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Sermon #5293

Fake Religion

A Sermon on Jeremiah 2:26-28

Originally preached Dec. 18, 1960

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Scripture

Jeremiah 2:26-28 ESV KJV
“As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed: they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets, who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to me, …

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Sermon Description

What can cause people to fall into unutterable folly? God calls these people to think and consider. Compare and contrast religions—in what does the Christian trust and how do they prepare for eternity? A person’s religion is their working philosophy; the thing they rest upon and to which they give themselves up. In this sermon on Jeremiah 2:26–28 titled “Fake Religion,” Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines the marks of false religion in regards to three questions. Look at the nature and character of the god(s) being worshipped. Take a look at contemporary history and the gods of this present age. Do not test one’s religion when everything is going well, but look at the day when the sun is not shining and there is in trouble. Can that God save? A false religion will always be found out. Find answers for the problem of guilt and death. Learn about what Christ did and those who opposed Him. Christ came to die so that all can live. Comfort will only come through Him. The Christian might be perplexed, but they do not need to despair. Lean on the promises of God and find abundant life. Absolutely nothing can separate the Christian from God. Realize the folly and turn to Him, and enter into His eternal glory.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon begins by stating that the prophet Jeremiah is delivering a message to the children of Israel. The message is that their troubles are due to turning away from God and worshipping idols.
  2. God has been explaining this message to them in detail, showing them the consequences of their sin and warning them to repent. Jeremiah is giving them a final warning.
  3. The sermon will examine false religion and true religion based on three tests: the nature of the God worshipped, the ability of the religion to help in times of trouble, and the state it leaves you in at the end.
  4. The false religion worships gods that are man-made, like wood and stone idols. Men call them "father" and say they "brought us forth," but they have no life or power. This is debased and foolish.
  5. False religion fails the test of helping in times of trouble. When calamity comes, the idols cannot help. The people turn back to God, who they had forsaken, in desperation. This shows the utter fraud of false religion.
  6. False religion leaves people ashamed, like a thief who is caught. Their folly is revealed, and they have to turn to the God they scorned. This is the ultimate degradation.
  7. The true religion worships the one true God, the almighty, eternal creator. He revealed himself in Jesus Christ, who is the mighty God in human form.
  8. The true God can help in times of trouble. Jesus overcame temptation and defeated the devil. He forgives sins and comforts in times of grief. He conquered death and gives eternal life. He is all-sufficient.
  9. The true religion leaves people not ashamed but confident in God's love and salvation. God will complete the work he began and keep them safe forever.
  10. The sermon appeals to the listeners to turn from false religion to faith in the true God and his Son, Jesus Christ. Though we deserve condemnation for our folly, God still offers salvation to all who come to him.

Old Testament

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.