Matthew 3:10 The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Our Righteous Works
Dear Reader, today my prayer for you is that you will be richly blessed through God�s revealed word. As you read this message may God prompt you to examine your life for acts of righteousness that are �good fruit� in His eyes. The bible teaching in this area is unmistakable. It says that a man is never found acceptable in God�s eyes through works of righteousness he may do. Only according to His mercy will He justify us before His throne, by the washing of His regeneration and the renewing of His Holy Spirit will any man find true acceptance from God. In fact, all our good acts of righteousness are like dirty filthy rags in the presence of our pure and perfect God.
Matthew 3:7-12
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
At the time of Christ the Pharisees and Sadducees were prominent religious sects among the Jews. The Pharisees believed in life after death, the Sadducees did not. The Sadducees maintained the soul of a man perished with the body. Jesus did not hold either group in high esteem. Here is one passage where Christ describes the outward acts of goodness done by the leaders of the Jews.
Matthew 23:1-5 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
This is certainly a very condemning description from God. But what about us? Can this same portrayal depict our lives before God? Many of us go about our daily routines in ways to impress our family and friends with our self righteousness. But God knows our true spiritual condition. Inside our hearts are deceitfully wicked, so much so, that we deceive ourselves into thinking we are good in God�s sight. But unless we come to God through Christ, we are only fooling ourselves. We must always be vigilant that we do not commit the sin of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
8 Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;
When we are truly converted into the Christian family through faith in Jesus as our God and Savior, we will have experienced a Godly sorrow for our sins that results in a true turning from an evil lifestyle. This turning from sin is a repentance unto salvation experience. Now all our works of righteousness will be based upon a life in service to Christ, and will have merit before God�s judgment seat. Here is the great commandment for us:
Matthew 22:37-39 And He said to him, YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
Matthew 3:9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our father; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
Dear brothers and sisters. Just because you have Abraham as your father, this does not guarantee you an entrance into heaven. Let us be very clear on this most important of subjects. The Holy Scriptures say:
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Jesus is a very narrow doorway into heaven. All the other paths people are traveling upon will lead them into hell fire forever.
10 The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Read what John the Baptist says about our Lord and God Jesus:
11 As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Dear reader, the unquenchable fire mentioned above is the never ending torments of hell and the lake of fire. Please do not go there. Of all the subjects our Lord Jesus spoke about, the one discussed the most by Him was punishment in hell. So we know that ell is a very real place, and has no escape doors. The lost souls in hell can never escape. The agonies will surround them each and every moment for all of eternity. There will never ever be any type of relief from the anguish.
Matthew 7:13-13 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, will you please consider your eternal destiny? And where you will go without a reconciliation with God? Choose Christ today. He loves you very much.
John 3:14-17 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
This is so true, brings to mind the morlists and the legalist and their self righteousness, as Paul in Romans chapter 2, of the Jews who thought they were better than the Gentiles just becaues they were given the law. As well as those who think their works of good deeds, and just because they belive in Jesus, and other religions don't, yet are not living a Christ-lile life style, nor have truyly been convert, they think they are better than the unsaved and those of other religions. They are the so-called god people, Not knowing or understanding that their own self- rigtheousness will be judge by God based on His righteousness, and God isn't impressed with the good deeds or if you beleive in Jesus if a person has not been born again and convert in their hearts by the Holy Spirit, and if one isn't a doer of His word from the heart. Nor do they realize that they will be judged according to their witness to the lost unto salavtion. There is none who is righteous even believing in Jesus doesn't make you righteous unless you are living and dying to the self daily. Even the devil believes...
YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN, FROM ABOVE FROM THE INSIDE OUT, AND THE OUTSIDE IN. That's for Muslims and the so-called Christians who really don't know Chirst in their hearts. Many know ABOUT JESUS, but don't KNOW Jesus intimately on a personal level as LORD over their lives.
And Praise God, this new birth in Christ by the Holy Spirit is not something anyone can fake or filibustered with words of the mouth.
And as Jesus says, "They honor Me with their mouths, but their hearts are far from me."... yet they think their good works of self-righteousness will saved them... WRRRONG!
