Diabolical - Agenda # 4 - Death by Lethal Religion, Part 2

Have you ever been turned off by religion by Christians, do you realize that Satan's playing field is often church and religion that one of the places that he works his diabolical agendas the most is around God's word God's people, traditions and religion. How do you separate Satan's work inside the church and with Jesus. That's today.

Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge roof Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry featuring the daily Bible to just a minute to pick up where he left off last time series diabolical by continuing to talk about fake religion. Sadly, we almost Christian and it's frustrating because it distorts the true message of the gospel in this program. Chip breaks down five ideals we need to know about that religion that explains what it really means to follow Jesus a lot of helpful content to get to. So let's get started. If you have a Bible handy turnout acts chapter 9 part two of chips message death by lethal religion. So here's the question, ask and answer. What's the difference between dead religion and a living relationship with God. What's the difference between a dead religion in the living relationship with God, and I want to suggest acts chapter 9 will give you a very clear picture of when we are seeking to make a point in our Western thought, we tend to outline either things inductively or deductively deductively as here's the point.

Here's the statement, and here's the five points that justify that inductively is. We give all the pieces and then we come with a big this is the point because of all the specific pieces. This is an interesting in Hebrew. They use just it's called a casting structure.

CH IAS TIC and all it means is when they want to outline and make a big point at times. Not all the time.

Very often in Psalms often narrative literature is what they will do is they will outline it like this .1 is the very first thing and also the last thing so would be like a in a in the second point point be would be the last thing in the second to last thing, so that that which is in the dead center is the main point is, like one in five are get a contrast or compare to and for contrast and compare it so it's like you like with your bowling help me with this if your bowling you got hit had to write will if you if you were back here and you are setting them up. What you do when you set up all the pins you setting up all the pans they all veered toward the head. In the structure of this passage and the reason I put it like this.

This is how the Holy Spirit put it together so we can see the dramatic contrast between religion and living relationship.

Let me show to look at this notice. It opens with a Pharisee who is clean.

It ends with a Tanner whose unclean. The focus is what what's Paul doing as the chapter opens with murderous threats. He wants to kill people. The chapter ends with what the focus is life. She's resurrected. The subject is a murderer in the opening chapter, the subject is a doer of good work someone who loves people. You'll notice that Jesus what's he do, he rebukes Paul but, by contrast, he resurrects Dorcas when when Paul meets Jesus he's blind when Dorcas did you notice the phrase she's resurrected, says she opened her eyes. Those things are put there by accident.

The author wants to carefully help you see the distinction. The apostle becomes an invalid and member the story of the invalid become someone who walks and serves both of them were told to get up. The apostle Paul said God speaks and says get up go where I tell you this is what you must do.

The paralytic is he gets up, and instead of going all the people of Luda come in they believe in the here because of the miracle. The apostle Paul is healed to carry his message to the Gentiles. This paralytic is healed very carefully in the name of Jesus. And so if you take those things.

The core teaching and point is verses 20 and 22. If you still have your Bible open it up. I want you to see this verse is 20 and 22 it is the dividing mark. It is the core.

It is the main point between dead religion and a living relationship with the living God. Verse 20 at once he began to preach notice in the synagogue. That's where the religion is what's he preaching Jesus is the son of God. That's deity. Jesus is God truth person, not rules, not patterns, not ceremony all those who heard him were astonishing ask, isn't this the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among all those a call upon his name. Second point. When you meet the living God. Your life changes.

It's dramatic it's different. There is a before and then after me. There's something that happens relationship with Christ brings life dead religion brings death notice.

It goes on and hasn't he come here to make prisoners in the areas instead of prisoners. What he set people free. Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. Here's what I want you to see. Here's what happened.

Two things number one get 180° conversion. The apostle Paul was sincere, devoted, smart, educated, a Roman citizen wealthy he had it gone and I mean he's gone like this in a.m. he meets the living God. And now he's gone exactly 180° different direction is called conversion. Webster's defines conversion as to turn from one belief or party to another Roget's thesaurus, synonyms, or change, transformation, resolution, metamorphosis reformation, it's the making over of something from something into something new and different. The apostle Paul was transformed into something completely new, everything changed when he met the living God's relationship with God change with the Jews changed with Christians change with people change with himself his perspective changed. He went from being a persecutor to a preacher. His his values changed. He was a religious guy you heard.

Matthew 23. He was focused on fame, success, prestige, status and control, and now you can read 13 books that were penned by the apostle Paul and he was consumed with people, relationships, the hurting, the oppressed and serving his goals changed first half of this chapter. There was a man who was wanted to rise to the top second half or someone is concerned about reaching the lost in the first half.

