It's this message, the day in which we live. And if you read this, it really spoke to my heart. Because I went into Edinburgh this week, and Edinburgh is just kind of crazy this time of year as you go in there with the festival and everything going on. You have people everywhere. But more and more, as believers, we're being confronted And we're confronting people that are in unbelief, and it's just, it can be frustrating. You know, the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they're spiritually discerned, and they don't have the Holy Spirit. And so, but we're facing it from the other side, looking at it and going, God, this is grievous. The day in which we live, I spoke to Paolo down in the Princess Street Gardens, down below the castle, and my longest conversation, if not my best that I had, God gave me three good divine appointments, but Paolo's from Italy. He's just over here. for a few weeks, and so I assumed he was Catholic, he was Catholic, but I spoke to Apollo for an hour and 20 minutes, you know, I mean, we're sitting there, I'm going through scripture, scripture, scripture, and Apollo, three years ago, came to faith in God, not faith in Christ, But belief in God, he's a science background, he's a medical student. It always just really strikes me when you're talking to somebody that's medical and they don't see the designer. I mean, it just blows my mind how they could miss that. So he believes in creation, not evolution. But the Word of God says, in the beginning God created and we looked at it and saw what it said. As I spoke with him, I realized he doesn't believe in inspiration. He doesn't believe that this is the authoritative word of God, that it says what it means, means what it says, and that every word is critical, and that you can't just say, well, I'm just not going to have anything to do with that. As I dealt with them, I thought about Romans chapter 1, because I realized I'm dealing with somebody that believes evolution, that has rejected, in that sense, the Creator. So I went to Romans 1, not necessarily to deal with what the text deals with as far as homosexuality, but it's there as a proof that to Apollo that, look at our world, it's becoming more humanistic, atheistic, post-Christian, they've rejected God, and they've entered into what Romans chapter 1 says, and so I was trying to give him a proof to help him with his unbelief and the inspiration of the Bible. But what happened was he proved the truth of Romans chapter 1, as he, at this point in our conversation, became most animated, for the cause of homosexuality, and saying it's okay. And that's where our conversation ended, and it was just, it was sad, you know, after an hour and 20 minutes of speaking with him, to get to that point of impasse, but it's just like the Word of God says. And I think that's why, as I read Jeremiah 23, I was praying about what the Lord had me preach, and I'm thankful that God had me come to this passage, because it speaks so specifically about the day in which we live. And I think you'll see it today as we look at what these two things are. And I think our hearts are a bit like Jeremiah's. You see the heart of Jeremiah there in verse nine, as you look down at it, it says, my heart within me is broken because of the prophets. And what he's talking about is false prophets. He said, my heart is broken within me because of the false prophets. All my bones shake. There was a zeal that was coming up into his heart. I'm like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome. Then he says, because of the Lord. And it's what Paul speaks about, be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. A man that is filled with the Spirit, the Spirit of God controlling him faces this, and there is a fire in his bones and a grief in his soul about this. Because of the Lord, because of the words of His holiness, for the land is full of adulterers." And it's speaking both physically about adultery as well as spiritually about adultery. And so, "...the land is full of adulterers, for because of swearing the land mourneth." Okay, last night I was woken up and somebody passed by my window, and all I know, I don't know who this person is, but they were accused by somebody of taking their money. And he's cursing them and saying, he's using filthy language and saying, I gave you your money, you know, I paid this for this and this for this. And our land is full of swearing and cursing, certainly in our day. The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right. You know, there used to be a day when the fountain of life flowed freely in Scotland? I mean, where Christ was preached and proclaimed, Christ was glorified, but it's dried up now today. I mean, it's a barren wasteland. And so certainly it is, again, the day in which we live. And what we long for, It's a generation that will understand this is false religion and this is true religion. Hannah, I mentioned before that I'd have you move if you guys were goofing off. So if you please just move over by your mom. Okay, Hannah. No, Hannah. Yeah, just go by your mom. Sit by your mom. All right. Our world needs to understand you've got false religion and you've got true religion. Because our world doesn't see it that way, do they? They just equate it all as one. In fact, they have a great difficulty discerning what is true, what is false. And we'll tell them, I mean, this book is the authority. And I tell people