False Security for Eternal Life part 2

Pastor Mike will be speaking on False Security for Eternal Life part 2. He will be in John 8:37-47

In your heart, you love God’s word, and you love to learn God’s word. My friends, you have eternal life, and you should rejoice today. Are you ready? This is Pastor Mike Sanders. Are you ready for Hope Worth Having?

We are excited to be able to broadcast the Gospel of Jesus Christ to you today as we teach the word of God. We want to encourage you to join us in the Gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 37 through 47, and we are going to be talking about false security for eternal life.

So many people are putting their hopes and their security in other things besides Jesus Christ, thinking that’s enough for eternal life. But when we come to the Gospel of John, chapter 8, Jesus confronts the Pharisees about their false securities, and today he confronts us.

And so let’s make sure that our faith is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s get into our study today, and let’s begin to learn together. His life is my life. His crucifixion is my crucifixion.

And his resurrection is my resurrection. And his ascension is my ascension. What is it that waits for all believers is that we will ascend into heaven and that we as well will live in perfect, sweet fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit throughout all eternity.

What you’ve got to get is this, that by faith, the righteousness of Christ is transferred to you. By faith, the perfection of his life. sinless life is transferred to you. Now do not run out of here saying, I’m perfect.

I got it all together. No, my friends, you’re not perfect. You’re still living in the flesh. But when God looks at you, it’s just as if you never sinned. For He does not look at you, but He looks at His Son, Jesus Christ, and you are robed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ this morning.

And therefore, we sing that nothing to the cross do I come. I come to the cross with nothing, and I only cling to the righteousness of my Savior. And when we stand before God, we do not brag about what we’ve achieved.

We do not brag about our family name. We do not brag about what our parents have accomplished. Do not even brag that we’ve been members of the Open Door Church for years upon years. But rather, we humbly brag about Jesus Christ because he was sinless, because he was perfect.

And through faith, all this is transferred to those who believe. Now, what is faith? Jesus said, if you truly were the descendants of Abraham, if you truly were the spiritual children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham.

What is faith? It is simply this. The works of Abraham are faith and obedience to God. Now, listen to Hebrews 11 .8. By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should hereafter receive for an inheritance, obey.

And he went out not knowing whether he went. What I’m saying to you is this, is that faith, true faith, always leads to obedience to God. Abraham was told by God, leave your family. Leave everything.

And I want you to go to a place I’ll show you later. I’ll tell you later about it. There isn’t a one of us that’s like that, amen? We wouldn’t be willing to do that. Not in our flesh, we wouldn’t. We want details.

We want every T crossed and every I dotted. We want a checklist, and we want to know that everything is exactly as it should be. But God said to Abraham, Abraham, get up and leave. It’s all in Genesis 11 and Genesis 12.

It’s all there. And Abraham did what? He got up and left. He believed in his heart. He trusted God. He didn’t know the future. He didn’t know how things would unfold. But he believed, and he obeyed. His faith led to obedience in his life and so here’s the point is that true faith is living in submission to what God has commanded me.

It is living in submission to what God has commanded to me and so it is that faith is something that results in action in my life. James 2 18, a man may say thou has faith and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works and I will show thee my faith by my works.

We are not of those who believe that you work your way to heaven but we are of those who believe that true faith in Christ leads to obedience and faithful works for Jesus Christ. What is the difference?

It really rests in your heart. and your motivation. If you are working in order to achieve salvation, if you are working in order that you might be approved of God and that you might be welcomed into eternal life, if you are working for the true motivation that God would forgive you of your sins, then friends, you’ll split hell wide open.

But if you are working out of gratitude to God, because he already did all the work on the cross and through the resurrection, if you are working because you’re created under good works and you wanna bring glory to God and you wanna do your best to reach others for God and you are doing everything you can to be a light in this world, then my friends, your faith has led to true godly works that give evidence that your faith is real.

