Sermons on Religious Legalism:

I Desire Mercy Not Sacrifice Youth Sermon

Contributed by Youth Sermons on Sep 4, 2023

God values mercy and compassion over religious rituals and rules. As followers of Jesus, we are called to extend mercy to everyone we encounter, regardless of their circumstances.

Hey guys! Ever wondered what gets God really pumped? What makes Him say, 'Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!'? Well, today we're going to dive into that. Spoiler alert: It's mercy. So, what's mercy? Think about when you're playing a video game, and you're totally crushing your friend. You could ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13

Topics: Mercy, Sacrifice, God's Desire, Daily Living

The Works Of Faith PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Jan 9, 2024

This sermon explores the importance of faith in Christ as the foundation of our righteousness, rather than adherence to religious law, as illustrated in Galatians 2:11-21. Key

Greetings, beloved family in Christ. It is a joy to be with you once again, in this sacred space where our hearts unite in worship, our souls find solace in His presence, and our spirits are nourished by His Word. Today, we turn our gaze upon a passage that is a treasure trove of wisdom and ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:11-21

Topics: True Faith

Prayer Keys - Forgivenss

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Jul 14, 2011

Forgiveness enhances our prayers. Forgiveness enhances our faith. Forgiveness enhances our battle with doubt. Forgiveness enhances our fruitfulness. Forgiveness is powerful.

Prayer Keys - Forgiveness “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25 In the last few days there was an item on the news about residents in a local neighborhood finding a bobcat in ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:25

Denomination: Baptist

Dispute And Debate In The Church

Contributed by Steve Shepherd on Jan 12, 2008

From this text, we get a few ideas of what to do whenever disputes arise in the church. 1- Legalism always leads to trouble 2- Trouble should be handled by the leaders 3- Leaders must always follow God’s Spirit

INTRO.- ILL.- A married couple were arguing with one another. The husband said, "Don’t you remember promising to love, honor and obey me?" His wife, "Yes, but what else could I do, I was in church!" ILL.- A wife said, "Dear, could I have some spending money?" Husband, "Money, money, money. If ...read more

Scripture: Acts 15:1-11

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Pt. 1 The Anointing Breaks The Yoke Series

Contributed by Mike Fogerson on Apr 8, 2013

The Hebrews were taught to believe that if they studied enough, followed the Law closely enough, did enough, do the right things . . . they would find rest & acceptance of God. The Pharisees, with their traditions/legalism/man-made rules had made it so ha

30 Days of Blessing Series “The Anointing Breaks the Yoke” (Part 1 of 5) Matt. 11.28-30; Isaiah 10.37 October 7, 2012 Chester FBC, Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker Introduction: A 28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.29 "Take My yoke ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Denomination: Baptist

How Were You Saved? Series

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Jun 22, 2009

Paul has been defining & defending the true nature of the Gospel as a gospel of grace through faith. Now he turns to the problem that legalism had caused in churches of Galatia. Some believers had turned from spiritual freedom to legalistic slavery.

GALATIONS 3: 1-5 HOW WERE YOU SAVED? [Romans 8: 12-16] Paul has been defining and defending the true nature of the Gospel as a gospel of grace through faith. Now he turns to the problem that legalism had caused in churches of Galatia. Some believers had turned from spiritual freedom to ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 3:1-5

Denomination: Baptist

Marijuana Use: Willingly Walking Into Bondage

Contributed by Terry Frazier on Feb 1, 2014

What's really behind the movement in America to legalize marijuana? Why do we want to sanction people being put into bondage to a substance and in a broader sense sin? This is very troubling as Christians seem to be having a hard time standing against sin

A couple of weeks ago I preached a message on the Christian views on legalizing marijuana in America. If you’ll recall, I wasn’t very supportive of the idea. The notion that we can legalize sin and somehow make state sanctioning of sin a good thing despite the fact that legalizing ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 4:9-11

Denomination: Baptist

A Fractured Fairy Tale

Contributed by John Sears on Jul 9, 2015

If there one passage that defines this culture, it is Matthew 7:1-5. Since the Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage, this passage has been pushed to the forefront. This message examines what Jesus meant when he said, "Do not judge."

