Religion and Relationships: What's The Difference?

All of the things that we find ourselves involved in, Lord, your word is something very practical to share with us concerning that. And so, Lord, today, as we discover this chapter, I pray that your Holy Spirit would bring some very important practicalities to our own hearts. Lord, we look to you, as always, to be the teacher, to be the guide this morning. We just ask that we could be teachable and have open ears, and especially an open heart.

We ask this, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen.

And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren. Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension in dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.

And being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenician and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles, and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and elders, and had reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying it is necessary to circumcise them and command them to keep the Law of Moses.

So the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said, "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago, God chose among us that by my mouth, the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe." So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us.

And He made no distinction between them and us purifying, their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved in the same manner as they.

Then all the multitude kept silent and listen to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. As you can see, the early church was not a perfect church. And we should get that out of our thinking that the early church in the Book of Acts was just this little beautiful little church, and everything was rosy posy they never had any problems.

On the contrary, they had many problems. In fact, we get to it in the first part of the Book of Acts, chapter 6. There was already a dispute among two groups of people fighting for a position. And then we come to this dispute in this argument here, and then we get on later on in Acts, chapter 15, to the dispute that Barnabas and Paul, who are together here, have among themselves.

There is really no such thing as a perfect church. You'll never find one. As we've said before, if you do find one, don't join it, because then it won't be perfect anymore. Because churches are comprised of people, and there's no such thing as perfect people, and the early church was without exception.

So we see that they had a dispute here in the first few verses. This was a dispute that challenged the church at its roots. It began to shake them.

And the dispute was important. It was a doctrinal dispute. Now you might be thinking, well, a doctrinal dispute, that's not very important. Why should they argue about something like that?

Well, I would beg to differ with you. I think that this disagreement and argument was very, very important and timely, because the doctrine was salvation-- a person's approach to God. And it is important.

When you're telling a person how he can be saved, and you're telling a person about his eternal destiny, you better have accurate information. And there was inaccurate information floating around, hence the dispute in the early church. When you tell a person that he can rest in this for eternity, you better make sure you're not giving out false information.

And so this dispute was a very, very important one. In fact, this meeting saved the early church from Jewish ceremonialism, because as we see in verse 1, there was a sect of the Jews who are saying, you have to do this to be saved.

Now if Paul and Barnabas would have said, oh, let's just forget it. Let's just cruise on, and we'll love the Lord. Then this teaching could have infiltrated the church so much so that it would have been so legalistic, and a person would have to become a Jew to be saved. So this meeting saved the church from that kind of nonsense.

Now the problem that we see in verse 1 is the problem it says, against certain men who came from Judea and taught the brethren, these were called Judaizers. And what these people were were Jewish believers-- they'd been born again. They believed that Jesus Christ cleansed them from their sins.

But because they were so Jewish still, they held onto some of the old religious background, and they said, if a person wants to know God, he must first become a Jew. Then he can become a Christian.

And they had to go through the ceremonies of the laws and circumcision in order to be saved. And they were putting this on the early church. So what happened is Paul and Barnabas sort of goes, wait a minute, you can't tell these people that they need to do this to be saved. And so they had an argument, and the arguments sort of reached a stalemate until they finally decided let's go up to Jerusalem take it before the church. Take it before the elders, and we'll make a decision and settle this thing once and for all.

As I went through this chapter this week, I discovered what the real issue was in chapter 15. The real issue that we see going back and forth is religion versus a relationship with God. That's the big fight. That's the big argumentation here in this chapter. These are the two things that are fighting one another.

You know, it has been said by someone famous: "Man is incurably religious." And it's interesting. Wherever you go in the world, people are involved in a religious system of some kind, whether it's pagan worship like Hinduism, or you get into the countries where there's Islam, Buddhism, Shintoism. There's all sorts of religious systems.

Man is incurably religious. And yet, God seeks to establish a relationship. Now, this morning, we are going to see six differences in this chapter between religion and between a relationship that God seeks to establish.

Let me clear something up. Oftentimes you may have heard, or maybe you have said, hey, I'm not religious. I'm a Christian. And that's confused people, especially when it's not explained what they mean.

But oftentimes we say, I don't follow a religion. I have a relationship with God. Well, that is pretty accurate, because religion is a word that has come to mean an outward set of regulations or standards. A set that we have developed ourselves, or an institutionalized set of doctrines beliefs and practices.