It's can and pressing his contemporaries. Now he someone you hear over and over that he wants to please God from the heart and he went from persecuting Christians to proclaiming forgiveness to all the known world.

You see, conversion is that point in a person's life when they fully realized that their way is not the right way. They may be devoted, they may be sincere. They may be quote morally good they may be religious but they realize that Jesus Christ and he alone is the answer to the most penetrating issues and problems of life. Why am I here is there life after death. Who is God what'll I do have a relationship with him. Christ is the son of God. He came and died for all, he rose from the dead to prove that it's true. And he offers eternal life to whosoever would put their trust in him and then you'll notice that after this 180° conversion what you have you got 100%: mission you know like you and say oh I'm so glad I met Jesus. But boy I sure don't want anyone to know about. After few days he's in the synagogues because people I was wrong. People we got here about this people you look at this and this and this and this and this and it was amazing intellect. Here's the question I have for you. Have you unconsciously subtly been introduced to a religious system, but maybe never had a Damascus experience it's possible to intellectually believe in the Bible. It's possible to intellectually believe Jesus is God. It's possible to feel like it's you ought to an good moral people go to church at least once or twice a month. It's possible to actually think you know it's probably pretty important to give some money to help some other people and try be a good person and follow the golden rule and may even feel a little guilty when you do this or do that religion is one of the most diabolical ways to keep you from a living relationship with God.

Conversion always leads to a calling. If there is a passion in your heart to follow if there is a concern for others.

You didn't have.

If there's an appetite for God's word because it's not about reading a chapter a day are coming to a service or how do I not feel guilty or will God be mad at me.

It's about. I am deeply unconditionally loved and I want to get to know him. The apostle Paul would say he wants to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering.

He was passionate to know God not perform not become a quote religious person. To summarize, I put the product or results of religion at the top. I made a little cloud floating above religion religion results in control, fear and death for this religious people are in their control freaks and they fear everything and I hate change. It brings death separation from God separation from themselves. By contrast, living relationship results in power and love and life, and here's all I want to say just ask yourself, are you experiencing the power of God. Is there a love of God in your heart.

Is there a living relationship or is a lot of obligation a lot of duty a lot of pots a lot of shoulds, my parents went to church I go to church. I should be a good moral person on your nine and 99 and yeah when you know the living God and the living God lives inside of you by the Holy Spirit as you've trusted Christ as your Savior. There's a 180. That happens more or less dramatic, depending on your background, but all I just want to do is it shake all of us to say, wait a second. Even those of us that know Christ personally. Religion creeps in, we make our own. We have all of her own little groups.

We make our own little religion and the enemy gets inside our religious thinking and is not whether what's true is not our way and how we see the truth in everyone to see it. Like us here. Some sort of some takeaways that I think are critical and important. What must we learn about religion. Number one religion focuses on acceptance from the outside in. And yet life occurs from the inside out. I just always want to remember that you might jot in their flick.

Philippians chapter 3 the first half of Philippians chapter 3. The apostle Paul talks about his outside inexperience of being religious Pharisee tribe of Benjamin. According to the law, faultless self righteous and then in the second half. He talks about the inside out is that I consider all those things that literally the word is done or rubbish. I consider all of that as rubbish compared to knowing him and then he has this plea I want to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering. There's this passion. It's personal. It's living.

It's alive it's a love relationship. Religion is always all these external things it patterns and rules, and if you'd you don't do it then you guilty and what about this since God loves you when you do these things, he doesn't love you when you don't do these things and it's evil in the church of becomes legalism people with those heavyweights in an it leads to this religion is rooted in performance life is rooted in grace. See when you are a religious person the questions. It's not like you say them out loud, but they're built into your psyche.

What am I supposed to do. What am I supposed to do, how much am I supposed to do my supposed to pray five times a day do I have to go on a pilgrimage or R&R circles don't have to read the Bible every day and how much of the Bible to have to read my supposed to get my money was putting my money to have to give 10% is a 10% of the grocers often met factory for 15 minutes or 25 minutes to is is like a mission trip like every three years. Is that okay how much do I have to do do do. That's religion. If you're asking those questions, you're missing the point. God doesn't need your time doesn't doesn't need your money doesn't need your short-term trip.

See that's performance.

The question that those in relationship ask is who am I becoming over performance in my notes I wrote Matthew 23 and put a circle around over where it says grace I put Romans 12 and up in a circle around it to see the test.

The litmus test is not how much do I do do I love people more. The issue isn't do I give off this or give off that am I more generous 20 care about people. Do I love God, open to him. It's your money what you want to do with it. It's your time will go every week, every month once a year. Never go.

