Idol - Religion

You can come to church and feel better, but if there is no change, there is no growth, meaning God is not operating. Dr. Tony Evans says carrying out religious duty is no substitute for pursuing God. We are religious without relationship, therefore there is no power. This is The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and president of the Urban Alternative. Are you a real Christian or just a religious groupie? Today, Dr. Evans explains how to tell the difference and why that's so important.

Let's join him. In the year 1982, in the city of Chicago, seven people lost their lives when they went into a drugstore to purchase extra strength Tylenol. It was all over the news throughout the nation. These people went into a store to buy something to deliver them, and the thing they went to get to deliver them destroyed them. That was because the Tylenol had been laced with potassium cyanide, a deadly poison that was hidden in good medicine. But this deadly secret poison hidden in legitimate medicine rather than bringing about life brought about destruction.

There is a deadly poison that is affecting or can be affecting you and me today, and what makes it so deadly is it's unrecognizable. A spiritual potassium cyanide that can destroy a very good thing, and it is an idol. It is an idol we're calling the idol of religion. Paul is writing to a Christian church, the church at Corinth. He calls them when he opens up the book of 1 Corinthians saints. They're believers. Even in verse 14 he says, my beloved, my fellow men and women in the family of God. So he's writing to Christians, not non-Christians, but he's writing about a concern.

His concern is that they get rid of idols. So evidently you can be a Christian and in a Christian church and still be hanging out with idols. Notice the word he uses repetitively in this passage. He uses it twice in verse 16, sharers, sharing. In verse 18, sharers. In verse 20, sharers.

The word to share means to participate with, to partner with, to hold in common with. His concern was that even though they were Christians on their way to heaven, they were hanging out with demons. They were hanging out with demons and they were doing it in church. When he says they were partakers of the bread and the cup, he's talking about the communion, one of the church ordinances. He goes on to say, don't you know when people sacrifice things at the altar?

When did they do that? They did that as part of their worship. So they were worshiping, going to church. And yet he says, idols aren't real, but the demons that flow through them are. An idol is not a real thing. A tree is not a god. The sun is not god. The stars are not god.

There's no thing in the creator that's a real god. But whenever that is looked at wrongly, it becomes an open invitation for demons to infiltrate it. So his concern is I don't want you to become a sharer, he says, in demons.

I don't want you hanging out with potassium cyanide and not even know it because you think you're okay because you're in church. Because you're taking communion, you're sharing in the altar, you're doing the worship, you're singing the songs, you're praying the prayers and all the time demons are having a good time with you. I don't want you to be sharers of demons.

Why? Because idolatry invites the demonic realm. So many of the issues we are facing, we are facing because the demons won't let us go. Because we have worshiped an idol and that idol can be sitting at the wrong table. Now he makes it clear you can't sit at God's table and the demon's table and still have God.

You have to choose. But when you try to have both, you will only have demons and you won't have God because Paul says you can't sit at both tables. That is, you can't worship simultaneously in both environments.

So his concern is about an idol that shows up in worship that demons use in order to infiltrate it. And so I'm calling it the idol of religion. Religion is man's attempt to convince God through activity in order to get him to be favorable to you. Religious people want God's favor, want God's blessing. And so they do religious things in order to motivate God to give them favor or blessing or the various goodies that they are looking for. But religion when defined that way is like cotton candy.

Cotton candy tastes sweet, but it goes away quickly and it leaves you unsatisfied. Religion defined that way is like going to the donut shop, heating it up in the microwave, letting it melt in your mouth but leaving you with no nutritional value. Religion defined that way is like a drug that distances you from reality because it gives you a high that makes you feel good but drops you low with nothing beneficial from the high it took you on. See, a lot of folk come to church to get high. They come to get high on Jesus. They come to get high on the preacher's sermon. They come to get high on the singer's singing. And they get drug infected and they get high.

But by the time they hit the parking lot, drop low because what happened was they came for religion as it is ill-defined. Religion is like a pacifier. When a mother puts a pacifier in the baby's mouth, one of two things are going to happen.

One, the baby may get faked out. Baby's sucking and sucking. It's trying hard but nothing's happening.

