Matthew 23:16-39
Jesus has taken off the wraps and waded into the heat of
the battle, and the battlefield is the heart and soul of man. For too long,
Satan has had free reign, leading men to hell - all the while thinking they were
on the right path for heaven.
Jesus completely dispels any notion that a religious foundation
has any merit whatsoever. Religion is, in fact, a detriment to your Spiritual
condition. Religion, as demonstrated by these religious leaders present before
Jesus on this day, exalts the flesh – and this makes it even more dangerous to
the cause of Christ.
Just look at the difficulty these religious leaders had
hearing the words of Christ – which are literally the words of God. Will your
religion prevent you from hearing the words of God? The answer is, sadly: Yes.
Religion is an invention of man to approximate the
presence of God. It has the look of piety, the feel of reverence, the smell of
dominion, and the quiet of patience and meditation bursting forth into soaring
songs of praise which stimulate the hearing of the mind. The buildings are
dramatic and soaring, and they reach out to touch the very face of God in the
imagination of the mind. Remember the Tower of Babel?
But religion has no answer for sin. Religion becomes the
cause of suffering rather than the relief of it. Religion has no place for
grace, and no understanding of it. The central premise of all religion and what
every religion stands for is this: What man can do. (And man can do some very
outwardly beautiful things.) The problem is inside he is filled with dead men’s
bones and all kinds of filth.
Jesus states the obvious, unavoidable truth. You must
turn away from religion, religious tradition, and religious practice to
acknowledge the love of the living God. It has never been about what you can do
for God – it has ALWAYS been about what He has done for you – and there’s not a
single thing you can add to it. Religion = Death. God’s loving grace = Life.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets
and stones those who are sent to her!” Religion will do whatever it takes to
maintain its history. How does religion affect you?
-Pastor Bill
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