Sermon Notes - Matthew 7:13-23 - Unsaved Christian - August 7, 2022

1.     I have read 7 ministry related books so far this year and the lion’s share don’t make it into sermons.

a.      Six of them have been good, informative, but they did not trigger a response that felt worth sharing.

b.     One, that I finished on one of my delayed flights at the end of June hit me a bit differently.

c.      I remember sitting on that late night flight, shaking my head at what I was reading.

d.     The author was correct, but I wish he wasn’t.

e.      As I thought about it over the next week or so, it felt like something that should be shared.

2.     The book: The Unsaved Christian: Reaching Cultural Christianity with the Gospel.

a.      Author Dean Inserra.

3.     What is cultural Christianity?

a.      Essentially a religion that looks like Christianity, with the holidays, the lingo, the basic understanding, and maybe the morals.

b.     The thing is it is missing something vital…Jesus and His Gospel.

c.      They may talk about Jesus… but it stops at the surface.

4.     An Unsaved Christian, a cultural Christian… can be a lot of things.

a.      Someone who said a prayer when the were 10, 18, 34, 50 or at any age.

b.     They may have gone as far as being baptized.

c.      If it did not change who they are, they are an unsaved Christian who thinks they have fire insurance but there is no such thing.

5.     Let’s start with that family member we see at church on Christmas and Easter? We like to say that only God knows if they are really saved.

a.      But here are some hard questions?

b.     Why is Christmas an Easter important to them, but not the other days?

c.      What makes those days more important?

d.     Jesus came to earth as a gift for all and not just for one or two days a year.

e.      He died on the cross so that all could know Him and be saved, that is something to celebrate every day!

6.     Another group is those Country Club or Social Club Christians.

a.      They come to church for the interaction, the people they can be around.

b.     If a pastor pushes to hard, they look for a new Club to be a part of.

c.      These are people who pay their dues, may get involved in feel good ministries, but how far does it go?

d.     When push comes to shove, they are looking for comfort and they want to check the box just in case.

e.      These are ones that I believe have fallen to bad theology, or a false Gospel, saying that as long as you support those doing the ministry you get the benefit.

                                                    i.     Is their truth there, yes, but it cannot stop at that.

                                                  ii.     Matthew 28:18-20

                                                iii.     The Great Commission is for all followers of Jesus.

                                                iv.     We cannot sit on the side lines.

                                                  v.     We are commanded to make disciples, not join a club to feel good.

7.     Here may be a tough one, how about the God and Country Christian?

a.      The American Christian.

b.     America and Christian are both great things.

c.      But when belief and politics are mixed, being a Christian gets tied up with political party affiliation or how one votes.  

d.     Being a Christian has nothing to do with being an American and voting our values.

e.      Being a Christian has to do with following Jesus.

f.      Do we need to vote our values, absolutely, but it is not proof that we are Christ followers.

8.     How about the good guy next door?

a.      This person thinks God wants us to be good people.

b.     Their belief may be that good morals will get you into heaven.

c.      But that is all about a person, not the sacrifice of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.

d.     Their life may be no different it they said they were Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or any other religion.  

e.      Good behavior and living peacefully is not the same as the Saving Grace given to us by Jesus.

9.     The Generational Catholic

a.      Looking past the doctrinal issues today.

b.     Many Catholics believe they were born Catholic.

c.      They feel they are Catholic because their family has been for generations.

d.     Going to Mass on key holidays or for First communion… is important.

e.      Being married by a Priest is a necessity.

f.      But where is Jesus?

g.     We cannot be born into faith, that is a choice one makes.

10.  The Protestant

a.      Has a general, maybe vague, understanding or belief of the Bible.

b.     Some who may fall into this group would be people who know who David and Goliath are, they learned about Noah as a child, and other stories found in Scripture.

c.      They can give you the highlight real, but when pushed they struggle to say what they believe.

d.     They may even question if the Bible is literal or if it is even true.

e.      An example given in the book was that a Sunday School teacher told his class that the Bible was made up stories to teach good morals.

f.      This is one of those things I shook my head about. The Bible is not a bunch of moral stories, it is the Word of God.

g.     Sadly, there are a lot of people who say they are Christians that fall into this group.

