1997-09

SERMON NOTES

TITLE: THE EVIDENCE OF OUR SALVATION

TEXT: Matthew 3:1-10

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea

2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"

4 John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.

6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (NIV)

INTRODUCTION: We here at Osage Gospel Lighthouse are a part of the state of Missouri. Now as such, we should not be surprised when someone walks up to us, and says, "Show me" the evidences of your Christianity. After all, we are from the "Show-Me" state.

Though we have been taught this principle of being able to account for our faith, we are still at times threatened when we hear these words addressed to us. Many times we are critical of people who demand proof before they believe, such as the apostle Thomas, whom we have perhaps harshly called "doubting Thomas." He had honest questions, and we should notice that Jesus was not offended by his "show-me" request.

Since we know that sometime, someplace, and likely at a moment when we least expect it, someone will ask us to "show-me" proof of your claims, we should take the time now while we have the opportunity to search our own hearts for the evidence we must present to them. I would like to cover only 5 things right now that should have evidence showing in our lives.

I. There should be evidence of our faith. James 2:14-24 In the last part of this passage, James says plainly that faith without works is as dead as works without faith. Neither of them, faith or works, is able to do what it should alone. We must act so that there is evidence of the faith.

14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-- and shudder.

20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?

22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.

24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (NIV)

1. James said, "Show me your faith without working (if you can), and I will show you my faith by what I do."

2. Abraham is regarded as righteous, as a man of faith. He is listed in God's Hall of Fame in Hebrews chapter 11. Note this about Abraham.

(1). He was asked to show his faith by leaving his home city, and looking for a city whose builder and maker was God. This was a place he did not know the location of, but he showed his faith by leaving.

(2). He was asked, again by faith, to leave Haran, a city where he had stopped until his father died, again without knowing where he was going.

(3). He was asked to live by faith when he allowed Lot to choose the good ground, and he took the hill country. He had to have faith that God would provide.

(4). He was asked to believe God for a son, an heir. He did so, not without problems, and was given Isaac.

(5). He was asked to sacrifice Isaac on the altar to the Lord. Only after this final supreme test of his faith was he selected to enter God's Hall of Fame of faith people.

3. Rahab, the prostitute, believed the story the spies told her. She heard about the one true God, and believed. But how did she show her faith?

(1). She hid the spies, and misled the people searching for them.

(2). She placed the scarlet thread in her window, so that she and her family could be spared.

(3). She is also in God's Hall of Fame for faith people, but only because she acted. She showed her faith by her actions.

4. James was critical of those who claimed faith, but said to the naked, "The Lord will clothe you," and did nothing themselves; the ones who said to the hungry, "The Lord will feed you," but did not feed them.

(1). He said that their religion was dead, because it was not accompanied by action.

(2). They did not make God's Hall of Fame list.

The question right now is, "Where do you fit into this picture?" Has God been asking you to do something, to give up something, to perform a task for Him, to change your lifestyle so you can work more for Him? What has your response been? Have you been able to respond in a positive manner, with faith, and say "Yes, Lord, yes, I will go with you?" Right now, the proper response, which will show evidence of the faith you claim to have, can accomplish much for God. You may accomplish enough to silence all your critics, and also enough to make a later addition to God's Faith Hall of Fame

You may say, "Well preacher, you just don't know what God is asking me, and how much it will cost me. I will have to give up my security and trust God; I will have to take a pay cut, and leave my retirement to God." May I tell you that I have faced all those decisions myself, and have come to the conclusion that if God is not able to provide in all these areas, then He must not be a very big God. But since I know that nothing is even hard for Him, I can trust Him in these small areas of my life.

There was an advertising slogan some time ago which said, "Take the bus, and leave the driving to us." Right now, some of you need to get on board the bus called Faith, and leave the driving to God. He is able. This is the evidence of our faith, that we are able to leave all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be in His hands, to do with as He desires.

II. There should be evidence we have received God's grace in our souls. Titus 2:11-12

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, (NIV)

1. The grace of God has appeared to all men, but not all have responded to it.

2. Our response to the grace of God will cause us to live holy, self-controlled lives right now in this present evil world.

3. We show no evidence of the grace of God in our lives when we are unable to resist sin and temptation, but are rather overcome by our passions and temptations on a regular basis.

When we have truly received and accepted the grace of God, there comes into our lives an inseparable connection between our creed, our beliefs, and our character, our actions. Our lives will be lived in accordance with the doctrines of the Word of God. We will no longer lean only to our own understanding, or to our own wishes, but will bow to the commands of the Word.

The grace of God brings a discipline to our lives which was missing before. It enforces self-restraint in a world where there is no longer any restraint. We will not go the way of the world, following our own whims and desires without restraint, but will rather live lives controlled by, restrained by, the teaching of the Scriptures. We will not do the normal things of mankind, which are rebellion against the laws of a just God, but will rather bring our lives into submission to the teachings of the Bible. Receiving and possessing the grace of God keeps us from being soft on sin; we cannot follow the course of sin in our own lives and possess His grace. It is not just the church that demands holiness. The grace of a Holy God demands it also.

Only when we become obedient to the expressed will of God can we truly say that the grace of God has appeared to us, and done its work in our lives. Then there will be the evidence shown in our lives that God's grace has been shown to us.

III. There should be evidence of our love. 1 John 3:16-24

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence

20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God

22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. (NIV)

1. We know what true love is be the example of Christ. He loved us, and then put that love into action, dying for us.

2. We should become like Him, laying down our lives for others. I do not mean by this that we die a physical death for them, though this could be God's plan for some. Rather, we may be called to lay aside some of our wishes, some of the things we would like to do or own, so that we can meet the needs of others. By using our material wealth to meet the needs of others, we show the love of God to them.

