Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to the June 14 sermon from Clifford Baptist Church, 635 Fletcher's Level Road in Amherst. Today's scripture is Luke, chapter 6, verses 39 through 49. And the sermon is entitled A Life of Faithfulness delivered today by Pastor Jeffrey Campbell.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Take your Bibles, Luke chapter number six. Open your Bibles there. Luke chapter number six.
As we end a powerful sermon of Jesus today.
I don't know how you describe faithfulness, but maybe you can describe faithfulness as you look at your husband or your wife that you have been married to and the longevity of that and the vows that you made one to another and till death do us part, that describes a faithful marriage.
You can't describe a faithful marriage by a length of years, but the faithfulness is rooted in that you are committed to one another for a lifetime. Maybe you can describe faithfulness to your job as serving there in a capacity for years and years and years. A faithful worker gives their life to a corporation or to a job.
Well, today, as we ponder that question, a life of faithfulness, what does that look like to men and women of God?
Maybe you have somebody right now in your head that you can remember from a Bible story that you would say that is a faithful man or woman of God.
Maybe there's somebody connected to you or your family that you can point out that's a faithful person of God. But here's what we are called to do today.
And maybe one of the hardest things to do is we do a self evaluation and we look at our lives and we are looking today to see are we living a life of faithfulness to God. I don't want you to look at anyone else but yourself.
William Borden was born in 1887 to a wealthy family.
For his graduation presentation, his parents sent him on a trip around the world. He had come to the Lord in faith during this trip. And this trip opened his eyes to all the hurting folks around the world. And the Lord used this trip to begin to call this young man to the mission field.
Many accused him of throwing his life away.
This young man went to Yale and then he went to Princeton Theological Seminary. And after he graduated and led prayer groups there and Bible studies there, he boarded a ship headed for China.
He made a pit stop in the country of Egypt to learn the Arabic language.
And in doing so, he contracted spinal meningitis and he died as Borden gave up his wealth to pursue mission's work.
Upon hearing of his passing, many viewed it as a tragedy. You know, if he would have only stayed at Home.
He wouldn't have died.
If he'd have worked for the family business and the parents would have taken great care of him, he wouldn't have died.
Borden's parents received his Bible upon death.
And in the Bible there were six words that were written.
The first two words that were written were no retreat.
He turned down job offers even working for his father.
He was not committed to that. He was committed to the Lord.
The next two words were no reserve.
Those two words described how he gave up his wealth to go to the mission field.
And the last two words were simply no regret.
No regret.
Before he died, he lived a life that he would not regret.
And so today, when we think about a life of faithfulness, it takes a life of no reserve, of no retreat and no regret. As we live for the Lord Jesus, and as we look at the sermon on the Flame, it has taught us so much about our own selves.
The first sermon talks about values and the things that you value you will worship.
The second sermon last week taught us about how we are to love others and we are to do unto others as we want done to us.
And so today we are looking at words and people labeled blind and hypocrite and evil and fools.
And how do we live a life that doesn't turn out like that?
What does a life of faithfulness to Jesus look like today? I pray that through the ending of Jesus Sermon on the Plain that you will be able to see what that faithful life looks like. Look at verses 39 and 40 of Luke chapter number six.
And he spake a parable unto them.
Can the blind lead the blind?
Shall they not both fall into the ditch?
The disciple is not above his master, but everyone that is perfect shall be as his master.
The first point today in leading a life of faithfulness is that we must see Jesus for who he is. A life of faithfulness to sees Jesus for who he is.
How many of you today, and you don't have to raise your hand, but how many want to live a life pleasing to God?
As children of God, we desire that. Hebrews 11:6 tells us this, that without faith it is impossible to please him. So you must have faith in God. You must believe that Jesus not only is God's Son, but but you have to make him Lord of your life.
Jesus uses two examples. He says this. The blind can lead the blind.
And the disciple, well, you got to watch out because he can be above his teacher.
And maybe you have used one of these analogies before, but Jesus warning is very simple. That you have to be careful who you are. For following friends today, you've got to be careful of what is going through your ears, entering to your mind and making its way to your heart.
Because what happens there will lead you off track.
And Jesus warning here to those that are listening to this sermon is simply this. You must be careful to who is leading you.
You know why?
Because you don't want to end up in the ditch.
Amen.
And you must become like your teacher.
