Unexpected.

These are the sermon notes from Sunday at the Summit Church, by J.D. Greear.

Unexpected: what it was like for people when they met Jesus.
He left people in a dilemma: they could either hold on to their ideas about God and deny or redefine Jesus, or accept Jesus for who he is and redefine how they see God. He used the story of a man who made a monster and a bed, and it turned out that the bed was too short for the monster. So instead of changing the size of the bed, he cut the monster's legs off. The moral of the story is "Don't shorten the monster, lengthen the bed!"
Matthew 7:13-27 is the Scripture reference. In this, Jesus is talking about people who have done the ritual but never really knew Jesus.
Jesus gives 4 word pictures: roads/gates, sheep and wolves, fruits, and houses. All can be taken to see the difference between false and true Christians, directed toward religious people, and both sets think they're on the right path. It is only inward in which the truth comes out.
Observations:
1.) There is a huge amount of falsely assured Christians (v. 13-14)
2.) On the outside, false Christians look very similar to true Christians (v. 22-23). The people Jesus is referring to actually believe that Jesus is God (can tell from the Greek word used for "Lord" - implies deity). They say his name twice ("Lord, Lord"), which in their culture implies an emotional attachment. These were Christians in minstry. Both trees have fruits - one is good, the other is poisonous.
3.) For most, that they are false Christians will come as a complete surprise to them.
4.) Jesus gives the 4 marks of false Christians:
a.) They had no firsthand knowledge of Jesus (v. 23) - God was like a certain kind of conduct they had to follow. You need surrender and love.
b.) Jesus is not fully in control (v. 23 - "lawless") - Jesus is Lord of only some parts of their lives. If Jesus is not Lord of all of your life, he is not Lord at all. Jesus' claim on your life is total. Faith that doesn't produce good works isn't real faith. You are saved by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone.
c.) Outwardly religious, inwardly ravenous (v. 15) - they are empty, trying to fill themselves up at all costs. The Greek word can mean extortion.
d.) They have no foundation. Their commitment to Christ alters with life's storms (v. 27). Real Christians have a foundation in Christ that carries them through any storm. False Christians' commitment to Christ goes up and down depending on circumstances.
There is no quick-fix for this. Go to Jesus, let him be your Savior, King, and God. Surrender to him.

This caused me to look into James. In verse 2:26, he says that faith is dead without good works. This does NOT mean that we are going to be judged by our good works, or that what we do gets us right standing with God, because we are saved by grace and grace alone, but you experience true grace, those good works will stem from that experience, and a moral life and good deeds will flow from the faith you have. That verse and the accompanying theology behind it has frequently come up in my life in the past few years, when people try to ask why it matters what they do, or when people I know act like it doesn't matter what they do. Admittedly, I am no saint and I definitely do things that do not represent my faith, but I do try. This semester has been really hard, and I've had many challenges with my beliefs and faith in Jesus and Christianity, and this sermon from Sunday really made me think about, basically, my life. It reminded me that I need to rely on him to carry me through these challenges that I have faced. My roommate said everytime she goes to the Summit she hears what she needs to hear, and that's how I feel about it, too. For the past couple Sundays I've been to the Summit, we've had a few minutes after the sermon to pray and reflect on what we've heard, and then we worship again. I really like that. It gives me a chance to, actually it makes me reflect on the message and search my own life to try to apply it. Then, this Sunday, we sang one of my all-time favorite songs, Mighty to Save. Very fitting.

Everyone needs compassion, a love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness, the kindness of a Savior
The Hope of Nations

Savior, He can move the moutains
My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save
Forever, author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as you find me, all my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow, everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save
Forever, author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King, Jesus!