Many people have been deceived into believing that they can be saved by just
believing in Jesus Christ. Many believed in Jesus during his ministry. Few
followed Him after they learned the cost of discipleship. They heard the truth
but did not respond with action. People believe that tobacco is bad for your
health, few stop smoking after learning the truth.
Jesus clearly explained the cost of following Him. I read from Luke 14:26-30
26"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his
own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and
even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27"Whoever
does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28"For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower,
does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to
complete it? 29"Otherwise, when he has laid a
foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,
30saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to
finish.’
People are deceived for various reasons.
1.
They believe scriptures arranged in such a way as to please
their desires, much like an insurance policy, but they didn’t read the fine
print. In the case scripture it is all written but people read selectively to
fit their own doctrines and interpretations. The problem is, the policy won’t
pay out. Your faith won’t save you,
because it never went into action.
2.
People are not following Jesus. They are Bible believing, have
never met Jesus. They are just deceived. They have gone through the motions as
directed by someone whom himself was deceived. They have said the sinners
prayer, done the studies, know the scriptures but never got into a relationship
with Jesus. Jesus talked to these people, many of whom are living today also.
He said: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have
eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come
to Me so that you may have life.” John 5:39,40. They believed in Him but
they would not obey Him, they refused to follow Him.
Jesus’ calling is to follow the lonely road, the narrow gate which FEW find,
it is a road where there is only space for Jesus and me. No friends, no
baggage, no sin. The further you go the steeper it gets. Jesus is coming for a
perfect Bride.
Jesus calls us to follow and obey Him.. If He is our Lord, we shall obey
Him. He said: 46"Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46. Jesus came for one reason only: " I
can do nothing on My own initiative As I hear, I judge; and My
judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him
who sent Me.” John 5:30 In
John 3:36 it is written:“but he who does not obey the Son will
not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Jesus commission is: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all that I commanded you;” Matthew 28:19,20.
He instructed His disciples: ” He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but
to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you
heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized
with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Verse 8”but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts
1:4.
After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the
people asked Peter what they should do to be saved:
“Peter said to them, ")Repent, and each of you be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "For the promise is for you and your
children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to
Himself." Acts 2:38,39.
All who have followed and obeyed Jesus will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit, to be guided by the Spirit. Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice,
and know them, and they follow Me; and
I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch
them out of My hand.” John 10:27,28. The question is: Do you hear His
voice, are you following, or do you just believe?
“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God,
these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14.
Jesus called us to bear fruit: "You did not choose Me but I chose you,
and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would
remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
17"This I command you, that you love
one another. John 15:16,17. This
commandment fulfills the whole law.
Jesus said: "I am the vine, you are the
branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from
Me you can do nothing. 6"If anyone does not
abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them,
and cast them into the fire and they are burned. John 16:5,6.
Faith without works is dead: James writes
14 What use is it, my
brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save
him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and
in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to
them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give
them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even
so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. 18
But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me
your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." 19You believe that God is one You do well; the demons also
believe, and shudder.
20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish
fellow, that faith without works is useless?
21Was not Abraham our father justified by works
when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
22You see that faith was working with his
works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;
23and the Scripture was fulfilled which says,
"AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS
RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God. 24You see that a man
is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25In the
same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received
the messengers and sent them out by another way?
26For just as the body without the spirit is
dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
We shall be judged by our deeds, not by our faith. Revelations 20:12 “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing
before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is
the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written
in the books, according to their deeds.” Any one who has any doubt about the
absolute importance of works, resulting from faith in Jesus, is not interested in
the truth and should not think that his faith can save him. Ye shall know the
truth and the truth shall set you free. Faith without works is dead, failing to
produce fruit through obedience, leaves us with a terrible expectation of
eternal damnation separated from God.
I care for you, I love you, I don’t
want you to burn in hell. That is why I tell you the truth. I am putting my
faith into action.
I pray that you take this message seriously and become
obedient to Jesus Christ.
finalcall07 