The Gospel & Salvation: Salvation Produces Obedience to God

Call to Worship – Matthew 7:13-28

Salvation Produces a Life of Obedience to the Word of God

Luke 6:46-49

James 1:16-26

 We have been looking at the results of the work of the salvation of God in the life of the true follower of Christ. This is part of a series on the gospel and salvation. We have been through many aspects of the good news of salvation and how we come to be saved through faith in Christ. In this part of the series we are learning what the Bible tells us happens in our lives as a result of being born again. In the last several weeks we have been focused on the obedience produced by the work of salvation. Those truly converted will be obedient to follow the Lord in baptism. This was one of the first things the Apostle Paul did following his conversion. We will be obedient to serve the Lord as slaves to our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. We will be obedient to present our bodies as living and holy sacrifices. 

We have been looking at Romans 12:1-3 at what it means to present our bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God. We have learned that the work of salvation makes us to become people who die to self in order that we might live for the glory of God who has saved us. We also learned in this study that this is a tall order. It says easy and does hard. Last week we saw the first of two obstacles that would hinder us from living a life of sacrificial obedience. The first obstacle is the influences of the world, or the spirit of the age, which is the domain of Satan, who is the enemy of God and the enemy of our souls. Paul told us in verse 2 of Romans 12 to not let ourselves be squeezed into the world’s mold with its way of thinking and philosophies, all of which are according to the spirit of the age.

In the introduction to last week’s message I told you there were two obstacles addressed in the first part of Romans 12. The first obstacle was the world, and the second obstacle was within. The second obstacle is pride. This is what Paul addresses in Romans 12:3. As I got to looking and thinking about this obstacle I decided to put this one off until I get back from our trip. It is going to take us a few weeks to consider the problem of pride and I don’t want to do the first part today and then leave it for two Sundays and then come back and try to put it all together.

So I decided to pivot to something related to the obedience produced by God’s work of salvation. Today I want to share with you what I believe is the foundational issue of obedience in the Christian’s life. This is obedience to the word of God. Salvation’s work makes us to become a people who live by the word of God. Salvation does not simply make us a people who want to learn the word of God. It makes us a people who truly want to abide in the word and live according to the word of God. The word of God is found only in the Bible.

The Bible contains the mind of God. The Bible is the means by which God has revealed Himself and made His perfect will known to us. This is why Paul told us last week in Romans 12:2 to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. This renewal of the mind is the new way of thinking which results from the believer embracing the truth of God’s word. 

The word of God reveals the true condition of sinful man. Thankfully, it also reveals the way of salvation. It provides descriptions of both the doom of the sinner and the bliss of the believer. The Bible provides us doctrinal truth to be understood and believed. It gives us precepts to which we are bound. Its historical revelations are perfectly accurate and true. Its judgments are immutable. Proverbs 30:5-6 tell us, “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.”

God’s word is a light to guide your decisions. It is spiritual nourishment to strengthen and grow you and give you the wisdom to walk as God would have you walk. It is a map to follow, a compass to lead you, a sword to protect you, and full of promises to encourage you. The Bible we read to be wise, believe to be saved, and practice to be holy.

In 1521 Martin Luther stood before the leaders of the Catholic Church at the Diet of Worms. He had been given an ultimatum and told to repudiate his unwavering faith in the sufficiency of Scripture. Luther responded, “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God…God help me! Here I stand.”

God’s work of salvation will make us people who, like Luther, become absolutely convinced of the Bible’s truthfulness, and unwaveringly committed to the authority of God’s word to direct every aspect of life. We will become a people obedient to the Word of God. We must obey God’s word.

Let’s look at Luke 6:46-49. Read the passage. This is Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount. This message begins in verse 20 of Luke 6 and Jesus is challenging those who heard the message to respond. This is the same thing He did in the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5-7.  In His invitation challenge, Jesus again comes to the issue of obedience. Jesus is preaching the gospel of the kingdom. He covers the issue of doing what He commands us to do. He clearly states that doing what He says is one thing that will characterizes those who are in the kingdom. We saw a few weeks ago that the work of salvation makes us to become slaves of Christ. We follow and serve Him as our Lord. Because He is Lord, we obey Him.