3. We must do more than love in word or principle. We must love by action.

Now it is one thing to know that Christ died for me. But what am I doing to show that same love and concern for others? It is not enough to tell them of the love of Christ; we must begin to show the love of Christ by our deeds, by our actions. When we begin to do this, we will know that the love of God is truly in us, and we will be able to rest in His love. Our hearts will no longer condemn us when we are doing our best to show Christ love to others through action. We are not condemned when we know we are doing our best to follow the commands of our Lord. He gives us the desires of our hearts when we seek Him and obey Him; He also changes our desires to bring them into line with His own will; then, you and I can have the confidence to approach God with our needs and desires, knowing that He will give them since they are in accord with His will.

Love is shown by sacrifice, and many of us have never practiced sacrifice. Some have never even had one instance of true sacrifice in their lives. They have certainly never suffered for Him. Do you want to be a strong saint? It is a fact that the more a true believer is persecuted, the stronger Christian they grow to be; the more they sacrifice the greater their love for Christ and others becomes.

We have believed on Him, we love Him, we obey Him, so that He lives in us, and we live in Him. And how do we know it? Because the Spirit, whom He has sent to us, whom He has given us, bears witness with our spirits that we are His children, His beloved. This is the evidence that we love Christ, our Savior and Lord.

IV. There should be evidence of our discipleship. John 8: To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. (NIV)

1. This is addressed to the Jews who had believed Him. It is also addressed to us who have been grafted into the vine.

2. It is possible to believe on Him, but not really hold to His teachings. We can have a "pick & choose" salvation for a time. We say, "I like this verse, but I don't really like that one. I will live by the first, but not be the second." This mentality will not work in the long run, but will lead to our destruction.

3. We then are not really His disciples, but that is what He want us to be.

To be His disciple means more than being impressed by His teachings. It is more than a mere, perhaps short-lived, temporary attempt to live by His Words. It is a lifelong dedication to becoming more like Him every day. Being His disciple is more than being an authority on His teachings. Genuine discipleship is characterized by knowing Him personally, and by personally living in obedience to all His teachings. It means becoming like our Lord, who is our example. This is the evidence of our discipleship.

V. There should be evidence of our union with Christ. John 15:1-27

1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

17 This is my command: Love each other.

18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.

23 He who hates me hates my Father as well.

24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.

25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'

26 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. (NIV)

1. God the Father is the Gardener; Christ is the Vine.

2. We are, at most, only branches attached to the vine; some large, some small, but all important because each has a job to do.

3. We will bear much fruit when we are attached to the vine, but only as long as we stay attached to Him. The fruit comes from His strength, not from our own. When we begin to try to bear fruit on our own, we will become fruitless.

4. There is an end for the fruitless vines; they are cut off and destroyed.

5. We will find our lives full of joy while we stay attached, in close communion with the vine. No joy aside from the vine, but an abundance of joy when connected to Him.

6. He chose us, rather than our choosing Him. We were chosen to bear fruit.

We must remember that God is the gardener; we are His planting, attached to Christ, the vine. We are attached to the vine, and are to bear much fruit. If we are not attached to the vine, we must come back to the Lord, or we will be destroyed. Though we may be persecuted, we are also told that just as men obeyed the teaching of the Lord, so some will obey our teaching. Therefore, we must make sure we teach correct doctrine. The way to do that is to study the Word of God ourselves; however, we must always compare what we think with the teaching of the church for the last 2000 years. God has revealed much to scholars of the past, who sought the truth during this time. We are well advised to seek their counsel. Since most of us are not either Greek or Hebrew scholars, we must be sure to check what these men who are say about the original language, since many times we lose truth by the simple fact of translation from one language to another. Also, God has not likely kept anything secret or hidden for nearly 2000 years just to reveal it to us. Christian fruitfulness is not optional; it is commanded. It is also the natural outcome of being in Christ. It is the evidence of our being connected to the true Vine, the Lord Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION: There is a question that has been posed in the past. Suppose that right now you were arrested, and charged with being a believer in Jesus Christ, a Christian. Would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Is there the evidence of the work you do for the Lord because of your faith? How about evidence that the grace of God has come into our lives; are our lives holy; is our life and doctrine in agreement; do we maintain self-control and discipline, dealing harshly with sin in our own lives, striving to live holy before a Holy God?

How much evidence is there of the love of God in us; are we willing to die for others, or even for Christ should the occasion demand it? Perhaps harder, are we willing to die to ourselves so that we can live for Christ in this present world; are we willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ, or to be persecuted for His sake?

What about evidence of your discipleship; are you more than impressed by His teaching; are you willing to make a sustained effort to live by His words, to be not only an authority on what He taught, but one who is knows Him, His commands, and obeys them? Are you willing to be teachable, not only by the Holy Spirit as He illumines the Word of God to you, but also by others God has placed in the church to bring it to maturity? These are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

Is there any evidence of fruit in your life, to show that you are still connected to the Vine; to show that you are still receiving life sustaining power for your life from Him? How much fruit are you bearing, and what is its quality? God's only acceptable standard is much fruit, of a superior quality.

Taken all together, would the evidence prove you guilty or innocent? It is important that we live in such a way that we convict ourselves of the charge of being a Christian, a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, some day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and be judged for rewards, or before the Great White Throne judgment and be judged for punishment. Will you be convicted? If you cannot be convicted of being a believer in Christ, one of His own, worthy to be rewarded, there is every likelihood to believe there would be enough evidence to convict you of failure to be His. Do not take the chance today. Make sure, right now, that everything is right between you and the Lord, and then maintain your walk on a daily basis. Live for the Lord; love the Lord; sell out to the Lord; pursue the Lord. He is worthy of your best effort.

Osage Gospel Lighthouse, Linn, MO 3-2-97 am