Sermon That Prevails

Sermon #1

Hiding Behind Religions

Key Scripture: Jeremiah 7:1-14

The prophet Jeremiah came from a long line of Priests who had served the Lord in the village of the Levite, located in the central territory of Benjamin. The spiritual and moral condition of Judas and Jerusalem had become miserable in his day.

Like Moses, Jeremiah was called by God to speak out and lead the people from bondage into God’s true freedom. Therefore, when God called Jeremiah to become a Prophet over Israel, they were living in a closet, which mean they was doing secretly whatever they wanted to do. They were serving other God’s which had no value, and those God’s had deceived them. So the God that brought them out of Egypt, the God that brought them across the red sea on dry land, the God that kept them safe in the wilderness for 40 years, the God that brought them into the promise land that was floating with milk and honey, wanted them to stop all this harmful practice and return to a society with some value if they were to enjoy the land. Because this kind of practice gave the people a false since of hope. He wanted them to be a people who practice justice, shared mercy and would walk in a humble relationship with Him. But the people of Judas thought that they could neglect justice, God is a lover of justice, and man must learn the path of justice that is if he wants God’s approval.

So this is called for a turn around by the people of Judas. So Jeremiah is sent forth to cry out that Israel could not dwell in the promise land without exercising a discipline religion life. The purpose of discipline is so that we can be corrected, so we can be obedience, so we can build up our faith in order to gain improvement. Discipline is ever dent of our relationship with God and our love for God. In other word those that are lacking of discipline or don’t want to be discipline is ever dent of hatred rather than love.

The word of the Lord had a single message with a single result in view. The message was amends your ways and yours doing and I will let you dwell in this place. Jeremiah stated that there must be a separation on the part of those who would worship God. Which called for a complete change of the mind, if the nation wanted to be permitted to continue.

The Jews considered themselves to be God’s chosen people, and therefore they felt they was entitled to His blessing it didn’t matter if they were obedience to Him or not. Therefore, they treated the Temple as a den of robbers. They did things that the Lord hated and then they came thinking the same as some Christian think today that they can do anything in the name of religion and come and stand in the Lord’s presence in His own church and think that they are safe, that the church will be their protection and they will not be punished.

But according to the scripture God does not accept just anything that is doing in the name of religion. The Lord requires a repentance heart from those who enter His house. In other words, our worship must be spiritual and real and must be guided by the Holy Spirit. God must be the focus and not we ourselves. Therefore, we must approach worship humbly and sincerely. Sometime the Lord speak to us through thunder storms, floods, earthquakes, or hurricane, there are many ways, but most of us soon forget and go back to doing secret things. We act the same as Israel did, we turn a deaf ear. For the Lord said to Israel when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, so I will do to the house which is called by my name as I did to Shiloh. Shiloh was a canal at Jerusalem where the lord made His name dwell at first which He destroyed. In other word He was saying what I do once I will do again.

And now Psalm 146:3 say’s don’t put your trust in human leaders; no human being can save you. I find this scripture to be so, so true. It describes how powerless human leaders are. Because many Christians are liars, they are manipulating, they steal, and do other things that the Lord forbids. I have knowns some to sell their items at their garage sales for a very high price. These items are second hand, what I am saying here is I can go to the $1.00 tree and buy new items for much lesser. This is called hiding behind religion. Therefore, we need to put our complete trust in God who will and can lead us and provide for us, and also save us.

Jeremiah 17:5 the Lord say’s I will condemns the person who turns away from me and put his trust in man, in the strength of mortal man. Here we can see that the Lord our God will take revenge on anyone who turns away from Him and depends on man. I have known some that say they was church goer who would tell folks to come see them if they wanted healing. They also were asking for a donation of $25.00 or more. This is hiding behind religion, because when we go to God for healing, He do not ask for no donation, and matter of facts when He heals us that same sickness or disease do not return. Man’s healing does not last.

Luke 12:1-3 say’s as thousands of people were crowed together, so that they were stepping on each other. Jesus said first to His disciple, be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees I mean their hypocrisy, whatever is covered up will be uncovered. So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad day light, and whatever you have whispered in private in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops. What Jesus is saying here is that there want be nothing covered up that want be revealed, not hidden or known. I know some pastors and ministers of today who are hypocrisy’s, their church folks even make false promises and never come through. One pastor promise to buy something from me, she said I could bring it that Saturday, so I took it that Saturday and then she said can you bring it back at 3:00 p.m.? I told her no, because I would not be home, that I had to go out for a while, so she said well call me when you come back, I said ok. When I returned home I called her and her voice mail came on and it said this phone is not accepting calls at this time, try your call later. I hung up and I did not call her back because I felt that when a person is expecting someone to call them back, they will not put their phone on voice mail, and then on the other hand she knew that I had called and she never returned my call. But one day about three weeks later she saw me and she said I am going to get that Item on the second of next month, the second of next month came no word, nothing and there has been many second of the months, no word. But then another day much later she saw me and told me the same lie, so I said I don’t have it any more. So then she said if I give you the money will you get another one for me? I said yes but, to this day she never came forward. My point here is let all those kept hiding behind religion, because those that hides behind religion literally destroys themselves because they are not accepting the love of the truth. I know that the Lord sees and hears all, and He is not playing games with any of us.

