Religion is a thief

John 5:9-17

John 5:9–17 NKJV

9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” 11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ” 12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” 15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

Good morning! Today I want to start with something rather unusual - I want to identify a thief in our midst - I want to name this thief so you are no longer vulnerable to his attack, I want to expose him.

That thief’s name: RELIGION

I have come to the rather sad but profound conclusion that one of the most insidious yet systemic problems facing the Church of Jesus Christ is the loss it has experienced at the hands of religion. Religion, I would suggest to you, or more correctly ‘false religion’ has stolen more from the Church of Jesus Christ than almost any other sin.

It is more damaging than doubt, more devastating than division, more subtle than self-centeredness and more saturating than sexual sin. It is has been the undoing or more ministries, shut the doors of more churches, endangered more believers, and damned more souls than any other sin I know of.

As a matter of fact, I would suggest to you that there is not a person here in this building this morning who has not been hurt by religion. There is not a one here who does not carry scars and shield pains that they have picked up under the harsh and unforgiving hand of religion. Each and every one here knows what we mean when we say ‘Religion Steals.’

John 5:9-17 “9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”

Now is this not amazing? This man had been paralyzed, or withered in his body for 38 years. For 38 years every time these people had seen him he had been lying on his mattress. For 38 years many had given him alms, some had perhaps even prayed for him. For 38 years they had pitied him and thanked God that they were not like him.

Well then one day they see him on the other side of a profound miracle that had supernaturally released the wonder working power of God into his life and the best they can come up with is, ‘who gave you permission to carry your mattress on the Sabbath.’ Now come on folks, what about a good old ‘Praise God? What on earth is that about? I will tell you what that is - that is the spirit of religion.

Let me tell you about this spirit. Go with me in your Bibles, if you will, to the book of Acts, Acts and the 16th chapter, and the 16th verse.

While you are turning there, let me remind you that God had commanded Israel unambiguously to not use divination or consult diviners. (Deut. 18:10).

During the days when Jesus walked the face of the earth there was a world influence that came out of a region about 75 miles north of Athens - from a place called Delphi. Delphi was a regional spirit of divination that was founded on the worship of Pythun. People came from all over the world to receive direction and revelation (how many of you know that is divination?) to hear the Oracle of Delphi, the utterances of Python. It was also the false demonic god of healing - I find it interesting that the medical world still carries the emblem of a snake as its international identification. The spirit of python is the inspiration for witchcraft and sorcery.

Python - ‘a spirit, which possessed certain persons and prophesied unknown to them through their mouths like a ventriloquist without control of the body.’

(Encyclopedia Britannica)

As a matter off act, there are times in Hebrew documents when the word serpent is translated, ‘to whisper a magic spell’

Why Python? The Python, not the anaconda, is the longest recorded snake in history.

Now here is the salient point - the way a python kills its victim is by control. It wraps its coils around the victim but does actually not It crush it’s prey to death - rather it suffocates it. It is a slow and painful process. Every time the victim breaths out the coils inch together - and it gets tighter and tighter until eventually there is simply no more room to breath in - and the victim suffocates.

Paul has just come from a powerful encounter where Lydia got saved in Acts 16. The Spirit of God is upon him, and he is walking in his anointing. They have just left Lydia’s home and are on their way to prayer - let’s pick up the account in Act 16.

Acts 16:16–18 KJV 1900

16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

Now watch this - see the phrase, ‘the spirit of divination’? Here is what the Greek literally says, ‘a spirit of python.’

Now let’s see what it does. It speaks the truth - what the spirit of python was saying was true, ‘these men are bond-servants of the most high God’ - but its purpose was control, indulge and satisfy self. The end of the story is that because of this Paul and Silas end up in prison. That is the ‘python’ goal - control - and ultimately kill or destroy.

“Wherefore you be witnesses unto yourselves that you are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill you up then the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men, and scribes: and some of them you shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall you scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city.” (Matthew 23:31-34).

Now lets come back to our John passage.

John 5:10 “So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, ‘It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.’”

Do you see the religious spirit - forget about the fact that you are healed, we want to control you - and we will ultimately destroy you.

Let me tell you about the religious spirit in the church today - not that it needs an introduction.

The religious spirit is a demon that wages war against the grace of God in our lives. Often, people who have religious spirits will find it hard to believe that salvation comes through the grace of God apart from works of the law. People who never feel good enough for a relationship with God, but are continually condemned or have a guilty feeling hovering over them may have a religious spirit operating in their mind. The feeling of ’never being good enough’ is a dead giveaway, because it shows that the person is trying to make things right with God themselves and not relying on the work of Christ, which already paid their debt in full.

Ten Traits of a Religious Spirit – Source Unknown

1. Find fault with others but never themselves because they are more interested in judgment than forgiveness.

2. Know how to tear down but never build up because they are more interested in truth than in grace .

3. Unable to receive correction or instruction because they are governed by pride.

4. Have a philosophy that will listen to no man - will submit to no one.

5. Believe they have been appointed by God to fix everything in another’s life.

6. Will not tolerate weakness or failure in others because they want to talk more about what you did when you sinned than about what He did when He saved you..

7. Always want recognition because it is about them.

8. Suspicious of every move of God because they fear the loss of control.

9. Glory in yesterday and never today because they do not have a now testimony.

10. Will not join any group outside themselves and will forbid you to do the same.

False religion will cause us to walk in the "goodness" of the flesh, rather than the righteousness of Christ.

I want to list four things it will steal from you - four of the most important. There are others - but if you can identify these you will see the python spirit.

OK - here is the first one . . .

