Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: EHW
Program Code: EHW000005S
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00:19 Hello
00:20 and welcome to 00:21 Exalting His Word. 00:23 Today, we'll look at what the Bible calls 00:24 'useless religion'. 00:26 Now, that's a provocative term 00:27 isn't it? 00:29 Stay tuned to learn 00:30 how the slander that's been 00:31 published about God 00:33 has created an identity crisis 00:34 for the people of the world. 00:37 I'd like to explain 00:39 where this theme text came from. 00:41 It's Psalms 138:2 00:44 and in that verse 00:45 the Bible says that 00:47 God exalts His name 00:48 and His word above all things. 00:50 And that He magnifies His word 00:53 even above His name. 00:56 Now, what does that mean? 00:57 The bottom line is this... 00:59 God exalts His word 01:02 above all things. 01:04 He has promoted His word to 01:06 the highest rank of importance. 01:08 He has positioned His word 01:11 to the highest place of praise. 01:13 God has empowered 01:15 His word with more 01:18 creative life force 01:20 than anything else. 01:21 The creative life force 01:23 to accomplish all of His will. 01:26 If God exalts His word 01:28 above everything else, 01:30 I think it's important that 01:31 you and I do likewise! 01:34 Don't you? 01:35 It's time that 01:36 we got our desires lined up 01:39 with His desires. 01:42 The people of God are 01:44 suffering from an identity crisis 01:46 because we don't understand 01:48 God's plan for our lives. 01:49 Sinners don't realize 01:51 how much they're worth to God. 01:53 You and I are both sinners 01:55 aren't we? 01:56 Still we're very 01:58 valuable to God. 01:59 You are worth nothing less than 02:01 the price He paid to redeem you 02:03 with the precious blood of Jesus. 02:05 He wants you to accept 02:07 His gift of salvation. 02:09 A few people can believe that 02:10 God not only wants to 02:12 forgive us our sin but that 02:13 He also wipes our record clean of sins 02:17 if we sincerely repent 02:19 and confess them before Him. 02:20 There's plenty of scripture 02:22 to support this truth. 02:24 I encourage you to look it up. 02:26 You know, 02:28 Christians suffer from 02:29 the identity crisis too because 02:30 we have little awareness of 02:32 who we are in Christ. 02:35 There are several causes for 02:37 the identity crisis for Christians. 02:39 The first category of 02:41 Christians suffer from 02:42 mistaken identity because of the shameful neglect of 02:44 Bible study. 02:46 The second category of Christians 02:48 are devoted to Bible study 02:49 And yet they still walk in 02:51 the darkness of 02:52 mistaken identity because 02:54 they can't quite wrap 02:55 their minds around 02:57 the wonderful promises of God 02:59 and apply them personally. 03:01 They want to believe but 03:02 it seems too incredibly wonderful 03:04 to accept God's testimony. 03:06 In James 1:22,24 03:09 the Bible tells us that 03:11 God's word gives us a vision. 03:14 A reflection of our new nature. 03:16 The nature of our recreated beings of 03:20 who we have become since 03:22 we were included in Christ. 03:23 Now, we're going to look at 03:25 James 1 today but, 03:26 we're gonna skip over for now 03:29 verse 25 where He speaks of 03:31 the hope found in abiding in 03:33 the perfect law of liberty. 03:35 When that law is at work within us, 03:36 James says we'll be blessed in 03:38 the practice of God's word. 03:40 But I want to reserve that 03:42 for an upcoming program 03:43 so we can spend plenty of time 03:46 on this wonderful truth. 03:47 It will really help us to 03:49 overcome our identity crisis. 03:51 Instead today, 03:53 we're gonna begin in 03:54 James 1:26 and 27. 03:57 Here we find an interesting contrast to 04:00 the perfect law of liberty. 