In Matthew 5 and 16 Jesus spoke those familiar words, let your
light so shine before men that they may see your good works.
And glorify your father, which is in heaven.
And the Apostle Paul in first Timothy 4 and verse 16 said that
we are to take heed unto ourselves and unto the doctrine
continuing them for. In doing this, Thou shalt both
save thyself and them that hear thee.
In other words, Christianity, true Christianity is more than a
sermon. That is to be preached.
It's a sermon and it is a lifestyle that is to be lived.
And Paul says That we are to do, more than just merely, he'd the
doctrine were to heed, its place within our own life, were to
heat our self and then, and only then, do you have the
ingredients to convert others to Christ to show people that our
religion is worth recommending? It really boils down to this.
You may know all about the Bible and you may be very good at
articulating. What the Bible says about any
given subject, you may be very good at debating the scriptures
with others and convincing other people of what the scriptures
teach. But the fact of the matter is
Talk is cheap and Paul says that, we're not only to pay he
that our Doctrine is correct that we do the right things when
we assemble and worship and that we preach the right things.
When we stand in public assembly and we declare the gospel with
it every day, and every moment of every day, our lives are to
be a living example of that gospel.
Our lives are to be a magnetic force to those about us.
Our lives are to portray the principles of the Gospel.
In every respect. And so because of that, I
believe today that the greatest recommendation, the greatest
advertisement that you can attach to your religion is its
place within your own heart and your own life.
And I want to in that vein of thinking, I want to talk about
for tests and I believe will tell us whether or not we have a
religion that is worth recommending to other people.
And I want to begin with what I believe is, the most fundamental
of these and that is, can you recommend your religion in light
of the teaching? One of the word of God, because
frankly, if you can't do that, everything else is in vain.
In fact, I would ask you today. Can you prove what you believe,
and what you practice and also does God approve of what you
believe and what you practice? Well if you've answered one of
those questions you've answered the other because God cannot God
does not God will not approve of or sanction, a religion that
cannot be proven or substantiated by his word.
It's not enough that my religion feels It's not enough that my
religion seems, right? It's not enough that my religion
is my religion or that it's always been my religion or the
religion of my family or people that I respect or admire.
But rather can I prove my religion from the word of God,
can I put my finger on the on the passage?
Can I put my finger upon the command of the example, to the
necessary? Inference within the word of
God? That proves every practice?
Every procedure and every Doctrine.
Now, the Bible says that our religion is to be put It to that
test in 1st, Thessalonians, 5 and verse 21.
Paul said, prove all things and hold fast that which is good.
That means that we're two tests were to try and were to cast
aside and reject that which cannot be found in God's word,
and we're to obstinately cling to those things that are right
and can be proven John. And first John four verse one
said, beloved believe, not every Spirit, but try the spirits,
whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out
into the world. And I don't have to tell you
today that there are literally hundreds and thousands of
conflicting religious He is and theories and doctrines that are
being preached today and it confuses a lot of people and it
overwhelms. A lot of people but the Bible
says that we are to test and try the spirits.
Well, I only know one way to do that and that is to test and try
what they say up next to what the Bible teaches.
And if they fail that test, I'm to reject them.
As John says, they are one of these false prophets of which
there are many in the world. Paul in First Corinthians
chapter 2 and verse one declared that his preaching was based
upon the premise of God's spirit and the Of God's spirit and that
the Corinthians were to accept what he said, not because he was
a great and dynamic or eloquent speaker, not because the Apostle
Paul claimed to be something great, or claim to be an apostle
of the Lord Jesus Christ, but, because Paul demonstrated that
he had the Holy Spirit within him.
And he demonstrated that by The Miracles, which he performed.
And Paul, the says, when I came unto, you my preaching, I came
not with Excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto
you. The testimony of God.
He says, for, I determined to know, not to know anything.
Among you save Jesus. Jesus Christ and him crucified
and I was with you in weakness and fear and in much, trembling
and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of
man's Wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit, and
of power, in other words, Paul had a seal of approval, he had
Vindication upon his preaching, the spirit of God, he proved
what he preached and he expected no one to accept anything on any
less of a standard. Well, do we prove what we preach
do? We prove what we believe do?
We prove what we practice? By the Bible.
The scripture tells us in Acts chapter 17 verse 10, those at
Maria more more noble than those in thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all Readiness of mind and they
searched the Scriptures Daily to see whether those things were.
