Life's Ultimate Decision

Let's pray together. Lord, we thank you that you are truly coming soon, sooner than we think. And we thank you, Lord, that we can study your word and know for certain that when you arrive, we will be counted with you. And so we thank you, Lord Jesus, for the truth of your word, the opportunity we have on this day to examine it. And we pray, Lord, that you'd help us come to realize the truth that's there. And that all who listen would understand life's ultimate decision must be made on this day. We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen. Turn with me in your Bible to Luke chapter 6. Luke chapter 6, as we come to the conclusion of the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher who ever lived. We come to the end of Luke chapter 6. If you have not been with us over the last several weeks, you have missed the bulk of this message. And we're sorry. You can always get the tape if you want to understand all that Jesus said in this great sermon on the mount. But Jesus was primarily a preacher of truth. Yes, he performed miracles.

Yes, he did mighty, mighty deeds. But yet Jesus' primary ministry was to preach and teach the truth. And your ministry is most like Christ's when you preach and teach the truth. Because that's what his ministry consisted of. That's what he came to do. He came to show the way because he is the way, the truth, and the life. He wanted people to understand what exactly was the truth. And so he preached and as he preached, he opened the door for people to understand how it is one would truly get to heaven.

Christ was the consummate evangelist. He always showed people the one true way, the only way to eternity. It was through him and him only. And so in this sermon, Luke 6, the same sermon in Matthews 5, 6, and 7, some debate whether or not it's the exact same sermon. They are so similar. There are many parallels in both of the sermons. Luke emphasizes some things differently, as does Matthew. But they are both summations of the sermon and it is something that Jesus would preach on a regular basis. Because he came to show the way, the truth, and the life.

He came to teach people the essence of eternal life. A lot of what he said in these sermons is what he said over and over and over again as he would preach in boats and on the hillsides. Remember, there was no tape ministry. There was no book ministry. People couldn't buy his books, couldn't listen to his tapes, listen to him on the radio. So he would say a lot of the same things over and over again because it was the truth. It was about how it is you understand heaven. And he concludes, Luke does, his sermon the same way Matthew does in Matthew 7 with these words in verses 46-49.

And why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock. When a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation. And the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed.

And the ruin of that house was great. Jesus ends his sermon with an analogy. An analogy about judgment. An analogy about what happens if you don't obey the words of our Lord. It comes down to making life's ultimate decision. We make decisions every day. You've made a decision to come to church. You made a wise decision. You got up this morning, decided what you were going to wear to church. Some of you made a wiser decision than others did. You make a decision every day about how fast you will get to church or how slow you will get home from work.

You make decisions constantly. Who you will marry, when you will marry. You will make a decision about what church you go to. Last week we talked about that. Life's most important decision centers around what church you attend. Because depending upon what church you attend will determine whether or not you ever hear the truth of the gospel. And once you hear the truth, you come to life's ultimate decision. That is where you will spend eternity. And so Christ concludes his sermon about judgment. And what happens if you choose wisely?

And what happens if you choose poorly? If you choose poorly, hell. If you choose wisely, heaven. But isn't it interesting that most choose poorly. Most don't choose heaven. Most choose hell. You say, how can that be? Why would someone choose hell over heaven? Well, that's the tricky part. Because they think they are choosing heaven. They really believe that. They think they're choosing heaven. But in reality, they are not. And they don't even know it. They don't even know it. And they ultimately wake up in hell.

That's a tragedy. You see, religion, the effectiveness of religion is how it offers heaven. And if you think that your religion offers heaven in a way that's conducive to you, and you follow that way, you think you're going to get there. But religion can't give you what it proposes to offer. Only Christ can do that. Religion cannot. And there are people all over the world today, all over America, who are sitting in pews like you are sitting in, hearing a message, thinking that that is the way to heaven.