It's trying, it's trying, it's trying but nothing is sinking in. Or the pacifier may put the baby to sleep. That's what religion will do. It will keep you busy, sucking and accomplishing nothing or put you to sleep so that you're unaware of the spiritual reality all around you. Religion, church attendance, saying grace, reading your Bible, praying, all of those are legitimate but all of those can be demon infected because all of those can simply mean you're carrying out a religious duty rather than pursuing a divine person. Religion, as in this case, can be a context where demons converge. You say, but I go to church. Well, just because you go in a garage don't mean you a car.

Just because you go to McDonald's don't mean you a burger. Just being in the place doesn't make you the thing that the place is calling for. That's why the Bible warns us in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 5 about having a form of godliness.

In other words, you look the part. You wear the Christian clothes. You carry the Christian Bible.

You speak Christianese because you've got the Christian vocabulary. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.

God bless you, brother. Ain't God good all the time? All the time God is good. That's called Christianese.

It is the right thing to say in the right place at the right time around the right people. But you can do all of that with no spiritual reality taking place. He says in 2 Timothy 3, 5, having a form of godliness but no power attached to it. Because when God shows up, his power shows up. So if you aren't changing and God's power is not working and being manifested, you may be religious, but you may be demon infected because the religion has not accomplished what true authentic relationship is designed to accomplish. And so he's warning them that they could be hanging out with demons where you come because you're supposed to, where you worship because it's Sunday, where you say grace because you were taught to, because all of that religious routine won't get you to the true God as legitimate as they are because they can actually camouflage what God is all about in your life and in my life. Dr. Evans will give us some things to watch out for when he continues our lesson in just a moment.

Stay with us. Politics, money, gender, race, these are just some of the idols we worship in America when we elevate them above the place of Jesus in our lives. But you can break free and live the Christ-centered, kingdom-focused life that God calls you to. We want to help you do that with two powerful resources from Dr. Tony Evans, his brand new message series called American Idols and his popular book, America, Turning a Nation to God. Now is the time for God's people to stand together. Go to tonyevans.org today to get both resources. And today is the final day these resources will be bundled together, so we need to hear from you right away.

Tony's American Idol series contains eight full-length messages. You'll get them to review on both CD and digital download, along with his popular and important book, America, Turning a Nation to God. They're both yours as our thank-you gift in appreciation for your contribution to make this listener-supported ministry possible. Visit tonyevans.org today to get the details and make the arrangements. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or call us at 1-800-800-3222 to speak with one of our friendly resource team members. They're ready to help you around the clock. That's 1-800-800-3222.

I'll have that contact information for you again after Part 2 of today's message and this. Bible study is like gold mining. The deeper you dig, the more treasure you'll unearth. If you're ready to tap into the mother lode, explore the kingdom anytime, anywhere through the growing list of online courses waiting for you now in the Tony Evans Training Center. Take your time with each online module that will take you verse by verse through the text with exclusive in-depth content from Dr. Evans, probing discussion questions, access to full-length messages and an online discussion forum where you can ask specific questions and get detailed answers. The focus is on understanding and application, equipping you to put God's Word to work in the real world. Explore our growing list of courses covering many of the most important concepts in Christianity.

The Tony Evans Training Center, a world of discovery anytime, anywhere. So let me tell you about some isms. I'm going to tell you about some isms, that is, teachings that are demonically inspired but religiously camouflaged so that you think it's God but it's really not God so the demons can interject it. He calls it a doctrine of demons and steer you away from the faith. These isms can be described as traditional ism, external ism, ritual ism, narcissism, and legalism. Those are isms that the Bible talks about that demons use to steer people from the faith in order that the demonic realm can take over but they can all be religiously camouflaged so that you think you're okay when actually you're being drawn from God by the idol of religion that has been taught by demons or their surrogates. For example, ritualism. Ritualism is external activity that makes you think because you're doing the ritual it brings spiritual benefit.

Let me take a simple one. Saying grace. Probably most of us say grace because we were taught to. And the reason I know that we do it that way is it's the same way every time. Lord, I want to thank you for this food I'm about to receive, nurture to my body in Jesus' name, Amen. You can say that grace and not think about it.

