As he was driving home, his car was doing the same thing as before he took it to the mechanic.
He took it back to the mechanic the second time and once again he was told his car was repaired, but again, on the way home he discovered his car was still doing the same thing.
To make a long story short, that mechanic never could fix his car even after three attempts. He finally took his car to another mechanic and immediately that mechanic found the problem and fixed it.
The man who had the car trouble said this about the first mechanic; “HE CALLS HIMSELF A MECHANIC, BUT HE IS NO MECHANIC!”
Now that makes us think of many people today, who claim they are Christians.
WHY IS THAT? As you look at their life style and compare it to the Word of God, you immediately come to the conclusion THEY ARE NOT CHRISTIANS according to the Word of God!
HOW CAN WE TELL IF A PERSON WHO CLAIMS TO BE SAVED IS TRULY SAVED? God’s Word tells us there is a way you can tell if a person is truly a born-again child of God.
I preach this sermon out of love and concern, because we have churches all over this nation that have people in them telling us they are children of God
• Perhaps they teach a Sunday School Class
• Perhaps they preach God’s Word
But God is going to say to some of these people, “I NEVER KNEW YOU!”
Illus: There are lost people that know they are lost. They will admit they are not saved and they know they are on their way to a devil’s hell. ISN’T THAT SAD? But something sadder than that is the fact that there are people who think they are saved, but they will find out they are part of that group to whom the Lord will say, “I NEVER KNEW YOU!”
Do not just take my word for it. Remember, Matthew 7:21-23 tells us, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Listen, folks can fool each other about whether or not they are children of God, but they can’t fool God. These verses are simply telling us that MANY will claim to be children of God, but God will say to them, “I NEVER KNEW YOU!”
HOW CAN WE TELL IF A PERSON IS TRULY A CHILD OF GOD? Now perhaps some are saying, “Preacher, we can not tell because the Bible teaches we are not to judge one another.”
Matthew 7 is one of the many misquoted passages in the Bible. The only part of this passage that deals with judging, are the words, “Judge not.”
Yes the Bible does teach JUDGE NOT, but it has to be put in proper context to understand what the Lord is saying.
What does it say? Look at Matthew 7:1-5, we read, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
God is not telling us NOT TO JUDGE ONE ANOTHER, He is telling us, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?”
God tells the person who judges another not to do that unless he has no “mote” or “beam,” otherwise that person is a hypocrite.
We are taught to judge - look at verse 15, we are told, “Beware of false prophets.” How can we BEWARE OF A FALSE PROPHET IF WE DO NOT JUDGE HIM TO BE A FALSE PROPHET?
Can we tell if a person who claims to be a child of God is truly a child of God? Yes, we can compare that one’s life-style to the Word of God and find out quickly if he (or she) is a child of God.
Look at Matthew 7:16-23, where we read, “Ye shall KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Many today claim to be children of God, but they are in for the biggest surprise of their lives when they stand before the Lord and hear Him say to them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Those verses I just read to you tell us that if you can tell genuine fruits from briers, you can tell the difference between a Christian and a person who claims to be saved but is not a child of God.
Notice, the Lord said that we can know a person is a child of God BY THE FRUITS THEY BEAR. Notice the word “fruits” is not singular - it is plural. God’s Word is telling us that a genuine child of God bears many different kinds of fruits.
Illus: The question has been raised, that if it was a crime to be a Christian and you were caught and brought to court, would there be enough evidence in your life to convict you as a child of God?
The answer to that question for many is that there would not be enough evidence to convict them, yet they claim to be saved.
Many who claim to be Christians do not bear any of the fruits the Bible teaches they should bear.
Now you might be thinking, “Preacher, are you preaching that to be a child of God we never sin?” No, I am not saying that, because the Bible does not teach that. The only sinless person who ever walked on this earth is the Lord Jesus.
Romans 7:14-20 reveals that Paul had to struggle with sin.
“ For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”
Illus: One day, as a Christian, Peter got so mad he cut a man’s ear off. The Lord had to tell him to put his sword up because he was completely out of the will of God. There is no such thing as a perfect Christian.
Illus: Just as there is no such thing as a perfect athlete, there are no perfect Christians. Now you will find there are some athletes better than others, but there is no such thing as a perfect athlete.
The same thing is true when it comes to Christians. You will find some Christians are better than others, but there is no such thing as a perfect Christian.
Then someone might be saying that if that is the case, then there is no difference between a child of God who sins and a sinner who sins. Yes, there is big difference. The Bible speaks of a Christian who is OVERTAKEN IN A FAULT.
Sometimes we might get slack in our church attendance or prayer and Bible study, and we will become weak and Satan will move in and OVERTAKE US!
In Galatians 6:1, we read, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
That simply means when Christians wake up each day, we do not go out and look for sin to get involved in, as the sinner does. The Bible uses the word that means there are times we are OVERTAKEN and we fall into sin.
Illus: Suppose there is a hole in the road that we might CALL SIN. There is a big difference in how a child of God and a sinner approach that hole of sin.
• A sinner willing JUMPS INTO THE HOLE of sin. They live for sin.
• But there are times the Christian is careless and FALLS INTO THE HOLE OF SIN. A child of God might fall into that hole, but he wants to get out. He has been born again and now he has that NEW NATURE that loves righteousness.
There is no such thing as a perfect Christian, but the Bible tells us we can tell if a person is truly a Christian by the kind of FRUITS he BEARS.
This service does not allow time to look at all the FRUITS a Christian should bear, but let us look at some of these FRUITS that a child of God should bear.
I. OUR LOVE
How much clearer can the Word of God be than this, “By this shall all men KNOW that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” God tells us you do not have to guess, you can KNOW that, “…ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
One of the FRUITS that we Christians are to bear is LOVE. I want to ask you a question. When people observe how you live the Christian life, do they KNOW for sure you are a child of God because they can see the LOVE OF CHRIST IN YOUR LIFE?
If Christ is living in you …
• Would you be a gossip?
• Would you be telling dirty jokes?
• Would you be watching what you watch on television and the internet?
• Would you telling lies?
We who call ourselves Christians are supposed to live as He lived here on earth.
Now let me get stern for a few minutes in this sermon. (I told the Lord when I was preparing this sermon that I did not want to preach this, but I felt the Holy Spirit impressing upon me that if I did not, I would be displeasing the Lord. I DO NOT WANT TO DISPLEASE THE LORD!)
So here goes: SOME OF THE MEANEST AND CRUELEST PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH ARE PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO BE SAVED.
Now I do not say this about all Christians, but there are those who claim to be saved, and …
• They are mean streaked
• They are vicious
• They are cruel
The devil uses those people to make Christianity look bad, in the same way God uses godly people to make Christianity look good.
Keep in mind, God’s Word tells us we are KNOWN AS A CHRISTIAN BY OUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER. Now if you love someone, you will not do anything to hurt or embarrass that person. I THINK WE ALL WOULD AGREE WITH THAT!
Illus: Dr. Belger tells about a family that was having some domestic problems. The husband was running around on his wife. Dr. Belger counseled with them and finally was able to get them to HOLD THE FAMILY TOGETHER, and they attended his church one Sunday. On that Sunday morning, before the morning service was about to start, Dr. Belger and some others were greeting a large crowd of people. Just then, a woman in the church, who claims to be saved, walked up to this couple. She spoke to the man, a total stranger she had never met, and made a remark about him being bald headed. You could tell this man was embarrassed.
The next week Dr. Belger went to see this couple, and the man said, “Dr. Belger, I came to your church trying to get my life straightened out. I did not come there to be embarrassed. We won’t be coming back to your church.” He and his wife never came back.
After that embarrassing situation, he quit trying to get his life straightened out and went back to the woman he was having an affair with. He came home one night and his wife was waiting for him in the living room. She had a gun, and when he came in, she shot and killed him and then shot herself.
Dr. Belger preached their funeral. It was a sad funeral as two caskets were side by side and three children had lost their mom and dad.
Listen, those two people are possibly in Hell today because this woman, who claims she is saved, embarrassed him the way she did. It could have been that when he was reaching out for help and he could have gotten the help he needed, their lives may not have ended this way.
