Religion Won’t Save
Galatians 5:19-23, Matthew 7:15-23 Men from Cains day have been religious. I: Reformed, not Reborn: 1. Cleaning the outside of the cup. 2. Judas worked miracles in Jesus name. 3. The Pharisees had a religion. 4. What world has a religion? 5. Saul of Tarsus had a religion. II: Scripture tells of false beliefs. 1. The parable of the sower. Matthew 13. 2. The wedding feast. Matthew 22. 3. The 10 virgins. Matthew 25. 4. A net filled with good & bad fish. Matthew 13. 5. The wheat and tares. Matthew 13. 6. The Pharisee that prayed, fasted, attended Church, tithed, & lived a good moral life, but he was lost. Luke 18:91. 7. The bed is too short, the cover is too narrow. Isaiah 28:20. Will your religion do to die...
Robbers of God
Malachi 3:7-12 Context: Gods warning to the restored remnant. I: “The Priest robbed him of holy service.” 1:6-13. 1. “Where is my honour?” 2. “Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar.” 3. They offered the blind, lame, and sick. 4. “Offer it now unto thy governor.” 5. They had commercialized the house of God. II: The people were robbing God. 1. “Return unto me.” “Wherein shall we return?” 2. “Will a man rob God?” 3. “Where in have we robbed thee?” 4. “In tithes and offerings.” 5. “Bring ye all the tithe unto the storehouse.” Prove me. III: They failed to discern between the righteous and the wicked. 1. “It’s vain to serve God, and...
Rebellion Against Light
Job 24:13, Matthew 5:14-16 God said, let there be light, and there was light, and God saw the light that it was good. And God divided the light from the darkness. “In Him was life: and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4. “The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light; that all men through Him might believe.” John 1:7. “That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John 1:9. “I am the light of the world: He that follewth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12. To rebel against the revealed will of God is to rebel against His light and to walk in darkness. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” I:...
Religion of Public Opinion
John 12:43 Many people want religion but they want it on their own religious terms. I: Some want legial religion. 1. Sense prevails over faith. 2. Some things are legalized that aren’t Christinised. 3. Leagalized Religion is moved by fear. 4. It will rejoice in a low standard. 5. It’s always preparing for death and never for life. II: Some want cheap religion. 1. It wants the best for the lowest price. 2. It wants service without serving. 3. It’s satisfied to just make it through the gates of Heaven. 4. It fails to count the cost of Calvery. III: Some want a religion of public opinion. 1. The opinion of men comes before, thus sayeth the Lord. 2. It’s satisfied to compare itself with others of low standards. 3. It had rather do what is...
Repentance
Acts 20:21, Cor. 2 7:10 Repent – To be patient, comforted, eased, feel sorry for or to regret, to repent one’s choice regret for past action. To turn back or have another mind. J.B. Lawrence “Certainly, repentance is necessary, but repentance is the 1st step in faith. No one can believe on Christ and accept him as Saviour and Lord without turning away from sin.” (Kindlings for Revival Fires, pg. 116). 1. The mind must be moved in the act of repentance, but that’s not all: The confession, “I have sinned,” is made by many. Hardened Pharoah Exodus 9:27, Double-minded Balaam Numbers 22:34, Remorseful Achaean Joshua 7:20, Insincere Saul Samuel 1 15:24, and despairing Judas Matthew 27:4. 2. “There must be a change of...
Pride the Destroyer
Luke 18:9-14 Pride strives to center all activity toward itself. I: Pride is no respector of persons. 1. Satan fell from his exalted place when pride possessed his heart. 2. Pride caused Eve to desire the forbidden fruit more than the Will of God. 3. “Israel was warned not to let pride cause them to forget God when they became prosperous.” Deuteronomy 8:11. 4. Pride caused Haman to build the Gallows he was hung upon. II: Two men went up to pray. 1. One was a Pharasee. a. He was a religious leader. b. He stood and addressed God with pride. c. He was conceited in being better than other men. d. He boasted of the good things he was doing. e. He went home with his burden of sin. 2. The other was a Publican. a. He felt his sin too deep to be proud before...