Realizing The Truth And The Lies

We have such a religious country/society, people all over the world in and out of our communities, people that we work with, those that we go to school with, politicians, officers, government officials and so on all have a religious back ground, and this is a very dangerous place to be in our day and time. Religion, religion is a terrible way to describe Jesus Christ as being Lord and Savior of our lives. Religion is a destructive entity that many who do not have a close relationship with Jesus Christ agree to having or being a part of with such ignorant joy. Without a sincere close relationship with Jesus Christ all we have is a dead, nonproductive, non-changing, powerless, weak thing called religion. Beloved there are so many false teachers and false prophets within the church world today and unless you have a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ you too will be deceived, into believing their lies.

In Nigeria there is a false prophet whose name is not even worthy of me mentioning that has told his congregation that he has a holy pen, this holy pen will help you pass any test, but you would have to purchase this pen the more you pay for this holy pen the better the grade will be so they sell these pens from $1 - $20. When ever people lack a true and sincere relationship with Jesus Christ they will believe any and everything that tickles their fancy.

Luke 20:45-46

Then, in the hearing of all the people He said to His disciples, Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the market places the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts.

1st Point “Understanding the difference”

Jesus gave us the greatest example of what being a Christian was, there was no one better than Him, from the reason He decided to make Himself into frail humanity and join this fractured world, in how He dealt with sinners, till the very death He endured to saved many. Jesus understood the difference between religion and relationship and dealt with it very sternly and strongly.

Jesus’ way of dealing with sinners was normally marked by such extreme tenderness that He earned a derisive title from His critics: Friend of sinners in Matthew 11:19. When He encountered even the grossest of moral lepers, to the woman caught in adultery, even to the man infested with a whole legion of demons, Jesus always ministered to them with remarkable benevolence-without delivering any scolding lectures or sharp rebukes. See beloved when people came to Jesus they were already broken, humbled and fed up with the life of sin, and with these particular people, Jesus eagerly granted them forgiveness, healing and full fellowship with Him on the basis of their faith and their faith alone.

Luke 7:34

The Son of man has come eating and drinking and you say look a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!

So we have scripture the defines the heart of our Savior He was a friend of sinners, what people don’t understand that sinners were not always His friends, the bible tells us that Jesus came to seek that which is lost and bring them salvation, this was His mission, to love them into the kingdom, to help realize their state of sin and redeem them to a place of renewal of life and a life more abundant.

But many today would use this scripture as a means of doing ungodly things and finding themselves in positions they do not need to be in, Jesus was a friend of sinners but He didn’t do what sinners did, He encourage them to follow Him, He didn’t follow them.

Matthew 9:9

As Jesus passed on from there He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, And He said to him “follow Me”, So he arose and followed Him.

Jesus by His love for the lost had the power to move people from their state of sin to a state of new life in Him, His desire to see others saved and born again bled into their hearts and they too were moved in such a way to follow Him. Paul stated to his disciple, “follow me as I follow Christ”, my question this morning is who is following you to Jesus?

Micah 7:18

Who is a God like you? Pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.

Remember Jesus dealt graciously with sinners, but He understood the difference between religion and relationship, see these sinners needed to have relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but the leaders of the religious world thought they just needed God with no Jesus.