And buying into that road to heaven, not knowing that it's Satan's great deception. You see, Satan wants you to think that you are good enough to get there. And if he can convince you that your way is good enough to get you there, he is one. That's why Jesus said, in Matthew 7, these words, Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction. And many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

Now listen, the broad road doesn't say, this way to hell, and the narrow road say, this way to heaven. No, they both say heaven. The broad road says, this is the way to heaven. And Christ says, there are many on that road who think they're going to heaven.

But there is a narrow road that says, no, heaven is this way. It is a narrow gate, and few there be that find it. You see, most people choose hell's way, and they don't even know it. They're on that broad road to destruction. They think it's the way to heaven. They think that they can obtain heaven. They think that they can do enough things that will gain them acceptance to God, and God will say, you know, you did a good, come on in. You tried hard. And they'll get there. And Jesus says, no, heaven is a narrow, narrow way.

And only a very, very, very few ever find that way. It's not that he doesn't want them to find the way. It's just that when you come to the crossroads, you decide either it's going to be by grace alone, through Christ alone, through faith alone, or it's going to be through my agenda and what I think will get me there. And when you understand the demands of the gospel, when Christ says in Luke 13, when he hears somebody come to him and say, well, Lord, are there just a few being saved?

Christ says, strive, agonize to enter. For few there be that ever, ever enter. Strive to enter. Agonize to enter. Why? Because to be a Christian is an agonizing experience. You have to deny yourself. You have to take up your cross. You have to follow Christ. You've got to repent of your sin. You've got to believe in the gospel. You've got to rid yourself of your own selfish desires. Throw yourself on the mercy of God. And most people just don't want to do that. They don't. They'd rather go the broad way.

And Satan is very good at convincing people that the broad road is the right road. And there are a lot of people on that road today. It's the road of inclusivism, which is filled with people who are truly sincere. They are sincere about Jesus. They are sincere even about ministry with Jesus. They are sincere about wanting to spend eternity with Jesus. They are sincere in their desire to do good things for Jesus. But sincerity does not get you to heaven. It's that old Negro spiritual titled everybody talking about heaven ain't going there.

There's a lot of people talking about heaven ain't never going to make it. Not good English, great theology. And that's the truth. A lot of people talk about heaven. Everybody wants to go to heaven. But they're choosing the road to hell. And they don't even know it. That's the sad part. That's the tricky part. Some of the most sincere people in all the world are Jewish people. In fact, I would say that the most sincere group of people in all the world are Jewish people. Because they got half the gospel right.

The whole Old Testament. They believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So do we. We believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are monotheistic in their belief. There is only one God. We are monotheistic in our belief. There's only one God. We believe that. We believe in the coming of the Messiah. We believe in the prophecies around the Messiah. We believe in a literal kingdom for the Messiah. We believe in a king that will rule and reign from Jerusalem. Who is called the Messiah of Israel.

So do Jews. They believe the same thing. They are so sincere about what they believe about the Old Testament. That they truly believe that their self-righteousness will get them there. And they are on the broad road that leads them to hell. They are passionate. Passionate about God. There is nobody more passionate about God than a Jew. Passionate about Him. They are serious about the one true God. They are committed to the law of God. They want to worship the true God. They are fundamentalist. They are dedicated.

Yet they are on the broad road. They are not going to make it to heaven. Unless they know and understand that Jesus Christ is their Messiah. Who died for their sins. Yet they are sincere. That's what Luke 6 is about. Luke 6 is about a bunch of Jews sitting on the side of a hill. Desiring God. Committed to the one true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Committed to the prophecies of Israel throughout the whole Old Testament. Given to us by Jeremiah and Isaiah and Ezekiel. It's all about that. And Jesus says to them.

Listen. You need to understand that if you are going to go to heaven. You need to build on the right foundation. You just can't go around saying Lord, Lord and not do what I tell you to do. That's hypocrisy. And that's not going to get you into heaven. The Jews were fascinated with Jesus. Totally fascinated with Jesus. That's why all these disciples were there on the hillside. Remember back in Luke chapter 6 verse number 20. He gathered all these disciples around him. And remember the disciples were not just the twelve.