I go back.
How many of you desire to be like Jesus?
That's my life's desire.
And as we think about who is leading us, he is warning the disciples. There are people leading and teaching in the name of religion that are spiritually blind, that don't really believe who Jesus is. The religious leaders of the day, they were blinded by the thought that Jesus was the Messiah. And as they were leading the religious folk of the day, they were leading them straight into what Jesus described as a ditch.
A place that would get them nowhere.
A student or disciple.
When you look at your teacher, I try to teach my own boys that, hey, you may not agree with the teacher, but they deserve your respect, right?
But as you respect and as you listen and as you take in especially the things of God, you must be careful who is your teacher.
We must not strive to be greater, but we are to be like Jesus. Do you remember these verses in John 14:12 as Jesus Records talking to his disciples? Greater works than these shall he do. He is the one that believes. And what Jesus is saying is, you have witnessed a lot of amazing things in my life. But if you believe and you stay faithful, you can do great things in the name of the Lord.
And so, church, today, when we think about a life of faithfulness, do we truly see Jesus for who he is?
Do we follow him at trying to be like him?
Do we allow his teaching not only to reach our ears and our minds, but overtake our hearts and our lives that we live according to what his word says. Oh, a life of faithfulness is not blind to who Jesus is, is not blindly following something and hoping for the best. It is knowing that you follow the God of the world and you will follow him till death.
As we think about today, who your master is, who you're seeking to follow, be careful because we must heed the warning.
The blind will lead the blind.
Don't blindly follow someone because you will end up somewhere where you're not destined to be supposed to be.
Point number two.
Look at verses 41 and 42 and why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye either? How canst thou say to thy brother, brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou clearly see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
Point number two. Today, when we think about a life of faithfulness.
A life of faithfulness looks inward before looking outward.
A life of faithfulness looks inward before looking outward. Now, I'm going to tell you, if you want to hear my take on the whole Sermon on the Mount, you've got to go listen to those 21 sermons that I went through on Wednesday night. They're on the Internet. And I've broken this down a little bit more in depth. But what does it look like to be constantly learning and growing and making sure that you are looking at your own life and your own ways? And I'm going to say it your own sin, before you cast your eyes on somebody else.
And so what the Church has been accused of is being hypocritical, because we are doing things that don't match up to what we say or what we believe.
It may seem easy to spot the shortcomings of someone else, but what is more obvious and of more concern to us and to Jesus isn't someone else's sin. It is our own.
And so what Jesus is trying to use this picture to show us is there are things in our lives and even in our own eyes that we must be careful to take care of before we worry about anyone else's business.
How many of you have ever gotten a little speck of something in your eye?
Whether it's that little worrisome gnat or some kind of foreign particle, what does that feel like?
The whole world stops until you must take care of that little speck.
And that's the point that Jesus is driving home here. Except you're not the one with the speck in your eye.
He says. You're worried about the speck in somebody else's eye, but you have a board, a plank, a beam coming out of your own eye when we are blinded by so much in this old world.
But one of the things that is easy to turn a blind eye to is our own shortcomings, our own sin.
Jesus uses that word, hypocrite and that word means someone who claims one thing but does something totally different.
And before passing judgment or condemnation, noticing the faults of others, Jesus calls us to look at our own selves, that we are not hypocritical in the things that we are doing.
And so today, what am I asking you to do? What is Jesus asking his followers to do?
When someone is blind to their own sin and their own ways, you better watch out, because they will become hell hypocritical.
But our job as believers is to evaluate our own lives, our own selves, our own sin, before reaching or jumping into somebody else's situation.
And so today, there are things that God knows that I don't know.
Praise be to God for that.
And as your pastor, there are things that I know that you don't know that are going on in this very room.
And there are things that we desire to know because that flesh within us, it wants to gossip and tell and fix everybody else but our own selves.
And so today, as we look into that mirror, what is in your own eye, what is in your life that is affecting not only your relationship with a holy God, but your relationship with other people?
When we think about looking inward before we looking outward, it calls us to a point of humility, not hypocrisy, that we can approach our brothers after we have examined their own lives to help in their need.
One of the greatest job description things that I have in my job description, that's what I'm trying to say, is the ability to counsel people.
I'm not a counselor, but what I can do is look at myself first and then look at another somebody or another couple.
And in the light of God's word, say, this is what we need to do.
