That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9 NIV).
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen (2 Peter 3:18 NIV).
Jesus said “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15 NIV)
So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth (1 John 1:6 NLT).
So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it (James 1:21-25 NLT).
We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him (1 John 2:3-5 NIV).
Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? If you say you are saved and confess to be a Christian, yet, you have a style of life that contradicts God’s ways, without any conviction, you are living a lie and you are not saved. When I say “a style of life”, I am not talking about you struggling with something (addiction, gambling, anger, substance abuse, fornication, etc…). I am talking about putting in to practice and living a lifestyle that is contrary to God’s ways.
All Christians want Jesus to be the Savior of their lives, but few have made Him Lord of their lives. You believe IN Jesus, but you don’t BELIEVE JESUS. James 2:18-19 (NIV) says, But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. Deeds and works are not necessary for (and can NEVER earn) salvation, but, the evidence of true faith and salvation are your resulting deeds and works…what you do. Just like love, genuine faith can’t help but express itself. Authentic faith is faith in action. You trust Jesus for what He has done for you, but you don’t trust Him for what He tells you to do. You believe He exists and He died on the cross and rose again. According to verse 19 above, even the demons know who God is, are fully aware of His existence and even fear Him. However, they hate Him, reject Him and, obviously, have no supporting works or actions to demonstrate their faith. Believing in Jesus, in and of itself, is no proof of saving faith. In Hebrews 11, The Hall of Faith, a list of Old Testament individuals are listed and the author repeatedly describes their various acts, achievements and accomplishments performed “by faith”! You believe He is risen and He lives. BUT, you don’t love, believe, and trust Him enough to follow His commands; to do what He says; to follow HIM!!!
“Jesus is the Head of the church. He expects His body to cooperate.”– Jack Wellman
Romans 10:10 (NLT) says, For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. To “confess” is to “agree” or “agree with someone.” By confessing you are publicly acknowledging that you are in agreement with the Father’s declaration in Romans 10:9 that Jesus is Savior and Lord. Regarding the first part of Romans 10:10, For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, God wants your heart first and foremost. If He doesn’t have your heart, you are not made right with Him (you are not justified). Your beliefs have changed. Your words have changed. But, your heart remains the same. Isaiah 29:13 (NLT) says And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. According this verse, their reverence of God was superficial and religious instead of sincere love, devotion and relationship. You say you believe in Him, but He doesn’t have your heart. If you don’t believe Him with all your heart, your confession means nothing. Your prayer and worship should come from within, from a heart fully surrendered to God, following His Word instead of man-made rules and rituals.
A Lord is defined as a man who has considerable power, authority, or influence over others. Does Jesus have CONSIDERABLE authority and influence in your daily life? Here are some questions to consider:
- When you have a problem, do you pray about it and give it to God, or do you worry and stress about it?
- When it comes to your daily behavior and how you conduct yourself, do you consider God’s Word and do what it says or do you do things according to how you feel?
- When it comes to making a decision, do you pray, read the Bible, inquire of God, fast and seek His will or do you just do what you desire and what you think is best?
- Do you express opinions based on your own thoughts and understanding or are your ways of thinking based on the truth of the Bible?
In Revelation 3:15-20 (NIV), Jesus warns you and then welcomes you, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of My mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.”
- Jesus says, you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! He would rather you be cold, indifferent and openly rejecting Him or hot, filled with love and zeal for Him than to be a lukewarm hypocrite, professing to follow and know Him, but only being a Christian in name only, not truly belonging to Him.
- So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of My mouth. Jesus essentially states that this kind of behavior revolting to Him to the point that He wanted to vomit.
- You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. The things you can see and buy are temporal and will never be more valuable than pursuing God and doing those things that have eternal value and advance His Kingdom. Having money and possessions is not a bad thing, but they only offer temporary fulfillment and mean nothing without a close, loving relationship with Christ. Seek to find your true riches in Christ instead of making achievement, comfort and luxury the primary focus of your life.
