Can You Recommend Your Religion? Psalms 66:16 - Kevin Presley

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

1 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

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

Acts 17:10

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

2 Corinthians 4:13

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.

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