Text: Various from the Gospel of Matthew

• We’ve been seeking God together on the true meaning of salvation by study how Jesus presented His Gospel. We have been “examining ourselves to see if we are in the faith” (2 Cor 13:5), and we have freely admitted that there are things that we don’t understand. For example how can "saved" people walk in continual patterns of sin and rebellion against God’s commands and called themselves saved?
• We have found out so far that the truly saved;
  1. Are Born Again! Jesus was in affect saying, “all you thought you knew and all you thought you were are nothing; you must start over.” This is a complete and total transformation by the Spirit whereby a new believer is translated from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light. This is nothing less than a change in nature, a shift in thinking, and a new understanding of divine revelation!
  2. Have received the revelation of His Lordship by the Holy Spirit! Remember, Salvation, by its very nature, is supernatural. It happens by grace through faith and is a work of the Spirit: "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth (or regeneration) and renewal by the Holy Spirit, (6) whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:5-6).
• Some question we have asked the Holy Spirit:
  1. How can the “saved” willingly abuse God’s grace (Romans 6) over and over? (I think we are finding out that that can’t.)
  2. Is it possible that "asking Jesus to come into your heart" without truly and totally submitting to Him as Lord is part of the problem? (So far it looks as if the answer is “no.”)
  3. Is it possible that people are walking aisles and signing cards but not truly being transformed and reborn by the Spirit? (I think so.)

Jesus Presents His Gospel Pt 3: Christ’s Gospel of Matthew Pt 1

1. “From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matt 4:17)
   1. Right from the beginning, brokenness over sin was required by Jesus.
   2. His mission was to “save sinners” (Matt 9:13), but for that to happen, the sinner must acknowledge his sin.
   3. Repentance suggests all the things God’ honors: contriteness of heart, humility, fear, a desire to be holy, selflessness, and a bending of one’s own will to His.
   4. It is hear we meet God, maintain our relationship with God, and cause others (by His power) to truly know God! Can somebody be saved without ever being broken?
2. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matt 7:13-14)
   1. Narrow means “constricted, and small.” It suggests that one can only enter by oneself, and without any “baggage.”
   2. Christians are often accused of being “narrow-minded!” I say praise God!
   3. Wide means just that: “big, large, and open.”
   4. “Openness” and “inclusiveness” are cultural gods. We might as well call them Baal and Ashtoreth! J The pressure (literally under every cultural “high place”) to bow down to them has even affected the church of the living Christ!
   5. It seems to me my friends that Christ Himself has presented a very narrow Gospel, where He alone is Savior and Lord, and obedience is the fruit that demonstrates we truly know Him.
3. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (Matt 7:21-23)
   1. The Lord’s brother James put it this way: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)
   2. Jesus is saying “talk is cheap!” Yes! He is graceful and Yes! He is merciful, but Yes! He desires our commitment to obedience too!
   3. What makes this passage so sobering (a nice word for scary!) is that despite the claim of miracles and signs, Jesus was never present.
   4. This is why Christ must be enough. Becoming enamored with “manifestations” instead of the Master is common fare today.
4. "Whoever publicly acknowledges me I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever publicly disowns me I will disown before my Father in heaven. 34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- 36 your enemies will be the members of your own household.' 37 "Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (Matt 10:32-39)
   1. This passage demonstrates how much the true Gospel demands. With the amount of damage done and sins commitment by “believers,” we aren’t even close to this sort of mindset.
   2. This passage is Christianity Unleashed! It is public, it is passionate, it endures persecution, and it is powerful!
   3. Just think: if we should love Him more than our family and children….then shouldn’t we love Him more than girlfriends/boyfriends, TV, ungodly music, bad habits, etc? And wouldn’t this sort of commitment to Christ cause our lives to stabilize in right-living?
5. "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy. But blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in them, and evil people bring evil things out of the evil stored up in them. 36 But I tell you that people will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matt 12:30-37)
   1. There is no middle ground for the truly saved. We are either in or out, hot or cold (Rev 3:16). Even when we struggle, there is no excuse-making; only a drive towards repentance.
   2. Blasphemy against the Spirit is the unforgivable sin because it means the very one who produces salvation in us we ignore. Therefore we die unconverted.
   3. What people who love the wide gate call judgment Christ calls fruit inspecting. We are never to judge somebody’s heart because we don’t know it. But if I steal a car and you call me on it, I can’t cry “you’re judging me!”
   4. When we are being unguarded and honest, our words demonstrate what is truly in our hearts.
   5. The truly saved live with the knowledge that Judgment is coming, and will work as hard as possible to demonstrate their conversion through right living, right words, and a right heart before God.