Why? Because it's a ritual. We've been doing it for so long. Mother taught us to do it.

We did it. You know, we'll tell people in a minute, well, you ain't blessed the food. Don't eat. You ain't blessed the food because it has been ingrained in us. But 1 Timothy says, when you pray over your food, you're not just saying grace, you are to sanctify it.

Why? Because there are things in that food that can hurt you. So because there are things in those foods that potentially hurt you, you want to get God to intervene himself as you chew on the bacon, as you eat the eggs, you want supernatural intervention when you put that food in your mouth. So don't just be saying that because you're supposed to say grace.

You better get some supernatural activity over that meal. See, that's a whole different mindset in saying grace. And then there's legalism, another ism.

One day as we grow, all these isms will be wasms. There's nothing, legalism. Legalism is the misapplication of God's rules.

Let me put it another way. Legalism is pursuing rules at the expense of a relationship. Legalism says, I've got to do these things which are legitimate and let's take it, the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are called the law. The Bible says the Ten Commandments are good, but the Ten Commandments are also negative. All ten of them are negative. Thou shalt not, thou shalt not, thou shalt not, thou shalt not, thou shalt not, thou shalt not. All ten are negative. The Bible says they're good, they're good negatives, but they're negatives.

Why? Because the Ten Commandments, while telling you God's standards, can't help you fulfill them. It can only describe them. So when a person says, I'm trying to keep the Ten Commandments, that's a good statement, but the problem is trying to keep the Ten Commandments can't help you keep the Ten Commandments because there's no power in the commandment. The commandment can tell you it can't help you.

That's why the Bible talks over and over about the limitation of the law. It can give you the, it's a leash to keep you from going too far. It's a leash to hold you back.

Have you ever seen a dog? We've all seen a dog or had a dog on a leash. There's only one reason you have a dog on a leash, to keep it from going too far, because you don't want it to go too far, so you hold it on a leash. But have you ever seen a dog that didn't need a leash because it was walking right beside its master? Because the leash was in the relationship. So he didn't need to have a law leash, he had a relationship leash. And a relationship leash is different than a law leash because a law leash, you're trying to pull away from it.

You're trying to buck it. A relationship leash, you don't want to pull away from it because you don't want to get too far from the master. So the law can give you the standard, but what the law can't do is give you the power to keep the standard. Or even when you're keeping the standard, if you're doing it on a leash, you're not happy that you have to keep it and you keep it because you don't want the consequences for not keeping it. So it's a whole different mindset, religious mindset and motivation that is restricting you but doesn't necessarily change you. And you wind up being in this mountain of misery while trying all you can to obey God. I have so much joy as I keep the Ten Commandments.

Why? Because you feel like you're on a leash. Because you religiously expected the command... Just like the Ten Commandments can't get you to heaven by keeping them, the Ten Commandments can't change you on earth because there's no power in the commandment.

That is why Paul says in Galatians chapter 3, verses 23 and 24, that the law was a tutor to drive you to Christ. He says because in and of itself, it does not give you the power to do what it tells you you better do. It just tells you what you better do. And the negative consequences for not doing it.

So it can tell you the problem, it can't fix the problem. So what he's talking about is this concept of religion that does not change you. And so many of us go week after week, month after month, year after year, and we would never miss church if we didn't have to, but we haven't been changed.

We're thinking the same way, acting the same way, walking the same way. James says in James 1.27, he says, true religion, when it's operating, people don't talk like they used to talk. So you're still cussing like a sailor. Demons got your tongue. Demons got your tongue. You go to church. Yeah, but I can't help it. They upset me and I couldn't say help.

No, no, no. Demons got your tongue. That's why you can be holy in church and be cussing outside of church because demons have got your tongue. You're religious, you haven't been changed.

See, the proof that this thing is real is the power of transformation. If there is no change, demons have infected your religion. In spite of how much you go to church, read the Bible, say grace, pray, and all the religious things.

Why? Because the demons have infected. You're at two tables. Something about me or you or us individually or collectively as a family has walked away from authentic Christianity and either we walk totally away or we try to do two tables, which is the same as walking away from God. I wanted to establish at this point that religion can be an idol because you're going through the motions. You're going through legitimate activity, but without the right motivation and therefore you have invited demons into your situation.

