An Easy Religion.

The characteristics of the age is a desire for an Easy Time. This is true in serving God as in a great many other things. People want an easy time with no self-denial involved. And some Christians today do not want any Spiritual exercise. Here are four things that many Christians are faultering in:

1. They do not want to Pray.

A. God’s word is clear as to the believer’s duty to

pray. I Thess. 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."

Lk. 18:1, "And he spake a parable unto them to

this end. that men ought always to pray, and not

to faint." Church, God is not just talking about

preachers and deacons,"that men ought always to

pray", God is telling us, that means everybody!

B. Everything else seems to take priority.

2 Chron. 7:14. "If my people which are called by

my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and

seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;

then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive

their sin, and will heal their land." We must

give God first place, and let everything else

take second.

C. Family Altars. This seem to be a relic of the

past. How many of you have a place or altar set

up in your home for prayer and devotion as a

family? Eph. 6:1-4, "Children obey your parents

in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy

father and mother, which is the first

commandment with promse. That it may be well

with your thee, and that thou mayest live long

on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your

children to wrath: but bring them up in the

nurture and admonition of the Lord." How many of

us are doing what God said to do?

2. They do not want to read God’s Word.

A. We should have the desire in our heart to read

the Word of God. Peter tells us in 1 Pet.2:2,

"As newborn babes, desiring the sincere milk of

the word, that ye may grow thereby." And Paul in

2 Tim. 2:15, "Study to shew thyself approved unto

God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,

rightly dividing the word of God." We are

accountable unto God, for we are not our own, we

are bought with a price. We are the only espistle

read by many people, so we should always be ready

to give an answer to everyone who asketh the

reason of our hope.

B. The Word is a Lamp and a Light to guide us in

the way of Righteousness. Ps. 119:105, "Thy word

is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my

path." God not only gives us direction but so

that we can know the way.

C. We should be like the Bereans. Acts 17:11,

"These were more noble than those in

Thessalonica, in that they recieved the word

with all readiness of mind, and searched the

scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

God has given us a clear example of how we

should be as Christians.

3. They do not want to yield to the will of God.

A. Self motives: people have the "me" syndrome, Its

what I want, its my way, all about self.

B. God must be first in our lives. Please listen to

me this morning, God wants "US" today!

Rom. 12:1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren,

by the mercies of God, that ye present your

bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto

God, which is your reasonable service. And be

not conformed unto this world: but be ye

transformed by the renewing of your mind, that

ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,

and perfect, will of God."

4. They do not want to attend church regularly.

A. Many feel you can attend church when you fell

like it. Well, I just don’t feel good today,

maybe this evening service...Many of you work

when you’re sick, gotta have that money, gotta

pay those bills. Church, all the temporal things

pass away with the using, but the things that

you do for God are eternal.

B. But what does God’s word say about it?

Heb. 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of

ourselves together as the manner of some is; but

exhorting one another:and much the more, as ye

see the day approaching." To "see the day

approaching" means that you’ve must be looking

for it, you must be expecting the Lord’s return.

C. The Reward of attending God’s House.

Matt. 18:20, "For where two or three are

gathered together in my name, there am I in the

midst of them." The Lord wants to be with us, he

wants to bless us, he wants to give us of the

heavenly things.

Conclusion: God only knows what will happen (IF) we’ll, pray without ceasing, study God’s word, yield ourselves unto him, and put HIM first in our lives!