Followers And Fakers

Real transformation cannot be faked forever.

Matthew 7:13-14 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

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In today's culture we like to pretend that truth isn't absolute, that reality is optional and that every view of God is a different path to the same place. Nobody wants to hear that there is only one truth and there are consequences for what you do with the truth.

The idea that there is more than one truth is really just a way of fooling yourself into believing that you can do what you want without being responsible to God. But what if you are wrong? What if there is a God who is perfect and has a set moral code for you to live by and truth that is absolute and unchanging?

Jesus made it very clear as soon as his ministry started that in order to please God and be blessed you need to have certain virtues. In Jesus first sermon he tells us that there is a better way to live that will result in blessings, he wants his followers to behave like citizens of a better country, and then he continues his teaching by making sure we know how to get to that better country. (Matthew 5:1-6)

Jesus let us know that all roads are not leading to Heaven, he told his listeners about the two gates, the two roads, the two fruit trees and the two foundations to build your life on. These are all black and white absolute truths and if you make the wrong choice the consequences will be devastating.

The two ways illustrate the start of the life of faith; the two trees illustrate the growth and results of the life of faith here and now; and the two houses illustrate the end of this life of faith, when God shall call everything to judgment.

-Warren Wiersbe

It is very easy in our culture to know about God and Jesus and seem to be a believer but if it is just head knowledge without real transformation and you still look like the rest of the world then there is much to be concerned about.

Head knowledge can produce religious activity but it doesn't prove you are genuinely a child of God. Don't forget about Judas, a member of Jesus small group, he was the best faker ever. The other eleven people had no idea that Judas was living a lie.

Matthew 7:19-20 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

The fakers can claim that Jesus is their Lord, they can seem like they are following his teaching, they can be emotionally involved in worship and they can be active in ministry but the presence of these traits do not authenticate anybody as a true Jesus follower.

Psalms 51:10, 17 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. 17 The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

You can fake a lot of things but eventually the condition of your heart will have an effect on your behavior and then the truth about your heart will be revealed. If you really know the truth and it leads you to true repentance and submission to Jesus as Lord then you will obey him consistently although imperfectly. 

A real follower will stay when it seems more rewarding or easy to bail out, when being obedient is too much of a sacrifice the fakers are likely to count the cost and make their get away. Why suffer for what you don't really believe? Why do something for someone else when you can look out for your own interest? Why trade your pleasure and suffer to benefit someone else?

Matthew 7:24-25 "Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock.

The fakers can build their house so that it looks exactly like a follower but someday when the weather outside is frightful the fakers house will collapse and his reputation will be ruined as he takes a look at the other houses around him that stood strong in the storm.

Video: Casting Crowns - Praise You In This Storm

We are all builders with complete control over what materials we will use, we decide if we will use the materials and the building codes that God has approved so that we can stand firm in the hard times. We will have peace and joy despite the storms because we know that we have a firm foundation for this life and the one to come

Someday the truth about the people that Jesus never knew will be revealed. There will be people that we thought we would see with us in eternity that will cry out to defend their actions but it will be too late.

Are you genuine? Has following Jesus cost anything? Are you really following Jesus?

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