The disciples, remember it's a word that means learner or student. And there were a lot of people who claimed to see Jesus as their rabbi. They wanted to learn from Jesus. Some were committed. Some were curious. Some were fascinated. Some were faithful. And there were a lot of people thrown in between those categories. They were all over the place. And so Christ wants them to come to a point of decision. He wants them to understand life's ultimate decision. And they need to make that decision on this day.

Because they don't know if they have tomorrow or not. So he ends his sermon with an analogy about judgment. And the judgment that will come on those who build their house upon the rock. Versus those who build their house upon the sand. And the remarkable thing is that when you look at both houses they look the same.

The houses are exactly the same. It's the foundation that damns their soul. Or the foundation that delivers their soul. But on the outside both houses look exactly alike. It's a lot like people in the pew today. I look at you and all I see is your house.

I don't know the foundation of your house. But I can look at all your houses. Your house is your body. It's right there in front of me. I can see the house but I can't see the foundation. In which that house has been built. And Christ drives them to the essence of that foundation. If the foundation is wrong. When judgment comes the house will fall. Whose foundation is not built on the rock. Christ himself. But the foundation that's built on Christ the solid rock. When the storm comes. When judgment comes.

It withstands all storms. Because it's built on the foundation that lasts forever. So let me begin by looking at number one the question.

Then we'll look at the illustration. And then we'll look at the decision. First of all the question. Jesus never says to this Jewish nation. You are so close. You are almost there. In fact you know what? You are good enough. Never says that. In fact he says quite the opposite of that. He devastates all their self-righteousness. And what he does is ask a question. Why do you call me Lord, Lord? And do not do what I say. Why do you call me teacher? In other words Lord Kyrgios. Translated in the Old Testament.

Greek Septuagint. Always referring to Jehovah God. Now Kyrgios can be a earthly Lord. An earthly teacher. And Christ says why do you call me master, master?

Why do you call me your teacher, teacher? Why do you call me the one who represents God? Yet you do not do what I say. Lot of people call Christ Lord. But they don't do what he says. For he truly is not their Lord and Savior. Christ says you're following me.

You're here. You want to learn from me. You're listening to me. You're telling me that I'm the one who speaks for God. Why do you call me Lord? Yet you don't do what I say. Admiring Jesus is never good enough. In fact, it's probably the most scary place to be. Because you've made a gross miscalculation of his identity. Jesus doesn't want your admiration. Jesus doesn't even want your affirmation. Jesus wants your adoration. And if you're not going to adore him and worship him, then you will have built your foundation on the sand.

And when judgment comes, you will be damned. It's as simple as that. And Christ says, you know what? You call me one thing. But you do something that's completely opposite of that. I'm not looking for your admiration. I'm telling you what it is you need to do. And that's what he says in the whole sermon. He begins in verses 20 to 26 by saying, listen.

These are the blessed people. These are the true Christians. These are the ones who are poor in spirit. These are the ones who mourn over the sin. These are the ones who are hungry and thirsting for righteousness. And the people that do that are the kind of people that will be persecuted and will be ridiculed but will think themselves worthy because they suffer like the prophets of old. Unlike the self-righteous people who don't see themselves as poor but see themselves as rich. Unlike the self-righteous people who don't see themselves as mourning over their sin but instead laughing about their sin.

And they are the ones, those who laugh about their sin and those who see themselves as rich and satisfied are the ones who are just like the false prophets and the false teachers. And Christ says, you call me Lord but you're unwilling to throw yourself on me and receive my mercy.

You call me Lord yet you're unwilling to repent of your sin. You call me Lord and yet you don't loathe your sin. You like your sin. You call me Lord and yet you're not willing to confess your sin. You call me Lord yet you will not do what I tell you to do. And so Christ confronts them at the end of his sermon. Remember, he ends his sermons basically always on the negative note. Never the positive note. He ends it with them asking and having to answer a question. Where do they stand with Jesus Christ?