04:03 Let me read what 04:04 James 1:26 and 27 has to say... 04:07 "If anyone among you 04:09 "thinks he is religious 04:11 "and does not bridal his tongue, 04:13 "but deceives it's own heart, 04:15 "this one's religion is useless. 04:20 "Pure and undefiled religion 04:21 before God the Father is this, 04:24 "to visit orphans 04:25 "and widows in their troubled 04:26 "and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." 04:30 Useless religion... 04:32 What a thought provoking concept! 04:35 If we study our Bibles 04:36 we can find plenty examples of 04:39 worthless religious practices. 04:41 Is it possible that 04:43 we could be regular church goers 04:46 possibly even ministers of the Gospel, 04:50 teachers 04:51 and still be practicing 04:54 useless religion? 04:56 This introduces a third category 04:59 of professing Christians 05:00 who suffer the identity crisis. 05:03 The cause for 05:05 their condition is chasing 05:07 after the doctrines of men 05:08 rather than the word of God. 05:11 Look at what Jesus says about this 05:13 in Mark 7:13... 05:16 [text on screen] 05:28 Jesus said, 05:29 if we followed commandments 05:31 and the traditions of men, 05:32 we make God's word of no effect. 05:37 We've illegally 05:38 emptied God's word of 05:40 His lawful authority. 05:42 Now, how do unlawful 05:46 teachings of men develop? 05:47 Let's look at the practices that 05:49 cause unlawful teachings to occur... 05:52 [information on screen] 06:24 In Mark 7:6,7 06:26 Jesus said this... 06:28 [text on screen] 06:41 In vain do they worship me. 06:44 Doctrines of men can be 06:45 so wildly developed that 06:48 they become useless religion! 06:50 Now, I don't believe that 06:52 walking in unknown error 06:55 automatically qualifies us 06:57 as worshiping in vain. 06:58 If that were true... 07:00 we'd all be in trouble! 07:01 Because none of us have yet 07:03 to receive all of God's truth! 07:06 In fact, in Proverbs 4:18 07:09 the Bible tells us that 07:10 the path of the righteous 07:12 will grow brighter and brighter 07:13 until the coming of Jesus. 07:15 In Psalms 119:130 07:17 explains it's the entrance of His word that 07:20 brings increased light and understanding. 07:25 If we're walking in unknown error, 07:27 it doesn't mean that we are worshiping in vain. 07:31 God is merciful! 07:32 He looks at the intent of our hearts! 07:35 In fact 1 Samuel 16:7 says that 07:38 the Lord does not sees as man sees. 07:42 For man just looks at the outward appearance 07:44 but the Lord look sat the heart! 07:46 The name of the church that we attend is not 07:50 the basis for salvation! 07:51 I believe the Bible teaches that 07:54 many sincere seekers of God 07:57 have received the gift of 07:59 eternal life but they're still 08:01 walking in unknown error. 08:03 In fact, 08:04 based on Revelation 18:4 08:06 where the voice from heaven 08:08 calls God's people 08:09 out of spiritual Babylon. 08:11 I believe God has His people 08:13 in every denomination today. 08:16 If you have your Bible, 08:17 please turn to Revelation 18:1-5 08:24 and let's look at that together! 08:25 That's Revelation 18:1-5... 08:30 "After these things 08:31 "I saw another angel 08:33 "coming down from heaven 08:34 "having great authority. 08:36 "And the earth was illuminated 08:38 "with his glory. 08:39 "And he cried madly 08:41 "with a loud voice 08:42 "saying... 08:43 "Babylon the great is fallen 08:45 "is fallen! 08:46 "As has become 08:47 "a dwelling place of demons! 08:49 "A prison for every fowl spirit! 08:50 "And a cage for every unclean 08:53 "and hated bird! 08:55 "For all the nations have drunk of 08:56 "the wine of the wrath 08:58 "of her fornication. 08:59 "The kings of the earth have 09:00 "committed fornication with her 09:02 "and the merchants of the earth 09:03 "have become rich through 09:04 "the abundance of her luxury. 09:06 "And I heard another voice 09:08 "speaking from heaven saying... 