Not Everyone
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“ "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does
the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will
tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ "Therefore everyone who hears
these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not
fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does
not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the
streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."” (niv)
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Please hear me today. This may be elementary to some of you, but I have found that with many
people, what the writer of Hebrews said applies, that …” though by this time you ought to be teachers,
you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. “ Some of you
should be ministering for God, but instead we need to go back to the basics.
In Romans 10.13 we read that "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
But Jesus says here that not everyone who calls Him Lord will be saved.
How can that be? Because not everyone who “calls” Him Lord has “called upon” Him to be their savior.
You see, the proof is not in “calling” Him Lord but in “obeying” Him as Lord.
He says in another place:
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
How can we know what our true condition is? John wrote (1 John 5.13):
1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may
know that you have eternal life.
God wants us to know for sure how we stand with Him.
First of all, as I shared with you on Christmas day, “You must be born again.”
John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he
is born again."
Jesus said we need a spiritual birth. We have all been born physically. That was not a matter of
choice. We were just born.
But the spiritual birth is a matter of choice. We must choose to be born again. You cannot have a
relationship with God without the spiritual birth.
Jesus also said:
John 14:6 … "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.
The fact we must understand is this – there is no other way! There is “no other name”, no other plan,
no other path to heaven but through Jesus.
So we must make a choice. We must choose Jesus as our Savior. THAT IS The BEGINNING STEP.
After that, we must choose to follow Him. In choosing to receive Him, we make him our savior. In
choosing to follow Him, we make Him Lord.
Now some people would tell you that the first step is enough. I wish I could believe that, but I just do
not. I believe that if you are going to take Jesus, you have to take him all the way.
I believe that our salvation is more than an escape from punishment. I believe it is the beginning of a
new life.
Illus: A few months ago, some of us were attending a meeting in Durres. After the meeting, we were
supposed to follow another group to a restaurant. As we were traveling to the restaurant, our group
was stopped for a few minutes while the other group continued on their way. We lost them and spent
the next half hour searching for the restaurant. The problem? We didn’t follow closely enough.
When you don’t know the way, you must follow someone who does. We don’t know the way to
heaven, so we have to follow Jesus. He is the way!
The whole New Testament portion of the Bible is written to teach us how to live the new life.
James tells us:
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jesus said, “Why call me Lord if you are not going to obey me as Lord?”
John tells us:
1 John 1:6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by
the truth.
1 John 2:4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the
truth is not in him.
I want you to understand today that some people attend church services for the wrong reasons, and
some attend with a wrong understanding.
Some attend because they think they are supposed to – that somehow just being in the building will
make God happy.
Others attend because they think they might gain something from being in church – maybe they will
meet someone important, or maybe someone will respect them because they attend church – or
maybe for some other selfish reason.
Some attend church because they think that is what being a Christian is all about. You just go and
learn something about God and that is enough.
But I must tell you that being a Christian is about following Christ. It is about doing what He says. It is
about becoming more like Him. It is about giving Him honor and glory in all things.
To follow Christ is about building your life based on the teachings of Christ.
Jesus taught:
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man
who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat
against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who
hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his
house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash."”
There are two points we must understand here:
First, you have to build on the right foundation. If you build on sand, your house will fall. “The Word
of God – the Bible – will stand forever.” It is a rock foundation that will never fail.
1 Corinthians 3:11 For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus
Christ.
Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. God not only wrote it for us, but he demonstrated it through the
life of Jesus.
Secondly, you must build on the right foundation with the right materials. No matter how good your
foundation is, if your building blocks are no good, your building will fall.
Paul gives us some words here:
1 Corinthians 3:12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or
straw,
1 Corinthians 3:13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be
revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.
1 Corinthians 3:14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
Jesus explained that building on the rock is putting his words into practice.
“…everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built
his house on the rock.”
Please hear me today – God’s Word – the Bible – is to be your daily guide in life. You must read it,
understand it, and practice it. If you don’t, you will be like the one James described.
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Let me read that in another translation:
James 1:22 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting
the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!
James 1:23 Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror,
James 1:24 walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
I ask you this question today, are you a follower of Jesus, or do you just resemble one?
