September 8th, 2013
Col.3:1-3 “. . .set your hearts on the things above. . .”
Jesus was born into a religious system, yet He lived above the system of His day. He did not allow it to get into Him. He had to be focused on heaven and the things of heaven to live above the religious system. If you live by heaven’s system, you cannot be religious. We become religious and end up in bondage when we take what God gave us to live in freedom and make it our very means of living e.g. you can have a move of God and build all that you do around that one move. Twenty years later you are still doing everything around that same move, when God wants to pour out more. God is always moving.
We need to set our minds on things above for us to live kingdom. To be religious is to be consistent and loyal to an ideology. It is holding on to traditions and rituals that have been passed down and not judging them against the Word.
Mk.7:5-13 The Pharisees asked Jesus why His disciples did not follow the religious practices of the day and He told them that they were religious but that their hearts were in fact far from Him.
Characteristics of religious living
- Religion goes according to what is traditional e.g doing something because it is always done that way. God’s focus is on what He wants now. Religion destroys kingdom living. God never changes, but he wants us to change. Therefore, we cannot hold on to things. God called us “New Dimensions” and He will not allow us to settle as there are many dimensions to attain.
- Religion pays lip service to God and honours Him with the mouth but the heart is far from Him. Kingdom people’s hearts are after God and near to God. When your heart is far from God, it is an issue. Kingdom people should not just talk the Bible, but their hearts need to be near to God as well.
- Religion involves vain, meaningless worship. In the midst of worship one can become religious. Are you raising hands because you are accustomed to doing that? Does the thing you are doing have meaning to you? Why do you dance, sway, clap or bless God? Is it because you have a relationship with Him? Kingdom living involves bearing fruit. Religion involves just doing things. Barbados has a spirit called “religion.” If we are not careful, we will operate by this system, doing things a particular way. Kingdom living is led by the Spirit. To flow in this kingdom living, we need to do things not by habit, but by the Spirit.
- Religion comprises teaching rules and regulations. It is clinging to man-made traditions and not embracing the Word of God. It is setting aside the Word instead of embracing it. The truth of the Word is staring you in the face, yet you prefer to observe tradition. Tradition nullifies the Word of God. When the Word goes forth what does it do in you?
- Religion has its own righteousness. However, your righteousness must exceed and surpass the practices of the Scribes and Pharisees-Mtt.5:20. Jesus set the standard. He compared and contrasted kingdom living with the practices of the Pharisees. The Pharisees’ focus was on outward appearance and they did not serve from the heart. Their worship was based on self and was very meticulous and filled with legalism. When Jesus called His disciples, He wanted to distinguish His people from the Pharisees and Scribes. Kingdom living is opposed to their practices. Kingdom living is life giving; it is not boring. Kingdom living involves accessing heaven. It is heaven invading your life. It is taking heaven with you wherever you go, living the abundant life and breaking away from everything that is traditional.
Some of us need to be converted again. Jesus lived in a religious society and did it successfully. It meant not living according to the status quo. He was not intimidated. Heaven is superior to man-made rules. Jesus was prepared to heal on the Sabbath even if it cost His life. When operating by heaven, a higher power directs you. It will cost you, but it is a better life. Kingdom life involves always going forward, not going back. Charles Wesley wrote hymns based on what God was doing in his life. We too can write songs and hymns from what He is saying and doing in our lives.
- Religion paralyses and retards kingdom living and makes us powerless. Heaven gives life. It gives powerful things to us. Luke 5:17-19 Jesus heals the paralytic. We can beat religion by bringing our will under subjection to the will of God. We must live and demonstrate the kingdom in the midst of religion. Jesus purposely irritated the Scribes and Pharisees because He lived by heaven. He was bold. Luke 5:20-22 When we live by the kingdom, we perceive even when we are not in ear shot to hear. We correct things and speak to issues.
Religion says that we have to say the sinners prayer. However, salvation comes by faith in Jesus Christ: “Believe in the Lord and you shall be saved.” We get saved, but by our living we confess God. Sometimes we pull a scripture out and misrepresent it. However, with our minds and hearts fixed on heaven, all other things such as riches, houses and pleasures will be added.
Prov 25: 2 It is the glory of God to hide a matter, but the glory of kings to search it out. Some things are only discovered by the desperate. God conceals so that we can go after. We need to love God with all our hearts and have a desire to live the kingdom life. We must be determined to live by the Word and not by traditions of men. We have to agree with the Word of God and seek the things of heaven so that the glory of God can flow in us.