So, now, here's a group of people that weren't about to be
misled. Here is a group of people who
went home and they burn the midnight oil.
After even after hearing the apostles themselves, preached in
order to make sure that what they heard and what they
understood was in accordance with the scriptures that they
knew came. God and they weren't going to be
deceived. Now, I don't have to tell you.
There are millions of people in the world today that are
religiously gullible. In fact, I never cease to be
amazed at just how gullible people are.
I turn on the television and the radio from time to time.
And I hear these preachers get on television and preach some of
the most Preposterous and outlandish, doctrines that
you've ever heard in your life, they preach some of the most
ridiculous things that aren't a 30 second cousin, what the Bible
teaches and people believe that how do I know?
They believe that well because those Those people living in the
lap of luxury and they can get on television.
And they can tell people to show their seed of faith and to send
them a check to send them money. And I can tell you, somebody
sending them money. Otherwise, they couldn't live in
their Grand, Estates and drive their luxury automobiles and
live in the lap of luxury that they are.
People believe that and they swallow that Hook Line & Sinker
because those men are charismatic because those men
appear to speak with authority because those men for whatever
reason or another appeal to the people watching.
All they buy into that and they'll sacrifice for that
particular religion, not even taking the time to investigate
the word of God. And see if what they're saying
is true, are you religiously gullible and expect other people
to be the same? Or can you today?
Confidently, recommend your religion from of thus, saith the
Lord. Now, one of the Lord's disciples
I believe over the years has received somewhat of an unfair
reputation, a little bit of a bad rap.
And that is the Lord's disciple Thomas.
Now I'm not upholding Thomas as being perfect and everything.
He did and everything he said, but I do believe that Thomas at
least to some degree is unfairly judged because all of my life, I
have heard of Thomas referred to in rather disparaging terms as
old doubting Thomas. And we usually think of Thomas
as a negative point in the Lord's, among the Lord's
disciples. But I think there's something
about Thomas, that is worth imitating.
There's something about Tom It's worth taking notice up and if
you go back in the twentieth chapter of the Book of John and
read the story, a little more closely, I think it's easy to
pick up on it, Thomas, you remember, or I should say Jesus
after his resurrection from the dead appeared unto, his
disciples and they met behind locked doors for fear of the
Jews. And the Bible says that Jesus
not only appeared to them, but that they were able to see the
ribbon places within his hands. And they knew based upon that
beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was, who he claimed to
be. And so, they left that meeting.
Excited about it and they encounter Thomas.
And I don't know what Thomas was with them in the first place.
I don't know where Thomas was, I don't know what Thomas was doing
and perhaps Thomas deserve to be rebuked for not having been
there. I do know that Thomas missed out
on a great blessing by not being where he should have been when
he should have been there. And there are a lot of people
today in the Lord's church, that miss out on a lot of Blessings
by not being where they ought to be.
When they ought to be there. They're off doing something
else. Something that may be more
important when others are gathered together, learning
about the lord. Well, Tha This was somewhere
else and whatever the reason, whatever the circumstance he was
not privy to the same information that the other
disciples were well, the disciples come to Thomas and
they tell him Thomas. We've seen the Lord, these men
were excited. They had just seen their lord.
Whom they had all seen crucified just a few days before.
But Thomas was skeptical and Thomas does not say, I will not
believe but Thomas says, I'm not going to believe it until I see
the nail. Prince in his hand and the
ribbon place in his side Thomas says I'm not going to believe
essentially until I see what you've seen.
Well Jesus gave Thomas that opportunity and you almost can't
blame Thomas from a human standpoint because it would be
difficult to believe someone who like you whose mind was
overwhelmed with grief. Here you are having hung all of
your hopes and your dreams and Ambitions upon the ministry and
the message of this man whom you had seen the Romans.
Take out and crucified on the cross and laid and sealed in
that tub. And you would think it's all
gone. It was all for naught and these
men were overcome with grief and despair and felt dejected.
And so, what would you think if you were to be put in the
sandals of Thomas? And someone were to come to you
and say the Lord is alive. He is risen from the dead,
Thomas things. Well, we'd all like to believe
that we all wish that were true, but I'm going to have to have a
little bit more evidence than just your word for it.
Thomas says, I will see what you saw.
Well, you know the lord gave him that opportunity.