all the time, this is the standard. Just like you don't build a house just hoping that's afoot. And if you did, it'd be all a mess. It's the same with the religion. If it's not built by this book, it's a mess. So this book is what judges religion. And with this book, Jeremiah 23 in particular, Jeremiah gives us some great insight into what is false religion and what is true religion. I think you'd be struck this morning by how specifically he pinpoints false religions and key aspects of false religion. And I can say about these false religions, if they adhere to any one of these falsities, they're false. And I hope that will help us this morning to identify it and know how to address it and get some comfort, too, that it's not just our day that is dealing with this. It's been days in the past as well. So let's pray and ask the Spirit of God to help us as we get into the Word of God. Father, I thank you that your Word is able to Illuminate and give light and father this a dark day But just like this text points out the Word of God is the answer So it is our desire today to be very clear with this book And so I pray the Holy Spirit of God would help me as I speak. I pray father that you give us grace to listen with intent and good attention And Father, I pray that you just give liberty and power today to your word, that you'd give us grace to see the day in which we live and to better understand how we can deal with it. It's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. All right. So we need to reject false religion. How do we identify false religion? Last week I was up on the Bing, the hill that's back here in Lone Head from the tailings from the mine. And I'm up there walking and some of our neighbors are out and they're foraging. And my wife would be all about that. She went to a foraging seminar at a ladies conference a year and a half ago, bought a foraging book. And she'd get excited about that. Me, I'm a little more cautious, right? I'm scared that I would choose the hemlock or choose something like that. And so they're foraging. They're looking for mushrooms. And so I said to them, I said, and the mother and the two kids, I said, Do you know what you're looking for? Because I've read the stories about the person that got the mushrooms and died. You know, they're very poisonous. And I could tell by her laugh that she obviously knows what she's doing and isn't ignorant about that. You know, that knowledge that she possesses about mushrooms that I don't possess allows her to know what is bad as far as mushrooms and what is good. She can enjoy mushrooms a bit more than I can, even though I love mushrooms, because of her knowledge. And that would be our desire today is that people could benefit from understanding what is true religion, but also then be protected from something that does not cause physical death, but listen, is something that causes eternal death. And so what can we see about false religion to help us identify it? Okay, so first thing about false religion is false religion, or I can say it this way, an idolatrous religion is a false religion. an idolatrous religion. And so verse 13 says, For I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria. They prophesied in Baal and caused my people Israel to err. And later on in the text it said, they caused my people to follow Baal, not me. They rejected me because they were following Baal. Well, Baal was an idol. It was a Canaanite idol. And according to what I could find online, Baal was the son of El, the chief god, and Asherah, the goddess of the sea. Baal was considered the most powerful of all gods, eclipsing El, who was seen as rather weak and ineffective. In various battles, this is their belief, Baal defeated Yam, the god of the sea, and Mutt, the god of death in the underworld. Baal's sister consorts were Ashtoreth, a fertility goddess associated with the stars, and Anna, a goddess of love and war. The Canaanites worshipped Baal as a sun god and as a storm god. He's usually depicted holding a lightning bolt, who defeated enemies and produced crops. They also worshipped him as a fertility god who provided children. Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in the temples. At times, appeasing Baal required human sacrifice, usually the firstborn of the one making the sacrifice. The priests of Baal appealed to their gods in rites of wild abandon, which included loud and ecstatic cries and self-inflicted injury. You remember Elijah against the prophets of Baal. Actually, Amanda Baker's parents went on the Israel trip that I went on in January, so I enjoyed getting to know them a bit there. But we stood up where Elijah called down fire from heaven. against the prophets of Baal. And you look down and you can see the creek down below, or the burn down below, where the prophets of Baal were slain, just like the Word of God says. But they're cutting themselves, they're crying out to Baal. Why? Because Baal is pictured with what in his hand? He's pictured with a lightning bolt in his hand. Who better to call down fire from heaven to destroy, or to consume and burn up this sacrifice than Baal? And as I read commentary they spoke about that's likely why Elijah had a challenge like this for Baal, because it was very appropriate for Baal. But Baal is a false god, or an idol. In Matthew 12, 27, Jesus calls Satan Beelzebub, linking the devil to Beelzebub, a Philistine deity. And the article