Title: Superficial Faith Meta: Is there a possibility of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and still going to hell? Now that is a shocking question, yet John 2:23 says "many believed in His name" then in verse 24 says "Jesus was not entrusting Himself to them" The ultimate question is not "have you trusted Jesus?" but it is "Has Jesus entrusted Himself to you?" Why would Jesus not entrust Himself to some? It says because "He knew all people," as in He knew that these people didn't have genuine faith, it was shallow faith, it was superficial. Tags: charles leiter,john 2,faith,salvation,Lordship,Christian,Jesus Christ 1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,630 John Chapter 2 and we will read verse 23 to 25 2 00:00:06,630 --> 00:00:12,400 "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast, 3 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:18,260 many believed in his name beholding his signs which he was doing. 4 00:00:18,260 --> 00:00:24,250 But Jesus on His part was not entrusting Himself to them, 5 00:00:24,260 --> 00:00:29,100 for he knew all men and because he did not need anyone 6 00:00:29,110 --> 00:00:36,610 to bear witness concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man." 7 00:00:36,610 --> 00:00:41,270 And I want us to talk this morning about this whole subject of 8 00:00:41,270 --> 00:00:46,940 superficial faith or what you might call shallow faith. 9 00:00:46,940 --> 00:00:50,340 Superficial means right on the surface. 10 00:00:50,340 --> 00:00:57,890 And there is such a thing as faith that is not saving faith it is a superficial faith. It is a shallow faith. (P) 11 00:00:57,890 --> 00:01:02,940 And so first of all notice from these verses the possibility 12 00:01:02,940 --> 00:01:07,900 of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and still being lost in your sins. 13 00:01:07,900 --> 00:01:13,590 The possibility of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and still going to hell. 14 00:01:13,590 --> 00:01:18,280 Now that is a shocking statement. Why do I say that? 15 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,820 Well look at John 2:23, it says, 16 00:01:20,820 --> 00:01:26,990 "when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast many believed in His name." 17 00:01:26,990 --> 00:01:29,460 They believed in His name. 18 00:01:29,460 --> 00:01:35,600 "But Jesus on His part was not entrusting Himself to them." 19 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,810 And this word 'entrusting' in the New American Standard 20 00:01:38,810 --> 00:01:41,420 is the very same word 'believe'. 21 00:01:41,420 --> 00:01:48,130 And I think the King James Bible has 'commit'. What does the ESV say? Jesus was not what? 22 00:01:48,130 --> 00:01:53,930 Jesus was not entrusting. But it is the very same word. 23 00:01:53,930 --> 00:02:01,930 You could say many believed in His name but Jesus on His part did not believe in them. 24 00:02:01,930 --> 00:02:07,910 Or you could say many entrusted themselves to His name, 25 00:02:07,910 --> 00:02:12,680 but He did not entrust Himself to them. 26 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,640 He did not commit Himself to them. 27 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:23,230 And so the question is not "Have I trusted Jesus ultimately?" 28 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:28,320 The question is "Has He trusted me? Has he entrusted Himself to me?" (P) 29 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:34,970 So why would Jesus not entrust himself or commit himself to these people? 30 00:02:34,970 --> 00:02:38,950 Well, let me ask you, why would he not? 31 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:46,210 Sam said we would have questions during this time and I'm going to ask you questions. 32 00:02:46,210 --> 00:02:51,440 Is that the way you do it? I ask you questions. 33 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:55,070 Why would Jesus not entrust Himself? It tells us right here. 34 00:02:55,070 --> 00:02:57,510 *Man answers* "He knew all the hearts of men." 35 00:02:57,510 --> 00:03:00,480 Alright. He knew the hearts of men. 36 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:06,970 So in order words, when it says that they trusted Him, they believed in His name; 37 00:03:06,970 --> 00:03:11,450 There was something lacking in that entrusting, that believing. 38 00:03:11,450 --> 00:03:16,470 And he knew their hearts. He knew what was in them. He knew the kind of faith that they had 39 00:03:16,470 --> 00:03:20,650 was not the real genuine faith. 40 00:03:20,650 --> 00:03:24,890 It was something that was shallow, it was on the surface. 41 00:03:24,890 --> 00:03:27,490 They believed in His name, 42 00:03:27,500 --> 00:03:34,160 but He knew their hearts and He did not commit Himself to them. (P) 43 00:03:34,170 --> 00:03:37,130 You know, it is one thing for me to say, 44 00:03:37,130 --> 00:03:40,350 "I know the Queen of England," and it is another thing for her to say — 45 00:03:40,350 --> 00:03:44,730 I mean I could go to the Gates of Buckingham Palace or whatever and say, "I know the Queen." 46 00:03:44,740 --> 00:03:47,210 That is not going to get you through the door. 47 00:03:47,210 --> 00:03:49,470 If she said she knows me 48 00:03:49,470 --> 00:03:51,940 that is something different. 49 00:03:51,940 --> 00:03:54,720 It is amazing in Galatians 4, it says 50 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:59,460 "Now that you have come to know God", Paul says that, 51 00:03:59,460 --> 00:04:03,830 "now that have come to know God," then he stops, "or rather 52 00:04:03,830 --> 00:04:07,960 that you have come to be known by God." 53 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:09,960 Isn't that something? 54 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,860 To be known by God. And that is the same kind of thing. 55 00:04:13,860 --> 00:04:19,380 So the Lord did not entrust Himself to them because He knew their hearts. (P) 56 00:04:19,380 --> 00:04:25,580 Now notice it is not that they weren't sincere. 57 00:04:25,590 --> 00:04:28,360 A man can be. I mean, Nicodemus is an example. 58 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:32,660 He comes up here in the next chapter right away. He was sincere. 59 00:04:32,660 --> 00:04:35,780 A man can be sincere in one sense 60 00:04:35,780 --> 00:04:42,020 and be as insincere and dishonest and so much unreality in his heart, 61 00:04:42,020 --> 00:04:47,650 he does not even know what he is doing a lot of times. People that come forward in these mass meetings, 62 00:04:47,650 --> 00:04:51,760 they are not deliberating trying to deceive anybody, 63 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:55,380 but they don't even know what they are doing many times. 64 00:04:55,380 --> 00:05:00,020 So that's what we are talking about here. We are not talking about a lack of sincerity, 65 00:05:00,020 --> 00:05:02,320 at least on the surface. 66 00:05:02,330 --> 00:05:08,530 And this is a great mistake of many well-meaning counselors or so-called "soul winners". 67 00:05:08,530 --> 00:05:11,310 They think that if the guy is just sincere 68 00:05:11,310 --> 00:05:15,810 and he just bows his head and prays a prayer then God will hear him. 69 00:05:15,810 --> 00:05:19,180 Well, that may or may not be the case. 70 00:05:19,180 --> 00:05:26,850 Here in John 2, these people believed in His name, He didn't commit Himself to them. 71 00:05:26,850 --> 00:05:32,690 Many of these mass meetings where people go forward or where many times you get somebody to pray a prayer. 72 00:05:32,690 --> 00:05:35,710 They are sincere. They mean it as best they can, 73 00:05:35,710 --> 00:05:42,320 but is this same kind of thing here. They believe in one sense but is a superficial type faith. 74 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,740 Sincere but shallow. (P) 75 00:05:44,740 --> 00:05:52,510 The problem is if you get a person stirred up in their emotions, you can get them to make some kind of decision. 76 00:05:52,510 --> 00:05:54,600 Many times you can do that. 77 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:57,100 You can do that especially with children. 78 00:05:57,100 --> 00:06:01,400 You can take children and you say, "You don't want to go to hell, do you?" 79 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:07,670 and, "Don't you want to be with mom and dad?" You play on that awhile you can get them to pray a prayer. 80 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,770 See, the praying that prayer 81 00:06:10,770 --> 00:06:14,870 or "trusting" Jesus doesn't do anything. 82 00:06:14,870 --> 00:06:19,530 There has to be the reality of the Holy Spirit in that. 83 00:06:19,530 --> 00:06:27,570 And so what you have in our day is multitudes of people making professions of faith. 84 00:06:27,570 --> 00:06:35,110 Over in Romania, I've gone over there several times with the Heart Cry organization. 