Religious lies

1. A Christian I know (who does not worship here) once told me she has a favorite day of the year.

2. Her special day is not her birthday or a wedding anniversary.

3. It is not Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or some other special time.

4. For this woman her favorite day is April First – April Fool’s day.

IF WE LOOK BACK OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, APRIL’S FOOLS HAS BEEN A TIME WHEN A LOT OF VERY CLEVER PRANKS HAVE BEEN PULLED.

1. Maybe we recall a story from 1996 that involved Taco Bell.

2. It was said this fast food chain bought the Liberty Bell and it was going to rename it.

3. The Liberty Bell was going to be re-named the Taco Liberty Bell.

4. Going back a little further in history, there was a joke in 1959 involving Kokomo, IN.

5. Supposedly the police station there would close from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to save money.

6. During these evening hours callers would get an answering machine.

7. An office that came on duty at 6 the following the morning would screen then calls and then respond.

8. Some people find humor in the events that take place on April Fool’s Day.

9. Some of the pranks are relatively harmless; others are malicious. A few can spread panic.

10. As I think about this day that has recently passed, I am reminded of how this day has a spiritual parallel.

IN THE RELIGIOUS REALM, PEOPLE ARE ALSO OFTEN FOOLED. MANY ARE NOT FOOLED FOR AN HOUR OR TWO OR EVEN A DAY OR A WEEK. LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE FOOLED FOR MANY YEARS AND NOT A FEW ARE IGNORANT OF THE TRUTHS WE FIND IN THE BIBLE WHEN THEY DIE.

a) Today we want to think about some “religious lies” (things about which people are deceived).

b) One of the worst religious lies ever told involves children.

2) There are some good hearted people in the world who believe that babies are born in sin.

3) This is the idea is that Adam sinned and infants from his time on have been stained by his transgression.

4) This is a religious hoax; there is no truth to it.

a) Most know the difference between an “infant” (a newborn) and a “youth.”

b) Gen. 8:21 says a person’s heart is evil from his “youth” (children are not born in sin).

c) The prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 18:20) said sin is not inherited (transmitted).

d) We also have Jesus saying we are to “become like little children” (Mt. 18:3).

e) If children are wicked and vile sinners, Jesus meant we must seek sin.

f) By saying we must become like “little children” Jesus proved that children are sinless.

5) Most of us hear people say they are going to have a small child “baptized.”

6) When we hear that type of talk, we should ask a simple question: why?

7) Child baptism is not in the Bible; in fact, the Bible teaches the very opposite.

8) We must “believe” before we are baptized – Mk. 16:16.

9) If we know the truth about baptism, we should try to help people see through religious lies.

10) If we know the truth, we want to share that information at every opportunity.

11) Today’s first religious lie involves “when” sin becomes a problem in a person’s life.

12) Sin is not chargeable to a person until he or she is able to distinguish right from wrong.

13) Let’s move beyond children and think about people who are accountable for their actions.

14) Are there any religious lies that affect adults?

15) Adults often come to a point in their lives when they decide to make a decision concerning religion.

a) Yes, and these lies are numerous.

b) Have we not met people who say, “I am not a Christian because the Bible cannot be understood”?

c) I have relatives who believe this idea. This is a popular but completely false idea.

d) Sadly, some groups have helped perpetuate this lie.

e) At least one denomination has said the common person cannot understand the Bible.

a) For a time the Bible was chained up in church buildings.

b) The common folks were regarded s people who could not understand the Bible on their own.

c) The scriptures had to be explained by professionals.

d) This was a lie – a very sad lie – that affected thousands of people.

16) God gave the New Testament in a language known as Koine Greek.

17) This dialect was the language of the common people. God made His word easy to read.

18) Today scholars take that language and translate it into other tongues such as English.

19) It is certainly true that some versions are better and easier to read than others.

20) The Bible is a book that is meant to be understood and it can be understood.

21) Eph. 5:17 says, “understand what the will of the Lord is.”

22) Col. 1:9 says we can be “filled” with a knowledge of God’s will.

23) When people tell us God’s word cannot be understood they misspeak.

a) We would agree that not everyone understands the Bible in the same way.

b) Lots of people have lots of different ideas.

c) There are those who teach things such as salvation by “faith alone.”

d) According to this idea, baptism has no part in salvation.

e) When we hear that we are saved by “faith alone” we should pause for a moment.

f) We should stop and ask ourselves, “where does this belief come from.”

g) Is this statement true or is it a religious lie?

24) I ran an interesting concordance search this past week.

25) I wanted to see all the New Testament verses that use the expression “by faith.”

26) I found that in the ASV these two words appear together (side by side) 38 times.