Again, Jesus appeared to his disciples Thomas, was there this
time and the Bible says that Jesus, not only allowed Thomas
to look, but invited him to reach out and to touch the
ribbon places in his hands, and in his side and the Bible says,
when Thomas, did he exclaimed my Lord?
And my God, that is to say, I now believe you are who you
claim, you are. Why I've seen the evidence, I've
seen the marks of evidence and so he believed And Jesus went on
to make a point out of that by saying, yes, it's blessed are
those who have seen and believe but blessed will be those who
have not seen and believed. And what that simply means is
that the Apostles of Jesus Christ who were as we talked
about the other night, the witnesses of Jesus and of his
resurrection were then to go forth and Harold the gospel to
the world. And we today believe in Jesus,
not because we've seen him risen from the dead, but we believe in
him based upon the testimony of those who did.
But Thomas at that time was seeking information that was
available and that the other disciples had had the
opportunity to see. Well you know I there are plenty
of marks of identification within the word of God,
concerning the Lord's, True Religion and you maybe want to,
I don't know the hearts and Minds on the state of everyone
here. That today, we may have visitors
among us. And you don't count yourself.
A member of the Church of Christ, maybe you're searching.
Maybe you're looking from the truth, maybe you're confused and
you're overwhelmed and you don't know where to begin in your
quest for what is, right? And Bombarded by all of these
doctrines and all of these churches, and all of these ideas
that surround us in the world today and you don't know how to
make heads or tails of it. Well, let me tell you where to
start and where to end. And that's right here because
the Bible contains the marks of identification.
Concerning the Lord's Church. It tells you all about it, such
as where it was establish how it was established upon what it was
established. It tells you how it works.
It tells you upon what day it came together to worship.
It tells you all about the doctrine that it breached, the
name that it wore and Salted on and you can investigate all of
that in your Bible just as easily as anyone else.
And you can compare that to the religions that surround us today
and you can know which one is the Lord's church.
You can prove your religion by the Bible and if you can't do
that about the religion that you're in today, you need to
change your religion. I'm going to tell you, it's a
very risky thing to gamble. Your Eternal Soul upon a
religion. Just simply because somebody you
like, or trust, or admire, maybe a family member told you that
that's what's right, you? Delve into the word of God and
see if it's right and if it's not you need to change your
religion because the Bible says in Matthew 15 and 13 every plant
which my heavenly father hath, not planted shall be rooted up.
Second of all, can you recommend your religion by the life that
you live and this becomes a very personal question.
It hits close to home. Does your life and your
religion, do they complement each other.
Does each make the other more attractive and easier to see?
Now, the fact is, if a man's religion does not change him,
then that man needs to change his religion.
Now, I've said during this meeting already.
That the real problem in religion tonight or today is the
fact that no religion. It seems wants to demand
anything of anybody and they tell people just simply to come
as you are and be what you are. And you don't have to change
anything about your life. And in fact, that's how these
megachurches grow. Because they claim to be
tolerant and to embrace people of every kind of lifestyle and
every kind of background and just come and be what you are
and you're not going to be threatened by the word of God.
You're not going to be happy, you're not going to have
constraints and demands placed upon you and they try to picture
that kind of a religion that would conform and change our
life and make us to walk a straight and narrow pathway why
they paint. That kind of a religion, is
something that so antique So outdated.
And bigoted, it's not even worth your time or your consideration.
Well, I'm going to tell you something.
If your religion doesn't change you, your religion isn't worth a
dime. And your religion is certainly
not the Lord's religion, because the Bible says, in second
Corinthians 5 and verse 17, that the religion of Christ will make
him into a new Creature. If any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature, old things are passed away, and behold all
things are become new. Sometimes people might talk
about some family member or some loved one or somebody that
attends church from time to time, and they say, you know,
it's a shame that that person never has been baptized because
really, that's all they'd have to do, they wouldn't have to
change anything. Well, I don't know what Bible,
they've been reading out of because my Bible teaches that
when I come in to Christ, I become a brand new creation.
And everything was wrong in my life becomes, right.
I turn it over to the Lord and the Lord takes my life, like a
lump of clay and he makes, and he knows that into what he wants
it to be. And the result is my religion
will be a religion of life-changing conviction, not
convenience. And if that is not your religion
today, something is drastically wrong, Our Lives must Adorn, the
doctrine of God, our savior, and all things, Titus 2 and verse
10, the Is did not Adorn the doctrine of God because they
said one thing, they preached one thing they profess one
thing, but they did something entirely different and Jesus
condemned that kind of a shallow.
