Luk 18:18 –30 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Why “Repentance from Dead Works”? Hebrews 6:1-2
Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of (1) repentance from dead works, and of (2) faith toward God,
Heb 6:2 Of the (3) doctrine of baptisms, and of (4) laying on of hands, and of (5) resurrection of the dead, and of (6) eternal judgment.
“Dead Works” only appears twice in the Bible. Once in Heb 6, and again in Heb 9:
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
What works is Paul talking about? (Review key text in Luke again)
Point # 1 – Wbat was the rich ruler’s question?
Point # 2 – What commandments did Jesus refer to?
Point #3 – What was the “one thing” that Jesus told him he was lacking?
Point #4 – Was Jesus simply referring to monetary riches only?
Point # 5 – WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
Keeping the Commandments will not save you! Titus 3:3-7; Romans 11:5-6
Tit 3:3-7 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Rom 11:5-6 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Faith vs. Works / Law vs. Grace
READ AND HIT KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM Galatians 2:15 – 3:14
Highlight #1 – Paul, as a Jew, realized a man is justified by faith in Jesus, not by works of the law (2:16)
Highlight #2 – We are not to continue in sin and “frustrate the grace of God” (2:17,21)
Highlight #3 – We are born again through the Holy Spirit, so why go back to works of the flesh? (3:3)
Highlight #4 – Those who are of faith are the seed of Abraham’s promise (3:7-9)
Highlight #5 – Obedience to the law does not justify us, only through faith (3:11)
Highlight #6 – As Gentiles, we have been made heirs to the promise through faith (3:14)
SO WHAT ABOUT GOOD WORKS, OR FRUIT?
James 2:14-26
Vs. 14-16 – put our money where our faith is
Vs 17-20 – faith w/o works is dead
Vs 21-26 – faith is made perfect through works
THE VINE (Luke 6:39-45)
Luk 6:39-45 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
WALKING IN THE SPIRIT / THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
“The Proofs in the Pudding” – Ever hear that phrase? Well, in our Christian walk, our spritual lives with Christ, the “proof” is in the fruit … the fruit of the spirit that is. Some of us need to do a survey of our own lives … a “fruit check” if you will.
Let’s see what the fruit of the spirit is, … these are the works that should be evident in our lives:
Galatians 5:22-25
(1) Love
(2) Joy
(3) Peace
(4) Longsuffering
(5) Gentleness
(6) Goodness
(7) Faith
(8) Meekness
(9) Temperance
CLOSING COMMENTS
· We are not saved by any works – there is no justification through obedience to the law!
· Salvation comes through faith in Jesus alone
· Faith, however, is incomplete unless accompanied by works
· These works are action – putting our action where our faith is
· We should examine ourselves to determine “why” we do the works we do
· We should examine ourselves to determine if we do any REAL works
· Our lives should bear fruit – the fruit of the spirit as Paul noted
If we lack a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, all of our efforts will be in vain. Any works that we may do, whether obedience to the commandments or action works out in the world … will still result in him saying “depart from me ye workers of iniquity, for I never knew you”.
As our lives are transformed by our submission to Jesus Christ, obedience to God’s laws should come naturally, … as they are written on our hearts. Our actions will speak louder than words, as we put action into our faith, and exhibit the fruits of the spirit in our lives.
Unfortunately, there is no gray line. There is no caution zone. There is an absolute truth that all men will have to attest to sooner or later … that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess … today is the day of salvation. Why wait?
If your obedience to the Sabbath or the health laws, or any other commandment is simply because you feel like it is mandatory for your salvation … then you need to meet the Saviour.
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