85 00:06:35,110 --> 00:06:41,750 There are so many people, I mean, American evangelists go over and they say we led 10,000 to the Lord! 86 00:06:41,750 --> 00:06:47,030 And when you total it all up it is more than the population of Romania. 87 00:06:47,030 --> 00:06:49,580 There is something wrong there! 88 00:06:49,580 --> 00:06:54,720 And so this thing of using and playing on the emotions 89 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:58,960 and getting people to pray a prayer and make a decision. (P) 90 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:03,050 I have never been able to verify this quote, 91 00:07:03,050 --> 00:07:12,160 but the story was told that Spurgeon used to have his counseling time on Tuesday afternoons. 92 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:19,440 And after he left, one of the men that followed him started doing it the Sunday after the meeting. 93 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:24,240 And one of the old deacons came and he said, "Why are you doing this?" 94 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,840 He said, "Well I believe in striking while the iron is hot." 95 00:07:28,850 --> 00:07:33,880 In other words, while the emotions are stirred try to get people to do something. 96 00:07:33,890 --> 00:07:37,260 And the deacon replied, "Mr. Spurgeon believed 97 00:07:37,260 --> 00:07:42,380 that if God heated the iron it would stay hot until Tuesday afternoon." 98 00:07:42,380 --> 00:07:46,270 You don't have to play on emotion. You don't have to do that! 99 00:07:46,270 --> 00:07:53,140 and when we really believe that, when we really see that trusting God to work in people's lives. 100 00:07:53,140 --> 00:07:57,450 Martyn Lloyd-Jones, one night he was preaching, 101 00:07:57,450 --> 00:08:02,310 I think, it was a Sunday evening and there was a fellow a well-known drunk 102 00:08:02,310 --> 00:08:04,590 who was attending the meetings. 103 00:08:04,590 --> 00:08:08,270 And the fellow was weeping the whole meeting. 104 00:08:08,270 --> 00:08:13,300 Lloyd-Jones went to the back after it was over to greet the people that were leaving 105 00:08:13,300 --> 00:08:17,100 and the thought went through his mind, "Should I say something to this fellow or not?" 106 00:08:17,100 --> 00:08:19,090 And he decided he wouldn't. 107 00:08:19,090 --> 00:08:22,130 The fellow left the building. The next day, 108 00:08:22,130 --> 00:08:28,110 Lloyd-Jones was walking across a bridge and he met this man coming to him. 109 00:08:28,110 --> 00:08:32,730 The fellow said, "Dr. Lloyd-Jones, 110 00:08:32,740 --> 00:08:37,720 if you would have asked me last night I would have become a Christian." 111 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:41,200 And he said, "Well come now. Let's come to the office and we could talk" 112 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,090 And he said, "No no I don't want to do it today but if you asked me last night." 113 00:08:45,090 --> 00:08:49,940 Now, you see what that is? It's not real. It's emotion. It is being stirred. 114 00:08:49,940 --> 00:08:54,790 This happens all the time. (P) 115 00:08:54,790 --> 00:08:58,740 My own wife went forward in one of these big meetings 116 00:08:58,740 --> 00:09:04,850 and "accepted" Jesus and was preparing to be a missionary in New Guinea 117 00:09:04,850 --> 00:09:08,480 and came to see that she was lost. 118 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:10,570 So that is what we are talking about. 119 00:09:10,570 --> 00:09:13,650 When John Wesley came over to America 120 00:09:13,650 --> 00:09:19,430 he said, "I came here to convert the Indians but who is going to convert me?" (P) 121 00:09:19,430 --> 00:09:26,020 Alright. So there's the possibility of superficial faith, believing on Jesus and still being lost in sin. 122 00:09:26,020 --> 00:09:33,300 But notice too here, superficial faith is not only possible it is very common. 123 00:09:33,300 --> 00:09:37,260 It says 'many' believed in His name—many. 124 00:09:37,260 --> 00:09:42,130 You remember the Lord Jesus? He said, "Strive to enter by the narrow gate. 125 00:09:42,130 --> 00:09:46,210 Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life. 126 00:09:46,210 --> 00:09:49,520 Not many go in there. Few there will be that find it. 127 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:54,780 Broad is the way that leads to destruction. Many go in that gate. 128 00:09:54,780 --> 00:09:59,110 He is not talking about... A lot of people have the idea 129 00:09:59,110 --> 00:10:03,050 He is talking there of the broad gate that it is talking about other religions 130 00:10:03,050 --> 00:10:05,520 and people like Hitler and that type of thing. 131 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:10,040 No, the whole thing is talking about professing Christianity 132 00:10:10,050 --> 00:10:13,760 because he says many and few. 133 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:18,200 Many will say to me Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in Your name 134 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:24,060 and in Your name cast out demons and in Your name do many miracles. These are professing Christians. 135 00:10:24,060 --> 00:10:31,930 And so the broad gate and the narrow gate or narrow way are within professing Christianity. 136 00:10:31,930 --> 00:10:37,290 Beloved, think of this, the vast vast majority 137 00:10:37,290 --> 00:10:42,110 of professing Christians down through the ages, people that go by the name Christian, 138 00:10:42,110 --> 00:10:46,920 the vast majority of them had nothing but superficial faith. 139 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:49,840 They grew up in a church or something you know. 140 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:55,240 Or they made some kind of shallow profession and then they go on living their lives in sin. 141 00:10:55,240 --> 00:11:01,820 The vast majority of people who say they are Christians are not real Christians. So it is a warning to us. (P) 142 00:11:01,820 --> 00:11:04,770 What else? Well notice also 143 00:11:04,780 --> 00:11:12,800 that the terminology, as far as the terminology is concerned, it is describing Christians. 144 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:17,070 It is Christian terminology. Now, this is a big one. 145 00:11:17,070 --> 00:11:21,370 But it says many believed in his name. 146 00:11:21,380 --> 00:11:23,970 You remember back in chapter 1, 147 00:11:23,970 --> 00:11:30,890 "To those who received Him, to as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, 148 00:11:30,900 --> 00:11:35,090 even to those who believe in His name. 149 00:11:35,090 --> 00:11:38,780 The very same phrase exactly in the Greek. 150 00:11:38,780 --> 00:11:41,740 So you read back here in John 1:12, 151 00:11:41,740 --> 00:11:51,220 "As many as received Him, even those who believe in His name." He said that's a true Christian. That is a true Christian. 152 00:11:51,220 --> 00:11:55,170 Then you get over to chapter 2 and you see many believed in His name. 153 00:11:55,180 --> 00:11:59,850 You say, "They must be true Christians. That's Christian terminology." 154 00:11:59,850 --> 00:12:06,210 But the fact is the Bible often uses Christian terminology 155 00:12:06,220 --> 00:12:11,700 to describe people on the basis of their profession of faith or their outward appearance; 156 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:18,070 but it doesn't mean that they are true Christians and that really helps us as we begin to look at the Scripture. (P) 157 00:12:18,070 --> 00:12:24,640 Now, I want to show you a few places right here in the book of John where we see that. 158 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:28,190 In John chapter 8:30, 159 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:44,470 "As He spoke these things many came to believe in Him." 160 00:12:44,470 --> 00:12:49,060 "Well," you say, "they got converted. They are Christians." Well, let's read on. 161 00:12:49,060 --> 00:12:54,020 "Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 162 00:12:54,020 --> 00:13:00,630 if you abide or continue in My word then you are truly disciples of Mine 163 00:13:00,630 --> 00:13:05,160 and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. 164 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:09,360 They answered him in verse 33, "We are Abraham's offspring." 165 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:16,880 Verse 34, "Jesus answered them..." and then verse 39 "they answered and said to Him." Do you follow? 166 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:22,030 There is a discussion going on here. Now these people had believed in His name, they had believed in Him. 167 00:13:22,030 --> 00:13:25,060 And they are answering back and forth 168 00:13:25,060 --> 00:13:28,980 and as you get down to verse 42, 169 00:13:28,980 --> 00:13:37,820 "Jesus said to them..." and then verse 44, "you are of your father the devil." 170 00:13:37,820 --> 00:13:44,140 So here He has people that believe in Him, and they get into a discussion and He ends up saying your father is the devil. 