This is what I need to do as your shepherd.
And this is what you need to do as a child of God.
That's hard stuff.
Nobody wants the preacher in their business, do they?
Well, here's what Jesus calls us to do.
Take care of the beam, whatever that looks like.
If you need professional help, go get professional help.
If you need a pastor to walk beside you as you try to get that beam out, call the pastor to walk beside you. If you need a godly friend to walk beside you as you pull that beam out and to give you some help, call that friend. But here's the message. Get the beam out out.
Because it blinds you to the things of God.
And so today, when we think about living a faithful life before a holy God, we always need to be looking inward at what we have going on in our own lives before we fix everybody else.
And that's Jesus point.
How many of you know that Christians hold and have the greatest news in the world?
Do y' all believe that you have the news that the world needs to hear?
But if you go to them with your own issues, trying to fix all their problems, when they can look and see, you can't even fix your own problems, do you see how that can become hypocritical?
Jesus says this.
Take care of you, yourself, your sin, your problems, before you worry about anyone else.
We need to be faithful every morning to wake up and look in the mirror and know that we are thankful and blessed to live another day.
But in that blessing comes that we are forgiven under the blood of Jesus and because of that forgiveness, that he forgives our sins. And the Bible says he will remove it as far as the east is from the West.
The Lord wants to help you fix it if you will allow him.
A faithful life is one that looks inward before looking outward at other people. There's two more points real quick. Look at verse 43 through 45.
For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit.
Neither doeth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit.
For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good. And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is evil. For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh a life of faithfulness. Point number three.
Produces like kind fruit. Produces like kind fruit.
Now, I'm not a tree expert by any means or a fruit expert by any means, but Jesus tells us this. Every tree is known by its fruit.
In that Sermon on the Mount, Jesus likens these trees to those that are false teachers. And that as we look at our lives now, that we also are known by our fruit. In a very simple way, Jesus says this. A good tree is not going to produce evil. And an evil tree will produce, will not bear good fruit.
How many of you have hired somebody to do some work for you before?
And maybe you want to make sure that you can trust this person to do that work. And so you call around and get references or you look at their work that they do, and you are basically a fruit inspector.
As you try to figure out somebody to fix the plumbing in your house, you want to know if he's done a good job, if he was Reasonable. If he did what he said he was going to do and if he fixed the problem, you are looking at the fruit of his works. But when we think about the fruit trees, and I challenge my Wednesday night group, the Wednesday night prayer group that meets here, I challenge them to constantly be inspecting the fruit of what I preach.
I believe that's the job of Christians. Why? Because the blind lead the blind. Go back to point number one. Right.
But when we think about being fruit inspectors today, I'm going to call you to something a little bit different.
I'm going to call you not to be fruit inspectors, but fruit producers, because you've got to take care of your own tree first.
Here's what I want to drive home the point today. When we understand verse number 44. Everybody look there with me. Here's what God's word says. For every tree is known by his own fruit.
You can take a tree and you can plant it in the apple orchard.
And just because it's planted in the apple orchard doesn't make it an apple tree.
Amen.
And you could take somebody and you can plant them in a nice comfortable, air conditioned church, plant them there.
And just because somebody is planted in the church doesn't mean they believe in Jesus.
And so when we understand this good fruit comes from good trees.
But Here is point 44. Every tree is known by his own fruit.
You're not known by my fruit and I'm not known by your fruit. But you're known by your own fruit. As we become producers of good fruit and we are known by our own fruit, how does that fruit develop?
Well, like I said, I'm not a fruit tree expert, but here's what I know.
Every year that pear tree that sits in my yard in the springtime, it grows a flower and that flower forms and is fertilized through pollination and it grows a fruit set.
And that fruit set has fruit growth and that growth becomes a pear and a harvest later on down the road.
Now, I probably just bored you to death, but I'm sorry. Next time you go to the apple orchard, just remember it's a process to get that apple or that strawberry. It takes time.
Well, look at verse 45, when we think about good trees.
It says this. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is good. And an evil man, out of the evil treasure of its heart, bringeth forth that which is evil.
For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh a good man. And a good treasure of his heart produces Good fruit.
That's how good fruit comes.
It takes the good and the godly in us, but it comes from within.
Evil is also grown within.
And I want you to know this.