09:10 "Come out of her my people. 09:12 "Lest you share in her sins. 09:15 "Lest you receive of her plagues. 09:17 "For her sins have reached 09:19 "to the heaven 09:21 "and God has remembered her iniquity!" 09:24 You know, 09:25 the other voice of verse four is 09:27 the voice of the Lamb of God, 09:29 Jesus Christ. 09:30 He says 09:31 come out of her my people. 09:33 Babylon in Revelation represents 09:35 the religions that 09:37 claim to worship God but 09:38 follow unlawful teachings of men. 09:41 They don't walk in obedience 09:44 to God's word. 09:45 It's the counterfeit religious system that 09:50 exalts man's opinion over 09:51 the word of God. 09:54 Yet Jesus 09:55 recognizes that there are 09:57 good hearted sincere people 09:59 who love Him 10:00 and they belong to Him 10:02 and they're in these churches 10:03 walking in unknown error. 10:06 Still it's critical 10:08 to heed His call. 10:09 To come out of err. 10:11 We must study the Bible for ourselves! 10:13 To see if what we've been taught is truly 10:17 the Commandments of men. 10:20 Or if it's the word of God. 10:22 You know, 10:23 the best advise that 10:25 my mother ever gave me was this... 10:26 She said, 10:28 "Shelley, don't believe 10:29 "something that you hear from 10:31 the pulpit just because 10:33 "a Pastor says so. 10:35 "You get into 10:36 "the word of God 10:38 "and study it out for yourself." 10:40 When I did follow her advice 10:41 finally at the Lord's leading 10:43 and prompting, 10:45 I found that 10:46 I had been walking in and supporting 10:50 some very grievous errors. 10:52 Jesus said that 10:53 we could know who belongs to Him 10:56 by their fruit. 10:58 Fruit only comes by spiritual union. 11:01 And, if we're grafted into Jesus 11:03 the fruit which represents our actions, 11:06 will be of His spirit. 11:09 And, we still though 11:12 need to test every action, 11:15 every fruit, 11:16 to make sure we are not 11:18 being fooled. 11:19 The Bible tells us 11:20 to put everything to the test. 11:22 To see if the outward appearance that 11:26 we see is really what's happening. 11:29 I want you to stay tuned. 11:30 We're going to take 11:32 a quick break 11:33 but we're gonna come back in just a moment 11:35 and I'll tell you how 11:36 the outward appearance of fruit 11:38 actually fooled me! 11:42 If this dynamic series is making 11:43 a difference in your life, 11:44 then you should know 11:46 about a special study guide 11:47 written by Shelley Quinn. 11:49 Exalting His Word with 11:50 Life Affirmations From Scripture 11:51 is an in depth study of the word of God. 11:56 Please send your love gifts to... 12:12 Let me tell you 12:14 what happened to me 12:15 while visiting a friend's home recently. 12:17 I had skipped lunch 12:19 and my empty stomach was growling! 12:20 And I spotted a bowl of fruit 12:23 on her table. 12:24 And, my mouth began to water! 12:25 So I asked her permission 12:27 and I grabbed one for a snack. 12:29 (They were apples.) 12:31 And, although it looked 12:32 very authentic. 12:34 As authentic as the real thing, 12:35 it had a strange feeling 12:37 when I picked it up. 12:38 So, examining it more carefully 12:40 and hearing my friend's laughter, 12:42 I realized 12:45 A fruit that was appealing to the eye 12:48 but artificial. 12:49 Likewise there are practices that 12:52 might appeal to our senses 12:54 as fruit of the spirit 12:55 but we must examine everything 12:58 in the light of His word 13:00 to see if they stand 13:02 the test of truth. 13:04 What then is useless religion? 13:08 Well as we've already discussed, 13:10 any religious practice that 13:12 doesn't line up with God's commandments 13:14 and council 13:15 is useless. 13:17 Still another useless practice is 13:20 if our religious observance 13:21 is merely external. 