In Matthew 7:21-23 there are some deeply disturbing words of Jesus. “Not everyone who of 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.” Even though many say to Him, “Lord, Lord” and prophesy in His name, and in His name cast out demons, and in His name perform many miracles, He will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

Here in Luke 6, Jesus begins His challenge to respond to His gospel with these words, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?’” Jesus makes one thing very clear. Lip service to the lordship of Christ is useless. Lip service to the lordship of Christ is meaningless. Claims to follow Jesus Christ as Lord that are void of obedience to His words are just empty claims. Genuine faith results in a transformed life and a transformed life is a life of obedience to Christ. This is why Jesus said in Matthew’s account that a tree is known by its fruit. The fruit of obedience will be evident in the lives of all who truly trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

What is the point of this question Jesus asks? It is a question. “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord” and do not do what I say?” Why does Jesus ask this question? Isn’t it obvious? He wanted those who heard His words to understand that if they were not obediently doing what He said, they were not submitting to Him as Lord. If they were not submitting to Him as Lord, they were building a house on the sand and their house would not stand in the storm of God’s judgment. They would be exposed as tares which had been sown among the wheat. They were mere professors among the true possessors.

Jesus said in verse 47, “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like.” Jesus went on to present another brilliant word picture of two men who had built houses. The houses are described as literal dwelling places but in reality they represent the construction of our spiritual lives. One built on the foundation of rock. His house stood in the flood of judgment came because it was built upon the rock. The other man built on sand and his spiritual house collapsed in judgment.

The only way by which the two people could be distinguished is by their obedience to the Lord. Their houses looked the same. The only difference between the two houses was in the part you can’t see, the foundation. From outward appearances it is hard to tell the differences between the two houses. Today, these two men would be sitting in the same church, singing the same songs, reading the same Bible, praying very similar prayers, doing similar acts of service, giving similar amounts of money, and looking very much alike on the outside. The difference is that one is genuine and the other is a spiritual fraud. One built his house on the foundation of bedrock. The other built his house on sand. The man who built on the foundation of rock was the one who hears the word of Christ and acts on it.

Turn with me to the book of James. I want us to look at James 1:16-25. Read this passage.

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” James and all the apostles had to deal with problems of deception. In the context of this passage James is dealing specifically with the problem of deception regarding the doing of the word of God. It is obvious from the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21 that those whom He told to depart were deceived about their spiritual condition.

“Every good thing given…” We have received a lot of good things from the hand of God. We are blessed. All of mankind, especially those of us who live in this country, are richly blessed with good things that have been given from the hand of God.

“and every perfect gift is from above.” I have a question for you to consider. What would be included in the “perfect gifts” given from above? You know the answer to this. Jesus Christ is most perfect gift from above. The word of God is one of the perfect gifts from above. Salvation is a perfect gift from above. The Holy Spirit is the only other perfect gift from above.

These all came down from the Father of lights, with whom there is not variation or shifting shadow. This is a Jewish expression referring to God as the Creator of the “lights” including the sun, moon, and stars. While these celestial bodies cast shadows with much variation, there is no variation or anything shifting about God Himself.

Now look at verse 18. “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth…” What does it mean that He “brought us forth?” The word translated “brought us forth” means to beget, to bear, to give birth. It is synonymous with being “born again.” It is a reference to the new birth of salvation. This is the divine act of regeneration whereby spiritual life is imparted to those who were dead in trespasses and sin. This is the act of God’s grace by which He grants spiritual life and regenerates and puts in His true child His indwelling Spirit.

Note that this happens “in the exercise of His will.” God alone can awaken those who are spiritually dead. God alone can take a heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. He alone saves us. This is what makes salvation an unmerited gift of God’s grace. There is none who seeks after God. Each of us has gone his own way. Were it not for the exercise of the will of God there would be none who would be begotten of God.

Note also that He brought us forth “by the word of truth.” How often do we quote and reference 1 Peter 1:23 which says, “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” We will have more to say about the role of the word of God in salvation when we get down to verse 21.

This God has done so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. The first fruits were the first and best of the harvest. Redeemed man is the first fruits of all the redeemed of God’s creation. Paul tells us that the rest of creation is groaning as it awaits redemption. The book of the Revelation describes the process by which God will redeem all His creation.

It is because that God brings us forth into salvation by the word of truth that we find the instructions of verse 19-20. The context requires us to understand these imperatives as applying to the word of God. This section is about the work of God’s word in our lives. We must be quick to hear the word of truth. We must be slow to speak to argue against the word of truth. We must not get angry when the word of truth exposes us as sinners and reveals our need for a Savior. The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Only the work of salvation can achieve the righteousness of God. The true Christian eagerly seeks to hear from God and His word.

