Sermons on Religious Unbelief:

Can He Really Do That? Series

Contributed by Carl Willis on Jun 9, 2008

Jesus acknowledges the faith of friends and forgives the sin of the paralytic. The scribes question His authority, so He validates His authority with healing. To what lengths are you willing to go to bring others to Jesus? How is your religious l

Can He Really Do That? Mark 2:1-12 Mark 2:1-2 (HCSB) When He entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that He was at home. So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and He was speaking the message to them. Why He Returned * Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Mark 2:1-12

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dishonoring The Lord

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Jan 1, 2011

The lesson for us in this Bible study is very clear and simple – God as our Father and Master is never pleased with just any religious ceremonies, formalities and rituals. God would only accept the best of the time, abilities, talents, and offerings from

Intro: The Lord is great (Psa. 145:3) over all the earth. Here, God’s people failed to properly honor Him. Since Israel was supposed to fear God and love Him wholeheartedly (Deut. 6:3, 5), the severity of her spiritual condition was truly alarming. Again, the Lord reminds and rebukes Israel. ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 1:6-10

Denomination: *other

Where's Your Worth? Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 2, 2013

Where do you find your "self-worth"? Is it in God, or in yourself? The Pharisees looked for their importance in themselves and ended up robbing God of His glory to gain their own. How can avoid the traps that ensnared these highly religious leaders?

OPEN: "Sometime, when you're feeling important Sometime, when your ego's in bloom Sometime when you take it for granted, You're the best qualified man in the room. Sometime when you feel that your going, would leave an unfillable hole, Just follow this simple instruction, and see how it humbles ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-12

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

How To Spot A Fake Faith Series

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Apr 2, 2012

Christianity has become a surface religious distraction from the hardships and realities of life and is no longer a relevant belief system connecting us to our Creator and Savior. In the western world the fakes are much more visible than those who stil

I think we may finally be living in a day when the ‘Christianity’ that exists in the cultural marketplace is now more fake than real. What began with liberal departures from the essentials of our faith has now moved to a wide spread illiteracy of the very truths of Christianity. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:5-30

What's Going On Around Here?

Contributed by Rev Ken Shedenhelm on May 1, 2013

In the so-called mainline churches, many members cling to the adage, "We've never done it that way before!" As the religious people in Jesus' time discovered, hanging on to the old will blind us to the new thing that God is doing in our midst.

Our lectionary passages this morning concern radical change, perhaps none more radical that Peter's vision in the 11th chapter of Acts. Most of us don't give much thought to what we eat and, if we do, our concern is more with calories than holiness. We don't consider food groups to be "clean" or ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 43:14-25

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A Jealous God Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Mar 1, 2015

God is “jealous” in the sense that He expects complete, exclusive devotion; not merely a partial, lukewarm, half-hearted religious observance. Worship belongs to God. He is worthy of worship and has a right to be “jealous” of it.

The Bible clearly teaches that God is a jealous God. That doesn’t sit well with us; the very notion of the jealousy of God sounds offensive. We think of jealousy as an entirely negative quality--a sin. Yet God declares that He is jealous. God restricts allegiance to Himself alone: ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:1-6

Denomination: Congregational

Looking Unto Jesus

Contributed by Daniel Olukoya on Jun 9, 2011

....Christianity is not a religion. In religion, man believes in the existence of a God, a super being, for whom you have to perform certain rites in order to please. But Christianity is God’s way of seeking to save the lost. The religious act of man has

LOOKING UNTO JESUS This week, by the grace of God, we are looking at a topic “Looking unto Jesus.” Our first text is taken from the book of Isaiah 8:20. It says, “To the l aw and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 8:20

Denomination: Pentecostal

Goes To Jerusalem For Second Passover; Heals Lame Man Series

Contributed by John Lowe on Jul 14, 2017

The clash between Jesus and the religious leaders was over the Sabbath. They never forgave Him for what He did on the Sabbath days, and then when He said, “…..The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath,” (Mark 2:27) they hated Him.

Harmony of the Gospels -AD 28- Jerusalem Title: Goes to Jerusalem for Second Passover; Heals Lame Man (Exodus 20:10) John 5:1-47 The healing of the impotent man by the pool of Bethesda is a very wonderful incident. But it is also a turning point in the ministry of Christ. You see, after this ...read more

Scripture: John 5:1-47

Denomination: Baptist

Onlookers And The Onlooked Series

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 10, 2017

The abundance of religious art we see may remind us of the cross, but it can also dull us to the reality that the people involved were real people, not figments of creativity. Let’s take a look at some of those real people.