171 00:13:44,140 --> 00:13:47,230 Now do you see this, the word "believe" 172 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:53,100 doesn't necessarily mean that they were true Christians. It means that there was some kind of faith involved, 173 00:13:53,100 --> 00:13:58,100 some kind of believing involved and it was a superficial faith. 174 00:13:58,100 --> 00:14:01,860 And He ends up saying, "you are of your father the devil." (P) 175 00:14:01,860 --> 00:14:05,640 We see the same thing in Matthew 13. 176 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:09,370 Jesus tells the parable of a sower that went out to sow 177 00:14:09,380 --> 00:14:16,280 and remember it says that there was one that received the word immediately with joy. 178 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:22,140 You see that happens sometimes. People receive the word immediately with joy. 179 00:14:22,150 --> 00:14:25,720 Maybe we ought to turn to Matthew 13:20. 180 00:14:34,100 --> 00:14:38,210 "The one on whom the seed was sown in the rocky places 181 00:14:38,210 --> 00:14:41,430 this is the man who hears the word 182 00:14:41,430 --> 00:14:45,700 and immediately receives it with joy 183 00:14:45,700 --> 00:14:51,410 yet he has no firm root in himself but is only temporary, 184 00:14:51,410 --> 00:14:57,580 and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word immediately he falls away. 185 00:14:57,580 --> 00:15:03,160 And then I think maybe it's in Luke's passage it says, "he believes for a while." 186 00:15:03,170 --> 00:15:06,500 There is such a thing as believing for a while. 187 00:15:06,500 --> 00:15:12,950 And you've seen people say, "You know he received it with joy. I know he got saved. Look at how joyful he was!" 188 00:15:12,950 --> 00:15:19,280 No, you don't know that, until you see the fruit, the reality, the perseverance. 189 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:27,410 And so, it says here that immediately he receives it with joy and immediately he falls away 190 00:15:27,410 --> 00:15:31,220 when the problems come. How is that? 191 00:15:31,220 --> 00:15:38,700 Well, the more shallow a thing is, it's a superficial faith. The more shallow you plant something the faster it comes up. 192 00:15:38,700 --> 00:15:44,680 And I like to see people struggling and agonizing, you know, fighting 193 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:50,910 before they get converted. It doesn't mean you can't be converted, you know, in a day. 194 00:15:50,910 --> 00:15:54,590 But sometimes it's a good sign when you see people doing that 195 00:15:54,590 --> 00:15:58,490 because they're really realizing that this is going to cost me everything to be a Christian. 196 00:15:58,490 --> 00:16:04,220 But when somebody quickly receives the word, many times they quickly fall away. Why? 197 00:16:04,220 --> 00:16:10,390 No depth of earth, no root, it's superficial surface, you see. (P) 198 00:16:10,390 --> 00:16:16,320 Alright. Let's look at another one. 2 Peter 2:20. 199 00:16:27,780 --> 00:16:31,290 We'll start in right there, it says 200 00:16:31,290 --> 00:16:36,340 "For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world 201 00:16:36,340 --> 00:16:40,990 by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 202 00:16:40,990 --> 00:16:43,980 Now that sounds real doesn't it? 203 00:16:43,980 --> 00:16:47,970 These people have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of 204 00:16:47,970 --> 00:16:52,480 the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sounds real. 205 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:58,590 If they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state is become worse for them then the first. 206 00:16:58,590 --> 00:17:03,440 It would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it, 207 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:06,360 to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. 208 00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:08,610 So if you had just read that you would say, "Look, 209 00:17:08,610 --> 00:17:12,740 they escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of Christ and 210 00:17:12,740 --> 00:17:17,470 they knew these holy things and then turned away: they lost their salvation. 211 00:17:17,470 --> 00:17:21,810 But you have to read the next verse to see how Peter views these people. 212 00:17:21,810 --> 00:17:27,270 He says in verse 22, "It happened to them according to the true proverb, 213 00:17:27,270 --> 00:17:29,920 a dog returns to his vomit." 214 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,140 People who had never been changed on the inside. You see? 215 00:17:33,140 --> 00:17:37,620 The pig, the sow after washing returns to wallowing in the mire. 216 00:17:37,620 --> 00:17:42,060 So even though Peter describes them using these Christian words, 217 00:17:42,060 --> 00:17:45,130 he's not thinking of them as true Christians. 218 00:17:45,140 --> 00:17:49,750 I mean, if some brother, some Christian you know turned away, 219 00:17:49,750 --> 00:17:55,260 would you say that it's just a dog going back to his vomit? You wouldn't say that about a true believer. 220 00:17:55,260 --> 00:17:59,310 So you understand how Peter views these people? 221 00:17:59,310 --> 00:18:06,030 They make a superficial profession. They're described according to their appearance. (P) 222 00:18:06,030 --> 00:18:10,810 Well, let me give you one more then we will talk about it. 223 00:18:10,810 --> 00:18:14,680 Acts 8:13. 224 00:18:28,940 --> 00:18:32,870 This is talking about Simon the sorcerer. 225 00:18:32,870 --> 00:18:39,920 It says in verse 13, "even Simon himself believed." There is that word "he believed". 226 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:44,050 "And after being baptized he continued on with Philip." 227 00:18:44,050 --> 00:18:47,610 So he believed, he was baptized, he continued on. 228 00:18:47,610 --> 00:18:54,730 "And as he observed signs and great miracles taking place..." same thing we saw in John 2, 229 00:18:54,730 --> 00:18:57,310 he was continually amazed. 230 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:03,010 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem..." (then it goes on and tells about them praying and laying hands) 231 00:19:03,010 --> 00:19:04,220 verse 18, 232 00:19:04,220 --> 00:19:10,810 "and when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed by the laying on of the apostles hands he offered them money 233 00:19:10,820 --> 00:19:16,420 saying, 'I want that'. Peter said to him, 'May your silver perish with you.'" 234 00:19:16,420 --> 00:19:18,440 He is going to perish. 235 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,630 "Because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money. 236 00:19:21,630 --> 00:19:28,130 You have no part or portion in this matter for your heart is not right before God. 237 00:19:28,130 --> 00:19:31,880 Therefore, repent of this wickedness of yours 238 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:35,860 and pray to the Lord that if possible the intention of your heart may be forgiven." 239 00:19:35,860 --> 00:19:38,810 Here is another example of superficial faith. 240 00:19:38,810 --> 00:19:44,720 He believed, he was baptized. Why? Well, he wanted power. 241 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:48,870 And he saw these signs and wonders and so on. (P) 242 00:19:48,870 --> 00:19:52,270 Now let me just say this, 243 00:19:52,270 --> 00:19:59,940 don't be shaken when you see people that seem to appear to be believers fall away. 244 00:19:59,940 --> 00:20:04,740 That's what we're talking about. This is very practical, very helpful. 245 00:20:04,740 --> 00:20:09,260 Now, Paul talks about that. You remember Hymenaeus and Philetus in 2 Timothy? 246 00:20:09,260 --> 00:20:13,400 They turned away from the faith. He says it upset the faith of some people. 247 00:20:13,410 --> 00:20:17,580 You see these guys turning away, it bothers you. 248 00:20:17,580 --> 00:20:22,470 I think that’s why Jesus warned the disciples ahead of time. He said one of you is going to betray me. 249 00:20:22,470 --> 00:20:26,380 I don’t think Judas had two horns and a tail. 250 00:20:26,380 --> 00:20:32,170 And they didn’t know, when Jesus said "one of you is going to betray me." They didn’t all turn around and look at Judas. 251 00:20:32,170 --> 00:20:39,430 Maybe he was the most winsome and lovable disciple of any of them. And it tore him up to see Judas turn away. 252 00:20:39,430 --> 00:20:44,300 But the Lord wants them to know that he knows all about it ahead of time. 253 00:20:44,300 --> 00:20:47,950 And so Paul says Hymenaeus and Philetus have turned away. 254 00:20:47,950 --> 00:20:52,110 It's upsetting the faith of some. But he said, "Nevertheless 255 00:20:52,110 --> 00:20:59,680 the firm foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, the Lord knows those who are His. 256 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:04,010 And let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (P) 257 00:21:04,010 --> 00:21:08,140 Okay, it's possible to have superficial faith. 