Religious and Lost
Religion is man’s attempt to reach God; remember the towel of Babel (Genesis 11:2-
9) their plan was to build a city whose top could reach to heaven, even though God
told them to scatter over all the earth. However, God has set in motion His plan for
us. James reminds us that “you believe that there is one God; you do well; the devils
also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). John 4:23-24 says “but the hour comes,
and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth,
for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit and they that worship Him
must worship Him in spirit and in truth”.
Jesus had a lot of problems with the scribes and the Pharisees and warns us “that
except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).
Jesus called them hypocrites because their hearts did not match their outward
appearance. Their motives was for getting human praise (Matthew 6:2,5,16).
Matthew 23:5-7 says “but all their works they do for to be seen of men; they make
broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments. And love the
uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues. And greetings in
the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi”. Jesus said to them “You
hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you saying. This people draw near to Me with
their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain
they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:7-9;
Mark 7:6-8).
Jesus separates the sheep from the goats and some who think they are in, are cast
into everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:31-46) “when the Son of man shall come in
His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His
glory. And before Him shall be gathered all nations and He shall separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He shall set the
sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say to them
on His right hand, come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me meat, I was
thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in. Naked and you
closed Me. I was sick, and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me. Then
shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord when saw we You an hungry and fed
You or thirsty and gave You drink? When saw we You a stranger, and took You in?
or naked, and clothed You? Or when saw we You sick, or in prison, and came to
You? And the King shall answer and say to them. Verily I say to you, inasmuch as
you have don it to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it to Me.
Then shall He say to them on the left hand, depart from Me, you cursed into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was an hungry and you
gave Me no meat. I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink. I was a stranger and you
took Me not in, naked and you clothed Me not, sick and in prison, and you visited Me
not. Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we You an hungry, or
athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?
Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say to you, inasmuch as you did it not to
one of the least of these, you did it not to Me. And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal”. Jesus also says “Not,
every one that says to Me, Lord Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
Lord, Loed have we not prophesied in Your name? And in Your name have cast out
devils? And in Your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to
them, I never knew you, depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship with our heavenly Father through our
Lord Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus reconciled us back to God (II Corinthians 5:18-
19) “and all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and
has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. To say, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has
committed to us the word of reconciliation”. I John 1:3 says “that you also may have
fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus
Christ”.
There are a lot of religious people, making their own way to God and refusing His
free gift by grace through faith, who are lost. The Bible tells us in John 3:16-21 “For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the
world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that
believes in Him is not condemned, but he that believes not is condemned already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this
is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil, hates the
light, neither comes to the light, less his deeds should be reproved. But he that does
truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought
in God”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: June 8, 2007
Religion is man’s attempt to reach God; remember the towel of Babel (Genesis 11:2-
9) their plan was to build a city whose top could reach to heaven, even though God
told them to scatter over all the earth. However, God has set in motion His plan for
us. James reminds us that “you believe that there is one God; you do well; the devils
also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). John 4:23-24 says “but the hour comes,
and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth,
for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit and they that worship Him
must worship Him in spirit and in truth”.
Jesus had a lot of problems with the scribes and the Pharisees and warns us “that
except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).
Jesus called them hypocrites because their hearts did not match their outward
appearance. Their motives was for getting human praise (Matthew 6:2,5,16).
Matthew 23:5-7 says “but all their works they do for to be seen of men; they make
broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments. And love the
uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues. And greetings in
the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi”. Jesus said to them “You
hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you saying. This people draw near to Me with
their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain
they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:7-9;
Mark 7:6-8).
Jesus separates the sheep from the goats and some who think they are in, are cast
into everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:31-46) “when the Son of man shall come in
His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His
glory. And before Him shall be gathered all nations and He shall separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He shall set the
sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say to them
on His right hand, come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me meat, I was
thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in. Naked and you
closed Me. I was sick, and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me. Then
shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord when saw we You an hungry and fed
You or thirsty and gave You drink? When saw we You a stranger, and took You in?
or naked, and clothed You? Or when saw we You sick, or in prison, and came to
You? And the King shall answer and say to them. Verily I say to you, inasmuch as
you have don it to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it to Me.
Then shall He say to them on the left hand, depart from Me, you cursed into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was an hungry and you
gave Me no meat. I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink. I was a stranger and you
took Me not in, naked and you clothed Me not, sick and in prison, and you visited Me
not. Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we You an hungry, or
athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?
Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say to you, inasmuch as you did it not to
one of the least of these, you did it not to Me. And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal”. Jesus also says “Not,
every one that says to Me, Lord Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
Lord, Loed have we not prophesied in Your name? And in Your name have cast out
devils? And in Your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to
them, I never knew you, depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship with our heavenly Father through our
Lord Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus reconciled us back to God (II Corinthians 5:18-
19) “and all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and
has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. To say, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has
committed to us the word of reconciliation”. I John 1:3 says “that you also may have
fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus
Christ”.
There are a lot of religious people, making their own way to God and refusing His
free gift by grace through faith, who are lost. The Bible tells us in John 3:16-21 “For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the
world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that
believes in Him is not condemned, but he that believes not is condemned already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this
is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil, hates the
light, neither comes to the light, less his deeds should be reproved. But he that does
truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought
in God”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: June 8, 2007