And that sort of pretentious and hypocritical religion all
condemned the practice of having a form of godliness.
But denying the power thereof, second of the chapter 3 and
verse 5, I don't know of any greater thing you could do to
draw people to Christ. I don't know of anything that
you could do today to be a more powerful influence for good.
good than to Simply live, the life that Christ religion calls
upon you to live Now I'm not much of a Salesman and I
certainly don't like to get into these pyramid marketing,
multi-level marketing type schemes.
Now there's nothing wrong with that if it's an honest Endeavor
and an honest product and a lot of people get into that you know
and they make a little extra money and that's all fine but
all I ask is just leave me out of it because invariably there
are people around the country who are on to one of these new
pyramid marketing schemes. Every time you see him and they
want to sit you down, and hold you hostage for Afternoon and
put their sales pitch on you and get you involved and buy your
product. And I always seem to be a target
for that and it seems like more times than not it revolves
around some health product or some weight loss product and
maybe that explains why I'm such a Target.
But nonetheless people will try to sit me down and tell me about
this wonderful pill that they've come up with.
And this pill will do everything that all of that exercise and
diet will do for you and even more.
And you don't have to worry about getting out there and
sweating and walk. And running and doing all of
that, you don't have to back away from the table.
You just take a couple of these pills before you sit down to a
big gut Buster meal. And you know, you're going to be
amazed at how the weight falls off preachers.
Get into that kind of thing because it's sort of supplements
their income. And then the next time you see
them six months later, they have not lost any weight, there's big
as the side of a barn but they wanted to charge you $100 for a
bottle of those horse pills and then they wanted to get you
involved in selling it and so on and so forth.
Well, I just don't have any patience with that.
I've been About that a few times and I don't have any interest in
it, so if you want to get into that, more power to you, but
leave me alone. But I want to tell you
something, if I see you and all the sudden you've dropped 50
pounds, you're not going to have to come up to me and say, look
at me, look what I've done. Look how good I look.
Would you like to know what I'd been doing?
No, I'm going to beat you to the back door and I'm going to say
you look wonderful. I want to know what your secret.
How did you do that? How did you lose that weight so
fast? And you're going to have an
opportunity to tell me and I'm going to be all ears.
Now, that really held a straight something very serious today and
that is our religion. That's the way I religion,
should be in the eyes of other people.
And in fact, I will go so far as to say that if no one in your
life ever observes. And I don't mean by what you say
by how you live, if they never observe that you are a
Christian, that there is something different about you,
if no one ever approaches. You and says, what's different
about your life, why don't you go to these places?
Why don't you wear these kind of clothes?
Why don't you talk the way we? Why don't you enjoy the joke?
We all tell. Why don't you go to the bar with
people after church or after work?
Why don't you do this? Why don't you go to the school
dance? Why don't you do all of these
things? Your religion is very weak.
It's very impotent. You cannot recommend your
religion. Holding a beer in your hand.
You cannot recommend your religion running around half
naked, you cannot run. You cannot recommend your
religion on a dance floor. You cannot recommend your
religion going to many of the places that the world goes and
doing many of the things that the world does.
In fact, you notify your profession of religion, Your
religion is something that must change your life and let me tell
you, when that happens, people are going to see the change and
they're going to be drawn to you, that there are two kinds of
people in the world. There are people who have
destroyed their life by slim but they like to have a better life.
There are people who are searching and they are looking
and they have a good and an honest heart that Jesus talked
about over the parable of the sower.
And then, there are other people in the world that they're
antagonistic toward religion, they don't like Christianity,
very much. Like a light that shines into
the darkness of their hearts and it's offensive to them, they
don't like it and so they don't like anybody to live a life
around them, that would afflict their conscience or that would
Point them to A Better Way. Well, Jesus said, you know,
where the light of the world we are the salt of the earth.
Well, lights a good thing and like to some people from their
perspective might be a bad thing.
And salt is a good thing and that it's a preservative.
But salt has welcomed the, a painful thing when you pour it
into a wound, and that's the way it is.
When people see the life that we live there, either drawn to it,
because they want a better life or those people are going to be
turned away by the life that we live, because they enjoy sin,
and they want to remain in sin and so our life becomes an
offense to them, but I'm going to tell you a person who lives
the Lord's religion is not going to Be neutral.
And your life is not going to be met with indifference at school
work. Like the neighbors, those about
you, it's going to produce one result or the other.