I just want to do what you want me to do. I love you you love me. I don't have to perform. I'm saved by grace on sustained by grace on the object.

I'm his son to put his arm around his daughter completely different religion change people binds people makes them prisoners. Grace frees you.

Third observation is that sincerity and devotion are no substitute for truth. Paul was sincere and devoted suicide bombers so sincere and devoted some of these wacko religious quote Christian sects sincere and devoted right. How about let's get it from out there to hear some of us in this room sincere and devoted and we've added things in fuel pressure and make up extra rules and take our rules and put them on other people and here's the thing is, is it true or not, or is it just been handed down is one more layer of stuff one more layer of obligation. It is your relationship with God a lot more like duty, obligation not to got to never measure up. Reason for like joy, passion, adventure one is a relationship other religion. Fourth, religion is easy to spot in others, and nearly invisible to ourselves. This is so painful because this isn't like do you have a relationship or are you religious.

That's certainly true. I will tell you that all of us that have a personal vital, living, growing relationship with Jesus have parts of religious thinking in our brains and in the enemy wants to cause it to grow into growing to grow and give you false guilt give you struggles with things. But where it's happening in your life or mine. It's almost invisible. I mean, I can look at other people to wow where is there for that's easy to see is just hard when I look in the mirror and I think this is working pretty good. I think everyone should do it this way exactly this way. Think about this.

That way she religion produces very narrow controlling people who demand others think and act exactly the way they do religious people turn people off people in love with Jesus drawl people like a magnet. I've been in missionaries homes who are sincere all around the world and it's out of seek.

They have such fear. I watch okay, ready sit down right now. Okay I money this is true story okay were you. The Bible is really important and I watching of three teenagers rolling their eyes gone.

You know what their body lame. Just tell me as soon as I get out of this house. I'm leaving mom, dad, God Bible there wacko and out of all their fear rules rules rules I don't trust the kids instead of an adventure. Instead, what is God going to say how we discover how much he loves us and what you think about that is this top down harsh, legalistic, and they run. Let me give you some symptoms of the sentence invisible here some symptoms and I like to say I did extensive research to figure out the symptoms, but actually I looked in the mirror for about 33 seconds, and these are symptoms.

Religious people are controlling religious people are resistant to change. Religious people are critical of others finest ethical conversations in the car even in your mind you know so Mrs. doing that. It's critical religious people have feelings of superiority. You're better than smarter than more holy than religious people, by and large, can be very unloving what's right in their view, not necessarily Scripture but what's right in their view is more important than the person of religious people are fearful of the future. Religious people are anxious and religious people are involved in political relational agendas in churches can see when I start feeling that you lose control. Like Paul, when you get you get your client down on some people you can find some people that are on your side that looked like you and have a little conversation about what they are doing.

Whoever they are. I know way too much about this I came up around the group and it wasn't their fault. It was me, but you took sort of the selected dynamite. The nitroglycerin of my work personality shoot deep insecurities and arrogance and so II was around a group that when I started to grow. I memorized the first every day for about three years I had a prayer list.

The got very long. I never went to bed. I never missed.

I prayed all the time I was the biggest religious jerk you've ever seen on the face of the earth, and after about four years of that. I remember a conversation with her.

The gal that I dated earlier in college and out of the blue she said to me you know when I first met you and you are a new Christian, I was really open it seem like there was such joy in life. I was really open to maybe exploring what was all about but of being a Christian and being committed is like you.

The last thing I'd ever want to do in my life is be a Christian.

I actually had to stop memorizing Scripture realize a God love me when I didn't pray or get get all through my list and I member even as I was in seminary I member my wife and I deciding you know what I mean.

I just lied and give more percentage every year higher percentage minute of three kids.

I'm in seminary with no money given more more more money away and and behind it was this religious I'm going to prove myself to God. I had had to learn about grace I just spent iced months in Galatians to sing God. What you help me grass you love me. Plus nothing you love me when I blow it you love me when I'm obedient, not grace is what teaches us to grow is not that we just say, you know, forget every it's but it's relationship noticed the final point is been very helpful is it is God's mercy that rocks our world to reveal our religion and bursts of fresh new life. What you mercy commercial God is so merciful to see religion will eventually cause you to do one of two things either kick the wall or become a hypocrite coming once you have rules you make up the rules may come up today than trying keep him perfectly. No one can keep any rules and so what happens is if you trying trying trying try like I did.

I just burn out. I got so depressed, I get so depressed as I is like me in this whole other job of being a Christian I just read or can the whole thing or what you do is you realize you can't keep them but you want people think you can so you become a hypocrite. So you act like you're keeping them, but you really don't.