And that's radically different from what God wants to establish with us. You see, God is not content if we just know him through a ritual or through just a church. Yes, I know God, I practice this little ritual. God is not satisfied, and you have no relationship until you come to know Jesus Christ. That's what God really desires. He wants that relationship with us.

Now we see, beginning in verse 6 through 12, that religion majors on outward things, but God is concerned with the heart. Look at verse 5. "But some of the sect of the Pharisees--" these are the Judaizers "who believed rose up, saying it is necessary to circumcise them and command them to keep the Law of Moses."

Now compare that with verse 8. "So God, who knows the heart, acknowledge them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He gave to us." You see, this group stands up and is concerned about the outward practice of religion. Peter says, but God who knows, intimately, the heart, is the Greek word.

That's what God is concerned with. While these Judaizers were concerned with the outward man, God was looking and concerned with the heart. Now the Jewish people were always used to relating to people outwardly.

They were used to gauging spirituality by outward things and by outward actions, and so they would walk down the street, many of them, as they had their long flowing robes. And it was such a kick to walk down the street, and that nice, freshly washed robe just dazzling in the sunlight, the wind catching it, and it was a sign of spirituality to them. They would do certain things and be very ostentatious in their worship of God.

Turn with me, real quick, to Matthew's gospel, chapter 6. And let's brush up on a few words of Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount concerning religion versus relationship. Matthew chapter 6, verse 1: "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them, otherwise you have no reward of your Father in heaven."

Therefore, when you do some charitable deed don't sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogue, and in the street so that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. Now, Jesus wasn't making this up, they actually did that.

Sometimes a very rich Jewish person would walk into the temple, and there would he'd send out his little emissary in front of him, and he'd blow this horn. Everybody would look. And this man would take out his $100 bill, and just kind of walk up and float it right in the box over there, so people knew what he was doing. They made a very ostentatious display of these things.

Now look over at verse 5. "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogue and on the corners of the streets. That they may be seen by men, assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."

Oftentimes, they would find a nice convenient little street corner-- you know, the kind where camels and buses are going all day long. A lot of traffic in the center of town, they would just stand out there and have their quiet time, in a very meek display, like this. Oh God, you know that I love you, Lord. And they would shout loud and they would have their palms raised up, and people would walk by watching them pray publicly.

Jesus says, don't be like the hypocrites. Now look over at verse 16. "Moreover, when you fast, don't be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance, for they disfigured their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they had their reward."

Now what some of them would go to the extent of doing is get a facial paint makeup, and they would dab it on their cheeks and make them look sort of white and gaunt, like they've been fasting for so long and they are weak. And they would kind of walk around with their backs bent and this paint on their face, so people would look at him go, spiritual person.

Now, Jesus, contrast that with verse 6. He says, "But when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

Jesus says that it's a matter of the heart. Men and religious systems like the Pharisees, and like the early church in Acts 15, were looking on the outward man. God was looking on the heart, Jesus said so. And so in Acts 15, when they said they must keep the law and be circumcised, those were the things they were concerned about. Peter says, but God who knows the heart.

And this is the danger of a religious system without a relationship with God. And this was what makes it so damning, is that the emphasis is placed on the outward instead of the inward. And so we're conditioned to thinking outwardly.

We think, well, now, Christians are to be happy, so I've got to manufacturer a smile all the time. Even when I don't feel like smiling, I've got to put it on, because I hear that Christians are happy. And Christians are supposed to be spiritual, so that means I have to come up with all this spiritual jargon every time I'm around.

Oh, praise God, hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Oh, bless God, brother.

Because that's spiritual. We're used to thinking of the outward man instead of the inward man, and this can lead us to just false ritualism instead of a relationship with God from the heart.

How often do couples come to church after a fight? They're just steaming at one another, and they just slam the door on the parking lot, and all of a sudden there's a strange transformation that takes place when they see the usher. This smile appears from nowhere, and I wonder, where does that smile come from?

All of a sudden-- how are you doing? Oh, great. Praise the Lord, couldn't be doing any better.

And it's all outward. But God knows the heart. God knows what went on before you left the house.

Carrying our bibles to church looks so spiritual, you know, to have a big one like this. But what if we don't read it during the week, and we just carry it once a week on Sunday morning? We're used and we're conditioned to looking at the outward, but God knows the heart.