1 Timothy 4:1-5 Paul say’s the spirit say’s clearly that some people will abandon the faith in later times; they will obey lying spirits and follow the teaching of demons. Such teachings are spread by deceitful liars, whose conscience are dead, as if burnt with a hot iron. Such people teach that it is wrong to marry and eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eater, after a prayer of thanks, by those who are believers and have come to know the truth. Everything God has created is good; nothing is to be rejected, but everything is to be received with a prayer of thanks, because of the word of God and the prayer make it acceptable to God.

To me those folks are called insulters of God. God made male and female, so to teach not to marry is slandering the workmanship of God. Yes, they teach not to eat certain meats from certain animal, but yet they can sell you all kinds of they illegal drugs. Drug that make you high where you have sex with under age youths that make you not remember what you have done plus all of those other wrong things. I am talking about some Pastors and Ministry also they do this stuff too. They too are living in a closet where there is no light and they are hiding behind religion.

1st Peter 4:15 say’s if you suffer; it must not be because he is a murder or a thief or a criminal or meddles in other people’s affairs.

There are many ways we can murder a person. It’s not always by using guns, knives or other objects. We need to watch that little red tongue, it can and will, when the mouth open and words comes out and not everyone think before they speak. Whatever Satan put in some folks minds to say, they say it. What I am saying here is mean words, spreading lies, can hurt a person, because each person takes these things different. Some take it to heart, it remains with them for long periods of times, then they can’t take it no more so they hang themselves. This is called pure highway robbing.

Look also at how stores jacks their food prices up on food stamps days. This too can hurt a person or even destroy them, because not everybody prays to the Lord for help. What about those that cheats on their mates? This can hurt or destroy the other party when they find out about it. And let us not forget about the criminals, they seem to enjoy stealing other folks good, they even brag and laugh about what they have done. They also kill at some points. All these thing can aggravate a person to where it can cause slow death.

Those that meddles in other folk affairs, most times it’s he or she say, they say stuff. They don’t always know the true facts.

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "each one of you must turn away from their sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven, and you will receive God’s gift the holy spirit.

We have many that have been baptize today in the name of Jesus the Christ, but yet they have not received the holy spirit. They will never feel God’s holy spirit because when a person continues to do sinful thing the holy spirit cannot dwell in that house. I have had some pastors and ministers recite certain bible scriptures to me and I know for a fact they were cheating the people out of their money, some cheating on their wives. In other word they have not change their ways, some continue to get drunk. They can’t hide behind religion and expect to receive God’ holy spirit.

Romans 1:18-20 Paul say’s God’s anger is revealed from heaven against all the sins and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them because God Himself made it plain. Even since God create the world, His invisible qualities, both His eternal power and His divine nature have been clearly seen, they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all.

We can see all the wrong doing it seem that more folk are following in Satan foot step, they have no excuse for their wrongful living, no excuse at all. We and see that God truly punish those for their sinful acts. But we can also see that suffering follows sin. I guess I will never understand why some folk don’t care how their pay back will affect their lives.

James 2:5-7 say’s Listen, my dear brother’s! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which He promise to those who love Him. But you dishonor the poor! Who are the one who oppress you and drag you before the judge? The rich! They are the ones who speak evil of that good name which has been given to you.

When I was a member of a certain church, I was classified as a poor believer by other church members and the Pastors also. I had this Pastor to tell me when there was other visiting Ministry that I had to give up my usual chair where I sat up in the pulpit and sit elsewhere. Yes, they surely looked down on me as if I was a nobody. Also another church where I was a member when we lived in New York also some of the members acted very funny toward me. They talked down to me also, but I never said anything, I just went on as if I did not notice. To this day I never said a word. As I grow and learned more about the Lord, I understood that the Lord saw all of their reaction toward me and He heard all that was said and therefore I needed not worry about any of that stuff because the Lord surely have taken revenge on many of them. As far as this Pastor, he was moved from this church by the Bishop less than a year later. He is now still in the same denomination, but working under another Pastor, also his wife and kids left him. Before he and his family left this church, one Sunday they came to church and the members found out that they had been put out of the home where they were living and they did not have enough food supplies for the family. Well none of this stopped me from praying and working and walking with the Lord. I see that we never know when or how the Lord will step-in. But there is one thing about it when He does, the mistreated person will sure hear about it. There, fore I may have been poor but I have something that none of them had. At lease I was not hiding behind religion as they were and I am glad that the Lord knew that and I am glad about it.

Isaiah 47:10 say’s You felt sure of yourself in your evil; you though no one could see you.

This remind me of this certain Pastor who was selling drugs that I know she didn’t know that I saw all of the traffic all time of night, early in the morning, a few during the day. Folks was always coming and going. Difference ones. Yes, and God also saw the crap. When I would see her she would always act as if she so sure of herself, as if she would never get caught. But I know when the Lord gets tired of her and her crap He will put a stop to it. Yes, He will handle it in his own way.

Isaiah 48:1 Listen to this, people of Israel,