And unfortunately, there are many who are putting their blind trust in works, in religion, in religious traditions, in ceremonies, hoping that somehow it will bring about eternal life for them. And I’m here to say to you, my friends, that Jesus shatters those concepts in this text.

And he says that you must have faith like Abraham. You must have a faith that transforms you and changes your life to have a desire to live obediently to God. Let’s go to James chapter two. Let’s just back up real quickly in our Bible.

In James chapter two, I want you to go there and I want you to follow along with me and I want you to see what God is saying in the book of James to each of us. In James chapter two, verse 21. And I think this is important in understanding what is…

faith because I think there’s a misnomer about there out there among evangelicals among those who believe in Christ and so we need to take the scriptures in its entirety and we build our theology on the entirety of the scriptures rather than just one verse or one chapter James chapter two verse 21 was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar see as thou how faith brought his works meaning his faith brought about his works and by works was faith made perfect and the scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed transferred,

if you will, unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. James is not teaching us that we’re saved by faith.

I mean by works, excuse me. But rather just the opposite. He is saying that you are saved by a faith that works. You’re saved by a faith that is so authentic and so real with God that it leads you to want to live for God, obey God, and follow God that that is a true faith.

Why would James say that? Back up to chapter or verse 19 of chapter 2. This is why James says it. Thou believeth that there is one God, thou do us well. The devils also believe and tremble. James lived in a time very much like ours, that there are many who profess to believe, but their faith was not real.

They claim to be descendants of Abraham, but their faith never transformed their life. They did not desire obedience in their hearts. A faith that does not change you is a faith that cannot save you.

And as the great preacher Adrian Rogers once said, the faith that fizzles in the end is flawed from the beginning. And so we must understand an authentic faith is a faith that trusts and believes what Christ has done for us in his life, in his crucifixion, in his resurrection, even his ascension.

It is a faith that puts its full trust in Christ, but it is a faith that transforms and leads us to desire obedience. Do not misunderstand me, God is not seeking perfection. He is seeking the direction of your life, being towards the cross, towards obedience, towards a desire to live for the Lord Jesus Christ.

So Jesus sums it up in verse 42 through 47, by helping them understand the eternal heritage that is in a relationship with him and him alone. Jesus said unto them, if God were your father, you would love me.

For I proceed forth and came from God and neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? “‘even because you cannot hear my word.'” Now these are tough words, listen to this.

You are of your father, the devil, and the lust of your heart you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, referring to Satan. And he abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Verse 45, because I tell you the truth, you believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do you not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words. You therefore hear them not, because you are not of God.

So let me finish out this morning with simply teaching you the answer to this one question. What is the evidence that I have eternal life, Mike? Because if you’re banking on your parents’ name, and if you’re banking on your membership, and if you’re banking on baptism, and if you’re banking on religious ceremonies, if you’re banking on the fact that you’re an American, or of some nationality, you have a false security.

But let me give you three things that Jesus reveals in this text. Three things that should be very affirming to your heart that you have eternal life. Number one, you will have a love for God. Look at that text, look at verse 42.

Can it be any more clear? Verse 42, if God were your father, you would love me. You would love Christ. You would love Jesus. You would love God. You would love him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind.

with all of your strength. The claim to be a child of God must be backed up with a love for God. Now you cannot say that you’re a child of God but you hate Jesus. That you hate God. That you want nothing to do with God.

That you reject Him. Again I want you to back up again to John chapter 3. Stay with me. It all connects together. It’s important and essential for the affirmation of your faith this morning and the revelation of your faith.

That you understand the distinctions. That you are not putting false security on a prayer that you prayed, a card that you signed, or a religious ceremony or class that you took. In John 3 verse 19 and 20.

These are the words of Jesus. This is the condemnation that light is coming to the world. That is Jesus and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

There are two key words that you must get. Verse 19, men loved darkness, loved, and the key to understanding whether your faith is real is who do you love? Do you love Jesus? Do you love the world? That’s at the heart of it.