When we understand where the fruit comes from, we are called to bear and bring forth good fruit. You remember that sermon from Luke, chapter three, that if you do not bear fruit that the tree will be cut down and thrown in the fire flowing from the innermost beings of our hearts and our souls. You can produce something that is good and godly because that is the seat on which God rests in your life.
Fruit is an abundance or an overflow out of your heart.
It flows through your actions, it flows through your words.
Your fruit will show.
Here's what I want you to understand.
Whatever is on the seat of your heart is not only going to come out in the form of a fruit, but it's probably going to work its way straight out of your mouth.
How many of us, us have allowed our mouths to get us in trouble before?
James warns us about the danger of that.
But here's what Jesus says of the abundance of the heart.
His mouth speaks.
And so if something good and something godly is growing within you, that must work its way out.
It's got to be produced, it's got to show fruit, and it will come forth from your mouth.
Likewise, the evil will produce evil.
But the evil tree produces two things.
It either produces evil fruit or no fruit.
And here's what the Bible teaches.
A good tree will produce good fruit.
You're not going to go through a season of drought or not producing any fruit if you belong to God.
So when a life of faithfulness produces like kind fruit, if you claim to be a believer in Jesus, that should overflow out of the wells of your heart through your life, come from your mouth. People should not have to question, is that a Christian?
Is that an apple tree?
It ain't got no fruit on it.
Christians produce good fruit.
There's one more point today.
The life of faithfulness.
Verses 46 through 49.
And why call ye me Lord? Lord, and do not the things which I say, whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings and doeth them, I will show you to him to whom he is like. He is like a man which built a house and digged deep and laid a foundation on a rock. And when the flood arose and the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth and doeth not is like a Man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.
I remember that little song, A wise man built his house upon a rock. I sung it as a kid. I still remember it at 43 years old. It is a very familiar parable and story that we must build on on a firm foundation.
Point number four today in a life of faithfulness is that we are to be doers, not hearers only. We need to be doers, not hearers only.
The question today is not only are you a fruit tree, but you are a builder.
You are building something.
And the question is not how big you should build or even what you should build.
It's what are you building on and is it going to last?
Is it going to last?
So today, as we think about what we are building.
Matthew's account calls them wise and foolish builders.
So when we think about hearing and doing, Jesus says in verse number 46, why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do the things which I say?
That's a great question.
I don't know that we will have to answer that question before the Lord. But that may be one of the things he asks us as we stand before us.
Why did you say that you belong to me? Why did you go to that church? Why did you worship? Act like you were worshiping me? If you never truly believed in me, why do you call me Lord and. And not do what I tell you to do?
What would you do with your children if they didn't do what you told them to do?
I'm getting all kind of looks right now. Y' all can't see them, but I can.
It looks like this, somebody's going to be in trouble, right? One way or another, somebody's getting in trouble. Well, that's what Jesus is saying. I've told you to do this, and as I told you to live your life, and you've called me Lord and you go through the motions, but you're not doing what I tell you to.
Look at verse 47.
Whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like. He is like that person that has built a house. And before he builds the house, he, he takes and he digs down to make sure the foundation on which he is building is solid, is on. Rock is a firm foundation.
And so it's a little work before the building starts, but the foundation is assured of.
But there's another person who doesn't do what they're supposed to. Look at. Verse 49. He that heareth and doeth not. It's like a man that without a foundation built on a house upon the earth, on the sink and sand, it doesn't have anything to hold to, to anchor to. And so when the storms of life come and beat upon it, it falls. And Luke says this, the ruin of that house is great.
What does all of this mean?
Here's what it means.
It's one thing to hear the Word of God.
It's another thing to hear the Word of God and obey the Word of God, do we?
And that's what separates those on a firm foundation and those that live their life on sinking sand or shifting sand, you have nothing to hold onto.
And so today, as you come here to this worship service, you've heard a sermon, the sermon's over.
Here's what I'm going to ask you.
As we think about this moment and the foundation being Jesus himself, the foundation being the Word of God today, are you willing not only to be a hearer of the Word of God, but start doing the digging?
And as you dig, and as you dig and as you look, you get down to the foundation and to what we hold in our hands, and. And we live our life on.
And you know this is certain, that you can build your life upon the truths that are found in this book.
And you know that this will not fail.
It will not fail when the storms come and will not fail for all eternity.
