October 18th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is John 10, Luke 13:22-14:24

The passage in John is the one that I wanted to focus on today. I read a fantastic sermon on this chapter by David Legge called Identifying the Sheep of God. I'm going to quote quite a few passages from the sermon - if you have time to read it in its entirety it is excellent.

In those days it was really difficult to tell the literal sheep from the goats, and sometimes it can be difficult to tell the spiritual sheep from the goats. This passage tells exactly what the sheep look like and how they become His sheep.

First of all, there's no fooling God. The Shepherd knows who His sheep are, and the sheep know who their shepherd is. You may be able to fool yourself (I believe, my dad is a pastor), but you can't fool God.

Jesus is the only way to God. He is the gate (10:9) and there is no other way in.

And what must we do to become His sheep? Believe (10:25).

But there's a difference between believing something and believing something. I'm pretty sure that a very large number of Canadians and Americans would say they were Christians, if asked. Sure they believe - everyone believes! But check out James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You see, true belief does not exist on it's own. Yes, we are saved by faith alone - our works cannot save us. But faith does not exist on it's own. Faith and works are a package deal. You cannot have genuine faith and then live a life with no fruit of that belief.

David Legge says....
most believer's children make professions and decisions at some stage in their lifetime. Don't get me wrong, I work with children every summer and I don't minimise the value and the beauty of a child, in simple faith, trusting Christ - it's a beautiful, beautiful thing. But let me say this: one of the greatest tragedies, perhaps, of Christendom is for parents of children who make decisions to cement that decision in the child's mind when there is no evidence in the child's life. Now, we do that, and it's natural - it's a natural affection. You want your child to be saved, so you hope that that decision they made was a genuine decision - but you look at your child's life and there is absolutely no sign of the life of Christ in them!

What many parents do is they reassure that child: 'But you prayed that prayer, and you came in simple faith to the Lord Jesus' - and perhaps that child has got it into their mind, and many people in East Belfast have, for the rest of their days: 'I said that prayer, I made that decision, and when I get before God everything will be alright'. Now, that's the relevance of this message. I believe, parents - just on a side issue - that what you should be doing is looking for evidence of salvation in your child's life and, if it is not there, telling your child: 'You know, there's very little in your life to tell me or anybody that you're saved - are you sure?'. You should be questioning it for their sake, for their eternity!

This is such a good reminder for me to not become complacent about our children's spiritual lives. We are not done when they have prayed the sinner's prayer. It would be rare for a child brought up in a Christian home not to pray that prayer. But as they grow, do they make that faith their own? Do they understand that decision? Do they reaffirm that decision? And do their lives reflect that?

If they tell me they believe, but their life bears no fruit of that belief - to leave that unchallenged is to gamble with their eternity. Empty words (like "I'll pray for you"), do not make you a Christian. It may simply mean they're familiar with the Christian lingo and know what you want to hear. God has no spiritual grandchildren. My faith will not save my children. Their faith needs to become their own.

Secondly, there is unrepentant faith. To put it bluntly, that means no changed life....there has to be a changed life. There has to be a desire after God, there has to be a repentance to know that a man or a woman has been born again. (emphasis mine)

How do we (the sheep) hear His voice? It's not an audible voice. It's the Word of God. And if we have no desire to hear His voice, if we have no desire to read the Word, if we have no desire to hear the Word preached - are we really His sheep?

1 John is very clear about the identifying characteristics of a believe. If we say we believe, but we do not keep His commandments, we are liars. (2:3-4) If we love the world and the things of the world, we do not love Him. (2:15) If we continually live a life of sin and are comfortable with it, we are not saved. (3:4-6) If we do not love each other, we do not love Him. (4:8-9)

Here's the thing: 'David, you're saying you have to be perfect' - no I'm not. I sin regularly, but I hate my sin, and I hope that I do what I can by the Spirit of God not to fall into sin. There is no such thing as perfection until we get to glory, but what I am saying here is: if you love your sin, if you live in your sin, and if you are content with your sin - you are not a child of God! I'm not preaching 'saved and lost', that you have to keep up the momentum in your spiritual life, that you can't go down a bit, or be depressed, or be spiritually dejected - but I'm saying this: that there is something wrong if that is your constant state, if you fail to show fruit for Christ on a daily basis, if you do not follow Christ's way, or have no desire to follow Him. If you are in conscious sin, or continual disobedience, you can't be saved! The proof of conversion is not a list of statements that you prayed as a child, or doctrines that you've nodded to in agreement at, but the proof of conversion is a life radically changed for Jesus! (emphasis mine)

Back to the faith and works package deal.

James 2:17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (emphasis mine)

Faith without works is dead! Faith without works is not faith at all! As one of the reformers said: 'Faith alone saves, but that faith is not alone!'. Faith alone in Jesus Christ the Lord will save you, but if you have that faith it will not be on its own, it will not be without works! The works don't save you, but it's a package that comes together - and if you don't have the works you don't have the faith! (emphasis mine)

So, how are we truly saved?

We hear His voice, we recognize He is the only way, we believe, that belief is evidenced by our transformed lives, as we joyfully receive eternal life, safe in His hands forever.

Tomorrow's passage: Luke 14:25-17:10, John 11:1-37