And if it doesn't you need to examine your religion.
The Apostle Paul said those things which he has both learned
and received and heard and seen in me.
Do and the God of Peace shall be with you, Philippians 4 night,
can you Echo that statement along with Paul?
It was Paul who said, be followers of me - I also am of
Christ First Corinthians 11 and verse 1.
Now, I understand that Paul is an inspired Apostle of Jesus
Christ and that he had Authority, that no other man,
possessed, or no other people had no other group of people
possess than what the apostles did.
But can you make that statement in principle today?
Can you tell people that you imitate me?
You live the life that I live. You be what I am and you'll be
saved. Number three, can you recommend
your religion, by the way, you support it.
Now, one of the greatest recommendations, You can give do
anything is by your excitement, Your Enthusiasm, your Zeal for
that particular thing and that Zeal tends to be a bit
contagious. It tends to get people's
attention at the very least, they see how important and how
convinced and our convicted of that particular thing that you
are stumble upon some product. You let some lady stumble across
some new cleaning detergent or some new cleaning solution that
will take the stains out of everything that every She's ever
spent all that money at the store and buying before and that
to try to get that stain out. Wouldn't do it.
You let it, you let her find that final, that product that
did the trick and you see how long it takes her to tell
everybody else about it. She gets excited about that.
You find something in life that you are really convicted about
and you're going to be excited about it.
You're going to tell other people about Paul said in second
Corinthians 4:13, I believed and therefore, did I speak.
Now when you see therefore or wherefore in the scripture, that
means you need to look back and see what is there for.
And Paul says, I believed and therefore did I speak in other
words? I spoke because I believe my
speaking was an outgrowth of the fact that I believed it.
Say it was a reflex of my conviction.
The apostles when they were commanded not to preach in the
name of Jesus Christ, they continue to do so.
And when called upon to explain themselves, they said we cannot
help. But tell the things that our
eyes have seen in our ears have heard, they could not help.
They could not contain it. It was like, it was to the
Prophet, Jeremiah a fire shut up in their bones.
They could not contain it. If your next-door neighbor's
house was on fire, and you knew that the family was inside that
home. Do you suppose you would look
out the window and see the smoke and see the flames and shrug
your shoulders and say well I sure hope they smell the smoke
before it's too late. I sure hope they come to realize
that their house was on fire and get out of there.
You know. You know that that's an urgent
life and death situation and you would be calling 911.
You'd be running next door and banging on the doors of the
windows and getting their attention and trying to rescue.
Anybody that could be rescued. I'm going to tell you something
today, there is a world surrounding us, that is going to
hell as quick as they can get there.
And there are people in your life every day.
There are people that you sit next to it work there are people
that you play with on the playground at school.
There are people that you live next door to.
There are people that you see every day with in your life and
you know what? They're headed to hell and
they're going just as fast as they can.
And yet, we passed them by every day and we never say a word
about their selves. We never say a word about Jesus.
And I don't know how to explain that.
Other than maybe we're not quite as convicted, as we should be.
About what the Bible says. if we really believed, and we really
understood that people that we claim to love in this life, Are
bound for an eternity without God if they don't turn around.
How could we possibly how could we possibly keep ourselves from
telling them and doing everything we possibly can to
save them? We recommend our religion.
Not only by what we say. But by people seeing its place
and it's priority within our own life.
Are you zealous of Good Works? Titus 2 and verse 14 are you
ready unto every good work. Titus 3 and 1 Are you full of
good works acts 9 and verse Six, I'm going to tell you, one of
the great frustrations for me and preaching the gospel, in
many places is to be called away from my home to travel hundreds,
upon hundreds of miles to spend a week away from my family.
When I could be at home, watching my little girls grow up
and working with the local congregation, and perhaps
accomplishing good down there, to be called, hundreds of miles
away to a congregation and not have that congregation care
enough about the gospel and about the meeting to to show up.
Now, when you stand up here or In a Pulpit and you occupy this
place, you'll identify with that.
I'll promise you not too long ago.
I held a meeting in a congregation that I believe had
some of the most pitiful crowds that I can ever remember in the
last 15 or so years. I've been holding meetings.
On Sunday morning, this congregation had more than 60
people in that building. And on Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, I counted, you know,
how many of their own members, we could count on to be at that
meeting. And I'm factored in people who
had health issues, who couldn't come because of their health.