13:23 Consider the lives of the Pharisees 13:25 and we can see that 13:27 they based everything 13:29 on self performance 13:31 and they did not recognize 13:33 the need for a personal Savior 13:36 and developing 13:37 a living relationship 13:38 with a perfect Savior. 13:40 We can't work our way to heaven! 13:43 We are saved by grace. 13:45 We become children of God 13:47 only by relationship. 13:49 And only His children will enter 13:52 the New Jerusalem that 13:54 the Bible speaks of 13:55 in Revelation 21. 13:58 What about those who think 14:00 they're in relationship 14:01 with the Lord? 14:03 Does the potential exist 14:04 to be deceived about eternal security? 14:07 What does Jesus say? 14:09 Let's look at Matthew 7:21-23. 14:16 [text on screen] 14:46 Now please note 14:47 the two patterns of behavior that 14:48 Christ is contrasting in that previous text. 14:53 He says that the one who does 14:55 the will of my Father 14:57 will enter the kingdom of heaven. 14:59 But He rejects those 15:01 who practice lawlessness. 15:04 You know 15:05 unfortunately some Bibles 15:07 translate that word 15:09 "lawlessness" as evil. 15:10 And that makes me wonder... 15:12 ...if the ones who receive 15:15 Christ's stinging indictment when He says 15:17 "I never knew you". 15:18 Do you think that they thought 15:20 they were practicing 15:23 evil in His name? 15:24 Other translations choose 15:25 the word in equity which is 15:27 the synonym for lawlessness. 15:28 The most accurate 15:29 and easiest translation to 15:31 understand of the Greek text 15:33 is the term "lawlessness". 15:35 According to the Bible 15:37 in I John 3:4 15:39 the definition of sin is lawlessness. 15:42 [definition on screen] 15:51 And let's just look at this! 15:53 I John 3:4 says that. 15:55 [text on screen] 16:06 Those who will hear 16:10 and say to the Lord 16:12 "Lord, Lord have we not made 16:13 "many wonders in your name?" 16:15 Evidently 16:16 they had no genuine love for God. 16:18 Jesus said that if 16:19 we loved Him we would 16:21 keep His commandments. 16:22 This group who broke 16:23 His commandments while professing 16:25 to know Him is defined 16:27 as liars by the Bible. 16:29 You can look it up in I John 2:3,4. 16:32 Let me read that to you! 16:35 That's I John 2:3,4 16:38 and that says, 16:44 "Now by this we know that 16:46 "we know Him if 16:49 "we keep His commandments. 16:52 "He who says I know Him. 16:55 (I know Jesus) 16:56 "and does not keep His commandments 16:59 "is a liar." 17:01 That's what the Bible says! 17:03 "And, the truth 17:05 "is not in Him." 17:07 That's I John 2:3,4. 17:11 Christ rejects this group 17:13 because they had not been 17:15 born again of His Spirit 17:16 living in union with Him. 17:18 By His power. 17:20 Doing the will of His Father. 17:25 the Bible clearly teaches 17:27 they would have obeyed. 17:28 If you have your Bible 17:29 let's turn to the book of I John 17:32 for just two of 17:34 many examples of this. 17:35 And you might wanna make a note. 17:37 In I John 2:29 17:40 the Bible says 17:41 "If you know that He is righteous, 17:44 "you know that everyone 17:46 "who practices righteousness 17:49 "is born of Him. " 17:51 Righteousness is doing things 17:52 according to God's 17:54 right way of doing things. 17:56 And in I John 3:4-10 17:59 says this, 18:00 "Whoever commits sin 18:02 "also commits lawlessness 18:03 "and sin is lawlessness 18:05 "And you know that He was manifested 18:07 -(that's Christ) 18:09 "to take away our sins 18:10 "and in Him there is no sin. 18:12 "Little children let no one deceive you. 18:15 "He who practices righteousness 18:19 "Just and he is righteous. 18:21 "He who sins, 18:23 "is of the devil." 18:24 (...Now remember, 18:25 (...sin is lawlessness!) 18:27 For the Devil has sinned 18:28 from the beginning. 18:29 For this purpose 18:31 the Son of God was manifested that 18:32 He might destroy 18:34 the works of the devil. 