258 00:21:08,140 --> 00:21:11,510 Now, you read passages like Hebrews 6, it says 259 00:21:11,510 --> 00:21:16,010 "It's impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted the good word of God 260 00:21:16,010 --> 00:21:18,480 and the powers of the age to come..." and so on. 261 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:23,000 You don't just try to explain that away and say, "Well that’s— 262 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:28,830 they were made partakers of the Holy Spirit." Some people say that just means they were going along side with. 263 00:21:28,830 --> 00:21:35,530 Well, the problem is a little earlier in Hebrews it says, "Jesus became a partaker of flesh and blood." 264 00:21:35,540 --> 00:21:40,140 You see 'partaker' means He really was a true man. 265 00:21:40,140 --> 00:21:46,830 And you can go on down right through that passage. The terminology is Christian terminology. 266 00:21:46,830 --> 00:21:53,660 We don’t have to fight that. The problem is that the bible often uses Christian terminology 267 00:21:53,660 --> 00:21:58,880 to describe people according to their profession or their appearance. 268 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:03,360 Where ever it says in Hebrews 'holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling'; 269 00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:09,180 people read that and say, "I know one thing. Everybody in the book of Hebrews was a true Christian." No. 270 00:22:09,180 --> 00:22:12,270 Same way if I address you as brethren, 271 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:16,220 that doesn’t mean that I believe every one of you is converted. 272 00:22:16,220 --> 00:22:21,050 You see that’s Biblical terminology. So don’t get tripped up 273 00:22:21,050 --> 00:22:27,330 when it says, "If you see a brother committing a sin unto death..." What's that mean? It means somebody in the church. 274 00:22:27,330 --> 00:22:31,600 It doesn’t mean where they really stand with God. You don’t know that for sure. 275 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:37,040 In one way of looking at it, all of us here today are professing Christians. (P) 276 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:43,450 You say, "Well, what about the apostle Paul? What if he came preaching a different gospel?" 277 00:22:43,450 --> 00:22:49,890 What does he say? Though we or an angel from heaven preach something different let him be accursed. 278 00:22:49,890 --> 00:22:55,570 So Paul is saying even if the angel Moroni appears to you, don’t listen to him. 279 00:22:55,570 --> 00:22:58,750 But he's also saying (isn't this amazing), 280 00:22:58,750 --> 00:23:04,130 'if I come back next year and I am saying something different don’t listen to me either.' 281 00:23:04,130 --> 00:23:07,910 Though we or an angel from heaven. Do you see that? 282 00:23:07,910 --> 00:23:11,060 So we don’t put confidence in any man. 283 00:23:11,060 --> 00:23:14,120 Ultimately your confidence is in God 284 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:19,610 and that He knows those that are His and He is going to take care of them. 285 00:23:19,610 --> 00:23:26,300 And Jesus said that about the disciples, "Of those whom You have given me I lost not one." 286 00:23:26,310 --> 00:23:29,950 That’s why He came down from heaven. "I came down from heaven, 287 00:23:29,950 --> 00:23:33,010 remember what it says in John 6? 288 00:23:33,010 --> 00:23:40,560 He says, "If anyone come to Me I will in no wise cast out." 289 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:44,310 That means if you're in here, He's not going to kick you out 290 00:23:44,310 --> 00:23:48,570 if you're in His fold, if you’re a true believer. 291 00:23:48,570 --> 00:23:52,280 Why will He not kick them out? Why will he not cast them out? 292 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:57,710 He says, "I came down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me." 293 00:23:57,710 --> 00:24:03,090 I came down here to accomplish something. That’s why I won't kick out any believer. 294 00:24:03,090 --> 00:24:08,010 I came down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. What is it Lord? 295 00:24:08,010 --> 00:24:15,300 "This is the will of Him who sent me: of those that He has given Me I lose not one." 296 00:24:15,300 --> 00:24:22,570 I came down here to accomplish the salvation of my people. And I'm not going to lose one of them. (P) 297 00:24:22,570 --> 00:24:29,160 Now you are going to see lots of people who profess and who on the surface look real; 298 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,840 and they fall away. 299 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:39,650 But he says I want you to know the foundation of God stands sure. God is not going to lose one of His people. 300 00:24:39,650 --> 00:24:44,770 And let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. If your claiming to be a Christian, 301 00:24:44,770 --> 00:24:48,820 act like one. Depart from iniquity. (P) 302 00:24:48,820 --> 00:24:54,390 Alright, it's possible to have superficial faith. 303 00:24:54,390 --> 00:24:59,960 So the question is: "How do I know if my faith is real or not? 304 00:24:59,970 --> 00:25:04,640 How do I know if I have real faith or just superficial faith?" 305 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:11,870 What are the marks of superficial faith? Now I want to talk here in the time we have about three of them. 306 00:25:11,870 --> 00:25:14,770 First of all, superficial faith 307 00:25:14,780 --> 00:25:23,650 is based on a misunderstanding or misapprehension; a lack of comprehension of what is really being offered. 308 00:25:23,650 --> 00:25:30,480 Alright. People have this idea they want to get something. I'll accept Jesus so I can get something. (P) 309 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:39,140 And in this case in John 2, what was that? What were they looking at when they believed on Jesus? 310 00:25:39,140 --> 00:25:44,200 They were looking at these signs and wonders, and they are taken up with that. 311 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:49,680 They thought they were being offered bread and circuses and a carnal Messiah. 312 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:55,530 You know, the Jews had this idea that when the Messiah came, He's going to tread down the powers of Rome 313 00:25:55,530 --> 00:25:59,930 and he's going to establish a political kingdom and so on. 314 00:25:59,940 --> 00:26:07,460 They weren't looking for some Messiah that was going to die on the cross and save them from their sins. 315 00:26:07,460 --> 00:26:14,480 They were looking for a Messiah that was going to bring them political and physical blessing. 316 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:22,510 It's an example of superficial faith. They don't understand what is being offered. (P) 317 00:26:22,510 --> 00:26:26,110 Now, you see that right through the gospel of John. 318 00:26:26,110 --> 00:26:30,950 Think of the woman at the well in John 4. 319 00:26:30,950 --> 00:26:35,650 What about the woman at the well? She says sir give me this water. What? 320 00:26:35,650 --> 00:26:39,390 Do you remember this? Jesus offered her living water. 321 00:26:39,390 --> 00:26:45,270 Sir, give me this water so that I won't have to come all the way out here to this well and draw it. 322 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:47,370 She misunderstood. 323 00:26:47,370 --> 00:26:51,950 So she is apparently asking for salvation, 324 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,720 but it is clear she doesn't understand what is being offered. 325 00:26:55,720 --> 00:27:01,650 He says, "If you knew the gift of God and Who is speaking to you, you would ask Me and I would give you living water." 326 00:27:01,650 --> 00:27:03,630 "Sir, give it to me." 327 00:27:03,630 --> 00:27:07,450 Well, it is obvious she does not understand what she is asking for. 328 00:27:07,450 --> 00:27:14,420 Now, you see the same thing a little later in John in chapter 6. Maybe we ought to turn to this. 329 00:27:21,170 --> 00:27:29,070 In John 6, just to lay the background, he has done this miracle of multiplying the loaves 330 00:27:29,070 --> 00:27:31,690 and in verse 14, 331 00:27:31,690 --> 00:27:36,370 "When therefore the people saw the sign which he performed they said, 332 00:27:36,370 --> 00:27:40,650 'this is of a truth the prophet who is to come into the world.' 333 00:27:40,660 --> 00:27:47,740 Jesus, therefore, perceiving that they were intending to come and take him by force to make Him king, 334 00:27:47,740 --> 00:27:52,910 withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone." They are ready to make Him a king, 335 00:27:52,910 --> 00:27:55,450 but their kind of king. (P) 336 00:27:55,450 --> 00:28:04,710 You get down to verse 26, "Jesus answered them, 'Truly truly I say to you you seek me not because you saw signs.'" 