And I understand that, There were just a little over 12
people. In that congregation you can
count on now sale that this they had a sign out front a banner
that was made up in front of the church building and it said in
big letters. Jesus wants you here, gospel,
meetings so-and-so, dates and so-and-so times.
I mean, it caught your attention going down.
The road is beautifully designed and very prominent along the
side of the street. Jesus wants you here.
Well, I'd had a belly full of it by Sunday and I got up and I
told him, I said I'm going to get personal with you folks
here. And I told them, you know, we
got 60 people here today. And there were about a dozen of
you. We could count on to be here,
throughout the meeting. And I said, I do want to commend
your sign. You have out front here.
I said, I think that's really good.
Jesus wants you here. In fact, I can't think of any
place in all the world that Jesus would have, wanted
everybody in this town to be this week, then right here,
listening to the gospel, being preached.
That could save their souls. I can't think of any place Jesus
would want them to be more than that and I said, do you suppose
Jesus would want you here too? It is the height of hypocrisy
for us to claim that we want the church to grow to claim that we
care about people's Souls, their claim that the church is
important to claim that the Lord is our all in all, but we're too
busy and we just don't care enough to support a gospel
meeting to go to church. To put the Lord first in our own
wife. As the old saying goes, people
do not care what, you know, until they know that you care.
That's exactly right. I don't want anything Ella
straights that point anymore. then the beautiful Parable that
Jesus told over recorded in Luke, the 10th chapter, remember
that Jesus said there was a certain man that went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho. That was an Infamous pathway.
I believe it was something about 30 miles and it was a steep
treacherous descent from the capital city down to the Dead
Sea. And this road was saturated with
Bandits, and with feeds. And when you travel that road
way, you took your life into your own hands.
Well, this man left and he made the journey and it wasn't very
long before he fell among Thieves.
The Bible says, and the thieves stripped him of his clothes.
And they beat him to a bloody pulp, and they left him on the
side of the road and a pool of blood to die.
And then Jesus, introduces three characters to the story.
Jesus said, first of all, there came a priest.
Now, I don't know about you, but if I were broken down in the
Mojave, Desert or power broken down by the side of the road, in
some dangerous and distant place, I think I would be pretty
happy if I saw a preacher come along or if I saw someone that I
knew was a was a very devout church member, I'd be glad to
see someone like that come along.
Jesus says, here comes a priest. Well, you would think, wouldn't
you this man was the salvation of this poor man that had fallen
upon such bad luck will know. Bible says, he just simply
passed on his way, he didn't want to defile himself.
And he had other things to attend to, so he just goes
merrily along his way and then Jesus says, here comes a levite.
Again, another person alleged to be a very religious person.
And so again, you would think of a religious person comes by that
this person would be my salvation.
Well, the levite at least had the Curiosity to walk over there
and Survey the scene. But he is well didn't want to be
bothered and he would the other side of the road went on his
way. Then Jesus, introduces the third
character of The Story, by very mention of the name that would
have made their nostrils flare with righteous, indignation He
said, then comes a Samaritan. And these Jews listening to
Jesus, the very names Samaritan would have made them recoil,
because a Samaritan was nothing more than a half breed and a
dog. And these people certainly put
no stock in whatever, religion is Samaritan by claim to have
But Here Comes The Samaritan and you know, story Jesus says that
he stops He takes the man and pours oil and wine into his
wounds and binds them up. And he carries them down the way
to a little end where he secures lodging, where he could
convalesce and he pays the building full of Jesus says,
then to that group of Spectators, he said now who was
neighbor to him that fell among Thieves.
Well, they couldn't even bring themselves to say, Samaritan
They said it was the one who showed Mercy on him.
And the point simply is this who recommended their religion?
when the rubber met the road who recommended their religion, Was
it the priest with all of his titles and all of his duties and
all of his religious garb? And who is it that recommends?
His Religion Today, is it the person that likes to put on a
Pious face and likes to tell people how religious he is and
our holy and how righteous he is.
And likes to tell people how important the church is to them.
Or is it the person? That someone sees living the
life everyday. And sees just how important the
church really is to them. A story.
Some of the older preachers used to tell.
Maybe you've heard it, I don't know.
But the young preacher was holding a gospel meeting in a
congregation one time. And about halfway through the
meeting. There was a prominent
businessman that came from that community and really everyone
was shocked to see him there because they would have thought
the last thing on his mind would be that little church down there
on the corner and certainly that little church would have been
beneath a man of his ilk and his stature in the community.