Do they stand with him or against him? And Christ wants them to understand that judgment is coming. And if they don't build on what he says and live in accordance to what he says they will be damned for eternity. He wants them to understand that. Why? Because he truly loves them. He loves them so much that he wants them to understand the clarity in their decision making process. We should love other people so much that we will tell them the truth, expose them to the truth, call them to a decision that they would follow Christ and no one else.

And Christ says as he begins his sermon in Luke 6, listen. You must understand that to be one of my children you must loathe all iniquity. And you must learn to love supernaturally. And he goes on to talk about the second aspect in the sermon about what true love is all about.

Remember that sermon or sermons that we talked about how the true Christian is going to pray for those who persecute him. He's going to do good to those who abuse him and mistreat him. Why? Because he's going to love his enemies. He's going to love in a supernatural way. The true believer doesn't love naturally. He doesn't do good to those who do good to them. He doesn't lend to those who lend to them. Sinners do that. But the believer, what does he do? He loves those who don't do good to him. He's the kind of person who loves in a supernatural kind of way.

He loves his enemies because the unbeliever doesn't do that. They can't do that. Not only do they not want to do that, they can't do that because they don't have the supernatural love of God shed abroad in their hearts. But the true believer, he does do that. So he loathes his iniquity. He loves supernaturally. And he learns to follow only deity and no one else. And that's when Christ goes on to say about how you can't follow a blind man because if you do, he's going to lead you into a pit. He's going to lead you into danger.

He's going to lead you into death. He says very clearly in Luke chapter 6 verse number 40, when a pupil is fully trained, he will be just like his teacher. If you follow blind guides, you'll end up just like them. You'll only know what they teach you. And because they are blind and they do not know the truth, they can't give you the truth. Therefore, you will end up in a pit. You will be just like them. Why? Because they are hypocrites. They've got these big massive beams in their own eye that they can't see your sin and deal with your sin because they are so self-righteous, they don't even see their own sin.

So therefore, they can't even begin to deal with the sin in your own life. So Christ says, you've got to be careful who's teaching you follow.

You've got to follow the one who's going to give you the truth. So Christ concludes by saying, listen, why do you call me Lord? Lord, and do not do what I say. If you are here today and you call Christ Lord and you do not do what he says, your soul is damned. It's as simple as that. You can candy coat it, you can do anything you want, but if you are unwilling to obey Jesus Christ and follow him, your soul is damned. And the only way that that can be changed is for you to fall on your knees before his face and cry out to him and beg his mercy.

That's it. And Christ wants to bring them to a point of decision. Life's ultimate decision. Why do you call me Lord? Lord, and do not do what I say. You need to obey me. You need to follow me. You need to serve me. You need to honor me. Don't just affirm who I am. Don't just admire me for what I do. Adore me. Worship me. Honor me. I am your Lord. I am your Savior. Do all that I tell you to do. If you do that, you would have built your house upon the rock. You will stand on the day of judgment. If you don't, you would have built your house on the sand and you will fall greatly on the day of judgment.

You see, it's a good thing to call Christ Lord. If we confess Christ as Lord, Romans 10 says, right? If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, aren't you supposed to confess Christ as Lord? Yeah, you are. But there are many people who confess Christ as Lord who are never going to make it to heaven. Just because you call him Lord doesn't mean you're going to heaven. You've got to do what he says. You've got to submit to his Lordship. You've got to follow exactly what he says in his word. And that's where he brings these people on the hillside of Galilee.

How close do you have to be to Christ in order to be saved? If you're sincere about who he is, is that good enough? If you're a lost pagan and you have never heard the gospel, but you're a good person trying to live up to whatever it is you know, will you make it to heaven? Answer, no, you won't. Faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God. You say, well, if there's a lost pagan someplace and he's seeking after God, how is he going to hear? Let me tell you something.

