Sermons on Old Religion:

Religious Play-Acting

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 10, 2025

Jesus frees us from religion’s stage—calling us from performance to presence, from spotlight to sunlight, to live unmasked before the Father.

Religious Play-Acting The Sermon on the Mount opens with blessing and ends with a choice: sand or rock, appearance or obedience. Between those two poles, Matthew 6 sits like a quiet heart—Jesus’ exposition of motive. Here the Lord shifts from what disciples do to why they do it. He moves from ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:1-18, Luke 18:9-14, Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 23:27, John 4:23  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Holy Masks

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 3, 2025

True worship begins when performance ends; Jesus frees us from religion’s stage to live honestly before the Father who sees in secret.

If you’ve ever stood backstage before the curtain rises, you know that trembling hush—the buzz, the heartbeat, the thought: Will they like it? That’s performance. And you don’t need a theater to feel it. The biggest stage ever built fits in our pockets. Every post, every selfie, every opinion ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14, Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 23:27, John 4:23

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

The Church Of Acts

Contributed by T.j. Conwell on Jan 26, 2009

Sermon for "Old Fashioned Sunday"

The Church of Acts (Acts 4:32-35) - Considering Old Time Religion I wondered about some of the old church habits - I wondered about how God would call us today to act knowing what He has already done - Tonight, let’s examine the old church; let’s get honest about what we need to do - Let’s ...read more

Scripture: Acts 4:32-35

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Revival (Section 3) What A Revival Of Religion Is (From Charles Finney’s Lectures) Series

Contributed by Luther Sexton on Mar 28, 2019

Religion is the work of man. It is something for man to do. It consists in obeying God.

Revival (Section 3) WHAT A REVIVAL OF RELIGION IS (From Charles Finney’s Lectures) Theme Scripture Habakkuk 3:1 -2 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. 2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years ...read more

Scripture: Habakkuk 3:1-2, Acts 8:5-17, 2 Corinthians 9:4-7

Denomination: Pentecostal

Sing Unto The Lord A New Song

Contributed by Mark A. Barber on Dec 25, 2020

Can we sing the old, old story with a new heart?

Sing unto the LORD a New Song Psalm 98:1 As I am sitting here on Christmas Day, I am snowed in by a rare snowfall. With that, and all the isolation that this Coronavirus requires, I have had time to reflect which in prior years I had been too busy with Christmas activities. I have listened to the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 98:1

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Secure Forever

Contributed by Robert Higgins on Aug 23, 2006

What is the basis of your security? money? job? religion?

Story about how insecure we Americans feel after 9/11 Office of Homeland Security 1. Introduce idea of Security. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. Freedom from doubt, anxiety, or fear; confidence. We also ought to understand security in terms of who trying to steal our security from us as ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:23

Denomination: Baptist

By Law Or By Grace

Contributed by Richard White on Apr 30, 2004

Do we have a form of religion or a real relationship.

By Law or By Grace Romans 2:17-29 The Jews were very strict in keeping their rituals and ceremonies. They had a form of religiosity, but lacked faith in God. They were faithful to their teachings but not forgiven of their sins, they were religious but lost. We know many like that today, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 2:17-29, Matthew 15:14

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Opium Or Blessing

Contributed by Ron Newton on Jul 30, 2003

Religion without relationship with Christ can be a destructive influence.

Introduction 1. Quote from Karl Marx - “Religion is the opium of the working class.” I agree, but not necessarily the working class. Religion is a drug that works as a sedative for the spiritually dead, so as to keep them from ever questioning their own deadness. Illus...Growing up in a ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:1-16

Denomination: Holiness

Do You Want The World To Revolve Around You?

Contributed by Charles Salmon on Nov 10, 2002

The story of Micah’s idols and the nature of true religion

Do You Want the World to Revolve Around You? Judges 17:6 INTRO.: A certain credit card company has a commercial set in the board room of some international corporation. A merger is in progress. The CEO says everything is set to be finalized on the 28th. One office flunky at the copier turns and ...read more

Scripture: Judges 17:1-6

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Returning To Jerusalem With The Religious Leaders

Contributed by William R. Nabaza on Oct 21, 2013

To show that religion will put you away to come to JESUS.

I. EXORDIUM: Do you come to JESUS to be saved? II. AUDIENCE PROFILE: Believers III. OBJECTIVES: To show that religion will put you away to come to JESUS. IV. TEXT: Mark 11:27 (Amplified Bible) 11:27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And when Jesus was walking about in the [courts and ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:27

Denomination: Pentecostal

For Every Rule, There Are Always Exceptions

Contributed by Craig Condon on Mar 14, 2015

The only way we can be transformed and freed is through faith in Christ. That faith will transform us and free us by giving us power to do God’s work in our world-and that is the true spirit of the Sabbath.

Have you ever noticed that every time you turn around, there seems to be another rule for you to obey? Have you ever noticed that some of these rules seem to be foolish? Well, I certainly have in both cases. To make matters worse, there are cases where no exceptions can be made to these rules, even ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:10-17

Denomination: Anglican

Fourth Man In The Fire

Contributed by Russell Metcalfe on Mar 18, 2021

Religion is PERSONAL but religion is NOT PRIVATE! It effects the way you live in the world! You can't love and serve God while acting as YOU please.

March 21, 1993 Every good Christian boy or girl, along with every good Jewish boy or girl, knows the story of the three Hebrew children in the furnace. We "get" the "lesson" we are "supposed" to get from it. BUT TWO THINGS WE JUST MAY NEED TO REMEMBER: (1) THEY ...read more

Denomination: Nazarene

"Real Power" Series

Contributed by Dave Mcfadden on Sep 29, 2010

We cannot please God by means of our own effort, but only by means of the Holy Spirit’s power.

God calls on everyone to reject the idea that they can justify themselves by their own good works. That’s what everyone who has yet to come to Christ is doing - seeking to justify themselves in the sight of God, in the sight of others or in their own sight. Religion leads to the “comparison ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

John Chapter 9 Sermon 11/2013

Contributed by Ronnie Miller on Nov 11, 2013

The light is being dimmed in this world by evil. The light in this world is being dimmed by nonbelief. The light in this world is being dimmed because of freedom of religion but, Jesus is not a religion....He is the light of the world...

John 9.....11/2013 A pro golfer on tour some years ago was as immature as a six-year-old. He could do nothing wrong to hear him tell it and always had an excuse for any loss: after playing one day...it was a lousy course, the other golfers were cheating he said and the weather was terrible. This ...read more

Scripture: John 9:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

The Spiritual Journey Of Bill Wilson & Implications Of The Genesis Mindset

Contributed by Justin Steckbauer on May 3, 2021

The change that took place in Bill's life is incredibly revealing. He walks us through his mindset and the changes that took place in a very descriptive manner. I don't normally include quotes this large, but Bill Wilson's spiritual journey is a fascinating topic.

"The door opened and he stood there, fresh-skinned and glowing. There was something about his eyes. He was inexplicably different. What had happened? I pushed a drink across the table. He refused it. Disappointed but curious, I wondered what had got into the fellow. He wasn’t himself. “Come, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:1, Genesis 3:4-5, Ephesians 2:19-22, John 8:32

Denomination: Salvation Army