Am I Holy or am I just being religious?
Jan. 25, 2015
Holiness is fruit that comes from intimacy with God – Gal. 5:22-23
Acts 17:22-34
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “ Men of Athens, I perceive that
in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the
objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN
GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as
though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has
made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has
determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they
should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though
He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as
also some of your own poets have said, ‘ For we are also His offspring. ’ Therefore, since
we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or
silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of
ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because
He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man
whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the
dead.”
And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said,
“We will hear you again on this matter.” So Paul departed from among them. However,
some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman
named Damaris, and others with them.
Religious - strongs
g1174. δεισιδαιμονεστεροσ deisidaimonesteros; the compound of a derivative of the base
of 1169 and 1142; more religious than others:— too superstitious.AV (1)- too
superstitious in a good sense reverencing god or the gods, pious, religious
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Superstitious –
A system or collection of such beliefs.
A custom or act based on such a belief.
Irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with religion.
Any blindly accepted belief or notion.
Pious Having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill
religious obligations.
Characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion;
sanctimonious.
Practiced or used in the name of real or pretended religious motives, or for some
ostensibly good object; falsely earnest or sincere: a pious deception.
Of or pertaining to religious devotion; sacred rather than secular: pious literature.
Having or showing appropriate respect or regard for parents or others.
To be religious is to put your FAITH in anything but God
True Religion is a Heart in LOVE with God - 'pure and undefiled' – HOLY
James 1:26-27
“If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives
his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and
the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself
unspotted from the world.”
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Darkness; Sinners; the world and the flesh
TRUTH - JESUS CAME TO SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST.
Luke 19:10
“for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
John 3:16-18
We are now children of Light
1 John 1:5-6
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is
light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and
walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
1 John 2:15-17
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of
the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world —the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is
passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Galatians 5:19-26
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish
ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of
which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice
such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self- control. Against such there is no law. And those who are
Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let
us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying
one another.”
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Colossians 1:19-22
“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to
reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of
His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His
sight.”
Ephesians 2:1-3
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once
conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
BE HOLY
1 Corinthians 3:17
“If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is
holy, which temple you are.”
1 Corinthians 6:15-20
“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the
members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not
know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall
become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who
commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your
body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you
are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body
and in your spirit, which are God's.”
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1 Peter 1:15
“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is
written, “ Be holy, for I am holy.”
God didn't say, "Be RELIGIOUS AS I AM HOLY"
Relationship vs religion
Heart and relationship - LOVE - encounter
Yielded and surrendered life - LORDSHIP
Obedience
Joy and peace - Romans 14:17
"for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy
in the Holy Spirit."
Religious - 2 Timothy 3:5
"having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”
Obligation; hypocrisy, rules and regulations; religious duties or service; 'what is
expected of me'; 'I am supposed to do this"; repetition and vanity; pride and selfrighteousness; the knowledge of the tree of good and evil'; outside clean but inside dirty;
masks and veils; appearance and show; control of spirit and HOLY SPIRIT; ANTI CHRIST; abomination.
Matthew 23 = Jesus summed it up as He rebuked the Pharisees
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Heart Matthew 12:34-37
“Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance
of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings
forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I
say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the
Day of Judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be
condemned.”
Mark 7:22-23
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications,
murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy,
pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
Holiness =
“unto the Lord and not unto men” – TRUE PRIESTHOOD
Colossians 3:23-24
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from
the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
Matthew 15:8-9
“‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. ’”
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Religious Spirit "It operates so close to the manner of the Holy Spirit that it would be unrecognizable
unless spiritually discerned." See I Cor. 2
“A religious spirit works through deception - making the people of God work really hard
to be 'good' and striving for perfection apart from the work of the cross.” Truth is = we
are already holy; the work has already been done; we are already blameless in His eyes.
“When we see HIM we will be like HIM…” I John 3:2, 3
We are NOT CALLED TO "Sanctify yourselves’ by our own works apart from the blood
of Jesus and the grace of God.
A religious spirit moves through and with human reasoning and "intellectual
comprehension" vs REVELATION
It explains away the power of God
It forms a 'canopy' a 'veil' over hearts and regions as ERROR leads the people away from
the SPIRIT OF TRUTH.
It is a man pleasing spirit - on your own you would do one thing, in front of certain
others - you do another thing to show your 'goodness'.
Partiality
Religion wants you to act one way 'at church' and another way at home or public.
Religion is double minded and without faith
"BE HOLY BECAUSE I AM HOLY!" WHEN YOU SEE HIM IN HIS HOLINESS - HOLY
SPIRIT REVEALS - YOU WILL BE LIKE HIM!
Holiness is seeing God and seeing as God sees
Holiness is being so in LOVE with God - as ONE!
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Now, am I being religious or holy?
Swimming pool - You want to just relax and chill at your pool, but you feel you should
take your Bible and read while at the pool. Instead - you take the paper.
Football - You've been invited to have fellowship and dinner at someone's house and you
want to just talk about God and scriptures and read the Bible; they want to eat and talk
about football.
You go to church services because you think others would want you to; after all,
grandma always wanted you to 'be in church'.
You go to a foreign country and fellow Christians serve white bread and high carbs for
breakfast, lunch and noon. You don't eat carbs! What do you do?
Is it ok to go to the movies while others are at the evening church service?
You know you are being religious when you want to hide from others what you are
doing. However, you will do the same with willful sin.
I have to pray every time and bless the food before I can eat it.
Repetitive prayers vs sincere gratitude for the food and water. Foreign countries - you
better bless it and sanctify it to your bodies!
"Go ahead and eat the cookie and buy the shoes' - Joyce Meyer
"A couple in courtship - Can we hold hands in church?"
Religious spirits make you act one way in front of pastors and leaders and another way
elsewhere. "I am human man come on give me a break! What do you want me to do,
'smoke a little and have a beer' first so you can talk to me?"
Plaques for everyone! Just got to have recognition for what you do!
My daughter is marrying a man from another race! Prejudice?
And what about those who smoke? Do you look down on them because of it? [Judgment
and condemnation]
Two Christians stand in front of you -one still smokes the other doesn't. Who is holier?
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Can you have a glass of wine and not go to hell?
Addictions and vices - YEP can be willful sin in access - smoking; chocolate; alcohol;
yoga; exercise; habits and hobbies; sports; drugs; YEP, some folks go to those cause it
feels a need or takes the place of something missing within. Some people just go to
those to fill a void; heal a wound; anxious; need to be healed of trauma.
"Whatever is not done in faith is sin. " Romans 14
KEEP IT REAL AND DON'T LET ANYTHING BECOME AN IDOL AND
REPLACEMENT FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
Can you dance at your daughter's wedding and still be saved?
Religious duties: repetitive prayers; fasting’s; praying with objects - candles, beads,
fetishes, REALLY?
This woman has pink hair = can she really be saved?
Can God use a man who has tatoos?
Corinthians 7:1
“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
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