We live in an age of fakes. Fake investment schemes offer instant riches. Fake emails threaten our computers. Fake people promote fake news. It's an epidemic of phoniness. Nowhere is the problem greater than in religion. Religious claims are everywhere. Some are obviously phony, but others are more subtle. It's a very serious business, because what you believe makes all the difference for your eternal future. You can't fake it with God. You got to be real. God is alive and active. Nothing is hidden from him. He sees into the deepest reaches of our minds. He knows the depths of our souls. He knows the truth about our thoughts and attitudes. He understands the most intimate secrets of our hearts. He knows what is false and what is genuine. It's not a matter of living a perfectly sinless life. You can safely put anyone who claims that in the fake category. It's just that before God, you've got to be real. Real faith in Christ makes all the difference. You can have doubts and questions. All of us face these things. God knows that. But you can't "play along to get along." Be honest with God. Live the whole truth as fully as you can. May our repentance be real and deep. His forgiveness is real, and He is, too. While true religion is spiritual, God has given us outward symbols to enhance our understanding, like the Lord's Supper and Baptism. But God's power is not in the outer form but in the inner reality, not in the symbol but in that which is symbolized. People naturally prefer religious magic to harness God's power, but that will never prosper. God cannot be mocked or manipulated.
Featuring a sermon puts it on the front page of the site and is the most effective way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands including all mobile platforms + newsletter.
Text-Featuring a sermon is a less expensive way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands on the right bar with optional newsletter inclusion. As low as $30/day.
David Bodanza is the pastor of Mission of Grace Church in Westborough, Massachusetts. He is also a practicing lawyer. He holds an M.Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a J.D. from New England School of Law. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, four...