And so the first contrast between a religion and a relationship that we see is they were looking at the outward, but Peter said, God is looking at the heart. Put on a big display.

Sort of like a jogger who would dress up in his jogging shorts, his Nike tennis shoes, put his little Walkman on wired for sound. He'd be out running in the morning. You drive a car by, and he's running and just real hard, look like he's really making it. As soon as you drive off, he just sort of walks the rest of the way. It's all a show.

And religion can become a show. Jesus warned about it, and here we see in Acts 15, Peter speaks about it. Outward show.

We're used to looking at the outward. One time I had a telephone call. Well, we did a Christian radio show, and we always love to cover controversial subjects-- not to make people mad, but just because they seemed a lot more fun.

And I remember one time, the discussion came up about what Christians can wear and what they can't wear. And we got phone calls saying, well, the Christian ladies should never wear pantsuits, it's ungodly. And men should look like this.

And finally, this guy got on the telephone. He said, I wish these Christians would begin to look like Christian. And I said, excuse me, sir would you describe to me exactly what a Christian looks like? I'm interested.

How do you say, well, this is what a Christian looks like. A Christian, number one, has a skinny tie, white shirt. Buzzes behind the ears, wingtip shoes.

All looking at the outward man instead of looking at the heart. But God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us.

Now secondly, we notice from Acts chapter 15, versus 5 and 8, that religion stands against us, but God stands up for us. I'd like you to make a comparison. Again, verse 5.

"Some of the sect of the Pharisees who believe rose up." Which is a word that means they suddenly rose up at just the right time. In other words, in verse 4, they were reporting all that God was doing among the Gentiles. Eveybody's going, all right, God's moving.

And at just that right moment, these people suddenly got up to make an accusation. Not an affirmation, an accusation. They said it is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.

Now look down at verse 8 again. "So God, who knows the heart--" notice this word, now-- "acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us." This word, acknowledge, is a word that means to stand up and bear testimony for someone.

Let's say you are in a courtroom, and you were innocent, and everybody's testifying against you. And a witness is summoned in to stand next to you and go, no, wait a minute, this person is innocent, and here's the facts. That's what this word means, that God is standing up bearing testimony for you. That's what the word acknowledged means.

So here on one hand, we see the Pharisees standing up and making an accusation. What's the accusation? The accusation is, they haven't lived up to the standards. They haven't kept the rules, they haven't followed God our way.

And it's interesting. Very religious people without a relationship will often act like this. That you've got to follow God our way. If you don't follow God my way, you're just not saved, because I know that my way is the right way, and I believe that God has revealed the truth to me. And so you've got to keep the standards that I believe you must keep, otherwise you're not safe.

But in verse 8, God acknowledged them, that as he stood up and bore testimony for them. You remember after Jesus healed a man in the gospels, the man came back from the Pool of Siloam scene, and the religious leaders heard about it. And they walked up to the man, who had been blind all of his life, and they started making accusations against the blind man.

They said, you're probably a liar. You were never blind, you just put on a show. And then they began to accuse his parents. They were making their little religious accusations against a man.

But then Jesus came along and stood up, and protected that man whom he healed. That's the contrast between a relationship with God and religion. Often, a religion will point say, you haven't kept the standards, you're not following God my way. And they'll point the finger at a person and stand against the person.

Well, God will acknowledge that person, and stand up and bear testimony. But God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them bearing them testimony. By giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us.

God is in your cheering section this morning. God isn't pointing the finger at you. Why is it that we have this image of God, that God has his finger pointed at us, ready to zap us?

God doesn't do that, religions do that. Human institutions point the finger. God seeks to lift you up to stand for you, if you've committed your heart to Jesus Christ by faith.

One time, the Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus, who'd been caught in the act of adultery. Said, Jesus, you know, according to the law, this woman deserves to die. Pointing the finger of accusation.

Jesus said, I agree with you. All of you who have never committed a sin, go for it. Throw the first stone. No takers?

Then Jesus turned to the woman after they all left. Said woman, where are thine accusers? Where are the ones who were pointing the finger and accusing you? All of these people who said, you haven't lived up?

I don't have any, Lord. Jesus said, neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.

They were accusing. Jesus was standing next to her, willing to forgive her. Not standing against her, standing up for her.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ is ever living to make intercession for us. Right now, Jesus is at the throne of God. Every time Satan is pointing his accusing finger at you, Jesus says, Father, don't listen to it.

