Two World Religions | Matthew 23:13

[00:00:00] Real Truths Daily This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman He's talking to the crowds and he's talking to the disciples about the Pharisees and scribes. And you just wonder where the Pharisees and scribes within Earshot of what Jesus was saying

[00:00:41] when we look at this verse in verse 13, he says, but what do you describe the Pharisees? Hippocrates! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces, how did they do that? By making all these rules and regulations both God ordained and man-made based on the book

[00:00:58] of the lituristicists and also other texts in the Old Testament, and then rules that they added to the people to say you must do this, you can't do that, you must do this, you can't do that.

[00:01:07] They couldn't keep them, we talked about that a few days ago, they couldn't keep them and the people that they were talking to and leading couldn't keep them, they shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces because they couldn't possibly keep all the commandments

[00:01:22] and all the rituals and regulations that the Pharisees and scribes were handing down. So Jesus talks about that when he says, what do you describe in Pharisees' hypocrites for you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces?

[00:01:34] Look at this, for you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in, why? Because it's just too hard. There's no way that these people, the people that they were teaching and leading could keep all these commandments.

[00:01:49] Now I said at the beginning that there's basically two religions in the world. One is religion of works, which basically says you must do this, you must obey this, you must avoid this.

[00:02:02] Now here's the problem with that, how do you know if you've done it perfectly and nobody can? And some people think well maybe God grates on a curve. If I'm a little bit better than other people, maybe I'll be accepted into the kingdom.

[00:02:15] Now again, this is what all religions teach that you must do something to earn salvation. And that's impossible. Because none of us can do it perfectly. And what this does is it shuts the kingdom of heaven to people because they look at

[00:02:33] that, they look at all the rules and regulations of that religion and they say, why I guess I can't be saved or if I am saved, I must be a little bit better than that person

[00:02:42] and it makes impossible, makes it impossible for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. The second religion. And religion of works. The second religion is a religion of grace, which means that God offers salvation eternal

[00:02:58] life being able to go to heaven as a free gift based on what, based on the merits of Jesus Christ, based on his life, his death and his resurrection. And so because what Christ is done for goodness in eternal life is offered to us as a

[00:03:16] free gift and we take it by faith. Are you heard me say that many times? Here's the bottom line of this devotion today. Are you a person who wants to save yourself and you can't or are you a person who wants

[00:03:29] to lean completely on the grace of God revealed through Jesus Christ? I would strongly encourage you to do the latter. When you do that, when you say, I trust in Jesus. I believe in Him. My goodness, the gates of heaven are open to you.

[00:03:47] You have a relationship with God. The peace of God is upon your life. For goodness's sins is given to you. You have a new life in Christ, new purpose goals and direction because you want to live for Him because what God did for you through Jesus Christ.

[00:04:03] So you're a part of the kingdom of God, you're a part of the kingdom of heaven because you believe in Jesus. And that's the best religion of all. And may I say this, the only true saving religion. We talked about it today. There's two different religions.

[00:04:23] One saves you. One does not. The one that does not cannot because we are perfect and we can't possibly measure up to all the commitments of the law. The law reveals our sin.

[00:04:36] It draws us to Christ lean on Him today and every day for the certainty of your salvation. Have a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ and that is today's daily truth.