A Fractured Fairy Tale Introduction When I was growing up, there was an older cartoon show that I enjoyed watching. It was the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. And while I thought the conflict between the heroes and the villains (Boris and Natasha) was funny what I found really clever was the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

Denomination: Christian Church

Picky Picky Belief Series

Contributed by Pat Cook on Apr 14, 2006

The religious leaders were selective about which laws to follow and which ones to ignore or defy. We are too. The point of this is to expose our own double-standards and lead us to show mercy to others.

John 19:31-37 – Picky Picky Belief Tonight, in our last message of The Life of Jesus before Resurrection Day, I’d like to point out an interesting characteristic about the religious leaders that really bears hearing. Just to let you know: likely something I say tonight might make you angry. ...read more

Scripture: John 19:31-37

Denomination: Baptist

Listening To Unchristian America

Contributed by Jay Robison on Nov 1, 2007

Christianity has an image problem. What can we learn from how those outside the church see the church today. I use Jesus criticism of religious leaders to cause us to think.

I have used sermoncentral along with other resources in this message. James White’s Critical Times email was a starting point. I also referred to Kinnaman’s book. LISTENING TO UnCHRISTIAN AMERICA October 28, 2007 Jay Davis Robison MATTHEW 15:1-12 The Church in America HAS AN IMAGE ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

How To Separate Ourselves From The Sins Of The Pharisees

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Jul 22, 2004

Jesus gives us a challenge He gave about the Pharisees. He wants us to show mercy and love to those who need salvation, not just go through the motions of our own religious beliefs

How to Separate Ourselves From the Sins of the Pharisees Jesus said to them, "Be careful and on your guard against the leaven (teaching, corruption, hypocrisy) of the Pharisees and Saducees." (Matthew 16:6) Jesus said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the eyes of men. But God ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:6-11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Life That Really Matters

Contributed by John Lowe on Apr 23, 2014

These brethren from Jerusalem were strict legalists, which means they believed that the most important thing was to obey all the laws of God and to observe all the ceremonies and traditions of the Jewish church. And under grace, that’s their privilege.

5-15-04 Title: THE LIFE THAT REALLY MATTERS Text: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20). Bible ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:11-20

Denomination: Baptist

Exposing A Myth

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Apr 9, 2004

They are many examples of myths, both scientific and otherwise. And people throughout history have believed them. While it may not seem all that critical to accept scientific myths, the acceptance of religious myths could have devastating consequences. In

Exposing a myth (can be a Power Point Presentation) 1. Exposing a myth – what are myths… Examples… 2. Myths are easily accepted as truth it they have been around a long time. Take the case of the spider. About 350 B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle classified the spider as having six legs. ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:3

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Turning The Other Cheek

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

The religious leaders of the world can quote their wise and holy men in ways that show they too have many of the values of the Sermon on the Mount. But they have nothing to match the teachings of Christ on the love of one's enemies.

Almost everybody agrees with the Sermon on the Mount in general, but almost nobody can agree to the specifics of the last part of chapter 5. Even Nikita Krushev, an atheist, when he was the leader of Russia, could say he agreed with the Sermon on the Mount, for even in Russia they do not consider ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48

The Pressures Off Series

Contributed by Steve Malone on May 7, 2008

2000 years ago a religious guy met Jesus and was told he was headed down the wrong road and needed to make a u-turn that led to a life where the pressure is off and was never the same again.

The Pressures Off Never The Same Again (8) I hope you are getting pumped up about taking the One Month To Live Challenge. NEXT WEEK – we will kick off the series with an Easter Message. AND THEN – things will really start to rock and roll the week of March 30th when we launch our One Month ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-21

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