1. The Spirit of Religion Will Steal Your Victory

Precious believers - each and every one of you were born for victory. That is one of the most powerful truth about your life in Christ. God has no plan for your failure. You were specifically and intentionally designed for victory.

One of the things that empty religion will always do is rob you of your victory! Why? Because it has no power. James warns us of this when he speaks of a form of religion but that has no power. Oh, on the surface it can look the same. It can even sound the same. They sing the same songs and read the same Bibles - but the spirit of religion has no power, and it questions and demonstration of the power of God that does not look, sound and act like what it looks, sounds and acts like.

The religious spirit is always frightened by those who walk in the anointing because the anointing threatens to unseat them from the position of control.

The Pharisees had set up 612 primary rules that they used to control the people of Jesus’ day. And each of those rules had breakdown rules that were part of the application.

How many of you know that legalism will never set you up for victory?

If satan can get you to buy into religion by rules, he can rob you of your forgiveness by grace and victory by faith.

Let me tell you another thing that religion steals:-

1. The Spirit of Religion Will Steal Your Victory

2. The Spirit of Religion Will Steal Your Joy

Christian joy is one of the greatest gifts, the sweetest treasures this side of glory - it is what ought to set the child of God apart from all others.

Satan wants to rob you of this incredible, God-given treasure, and he’ll do everything in his power to steal it away.

You know the verse in John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” What comes after that? It is the section of joy. “But I have come that they (including you) may have life and that they may have it more abundantly."

In other words, what was Jesus thinking of when He spoke of satan coming to steal, to kill and to destroy? Your joy!

Now watch this - the cost of getting into religion by rules or form without meaning or prescription without power is you surrender your joy.

And folks . . . life without joy is a life that is not worth living.

Let me tell you some of the things satan uses to steal your joy. The list is endless but let me name a few:-

• he will direct our attention to our needs or desires

• he will make us think it is about us and not God

• he will have us take up an offense against someone

• he will lead us into a place where we compromise with sin

• he will fill our hearts with fear instead of faith

Do you know what worry is? It is borrowing tomorrow’s troubles today.

It is sacrificing today’s peace and victory and in order to negate tomorrow’s peace and victory.

1. The Spirit of Religion Will Steal Your Victory

2. The Spirit of Religion Will Steal Your Joy

3. The Spirit of Religion Will Steal Your Freedom

While the message of the church is freedom in Christ, some of the most bound up, stuck up, thrown up people I know come from the church. I do not like hanging around them as a Christian, let alone as a non-Christian. But that is not true of you and me precious believer - because whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

Watch this folks - the spirit of religion will steal your freedom - because that is how it operates. That is the spirit of python active in this world.

Is that not true of people that get religious on you? You may not eat this or drink that. You cannot go there or say that. It wants to control you.

God’s answer to a religion that binds us with mans opinion of rules and regulations is His love found in Jesus Christ.

1. The Spirit of Religion Will Steal Your Victory

2. The Spirit of Religion Will Steal Your Joy

3. The Spirit of Religion Will Steal Your Freedom

4. The Spirit of Religion Will Steal Your Intimacy

This is probably the greatest tragedy of all. You cannot be intimate with Jesus while you are trying to earn the right to be accepted by keeping a set of man-made rules.

One of your greatest battles against authentic relationships and intimacy with Jesus will be with the religious spirit.

With the religious spirit you have to conjure up Intimacy - and that is what the religious spirit will sometimes do.

If you do this then that, if you play this music and sing that song, and what happens - you start to develop a frocus on the process of getting intimacy instead of on intimacy itself. So instead of intimacy you depend on how good the worship makes you feel. The spirit of religion tries to fabricate its intimacy with Jesus, and control yours.

If you go to this church, or sit under this ministry - no folks - intimacy is about you and Jesus - period.

5. Walking in Victory

How many of you know that God is still on the throne?

Here are things you will never ever hear on the radio ro TV:-

“Breaking new of the hour - God is no longer on the throne.”

“In unprecedented news today a Christian lost their salvation.”

“The temptation was greater than the child of God could bare.”

“CNN has determined that Jesus sacrifice was not quite enough to save God’s children.“

Here is a key formula for victory - are you ready?

Faith + Obedience -> Power = Victory

Now watch this if you would - victory is not something that is dependant on your circumstances.

Stephen, the first Christian martyr walked in victory.

The religious spirit may be able to hold back the man of God but they cannot kill the Spirit within him - (Acts 7:55-56)

The Spirit filled Christian always walks on higher ground - and Stephen forgave them (Acts 7:59-60)

5. Walking in Victory

6. Walking in joy

OK - here’s the deal - a joy that can be stolen is not the joy of the Lord. Move the validation of your joy to the promise of Scripture, to the Person of the Spirit and to the persistent choice to focus on God.

The Joy of the Lord is a choice - it is a choice to life daily in His presence, with His provision, standing on His promise.

James 1:2 “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.”

Psalms 34:1 “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

John 16:22 “No man can take your joy.”

Nehemiah 8:9-10 “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep. The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

7. Walking in Freedom

Whom the Son sets free is free indeed - if you want more freedom, journey back to Jesus.

The greater your attack, the greater your provided freedom. Believe it, confess it.

Stop looking at what is happening, and start to look at what is promised.

8. Walking in Intimacy

Conclusion

What is Christianity? It is Christ - nothing more - nothing less.

Christianity is not an ideology or a theology or a philosophy - it is a relationship.

Christians don’t follow Christianity; Christians follow Christ.

Christians don’t preach themselves; Christians proclaim Christ.

Christians don’t point people to core values; Christians point people to the cross.

The church has made the gospel about so many things . . . things other than Christ. This morning - flee to Jesus. In Him we live and move and have our being.

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