337 00:28:04,710 --> 00:28:07,810 That is, really understood what the signs meant. 338 00:28:07,810 --> 00:28:11,950 "But because you ate of the loaves and were filled." 339 00:28:11,950 --> 00:28:17,540 So He talks about the bread that comes down out of heaven and so on and He is the true bread. 340 00:28:17,540 --> 00:28:19,360 Look at verse 34, 341 00:28:19,360 --> 00:28:25,610 "They said therefore to Him, 'Lord evermore give us this bread.'" We want that bread of life. 342 00:28:25,610 --> 00:28:30,560 We want that bread of life. They are saying the same thing as the woman at the well. 343 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:33,930 And how does He respond to them? 344 00:28:33,930 --> 00:28:35,740 Well, He goes on 345 00:28:35,740 --> 00:28:43,400 and tells them that they don't understand and that they don't truly believe. 346 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:46,430 "Lord, evermore give us this bread." 347 00:28:46,430 --> 00:28:51,150 In verse 36, "I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe..." 348 00:28:51,150 --> 00:28:55,320 And he goes on and talks to them about true faith. 349 00:28:55,320 --> 00:29:03,920 So people misunderstand what is being offered and they think they can get something. 350 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:08,350 They "accept" Jesus in order to get something. 351 00:29:08,350 --> 00:29:13,690 Simon in Acts 8 was an example. Simon believed and was baptized and wanted power. 352 00:29:13,690 --> 00:29:17,710 These people they said we want this bread. They didn't understand what they were talking about. 353 00:29:17,710 --> 00:29:21,630 The woman at the well give me this water. She doesn't know what she is saying. 354 00:29:21,630 --> 00:29:27,630 And so this leads to superficial faith. (P) 355 00:29:27,630 --> 00:29:29,880 Now, beloved, here is the point. 356 00:29:29,890 --> 00:29:34,250 This happens no matter how pure of a gospel you are preaching. 357 00:29:34,250 --> 00:29:36,380 Even the Lord Jesus. 358 00:29:36,380 --> 00:29:41,850 Perfect preaching of the gospel and you had people believing on Him for the wrong reasons. 359 00:29:41,850 --> 00:29:43,990 Superficial faith. 360 00:29:43,990 --> 00:29:52,050 But what we have in our day, is a gospel, it is designed to create superficial faith. 361 00:29:52,060 --> 00:30:01,900 I mean it is like, do you want financial prosperity? Or—how do they put it—financial freedom? 362 00:30:01,900 --> 00:30:06,910 You want prosperity? Well, come to Jesus. Do you want to be healed? 363 00:30:06,910 --> 00:30:11,500 Who doesn't want to be healed? Or some of them are more subtle. 364 00:30:11,500 --> 00:30:15,100 Don't you want to be free from that addiction? 365 00:30:15,100 --> 00:30:17,480 Well, yeah, you want to be free from that addiction, 366 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:22,100 but that is not the reason to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ so that you can feel better about yourself 367 00:30:22,100 --> 00:30:24,240 and that you are not such a bum. 368 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:29,230 I mean it is the way things are presented. It's man centered. 369 00:30:29,230 --> 00:30:36,000 All that you could have if you "accepted" Jesus. 370 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:41,020 I mean we had a billboard one time where I live. 371 00:30:41,030 --> 00:30:43,260 It was at Christmas time. 372 00:30:43,260 --> 00:30:47,400 It said, "Jesus. For the man who has everything." 373 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:50,360 So in other words, you got it all made, 374 00:30:50,370 --> 00:30:56,650 but now you need to have this cherry on top that really rounds it all out and finish out your life. 375 00:30:56,650 --> 00:31:00,740 You have it all going really good, 376 00:31:00,740 --> 00:31:04,300 but you just need Jesus to just finish it off. 377 00:31:04,300 --> 00:31:07,210 That's not the way it is. 378 00:31:07,210 --> 00:31:11,180 We are wretched, miserable, naked. We got nothing. 379 00:31:11,190 --> 00:31:17,770 We are desperate, helpless, and we desperately need Christ as our everything. 380 00:31:23,430 --> 00:31:28,570 There are open invitations like, "I mean, you don't want to go to hell, do you?" 381 00:31:28,580 --> 00:31:33,220 There is a right aspect to that, but who wants to go to hell? Nobody wants to go to hell. 382 00:31:33,220 --> 00:31:37,790 See? And people believe on Jesus in a carnal way 383 00:31:37,790 --> 00:31:43,210 not because they understand that hell is separation from the One who is altogether lovely, 384 00:31:43,210 --> 00:31:47,030 but because they want a fire escape. 385 00:31:50,010 --> 00:31:54,520 Do you want to have peace? Do you want to be happy? Don't you want peace? 386 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:59,040 Don’t you want to get out of your troubles? 387 00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:04,520 Yeah, I'm tired of not having peace. I want to come up there and accept Jesus 388 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:09,070 so I can get peace and then go ahead and live my life. 389 00:32:12,010 --> 00:32:16,800 Do you want a happy marriage? You know, your marriage is a mess. You could have a happy marriage 390 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:18,910 if you came to Jesus. (P) 391 00:32:18,910 --> 00:32:23,740 There was a well-known campus minister who came to our school. 392 00:32:23,740 --> 00:32:27,180 It was probably more than 20 years ago. 393 00:32:27,180 --> 00:32:31,230 The title of his message: Maximum Sex. 394 00:32:31,230 --> 00:32:36,950 That is for college students. What is this going to do? This will draw a crowd. 395 00:32:36,950 --> 00:32:42,450 This is the way, you know, if you really want to have maximum sex then you need to be a Christian. 396 00:32:42,450 --> 00:32:44,560 Can you imagine this? 397 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:54,280 This is holding out carnal things to get people to "accept" Jesus specifically to create superficial faith 398 00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:59,980 and have men think that they are saved so they can go to hell now thinking they are saved 399 00:32:59,980 --> 00:33:05,400 rather than to go to hell knowingly rebellious against God. 400 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:07,720 I mean it is amazing. 401 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:14,010 Everything is centered around man. Everything is geared to create superficial faith to get something 402 00:33:14,010 --> 00:33:18,550 from God. And what is it? You accept Jesus 403 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:22,280 so that you can get the thing that you really wanted. 404 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:28,570 And that is one thing God won't do. He will not be a means to an end. He is the end. 405 00:33:28,580 --> 00:33:34,370 He is not going to be a cog in the wheel to get you to your real god! 406 00:33:34,380 --> 00:33:36,370 He is God! 407 00:33:36,370 --> 00:33:41,740 And He says, "I will be their God and they shall be My people." I insist on that. 408 00:33:41,740 --> 00:33:46,610 You want God to save you? Well, He is going to be your God in order to save you. 409 00:33:46,610 --> 00:33:52,230 "Well, I want You to save me but I don't want You to be my God." Do you realize how stupid that is? 410 00:33:52,230 --> 00:33:55,140 I mean this is just basic. (P) 411 00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:03,230 One of the hardest situations to counsel 412 00:34:03,230 --> 00:34:07,380 is marriage counseling where you got people that are lost. 413 00:34:07,380 --> 00:34:11,870 It is so hard because they are wanting... I had a fellow come to me one time, 414 00:34:11,870 --> 00:34:18,740 a guy I used to work with, a motorcycle guy, rough guy, he came there to talk to me sobbing. 415 00:34:18,740 --> 00:34:21,230 He said, "I want to become a Christian." 416 00:34:21,230 --> 00:34:26,270 And I started talking to him a little bit and what was happening his wife was leaving him. 417 00:34:26,270 --> 00:34:28,610 And I finally said, "Well, you know, 418 00:34:28,610 --> 00:34:34,640 I don't think you really want to become a Christian. I think you want your wife back." He said, "Yeah that's right." 419 00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:38,480 Now, you see, I could have led him in a prayer and got him to do it. 420 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:45,300 And you know what happens when you do that? Jesus said you try to put new wine in an old wine skin. What happens? 421 00:34:45,300 --> 00:34:49,960 The skin bursts and what does it say? Two things: the skin is ruined 422 00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:52,430 and the wine falls on the ground. 