Today, what is your foundation?
Is it Jesus?
Is it his word?
Or is it the world which moves and shifts and sinks and provides no foundation to what you, your family, your life, your future depends on?
Matthew says, this great is the Fall.
The one who builds on what the world offers will come tumbling down as I end this sermon today.
What are you doing with what you read and what you hear, with what you study?
Why do you do what you do?
This whole sermon has caught us to be joyful when people come against us.
It's caused us to love our enemy, to pray for them, to turn the other cheek and to do good to those who despitefully use you.
It calls you to love and forgive and show mercy when you don't want to.
This sermon from Jesus has caused us, you and I, to look and see who our Lord and our Master is, who's leading our lives.
It's called us to look on who we're building on.
And today, as we close this service today, I'm asking good People to just look at your own tree.
A simple glance at your own life will show if there is any fruit that is worthy of repentance.
That is any fruit worthy of someone looking at you and saying, that person belongs to Jesus.
We need to look at our fruit.
We also need to look deep into our hearts.
And just because we're planted in this place this morning doesn't mean that we know who Jesus truly is.
And if you come in here to worship. Today, I believe we worshiped a risen savior together.
A living Lord in Jesus.
And the faithfulness of a life can only be had by God's grace.
And today he's showered that grace on us as we worship together.
But where are you?
Maybe today you came and you said, pastor, I'm in the ditch.
I've been following the wrong person, the wrong friends group, the wrong people group, the people that I work with, they're leading me astray.
Jesus just simply says this, come unto me and I'll give you rest, whatever your need. Right now, as you do that self inspection, I know this. The Lord Jesus will meet you here.
Believers, can we be more than people of words?
People that are labeled hypocrites can be. Can we be real life people where their life, their words and their actions all match up?
And when people look at us, they don't claim that that's a hypocrite, but they say that that person belongs to Jesus.
Today, if you're in the ditch, if you've been following the wrong person, I want you to know that the Lord Jesus wants to lead your life.
And he wants to do it in such a way that you will call him not only master or teacher, but that you will surrender your life to him as Lord.
He can claim that because he went to a cross and, and he shed his blood on that cross for your sin and for my sin and because of that death and because of the resurrection on the third day in the tomb. He is our living Lord and we worship him in spirit and truth. Today.
Today, if you need someone to lead your life, look to the Lord Jesus. Follow him with all that you are. Your life, your soul, your strength. Give your life to him and live for him from forever. That's my challenge to you today. Jesus can change your life.
Believers, Jesus has changed our lives.
If I needed to end this sermon, I can't end it any better than Jesus.
Just do what you're supposed to do.
Be who you're supposed to be.
It's radically different, but through the Lord's help, we are Able to be more than conquerors through him that gives us that strength. Let's pray. Father, thank you for a day of worship.
Thank you for your word.
And Lord, I believe that your word rightly divides. It cuts to the heart of those that are believers and those that are unbelievers alike.
Lord, today as we gather to worship, Lord, we worship you as Lord. And we acknowledge that first and foremost.
And we acknowledge our need for you, Lord, for those of us that are believers. Lord, we need you more today than we do anytime in our lifetime. We acknowledge that.
Lord, help us make sure that we are rooted on the firm foundation.
Make sure that we are trees that are producing fruit that honors you.
Lord, today I pray that you just search every believer's heart. Reassure them of their commitment to you, Lord. And that their life would match up accordingly. I also pray by your Holy spirit, Lord, that you will search the hearts of every person in this room. And if there's a person that needs you as Savior in this room, they feel like their life has been in the ditch. That they've been blindly wandering this old world. God, I pray that through your Holy Spirit they will feel that gentle tug that you want to be the Lord of their life, that you can forgive their sin and that you will lead their life from this day forward, all of the earthly life and on into eternity, forever and ever. God, if somebody needs that today, Lord, I pray, Lord, that they will just acknowledge their sin. That you are the forgiver of sin, that you are their Lord. And that they want to live their life under your lordship for the rest of their their life. Lord, you will save somebody today. I pray that you will plant those seeds today. And Lord, that fruit will grow. We give you this moment of invitation now and pray that you join us in Jesus name. Amen.
[00:38:23] Speaker A: Clifford Baptist Church invites you to join us for worship every Sunday morning at 11am for more information about our church, please call our church office at 434-946-0555.