I'm cheering for this person. I paid the price for his sins, and every time a religious system would point their finger at you, if you've committed your heart to Jesus Christ by faith, and he's purified your hearts by faith, Jesus Christ is standing or acknowledging you. Standing up for you.

Now, third of all, look at verse 9. "And He made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." Our religion will set up barriers against people, but God seeks to break all barriers.

Notice he says that God made no distinction. Or literally, there is no difference between us and them, is what he's saying. God made no difference. God made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

This is beautiful. Because again, the Jewish religious people did set up barriers between themselves and everyone else. You see, they believed they were God's chosen people. And they were God's chosen people, they had every right to believe that.

But they took it a little bit too far. I mean, they love being called the chosen people so much, they took it to such an extreme, and they set up barriers between them and everyone else.

Their thinking was this: I am spiritual because I'm a Jew. You're a Gentile. I don't care how much you love God. You're not spiritual, because you're not like me. There's a barrier, I'm Jewish and you're Gentile.

And they carried it way, way too far. If a Jewish person was walking down the street, and all of us were to gather together in the streets-- if they saw you coming, and they pulled their robes and hold them tight lest any corner of their robe touch you, because you automatically defiled because you weren't Jewish. And if their robe touched you, then they would have to go home and wash their clothes, because their clothes were defiled lest they become defiled.

If you as a Gentile walk down a street, a dusty road, that road is now defiled. In other words, a Jewish person cannot walk on the same dust, because you've defiled the dust, and if they walk on that dust then they become defiled.

So they were God's chosen people, but they carried it way, way too far. And they set up these religious barriers, but it says in verse 9, "God makes no difference. He seeks to break all barriers, and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing or purifying their hearts by faith."

Now of course we know that in the temple, there were several courts. And the first court that people entered into was called the Court of the Gentiles. All of us, were the temple standing today, could walk freely into the court of the Gentiles. It was for anyone.

But we could go no further into the temple. Beyond the court of the Gentiles was a place called the Court of the Women, where only Jewish females could enter, and then they could go no further. And then beyond that was the Court of the Jewish Men, and only Jewish men could go in there, and they could go no further.

Than you got into the Court of the Priests. So they had all of these distinctions. In fact, outside the Court of the Women, around the parameter, was a nice, convenient little stop sign. If you were a Gentile, you're just kicking around the Court of the Gentiles, and you are tempted to go into the court were only Jewish people could go, there was a nice sign that said, "Death to any Gentile who goes beyond this point." There was a wall of distinction, a barrier that separated you from the rest of the Jewish people.

But I'd like you to turn with me to Ephesians chapter 2, this morning. Ephesians chapter 2. This is a song that we sing. In fact, we sung it this morning; I want to give you the meaning of it.

Chapter 2 of Ephesians, verse 14. "For He, Himself--" that is Jesus-- "is our peace. He has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us." Now the wall that he is speaking about in Ephesians 2:14 was that wall that went around the Court of the Women that said, "Death to any Gentile past this point."

He is saying that God has ripped down that wall with his spiritual bulldozer, so that there is no difference anymore if you're Jewish or Gentile. There are no class distinctions. No one is more spiritual than anybody else.

God puts us all at the same level, he's broken down that wall, he is our peace. God who makes no distinction. Oh, this is so beautiful, that there's no distinction between any of us.

None of us is closer to God than anyone else. God won't listen to my prayers more than your prayers. Oh, would you pray for me? I know if you pray for me, Skip, God will listen. He won't listen any quicker than if you pray.

There are no distinctions, there's no difference, Peter said, between us and them. He purified their hearts by faith. It is sad that within the body of Christ, people have set up divisions, and the body of Christ is fragmented and fragmented into so many different divisions, each of them claiming to know the real true way that God wants to be worshipped. And if you don't worship our way, and not baptized in our way, you're just not spiritual. We're more spiritual than you are.

It is sad, and I think God weeps as He sees his body fragmented in so many different pieces. So many distinctions, so many walls that we build up by which we divide ourselves. God seeks to bust those walls flat.

Doesn't matter what you call yourself, doesn't matter if you call yourself a Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, whatever. You said you know Jesus Christ, that's what's important. What you call yourself after that makes no difference.