This brings us to verse 21. “Therefore, (because God brings us forth by the word of truth), we must be “putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness” (this sounds like repentance. Repentance is an indispensable component of the work of salvation and the gospel message. If there is no repentance there is no salvation.) “in humility receive the word implanted…” (Repentance and humility are the components of a heart that Jesus described as a “good soil” heart.) We must receive the word implanted and the word does its work in producing the fruit of righteousness.

We must humble ourselves to accept the fact that we need the guidance and instruction of God’s word directing our steps. The foolish pride of man rejects the word rather than receives the word. In fact it is the ultimate foolish pride that asserts the wisdom of man as superior than the wisdom of God. God’s word is received by those who humble themselves before Him and seek the wisdom necessary to walk in a manner pleasing to Him.

James 1:22 says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers only who delude themselves.” The meaning here is that by becoming faithful and obedient hearers and doers we prove the reality of our faith and our claims to be Christians. Jesus and James are teaching the same important truth. Every true Christian will prove himself a follower of Christ by his or her obedience to the word of God. The true Christian will not be perfect in his or her obedience. It isn’t about perfection. It is about the direction of our lives.

There is only one authoritative source for directing the walk of a Christian. That source is the word of God. Being a doer of the word requires more than coming to church to hear a message, more than opening the Bible and reading it, more than memorizing a passage. It requires careful, purposeful ordering of our steps according to the principles, precepts, and commandments of God’s holy word. Jesus calls us to do what He commands us to do. James calls us to be doers of the word.

It is one thing to look into God’s word. It is another thing to learn God’s word. The real test of understanding and commitment is how well we are living God’s word. All the reading of God’s word, all the listening to the teaching of God’s word, all the memorization of God’s word, all has one goal – that we might live by the word of God for the glory of God. Salvation equips us with everything we need to live by God’s word in this life. So there is no question that the new life in Christ is a life of obedience to the word of God.

Those who fail to prove themselves doers of the word are those who “delude” themselves. The word means “to reason falsely or incorrectly.” This is what the broad path travelers were doing in Matthew 7. They reasoned that because they were part of a religious movement and diligently involved in the religious practices of the day, they were right with God. They were deluded and deceived. The end result was their destruction. 

James goes on to describe the hearer who is deluding himself. In verses 23-24 he said, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” Just like a mirror reveals the need to shave, or the need to put on make-up, or the need to do something with your hair, the word of God reveals the very condition of the sinful heart of man. It reveals our selfishness, our greed, our lust, our anger, and all sorts of defects in our hearts. Every time we see these defects we need to take the appropriate, biblically directed response. Otherwise we are deluded hearers rather than effectual doers.

Every week I attempt to hold the mirror of God’s word up so we can all examine ourselves in light of God’s word. What happens in your life after each Sunday in the word? Do you go away having seen needs but never doing anything to change? How often does God’s word convict your heart on Sunday and by Monday or Tuesday you can’t even remember what the message was about? I think this constitutes being a hearer of the word and not a doer. We are deluding ourselves if we think our only obligation is to come to church to hear the word and we can forget about doing once church has been dismissed. If that is what we do we soon forget what kind of person the word revealed us to be.

When we put this all together we realize that forgetful hearers are on the broad path leading to destruction. They are building spiritual houses on a foundation of sand. Their lives are fruitless. They are among those who call Jesus “Lord” but never bow in obedience to act on the words of His instruction. Their houses are built upon the sand and will not stand the test of God’s judgment.

James goes on to describe the effectual doer. In verse 25 he writes, “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” It starts with an intent look. This is more than a casual glance. This is a look with a purpose. It is a look with a desire to learn and live by the truth. 

James calls God’s word the “perfect law.” I can’t imagine that James is not thinking of Psalm 19:7. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” God’s word has the answers we need. God’s word gives the direction that leads to life. God’s word is the antidote to the death sentence and destruction we face as sinners.

The intent look by the true believer in Christ will be followed by the effectual doing of the word. There is a determination to remember, understand, and implement what is learned from the intent look. This leads to a new set of beliefs, a new way of thinking, a new series of decisions and a transformed way of living. This is why it is the law of liberty. God's word sets us free from bondage to sin by enlightening us to the complete deliverance we have received in Christ.

There is a promise at the end of this section. “This man will be blessed in what he does.” Psalm 1 tells us what these blessings look like. Let’s turn there as we close. This man will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water. His leaves will not wither in tough times. His life will produce fruit. In whatever he does he prospers. Prosperity is not to be lavished with earthly treasure. Prosperity in the eyes of God is a godly and virtuous life lived to the glory of God.

Let’s pray.