Sermons on corrupt religion:

Religion Or Relationship?

Contributed by Stephen Sheane on Jul 14, 2011

Knowing all the right WORDS and doing all the right WORKS are not enough. Do you KNOW Jesus?

RELIGION OR RELATIONSHIP? Karl Barth was a famous theologian. He lived in Basel, Switzerland. One day he was on a streetcar. A tourist to the city climbed on and sat down next to him. The two men started chatting with each other. "Are you new to the city?" Barth inquired. "Yes," said the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:21-23

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Hollow Religion Series

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Mar 21, 2011

Faith is more than going through the motions and appearing holy. True faith seeks God's will and faithfully obeys it.

Isaiah 58:1-12 “Hollow Religion” INTRODUCTION One of the most difficult challenges in any relationship is keeping it fresh and growing. We are tempted to take our relationships for granted, to be distracted by other demands in our lives, and to ignore or neglect these precious ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 58:1-12

Denomination: Lutheran

The Problem Of Religion Series

Contributed by Gary Stebbins on Apr 26, 2009

There are two sides to sin and evil. On the one side we can be very bad and break all the rules, on the other side we can be very good and keep all the rules. Both are trusting in ourselves and not God (thoughts from The Reason for God by Timothy Keller).

(Ideas for this sermon come from the book: The Reason for God, Belief in an Age of Skepticism, by Timothy Keller) Introduction This week- complete- 2nd part of a two week series. Last week we looked at The Problem of Sin, this week we are going to look at The Problem of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Denomination: Charismatic

Godless Religion

Contributed by Tim Huie on May 6, 2009

What does religion look like when God is not at the center? 1) It is empowered by rebellion. 2) It is based on human works. 3) It invariably leads to judgment.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GODLESS RELIGION GENESIS 10: 8-11, 11:1-9 1. Illus. of ecumenical church service • Religious leaders from a dozen different faiths held an Ash Wednesday service at United Nations Church Center Chapel in New York. • The front of the chapel included not only a cross, but also ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Religion Undefiled Series

Contributed by Chris Surber on Aug 26, 2009

Pure religion lives out as an outworking of the grace of God in us!

“Religion Undefiled” James 1:17-27 “Religion Undefiled” James 1:17-27 Introduction The story is told of an evangelist overseer of an African Church, was talking about following the “pure” path, and the “pure” path only. It was night, and a crowd of natives sat around the campfire. A native dog ...read more

Scripture: James 1:17-27

Denomination: Christian Church

Freedom Of Religion Series

Contributed by Wade Allen on Oct 3, 2007

Life’s greatest choice is freedom of religion.

A couple had been married for twenty years when they went to a wedding of a close friend’s daughter. During the ring exchange ceremony, the husband started to cry. The wife, surprised by her husband’s emotional outburst, said, "I didn’t realize that you have such deep feelings about your friend’s ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 24:1-28

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Religion In A Nutshell Series

Contributed by Jason Jones on Nov 13, 2008

Exposition of Mark 12:28-34 about the greatest commandment of Jesus

Text: Mark 12:28-34, Title: Religion in a Nutshell, Date/Place: NRBC, 11/9/08, PM A. Opening illustration: in 1602, when Shakespeare had Hamlet declare, "O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count my self a King of infinite space." That song Center of the Mark, B. Background to passage: ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:28-34

Denomination: Baptist

Fruitless Religion Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Feb 27, 2010

If we want to bear fruit for the glory of God and lead people to Him on a regular basis, then we must let Christ clean out the fruitless religion, and we must pray with hearts full of faith and forgiveness

A clergyman dies and is waiting in line at the Pearly Gates. Ahead of him is a guy dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket, and jeans. Saint Peter says to this guy, “Who are you, so that I may know whether to admit you into the Kingdom of Heaven?” The guy replies, “I’m Joe Cohen, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:12-25

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Relational Religion Series

Contributed by Mark Opperman on Mar 9, 2010

God wants your religion to be characterized by love, compassion, and holy living.

Relational Religion James 1:19-27 Intro: The word “religion” has really gotten a bad rap in modern history. It is almost a dirty word to some. Maybe you’ve heard some of these phrases before: “Oh, you got religion!” “Don’t shove your religion on ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19-27

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Dangers Of Religion Series

Contributed by Pat Damiani on May 21, 2007

15th in a series from Ephesians. The danger of following a religion instead of seeking a relationship.

A man was walking across a bridge one day, and he saw another man standing on the edge, about to jump off. He immediately ran over and said "Stop! Don’t do it!" "Why shouldn’t I?" the man asked. The first man replied, "Well, there’s so much to live for!" "Like what?" "Well ... are you religious ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-13

Denomination: Baptist

Demands Of A Religion

Contributed by Gordon Weatherby on May 6, 2013

The Invitation to this wedding banquet was an invitation extended by grace. It is a powerful picture showing that all who received the invite had it received it by grace. When grace is rejected, wrath will be given.

The Demands of Religion Text: Matt. 22:1-14 Dorn Ridge June 10, 2012 INTRODUCTION: 1.) Much is made of plurality in today’s society. 2.) The major concern about plurality for many seems to be its implied permission to participate in every kind of belief and practice. A.) The parable of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:1-14

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Dangers Of Religion

Contributed by Tim White on Feb 9, 2017

Paul addresses the dangers of hiding behind religion to avoid a relationship with God.

Last week, from Romans 1, we saw how people get so far from God, God gives them up to their vile choices and futile minds. That is the most tragic story in the Bible. We pointed out that all of us are susceptible to the same spiral stairway. Even believers, even Churches, can become cold towards ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

A Religion Of Convenience

Contributed by Dean Morgan on May 10, 2017

The common people helped but not the Nobles. Maybe it wasn’t convenient for them; maybe they didn’t want to dirty their hands; maybe they had what they thought were more important things to do.

Tekoa: a town in Judah in the wilderness, fortified by Rehoboam. It was the home of the prophet Amos. They were part of the group helping Nehemiah rebuild the wall. The common people helped but not the Nobles. Maybe it wasn’t convenient for them; maybe they didn’t want to dirty their hands; ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 3:5

Denomination: Pentecostal

Showboat Religion Series

Contributed by Jerry Owen on Mar 30, 2017

Jesus teaches about the proper way to give, to pray, and to fast. He condemns public displays of religious acts where the intent is to garner praise from people who are watching.

SHOWBOAT RELIGION MATTHEW 6:1-8, 16-18 A "showboat" is someone who tries to draw all the attention to himself. They want all the glory, all the praise. You see it on the football field and other places where people compete. The touchdown or big play antics are performed to draw attention. Many ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

Restrictive Religion Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on May 3, 2018

If you want to be free from a guilty conscience, don’t depend on restrictive religion, which is limited by its procedures, its place, its people, and its purifying power.

Two neighbor boys were the best of friends on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Sunday, however, they didn’t talk to each other, because one was a Catholic and the other was a Baptist. Their parents were concerned, so they agreed to let their sons visit each other’s ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 9:1-10

Denomination: Evangelical Free