18:35 Whoever has been born of Him 18:37 does not sin. 18:38 For His seed remains in Him 18:41 and He can not sin because 18:43 He has been born of God. 18:46 In this, 18:47 the children of God 18:48 and the children of 18:50 the Devil are manifest. 18:51 Listen... 18:53 "Who ever does not 18:54 "practice righteousness 18:57 "Nor is He who 18:59 "does not love His brother." 19:01 Now, this doesn't mean that 19:02 the children of God 19:04 are without sin. 19:05 But that our love motivates us 19:08 to please our Lord. 19:10 His spirit working within us 19:13 empowers us 19:14 to walk in obedience 19:16 and keeps us from walking 19:17 in the practice of disobedience. 19:20 We are quick to recognize 19:22 when we're not pleasing our Lord. 19:25 And we're even quicker to repent. 19:28 And nothing can separate us from 19:31 the love that Christ has for us. 19:35 Our loving Savior will not 19:38 reject a child of His. 19:40 On the contrary... 19:41 One of my favorite Bible promises 19:43 is Hebrew 7:25 19:45 And that says... 19:47 ..."He is also able 19:48 to say to the uttermost, 19:51 those who come to Him, 19:53 or to God through Him, 19:54 since He (Christ) always lives 19:58 to make intercession for them. 20:01 To overcome useless religion 20:04 we must always seek a balanced teaching 20:08 from God's word. 20:09 For example, 20:11 the Bible clearly teaches, 20:12 we're made righteous 20:14 by faith in Christ. 20:15 In fact, 20:16 righteousness by faith is 20:18 the only kind of righteousness 20:19 that there is! 20:21 Though this is true... 20:22 ... the Bible also says, 20:23 that when we've received 20:26 the righteousness of Christ 20:27 in our hearts 20:29 we'll be empowered 20:30 to practice righteousness. 20:33 We're not trying 20:34 to earn salvation. 20:36 The desire 20:37 and the power 20:39 to follow God's teaching 20:40 flows naturally from 20:42 our born again hearts. 20:44 Salvation is a gift from God. 20:47 We are saved by grace 20:50 through faith in Christ. 20:51 There is absolutely nothing that 20:54 we can do to save ourselves. 20:56 But that doesn't release us 20:57 from obedience. 20:59 The Holy Spirit empowers us 21:02 to walk in obedience 21:03 to God's truth. 21:05 Obedience is the pathway 21:07 to His blessings 21:09 and it is also, 21:11 the highest expression of 21:12 worship for God. 21:14 Christ is the source of 21:17 eternal salvation 21:19 for all those who 21:20 walk in obedience to Him. 21:22 This is not my opinion! 21:24 I have it on 21:25 the authority of God's word. 21:27 Listen to what the Bible says 21:29 in Hebrews 5:9... 21:31 [text on screen] 21:39 God's people are suffering 21:40 from an identity crisis. 21:43 The symptoms vary 21:44 and they might be mental anguish, 21:46 lukewarm indifference or 21:48 stony cold hearts. 21:50 The identity crisis is 21:52 the greatest problem in 21:53 the Christian community today. 21:55 Now, that's a bold statement! 21:57 It causes me to pause 21:58 and think maybe that 22:00 I should water it down with 22:01 some little qualifier. 22:03 Like ONE of the greatest problems 22:05 or in my opinion. 22:07 Why is it so great a problem? 22:10 Human reasoning demands 22:12 the answer. 22:13 Unless we recognize 22:15 what this barrier is 22:18 and what it is 22:20 it will continue 22:22 to block our advancement. 22:24 The root of the problem 22:26 is IGNORANCE. 22:28 Not knowing God's word 22:31 or, what I call... 22:33 IGNORE-ance. 22:34 In other words 22:36 IGNORING. 22:37 Knowing but neglecting God's word. 22:39 If we don't know God's plan. 22:41 If we don't understand 22:43 who we have become when 22:45 we're included in Christ 22:47 this prevents us from 22:48 walking in the grace of God. 22:50 It repels the heavenly 22:52 love, light, life and power. 