The Walk Of The Believer In Jesus (Part 1) Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

View this message at: https://mycrossway.churchcenter.com/episodes/125186

Introduction

I recently received a newspaper from Pastor Matt from the Washington Times, entitled, “America’s Church Leaders Now Wolves in Shepherd’s Clothing” written by Dr. Everett Piper. He gives a scathing warning about the declining biblical understanding of the world by pastors. The problem we are facing is that just under two-thirds of American Senior Pastors do not possess a biblical understanding of the world. The trend among associate pastors is even more alarming at 28%, and only 12% of youth and children pastors have a biblical worldview.

According to the Bible, there are two humanities co-existing in the world, two ways of living, and two eternal destinations (Phillips). There is a stark difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of this world. It can be difficult to understand the distinctions for someone new to the faith. We must remember that this world is not our home and the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus is substantially different from the world.

The fact of the matter is, that Jesus tells us the church here on earth is made up of true believers and false believers; of wheat and tares (Matt 13:24-30), sheep and goats (Matt 25:31-46), and it can only be found by taking a narrow road (Matt 7:13-14). At the end of the age, the Lord Christ Jesus will sit down and separate the two apart - the false believers from the true believers.

?On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:22–23 ESV)

The sad reality is that there will be people who believe they are going to heaven only to find out they are not. The false teachers and pastors who compromised the truth will bear a portion of responsibility for their souls.

We’ve sold an American Gospel based on cheap grace. A message that tells people all they have to do is say a prayer and they’re good; the way they live their life does not matter. The Gospel of Jesus is the message of repentance. It is an understanding that sin is repugnant to a Holy and Righteous God. It is a surrendering of the believer's life as a result of rebirth and transformation of the heart. It is the understanding and knowledge that our salvation cost God everything.

Someone will then ask if it is possible to know for sure of my salvation. The answer is absolute yes. The assurance of our salvation is the sealing of the Holy Spirit upon our lives. He is our assurance that we are Children of God and the evidence of that assurance is the godliness of our living.

he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3–5 (ESV)

There is a practical as much as a spiritual application to our salvation. The evidence of salvation is a distinction in how we live, think, and believe. We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). We live differently because we live by God’s moral law. We think differently because He’s transforming us by renewing our minds (Romans 12:1-3). That is Paul’s point to the Ephesian church.

Last week, we read Eph 4:17 “you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” ‘Gentiles’ is referring to an unrestrained world. Verse 19 says that they pursue sensuality with greediness - they can never have enough.

You and I as believers still struggle with sin but were not longing for sin, lusting to sin. It doesn’t dominate us. Why because we did not learn from Christ that way (Eph 4:20). You no longer live like that or think like that because of the work of Christ on the cross. Your pursuit is no longer selfish sensuality, but godliness.

Our passage is a continuation of the “therefore” at the beginning of the chapter. It points back to our redemption, our salvation, our eternal security, and every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3). Now we come to another ‘therefore.’ It is a continuation of verses 17-24. Since you do not walk like the rest of the world; since you have put off the old self and put on the new self, how you respond and live is completely different. You have virtue in your life and that is your assurance because the qualities of God are obviously expressed in how you live.