Some things never change, especially towards the conclusion of the average worship service of the churches in which I have either been a member or have attended over the years. Many times the Sprit of God moves mightily in the hearts of members and visitors after the pastor has presented a message from the Scriptures. The pastor has spent in study and prayer for the souls of his people and those who enter the church with little or no idea of what being a Christian is all about, only to see lives genuinely changed by the power of God. Those who were on the road to hell are convicted, repentant, and surrender their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They spend the rest of their lives being "good and faithful servants" (Matthew 25:20-23) and it shows. When the end comes, they find themselves in His presence for eternity, and are rewarded for their labor in His name (2 Corinthians 5:10).
There are also times where it is not the Spirit of God that moves so much as the emotions one feels after a service, where someone comes forward to "profess His faith in Jesus" and the pastor will then lead him or her in what is referred to as the "sinner's prayer" that they repeat "word for word". The "prayer' varies from church to church, but it centers on confessing that we are sinners, that we need to repent, and "ask Jesus Christ to come into our hearts and save us", and the deal is done. Usually the new "convert" will be baptized, and then never seen again until they are in their casket, having led a hellacious life, with no evidence of being a Christian, but not to worry says the pastor - they made a "profession of faith" at some point in their life and all is well. Their loved one is with Jesus because of the "prayer they prayed" sometime in the past.
Worse yet is the "Christian" who does great work, is charitable, is the first one to volunteer to teach Sunday School or serve in some capacity, good to their family, and supports their pastor, but cannot tell anyone how Jesus Christ saved them nor take the time for self-examination and see whether the work they have done are based on the faith they claim to possess. They too "prayed a prayer" and repeated the words given by the pastor or evangelist, thinking that what they said had secured them in Christ, but deep down they were not certain, yet went through life as if all were well. Then there are the folks who see Jesus as a "cash cow" and a way to get rich off of His name by claiming to be an "apostle", or "prophet". They come to town with a "call from God to heal the sick", which can be done if a "seed faith gift" is sent to them for the "work of the ministry". They put on their show that is usually televised or recorded where "signs and wonders" are demonstrated, and the "power of God" comes on the "preacher" to knock people down "in the Spirit", or some other ridiculous situation. Nothing of God are in these "services", and in the end the "preacher" turns out to be another "Elmer Gantry" hypocritical fraud who has tarnished the name and glory of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:19, 15:9, Luke 17:13; Acts 15:24; 2 Corinthians 11:4; 2 Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:11; 2 Peter 2:1; Revelation 2:2).
At the end of life, when they have taken their final breath, the person who "came forward", the "good worker" and the "fraud" will be both surprised and terrified that what they had either believed or had done to justify themselves before the Lord Jesus Christ was not real and authentic faith. These souls may have made a "confession of faith", but turned out to be nothing more than "lip service" that fooled themselves, their families and friends, but not the Lord Jesus, who knows the hearts of all humanity and their motives. The question is, did these souls "lose their salvation" and find themselves facing not just judgment from the Lord Jesus, but are looking with terror at the Lake of Fire that will soon be their eternal destination, or - were they ever truly saved in the first place? This is why we all have to examine our walk, talk, and service to the LORD and to see if our faith, calling, and election are sure (Galatians 6:4; 2 Peter 1:10).
There are a couple of issues with which I would like to address in this message, and both deal with where you stand right now before God (Hebrews 2:2-4, 10:31). You first need to know whether you are really a follower of Jesus Christ, or are you in danger of heading to hell thinking that your works, or the repeating of a "prayer" somehow secured your salvation. You also need to know that getting right with God is not a complicated process of long drawn out prayer, or some kind of mental and emotional self-punishment that needs to be done before we come before Him. You do not get cleaned up first in order to take a bath. Here are the steps to salvation - "A", "B", "C".
A) Admit that you are a sinner under the judgment of God (Romans 3:10-18, 23). You cannot save yourself (Ephesians 2:8-9).
B) Believe by faith (and the evidence in the Scriptures) that Jesus Christ is LORD and that God has raised Him from the dead (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10).
C) Confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and ask Him to save you (Romans 5:6-11, 8:35-39). Thank Him for saving you.
Afterwards, tell someone that you have become a follower of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16-17), and do not let ANYONE intimidate or try to shame you into silence. Find a local church that teaches the Bible as the Word of God and that Jesus Christ is LORD (Hebrews 10:25). Talk to God daily in prayer and trust Him to guide you throughout your life. Read your Bible daily (2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21). I recommend the New King James Version. I also have a series of links on my website of solid, reliable ministries and preachers that you will find helpful in your walk with the LORD.
Rest assured that when you do sin or stumble, the Lord Jesus will be there to pick you up, forgive you, and get you back on track. When He saves someone, it is certain and secure (John 10:28-30; Romans 8:1; 1 John 1:6-10, 2:1-2). You do not ever "lose your salvation" if it is genuine and a product of faith in Christ and not of yourself or what you think you ought to do. Read about Peter and his denial of the LORD, or the other characters who were His disciples. None of them confessed to be anything but saved sinners who were now servants of Christ, with faults and all. None of them ever ran around in despair and panic over whether the sins they committed would get them thrown out of heaven or that the Lord Jesus would toss them aside and give up on them. I don't see that when I read the Word.
The danger is that if you confess to be a follower of Christ, sin in some way, and do not feel convicted or have a sense of sorrow over what you have done or said, here is where you are fooling yourself. Friend, let me be honest with you. Your baptism, confirmation, works, repetition of prayer and ritual, or deeds cannot and will never cleanse you of your sins. Even if you have the title "pastor", "deacon", "bishop", reverend", or "doctor" before your name and you get behind a pulpit each Sunday and preach from the Bible, but don't believe what it says, or you water down a passage that your congregation would somehow find' "offensive", or you try to be a "crowd pleaser" with some Jesus thrown in for good measure, that in no way, shape, or form defines you as a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of my professors in seminary told us that just because we were there in his classroom does not mean that we were a Christian.
My fear for you if that you are not certain about your salvation, or are using the Lord Jesus for any other reason except to proclaim Him as LORD and Savior before a spiritually starving world, then rest assured, you will end up as one of the people who say to Him "Lord, Lord, did we not...?" You will go on to tell Him about the great works and things you did for Him, except for one detail, and here is the point I want to emphasize. When you read Matthew 7:21-23, do you notice that these individuals who are pleading their case before Jesus on the Day of Judgment do not say to Him, "Did I not confess and trust You as Lord and Savior, and thank You for redeeming me from sin? Did I not obey and try to do that for which You called me?" These people were trying to justify themselves on services, works, and deeds done in the name of Jesus but not confessing Jesus as their Lord and Savior in faith and gratitude. Works done in Jesus' name do not necessarily have Jesus' blessings or direction. Notice too, that these people do not show any fruit for their labors. Are there souls that have been won as a result of their "anointed ministries" ? Have there been cases of renewed service and dedication to Christ and His Kingdom for which they can show to the Lord on that day? I do not see any of this when I read over these terrifying verses. I see a lot of "me", "myself" and "I", but not much else.
Believe me, I am not presenting this to you without examining my own motives and walk with the LORD. I am just as guilty as anyone of not following Him in faith, and I have done things in His name that ended up as getting my way using Him as justification for my words and actions. I have repented for these sins and have spent time with Him to examine my own soul. I want to hear Him say to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant". I know for a fact that He has rescued me from my sins and wickedness, and He has convicted me of situations that do not please Him. I serve Him because I do love Him and want to do so from a clean and sincere heart dedicated to His glory and honor. I got up before dawn at His urging and impression to write this in the prayer that you and others who serve Him in some capacity do so out of love and gratitude for Him, and that you are not just doing "works", or using Him as a source of easy money and material gain. I beg of you, please examine yourself. Ask Him to show you if you are really His, or have been playing some kind of game. Repent and put your faith in Him NOW. I do not want you to be in the situation He presents in Matthew 7:21-23, but to be those who experience that which words cannot describe (1 Corinthians 2:8-9) as we enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise. Amen.
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