Just don't call yourselves a Calvary Chapelite. Just call yourself a Christian, be content with that. No distinctions that would separate ourselves from one another.

I've told you before, but I hate when people put titles, especially in the ministry. Oh, Reverend. When I was in the Philippines, they kept calling me Reverend.

I finally had to say, excuse me, please don't call me that name. My name's Skip. My birth certificate doesn't say Reverend.

There's nothing Reverend about any of us. The word Reverend is only ascribed to God in the scriptures, it's the only time the word is used. Don't call me Reverend or Father or anything else, just call me Skip.

But we seek to make up those divisions between certain members and parts of the body. You remember what Paul said as they tried to sacrifice to him in Lycaonian language. Paul said, "Don't worship us. We are men of like passions, just as you are."

And so he says in verse 9, He has made no distinction between us and them. Now in verse 9, it says, purifying their hearts by faith. Religion will say, work out your own way. Work your way to heaven. But God will come along and say, I've worked a way for you, and that's our next point.

Now look at verse 1. Certain men can came down from Judea and taught the brethren, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses-- notice-- you cannot be saved. Unless you do these things, you cannot be saved.

Now look at verse 11. "But we believe that, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved in the same manner as they." One group was saying, you've got to work your way to God's grace. You've got to work your way to the Kingdom of God.

Peter says, but we believe that through the grace of Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they. Not that you have to work, go out and peddle magazines from door to door to earn your way into heaven. God in verse 9 says, purified your hearts not by works, but He said He purified your hearts by faith.

Now this is a case-- classic case-- of being saved by grace but being kept by works. In other words, oh, I've been saved by grace, I believe in Jesus Christ, right on. Isn't that wonderful? But if you want to stay safe, you've got to do this and this and this. You've got to become like us, you've got to become Jewish, you've got to keep the Law of Moses and be circumcised.

But he said, we believe that through the grace of Jesus Christ, we shall be saved, even as they. Now, this is one of the biggest problems in the churches today. One of the biggest problems is that people are told to act like Christians without first becoming a Christian.

Come on, act like a Christian, pray like a Christian, go out and win the lost. But many of them are not even saved by grace. They just think, yeah, I've been pretty bad and rotten in my life. Instead of being told to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ and let him change them, they want to go out and work in the energy of the flesh to make up for all of their evil deeds.

So they're told to act like a Christian without becoming a Christian. Work your way. God says, I have worked away purifying their hearts by faith.

And so we have people running around doing good works. And you know what, I'm not opposed to good works. I'm not down on good works, I'm all for them.

But I am against and opposed good works as a means to earn salvation. I think Christians should be full of good works, but they shouldn't do it to be saved, they do it because they're saved. It's the natural result of being saved are good works.

But you don't work your way to get there. It's the natural outcome of a relationship with God, is fruit, or good work. We put so many codes and so many systems on people that you must do this first, you must work your way first, and then God will give you salvation.

God says, no, I've given you away. I've worked for you. You turn your life over to me, good works will become a natural part of your life.

Our motivation for serving God must never be based on works. Do you realize how frustrating it could be if our relationship with God is based on our performance? What if my relationship with my wife was based on her performance?

I don't think she'd like that. Now, she cooks great meals, but she doesn't do that so that I'll stay married to her. She does it because she loves me. Is that right? Good.

Now, what if our relationship was based on performance, and I come home and the eggs are a little too runny. And she's in the corner going, oh, no. He's going to kick me out of the house, I failed.

My eggs are runny. Out. What a horrible relationship that would be, based on performance. It's not based on performance, it's based on love.

But what if our relationship to God is based on the same performance? What if God didn't love us unconditionally? Then we would be constantly living in fear that sometime, God is going to find and discover this little flaw about our lives, and he's going to go, (GASPS), I never knew you could do-- oh, that's bad. Now, I'm sorry, I just can't love you anymore.

Oh, what a horrible thing that would be. There would be never, never any peace or rest, because it would be based on performance upon works. They're saying, work your way in verse 1.

So we believe that through grace that is undeserved favor, we shall be saved, even as they. I love it. Verse 9, I love this, before we go on.

He says, "And He made no distinction, no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." Faith plus nothing equals salvation. Galatians chapter 1, very clear. But now we need to understand what true faith is. We'll save that for another one.