You think that's a problem for God? It's not a problem for God. But just because you're sincere in whatever it is you believe about whatever God there is, doesn't mean you're going to go to heaven. There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby you must be saved. It is the name of Jesus. Unless you hear the name of Jesus and believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, you will not go to heaven. No matter how sincere you may be in whatever belief you may have. If you're a part of an organized monotheistic religion and well-intentioned, will you go to heaven?

Answer, no, you won't. If you're a Catholic and you're a little confused about who the Redeemer is, Christ or Mary, will you go to heaven? Answer, no, you won't. If you're confused about who the Redeemer is, you're confused. You're in trouble. Certainly, you can't get any closer to Christ than an Orthodox Jew who buys in wholeheartedly to the God of the Old Testament. And yet Christ never one time says, Hey guys, you're close, you're almost there. You're pretty good. Never says that. Because they were so far from the truth.

We have so much in common with Jews. Why? Salvation is of the Jews. Isn't that what Jesus said in John 4? And Judaism is the root. Christianity is the fruit of Judaism. There is so much in common that we have with Jewish people. Yet the difference between us and Jews is absolutely mammoth. It's huge. The gap between what we believe about the Messiah and what they believe about the Messiah. What it means to be born again and go to heaven. As opposed to what they believe about what it means to go to heaven.

So Christ asks a question. And from the question, he leads into an illustration. And this is how he concludes his sermon. Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock. And when a flood arose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it because it had been well built. Those who hear my words, those who act upon what they hear, those who obey me, those who do what the gospel says, those who believe in me, those who repent of their sins, those who receive me as their Lord and Savior, those who confess Christ as Lord, they have built their house upon the rock.

Who's the rock? Psalm 18.2, that's God. 1 Corinthians 10.4 says that Christ is the rock. And we know that Christ is God. If you don't believe that Christ is God, then you can't go to heaven. Because both Christ and God are the rock because Christ is God. The foundation is Christ himself. 1 Corinthians 3.11. We know that 1 Peter 2 says that Christ is that chief cornerstone. So the person who lays the foundation, lays that foundation on Christ himself and on his teaching and believes all that he says.

And when the flood comes, when judgment comes, that man stands. Why? Because that man's sins were judged to Calvary. And Christ paid the penalty for that man's sins. And he understands that. And he trusts in that one atoning sacrifice for all time. And when judgment comes, he stands. Because he built his life on God in Christ. And the storm cannot move that house. But verse 49 says, But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built the house upon the ground. Matthew's account says the sand.

Without any foundation. And the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed. And the ruin of that house was great. Two houses. Built on the exact same location. But one was built on the foundation of truth and the other was built on the foundation of Judaism. One stood. One fell. Judaism is a house with no foundation. Christianity is a house built upon Christ the rock who is the foundation. Listen folks. You can identify with Christ. You can even minister for Christ. You can even call Christ Lord and still end up in hell.

People don't understand that. You see, we preach such a shallow message today in churches. Such a superficial message in churches today. That there is no foundation to build on. That's why the Bible says in verse number 48, He is like a man built in a house who dug deep and laid a foundation.

What does it mean to dig deep? Remember the parable of the sower and the soils? We'll get to that in Luke chapter 8. There are two soils that were built and two soils that received the word of God joyously. And so you think that they were saved. But one of the soils was entwined with the cares of the world. And it choked out the seed and it fell by the wayside. Another one was one of those soils that received the word of God with great joy. And yet when persecution came and affliction came, it beat down upon it.

And because it had no root, it did not dig deep. It was not able to stand and fell by the wayside and died. Two soils that had no legitimate foundation. Because it could not dig itself deep. It had no roots. To dig deep is to understand what the Bible says about Christ.

What the Bible says about repentance. What about the Bible says concerning turning from my sin and following a Savior.

