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Scripture Reading:  Revelation 3:14-22

Lost Religious Men

Intro.

1.  Justified by faith:  Peace, grace, hope, Rom. 5:1-2.

2.  Is your hope based upon the fact that you are religious (“Go to church,” parents religious, know religious people, etc.)? Jas. 1:26-27

   a.  Don’t trust your religious tradition, Lk. 3:7-9 (cf. Jno. 8:31-45).

   b.  Don’t trust the position & praise of men, Jno. 12:42-43 (Lk. 6:26).

3.  You can be religious and be lost!  To avoid this, learn from religious people who were lost, & then apply the remedies to be saved.

I. SAUL:  A LOST RELIGIOUS ZEALOT, Acts 22:3-4; Gal. 1:13-14.

   A.   Religious Zeal Without Knowledge will not Save You, 22:3; Gal. 1:14; Rom. 10:1-3.

      1.    Much learning, but not in truth (theological seminary; PhDs…).

      2.    Religious training not enough to save!

   B.   A Good Conscience does not Save, Acts 23:1.

      1.    Thought he was serving God, 26:9.

      2.    Ignorant!  An untaught conscience can deceive us re. salvation!  1 Tim. 1:13

   C.   Remedy: Apply Zeal in the Right Direction, Ac 22:16; Phil. 3:4-8.

      1.    When religiously zealous man learns truth, he must use his zeal to obey gospel, Rom. 10:3.

      2.    Baptized / wash away sins / All things loss.

II. CORNELIUS: A MORAL MAN LOST IN SIN, Acts 10:1-2, 22; 11:14.

   A.   His Outstanding Moral Character did not Remove his Sins.

      1.    Moral purity can only save us if we never sin!  Rom. 3:23; 6:23

      2.    God calls on us to be morally pure, Eph. 5:3-11; 1 Pet. 2:11-12.

      3.    But, present morality does not forgive past sins.

   B.   Remedy: Combine Proper Obedience with Moral Life, Acts 10:43, 33-35, 48; 11:14, 18.

      1.    Gospel will save the moral man through faith, 10:43 (11:14).

      2.    Must repent, & work right. (10:35) -- Baptized (10:48), 11:18.

      3.    Faith, repentance & baptism.

III.  RICH YOUNG RULER: LACKED COMPLETE DEVOTION TO JESUS, Matt. 19:16-22.

   A.   He had Mastered the Doing, but not the “Being” of His Religion, Matt. 19:16, 20, 21-22.

      1.    Eternal life not merited through obedience (Rom. 3:20; Lk. 17:10); yet without obedience we do not have saving faith, Heb. 5:8-9.

      2.    Obedience must come from a heart that is fully given to Christ (Gal. 2:20).

   B.   Remedy:  Put Jesus First when You Decide to Obey His Commands, Matt. 19:21; Lk. 9:23; 14:33.

IV.  PHARISEES: DECEIVED IN SELF-RIGHTEOUS HYPOCRISY, Lk. 18:9-14.

   A.   A Graphic Warning against Self-Righteousness & Hypocrisy, Matt. 23:3-12.

      1.    Don’t exalt self over others, 18:14 (Rom. 12:16).

      2.    Don’t say but not do, 23:3 (Matt. 15:7-8).

      3.    Don’t bind men’s traditions, 23:4 (Col. 2:22-23).

      4.    Don’t act to be seen by men, 23:5 (Matt. 6:2-4).

      5.    Don’t seek honor from men, 23:6-10 (Jno. 12:42-43).

      6.    Service defines the religious person, 23:11 (Jas. 1:26-27).

   B.   Remedy:  Humble Yourself before God & Men, 23:12 (Jas. 4:6-10).

      1.    God gives us the chance to humble ourselves; If we do not, God will humble us!  Lk. 18:14

      2.    Humble heart obeys the truth in order to become the kind of person God wants, 23:27-28.

Conclusion

1.  We can be religious and be lost!

2.  To be saved, we must have: Zeal, morality & full obedience coupled with humility.

3.  Only Jesus can save you, Acts 4:12 (H-B-R-C-B…Saved). Be zealous & repent (Rev. 3:19); be faithful to Jesus (Rev. 2:10).