11.  The Bible Belt Christian – Another tough one.

a.      A person who acts religious, is familiar with Scripture, but how much impact does Jesus really have on their lives.

b.     This would be someone who goes to church most Sundays but has no qualms about partying hard.

c.      This would be someone who may have a Jesus bumper sticker, Christian décor in their house, but faith is only on the surface.

d.     Another example could be the football player who prayers before and after a football game, and would never skip the prayers. But would also be the same guy get smashed after the game.

e.      The Bible Belt Christian is living in the world and is pretending to be a follower of Jesus.

12.  What do all these Cultural Christians have in common?

a.      They all have some bits and pieces of what Faith should look like, yet they have been led astray.

b.     They think they are saved but if Jesus is having no impact on who they are, they are not.

13.  Mark 1:15

a.      Repent and believe the Good News… the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

b.     It is not about attending on important holidays.

c.      It is not about living with morals.

d.     It is not about voting for life.

e.      It is not about who our ancestors are.

f.      It is not about attending church.

g.     It is not about playing the part.

h.     And it is definitely not about who we get to hang out with.

i.       Jesus died and has called us to repent of our sins and follow Him.

j.       Without that, the hard truth is that the rest is worthless.

14.  Matthew 7:13-14

a.      The wide gate and broad road have to do with following the religious rules, a list of actions, holidays to celebrate, a way to vote, being more good than bad, and living as the world lives.

b.     It would be like living as the Pharisees lived during Jesus’ day…

c.      They prayed in front of crowds to be seen as holy, but they sought to kill Jesus.

d.     The narrow gate is the path that leads to Jesus.

e.      It is the path that brings internal transformation, the path of Sanctification.

f.      The narrow path that only a few will find that truly involves following Jesus.

g.     How do we make sure we are following that path?

                                                    i.     By repenting of our sins and choosing daily to follow Jesus.

                                                  ii.     He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the only path to the Father.

15.  Matthew 7:15-20

a.      There are many philosophies, teachings, and ways of life that will lead people astray.

b.     Any time a rule is placed between what Jesus did and the gift He is offering us, it is a false gospel.

c.      Any time Scripture is treated like anything other than the true and literal Word of God, it is a false teaching.  

d.     As those who follow Jesus, we need to evaluate those who teach us.

e.      We need to gauge the fruit in their lives.

f.      Is it Good Fruit, does it point people to Jesus, or does it weaken what He did for us?

g.     If the fruit is bad, the tree, the source is to be cut out of our lives so that it no longer has influence over us.

h.     If someone is teaching falsely, we need to stop listening to them.

i.       Movies, TV, music, friends… if they are influencing us in ways that are against God’s Word, we need to spend our time doing other things.

16.  Matthew 7:21-23

a.      These words are a warning to all of us.

b.     In this world we are either all in for Jesus or walking with the devil.

c.      If we are talking the talk, yet Jesus and His Gospel has had no impact on who we are… we run the risk of hearing the words ‘I never knew you.’

                                                    i.     If that, is you? Listen to the Words of Jesus we read earlier out of Mark 1:15.

                                                  ii.     Repent and believe.

d.     People in our lives that ‘act’ like Christians, visit on the major holidays, can speak Christianese… but do not produce good fruit. They need to hear the Gospel of Jesus just as much as those worshipping other gods.   

e.      They need to hear about the love of Christ, they need to hear the truth before it is too late.

17.  Pray for the Lord’s guidance on making sure you are right with Jesus.

18.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to show you how to be a witness to the Unsaved Christians in your life.

19.  I truly believe it is a bigger mission field than many realize.