Denying myself, taking up my cross and following Jesus only. You see, people don't dig deep because they're not required to dig deep. We give these superficial messages. Just believe in Jesus. If you believe in Jesus and believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, then you pray that prayer and you're going to heaven. Who are you to give anybody that guarantee? You can't do that. Yet we do it all the time on television. All the time on the radio. All the time in sermons. People say, well, I believe in Jesus.

I believe he died on the cross. Hey, I'm going to go to heaven. No, you're not. Why? Because those who go to heaven do believe in Christ, do believe he died on the cross for their sins, do believe he rose again the third day, and they commit their life to him.

They give their life to him. They say, Lord, I am yours. Take my life. Do whatever you want with my life, Lord, because you are the king. You are the ruler of my life. I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord. I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead. And when you believe in your heart, you believe unto righteousness. And when you confess with your mouth, you confess then unto salvation. You see, just to confess that Jesus is Lord, and to believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead doesn't save you.

What saves you is the fact that Jesus Christ has changed your life because you have given your life to him, you've committed your life to him, he's transformed your life, you are a new creation, and that's the salvation experience. There are a lot of people who say a lot of good things about Jesus, but ain't going to heaven. A lot of people talking about heaven, ain't going to get there. Because the essence of Christianity is to take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow him. And a lot of people who claim Christ as Lord are not following him.

That's why Jesus said, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and yet not do what I say? See, that's the essence of Christianity. If we say we abide in him, 1 John 2, 6, then we ought to walk even as he himself walked. John 8, 32, if you are my disciples, if you abide in me, and my word abides in you, then you are truly a disciple of mine. If you don't abide in my words, you are not a true disciple, you are a false disciple. Titus 1, 16 talks about the fact that there are many false teachers who profess Christ, but in deeds they deny him.

They say everything right about who Christ is, but their lives deny him. And Christ says, through the pen of Titus, those people aren't truly saved.

They're not. And so we need to come to grips with what the true gospel is, and what Jesus says. You can call me Lord, Lord, but if you don't do what I say, then you're like a man who built his house upon the sand. You have no foundation. It's not what you say that gets you to heaven. It's what you do that gets you to heaven. Ooh, that sounds like works to me. No, it's not works. Not at all. Because when Jesus Christ calls you, and compels you, you do exactly what he says. Because you're a child of his.

You obey him. You see, that is so important. Salvation is all about the work of God in sinful man. God is the one who does the work. But when God redeems a man, when God calls a man, he does repent of his sin. He turns from his wicked ways. And repentance is a gift of God that causes man to act and follow him. Like faith is a gift of God. Like grace is a gift of God. Like believing in him is a gift of God. It's all a gift from God. But once that gift has been granted to you, you do exactly what he says.

Why? Because that's what Christians do. They follow the king. They follow the master. And Jesus says, to well-intentioned people, people who saw Jesus as their teacher, as their rabbi, who really loved him.

They loved what he did for them. They loved to hear what he said. They loved to be around him. And yet they would not do what he said. They would not lay a foundation. They would not dig deep. They would not repent of their sins. They would not relinquish their self from their ism. Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Mormonism. You got to rid yourself of all the isms in life and give yourself to Christ. Fall upon him. Cry out to him. Ask for his mercy. And watch him forgive your sins. See, that's what Christ was looking for.

That's what he said. I came to preach the gospel to the poor, to the blind, to the imprisoned, to the downtrodden, to the broken hearted. I've come to preach the gospel to people who see themselves as sinners and cry out for a savior. Problem is, we don't see ourselves as sinners. We see ourselves as pretty good people. And just think that God will accept us because we're pretty good. But it doesn't work that way. Christ says that there is no other name that has been given among men whereby you must be saved.

Christ says to as many as received him, to them give you power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name.