423 00:34:52,430 --> 00:34:55,850 So what happens is you come to that person and you say, 424 00:34:55,850 --> 00:34:59,240 "You know you can be saved," and he says, "I tried that." 425 00:34:59,240 --> 00:35:01,990 The skin is ruined. And what else? 426 00:35:01,990 --> 00:35:04,550 The wine is spilled on the ground. What does that mean? 427 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:08,720 People look at him and say, "Oh that guy said he was a Christian. He went right back into sin. 428 00:35:08,720 --> 00:35:13,490 He said he was a Christian. The gospel doesn't amount to anything." You see? (P) 429 00:35:13,490 --> 00:35:19,883 so it's important that we don't lead people in these false prayers for false motives. 430 00:35:19,884 --> 00:35:25,212 Like I said, if someone is in marriage counseling and they are saying they want to become a Christian, 431 00:35:25,213 --> 00:35:29,775 it's difficult to get things around to where they are wanting God for God's sake 432 00:35:29,776 --> 00:35:34,542 and not wanting God in order to get their wife back or whatever. 433 00:35:34,543 --> 00:35:39,375 You girls, if you want to guarantee superficial faith in some guy, 434 00:35:39,376 --> 00:35:43,239 just spend a lot of time being real nice to him, 435 00:35:43,240 --> 00:35:46,743 and "sharing" the gospel with him, 436 00:35:46,744 --> 00:35:53,086 and be sure and tell him now I can't marry you unless you become a Christian 437 00:35:53,087 --> 00:35:57,166 And guess what will happen? He will "become" a Christian 438 00:35:57,167 --> 00:36:01,396 for a week or two or a month or until he gets married. 439 00:36:01,397 --> 00:36:03,667 This thing is serious, isn't it? (P) 440 00:36:03,668 --> 00:36:10,279 I mean it is big and the professing church goes along in blindness. 441 00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:14,698 I mean anybody that says they are a Christian— great, you know! 442 00:36:14,699 --> 00:36:19,478 It doesn't matter how they live. It doesn't matter if they continue. It doesn't matter if they have any 443 00:36:19,479 --> 00:36:21,867 spiritual understanding. 444 00:36:21,868 --> 00:36:24,827 That is what we are talking about here. 445 00:36:31,914 --> 00:36:36,822 Superficial faith "accepts" Jesus in order to get something else. (P) 446 00:36:37,432 --> 00:36:42,342 Secondly, it is not only based on a misunderstanding of what is being offered, 447 00:36:42,342 --> 00:36:47,062 it is based on a misapprehension of the One who is making the offer. 448 00:36:47,063 --> 00:36:50,343 People don't realize who the Lord Jesus is. 449 00:36:50,344 --> 00:36:54,772 They got a wrong idea of who He is. They think He is some kind of cosmic Santa Claus 450 00:36:54,773 --> 00:36:59,985 that exists to make them happy! And He isn't! 451 00:36:59,986 --> 00:37:04,606 He is God. He demands our allegiance. 452 00:37:04,607 --> 00:37:10,668 Luke 14:26, "If you love father and mother, you love son or daughter more than Me, 453 00:37:10,669 --> 00:37:14,959 you are not worthy of being My disciple." Think about that. 454 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:21,551 I mean would Confucius say that? You know, you got to love me more than your father and mother. 455 00:37:21,552 --> 00:37:24,936 He wouldn't say something like that. 456 00:37:24,937 --> 00:37:32,772 The real Jesus... all things were created by Him and for Him. (P) 457 00:37:32,773 --> 00:37:36,537 I was talking to a girl one time 458 00:37:36,538 --> 00:37:42,895 and I said, "What is your understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ?" 459 00:37:42,896 --> 00:37:48,082 She said, "Well I feel sorry for Him." I said "What?" 460 00:37:48,082 --> 00:37:54,531 She said I feel sorry for Him. You realize the picture that has been painted? 461 00:37:54,532 --> 00:37:58,684 Here is poor Jesus, He is out here standing in the rain 462 00:37:58,685 --> 00:38:01,661 and the door doesn't have any handle on it. 463 00:38:01,662 --> 00:38:08,547 Won't you have mercy on Him and let Him come into your heart so He won't be out there standing in the rain? 464 00:38:08,547 --> 00:38:11,077 That is not the way it is. 465 00:38:11,078 --> 00:38:16,299 He says, "I am He who opens and no man shuts. 466 00:38:16,300 --> 00:38:19,711 I am He who shuts and no man opens." 467 00:38:19,712 --> 00:38:26,681 You remember Lydia? It says whose heart the Lord opened that she responded. He is well able to open hearts. 468 00:38:26,682 --> 00:38:29,301 He is not at our mercy. 469 00:38:29,302 --> 00:38:35,626 We are at His mercy. He is God seated on the throne. (P) 470 00:38:35,627 --> 00:38:41,432 It is something isn't it? It says men will cry out to the rocks and mountains 471 00:38:41,433 --> 00:38:49,145 saying, "Hide us from the wrath of the Lamb!" The Lamb! 472 00:38:49,146 --> 00:38:52,338 Hide us from the wrath of the Lamb 473 00:38:52,339 --> 00:39:00,424 And it is an amazing thing that the One who will be our judge is the One who died for sinners. 474 00:39:00,425 --> 00:39:02,868 Isn't that amazing? 475 00:39:02,869 --> 00:39:09,664 No one can be saved by believing on a "Jesus" who is not the real Jesus. 476 00:39:09,664 --> 00:39:14,220 You got to have some kind of spiritual apprehension of it. 477 00:39:14,220 --> 00:39:19,310 The Lord is walking along with the disciples and He says, “Who do men say that I am?” 478 00:39:19,311 --> 00:39:25,673 “Well, some say You are John the Baptist, some say You are Elijah, some say You are one of the prophets.” 479 00:39:25,674 --> 00:39:28,108 “Who do you say that I am?” 480 00:39:28,109 --> 00:39:32,532 Notice Peter didn't say, "Well, I believe, I think You are the Christ." 481 00:39:32,533 --> 00:39:36,430 He said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." 482 00:39:36,430 --> 00:39:38,400 And what did Jesus say? 483 00:39:38,401 --> 00:39:45,662 "Blessed are you Simon Bar-jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you but My Father who is in heaven." 484 00:39:45,663 --> 00:39:50,566 No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit! 485 00:39:50,567 --> 00:39:53,161 You can mouth the words 486 00:39:53,162 --> 00:40:01,234 but if you got that welling up in your heart Jesus is Lord. If I go to hell, Jesus is Lord! 487 00:40:01,235 --> 00:40:09,235 If you know that, if you got that knowledge in your heart, that did not come from around here, that came from God. 488 00:40:09,236 --> 00:40:11,743 The Father has revealed it to you. 489 00:40:11,744 --> 00:40:16,566 God who commanded light to shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts 490 00:40:16,567 --> 00:40:20,498 to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 491 00:40:20,499 --> 00:40:23,472 You have gotten a glimpse of who He is. (P) 492 00:40:23,473 --> 00:40:27,955 Superficial faith doesn't have a clue who Jesus really is. 493 00:40:27,956 --> 00:40:31,969 But if you see who He is, even a glimpse of who He is, 494 00:40:31,970 --> 00:40:37,098 and you want to fall down and worship Him for who He is not for what you can get out of Him, 495 00:40:37,099 --> 00:40:39,533 but because He is worthy. 496 00:40:39,534 --> 00:40:47,518 If that is the case, you don't have superficial faith. God has given you a glimpse of the Lord Jesus. (P) 497 00:40:47,519 --> 00:40:50,116 Number three, this is the last one. 498 00:40:50,117 --> 00:40:56,608 Superficial faith is based on a misunderstanding or misapprehension of the cost involved. 499 00:40:56,609 --> 00:41:00,526 These people were following Jesus by the droves 500 00:41:00,527 --> 00:41:04,500 and in a little while they started to leave—and these people believed in His name. 501 00:41:04,501 --> 00:41:07,602 You know, a lot of them followed Him for awhile. 502 00:41:07,603 --> 00:41:12,537 And then they started getting this far away look in their eyes and they leave. 503 00:41:12,538 --> 00:41:15,176 You read a little further in John and it says 504 00:41:15,177 --> 00:41:20,694 they all started to turn away. Jesus said to the disciples, “Are you going to go away too?” 505 00:41:20,695 --> 00:41:25,676 They said, “Lord where are we going to go? You have the words of eternal life.” 506 00:41:25,677 --> 00:41:29,195 If there had been any other thing, 507 00:41:29,196 --> 00:41:33,660 if they hadn't seen who He was, they would have fallen away. 508 00:41:33,661 --> 00:41:36,549 But they knew who He was. (P) 509 00:41:36,550 --> 00:41:43,618 But superficial faith is based on a misunderstanding of the cost involved in being a Christian. 510 00:41:43,619 --> 00:41:51,492 Jesus says, "If anyone wishes to come after Me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 511 00:41:51,493 --> 00:41:56,529 For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; 512 00:41:56,530 --> 00:42:02,662 whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. It is going to cost your life to be a Christian. 513 00:42:02,663 --> 00:42:08,391 It really will. You try to hold on and the stronger you try to hold on you will die! 514 00:42:08,392 --> 00:42:15,597 He says you got to let go, you got to lose your life, and then you will find it. 515 00:42:15,598 --> 00:42:21,585 He says you will keep it to life eternal. He who saves his life shall lose it whoever loses his life 516 00:42:21,586 --> 00:42:25,341 shall keep it to life eternal. 