Sermons on burdensome religion:

The Forest-For-The-Trees Syndrome Series

Contributed by Todd Stiles on Mar 6, 2007

Learn some lessons from the two men on the road to Emmaus about what it takes to move from religion to relationship.

“The Forest-for-the-Trees Syndrome” Luke 24:13-35 Have you ever heard someone recommend, “Don’t miss the forest for the trees?” Or a person say, “You can’t see the forest for the trees!”? That phrase simply means that someone is so overly occupied with all the details and loads of information ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Denomination: Baptist

Show Me Your Glory

Contributed by Jefferson Williams on Feb 9, 2005

Based on Moses’ desperate cry in Exodus 33 and 34, this sermon seeks to encourage people to seek God and not just religion.

Show Me Your Glory: Exodus 33-34 Associate Pastor Jeff Williams 08-03-03 When I was younger, I was invited to attend a birthday dinner for a friend at Ducks. Ducks was a five-star restaurant at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. It was very expensive and quite glamorous. We had the table ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Gospel According To Grace! Series

Contributed by Ed Taylor on Oct 13, 2008

The Holy Spirit has used this book time and time again to free God’s people from ritual and religion.

1. THE CONSTITUTION of the United States: Important. • The Bill of Rights: Important. • The Emancipation Proclamation: Important. • We can think of document after document, and book after book, and even letter after letter that are very important. • We think ‘what would life be without them!’? BUT ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:1

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Form Of Godliness

Contributed by Dick Webster on May 2, 2004

Christians today have lost the real Christianity of old. We must leave our "religion" and seek the Biblical Truths.

A Form Of Godliness 2 Timothy 3:1-6; 1 Kings18:21 God’s Word is clear - in the end times man will fall away from His Word and law We are told in 2 Timothy and again in Revelation 3 In 1 Kings we also see the indecision of the Israelites Elijah was prophesying and may not have even been ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-6, 1 Kings 18:21

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Householder: Hero Or Jerk?

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 7, 2014

God truly is different in His reality than the gods of pagan religion, and so we too are different from their followers.

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Course 2014 What Kind of Vineyard Owner? When you first heard the parable from today’s Gospel, perhaps when you were a child, what did you think of the householder, the vineyard owner? Was he mean, or generous? I suppose the hired hands in the original story would ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:1-16

Denomination: Catholic

The Vultures Are Circling (Attitudes)

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Sep 20, 2017

Have we ever considered our attitudes. Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship. The vultures are circling while we are going to the desert?

THE VULTURES ARE CIRCLING? YOUR ATTITUDE WHILE TRAPPED DYING IN A DRY DESERT... By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com RELIGION VS. RELATIONSHIP... Text: Romans 8:15-17 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 4:22-30, Romans 8:15-17, Haggai 1:5-7, Genesis 16:4-12

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Is ‘allah’ Of Islam Another Name For The God Of Abraham, Isaac, And Jacob?

Contributed by Dr. Craig Nelson on Mar 15, 2025

Islam is the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity. It claims to be a monotheistic belief system that worships one god, Allah.

The word ‘Islam’ means ‘submission’ or ‘surrender,’ as its followers are to surrender to Allah's will continuously. It is because the name ‘Allah’ translates as ‘god,' that many Christians who live in the Middle East incorrectly use the word “Allah” when referencing the God of Abraham, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 1:1-4, Matthew 10:24-25, Ephesians 6:11-12

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Does God Hate Sinners? Part 2 Series

Contributed by Dr. Craig Nelson on Mar 23, 2025

Most religions teach, along with the Bible, that God hates and despises the iniquity of sin and holds every individual responsible for their sin

PART 2 The Foolishness of God “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) Humans are not sinners because they sin; they sin because they are sinners. Just doing something wrong doesn't make them a ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 27:29, Matthew 7:3-5, Luke 11:11-13, John 3:16, Romans 2:5-9  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Does God Hate Sinners? Part 1 Series

Contributed by Dr. Craig Nelson on Mar 23, 2025

Most religions teach, along with the Bible, that God hates and despises the iniquity of sin and holds every individual responsible for their sin

Part 1 INTRODUCTION It is the amazing and profound love of God that is the most powerful force in the Cosmos and the reason people exist. The Bible declares that God is love and is infinitely loving and just (1 John 4:8-10). It is because of His love He must deal with sin, which is the breaking ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 27:29, Matthew 5:43-45, Luke 11:11-13, Romans 2:5-9, 1 Corinthians 1:25, Hebrews 6:4-6, Colossians 3:12-15  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Our Journey With God #1

Contributed by Donny Tatimu on Oct 20, 2002

John Bunyan, in his “Pilgrim’s Progress”, has made many people realized that Christianity is not just a religion, it’s more than a religion, it’s a way of life, or maybe in this case I would like to say, it is someone’s journey with God and to God’s heart

Our Journey With God Psalms 23:1-6 1 Peter 2:21, 25 PROLOGUE John Bunyan, in his “Pilgrim’s Progress”, has made many people realized that Christianity is not just a religion –in fact, it is not- it’s more than a religion, it’s a way of life, or maybe in this case I would like to say, it is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21-25, Psalm 23:1-6

Denomination: Charismatic

Have You Given A Party And Nobody Came?

Contributed by Deborah Prihoda on Apr 22, 2002

Illustrated sermon using a table decorated for a party (representing an empty life of religion) and a cross (representing a life given to Christ in relationship).

TEXT: John 18:28 They led Jesus therefore from Caiphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium in order that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. INTRODUCTION Give brief history of Passover and why it was instituted. Exodus ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 12:1-14, John 18:28

Denomination: Assembly Of God

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Altar Series

Contributed by Mary Lewis on May 29, 2001

Zechariah’s experience in the Temple: Religion can turn us away from God. (Preached during Advent, but not really seasonal)

Introduction In the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye, a man devoted to tradition, finds his thinking challenged when his oldest daughter wants to marry for love, instead of having her marriage arranged by her parents. It had never occurred to him that one would marry for love, and one night he ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:5-20

Denomination: Baptist

The Religious But Hard-Hearted Series

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 2, 2007

If God does not soften ones heart, one may dabble with religion, but one will never find a saving relationship with the true God.

The Religious But Hard-Hearted (Exodus 8:20-9:12) 1. What if God was politically correct? Imagine this: Moses was sitting in the Egyptian ghetto. Things were terrible. Pharaoh wouldn’t even speak to him. The rest of the Israelites were mad at him and making the overseers even more irritable than ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

All Worship Is Not Acceptable

Contributed by Ramsey Ledford on Jul 19, 2005

This is a sermon on how to both worship and fear God as He desires us to rather that simply going through the "form" of religion only.

“All Worship is Not Acceptable” Introduction: Assyria conquered Israel and most were deported from Samaria to Assyria. Assyria replaced the deported Israelites with captives of other countries to live in Samaria. This is where our text will pick up. #1) What has been imported into our way of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 17:24-41

Denomination: Baptist

Christianity Is...a Resurrection!

Contributed by Mike Cleveland on Jun 8, 2008

Christianity is not merely a religion, not just a "crutch" for the weak, not merely an organization asking for money, it is a resurrection! Life from the dead! New Life!

Let’s open our Bibles this morning to John chapter 5. I want to tell you of a wonderful thing that Jody and I watched on YouTube the other day. A middle aged man had died, probably from a heart attack, and medical personnel were working on him, all of this was being videotaped, they were literally ...read more

Scripture: John 5:24-30

Denomination: Independent/Bible