PURSUING THE MARK Philippians 3:4-14 The starter’s line for this passage is the Apostle Paul’s polemic against false teachers, whose confidence lies in the flesh (Philippians 3:2-4). “The flesh” here represents self-help religion, which stands contrary to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. ...read more

Scripture: Mark 15:33-47

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Series

Contributed by Bill Bryan on Mar 29, 2014

Jesus is the central expression of God's grace and peace to us. Our unity/thankfulness for one another in the Lord is not based on our complete agreement on every social, political, or religious topic but upon our common experience of God's grace/peace

On July 4th we celebrate the birth of the United States, and on June 20th we celebrate the birthday of my beloved home state of West Virginia. However, the birth of our nation came about through our division from England, and the birth of West Virginia came through division from the Confederacy. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Philistines Series

Contributed by John Lowe on Sep 13, 2022

The ancient Philistines were in the land of Canaan before Moses, and the Israelites claimed it as their Promised Land from God. The conflict over Canaan territory and religious and cultural differences between Israelites and Philistines led to many battles between the two nations.

Philistines Who Were the Philistines? The ancient Philistines were in the land of Canaan before Moses, and the Israelites claimed it as their Promised Land from God. The conflict over Canaan territory and religious and cultural differences between Israelites and Philistines led to many battles ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 15:13

Denomination: Baptist

Finalizing His Authority Series

Contributed by David Owens on Oct 9, 2023

In this section of Mark's Gospel, we see Jesus finalizing His authority. We see His superior wisdom, knowledge and power as He is confronted by three groups of Jewish religious leaders and rises above each confrontation.

Introduction: A. Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts back in the 1950s and one day when he was campaigning for a second term in office, he went looking for votes at a church barbecue. 1. Herter was famished and as he moved through the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:13-16

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Go! And Be Washed, Renewed, And Saved - Titus 3:5–6 Series

Contributed by Dean Courtier on Sep 11, 2025

The world offers countless answers—do good deeds, follow religious rituals, give to charity, try harder, live better. Yet, deep inside, every honest person knows this truth: we cannot wash ourselves clean.

Go! And Be Washed, Renewed, and Saved - Titus 3:5–6 Introduction Church, let me begin with a question that strikes at the very heart of our humanity: “How do you make yourself clean before a holy God?” The world offers countless answers—do good deeds, follow religious rituals, give to charity, ...read more

Scripture: Titus 3:5-6, Ephesians 2:8-9, Psalm 51:7, John 3:5, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

Lessons From Jeremiah – Part 14 – The Lion Of Babylon Was About To Pounce – Faithless King And Rulers Series

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 13, 2024

Jeremiah appeals yet again to the people and king to repent, but they ignored him. Jeremiah preaches and warns of the lion from the north – Babylon. The religious class and prophets were wicked and misled the king. Difference between repentance and remorse looked at.

LESSONS FROM JEREMIAH – PART 14 – THE LION OF BABYLON WAS ABOUT TO POUNCE – FAITHLESS KING AND RULERS PART 14 - Jeremiah 4:3-9 CHAPTER 4 [A]. PLOUGH FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND CIRCUMCISE EVIL HEARTS TOWARDS CONVICTION AND REPENTANCE {{Jeremiah 4:3-4 Thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 4:3-4, Acts 7:51-52, Jeremiah 4:5-7, Habakkuk 3:2, Amos 3:8, Amos 5:18-19, Jeremiah 4:8-9  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Fill This Temple

Contributed by Larry Grant on Nov 20, 2021

There are some in the Christian community that suggest that politics and religion should never work together. Some in the public square that suggest that religious leaders ought to stay out of politics and concern themselves with only the spiritual. But God has the final say on this matter!

In the passage today we take a second look at the people of Israel during the ministry of Haggai the prophet. As we learned last week, 70 years earlier, in the year 586 BC, the Babylonians invaded the Southern Kingdom, destroyed Solomon's beautiful temple in Jerusalem and had taken the people ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 2:2-9

Denomination: Baptist