517 00:42:25,342 --> 00:42:33,263 Luke 14, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children 518 00:42:33,264 --> 00:42:39,674 and brothers and sisters and yes even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 519 00:42:39,675 --> 00:42:46,342 So, therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. 520 00:42:46,343 --> 00:42:51,613 People say well that is just talking about discipleship being a "super" Christian. 521 00:42:51,614 --> 00:42:57,872 Why did He say this? For what will a man be profited if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul. 522 00:42:57,873 --> 00:43:05,295 What is He talking about? Rewards? He is talking about being a real Christian. (P) 523 00:43:05,295 --> 00:43:11,328 Beloved, God is determined, that He is going to be your God. 524 00:43:11,329 --> 00:43:16,595 That’s what it means to be a Christian. That means it's going to cost you everything to be a Christian. 525 00:43:16,596 --> 00:43:21,184 He's going to be your God. And you can tell what a man's god is by 526 00:43:21,185 --> 00:43:25,197 what his thoughts go to whenever he has 5 minutes free time. 527 00:43:25,198 --> 00:43:31,454 Or whenever he is able to talk about something, you know. What does it go back to? 528 00:43:31,455 --> 00:43:35,352 I mean, I had a friend back when I was in high school and college 529 00:43:35,352 --> 00:43:37,483 that was into electrical engineering. 530 00:43:37,484 --> 00:43:42,296 He would study electrical engineering all day long and then when he went home at night 531 00:43:42,297 --> 00:43:46,381 he would make up experiments to do at home. 532 00:43:46,382 --> 00:43:49,816 That was his life. That was his god. 533 00:43:49,817 --> 00:43:54,265 Everything centered around that. That’s all he thought about, all that he talked about. 534 00:43:54,266 --> 00:44:00,777 Now, it could be anything, it could be playing the piano, or it could be running. 535 00:44:00,778 --> 00:44:05,966 There are guys that run in their sleep, you know. It's their life. 536 00:44:05,967 --> 00:44:12,387 It can be anything. But here is the thing, if you worship something like that— if you worship running, 537 00:44:12,388 --> 00:44:16,528 the world won't get upset about that. They will talk about how great you are. 538 00:44:16,529 --> 00:44:22,225 But if you ever start to worship God, they will go wild. They will say you gone crazy. 539 00:44:22,225 --> 00:44:27,496 "All you do is talk about God! All you do is read that Bible!" 540 00:44:27,497 --> 00:44:29,526 You see what it is? 541 00:44:29,527 --> 00:44:35,258 Paul says for me to live is Christ. That's not a super Christian, that's a Christian. (P) 542 00:44:35,259 --> 00:44:42,165 You tell me if that is not true about you if you’re a child of God? What would you have if you didn't have Christ? Nothing. 543 00:44:42,166 --> 00:44:44,603 You got no reason to live. 544 00:44:44,604 --> 00:44:47,373 For me to live is Christ. 545 00:44:52,153 --> 00:44:58,075 Superficial faith doesn’t realize the cost, 546 00:44:58,076 --> 00:45:07,339 and so it has no true repentance, no sorrow for sin, no longing for holiness, and no hunger to know God. 547 00:45:07,340 --> 00:45:14,810 You know, in short, you could say God is not God to the person who has superficial faith. 548 00:45:14,811 --> 00:45:18,721 That’s the way you could say it. He is not God to them. (P) 549 00:45:18,722 --> 00:45:22,572 You know the difference between true and false assurance is 550 00:45:22,573 --> 00:45:27,099 when you are troubled about your soul and you get assurance: "I believe God has saved me." 551 00:45:27,099 --> 00:45:31,736 But here's the difference between true and false assurance: if you got false assurance you say, 552 00:45:31,737 --> 00:45:36,721 "I believe God has saved me, now I can forget about Him and go ahead and live my life!" 553 00:45:36,722 --> 00:45:39,940 True assurance says, "I believe God has saved me, 554 00:45:39,941 --> 00:45:45,382 now I have a lifetime of getting to know Him and follow Him!" You see the difference? 555 00:45:45,383 --> 00:45:50,082 That’s the mark of true saving faith. (P) 556 00:45:50,083 --> 00:45:57,011 I'm about done. All this is why Jesus dealt with souls the way that He did. 557 00:45:57,012 --> 00:46:03,790 They believed in His name. He knew it wasn't real. What did He do? He did not entrust Himself to them. 558 00:46:03,791 --> 00:46:06,748 You know what would happen nowadays? 559 00:46:06,749 --> 00:46:08,881 Someone goes forward in a meeting, 560 00:46:08,882 --> 00:46:12,859 they "accept Jesus" and the well-meaning counselor affirms it. But what happened? 561 00:46:12,860 --> 00:46:15,325 Jesus doesn’t entrust Himself to them. 562 00:46:15,326 --> 00:46:19,427 And the well-meaning counselor comes along and he says, "Now where is Jesus now? 563 00:46:19,428 --> 00:46:23,215 He said if you open the door, He would come in. Where is He now?" 564 00:46:23,216 --> 00:46:27,552 "I guess, He is in my heart." "Praise God, now you are saved!" 565 00:46:27,553 --> 00:46:31,112 They tried to entrust Jesus to them. 566 00:46:31,113 --> 00:46:38,078 And He hasn't entrusted Himself to them. (P) 567 00:46:37,828 --> 00:46:40,824 How did Jesus deal with souls? 568 00:46:41,008 --> 00:46:43,592 He says to the woman at the well, He says 569 00:46:43,593 --> 00:46:47,207 "if you knew who you were talking to, you would ask and I would give you living water". 570 00:46:47,208 --> 00:46:48,579 She said "I want that". 571 00:46:48,580 --> 00:46:50,371 "Sir give me this water". 572 00:46:51,171 --> 00:46:55,827 But He realizes that she does not realize what she is saying and so what does He do? 573 00:46:55,828 --> 00:46:58,987 He doesn't say bow your head and pray a prayer. 574 00:46:58,988 --> 00:47:04,049 He says "well, why don’t you go and call your husband". 575 00:47:04,783 --> 00:47:08,234 You see, that is the one thing she didn’t want to talk about. 576 00:47:08,235 --> 00:47:13,459 She had already had too many husbands and she was living with a guy right then. 577 00:47:13,460 --> 00:47:19,471 He brings up the "problem area" in order to move from the superficial to the real! 578 00:47:20,310 --> 00:47:25,923 And when you are talking to somebody and they say, "I want to be a Christian" and it's obvious that they don't even know what they are saying. 579 00:47:26,507 --> 00:47:32,305 You ask God to help you or you wait upon the Holy Spirit, or pray or whatever. 580 00:47:32,306 --> 00:47:37,595 Till God begins to dig down to where there is some reality and they start to see what they are saying. 581 00:47:37,596 --> 00:47:39,690 They start to see what you are saying. 582 00:47:39,691 --> 00:47:41,460 You see? 583 00:47:41,461 --> 00:47:44,154 That is why the Lord dealt with that woman that way. 584 00:47:44,155 --> 00:47:45,839 Now here is the rich young ruler. 585 00:47:46,514 --> 00:47:49,647 I have never had this happen. Sam, have you ever had this? 586 00:47:49,648 --> 00:47:51,084 You are walking along the street, 587 00:47:51,085 --> 00:47:54,232 a guy comes running up to you and falls on the ground 588 00:47:54,233 --> 00:47:57,560 and says "What must I do to have eternal life?" 589 00:47:59,085 --> 00:48:03,691 And you look at that and you say "This guy is a fake." 590 00:48:04,214 --> 00:48:06,726 That is basically what Jesus did. 591 00:48:06,727 --> 00:48:10,633 He said, "You know the commands." 592 00:48:10,634 --> 00:48:11,941 He said "I've done all that." 593 00:48:11,942 --> 00:48:14,913 You see, he was tossing around the word good much too freely. 594 00:48:14,914 --> 00:48:15,669 You are a good teacher. 595 00:48:15,670 --> 00:48:17,139 What good thing must I do. 596 00:48:17,140 --> 00:48:20,587 Jesus said there is nobody good but God. 597 00:48:20,588 --> 00:48:22,963 He was not saying I'm not God. 598 00:48:22,964 --> 00:48:25,216 He is saying you don't understand what goodness is. 599 00:48:25,872 --> 00:48:28,170 And Christ says "Keep those commands." 600 00:48:28,171 --> 00:48:30,582 He said "I've kept all of them from my youth up." 601 00:48:30,583 --> 00:48:33,464 "What do I lack?" He knew he lacked something. 602 00:48:34,114 --> 00:48:38,834 Well, one thing you lack go sell everything you have and give it to the poor and come follow me. 603 00:48:38,835 --> 00:48:41,622 That was his idol, you see. That was his god. 604 00:48:42,519 --> 00:48:44,351 That was his big problem. 605 00:48:44,352 --> 00:48:48,299 He did not say to the rich young ruler "Go call your wife." 606 00:48:48,300 --> 00:48:53,092 That wasn't his problem and he didn't say to that woman "Sell all you have." 607 00:48:53,870 --> 00:48:57,459 He is dealing with gods, you see? 608 00:48:57,460 --> 00:49:01,308 It's like in Egypt, God comes in he kills their gods. 609 00:49:02,011 --> 00:49:03,929 They worship the Nile. 610 00:49:03,930 --> 00:49:05,788 He turns the Nile into blood. 611 00:49:06,652 --> 00:49:09,896 You like frogs? You can have a lot of frogs. 