Your love. And look again in verse 20. Everyone that does evil hates the light. Who is the light? Jesus. And so the point is this morning is very simple. What Jesus is doing is saying don’t bank on these things because they do not reveal that your heart truly is saved.

If you were your if you if God were your father, you would love me, he says. And then he goes into verse 44 and he really just I mean, if you will, with his words, he punches him in the face. You are of your father, the devil.

If you love the world, if you love evil deeds, if you love sin, if you love disobeying God, you’ve got to be honest that a child will manifest the characteristics of its parents. And if you don’t manifest the characteristics of Jesus, but you’re manifesting the characteristics of the devil.

I have to be honest with you then the devil is your father if you are exhibiting patterns of Satan and hostility towards Jesus and you refuse to believe in him you cannot run around saying I am a child of God all unbelievers as nice as I want to be to you this morning all unbelievers are children of the devil that is the Word of God can I say to all parents you’re raising that little one and you think they’re sweet adorable and cuddle but I’m telling you they have a depraved sinful selfish nature and they behave like their father the devil And when you look at them,

you say, you little devil, you’re right on. Now don’t be mad at me. I’m not picking on your kids because my kids were the same way. That’s why your first job, mom and dad, is to be a missionary to your kids.

Reach them with the gospel so that they would love God. Jesus said he was a murderer from the beginning. From the beginning, he was a murderer. He says that Satan was a liar. And that is Satan’s strategy is to deceive you.

And he’ll even appear as light. He’ll deceive you. He’ll make you feel good about religion. He’ll make you feel good about church attendance. But I’m here to tell you, do you wake up every day wanting to pursue God?

Do you wake up every day loving the world or Jesus? What’s at stake here is, are you going to reject the vain pursuits of a selfish life? Or are you willing to pursue Christ, love him? That’s what’s before you, the world and Christ.

It is the manifestation that you have eternal life. Number two, the second evidence that I have eternal life is that I received Christ as the true savior slash Messiah. In verse 41 of John chapter eight, after Jesus had said to them boldly, you’re seeking to kill me.

I tell you the truth. I’m only telling you what God told me. I’m sent from the father. Here’s what they said to him. Look at verse 41. Then said they to him, we be not born of. fornication. We have one Father, even God.

It’s the old tactic that when you can’t win the argument, start attacking the character. When you cannot overcome the truth, start throwing mud and lies and see if something will stick. And so they’re attacking the birth of our Savior.

They’re attacking that He was born of a virgin. They’re attacking that He’s not truly sent from the Father. They’re attacking His miraculous birth. They’re trying to discredit Christ. They refuse to receive Him as Savior.

They refuse to accept that He is the Messiah. Look at verse 46. Jesus said, Which of you convinceth me of sin? and really what the translation should say which of you can convict me of sin which of you can give convincing evidence that i have sinned bring the witnesses before the court drag them up here and share what i have done that has been a sin in this world for christ is proclaiming that not only was his birth miraculous that he entered into this world as the son of god and that he lived a sinless life he is saying that i am the lamb of god without blemish i am the savior in the messiah that abraham looked forward to and the question before you today is how many sins and how many blemishes can you find in the life of jesus and i’m still waiting because he is sinless the righteousness of jesus is undeniable his sinless life is something that is very very self -evident and so those who have eternal life they accept him as messiah they accept him as the sinless savior the son of god who was sent from the father my third and last sub point under this topic of what is the evidence that i have eternal life is that you embrace god’s word now let me take you through this look at verse 31 jesus said then said jesus to those jews which believed on him if this is conditional if you continue in my word then are you my disciples indeed go to verse 37 I know that you are of Abraham’s seed that’s physically but you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you they rejected the word of God they would not believe it look at verse 43 why do you not understand my speech even because you cannot hear my word again he wraps it up in verse 47 our section today he he anyone here that is of God this is what will be true in your life if you have eternal life and you’re of God here’s what is true in your life he that is of God here if God’s word you Therefore hear them not because you’re not of God.