But here he came and he came in and sat in the back of the
building and he listened very intently to the sermon and
people were floored. When the invitation hymn was
sung and he walked forward and wanted to be baptized well, the
young preacher took him back and as they were getting ready for
the baptism, the young preacher feeling somewhat proud of
himself asked the man. He said, what did I say in my
sermon tonight to convince you to want to be baptized?
and the man said, well young man you preached A good sermon but
he said, I'm going to be honest with you, you didn't say
anything, maybe want to be baptized He said, did you see
that little old lady that was sitting close to me back in the
back and he knew her knew her. Well, she had been a longtime
faithful member of that church. He said, she's been my secretary
for 30 years And said for that, 30 years I have never seen
anything. But a Godly woman.
I know that woman loves this church and I have seen her make
her way to this little church down here and the Heat and in
the cold and in the snow and the ice and the rain.
I see her when she has a few spare moments at work opening,
her Bible and reading her Bible and I see her offering.
Thanks for her food. I see her modest and her Godly
demeanor. and if you want to know why I did what I did today,
It's because for 30 years, I've seen just how important Jesus
Christ. And this little church is to
her, people are watching you every day.
Are you recommending your religion finally?
Today, can you recommend your religion, by the way, it works
for you. In other words, does your
religion, give you something to Anchor to, in times of trouble,
when a crisis comes? Can you recommend your religion?
When you lose your job and the future seems uncertain, can you
still recommend your Legion. What about when someone very
dear to you get sick and they die.
Can you recommend your religion? What about in times in your
life? When you're down and discouraged
and depressed? Can you recommend your religion?
Now, we'd all like to think that we could.
But, you know, there are many people that don't because their
religion only plays a role in their life.
When all is well, all when everything's great, when
everything's encourage you, when everything's just going their
way. They're all excited about the
church, they're faithful to the church, but you allow some
problem to come along their life.
And the first thing that happens is they start to grow wheat.
And before long, they fall by the wayside, they get
discouraged and you make your way out there to see them.
And they say, well, now, when I get all this straightened out,
when I get all of these problems worked out, then I'm going to
come back to the church wrong. You don't get it straightened
out until you get him to church because that's how and that's
where you get. It straightened out.
You see, the Lord's religion is not only men as a vehicle of
service and praise and worship to God.
It is. Well, as meant is meant to be of
benefit to us and to help us steer the uncertain course of
Life. Paul said in second Corinthians
6 and 10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.
David said in Psalm 3 and 3 thou art a shield for me, he said no
good thing. Will he withhold from them?
That walk uprightly Psalm 84 and verse 11 and I Leave that today
I believe that the religion of Jesus Christ provides the
strength. It provides the encouragement,
it provides the power to face any circumstance within your
life today. And if your religion does not do
that, you have the wrong religion.
I worry about people who go around all the time with long,
sad weary faces and their religion is not a source of joy
to them, it's drudgery to them. A religion that makes people
look sick. My friends is not going to cure
the world. The world has plenty of that out
there. What they need is a religion
that infuses some hope and some optimism into their life.
They need a religion that shows them that there's a better way.
They need a religion that shows that they have a future, they
need a religion that shows them that regardless of how badly the
chips may be down that regardless of how bad things may
be in their life. There's something better ahead
and we tell people, and we reflect that religion by our old
attitude about it, and by its place within Old life and my
friend, if that's not your religion, you have the wrong
one. Because man does not merely need
a Creed that he upholds. He needs a Creed that upholds
him. And today, if that's not your
religion, I offer to you a religion like that, I offer you,
the Lord's religion, we offer to you.
Today, a religion that you can prove every point of it in the
word of God. Try it and see, put it to the
test. And see if you don't agree.
I offer you a religion today, that yes, is going to call upon
you to make some changes in your life and it's not going to be
easy. And I would tell you today that
you need to count the cost before you make a decision to
obey it because you're going to have to change some things in
your life. You're gonna have to give some
things up and you're going to have to completely rearrange
your life and your priorities and some things that never were
important to you before going to have to become number one.
That's going to have to happen. And I'm offering to you a
religion today that will give you an anchor in the worst of
storms. We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional
information or you would like to receive a free Bible
correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at
search of Christ. Bakersfield.com, our service
times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays
at 7:30 p.m. p.m. please make plans to join us.
We would love for you to be our honored guest