Sermons on religious legalism:

The Religious Sinner, Nicodemus Series

Contributed by Jimmy Davis on Sep 19, 2001

Picture # 3 in the series: The 14 Candid Snapshots of the Maturing Christian as found in the Gospel of John. Nicodemus, a picture of the religious sinner who sits in the pew week after week but is not saved. John 3:16, preached to a religious sinner.

Picture # 3: The Religious Sinner, Nicodemus John 3:1-21 The Surgeon General teaches us that the key to good health and physical fitness is plenty of exercise, a balanced nutritional diet, and the proper amount of rest. The Surgeon General doesn’t mention that we have a body and a soul. It’s ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-21, John 3:16

Denomination: Baptist

How Not To Be A Religious Leader

Contributed by William Mouser on Nov 28, 2005

In training his disciples to be leaders, Jesus pointed to the religious leaders of his day as examples to avoid.

Psalm 43, Micah 3:5-12, 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13,17-20, Matthew 23:1-12 How Not to be a Religious Leader There’s an old story about three boys who are bragging about rich their dads are. The first boy said, "My dad is so rich. He writes a few paragraphs on a piece of paper. Calls it a poem. And he ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-12

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Righting The Religious Rut Series

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Oct 8, 2005

4th in 5 part series on overcoming the obstacles and difficulties of life using five different Psalms. We used a "journey" or "road" metaphor in terms of the bumps of success, fear, guilt, the religious rut and grief, etc.

RIGHTING THE RELIGIOUS RUT Navigating the Bumps of Life - Week 5 PSALM 63:1-8 INTRODUCTION: (Faith Story - Beth Rampleberg) Thank-you Beth. Did you catch the words and phrases in Beth’s faith story? “Obligation,” “knowledge in my head but not my heart,” “something was missing,” “emptiness,” ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 63:1-8

Denomination: Christian Church

Are You Religious Or Spiritual?

Contributed by Jay Winters on Jun 28, 2008

This week the texts seem to revolve around the idea that you can’t be "religious" but not "spiritual". It sounds like that tired line, "I’m spiritual but not religious". In the Gospel reading, I think it is interesting how Jesus heals both someone who wou

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Three in One who has come to call sinners home. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Up to 10 percent of the world’s population that does not attend church on a regular basis describes itself as “spiritual, but not ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:9-26

Denomination: Lutheran

Religiously Transmitted Diseases

Contributed by Bradley Kellum on Sep 18, 2009

Did you know that there are spiritual diseases you can catch from practicing your religion? Jesus shows us two of them in Luke 15:11-32. Let’s explore them together.

RELIGIOUSLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES 2 RELIGIOUSLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES IN LUKE 15:11-31 September 20, 2009 ________________________________________ (I credit Ed Gungor for the title of this message. His book entitled "Religously Transmitted Diseases" served as a jumping off point for me to write ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

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

Defender Of Religious Liberty Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 15, 2012

St Robert Bellarmine would be an excellent candidate for the patron of the Church in defense of religious liberty, as we face a determined political system who would destroy us.

17 September 2012 St. Robert Bellarmine Verbum Domini Today’s saint is one who is not quoted in Verbum Domini by our Holy Father. Perhaps the reason is that Robert Bellarmine, who lived in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, was a controversial theologian in his time. We might say that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:17-21

Denomination: Catholic

Religious People Beware Series

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Sep 30, 2018

Religious People Beware (Hypocrisy) – Sermon by Gordon Curley. PowerPoint slides to accompany this talk are available on request – email: gcurley@gcurley.info

SERMON OUTLINE: Woe #1: For focussing on small matters while overlooking the big issues (vs 42). Woe #2: For making it all about me (vs 43). Woe #3: For deceiving others into becoming defiled (vs 44). Woe #4: For adding to others guilt without assuming any themselves (vs 45-46) Woe #5: For faking ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:37-54

Denomination: Brethren

What Is A Religious Sinner? Series

Contributed by Chris Swanson on Nov 13, 2022

Here, the Gentiles are the individuals who sin, are separated from the law, while the Jews are the people who sin while under the law.

Romans 2:17-29 depicts two groups of individuals, with an accentuation on the way in which their transgression connects with their insight into God's composed Law for the country of Israel. Here, the Gentiles are the individuals who sin, are separated from the law, while the Jews are the people ...read more

Scripture: Romans 2:17-29

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Romantic And Religious Fragrance Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

The sense we want to focus on in greater detail is one that we seldom think of, but it is a primary factor in both romantic and religious love, and that is the sense of smell.

In the tale of the Beauty and the Beast the horrible looking creature with 7 horns in his forehead begs the beautiful young maiden he has carried away to kiss him. She, of course, refuses to kiss such ugliness, and the beast goes away. She saw it no more until one day she found it lying ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 1:3

Romantic And Religious Love Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

The Christian can love on the physical level and the spiritual level. In Scripture the two become one, and are linked as closely as the body and spirit.

Love makes the world go round, says the one time popular song, and there are very few who will deny it. History reveals that one of life's greatest tragedies is to die unloved. During the Civil War, Charles Sumner was assaulted in the Senate chamber, and was seriously ill for months. ...read more

Romantic And Religious Kisses Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

Kissing is a powerful reality in both romance and religion. The greatest kiss of all is God's kiss of peace, which He gives to all who receive His Son as Savior.

The story is told, and it could very well be true, of a Danish couple who decided to break off their engagement. "It is best I suppose that we give back each others letters," he said. She agreed, and replied, "We should at the same time return each others kisses." By the time ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 1:2

Romantic And Religious Roses Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

It is no wonder that our Lord is identified with flowers. He is called the Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the Valley.

Ernest Hemmingway wrote about the experience of Mungo Park, who, on one of his travel adventures, got lost in the vast wilderness of an African desert. He was all alone, and so dead tired he could not go on. His legs were numbed, and he gave up, and laid down to die. He opened his eyes, and right ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 2:1

Legalism: Our Great Enemy Series

Contributed by Brad Beaman on Dec 22, 2003

Paul has been writing to the Philippian church, warning them about internal controversies that could divide them. Now Paul turns the attention of the church in Philippi away from the internal controversies and tells them to watch out for legalists.

What is your aim as a Christian? The aim of a Christian is to, or should be to, please God. Every Christian should in his heart seek to please God. So as Christians we often as that question. What can we do to please God? One person asked this question to a respected Christian institution. He ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

Grace Living Lessens Legalism

Contributed by Paul Fritz on May 24, 2004

The Holy Spirit helps us realize that a person living according to a lawful orientation is always looking for guidelines by which everyone’s actions can be regulated. A person living by Christ’s graceful attitude looks to the Spirit and the word of God fo

Grace Living Lessens Legalism Galatians 2:16 "Yet we know that a man is justified or reckoned righteous and in right standing with God not by works of the Law but only through faith and absolute reliance to trust in Jesus the Anointed One. Therefore, even we ourselves believed on Christ ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:16

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational