks like and no matter what you know in your head and no matter how feverishly you conduct your spiritual activity when the flood terms you get washed away if all you have is a head knowledge look more deeply into this delusion it's presented here we see the similarities and see the differences I watched one built the easy way.

The other built the hardware with me on that is very easy to build on sand. You have to dig in on the do anything, just like on the broad road you just go on with all your garbage. Have a great old time. Lots of room do anything you want funnier tolerance. This is the way it is with a fool a fool doesn't easy way for two reasons. Number one fools are always in a hurry. The Bible says in the book of Proverbs that fools make haste. I learned a little bit. I know any good with my hands at building things, but I learned one thing to the years and that is if you do it right the first time you want to do it again. The fool is always in a hurry easy to build on sand, not the dig not preparing to slap the fool is always always wants a shortcut quick results quick evangelism man jump on the bandwagon because were not slow down time for soul conviction. No time for building a deep sense of God. No time for teaching the doctrine of sin no time for building a sense of conviction. No time for coming to grips with your soul before God. It says here we go over the want to jump on fella because were not malinger shortcuts quick results quick evangelism we got that today we got the super can fast approach to everything that piles up fools more than Wiseman.

Nobody builds a tower until he counts the cost.

No Wiseman singing about a fully builds easy way not only because he's in a hurry, but because he is basically superficial. You know how many people do you know who proclaimed that they believe in Christ who said they heard the gospel and accepted it and there is been absolutely nothing in their life to give evidence of that superficial and I believe we live in the age of superficiality were all the big man – I mean if you don't get your hamburger in three minutes and McDonald's is not having apoplexy and were so superficial millions.

Name the name of Jesus.

But it is a shallow shifting sand and when they don't get their instant upper from Jesus anymore and they don't get the jollies and the kicks they thought they were going to get there house begins to collapse and they look for another Sandy place to build another house that is not a stand either. Christianity has become so superficial just galls me to hear some of the presentations of Christ that are supposed to be legitimate sermons that actually have the do the gospel in any given imitation at the end of people accepting who knows what. There's no deep plowing is no speed work is no foundation is no brokenness of heart.

Arthur Pink says if I have never mourned over my waywardness. Then I have no solid ground for rejoicing. On the other hand, while a foolish man is in a big hurry. The wise man is not in fact in Luke six 4748. The parallel passages says that the wise man I love this dog deep with that's good Doug deep to the foundation he went for the rock of the word of God.

He blew the sand away sand of human opinion itself will and he went for the rock of obedience to God's word. What is it me to dig deep, first of all, it means you're not in a hurry. No quickie conversion, no light confession one writer who said there are some people who say they are saved before they have any sense that there even lost. I've said in the past that some people present the gospel so poorly that even the non-elect don't know enough the rejected those who claim Christ as their own are willing to dig deep, they have thought out responsibility. Don't rush into some profession later to rush out of it again or be thrown out in final judgment, they count the cost they consider what they're doing. There is a digging deep is not a hurry when the Lord sold the seed the parable in Matthew 13 he says but he that received the seed in stony places is he that hears the word joy receives it, but he has no root so endures for a while and when tribulation or persecution arise because of the word, immediately he is offended and runs away this thing of all estimate summary to live with us.

Christ, I'm a Christian and as soon as you start laying on them the word of God and what it demands their gone and wanted.

That's not the way it is with one digs deep digs deep to the rock bed of God's word in order that he might obey is not superficial. Secondly, those who dig deep show a desire to give a maximum effort manner always drawn to the easy path. The easy way. I think sometimes you make the gospel so easy that it's no gospel at all.

And it's no conversion all know we always were all hot so hard to follow up new converts it so hard to follow up does it know we had so many say 11 large church in America.

This was a very large shirts and one year had 28,000 conversions on paper baptized 9600 people in at 123 added to the church and the man who was on the staff of the church that I knew right then something was wrong.

And that's when I left and said God show me how to do it right. There were 28,000 people saved if there was only 123 added to the church. The problem is not the difficulty of follow-up. The problem is the difficulty of conversion.

That's the problem, and we are trying to follow up people who never were redeemed to begin with is all you know if we'll get them into the follow-up will have to just leave him to the Holy Spirit, not doesn't usually work. You know if there really converted God's going to do his work. It's just the trying to follow up the unconverted is a little tough listen. The person who digs deep desires to strive to enter it. He takes the hard things he disdains the labor he minimizes the travail of soul in order to build on the rock sure it's a lot easier to go the way the flip chart stuff to restrict yourself to go God's way, but his commandments, beloved are not grievous are the blessed, we fulfill them, not of law but out of love. Another thing about the matter digs deep.

He wants to do it right. And he's teachable.

The Pharisees were teachable. You couldn't tell them anything anyone here so many people like that. They profess Christ, but didn't want to hear what that demands then want to hear what that requires then want to count the cost, then want to learn the right way to build their life. They want to go on their own ideas and their own goals and their own self-will and their own designs and their own purposes and go down there own little channel and when you go to them and try to teach them what is right to do. They don't want to hear that. Not because they're unteachable Christians it's because their sham Christian that's what our Lord is saying dig deep.