Faith plus nothing. You see, in fact, the scripture warns us and places a curse on anyone-- including angels or preachers, it says in Galatians-- who would seek to impose anything else but faith upon a person's condition for salvation. Though we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel than what you have received, let him be cursed below the lowest hell, is the Greek.

So we need to be careful when we speak about salvation. They were speaking about works, but we believe through grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner even as they.

Now look at verse 10. "Now, therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear?" Now, religion often implies-- this is our fifth point-- that God is wrong, and the system is correct. And this what I mean by that.

Verse 10, Peter says, why do you test God? I found out this week that word literally means, why do you put God to the test, as if to say He is wrong or in error?

Now, this is what it means. Do you remember when Cornelius was saved in the early church, and he a Gentile? The church made allowance for him.

Peter is saying, why are you saying that God has made a mistake this time? Why do you put God to the test, implying that God is wrong by allowing these Gentiles to be saved by faith, and not works? You're saying that God made a mistake.

That's what Peter's message is to them. Why do you put God to the test? This is often the result of a religious system. They start out so pure, but they become so stale and so hard, and then pretty soon they elevate themselves even above the word of God because of their traditions. Classic example.

Jesus Christ was with his disciples, and the Pharisees came up and they said, why is it that your disciples transgressed the tradition of the elders? They're not washing their hands the right way. Jesus said, why do you transgress the commandment of God by your traditions?

For by your traditions, you're making void the word of God. You're holding onto the tradition of men rather than the word of God, and religion can eventually, if it's carried to the extreme, elevate itself so much that it says, this system-- this religious system-- is correct. And we judge what is right and wrong by the system rather than the word of God-- by their traditions.

Now, there's nothing wrong with certain traditions. God often tells us in the scripture that there are certain traditions we must keep. But as when that tradition supersedes the word of God, then is wrong. And religion will often imply that God is wrong and the system is correct.

Now finally, verse 10 and 11 together. "Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" Notice that. You're putting something on these people that we couldn't keep, and our fathers couldn't keep. But, or in contrast to that, "We believe that, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved in the same manner as they."

This is the point. Religion often imposes burdens upon people, God seeks to lift the burdens. Peter says, why are you trying to put a yoke on these people?

You remember what a yoke is? It's that device, a steering device they would put on cattle or oxen to make them do work and to plow in the fields. They would put this heavy yoke over their shoulders, and they would carry a load.

But sometimes the yokes that they would put on the cattle were too big. They were too bulky, they were too heavy, they didn't fit. They couldn't do any work, there was no freedom of movement for those oxen.

He says, "Why are you putting a yoke upon these people that neither you or our fathers were able to bear?" Peter was very honest, wasn't he? He said, we couldn't even keep this code in the system, this law.

And you're trying to tell these Gentiles that they have to keep all of these regulations, when we can't even keep them as Jews. You're putting burdens upon them. And the Jews were notorious for putting burdens upon people. They had thousands of petty regulations.

Remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees? He said, "Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, for you buying heavy burdens and placed them on the shoulders of men and you don't even lift a finger to try to move them." Jesus said, "Woe unto you hypocrites, you strain at a gnat but just swallow a camel."

Now, picture that. You strain at a gnat but you swallow a camel. Picture that, and tell me that Jesus doesn't have a sense of humor. Imagine someone straining out at a gnat, so they didn't get it in his food lest it become un-kosher, and yet he goes out and swallows a camel.

They were so involved with all of these petty regulations that weighed men down. And I am opposed to any religious system that seeks to put all of these rules and regulations upon people that are not scriptural. I know of churches that make people sign an affidavit before they join the church, and you have to promise, and in writing, sign, that you won't go to any movies, you won't drink any cocktails, you won't smoke, you won't play cards, and you won't go to dances. Imposing upon them this burden of keeping a code or law. That is manifestly wrong and un-scriptural.

Now, it is true, there are certain prohibitions in the word of God that we must keep. Fornication, the Bible is very clear about that. Be not drunk with wine, the scripture is very clear about that. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, the scripture is very clear about that. Those are direct, clear prohibitions, and we have the right to say that is wrong.

But when we attach all of these other little things-- you see, there's a big difference between direct, clear guidelines and all of the gray areas. I'm sure this morning, I'm speaking to people who do smoke, play cards, dance, drink cocktails. I'm not going to tell you this morning, thou shalt not smoke. If you want to go to heaven, thou shalt not smoke.