His name is his identity. His name is his character. His name is who he is. And when a sinner recognizes who Christ is, he falls down on his face before him. He begs for mercy because he knows that that Lord is king of the universe. And he submits to the lordship of Jesus Christ and wants to follow only him. That's what a believer does. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 1.8 that when Christ comes, he comes in fiery judgment on those who do not know him and to those who do not obey the gospel.

You see, to obey the gospel is what God is calling people to do. The gospel is the command. The gospel is not an option. Yeah, I think that's a pretty good way to get to heaven. No, it's a command. This is the only way. You either obey it or you don't obey it. If you obey it, you've laid the foundation. The foundation upon Christ, the cornerstone, the chief cornerstone, the rock. So when judgment comes, you stand. If you don't obey, then you build upon the sand. Christ is speaking to these people.

Over in Matthew, Matthew gives a little bit greater detail and he says this. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven. See that? It's not what you say that gets you there. It's what you do that gets you there. You do the will of your father who is in heaven. You obey the gospel. Then he says this. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out many demons and in your name perform many miracles and then I will declare to them, I never knew you.

Depart from me you who practice lawlessness. These people did good, but their doing good was not good enough. They cast out demons. They perform many miracles. They did many great things in the eyes of people, but in the eyes of God it means nothing. They called him Lord, a term of endearment. Lord, Lord, we did all this for you. You see, isn't that a tragedy that you can go to church and you can sing in the choir and you can go on mission trips and you can teach a Sunday school class and you can give tithes and offerings week after week after week and never get to heaven.

Never make it. All the while thinking that that's what gets you to heaven. To wake up in hell. Boy, that's just a tragedy. I grew up with those movies, The Thief in the Night. Remember those movies, The Thief in the Night? Distant Thunder is a trilogy about the return of Christ. And the first one was called The Thief in the Night.

And there was this pastor who was preaching and he was left behind. And I used to watch that movie and I thought to myself, how can a guy who preaches the word of God be left behind when Christ comes? And the whole story was about this man, this preacher, who was left behind because he didn't preach the true God. He was a preacher. He was in the church. He did good, but he wasn't born again. I can recall watching those movies, realizing there's a lot of people in church that ain't going to heaven.

They're thinking they're going, they're not going to make it. And I don't want to be one of those guys. I don't want to be that preacher one day preaching and be left behind. I don't want to be one of those guys sitting in the pew with a great house, but no foundation and be left behind. How about you? Got a great house, looking good, calling Jesus Lord, singing in the choir, doing many good things for Jesus, performing miracles, casting out demons, all in the name of Jesus. And yet, unwilling to obey the gospel of God.

Wow, what a tragedy. That's probably the worst places in all the world to be, is to think you're going to heaven based on a false assurance. James says, to be a hearer of the word and not a doer of the word, you have deceived yourself into thinking that you're a Christian. A lot of people hear in the word, not a lot of people do in the word. And you deceived yourself into thinking, oh yeah, I'm going to make it to heaven. God, I'm sincere. God knows my heart. I am so sincere. I'm doing this for Jesus.

And you know what? He's going to accept me one day. No, he's not. He will say, I never knew you. Depart from me. You who practice lawlessness, your whole mechanism of salvation is based on your ability to do good or not do good. Your self-righteous system, that tower of a religion that you've erected in your mind, that somehow you think that once you die, you'll step right off into heaven. And God says, I'm sorry.

I have no idea who you are. Because you practice lawlessness. You do not obey the gospel of Christ. I would say that calling Christ Lord, doing things in the name of Christ, and not doing what he's told you to do, is the highest form of blasphemy. It's probably equivalent to the Judas kiss. You look good on the outside. Judas looked good on the outside, didn't he? His house looked really good. But there was no foundation in the life of Judas. And when judgment came, his house was absolutely devastated because he had no foundation.

That leads us to point number three, the decision. I know my time is gone, but I've got to bring you to a point of decision. And that is, life's ultimate decision needs to be made by some of you today. Some of you who are here. I know who you are, and you know I know who you are. Better yet, God knows who you are. And you need to make the proper decision. The Bible says very clearly, there is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, yet have not been washed from their filthiness.

