Get Real With God

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Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copied and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Pastor James May

GET REAL WITH GOD!

It’s time to get real with God! Too many people are playing church and claiming to be what they are not! Too many are trying to fake their way into Heaven and fake their way into Christianity but no one is really fooled, especially God. What is in your heart will eventually come out, no matter how hard you may try to hide it! When the truth finally comes out, it will be revealed completely.

Acts 19:11-20, "And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed."

In Israel there were those who attempted to fake their way into the circles of Christianity. There were people, called vagabonds, much like the gypsies of our day, who would not have a specific place to call home but they would travel the width and breadth of the country looking for any means possible to make money.

They often worked in unscrupulous ways and they were really good at being con artists and magicians. Many of them made their living by performing “exorcisms” of evil spirits from other people.

There are many in our world today who attempt to give the appearance of being right with God and who try to convince us that they are spiritually minded but their lives don’t hold up to the test of truth from God’s Holy Word.

Some time ago, while attending another church, I heard a sermon entitled “Are You Live or are you Memorex?” For those of you who have never seen or heard the old commercials for Memorex cassette tapes, the commercial used to have a crystal glass standing and then a singer would hit the high pitch live and crack the glass. Then they would play the recording and produce the same results, proving that you couldn’t tell the difference between the live performance and the taped performance.

I believe that there are a lot of “Memorex Christians” in the church world. They give every appearance of being real. They would fool just about anyone, but they are not real and they don’t fool Jesus. Neither can they fool Satan because, if you are to do battle with the powers of hell, you better be and have the real thing. There is no power but that of Jesus, there is no other blood that can deliver from sin, and there is no other name under Heaven that will bring the Devil to his knees in submission.

The passage of scripture that we have read for this message contains a severe warning to all that will listen to what the Word of God is trying to tell us today.

As I have said before, there were exorcists in Israel. It is evident that there are still many in our time who attempt to practice exorcism. Just as it was in the days of Paul, many of these “exorcists” are no more than good magicians.