Sunday

Joel 2:1,2, 12-17; Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 vs. 12
"Even now," declares the Lord,
"return to me with all your heart,
with fasting
and
weeping and mourning."

Religion, Bah Humbug!

You might expect to hear these words spoken by someone: who doesn’t believe in God; who has become disenchantized with the church, but would you expect to hear it from God?

The truth of the matter is God does say, Religion, Bah Humbug!

I know it sounds absurd. It would be like saying Americans hate apple pie and the fourth of July, but it is true. God’s feelings toward religion is Bah Humbug.

This should not surprise you. You and I should know this to be true more than anyone else. After all we do confess a faith in God. Who else should know the heart of God more than His followers. If we know God as well as we profess to know God then we would have to agree that God would say, "Religion, Bah Humbug!"

We would know that because the Bible tells us so.

Psalm 40:6
"Sacrifices and offerings you did not desire,... burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require."

Amos 5:21
"I hate, I despise your religious festivals; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs!"

Micah 6:8
With what shall I come
before the Lord
and bow down before
the exalted God?

Shall I come before Him
with burnt offerings..

Will the Lord be pleased
with thousands of rams
with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer my first born
for my transgression,
the fruit of my body
for the sin of my soul?

With what shall I come before the Lord? God’s answer?

"None of These."

What then are we doing here tonight? Why did we bother to leave our homes, to assemble before God, to lift up our voices in song, to offer our words in prayer? What’s the point if that isn’t what God wants. If these are the very things which God hates?

If God did not desire the religious rituals of David’s time, what about our rituals, the ritual of going to church, taking communion, giving tithes. I dare say the same is true. They are meaningless, unless done for the right reason. They are meaningless if the reasons for doing them is selfish. God does not want religious acts. God wants an attitude of devotion.

God hates false worship, worship when people simply go through the motions out of pretense or for show. The Israelites did it. The Pharisees did it in Jesus’ time. Christians today do it. We use rituals, worship, prayer, fasting to make ourselves look good. Is that why you worship God? Is that why you sing in the choir? Is that why you serve on the governing board, or teach Sunday school or lead the women’s group or men’s group? Are you more concerned about your image OR your attitude to God.

A story is told of a newly promoted colonel who moved into a makeshift office during the Gulf War. The colonel was unpacking when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a private with a tool box coming his way.

Wanting to seem important he grabbed the phone, "Yes, General Schwarzkopf. Of course, I think that’s an excellent plan. You’ve got my support. Thanks for check with me. Let’s touch base again soon, Norm. Goodbye."

As he hung up the phone the colonel asked the private, "And what can I do for you?"

The private answered, "Uhhh, I’m here to hook up your phone."

For some reason we feel it necessary to impress others, to have others think we are somebody special or that we have special connections with God.

Remember when King Saul took it upon himself to make a sacrifice to God before going into battle, instead of waiting for Samuel to offer the sacrifice. When Samuel saw what Saul did, he rebuked him saying,

"To obey God is better than sacrifice."(1Sam.15:22)

How often do we play the same game, putting on a show, dropping names. Who are we trying to impress? Our neighbors? Our boss? God?

Lent is challenging us to examine our relationship with God, to examine what we do and why we do it. Lent is calling us to

"return to God with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and
not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity."

Rend your heart not your garments. God doesn’t want an outward display of penitence without true inward repentance.

Lent is a time, when you should attempt to make your heart right with God. Lent is a time to examine as Jesus said our

"acts of righteousness."

Why do you financially support the church? Why do you give to the needy? Why do you pray? Why do you fast?

Are your good actions for appearances only. Your actions may be good but are your motives hollow? If you received no recognition for your actions would you still do them. Your actions should be God centered, done so God looks good and gets all the attention.

God hates religion: which makes a good impression only; which is concerned about looking good; which is merely an external practice and not an internal reality.

If God says, "Religion, Bah Humbug,

"what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with God." (Micah 6:9)

"To fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your
soul and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees."
(Deuto. 10:12,13)

Do not complicate faith with man-made rules, regulations, traditions and requirements of religion. Concentrate on the basics. Respect God. Love God. Serve God. Obey God.

As you enter this season of Lent,

"Even now return to God,"

not with your religion, but

"with all your heart."
"For the sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
God will not despise."
(Psalm 51:17)

AMEN