According to the Word of God, that woman can claim she is saved all she wants to, but according to the Word of God, she will be one of those who will probably stand before the Lord one day and He will tell her, “I NEVER KNEW YOU!” The Bible tells us that you can tell a child of God by his LOVE, and love does not do such things as that woman did.
There are people who claim they are Christians, but they remind you of a pit bull dog. They are always attacking Christians in the congregation. THEY ARE VICIOUS.
• They make fun of people’s weight
• They make fun of people’s race
• They make fun of people’s education
• They are as vicious as a pit bull dog!
When you love someone you do not do that. “BY THIS SHALL ALL MEN KNOW YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YE HAVE LOVE ONE TO ANOTHER.”
When you hear someone showing such unkindness, you need to have the Holy Ghost boldness to say to him, “I THOUGHT YOU CLAIMED TO BE A CHILD OF GOD.” And if that person says he is, tell him to start acting like one.
Love is ONE FRUIT you should see in the life of a Christian. There are many more fruits that we should be bearing as Christians, but let me share one more before we close this morning.
We see OUR LOVE and . . .
II. OUR DEEDS
The Bible tells us, in 1 John 3:18-19, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in DEED AND IN TRUTH. And hereby WE KNOW that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.”
In other words there are people who can TALK IT, BUT THEY CAN’T WALK IT. It is appropriate today for Bible preachers to preach to some who claim to be saved, - “PUT UP OR SHUT UP!”
Illus: When Alexander the Great lived, we are told that many mothers named their children after him. One mother did this and Alexander knew how he was living his life in sin. He called him before him and said, “Your mother named you after me, you straighten up your life or change your name!”
People who claim to be Christians do a great deal of harm to the work of God daily, telling people they are saved while living like they are not saved.
The Bible tells us that one way you can tell people are truly children of God, is by their DEEDS. The Word of God IS A LIGHT UNTO OUR PATH AND A LAMP UNTO OUR FEET. The Word directs our life.
Notice, the scriptures say God’s people should love in DEED AND TRUTH. Their deeds genuinely tell us they are children of God.
• What the Bible is teaching lets us know that there are some people who can hear the Word of God, and it means NOTHING TO THEM.
• They can hear the Word of God preached, and it goes in one ear and out the other.
In Hebrews 10:25, God’s Word says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Some profess to be saved and call Christ Lord, but over and over again, their deeds reflect God’s word means absolutely nothing to them. They condemn the heathen for putting all their idols ahead of the Lord Jesus, yet they do the same thing with the idols they put ahead of the Lord each week instead of assembling together with other believers.
Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Yet they refuse to obey.
Romans 6:16 says, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Those who know the Lord no longer yield their bodies to the devil, they now yield their bodies to the Lord Jesus.
Compare the lives of some who claimed to be saved, to the Word of God, and you will find their DEEDS don’t line up with the Word of God.
When people claim to be saved by the grace of God, and they are not bearing the right kind of FRUITS, they are in for the most tragic surprise of their lives when the Lord tells them THEY NEVER WERE ONE OF HIS!
Now when you preach a sermon like this, there is always someone who does not know the scriptures, who will say, “YOU ARE PREACHING SALVATION BY WORKS.”
No, I am preaching what God’s Word says, and that is, IF YOU ARE TRULY A CHILD OF GOD, OTHERS CAN TELL YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD BY THE KIND OF FRUITS YOU ARE BEARING.
Conclusion:
Let me close with this; there are two things that God wants you to know:
(1) He wants YOU TO KNOW YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD NOW. In 1 John 5:13 we read, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW THAT YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
You do not have to wait to stand before the Lord Jesus to KNOW whether or not you are saved. The Lord wants you to know now. If you do not KNOW you are saved, how can you tell others how to be saved?
(2) He wants OTHERS TO KNOW YOU ARE SAVED.
You can show others you KNOW you are saved by the FRUITS YOU BEAR. If you are not bearing the right kind of FRUITS in your life, you have every right to doubt your salvation and so do others.
We see . . .
I. OUR LOVE
II. OUR DEEDS