You can't have both tables. John told the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2, 1 and 7, he says, y'all got five things and I love all five of them. Say you serve me, you sacrifice for me, you're a paradox, you know, you're working hard, you know, he says, he says five things. He said, y'all a great church? He says, but I have one thing against you.

I only got one problem with you, but it's a biggie. He says, you left your first love. So he's calling on you and me not to sit at two tables, not to go through this religious thing, but he's after something deeper where you're now looking at things from God's perspective. Religious activity without the goal of spiritual intimacy is like putting Ben-ge on a broken leg. You will feel better, but nothing has changed.

You can come to church and feel better. You can be inspired, encouraged and all of that. But if there is no change, there is no growth, meaning God is not operating no matter how good the sermon or the service or the singing was. And all of that has its place. All of that is important, but it is important toward a bigger goal. And the goal is spiritual intimacy, which always leads to spiritual transformation. One of the reasons why we can't get things straight in our lives, where we can't overcome addictions, why we can't restore relationships, why we can't deal with all the pressure is because we are religious without relationship, therefore there is no power.

There is no change. Everything you do must be driven now by my goal that I might know Him. I'm coming to church not because it's Sunday. I'm coming to church, God, because I want to know Him. God, I'm reading my Bible a day not because I'm supposed to, not because a verse a day keeps the devil away. I'm reading the Bible.

I'm reviewing the sermon scriptures that are put up on the screen. I'm doing this because I want to get to know You. I'm not saying prayers because I'm supposed to pray. I'm saying prayers because I want to hook up with You.

I want to get to know You. And when that becomes the driving goal, God says, oh, He's serious about me, not about religion. And as a result, I want to show myself to Him or her. When that becomes the goal, then you experience God and just don't quote Him, just don't cite serendipities about Him.

You're now in the experience zone to see what He does in your situation, in your emotions, in your struggles. And Dr. Evans has one more story to wrap up our look at banishing the idol of religion. He'll be back in just a moment to share that with us. But first, a final reminder that today's the last day to take advantage of that special double offer I mentioned earlier.

It includes all eight full-length messages in the powerful collection Tony's finishing up today, American Idols, as well as his popular book, America Turning a Nation to God. Both of these can be yours as our gift in appreciation for your contribution to help us keep this program coming your way each day. Call our resource center right away at 1-800-800-3222 to make the arrangements. It's staffed 24-7 with friendly team members who are ready to help with your request.

That's 1-800-800-3222. Or go to tonyevans.org where you can make your donation and instantly download all the messages in this series. Next time, Dr. Evans will talk about the importance of being a conduit of blessings as he explains how God meets needs when we plant seeds.

Right now, though, he's back with his closing story for today. The train engineer is coming to a drawbridge and he looked at the flag. This is years ago because the flag would tell him whether it's safe to keep going or whether he had to stop.

The bridge engineer was waving the flag. The train went and fell off into the river. Eighteen people died. True story. But the conductor lived.

The conductor and the engineer connected with each other. And he said, why didn't you stop? I was waving the red flag.

That means stop. I kept waving the red flag, stop, but you wouldn't stop. The train engineer said, no, you waved the white flag. You waved the white flag. He said, no, I waved the red flag.

It says, stop, stop. He says, no, I saw the white flag, which means to keep going. So they went and got the flag. The flag was red, but faded. So from a distance, it looked white. Now it was red, but the red had faded.

So when the train driver saw it, he thought he was looking at white and kept going. Don't let religion fade the red blood of Jesus Christ. Don't be faded.

Don't just settle for religion. You waved the red flag. He was wounded for your transgressions, bruised for your iniquities. The chastisement of his peace was upon him. By his stripes, we're healed. The blood of Jesus Christ, our savior and his almighty father, God, that's your focus.

I want to know him. Don't let folk go into disaster because you got a faded faith. Because you're talking red, but you're looking white. So people don't know where you're coming from because you haven't stood strong for your faith. I challenge us collectively, me and you individually, let's kick religion to the curb and let's make it about a relationship with the true and living God. The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by the Urban Alternative and is made possible by the generous contributions of listeners like you.