One of digs deep empties himself of self-righteousness empties himself of self-sufficiency knows he has nothing knows he's not commendable.

Overwhelmed with his sin. He makes the maximum effort to strive to enter in the mix.

The maximum effort to place the word of God in his heart that he might not sin. He is interested in a genuine love relationship with Jesus Christ, not a routine of spiritual activity. He does not build on visions he does not build on experiences he does not build on supposed miracles he builds on the word of God and he builds for God's glory, not his own question. Many people want spiritual power. Look at Simon in acts eight. He wanted to buy the power of the spirit of God. And Peter says your money perish with you, you phony many people want the power they just aren't interested in living according to God's standards their sham there building on sand. They want to know what Jesus can do for them. They want the goodies chasing signs and wonders not committed to Christ ago. What happens ultimately well according to verse 25 in verse 27, the day of reckoning is going to come now this just sums up the whole of judgment. I don't think you can say well the rain was so-and-so in the flood refers to so-and-so and the wind refers to so-and-so and the beating on the house is such and such. I didn't get carried away on that stuff wanted simply saying is, is one day a storm came and it was obvious what house was on the rock, and what house was on the sand and someday there's going to, divine accounting sort saying God is going to blow the wind of judgment and rain, the rain of judgment and send the flood of judgment when he does some of them stands on wonderful whether your religion is true or false. It's going to be tried in whether your chaff or wheat is going to be found out someday, the chief widower is going to come is going to separate the chaff in the week he's gonna blow the wind of judgment and those who would build their lives in the rocker going to stand or what a wonderful promise. It is always think of first Thessalonians 1. Word says that Jesus has delivered us from the wrath to come. Why because our faith is genuine. That's what he said to the Thessalonians.

Your faith is genuine so you will be delivered from the wrath to come. There is going to come a judgment time. It tells us in Revelation chapter 20 specifically how that's going to happen and I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them and I saw the dead, small and great stand before God and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which are written in the books, according to their works and the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead that were in them and they were judged, every man according to his works, and death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. That's the final great white throne judgment and I believe that is a day when there will be echoing through the corridors of that judgment hall, Lord, Lord, and echoing back the reverberation of his reply depart from me. I never knew you people are deluded listen. Satan is a liar. True, Satan is a deceiver and his ultimate deception beyond any deception is to make someone believe there a Christian when they're not, because if you don't know you've got a problem. You're not looking for the answer anymore.

Day of judgment is coming you better look at your life. Not everyone back to verse 21. Not everyone who thinks Darien is in look at the foundation. It may be respectful of Christ. They may be orthodox, you may be fervent you may be active in private devotion. You may be active in public proclamation, you may be busy with spiritual activity. You may be building a religious life right in the same community with true believers and your little house may look exactly like their house when the judgment comes, it will be devastated because it's on sand. It's on the sand of your own will and your own rooms in your own wishes in your own way rather than the rock of obedience to his word love that I only could tell you out of the heart of love that I have, that you should go back and check the foundation so Jesus unequaled unparalleled masterpiece of oratory ends with a devastating warning and it ends with judgment, the final word of the sermon is at the end of verse 27 and great was the fall of it. Listen if you want to know how to present the gospel, the gospel. Every single time must end with a warning of doom. The one it rejects that's doing that way. It's not well if you don't come to Christ.

You're certainly missing a lot of nice thing because for decision, so I choose Christ.

I choose the right way.

Are you sure are you sure you've chosen the right way you see in Proverbs 30 verse 12 it says there is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, but are not washed from their filthiness. They just think they are say how do I know see what your life is built on see if you're in this list. First Corinthians 69 know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God be not deceived again. He says the thing is that this is always a deception is all I believe and I made a statement I made a profession. Don't be deceived if you are a fornicator committing sexual sin and idolater and a dollar or if you are effeminate. If you are homosexual. If you are thieve. If you are covetous, a drunkard, a revile or an extortion or you will not inherit the kingdom of God will get your life. See, we made it far too easy and we maybe are not in those list seizure. In this list. Galatians 519 now the works of the flesh are manifest.

What are they, fornication, impurity, lasciviousness that means without restraint sexually idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, wrath, self seeking factions and seditions, heresies envying murderers, drunkenness, wild parties and the like of which, as I have told you in time past, that they do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God will be deceived. Don't be deceived. In Revelation 21 verse eight tells us this but the fearful, and unbelieving and the abominable, and murderers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death you see yourself in any of those list notice we all sin were not talking about that, but if those are the pattern of your life.

Those are the things which characterize you living you're not in the king. I don't care what you think that's the word of the word of God.

You say, then who then is saved who saved your right back to the end of verse 14.