goes on to say, the Balaam of the Old Testaments were nothing more than demons masquerading as gods, and all idolatry is ultimately devil worship. You think about it, I mean, that's what Satan is all about, is deceiving men, and the Bible speaks about it as doctrines of devils, and there is a demon involvement in it. We've got here in Scotland, we've got paganism, you know, and masonry, and certainly you see aspects of idolatry and false worship in those things. But anytime somebody bows down to someone other than God, committing idolatry. Exodus 23 verse 24 says, Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works, but thou shalt utterly overthrow them and quite break down their images. And even within Christianity, suppose Christianity, there are religions that have brought in idolatry. Probably the first one that comes to your mind is the first one that comes to my mind, and it's Catholicism. Catholicism, they venerate different relics. Well, what a relic is, like Pope John's vial of blood that they prayed around the world, and they come in and they venerate it. What's venerate mean? It means to idolize. They worship it. And certainly we understand, as they bow before those images, and as they pray to Mary, and as they pray for the dead, what is it that is taking place? It is idolatry that's there. Well, idolatry breaks two of the first Ten Commandments that God gave. The first, thou shalt have no other gods besides Me. And the second, thou shalt not make any graven images. And so, our world, as they look at it, if they would be honest and examine the Word of God this morning, our world could understand and say an idolatrous religion is not the religion of God's Word. It's a religion that perverts the heart of man, draws man's heart away from God. In fact, Romans chapter 1, do you remember? They've made... than God likened to four-footed beasts and creeping things. Idolatry is in the Romans 1 passage that speaks about a humanistic society. Have you noticed that in Costco they don't sell crosses for your yard, your garden? What do they sell? They sell statues of Buddha. It's idolatry. Buddhism is taking off. And paganism is taking off. Why? Because that is a natural reaction of rejecting God. Idolatry comes up. And so an idolatrous religion is a false religion. And then secondly, and this goes with idolatry, it does in the Romans 1 passage as well as other places in the Word of God, it's a sexually perverse religion. Okay, so you have idolatry, idolatrous religion is false, and then a sexually perverse religion. Verse 14 says, I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing. They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen also the hands of evildoers that none doth return from his wickedness. They are all of them unto me as Sodom and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. And so, God says about this religion of idolatry, it's like Sodom and Gomorrah. Well, what was Sodom and Gomorrah known for? In our day, you'll hear the term, and it's used infrequently because of political correctness, but you've heard of the term Sodomites, okay? Where does that come from? It comes from Sodom and Gomorrah, and what the Bible says took place there. And so in Genesis 19, As Lot is there in that city, God is coming to destroy that city. Abraham, by the way, pleaded with God and said, God, and by the way, isn't that what the righteous do? We get accused by the world of saying, well, you hate sexually perverse people. But you know that's not a true statement, is it? That in the heart of a true believer, there's a love for that person, a desire for the mercy of God and the grace of God for that individual. that they equate saying that it's sin with hatred. It's a false application. And so you see it even in the life of Abraham. Abraham's pleading with God and said, God, and notice Abraham is pleading for the city. Abraham isn't just pleading and saying, God, spare a lot. He's saying, God, spare the city if there's 50 righteous. God, if there's 40 righteous. God, if there's 30. God, if there's 10. God didn't spare the city. Why? Because there weren't even 10. but God would have. Oh, the mercy of God, right? We talked about the mercy of God in Sunday School. God is a merciful God. But there, in that city, it's so perverse that when these angels of God come into the city, the Bible says, They called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came into thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And we read that in English, and we say that we may know them, and that to us is unoffensive, but the Bible is very discreet when it speaks about sexual practices. It speaks about Adam knowing his wife Eve. It talks about Isaac knowing his wife Rebekah. And it's speaking about they had the marriage relationship. And so when these men are at the door crying out and saying, send them out to us that we may know them, there is sexual perversion in their heart and desiring to basically rape these men. And so the Bible goes on to say, Lot went out at the door unto them and shut the door after him. And he said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold, now I have two daughters which have not known man. There's that phrase again. Let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you and do you to them as is good in your eyes. Only unto these men do nothing. For therefore came they under the shadow of my roof, and