www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com
By Steven Merten
©Copyright 1990
Note: Jesus' words are in red.
Even Satan believes that Christ lived. Yet Satan never lived as Christ taught. It is a man's good deeds from the heart, according to the commandments, that make him a believer.
My brothers, what good is it to profess faith without practicing it? Such faith has no power to save one, has it? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and no food for the day, and you say to them, "Good-bye and good luck! Keep warm and well fed," but do not meet their bodily needs, what good is that? so it is with the faith that does nothing in practice. It is thoroughly lifeless.People believe in God by putting into action what He tells them to do. People believe in Jesus by putting into practice what he teaches them. The Pharisees had to act upon Jesus teaching to be believers in JESUS IS LORD. Simply recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and Lord has nothing to do with falling under the category of being a believer. Christ asks, that if you do not act as he has commanded, why do you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe him to be Lord?
To such a person one might say, You have faith and I have works is that it? Show me your faith without works, and I will show you the faith that underlies my works! Do you believe that God is one? you are quite right. The demons believe that, and shudder.NAB LUK 4:33
(Demons believe Jesus is Lord.)In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit, who shrieked in a loud voice: Leave us alone! What do you want of us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God. (LUK 4:41)NAB MAT 8:28
As he approached the Gadarene boundary, he encountered two men coming out of the tombs. They were possessed by demons and were so savage that no one could travel along that road. With a sudden shriek they cried: Why meddle with us, Son of God? (LUK 8:25)
"None of those who cry out, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of God but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. When that day comes, many will plead with me, 'Lord, Lord,' have we not prophesied in your name? have we not exorcized demons by its power? Did we not do many miracles in your name as well? Then I will declare to them solemnly, I never knew you. Out of my sight, you evildoers!"It is your abundant good deeds from the heart which proclaim Jesus is Lord and not lip service
"Anyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on rock. When the rainy season set in, the torrents came and the winds blew and buffeted his house, It did not collapse; it had been solidly set on rock. Anyone who hears my words but does not put them into practice is like the foolish man who built his house on sandy ground. The rains fell, the torrents came, the winds blew and lashed against his house. It collapsed under all this and was completely ruined."
"A good tree does not produce decayed fruit any more than a decayed tree produces good fruit. Each tree is known by its yield. Figs are not taken from thornbushes, nor grapes picked from brambles. A good man produces goodness from the good in his heart; an evil man produces evil out of his store of evil. Each man speaks from his heart's abundance. Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and not put into practice what I teach you?"
Put not your trust in the deceitful words: "This is the temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD!" Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds; if each of you deals justly with his neighbor; if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow; if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow strange gods to your own harm, will I remain with you in this place, in the land which I gave your fathers long ago and forever. But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss!
The way we can be sure of our knowledge of him is to keep his commandments, The man who claims, "I have known him," without keeping his commandments, is a liar, in such a one there is no truth.
My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
Make no mistake about it, no one makes a fool of God! A man will reap only what he sows. If he sows in the field of the flesh, he will reap a harvest of corruption; but if his seed-ground is the spirit, he will reap everlasting life. Let us not grow weary of doing good; if we do not relax our efforts, in due time we shall reap our harvest. While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all men but especially those of the household of the faith.Peter tells Jesus that, beyond a doubt, he believes Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. Peter accepts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and at the same time Jesus tells Peter he has little faith due to Peter's doubt in actions, works and disobedience. Peter disobeys and mistrusts Jesus in his actions while trying to walk on water. Peter has plenty of believing in his words but Jesus looks at his deeds, works and actions when he tells him he has little faith and little belief.
Jesus at once stretched out his hand and caught him. "How little faith you have!" he exclaimed. "Why did you falter?" Once they had climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat showed him reverence, declaring, "Beyond doubt you are the Son of God!"
From this time on, many of his disciples broke away and would not remain in his company any longer. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you want to leave me too?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe; we are convinced that you are God's holy one."Jesus replied, "Did I not choose the Twelve of you myself? Yet one of you is a devil."
"You are the Messiah," Simon Peter answered, "the Son of the living God!"
Peter responded, "Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be shaken!"
"Lord," Peter said to him, "why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!"St. Peter was baptized. St. Peter immediately left his worldly job to follow Jesus when Christ asked him to come fish for men. St. Peter had God's Spirit of authority over unclean spirits within him.
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits.Satan says all right, let us look at this great faith Peter is proclaiming. Let us look into Peter's heart and see if he truly does have faith and believe in Jesus. Guess how Satan finds out if Peter believes in Jesus? Obedience to Jesus will and commandments is how Satan tests Peter's belief in Jesus. Peter can still choose to break faith and follow Satan to hell. It is through Peter's choices to Christ's commands to take up a cross (MAT 16:24), that Peter's belief is shaken and almost lost. It is through obedience to Jesus message to obey God's will that Peter and men are believers or non-believers.