27) In these nearly 40 passages I never found one time where the Bible says “saved by faith alone.”

28) Neither could I find a passage that says we are “saved by faith only.”

29) People preach and teach this idea throughout the world, but it is not the Bible.

30) My concordance did show one verse that has “only” associated with faith.
Jas. 2:24 says man is “NOT saved by faith alone.”

a) Is the Bible difficult to understand when it discusses the subject of faith?

b) No. The problem is that a lot of people have been told ad accepted a religious lie.

c) This religious lie is a pleasant lie so people accept it and continue to spread it.

d) There are literally thousands of people who cling to this religious error and feel saved.

e) Religious lies are dangerous. Not all lies can inflict great harm on us.

f) Spiritual lies can affect people in this life and they will affect where people spend eternity.

31) Jesus once said (Jn. 8:32) that we are freed by something.

a) He said the “truth” frees us.

b) If we are freed (released from sin by the truth), guess what a lie does?

c) Religious lies deceive and enslave. They also make us one of Satan’s children.

d) In Jn. 8:44 Jesus said Satan is the father of lies.

e) Religious lies are from the devil; we should want to know what the religious lies are and avoid them.

32) In addition to faith alone being an untruth, there are some other things that are false—demonic doctrine.

33) Our world has a faulty concept of repentance.

34) In many religious groups people are simply told to be “sorry” for their sins.

35) In some cases people do not even go this far.

36) I have seen religious groups say to people, “just come as you are.”

37) We might “come as we are,” but we cannot “stay as we are.”

38) In 1 Cor. 6:9-10 Paul listed a lot of very bad activities.

a) In verse 11 of this chapter he did NOT tell the Corinthians “you will be thieves and idolaters.”

b) Neither did he say “you are” thieves, covetous, extortioners,” etc.

c) He said “you were” (past tense).

d) These people used to steal. They did covet. They were drunkards and people guilty of adultery.

e) Paul said these people had to repent (turn from their wicked ways).

f) When people are not told to repent, they do not have and they are not following the truth.

g) They believe a religious lie and they may feel they are saved, but they are deceived.

39) Religious lies are so easy to believe and they can be so convincing.

40) Consider the prediction that Jesus made in Mt. 7.

a) Jesus said the way to heaven is “narrow” (verse 13).

b) Most of the world does not believe this. The religious lie is that the gate to heaven is “wide.”

c) People speak of God’s love and compassion and say He will welcome just about everyone.

d) Many may make this claim, but the Lord says it is false.

e) Perhaps Jesus knew this would be an extremely popular lie so He made His point a second time.

41) Verse 14 says “few” will make it to heaven.

42) Few is a frightening word.

43) Imagine an army that is preparing to go to war; this force has 100,000 troops.

44) The commanding general says “only a few of you will come back alive.”

45) Imagine a million man army; again, the commander says only a “few” will return.

46) Do we really believe what the Lord promised in these verses?

47) Most people will not be saved, but the religious world lies about that fact.

48) To help us see through this lie Jesus makes His point a third time in Mt. 7:14: the gate is “narrow.”

49) Then He says in Mt. 7:15, “beware of false prophets; there are people who come in sheep’s clothing.”

50) Jesus believed in the power of religious lies; they fool a lot of people.

51) When we get down to verse 21 the Lord picks up with this theme again.

a) He said “not everyone who knows His name is going to be saved.”

b) Those who will be saved will be the people who “do the Father’s will”

c) Then Jesus uses the word “many” in Mt. 7:22.

d) He said “in that day” (the day of judgment) “many” will speak to Him.

52) What will a lot of people say to the Lord?

53) These people will claim that they not only worked for Jesus, they did supernatural signs.

54) Some will claim they uttered prophesies “by His name.”

55) Imagine a person who claims that Jesus Christ is speaking through Him.”

56) That sure sounds like the truth, doesn’t it?

57) A lot of people will be impressed by this type of claim.

58) Jesus said there will be people who claim this, but their claims are lies.

59) “Many” will make this claim,” but these claims will be 100% false.

60) Others will claim they “cast out demons.”

61) When I first became a Christian I wondered about this claim.

a) I wondered how people could supposedly cast out demons but practice religious error.

b) I finally found the answer to my question in Mt. 7.

c) People may think they are casting our demons or they may simply be deceiving others.

d) In either case people are involved with a religious lie.

e) Those involved with this type of activity may really believe in what they are doing.

f) Others will be claiming they not only did works, they did “many and mighty” works” (22b).

62) With a sweep of the hand Jesus will say, “I NEVER knew you” so you “need to depart from me.”

63) Religious lies abound and they are very destructive.