March 5, 2023: Sunday School

Order of Service

• Prayer Requests
• Prayer of Invocation
• Scripture Reading — Matthew 7:13-23
• Lesson
• Closing Prayer

---

Sermon Title: Evangelical Chaos — What Does It Mean to Be Saved

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-23

I. The Sobering Warning of False Profession

A. Matthew 7:13-23 — Jesus is not addressing the openly immoral but religious people who call him Lord B. Many who prophesy, cast out demons, and perform miracles will be turned away C. Examples of doctrinal drift and compromise in contemporary churches

1. Pastors normalizing cohabitation among engaged couples rather than addressing sin
2. Preachers redefining election and predestination in Ephesians 1 to mean mere foreknowledge
3. Minimizing the plain teaching on wives and husbands in Ephesians
4. Denominational confusion over whether homosexuality is compatible with Christian faith

II. Salvation Is a Matter of the Heart, Not Ceremony or Outward Signs

A. 2 Corinthians 5:17 — salvation is a new creation, not mere moral reform; the old has passed away B. The word "heart" appears 805 times in Scripture — it is the central issue C. Old Testament witness against mere outward religion

1. Isaiah 29:13 — lip service without the heart
2. Jeremiah 4:4 — circumcise your hearts, not merely your flesh
3. 1 Samuel 15:21-22 — to obey is better than sacrifice D. New Testament witness
4. Galatians 6:14-15 — boasting only in the cross; neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters, but a new creation
5. James 1:27 — pure religion is caring for orphans and widows and keeping oneself unstained by the world
6. James 2:19 — even demons believe and shudder; true belief results in holy living
7. The entire book of James emphasizes that genuine faith produces a changed life

III. The Nature of True Salvation

A. Matthew 11:11-13 — the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force

1. The Greek word biazo suggests either that violent men press the kingdom forward, or that the kingdom itself advances through great opposition
2. Salvation is not cheap or easy — millions of Christians have died for the faith B. Romans 10:8-10 — the most concise biblical statement of salvation
3. The word of faith is planted in the heart, not merely spoken with the mouth
4. We confess Jesus as Lord — not merely Savior; lordship and salvation cannot be separated
5. We believe God raised Christ from the dead — the resurrection is essential because without it there is no victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15)
6. The result is righteousness — a changed life — and salvation of the soul

IV. Living Out Salvation Without Shame

A. Illustrative application: confronting open sin in a professional context

1. Loving people does not mean confirming them in sin — watching someone go to hell is not love
2. If directly asked, the gospel must not be denied or softened
3. Faithfulness to Christ will cost social approval — John the Baptist, Paul, and James were not well-liked by their societies B. Historical encouragement: Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Spurgeon both struggled deeply before assurance of salvation and then preached Christ without shame
4. Spurgeon was converted in a small Methodist chapel under an uneducated preacher expounding Isaiah 45:22 — "Look unto me and be saved"
5. Both men are still widely read centuries later because they honored God C. Isaiah 51:7 — "Listen to me, you who know righteousness, a people in whose heart is my law; do not fear the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings"
6. God will take care of those who faithfully serve him
7. He will use them in ways they could never imagine