Living Faith: Action Over Words in Discipleship

Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven, um when he uses that language not everybody who says Lord Lord that double use of the name that's like it's possible for someone to get really good at using spiritual language and sound really Pious and maybe even convince myself oh man I love him lord lord lord lord lord um but if they do not do the will of my father they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. [00:00:47]

What is the Kingdom of Heaven that is the range of God's effective will that is the sphere in which what God want done is done and so it's really saying the same thing to live in the Kingdom of Heaven is to live in the perfect will of God imagine praying your kingdom come but I'd kind of rather not have your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven at least in my life it's just two ways of saying the same thing. [00:01:29]

We can never come to know Jesus as he is by believing any theory about him what I would Point people to is a faith in the living loving ruling helping Christ it is not that Christ did this or that his work wrought that which will save us rather it is faith in the man himself who did and is doing everything for us do you ask what is faith in him I answer the leaving of your way your objects yourself and The Taking of his in him. [00:03:13]

The leaving of your trust in other people and money and opinion and character and religious doctrines and opinions and then doing as Christ tells you I can find no word strong enough to serve for the weight of this necessity this obedience and as we've talked about before this is not rote mindless robotic Conformity rule following it is full of initiative and creativity and heart and love uh it's following what Jesus said to love God above all to die to yourself rightly understood to become the servant of everybody to care for the poor freely you have received freely you have given will you do this or not. [00:03:42]

It is better McDonald writes to be an atheist who does the will of God than a so-called Christian who does not say that again it is better to be an atheist who does the will of God than a so-called Christian who does not this is exactly what Jesus is talking about why do you call me Lord Lord and not do what I say do you want to live by faith do you want to know Christ right do you want to awake and arise and live but do not know how I will tell you get up and do something the master tells you the moment you do you instantly make make yourself a disciple. [00:04:44]

Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not we can so easily go down that kind of Rabbit Trail got all kinds of questions all kinds of doubts those are worth considering but they will not get me to life instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not ask yourself whether you have this day done one single thing because he said do it or abstained because he said do not do it. [00:05:32]

It is simply absurd to say you believe or even want to believe in him if you do not do anything he tells you if you can think of nothing he ever said as having consciously influenced your doing or not doing you have no ground to consider yourself his disciple to such he says why did you not do the things I told you depart from me I do not know you and yet you can at once begin to be a disciple of the living one you can no matter what you know never been to church never memorize word of the Bible you can begin to become his disciple right now how by obeying obing him in the first thing you can think of in which you are not obeying him. [00:06:18]

We must learn to obey him in everything and so must begin somewhere let's begin at once now if you're wondering where do I start I think of a book by George weol that has been so powerful in my own life a novel called George wingfold curate about this pastor who wakes up and realizes he has no idea what he believes and then it occurs to him this question from Jesus say why do you call me Lord Lord and not do what I say that he had never done anything just because Jesus said to do it and he goes out to visit a grieving old woman because he knows that that would be something that Jesus would wanted to do it is an act of love and he begins to be a disciple and that puts him on the road. [00:07:04]

There is no way to be on the road of discipleship without doing as this man says not mechanically not legalistically from the heart he knew what he was talking about but will'll never know it if we don't do what he says how can you be made capable of trusting him neglecting the things he says there is no soil in which your F uh faith can grow so now here's some real practical possibilities for you you listen for God to speak to and then just say okay I'm going to go do the next thing if you or I today dismissed even once an anxious thought for tomorrow because Jesus told us to just say to that thought from the will God will take care of me. [00:07:49]

Have you ministered to any needy Soul or body and kept your right hand from knowing what your left hand did telling nobody of Your Action have you this day begun to leave all and follow him did you set yourself not to criticize talk against or judge others did you bring fair and righteous judgment to your decision you can do that right now are you weary of covetousness did you forgive your enemy and do him good or show him kindness have you this day given of money of time of possessions of skill or of compassion to someone who asked of you have you shown consideration done good returned kindness for a wrong extended patience been a servant rejoiced in adversity taken the role of humility before others prayed for someone you don't like trusted God to supply a pressing need have you done any of these things suppressing your natural tendency to the contrary and done them with rejoicing because Jesus said to do them. [00:08:36]

Tell me something you have done are doing or are trying to do because he told you if you cannot it is no wonder you have difficulty trusting him of course I know no man or woman can yet do what Christ tells them or right but are you trying obedience is not Perfection it's making an effort this is the great Crossroads the great decision that Jesus presses upon us which for some reason gets fuzzed up and lost in our day will you do what I say how do we come to trust anybody in our life a doctor or a financial advisor or a coach or a mentor there's only what you got to do what they say and then you find out did they know what they were talking about do they understand reality and it is supremely true with him. [00:09:57]

And so that cry comes across the centuries now today to me and to you what's the next right thing right now I'm going to go do it for me it will be calling a friend what's the next right thing that you will do because Jesus said to do it make it a golden rule day cuz it's his. [00:11:01]