What is view there be that find it double oven. When you give your life to the Lord at that point, I believe that's when he takes over. That's when everything begins to unfold. And from thereon he begins to take over and empower you and change you all put it this way, you have begun a good working you will will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ our Lord confronts the empty words and empty hearts of those who profess to be in the kingdom, but were not what was the result of the sermon was the response the state great revival tremendous conversions. No verse 28 came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were converted. No other were converted, they were astonished, for he taught them as one having authority, not as the scribes. All they did was analyze it, they were astonished. We can use a lot of words for that.

It means they were all they were amazed they were dumbfounded. They were bewildered but I looked up in the Greek text, and it literally means they were struck out of themselves or they were struck out of their sentences in the vernacular. It blew their minds. It blew them away, that anybody could stand up there and say all of those things with such power exudes the authority such power, such dynamic and not do it like describes how the scribes are they just quoted other people.

They were fallible and they stepped up a lot of other fallible people as their source. Jesus just flat out said it globally.

They had never heard such wisdom they'd never seen such depth. They have never understood such scope every dimension of human life was touched in an economy of words that was breathtaking. They had never heard such deep inside of the law of God, of the sin of man they had never heard such fearful warnings about hell hellfire and judgment then never heard anybody was so confronted the religious leaders of the time they were utterly shocked that he didn't use anybody else's in authority but seem to stand upon his own authority and that's where it ends shocked but that's not the way Guardian for you to be more than shocked more than amazed. You should be converted. That's what Jesus is after they never heard anybody speak the truth like he did for never heard anybody speak of divine matters with such clarity. I mean, they couldn't believe that a man would say was the fulfillment of the law that a man would say he was a determiner of righteousness, the man would say he was the corrector of the scribes and Pharisees, they couldn't believe that a man would claim to be the way of life. The man would claim to be God, Jehovah, that a man would claim to be judge of all the one who could come and make judgment on everybody. They couldn't believe that a man like this could say he was the king and all I got was astonishment. What's your response. Your eternal destiny depends on the hymn writer says, and every high and stormy. Gail my anchor holds within the veil. When all around my soul gives way then is all my hope and stay on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground seeking say life is either built on rock or sand disobedience or obedience therein is the only available verifier of the legitimacy of your faith. I pray to God that your faith is so, do you know Christ or are you self deceived. John MacArthur has been helping you answer that crucial question in his current series on grace to you titled salvation survey will one more point to make here if it were not possible to misunderstand the gospel and to be self deceived about the reality of your faith in your salvation the Bible wouldn't provide such a careful test for evaluating your faith. I guess you could say John that self-deception is a reality that all of us should take as seriously as the Bible does that's really well put Phil. The Bible assumes self-deception is going to be a huge issue look were back in Matthew again thinking about Matthew chapter 7. This is the first sermon, our Lord preach that's recorded in the New Testament in the Gospel of Matthew. Your five chapters in and here comes this sermon and it winds up with many saying, Lord, Lord, and he says the part for me.

I never knew you workers of iniquity. You're not entering the kingdom of heaven. No matter what you think. So this isn't something that sort of down the list of things that concern the Lord. This is right out of the blocks in the New Testament. You're just slammed with the reality of false salvation, false hope, deception, this was a concern to our Lord.

It was a concern all the way through his life and ministry and was picked up as well by the apostle Paul and it was a huge concern with the apostle Paul to speak about the essence of genuine conversion and genuine transformation so that the New Testament makes much of this reality and again as I said earlier this week. Every time you go to the Lord's table. You're told to examine your spiritual life because this deception can be so strong. That's why we been mentioning the book is it real.

It's a booklet that we will send free to anyone who requests a copy and it basically comes to grips with this question is my salvation. The real thing or am I deceived. That's the heart of the booklet. It gives you 11 test questions to answer. That will help you evaluate whether your salvation is the real thing. It includes some discovery and application questions prayer suggestions and even an assignment. Again, the booklet is it real and will send it to anyone who asked and by the way, I recommend that you get this study we wrapped up today.

It's called salvation survey you can download the MP3s or get the two CD album to put in the hands of people that you know and love the CDs are reasonably priced right.

You can be wrong about a great many things and it's no big deal, but salvation is not one of those things. The booklet is it real and John's audio series salvation survey can help you avoid the deadly error of being deceived about your salvation to pick up your copies, contact us today. Call toll-free 855 grace for go to GT Y.org as John said is it real gives you 11 biblical tests that can help you know if you're truly saved its excellent reading for someone who is struggling with assurance, and again, is it real is our gift to you.

All you have to do is request a copy. Just go to our website. GT Y.or call 855 grace. You can also pick up salvation survey study.

You heard part of today when you call 855 grace or visit GT Y.org.

The two CD album is a great resource to put in a friend's hands.

It's reasonably priced.

Shipping is free or you can download this study on MP3 free of charge@gty.org. In fact, all John sermons at 3500 total messages are available to download no cost to you. Now for John MacArthur.

I'm Phil Johnson encouraging you to be here tomorrow as we break from our normal schedule to bring you a time of Bible questions and answers. Tune in and see if John answers a question that you have. It's sure to be a practical half hour unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to