"Simon, Simon! Remember that Satan has asked for you, to sift you all like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may never fail. You in turn must strengthen your brothers." "Lord," he said to him, "at your side I am prepared to face imprisonment and death itself." Jesus replied, "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow today until you have three times denied that you know me."
"Lord," Peter said to him, "why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!" "You will lay down your life for me, will you?" Jesus answered. "I tell you truly, the cock will not crow before you have three times disowned me!"
"We do indeed believe you came from God." Jesus answered them:
"Do you really believe?"
An hour is coming - has indeed already come - when you will be scattered and each will go his way, leaving me quite alone."
"We have come to believe; we are convinced that you are God's holy one."St. Peter believes Jesus is Lord, St. Peter accepts Jesus as his Messiah, yet Peter many times lacks belief in Jesus through his actions. Peter many times is tempted into the unbelieving of Jesus through sin to death and hell. Peter denies he even knows Christ and disobeys Jesus, along with the rest of the nonbelievers. Peter has accepted, professed and believes in Christ as his personal savior. Yet with actions Peter fails to believe Jesus is Lord. With words you can accept Christ as your saviour as many times as you want. But when it comes to belief, faith and eternal resurrection only those of free will who choose to love and obey what Christ commanded them will resurrect into eternal life. It is not the words, vows or proclamations of man that God looks at to find believers. God looks at the heart, and through Peter's action and deeds he finds Peter's lack of belief and lack of faith in Jesus.
Jesus replied, "Did I not choose the Twelve of you myself? Yet one of you is a devil." (He was talking about Judas, son of Simon, the Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was going to hand Jesus over.)
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
This people pays me lip service but their heart is far from me.Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees for proclaiming faith and belief, but acting faithless and without belief by committing sin. Jesus compares the tax collectors and prostitutes to the Pharisees in his parable of the Two Sons.
"What do you think of this case? There was a man who had two sons. He approached the elder and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' The son replied, 'I am on my way, sir' ; but he never went. Then the man came to his second son and said the same thing. This son said in reply, 'No, I will not'; but afterward he regretted it and went. Which of the two did what the father wanted?" They said, "The second." Jesus said to them, "I assure you that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came preaching a way of holiness, you put no faith in him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did believe in him. Yet even when you saw that, you did not repent and believe in him."The Pharisees are God's son who say, "I am on my way, sir." Even though the Pharisees have proclaimed that they have faith, belief and obedience to God, they choose to disobey His commandments and will. The prostitutes and tax collectors are God's son who say, "No, I will not." to the Father. The tax collectors and prostitutes disobey God's commandments and wills, thus lacking faith and belief in God. Then the tax collectors and prostitutes regret being faithless, unbelieving and disobedient and go off to obey the Father's will after all. Jesus asks the "faithful, believing, obedient" Pharisees, "Who is better, the one who proclaims belief and faith in God and then goes out and does evil or the one who proclaims faithlessness and then goes out and does good?" In the parable of the Two Sons, Jesus refers to the prostitutes and tax collectors who convert and choose to do the will of the Father as those who believe in and have faith in God and John the Baptist. Jesus tells the Pharisees that their proclamations of belief and faith in God are worthless when they do not do acts, deeds and works according to God's commandments and wills.
Jesus refuses to verbally make a "noble profession" to Pilate that JESUS IS LORD, Jesus is King or Jesus is Salvation (MAT 27:11) (MAR 15:2)(LUK 23:3) (JOH 18:33). Through his integrity, piety, love of obedience, fight of faith and steadfastness to the command of God, Jesus, in his mutilation on the cross, gives witness and makes his great noble profession of faith before Pontius Pilate.
Instead, seek after integrity, piety, faith, love, steadfastness, and a gentle spirit. Fight the good fight of faith. Take firm hold on the everlasting life to which you were called when, in the presence of many witnesses, you make your noble profession of faith. Before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who in bearing witness made his noble profession before Pontius Pilate, I charge you to keep God's command without blame or reproach until our Lord Jesus Christ shall appear.
Enraged at her escape, the dragon went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep God's commandments and give witness to Jesus.
They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny that he exists.Many hell-goers will have known that JESUS IS LORD. It is those who live the belief Jesus is Lord by following his commandments while under the trial of free-will who are believers. It is the man who follows the commandments, therefore loving God with all his heart, who has believed Moses, Jonah, John and Jesus' message. Saying Jesus is Lord and then not obeying the commandments is disbelief in Jesus. Like Moses, Isaiah or King David, obeying the commandments with all your heart even while not knowing who the Messiah is, is believing in Jesus. It is the man who lives Christ is our Savior who will become spiritually begotten of God upon his death and resurrection. Believe in Jesus by following his message, which are the commandments, and you will never die.