they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge. Now will we deal worse with thee than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man even lot, and came near to break the door." Do you know that those that are in sexual perversion, there's proof there from the Word of God, if you confront their sexual perversion, they're going to hate you. Do you see it? It's in the Word of God. They despise that. They reject that. And so, now they say, who made you a judge over us? So when the Bible speaks about a religion that is sexually perverse like Sodom and Gomorrah, what's it speaking about? It's speaking about, in part, homosexuality that was there. You need to be clear with the Word of God. This is where the world is going to react and say, I don't want to hear it, I will not listen to it. But we go to the text of the Word of God and say, thus saith the Lord. God says a false religion is a sexually perverse religion. Now let's stop and think about this. Is there in our society today sexual perversity in religion? And the answer is yes. The answer is categorically absolutely yes, in our day there is. Let me give you a couple of current examples. The Scottish Episcopal Church this year voted to allow gay couples to marry in church. It makes it the first major Christian church in the UK to allow same-sex marriages. The vote to amend canon law on marriage, removing the stipulation that's between a man and a woman, was carried by the Synod in Edinburgh. It means that gay Christians from any Anglican church can now ask to be married in a Episcopal church. Okay, so there's the Episcopal church. What about the Church of Scotland last year? The historic decision by the Church of Scotland to recognize ministers and deacons in same-sex civil partnerships has been extended to cover same-sex marriage. Commissioners decided, by 339 votes to 215, to update Church law to keep pace with Scots law. That decision made earlier today does not compromise the Church's traditional view of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Surely even the world can understand today that whether they agree with it or not, when the Word of God speaks about a religion that says Sodom and Gomorrah are okay, that certainly applies to our day. Do you see what I'm saying? Like whether they reject what the Word of God teaches about that or not, surely even they could examine Jeremiah 23 and look at what the Bible says is a false religion, and say it's a sexually perverse religion that says homosexuality is fine. Because that's what the Bible says. You know, it wasn't written today. This is written well over 2,000 years ago. God said it. He taught us that a false religion is sexually perverse. Okay. The third thing, all these tie together, idolatry, sexual perversion, and the next one, they all tie together because the third thing about this false religion is it's humanistic. It's humanistic. It's not deism. It's not looking to God. It's looking to man. It's humanistic. Listen to verse 15, "...therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets, Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of Gaul. For from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land." Okay, profaneness is going out from them. That's irreligion. That's making a mockery of God. Okay, that's what's coming out of them, is that which mocks God. And here's where religious, false religions like we're talking about, are so ignorant. The world is laughing at them, and they're laughing at God. Because even the world knows that that isn't right. Do you see what I'm saying? For the church to come out and say, this is fine, adultery is fine, sexual perversion is fine. Even the world looks at that and says, rubbish. Okay? With regard to the religion. To the religion. Now, it goes on to say in verse 16, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you. They make you vain. They speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. Okay. They're not saying, Thus saith the Lord. They shouldn't be. If they are, it's a great blasphemy against God. but they're speaking a vision out of their own heart. Now think about those two articles that I read about what the Church of Scotland and the Episcopal Church did. Because listen to these statements. Is this humanism or is it, you know, God saying this? Amend canon law on marriage. Humanism. You know, it says the decision, the commissioners decided by 339 votes. What's that? I mean, that's humanism. The church's traditional view on marriage? Humanism. I mean, every statement is humanistic. It has nothing to do with the Bible or the authority of God. And to be honest, if somebody is honest with a statement that is a humanistic statement, it sounds like this in reality. They say this, my interpretation is... That's humanism. My interpretation is, is humanism. Well, I believe, we have decided, we have come to the agreement that, you know, heaven forbid that they should ever be so dishonest as to say, thus saith the Lord. But they're that far. Because that's how far they are in this text. That they're putting into the mouth of God lies against His Word. It's very sad, the day in which we live. Scott Rennie, of the Church of Scotland, he's up in Aberdeen. This is from the churchofscotland.org.uk on the 25th of May, 2017. It says, speaking after the debate, Reverend Scott Rennie, minister at Queens Cross Church in Aberdeen, said he was delighted that the General Assembly had decided to move forward on the issue. There was a real feeling that we have to find space for everyone in the church, and I hope it's not too many years before I am able to marry people of the same gender. Excuse me, Scott Rennie, what about God? We have decided. I'm so glad on this issue. What about the Bible? Is it an issue? Or is it the Bible? Is it about what God says? It's not, is it? Not to them. It's just an issue. It's humanism. Now, in contrast, there was another man. He's not even a minister. He's just an elder at the church up in Kinloch-Levin. Arthur Custance, he said this, a vote in favor of homosexuality is in effect voting against Jesus Christ. Does who believe in God? Yeah. That's not humanism. That's biblicism. That's saying, thus saith the Lord. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth. You know what this book is? The truth. Despise this book, you despise the Lord. So what Arthur Custon said is exactly right. You vote in favor of that, you're voting against the Lord Jesus Christ. What a day in which we live. You know, the question that people that are humanistic in their religion will not answer is this one, and it's very simple. What does the Bible say? They won't answer it. They don't. They'll say, my interpretation is. Well, my interpretation is. No, wait a second. What does the Bible say? And I use this illustration a lot, and here it is. If I read Darwin's Origin of the Species, And I said this to you, and I taught on Darwin, and I said, come on, I'm going to have this great seminar on evolution, come on in, and Charles Darwin believed in a six-day literal creation, and Charles Darwin was a firm believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, that salvation is by faith in Christ and Christ alone. Would you say, well, that's your interpretation? No, in fact they say you're a liar. They say you're a liar. You haven't read Darwin's Orange and the Species? So how can they stand in church and say God says homosexuality is fine? My interpretation is, no wait a second, we've got the book, and I call them right now before anybody that would like to hear it, they're a liar. But the world says that's their interpretation. It's incredible, isn't it? What a duplicity, double standard, and is it no wonder the world is deceived and go, I don't get it. See, for somebody today, if you really want to know what God says, read the book. Read the book. And really, that's where the answer is for the church, sadly. They've rejected it. Why? Here it is again in our text. They speak a vision of their own heart and not of the mouth of the Lord. So, I mean, a caution to the world would be, don't be fooled. It's humanistic. It's humanism. Don't be fooled. It's idolatrous. Don't be fooled. It's sexually perverse religion. The Word of God says that is absolutely false. What else do we see about this religion? It's a religion without judgment. It's a religion without judgment. It's like our world today is saying, you know, God is love. God accepts you. It's like putting a big smile on your face and acting like a famous televangelist and saying, hey, you know, I'm just so glad you're here today, and saying a bunch of nothingness that doesn't help anybody get any closer to God. Because they take away the aspect of what? Hell. There is no judgment. You're fine, just the way you are, just continue on and you're fine. Can I say this morning that God will never accept ungodliness. God will never accept ungodliness. Verse 17 and 18 says, they say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace. And they say unto everyone that walketh after the imagination of his own heart. And again, let me point out, that's humanism. The imagination of your own heart is humanism. And they say to that person, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word, who hath marked his word and heard it. And God's saying, Have they read the book? They're saying to people, in great sin against God, in great rebellion against God, hey, you're fine. You're fine. Just be at peace. And God goes, have they read the book? They've not even looked at the Word of God to say, what does God say about this? Listen, can I say this again this morning? If you're in sin this morning, God is merciful. God is gracious, and God is a forgiving God. It doesn't matter what the sin is, that God in His grace, the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin, and you can be forgiven today, but if not, that someday you're going to stand before a holy God, and you're going to give an account for everything you've said, everything you've done, everything you've thought, and that hell is real. The Word of God says in Matthew 12 verse 36, I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. I mentioned last night, I'm laying in my bed and I'm woken up by a man screaming outside my window at somebody else and cursing. Do you know that every time he said that filthy word, he's going to stand before God, he's going to give an account for it, and he's going to be punished for saying that word. I would say to an unbeliever, look, even if you don't believe in God, don't do that. Even if you end up in hell, don't do that because it's not going to get better, it's going to get worse. Because otherwise it makes no sense why you'd be held accountable for every single sin. Do you know what God says? He will not hold him guiltless, that taketh his name in vain. People all the time go to any sports