This is a new year. Let’s make a new start.
the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will
tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ "Therefore everyone who hears
these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not
fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does
not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the
streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."” (niv)
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Please hear me today. This may be elementary to some of you, but I have found that with many
people, what the writer of Hebrews said applies, that …” though by this time you ought to be teachers,
you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. “ Some of you
should be ministering for God, but instead we need to go back to the basics.
In Romans 10.13 we read that "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
But Jesus says here that not everyone who calls Him Lord will be saved.
How can that be? Because not everyone who “calls” Him Lord has “called upon” Him to be their savior.
You see, the proof is not in “calling” Him Lord but in “obeying” Him as Lord.
He says in another place:
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
How can we know what our true condition is? John wrote (1 John 5.13):
1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may
know that you have eternal life.
God wants us to know for sure how we stand with Him.
First of all, as I shared with you on Christmas day, “You must be born again.”
John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he
is born again."
Jesus said we need a spiritual birth. We have all been born physically. That was not a matter of
choice. We were just born.
But the spiritual birth is a matter of choice. We must choose to be born again. You cannot have a
relationship with God without the spiritual birth.
Jesus also said:
John 14:6 … "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.
The fact we must understand is this – there is no other way! There is “no other name”, no other plan,
no other path to heaven but through Jesus.
So we must make a choice. We must choose Jesus as our Savior. THAT IS The BEGINNING STEP.
After that, we must choose to follow Him. In choosing to receive Him, we make him our savior. In
choosing to follow Him, we make Him Lord.
Now some people would tell you that the first step is enough. I wish I could believe that, but I just do
not. I believe that if you are going to take Jesus, you have to take him all the way.
I believe that our salvation is more than an escape from punishment. I believe it is the beginning of a
new life.
Illus: A few months ago, some of us were attending a meeting in Durres. After the meeting, we were
supposed to follow another group to a restaurant. As we were traveling to the restaurant, our group
was stopped for a few minutes while the other group continued on their way. We lost them and spent
the next half hour searching for the restaurant. The problem? We didn’t follow closely enough.
When you don’t know the way, you must follow someone who does. We don’t know the way to
heaven, so we have to follow Jesus. He is the way!
The whole New Testament portion of the Bible is written to teach us how to live the new life.
James tells us:
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jesus said, “Why call me Lord if you are not going to obey me as Lord?”
John tells us:
1 John 1:6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by
the truth.
1 John 2:4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the
truth is not in him.
I want you to understand today that some people attend church services for the wrong reasons, and
some attend with a wrong understanding.
Some attend because they think they are supposed to – that somehow just being in the building will
make God happy.
Others attend because they think they might gain something from being in church – maybe they will
meet someone important, or maybe someone will respect them because they attend church – or
maybe for some other selfish reason.
Some attend church because they think that is what being a Christian is all about. You just go and
learn something about God and that is enough.
But I must tell you that being a Christian is about following Christ. It is about doing what He says. It is
about becoming more like Him. It is about giving Him honor and glory in all things.
To follow Christ is about building your life based on the teachings of Christ.
Jesus taught:
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man
who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat
against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who
hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his
house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash."”
There are two points we must understand here:
First, you have to build on the right foundation. If you build on sand, your house will fall. “The Word
of God – the Bible – will stand forever.” It is a rock foundation that will never fail.
1 Corinthians 3:11 For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus
Christ.
Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. God not only wrote it for us, but he demonstrated it through the
life of Jesus.
Secondly, you must build on the right foundation with the right materials. No matter how good your
foundation is, if your building blocks are no good, your building will fall.
Paul gives us some words here:
1 Corinthians 3:12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or
straw,
1 Corinthians 3:13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be
revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.
1 Corinthians 3:14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
Jesus explained that building on the rock is putting his words into practice.
“…everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built
his house on the rock.”
Please hear me today – God’s Word – the Bible – is to be your daily guide in life. You must read it,
understand it, and practice it. If you don’t, you will be like the one James described.
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Let me read that in another translation:
James 1:22 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting
the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!
James 1:23 Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror,
James 1:24 walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
I ask you this question today, are you a follower of Jesus, or do you just resemble one?
This is a new year. Let’s make a new start.