[printable PDF][audio MP3 -- approx. 31¼ min.]

I.  Jesus can tell the difference between obedience and lip-service
     • Luke 6:46-49 — “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 on them, I will show you whom he is like:  he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, 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 on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” (New American Standard Bible)
     • John 8:31-32 — “If you abide (live, dwell) in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (New King James Version)
     • John 12:47-50 — “If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him.  For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world.  The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day.  For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that his commandment is eternal life.  Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me.” (New English Translation)
     • John 15:10 — “If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love (Greek:  agape), just as I have obeyed my Father’s commandments and remain in his love (Greek:  agape).” (NET)
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II.  Jesus rewards with His presence those who do God’s will
     • Matthew 7:21-23 — “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 will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out 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.’” (NASB)
     • John 14:23-24 — “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.” (NASB)
     • John 15:12 — “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” (NASB)
     • Colossians 3:14 — “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” (NASB)
     • Hebrews 4:2 — “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.” (NASB)
     • Revelation 3:20 — “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.  Therefore be zealous and repent.  Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (NKJV)
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III.  Jesus compares those who obey him to wise people
     • Matthew 7:24-27 — “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.  Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell -- and great was its fall.” (NASB)
     • Colossians 3:16-17 — “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (NKJV)
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IV.  Jesus appreciates those who genuinely and humbly respect his authority
     • Luke 7:1-10 — account of Jesus healing a Roman centurion’s slave
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V.  Jesus knows those who are His
     A.  Psalm 1:1-2, 6 — “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. … For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.” (NASB)
     B.  Nahum 1:7 — “The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” (NKJV)
     C.  Romans 10:17 — “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (NASB)
     D.  Hebrews 11:6 — “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (NKJV)
     E.  Galatians 1:10 — “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God?  Or am I striving to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” (NASB)
     F.  1 Thessalonians 2:4 — “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.” (NKJV)
     G.  2 Timothy 2:15 — “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (NASB)
     H.  2 Timothy 2:19 — “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.’” (NASB)
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VI.  Some divisive qualities that destroy unity in Christ and create denominations

     * create/prefer man-made rules/names over clear Bible teaching – Mark 7:5-13; Colossians 2:16-2

     * call “good & acceptable” what the Bible plainly calls evil & condemnable
          – Malachi 2:17; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-26; Ephesians 5:1-10; Hebrews 5:14

     * lack of commitment towards Scripture-based unity – Hebrews 4:2

     * ignorance & lack of searching the Scriptures for what is truly God’s will
          – “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
          – “… whatever is not from faith is sin.” Romans 14:23

     * trust others to “handle my religion for me” – Matthew 25; Romans 14:5; 1 Corinthians 3:8; Galatians 6:1-10

     * separate religion from reality; either use only when convenient or else keep it out of the way

     * refuse to learn from Scripture for oneself what pleases the Lord or to train one’s conscience from Scripture to discern right and wrong
          – Ephesians 5:17; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; Hebrews 5:11-14; 2 Peter 1:3-11

     * refuse to let one’s conscience confront obvious sin for fear of being accused of sin / division
          – Ex. someone expresses the concern “we don’t want to split the congregation”¹
               ~~ if genuine, such concern suggests awareness that the group’s unity is cracked beneath the surface if not already fully divided
               ~~ in that case, the goal has ceased to be towards unity of the same joy, same mind, same love, same spirit, same purpose (Philippians 2:1-4)
               ~~ the goal has become to protect a uneasy union of separate factions who each practice its own mix of fear, selfishness, apathy, and/or laziness

     * lack of forethought for the harmful consequences of selfish, fearful, apathetic, or lazy actions – Colossians 3:23-25

     * self-motivated & deceitful political maneuvers to disguise & protect those sins – Ephesians 4:15,25

     * selfishly manipulate the humility, fears, & courtesy of others to force submission from them, even to the point of demanding others violate their conscience to gain their surrender
          – Ex. falsely argue “for the sake of peace / unity you must unconditionally surrender without question” & “you’re causing division if you raise objections” in order to restrain and ignore genuinely Bible-based questions & objections
          – Ex. ¹gives reply in the gist of “if we (the church) don’t do it my way, then I will split the church”
               ~~ a threat of division in order to discourage division is in itself a revelation that the division already firmly exists
               ~~ threatening division may preserve a union, but it CANNOT generate unity

     * lack of godly love demonstrated for one another – John 15:12

     * refuse to sacrifice one’s privileges to protect another’s weak conscience
          – Romans 14:1-23; 1 Corinthians 8:7-12, 10:23-28

     * lack of genuine humility & submission towards God – Luke 6:46; James 4:10
          – in other words: “yes, you’ve shown me where Jesus / Bible plainly instructs ________,
              but I’m not going believe / practice / teach that… and you can’t make me”

     • Labels “Christian” & “church” alone do not make Christians or Christ’s church
     • Divisive qualities violate and disobey Jesus’ expectations of His church.  They inherently create and maintain a division, a “denomination.”  That’s why denominational groups and individuals cannot be the faithful church of Christ.
     • When any person or group of the Lord’s church acquire, encourage, and maintain these divisive qualities, they cease to be the Lord’s faithful and have become denominational.
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     “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” – Acts 20:27
     Our daily challenge:  Will we be fully faithful… or will we be denominational?

----------------- Supplement for your further study ---------------------------------------------------------------

     What adjectives from today’s passages can we use to describe any church… so-called “Christian” or otherwise… which ignores and/or refuses to follow Jesus’ commands?

     • disobedient to the Lord — Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21-23; John 14:23-24
     •  ultimate failure — Luke 6:47-49
     •  not disciples of Jesus, not knowing the truth, not truly free — John 8:31-32
     •  condemned by the word of Christ — John 12:47-50
     •  no benefit from the eternal life the Father & Jesus desire for us — John 12:47-50
     •  outside Christ’s love — John 15:10
     •  outside Christ’s presence — Matthew 7:21-23
     •  unrecognized and evicted by Christ — Matthew 7:21-23
     •  unloving and not listening towards Jesus — John 14:23-24
     •  not loving each other as Christ has loved us — John 15:12
     •  not unified in love — Colossians 3:14
     •  not unified in faith — Hebrews 4:2
     •  unaccepting towards Jesus — Revelation 3:20
     •  foolish & unwise — Matthew 7:24-27; Colossians 3:16
     •  not letting the word of Christ richly dwell within — Colossians 3:16
     •  not gracious in the heart towards the Lord — Colossians 3:16
     •  not doing all in the name (authority) of the Lord — Colossians 3:16-17
     •  not thankful to God the Father through Jesus — Colossians 3:17
     •  not appreciated and respected by Jesus — Luke 7:1-10
     •  not blessed — Psalm 1:1
     •  not righteous — Psalm 1:6
     •  will perish — Psalm 1:6
     •  no good stronghold for protection in the day of trouble — Nahum 1:7
     •  unknown by the Lord — Nahum 1:7; 2 Timothy 2:19
     •  unpleasing to Christ — Hebrews 11:6
     •  not seeking the favor of God and so not serving Christ — Galatians 1:10
     •  unapproved to be trustworthy — 1 Thessalonians 2:4
     •  failing God’s test of the heart — 1 Thessalonians 2:4
     •  unapproved, not a workman, and ashamed — 2 Timothy 2:15
     •  not accurate handling God’s word — 2 Timothy 2:15
     •  haven’t truly abstained from wickedness — 2 Timothy 2:19

[printable PDF][audio MP3 -- approx. 31¼ min.]