22:56 The kingdom of God is not 22:58 a matter of talking the talk. 23:00 But it's the power to walk in 23:02 the footsteps of Christ 23:05 along the path of life. 23:07 Still I had to ask. 23:10 Lord am I making 23:12 an overstatement 23:13 when I say that this IS 23:15 the greatest problem in the church? 23:17 You know, it's funny 23:19 how we can know something 23:20 and not realize that we know. 23:23 In fact, 23:24 God had given me the answer 23:26 before I even asked. 23:27 We discussed it a few programs ago 23:29 and if, if you were with us 23:33 you are going to understand this. 23:35 Remember when we talked about 23:37 the children of... 23:40 The Israelites as they were 23:42 brought out of the desert 23:43 and God delivered them from bondage but 23:46 they wouldn't accept 23:48 God's plan for their lives. 23:50 He promised them 23:52 the Promise Land!! 23:53 They wouldn't appreciate 23:56 who they were as 23:57 His chosen people! 23:59 Their crisis of identity 24:00 kept them from entering 24:02 into the promises of God. 24:03 And they had to wonder around 24:04 in the desert. 24:07 Doubt and disbelief in His word 24:10 kept them from entering 24:12 into His divine promises. 24:15 Do we want 24:17 to repeat their mistake? 24:20 Please, 24:23 understand that 24:24 we can praise God because 24:27 there is a way 24:28 to overcome the identity crisis! 24:30 We'll find it by knowing the scriptures! 24:33 And experiencing 24:35 the power of God that is 24:37 available to us. 24:38 We must understand 24:39 God's plan for our lives. 24:41 We must learn 24:44 who we are in Christ. 24:45 Then motivated by love 24:46 and empowered by God 24:48 His commandments become a joy 24:51 to follow as part of His loving plan. 24:54 Because of our faith in Christ 24:57 and His conquering power 24:58 at work within us 25:00 we become victorious over 25:02 the polluted ways of 25:03 the world's system. 25:05 That's a promise that we should look at 25:07 from I John 5:3,5 25:11 [text on screen] 25:38 God is drawing us closer to Him 25:42 and away from useless religion. 25:45 You know, 25:46 if we're walking in the dark, 25:48 we can't find our way. 25:50 We can't see our reflection of 25:53 our new image. 25:55 Our loving Savior is calling us 25:57 out of darkness 25:58 and into the Land of Promise. 26:01 He will turn all of our obstacles 26:04 into stepping stones 26:07 as we follow the light 26:09 of His word! 26:10 Well, 26:12 once again, 26:14 our time is almost gone. 26:16 I hope that you're beginning 26:18 to see what a problem 26:21 the identity crisis is 26:22 in the church. 26:24 In fact, I'll tell you 26:26 as I've gone from church to church 26:28 in many different denominations, 26:30 and as I've ministered to people, 26:33 I find that 26:36 I really don't know that 26:38 any of us understand 26:39 who we are in Christ. 26:40 I think that we're all suffering 26:43 from an identity crisis 26:44 to some extent. 26:46 And I hope that 26:47 you'll tune in next week 26:49 when we begin to look at 26:53 what the Bible says. 26:55 As to how we can over come 26:58 our identity crisis. 27:00 I wanna say just 27:01 a quick word of prayer with you. 27:03 Heavenly Father 27:05 I ask in the name of Jesus that 27:07 you will help us to acknowledge that 27:10 we know little about you. 27:14 And Lord, 27:15 we're coming to you 27:16 in sincerity 27:18 with love in our hearts 27:19 asking that you would teach us 27:21 who you are 27:23 and who we are in you. 27:24 In Jesus name, amen. 27:27 May God multiply 27:28 His mercy, love 27:29 and grace to you 27:31 and watch over His word 27:32 to perform it in your life 27:34 as you cooperate with Him. 27:37 I'm praying that you will spend 27:40 more of your time 27:41 making that 27:43 which is most important to Him, 27:46 your Savior 27:47 the very thing that 27:49 is also most important to you. 27:52 And we know what that is... 27:54 ... Exalting His Word. |
Revised 2023-08-02