- But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Attaining material possessions is a waste of time and valueless compared to pursuing and being in a right relationship with God.
- Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. God is faithful and, instead of rejecting them, He will correct and discipline those He loves (see Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-6). The goal is that it will lead them to repentance.
- Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. Christ provides a way of reinvigoration for a church that has lost its zeal, become spiritually weak and fallen out of fellowship with Him. Jesus does not force Himself into a church (or on a person) by breaking and entering, but He offers a simple invitation by a knock on the door.
- If anyone hears my voice and opens the door. The church (or individual) gets to decide whether or not they will respond to the knock, open the door and let Him into their lives.
- I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” If you choose to open the door, He will come in and dine with you. In the Bible, a shared meal is a symbol of being accepted, having a covenant relationship and a genuine friendship [see Rev 19:9; Genesis 18:1-5, 16-19; Exodus 12:1-31, 18:12; Matthew 26:26-30].
The church is the bridegroom of Christ and just like the love in a marriage can grow dim, it can also be rekindled. In the same way, yielding to the Lordship of Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in you can be the spark that reignites your zeal for Jesus!
If Jesus is the Lord of your life:
- You have a new relationship with His Word—OBEDIENCE!
- You have a new relationship with your sin—YOU DON’T WANT TO DO IT!
- You have a new relationship with Him—YOU SEEK HIM, KNOW HIM AND LOVE HIM!
- You are a new creation—YOU WANT TO BE LIKE HIM!
- You have a new way of living—YOU HAVE GIVEN YOUR LIFE TO HIM AND ONLY WANT HIS WILL FOR YOUR LIFE!
“Our faith itself, though it be the bond of our union with Christ through which we receive all His blessings, is not our savior. We have but one Savior; and that one Savior is Jesus Christ our Lord. Nothing that we are and nothing that we can do enters in the slightest measure into the ground of our acceptance with God. Jesus did it all.“- B.B. Warfield
In Matthew 7:21-27 (NLT) Jesus says “Not everyone who calls out to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to Me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God’s laws.’ “Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears My teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
- Jesus says “Not everyone who calls out to Me…Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. The kind of “faith” that only calls out (speaks), but does not do is really no faith at all. Your walk (actions) is more important than your talk (words). Actions speak louder than words and doing the right thing will always outshine saying the right things. Jesus is not suggesting that works and obedience [doing] is necessary for salvation, but true faith and salvation should produce the fruit of good works {see James 1:22-25; 2:26}!
- On judgment day many will say to Me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Only your relationship with Jesus, accepting Him as your Savior and your obedience to Him as your Lord will matter on Judgement Day. John 14:15 (AMP) says, “If you[really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments. According to what Jesus says in this verse, you can never truly show your love for Him without keeping His commands. You cannot learn what He commands without knowing Him.
- Get away from Me, you who break God’s laws.’ If you proclaim to be a Christian, a follower/disciple of Christ, your lifestyle, what you do on a daily basis, should not be separate from what you claim to believe. It certainly should not be contrary to the commands and teachings of Jesus. 1 John 3:4 (AMP) says, Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [ignoring God’s law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing—being unrestrained by His commands and His will].
- “Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears My teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” The house is Jesus’ teachings the rock is application of His teachings and the rain/storm represents divine judgement (Isaiah 29:6; Jeremiah 23:19; Ezekiel 1:4’ 38:22). The foolish person hears God’s Word, but disregards and does things his/her own way, building a house on the inferior, unstable foundation of sand. The wise person builds a house on the strong foundation of obedience to God’s word (the rock) and is able to withstand, by the grace of God, the storms of life and/or judgement.