I don't care if you smoke. Don't do it around me, I'll throw up. I hate it, but I'm not going to tell you you're not saved if you do it, because the Christian life is a series of growth. We grow from that immature place, and eventually those things will drop off. We don't need to tell people thou shalt not.

And so they were placing upon them this yoke and this burden. Now, remember what Jesus said. Look at this verse 10 again.

"Why do you put a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" Now, do you remember the words of Jesus Christ? "Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light, and you'll find rest into your souls."

What a difference between the yoke of the burden of the law, and the yoke of Jesus Christ, which is light and easy, not a series of regulations. You come to Him by faith, and you develop a love relationship with Him. That's the difference between religion and relationship.

Now, maybe some of you are struggling under the weight of religion. I haven't kept the code, hence you have no peace this morning. You're burdened under the regulations, and you're trying so hard to keep those regulations, but you're so frustrated with yourself.

Maybe because you haven't come to a relationship of grace with Jesus Christ. You'll never have peace until you do. You see, God never requires anything of us without a relationship, and when we know God and we have a relationship with him, everything is so much easier.

I'd like to conclude this morning with a story. A story is told of the days when the circus was a rare treat in most communities, and individual acts toured the country, making appearances in towns, emitted from the main circus schedule. One daring tightrope walker breezed into a little town and rigged up a tight rope hundreds of feet above a rushing river. He dazzled the crowd by his talent and his daring.

Soon, news of his prowess swept, the little town and the surrounding communities and hundreds turned out to watch him accomplish his feats. He added chairs, wheelbarrows, bicycles to his act, and everyone seemed to be convinced of his ability as a tightrope walker. And so finally, he addressed the crowd.

"You've watched me on this tight rope across the river for several days now. I've done it on my hands, while running, while riding a bicycle, even while pushing a wheelbarrow, yet, I have one last feet that I wanted to accomplish. I want to push the wheelbarrow across the rope with a person in it. Do you think I can do it?" He asked.

"Yes, yes," came the confident reply. "We believe that you can do it."

"That's marvelous. As long as you have faith in my ability to do it, why don't you do this? I'll take the wheelbarrow up, and each of you get in one at a time, and I'll wheel you across?"

Silence. No takers. Then from the back of the crowd, a young lady spoke up: "I'll do it," she volunteered. "I believe in you."

With bated breath, the crowd watched the stunt man successfully complete his amazing wheelbarrow walk. A reporter accosted the young lady. "What on earth caused you to do that? Weren't you frightened?"

The young lady smiled with assurance. "Not really. That's my father, and I've done it with him all my life." You see, this young lady's confidence was based on a relationship that she had with her father all of her life.

Big difference between religion and a relationship when you know God, and it's a personal relationship living by faith. Living up to those things God has for you is easy, because you know him, you're acquainted with him. That's what God desires.

Let's pray. Father, this morning we're grateful that you have freed us from sin and death, and also from religious systems of men, and you have established a way that we can have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Father, we're grateful that we know you, and so these things come easy to us, because it's a relationship that we have with you by faith.

And Father, I pray for those people in our midst this morning who have never really known you in a relationship-- they've known you religiously. They've tried to live up to a standard. They've been told to act like a Christian, but they've never come in repentance and faith. They come to you in your grace, and that you've cleansed them.

Father, I pray this morning that they will make that decision that they will turn to you and establish a relationship with you. And this morning as Christians are praying, I would like to ask those of you in our midst, in this room, who've never known him in a relationship. You've never personally known God, you've known him through religious circumstances.

If you want to know Jesus Christ, this morning I'm going to ask you, first of all, to make that first step and raise your hand and say, I want to know Jesus Christ this morning. Lift up your hand. God bless you, right there.

Right on. God bless you. Anyone else in the back? I see your hand, God bless you.

Anyone else? Do you want to know Jesus Christ? Praise the Lord. And in the back.

Anyone else? Don't be afraid. God wants to know you, wants to establish a relationship with you today.

God bless you and you. Father, I thank you. God bless you in the back, you too.

I thank you, Lord, that these have made a commitment to come to know you as their personal savior. And what a difference those of us who know you it is. Lord, we love you, because we've established a relationship with you, and we have that beautiful, carefree love relationship, whereby we don't have to do things.

We want to please you, we want to do those things, because we love you. And we thank you, Lord, for that. In Jesus' name.