tournament and you hear people cursing Jesus Christ and cursing God in their language. Every time they do that, God says, I'm not going to hold them guiltless. That there's going to be an accountability that's going to take place. The book of Revelation says, about the great white throne judgment, Revelation 20 verse 12, I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. Can I just stop and speak about Jehovah's Witnesses very quickly? Because they fall right into this category. They're a false religion that says there's no hell. They say death is annihilation. Then what would their answer be to this text where I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. It goes on to say, Whosoever is not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And I've said it before, but I'll say it again here in this message in case you haven't heard it, In that, in hell, where Satan is cast after the millennium, a thousand years before, the beast and the false prophet were put there. They are people. And the Bible says when Satan is cast into hell, he's cast into the place where the beast and the false prophet are. How is eternal? How is separation from God? I've had people mock hell, and I say to them at times, you wouldn't hold your hand over a lighter. This guy had a lighter a few weeks ago in his hand. He tried to hold it over, but he wasn't really holding it over, he was holding it to the side. See, nobody would burn themselves, and so those people that mock and say, no big deal, listen, it's a big deal. It's a big deal. But think about false religion. False religion says, There is no judgment. You know, if a young person committed a crime and they committed a crime and they stood before a judge and they said to the judge, I thought I was so young you wouldn't do anything about it. Is the judge going to take that into consideration when he sentences them? He's going to look at them and say, it doesn't matter what you believed, son, the punishment for that crime is See, God's not going to look at unbelievers and say, well, you were taught that there was no judgment. You were taught that was okay. You were taught that it was fine. You didn't believe in it. It doesn't matter, does it? Because God says that's a false religion, a religion that says, You're at peace. God's not bothered. You know, sadly, in our text here, you find not only is God bothered, but God's wrath has already gone out. Verse 19 and 20 says, Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind. It shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord shall not return until you have executed and tell ye I perform the thoughts of his heart, in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly." You know what it's saying is that they thought they were fine, and God says my fury has already departed. And that there's coming a wake-up call in the future where that person is suddenly going to be confronted with it, where they're going to look at it and say, it's exactly like God said. See, my heart goes out to all these people that have been taught there is no God, it doesn't matter what the Word of God says, you're fine, just exist as you are. The reason is because judgment's coming. See, the judgment hasn't changed just because mankind goes, I don't believe it. It doesn't matter. The anger of God has already gone out and that's why the Bible says in Romans chapter 1, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. It's already gone out. Sad, isn't it? But they've got this religion, a false religion, saying, there's no judgment. There's no judgment. Do you know that's the only way that they could get away with all the things that they're putting into God's mouth? Saying, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. You know, God's a holy God today. And you look at this religion and go, it's absolutely false, but God's wrath is against it. And the last point about this false religion is this, it's a religion not of God. It's a religion not of God. He didn't send them. In verse 21, it says, I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. Oh, that that would have been put up on the General Assembly Hall in Edinburgh. I have not sent them, yet they ran. They're anxious to get it done. but not because God said to. They're prophesying, but not because God said to prophesy. So they're not of God. Then you see as well, secondly, He's against them. He's against them. If you're not thankful this morning, and you probably are as well, if you're saved, you can grab hold of that verse that says, if God be for us, who can be against us? I mean, even as we look at this this morning, you look at it and say, You know, I'm just glad today that I don't have to stand alone. You know, all men forsook me, Paul said, but the Lord didn't forsake me. You know, and we stand against it and we go, man, if God be for us, who can be against us? And that's alright. But think about them. God's not for them, He's against them. And can I say this? It doesn't matter who's for them. It doesn't matter, does it? Because God's against them. See, I'd rather stand over here with the world against me, and God for me, than stand over here with the world for me, but God against me. And look at the text and what it says about this. It says in verse 30, Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words, every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and saith he saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies and by their lightness. Yet I sent them not, nor commanded them." Do you know, I praise God today. I don't have to worry over here and say, God, they're against me. Listen, they're against God. And can I point out from the text, God's against them. Dr. Bob Senior used to say, your arm's too short to box with God. Mankind puts up their puny little fists. Listen, God's not bothered. Psalm chapter 2, He has them in derision. He's laughing at them because it's pathetic. They say God said He didn't say. He didn't send them. He's against them. I pity today those that have taken those positions and said, I'm speaking for God. Because listen to what, again, the Word of God says, their religion doesn't profit. God didn't send them, it's not of God, it doesn't profit. Therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord. Do you know today, would you want to go to a doctor's office that had you come in and you got a terrible disease and they give you a plaster and say, you're all right, keep on. Do you want that? Think about this religion. You know what this religion does? They come in, and they go, they've got problems, serious problems, deadly problems that are damnable problems, because it's sin. And the pastor goes, you're okay, here's a plaster. It's vain. God said, it's not going to profit at all. I mean, what is it about? And I often think about that. These churches, Catholic church, they go to the Catholic church, and you know there's not a single Catholic that can look you in the eye and say, I know for sure if I die, I'm going to heaven. All they can do is kind of hope they make it. And I look at that, a religion like that, and I say, what have you gotten from that if you've not gotten eternity and eternal life with Christ in heaven? What has come of that? Nothing. It's empty. And these religions that pat themselves on the back and say, you're okay in your sin, you're okay in your sin, these people come in with their problems and not just that one sin that we've mentioned, but many sins, and they have no victory, no forgiveness, no mercy from God, and they go on their way. It's empty. It's empty. And this morning, as you think about that, you think about what happens when you take this book, you throw it on the bus, and you follow this false religion. You get nothing. You get nothing. But on the other hand, this is very brief, okay? People ought to despise this and reject this false religion, but they ought to embrace true religion. And let me just point out three aspects of it that the Word of God speaks about, and it's very simple, okay? True religion waits upon God. It waits upon God. It goes to see what God says. The Bible says in verse 22, but if they had stood in my counsel and caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings. God said, if you would have picked up the Bible and preached the Bible and said, thus saith the Lord that those people in that sin, by God's grace, would have repented of their sin. Can I encourage us today, this is our hope, that this is why I stand up here this morning and I preach a message like this, that's saying this is what the Bible says about false religion, this is what it says about true religion, because this is our hope. And by this we can, I mean, we ought to take hold of that verse right there as believers and say, God, I'm just going to trust you that your word is powerful, that we have turned from their evil way and from the evil of their doings. When we do that, we're like a lighthouse. You look along the coast of Scotland, you see the beautiful lighthouses that are there. And a lighthouse is pretty, but it's also important, isn't it? That lighthouse keeps a ship from crashing on the shore, and it is the light that men need today from us with regard to eternity. And so the Bible says, in Philippians 2.15, that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. Holding forth what? The Word of Life. That I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. Listen, you might feel it the same as I do. It's a crooked and perverse nation among whom we live. But we hold forth the Word of Life. And so true religion is a religion that stands by this book and says, thus saith the Lord. And as believers, we need to stand by this book. It's a religion that fears God, secondly. How do you know true religion? It's a religion that fears God. Verse 23 and 24 says, Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him, saith the Lord? Do not I feel heaven and earth, saith the Lord? You know what He's saying is this? Here I am, I'm a false prophet. And I'm saying this perversion is fine. Idolatry is good. There's peace today for you even though you're in sin. Does God see me? Yeah. Is God present? Yes, He is. Is He going to hold me accountable for everything that I say? Yes, He will. And that is why on this side, true religion, you stand by this book because God's going to hold you accountable for how you handled this book. See, and as a pastor, I've got greater accountability for that. But as a believer, you do too. See, you can't minimize this book and get away with it. God's present. And so, to save face with the world, I could lie about what God says, but God's going to hold me accountable. And what do I care about more? What they think or what God thinks? You know what Peter and John said? Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. But as for us, we can't help but speak the things that we have seen and heard. You know, that's got to be our position. It's got to be gracious. It's got to be kind to unbelievers and say, you know what? I fear God more than I fear you. So how do I know true religion? It has a fear of God. Do these religions that I've mentioned, the false religions, do they fear God? Absolutely not. They don't care what God thinks. They don't care really what God said. They just care about pleasing politicians, pleasing the world, and having popularity. That's all they care about. And so, a true religion is a religion that fears God. And then lastly, a religion that uses the hammer of God's Word against falsehood. Verse 29, "...is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh a rock in pieces?" Okay, if I'm in a good church, how powerful is this book going to be? It ought to, in a sense, in a gracious way, spit us up and chew us out. I ought not be able to sit under the preaching of this book in adultery, in fornication, in alcoholism, in addiction. I ought not be able to sit under this book and be at ease in my heart because this book is a book that cuts to the very quick, if I'm in a good church. But if I'm in a church over here that rejects this book, denies this book, doesn't really believe this book, is it going to impact me? No. But the problem is that's what I need. See, this is what rescues people. We need power. Where's power? Where's authority? It's in this book. And so, again, if I follow this false, happy-go-lucky, you're-all-okay religion, it has no cut. It has no authority. It has no power. It's empty. But on the other hand, if I want to know what a true religion is, it's a religion that stands by the book, and it's like a fire, and it's like a hammer. That's true religion this morning. You know, I long for a generation that will take true religion and reject false religion. I long for it. I can't wait. I mean, I suppose it's going to be heaven because it's all going to be passed away and everyone's going to think right. I long for that. But I can't do anything about that. All I can do is for myself, I can adhere to true religion instead of false religion. So where do you stand this morning? See, God says an idolatrous religion is a false religion. It doesn't matter if good people are in that religion or not. And you might look at that and say, well, they're good people. Well, wait, it doesn't matter. That's not what the Word of God says. It's a false religion. A religion that is sexually perverse is a false religion. Again, somebody could argue and say, but they're very nice people. You don't understand. They're very kind. No, wait a second. What does God say? Not about that person, but about their sin. About their sin. God can forgive them. They can have God's mercy. They can get saved. Jesus Christ died for them. But I can't say as a pastor that sin's okay because everyone wants me to accept it when the Word of God condemns it. Okay. It's a religion that says there's no judgment. This morning, do you believe in hell? Do you believe God has a right to cast men into a lake of fire for all eternity because He's God? And because He did everything He could to keep those people out of that place by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for their sin? Are you understanding that humanism is not okay? That you can't pick up this Bible? And listen, you could fall into the same error. You could read what the Word of God says, and then you could say this, but I don't think. But I don't think that's humanism. It doesn't matter what you think. What matters is what God says. False religion is humanistic. And then, realize, please, it's not of God. That religion is not of God. Or are you somebody today that says, you know, I want to know what God says? The Bereans, they were more noble than those in Thessalonica. They searched the Word of God and they said, I want to know what God says about it. Is that you today? Do you fear God today? And understand, you know, it's not an easy day to stand up and say homosexuality is sin, but God's Word says it, so I'll say it. It's not an easy day to say salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone, that those other religions are false, but God says it, so I'll say it. See, we've got to stand with God, in the fear of God, if we're going to stand with Him. And then, are you using the Word of God in power? and saying, Thus saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord. It's a powerful book. Where do you stand this morning? With God? True religion? Or against God? False religion. Convicting thought. Let's pray. Father, I pray that the Spirit of God would search our hearts. You are the convictor of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. And Father, I'm just struck by the fact that the Spirit of God so clearly identified false religion so far back in the Bible. And I pray today that we can see it. And in the Spirit of God, certainly it has to do with the day in which we live, and Satan would have us to follow false religion. He'd have us to agree with the devil against God. But oh, I pray that the Spirit of God would give us grace to stand with Jesus, no matter how unpopular it is, no matter how much the world's against it, Lord, that we'd rather be with You and You for us than have the world for us and God view against us. So I pray, take the Word of God, drive it deep into our hearts this morning. It's in Christ's name I pray.