Now here’s where many people are going to miss salvation. They want to receive Christ as their Savior and that’s it. Now, friend, He is Savior, but the Bible says in Romans 10 verse 9, “Confess Him as Lord, confess Him as Lord”. Do you know what that means? That means to take yourself off the throne of your life and put Jesus Christ upon the throne of your life. Salvation is not just some intellectual belief that you tack on. It is doing what that man did to that chair, it is trusting the Lord Jesus, it is committing everything to the Lord Jesus. It is saying, “Jesus Christ is Lord”. Now He is Lord, isn’t He? And friend, if you don’t receive who He is, you cannot have what He gives. He is Lord. That doesn’t mean that you’re saved by good works. It just simply means that you bow the knee to Him and say, “Jesus, I take hands off my life, I give You my life”.--Pastor Adrian Rogers
Is the Lamb not worthy of the obedience and small sacrifices He asks of you?!?! Obedience is not something you do only when it’s convenient. Your obedience is not based on your circumstances, how you feel, what you think, or what other people say. As a follower of Christ you should display UNCONDITIONAL OBEDIENCE! Jesus loves you. He died for you. He saved you. He has a wonderful plan for your life. Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV) says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” As exiles, being held as captives in Babylon, the Lord’s declared plan in this verse was specific to Israel, to not only prosper them, but to return them to the land of Judah. However, the principle of this plan to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future can be applied to you, as a Christian, as long as you diligently seek and pursue Him with all your heart. The Lord’s plan to graciously bless His people with prosperity, hope and a future is dependent on their willingness to repent. Jesus only wants the best for you. He is more worthy than anyone or anything in your life to have your loyalty and to be your priority. Make sure your life is built on solid rock! Surrender your life to Him and start living, wholeheartedly, for Him today!
Side note paraphrased from the Moody Bible Commentary, page 1147: The purpose of casting Israel out of their land was more than just judgement for sin. The larger purpose was to force Israel back to God (see Deuteronomy 30:1-10). Whenever we face difficulties in our lives, we must remember God has a good plan for us, a plan that includes even the difficulties themselves. Instead of being angry and shutting God out when we encounter trials, we should call on Him, seek Him with our whole heart and pray to Him anticipating a good outcome knowing that He is listening (Romans 8:28; James 1:2-4; Hebrews 10:19-25).
“He [Jesus] has a right to interrupt your life. He is Lord. When you accepted Him as Lord, you gave Him the right to help Himself to your life anytime He wants.“– Henry Blackaby
We close with John 8:12 (NIV) When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” In this verse, the word “follows” expresses the idea of a true disciple who wholeheartedly surrenders him or herself to the Lordship of Christ {The MacArthur Study Bible, page 1556}. Luke 9:61-62 (NKJV) says, And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” In this verse, Jesus uses the example of a plowman because, after putting his hand to the plow, a plowman cannot look back, otherwise he will cut a crooked furrow instead of a straight one. In Jesus’ mind, there is no such thing as a lukewarm, passive follower. True followers/disciples of Jesus are not half-hearted ”fans” or “admirers” of His. Once you give your life to Him, there is no looking back or going back to the former ways of thinking and doing things, but only being all-in and moving forward with Him and doing life His way!
With Jesus, there is no gray area or middle ground. You are either in the light or in the dark. You are either hot or cold. Matthew 12:30 (NIV) says, “He who is not with Me is against me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. “It is impossible to be neutral about Christ. Anyone who is not actively following Him has chosen to reject Him. To refuse to follow Christ is to choose to be on Satan’s team” (Life Application Study Bible, page 1986.). When you live God’s way you are Living for Truth, Living for Christ, Living for God’s Glory, and LIVING THE VICTORY!
Go Live The Victory!
References:
The MacArthur Study Bible
Life Application Study Bible
The Tony Evans Bible Commentary
The Moody Bible Commentary
NLT Illustrated Study Bible
Harper’s Bible Commentary
Sermoncentral.com
NIV & The Message Parallel Study Bible
https://sermons.love/adrian-rogers/15920-adrian-rogers-salvation.html