Proverbs 30, verse number 12. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet have not been washed from their filthiness. Have you been washed? Have you been cleansed from the filthiness that's in your soul? How do you know you've been washed? Listen to what the Bible says.

In 1 Corinthians 6, verse number 9, it says these words. Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate persons, homosexuals, thieves, the covetous, drunkards, perverts, revilers, swindlers, shall ever inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But, the Bible says, you were washed.

You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God. How do you know you've been washed from your sins? You were one way and now you're another way. You used to be this way, Paul says. Oh, but you were washed from your sins. You were cleansed. You were justified. You were declared righteous before God. See? Paul says it this way in Galatians 5. He says, The deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envies, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit. And then he goes on and talks about what that produces. You see, when the Spirit of God is in your life, it produces what? Very simply, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such. There is no law. That is, there is no condemnation for those who are in the Spirit. There is great condemnation for those who are not in the Spirit because this is their lifestyle. See that? Listen, my friends. The judgment hall of God will be filled with the echoes of those crying, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, because in Revelation 20, the great white throne judgment, when he opens the books, every man is judged according to his deeds.

That is the unbeliever. Revelation 20, 11 to 15 is the judgment of the unbeliever at the end of the tribulation, at the end of the millennial reign of Christ. And it's at that time that all those who experience the second death are raised in the second resurrection.

Can you imagine having lived your life thinking you're going to heaven, die, wake up in hell, and then all of a sudden there's a resurrection of your soul and your body, and you stand before the great white throne judgment, and for that brief moment, that brief moment, there is a reprieve from the fires of hell. Just a brief moment, and you stand before God, thinking that now you can justify yourself, that now you can be made right with God, that now everything is going to be okay, and the books are opened, and each man is judged according to his deeds, and you will hear the words of the unbeliever, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, as they go into the fires of hell.

Because they lived their life thinking that their way was right. They lived their life sitting in a pew with a perfect house, but no foundation. Because when it came time to make life's ultimate decision, they turned and walked away. Isn't it interesting that in Matthew's account and in Luke's account, there is no evidence of even one decision that was made to obey the Lord. Not one. Why is that? Because wide is the gate that leads to destruction, and narrow is the gate that leads to life, and only a few ever find it.

Jesus said that. Jesus said that. And yet, that decision was open to all of the disciples on that day. But you know what? Listen.

Jesus will leave the hillside of Galilee. He will journey to Capernaum, not too far away. You know what he'll find? He will find someone who actually lived and believed this sermon. It's the only one we know that actually lived and believed this sermon, and he says that he has not found such great faith in all of Israel, and the person with the greatest faith in Israel was not a Jew. It was a Roman centurion, a pagan Gentile, who gave his life to Christ, who believed in what he heard and obeyed and laid the proper foundation.

And Christ says, I have not seen any faith like this anywhere in all of Israel. How about you? Where do you stand with Jesus Christ? You have just heard the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher who ever lived, Jesus Christ our Lord. And on that day in Galilee, not one person said, Lord, Lord, I want to obey. I want to follow you. I want to serve you. I'm sure if there was that Luke or Matthew would have recorded it, but there wasn't. And you know, and I know, that there are many people, even in Christ's community church, who have a great house, but no foundation.

If that's you today, you need to make life's ultimate decision to obey the gospel and follow only Jesus. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word, the truth that's there. And I ask, Lord, that you would do a great and mighty work in the hearts of all of us who are here. Father, we need to preach the truth. We need to call people to a point of repentance, to believe the gospel, to follow Christ. And I pray for any man, any woman, any boy, any girl in this auditorium today who needs to make this decision.

May they make it today. There is no guarantee of tomorrow. There's not even a guarantee of this afternoon. The only guarantee they have is the moment they are living in. May they make the decision to obey the gospel. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.