And God in his mercy and what he does break you God in his mercy will allow a tragedy. God in his mercy allow a car wreck, a divorce, bankruptcy made to walk out on you a kid that says you forget you mom and dad and all of a sudden all your rules and all your religion when you're hurting me nothing and you find yourself caught help me God please please I don't know what to do. I don't have a job. I lost my home at what religion doesn't do anything when you're desperate need right and when you cry out in the midst of pain. You always answer is what you're looking for is someone to love you, forgive you, sustain you and help you and Jesus said I'm near the broken hearted and I save those who Christian spirit for you and I did not come to create a religion for new hoops for you to jump through eye candy you might have life, he might have it abundantly been converted. If you done a 180.

If you embrace Jesus, not religion, and if so do you have a calling to realize that you in your hands and hearts and lives are recipients to take the message of life in your stewards of the manifold mysteries of God as we close today's message. I reminded the opportunity I had last week to be in another state and I did what was called a prayer breakfast at about a thousand people from of very limited community and you know it's dignitaries in the mirror and city officials and the men in blue and yet was a pretty in place to be and they had a couple patriotic songs and video of different presidents quotes about the relationship with God and and then they kinda gave me 40 minutes to say what ever I wanted to say and I spoke on the difference between being religious and having a relationship with Christ and I noticed that while I was talking the local reporter was there and I think she'd been through chemotherapy because she had a you know one of those do rags on her head in a big camera and she's taking a lot of pictures and you and I went through the process very much of what I explained here, but in just a little bit different format and she walked up to me and she said something that I don't know anyone's ever asked me as clearly and she said I heard what you said today and then she had this pencil out like dinner. She's taken notes to the paper, and she with him to write this down. I want to make sure I get it clear but she said if there's a difference between being religious and actually knowing Jesus personally, then how do you get that and how do you know if you have it.

Did you hear what you said how do you get that and how do you know if you have it and I explained to her. It's kind of like the difference between someone famous, and whether that's a movie star or whether that's the president or someone that you can read about in people magazine and you can know all about them.

You can know what they wear, and where they live and what kind of food they like and you can know about them, but you've never been in the same room you've never shaken their hand and you never look them in the eye and you've never shared hearts. In other words you know of about them, but you don't have a relationship with them. I said that's the difference between religion and a relationship with Jesus and what I would ask you right now because I have met in these last 10 days of travel. So many people that have heard and believe and are moral and are kind and follow. Quote the rules of the Bible. In essence, and they know all about God, but I was very aware that many of them did not have a relationship with God. The never shaken his hand.

They never received him into their heart. They didn't experience his love. They were in their energy being religious, trying to be good people the way they were taught. My question is, could that be you. Do you know about God or are you absolutely sure you know him personally, if you want to know them personally.

He says this call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and mighty things, and everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved in your heart of hearts as from the sincerity of what you long for. Ask God to reveal himself to you telling you want him to forgive you. Tell them you wanted to come into your life and the you believe in what Jesus did on the cross that he died for your sins and rose from the grave cry out to God today. He wants to have a relationship with you not you just know about if you prayed with Chip.

I hope you'll take a minute and call us a 8883336003. We love to hear your story and get a free resource in your hands that will help you understand the significance of your decision and give you a couple of next steps on your journey that same resources available if you tap special offers on the up or go to the new believers tab on our website LivingontheEdge.org. We just want to help you get started and say welcome to the family. Now here's Chip I'm sure most of you realize that we are living in a unique moment in human history mean, I hope you can sort of get the lens pulled back just a bit beyond the virus.

The vaccines, the economy, the politics, the division, the challenges for church, the world and pause and realize you are living in a time of world history that this will be one of those where we look back like the Reformation every 4 to 500 years. I mean the world completely changes what I can tell you is, every time that happens there's a movement of God's people are open. Things are changing. There's a movement of God.

And there's an opportunity we seen this happen it Living on the Edge of talk with pastors and Christian organizations. They tell me the same thing. God is moving now is the time to act. You know it happened in Jesus day and it was at a city that the disciples thought there's no one there that could ever care about God and a woman came out to get some water in Jesus letter to the Lord and then she brought the whole city out and the disciples, they watch this phenomena.

This city coming, people coming out and wanting to know about Jesus and he turned to the disciples and he says them. You say there's four months and yet comes the harvest. In other words, hey yeah it's down the road but I say to you, the harvest is white. Literally, the harvest is ripe.

The time is now God is moving. God is working. I don't know what's going on in your life but I can tell you this the time to act is now.

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