612 00:49:10,896 --> 00:49:15,377 And people get upset when their gods start getting killed. 613 00:49:16,071 --> 00:49:20,870 Pharaoh says "Stay here in the land and worship." 614 00:49:20,871 --> 00:49:23,025 Moses says you are not going to like that 615 00:49:23,765 --> 00:49:27,150 because we are going to sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians. 616 00:49:27,151 --> 00:49:32,952 I used to think that meant the Egyptians abominated the things that the Israelites are going to sacrifice. 617 00:49:32,953 --> 00:49:34,438 That is not what it meant. 618 00:49:34,439 --> 00:49:41,568 The Egyptians worshipped the things that the Israelites were going to sacrifice and that is an abomination. 619 00:49:41,569 --> 00:49:46,280 You take men's gods and start killing and offering them to your God, they don't like that. 620 00:49:47,078 --> 00:49:52,830 And that's what happens in the true church of the Lord Jesus Christ, 621 00:49:52,831 --> 00:49:58,150 men's gods get killed and offered up and people don't like that. 622 00:49:58,151 --> 00:50:04,146 You got some brilliant guy who got his chance to go to MIT and he says "No I don't think I'm going to go there. 623 00:50:04,147 --> 00:50:05,532 I'm going to go on the mission field." 624 00:50:05,533 --> 00:50:10,974 People go wild about that because education is their god. 625 00:50:11,582 --> 00:50:13,320 Other people have other gods. 626 00:50:13,321 --> 00:50:22,972 "Why would you give up this career to do that stupid stuff that you are doing now, out there preaching to people or whatever" You see? 627 00:50:23,688 --> 00:50:29,342 True worship involves sacrificing up the gods that the world worships. 628 00:50:32,505 --> 00:50:40,706 There is a story that I like a lot mainly because it is a true story. 629 00:50:41,700 --> 00:50:50,855 Up in the great lakes these eagles come down and grab ahold of a fish to take it to their young 630 00:50:51,702 --> 00:50:54,955 and sometimes they get ahold of a fish that is too big 631 00:50:56,112 --> 00:51:00,903 and so they got ahold of this big fish and they are flying back and they start getting weaker and weaker. 632 00:51:01,628 --> 00:51:10,973 Finally they go down into the water and they find a dead eagle on the shore holding onto a dead fish. 633 00:51:12,575 --> 00:51:15,083 All he would have to do is let go. 634 00:51:15,829 --> 00:51:17,557 Just let go of the fish. 635 00:51:17,558 --> 00:51:19,311 That is all you have to do. 636 00:51:19,312 --> 00:51:21,809 And that is this rich young ruler. 637 00:51:21,810 --> 00:51:24,607 He is holding onto this fish. What is it? His riches. 638 00:51:24,608 --> 00:51:30,754 Jesus said let go of that or it is going to drag you down into destruction and he wouldn't let go of it. 639 00:51:30,755 --> 00:51:32,538 He went away sorrowful. 640 00:51:32,539 --> 00:51:39,624 The woman at the well, she let go and she went rejoicing and telling other people about Jesus. 641 00:51:43,567 --> 00:51:46,361 Jesus did not commit himself to them. 642 00:51:46,362 --> 00:51:48,022 You know the glorious part of it? 643 00:51:48,023 --> 00:51:51,397 He does commit himself to those who really truly believe on him. 644 00:51:51,398 --> 00:51:52,788 He does. 645 00:51:52,789 --> 00:51:55,098 He commits Himself to you. 646 00:51:55,099 --> 00:51:59,399 Blessed assurance Jesus is mine. 647 00:52:00,103 --> 00:52:02,275 He's mine. 648 00:52:02,956 --> 00:52:05,146 He commits himself to you. 649 00:52:05,710 --> 00:52:08,570 Let me close off with a story. 650 00:52:08,571 --> 00:52:14,533 One of the college girls that used to come to our meetings 651 00:52:15,881 --> 00:52:22,716 she was faithfully there every time, to the college Bible study, and I thought she was a Christian. 652 00:52:23,860 --> 00:52:26,000 She gave evidence of that. 653 00:52:26,001 --> 00:52:31,484 She went home for the summer and came back in the fall and I began to ask her some questions about her summer 654 00:52:31,485 --> 00:52:36,224 and I began to realize this girl doesn't know the Lord at all. 655 00:52:37,774 --> 00:52:44,318 She wanted to be in the Peace Corps and when we talked to her about that 656 00:52:44,319 --> 00:52:50,187 she began to realize that the Peace Corps is not a Christian organization and so she wanted to be a missionary. 657 00:52:51,760 --> 00:52:56,876 I was talking to her about this whole thing and one night it seemed like God was— 658 00:52:56,877 --> 00:53:02,123 she didn't have any assurance and everything and it was obvious that she wasn't converted to me 659 00:53:02,124 --> 00:53:05,461 and we were talking to her there, my wife and I. 660 00:53:07,951 --> 00:53:16,938 I said "Jane first you want to be in the Peace Corps and then you want to be a missionary." 661 00:53:16,939 --> 00:53:19,085 Jane the philanthropist. (a person who seeks to promote the welfare of others) 662 00:53:19,086 --> 00:53:22,528 You want to go all around the world and do all these nice things for people. 663 00:53:22,529 --> 00:53:28,156 I said how about if you just give your life to God for whatever He wants you to do. 664 00:53:29,797 --> 00:53:31,323 She sat there awhile. 665 00:53:32,091 --> 00:53:33,468 Thought about it. 666 00:53:34,394 --> 00:53:36,442 Shook her head. 667 00:53:36,443 --> 00:53:39,769 She wanted to be a missionary more than she wanted to be a Christian. 668 00:53:39,770 --> 00:53:45,603 I have never seen that before but that happens too. 669 00:53:46,116 --> 00:53:50,197 So I told her the story about this big fish. 670 00:53:50,198 --> 00:53:52,026 I said you have got to let go of this idol. 671 00:53:53,045 --> 00:53:55,196 So a couple of weeks later she came back. 672 00:53:55,197 --> 00:53:57,953 Again, she said I still have no assurance. 673 00:53:57,954 --> 00:54:00,622 I said, well, you are going to have to let go of that fish. 674 00:54:00,623 --> 00:54:02,405 God is never going to hear you. 675 00:54:02,406 --> 00:54:05,134 And she said "Well, I have let go." 676 00:54:06,169 --> 00:54:09,433 And so I didn't try to lead her in a prayer or anything. 677 00:54:09,434 --> 00:54:14,536 I just told her "You get on God's doorstep and you cry out for mercy." 678 00:54:14,537 --> 00:54:22,689 If he doesn't have mercy on you, you will be the first person that he didn't save, who put themselves on his doorstep. 679 00:54:23,439 --> 00:54:25,991 The next morning, we got a knock on the door. 680 00:54:25,992 --> 00:54:28,404 Mona went to the door first. 681 00:54:28,405 --> 00:54:31,073 She is standing there with her arms out. 682 00:54:31,074 --> 00:54:34,259 She says "I'm saved! I'm saved!" 683 00:54:34,260 --> 00:54:35,261 What happened? 684 00:54:35,262 --> 00:54:39,518 She let go of the fish and Jesus committed himself to her. 685 00:54:40,260 --> 00:54:44,899 That's the difference between this superficial thing and the real thing. 686 00:54:45,619 --> 00:54:55,568 And God wants us, not only for ourselves, but for those around us that we see that are making professions of faith and those we are counseling with. 687 00:54:55,569 --> 00:54:57,775 I mean we have got to be careful 688 00:54:58,377 --> 00:55:00,647 and there is a time to pray with somebody 689 00:55:00,648 --> 00:55:04,707 and there is a time even to pray with them to pray a prayer with them. 690 00:55:04,708 --> 00:55:08,351 I don't think we ought to put the words in their mouth but there is a time. 691 00:55:08,352 --> 00:55:13,733 We need to be sensitive to what God is doing in their lives. 692 00:55:15,629 --> 00:55:20,497 There was another college girl one time came for counseling. 693 00:55:20,498 --> 00:55:24,110 We had talked through a lot of things. 694 00:55:24,111 --> 00:55:28,112 It seemed like God was there and He was real and He was dealing with her. 695 00:55:30,571 --> 00:55:41,171 I said "Will you say to the Lord, Lord Jesus by your grace I will trust you as my savior." 696 00:55:41,172 --> 00:55:42,769 I said are you able to do that honestly? 697 00:55:42,770 --> 00:55:43,770 She said yes I am. 698 00:55:43,771 --> 00:55:46,369 I said, I think you ought to pray something like this. 699 00:55:46,370 --> 00:55:51,595 Lord Jesus by your grace I will and I do trust you as my savior 700 00:55:51,596 --> 00:55:56,175 and I ask you to make it real to me in Your time and in Your way. 701 00:55:56,176 --> 00:56:00,454 She prayed like that and then I prayed. 702 00:56:02,083 --> 00:56:04,435 We opened our eyes and she was beaming. 703 00:56:04,436 --> 00:56:06,281 She said he has already made it real. 704 00:56:06,282 --> 00:56:09,311 I mean Jesus committed himself to her. 705 00:56:10,087 --> 00:56:11,956 What an encouraging thing. 706 00:56:11,957 --> 00:56:13,821 Both of those girls have gone on with God. 707 00:56:13,822 --> 00:56:16,893 They are older women now, married. 708 00:56:16,894 --> 00:56:23,083 They are not older women but they are married now and they have continued on, followed on with the Lord. 709 00:56:23,084 --> 00:56:30,973 That is the way it is because Jesus said He would keep those who had committed their souls truly to Him.