TWO MASTERS

Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24.
According to a PEW estimation in 2020, Christians made up 2.38 billion of the worldwide population. 
According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, there are more than 45,000 Christian groups or denominations globally. Why that many? The reason is that your church and my church, the SDA, have more than one master, Jesus, Paul, Peter, etc. We follow the teachings of Master Jesus and all the disciples of Jesus. Master Jesus teaches us His way of how we can be saved, master Paul teaches us his way of how we can be saved, and master Peter teaches us something else. And they are different. They are not the same. Doesn’t that confuse you? Do you see now why Jesus said we cannot serve two masters?
Here is how we can be saved according to Master Jesus:
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading [of it]?" So he answered and said, "`You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and `your neighbor as yourself.'" And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." Luke 10:25-28. But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead. "Now by chance, a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. "Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. "So he went to [him] and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. "On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave [them] to the innkeeper, and said to him, `Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." Luke 10:29-37.
Jesus implied that in order to be saved the lawyer must know the law, he must follow the law, and that he must work. Go and do this means work. We must also know the law so we don't commit adultery and sleep with a woman who is not our wife.
In contrast, here is what Paul says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. Paul said that we are saved by grace through faith, and not work. Someone has asked was Paul not chosen by Jesus? Yes, he was, but so was Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus.
Jesus, however, contradicted Paul and said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matthew 7:21-23.
Jesus rejected these men/women of great faith because they did not follow the law, they did not do the will of the Father in Heaven - they practiced lawlessness. Faith means nothing if there is no work. These men/women receive no grace from God despite their great faith. They have not done what God wants them to do. Lucifer and his angels received no grace from God, Adam and Eve received no grace from God, and millions or billions of people who drowned during Noah’s time received no grace from God either. Why? Because they have not done what God wanted them to do.
Jesus said, "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil." John 7:7.
Jesus also said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me." John 14:15,21,23,24.
Why don't we believe in what He said? If we can achieve the same result through faith, Jesus would have told us to have faith in His commandments, and not to keep His commandments.
Why is Jesus encouraging His children to keep His commandments? He is preparing them for the Kingdom of Heaven that is soon to come.
Why is the mammon discouraging you from keeping God's commandments? He is preparing you for this place, "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 8:12.
"Then the king said to the servants, `Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" Matthew 22:13. `And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matthew 25:30.
"For many are called, but few [are] chosen." Matthew 22:14.

 

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