You see the evidence that you have eternal life is you embrace God’s Word. You believed, you believe the Bible is God’s Word. Every jot, every tittle from beginning to end, you believe it’s the Word of God.

You believe it’s God’s love letter to you. You believe that when you open this Bible, God is speaking to you. You abide in it, you love it. Save people love the Word of God, they listen to the Word of God, and they can’t get enough of the Word of God.

God does not save us differently. When I came to Christ as an 11 -year -old boy, I have to be honest with you, never in my life had I heard the gospel. But when I heard it and I became born again on that day that I went to the altar, received Christ as my Savior, repented of my sins, asked Jesus to come into my life.

I didn’t understand everything that I understand today, but I want to tell you this, that my pastor told me to read my Bible. He said, get into the book of John, start reading the book of John. And friends, I read the book of John, and you got to understand, little church, 50, 60 people, here’s Mike Sanders, 11 years old, and I’m just like calling my pastor every minute of the day.

And I often think about Mike, what would you do? You’re the pastor now. You know what I’m saying? But I must have drove him crazy because I could not get enough of the Bible. I’m not saying that there haven’t been times that I’ve waned and struggled, and that there have been times that it’s been difficult in my walk with God.

But I’m telling you, every time I open the Bible, my spirit bears witness with the Holy Spirit. And I find the Word of God to be affirming, comforting, yes, convicting. I find God’s Word to be something that I cannot get enough of it.

The biggest struggle I have as a pastor is I hate to have to stop studying to deal with everything that needs to be done around here. I mean, I would love to be able to study all day, but the life of the ministry calls for you to shut the Bible and go live it and go help people with what you’re learning.

So it’s not that it’s wrong that I can’t study all day, but I’m telling you that there should be something in your heart. There should be a spark in your heart that says, I love God’s Word and I love to hear it.

You should not have to be begged, bribed. or even persuaded to hear God’s Word taught you here. You should love with all of the availability that you have and capability that you have to come to every Bible class you can, every teaching opportunity that is available for you.

You should do everything you can to be under the word of God and to hear it, because the Open Door Church is blessed with many great Bible teachers. It is blessed with many people who know how to open the Bible and teach you what God is saying to your heart.

And that ought to be something that ought to be passionate in your life. And it is a manifestation that you have eternal life. And if in your heart you love God’s Word and you love to learn God’s Word, my friends, you have eternal life and you should rejoice today.

The Jewish people valued their connection to God with their heritage. They looked at Abraham and said, hey, my heritage goes back to Abraham. I’m good. I’m going to have eternal life. I’m going to be with God forever.

You know, sometimes people think just because they’re American, they’re going to heaven or just because they’re born into a Christian family, they’re going to heaven. No friends. Every one of us has to respond to the gospel.

Every one of us has to respond in faith, humility, and repentance to God. And if we don’t do that, we don’t have eternal life in our hearts. And so it is essential to recognize that we cannot have a false security.

So I’m hoping today that you… you’re making those things right in your heart and that this message is like a double -edged sword. For those of us that have false securities, it really convicts us. For those of us that are reminded that our security is in Christ and we have trusted Him as our Lord and Savior, we are comforted and we are encouraged because we know that we’re not relying on other things or our past,

our heritage, we’re relying on Jesus to get us to heaven. Hey, before we go today, I wanna remind you that we have a Facebook page, which Hope Worth Having is on Facebook and on this page, we’re constantly putting out teachings, sayings and information and links and opportunities for you to be minister to and to continue to be enriched in your faith.

So check out our Facebook page, like us, and let us know even on Facebook how you’re doing and where you’re listening to us at and just take advantage of this great opportunity. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ, there is hope worth having.

Thanks for watching!