https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/RitualsDontCancelSin.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Isaiah 58:1-14<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Men get into their minds that they need to make God listen to them<\/p>\n A. Like a child holding his breath, they believe that if they suffer, then God will\nlisten\n B. There were false religions based on self-inflicted pain to gain their god’s attention\n– I Kings 18:28-29\n
II. God decides whose requests He listens to<\/p>\n
A. God wants it declared in no uncertain terms that Israel is in sin – Isaiah 58:1<\/p>\n
B. But Israel sees themselves as righteous – Isaiah 58:2<\/p>\n 1. Seeking God, learning, living righteously, faithful, prayerful and close to\nGod\n
2. How can Israel miss what God declares? We lie to ourselves – I John 1:8<\/p>\n 3. They listened to the prophets, but don’t do as the prophets teach – Ezekiel\n33:31-33\n 4. It is well illustrated by the Jews, who seeking Jesus’ death, lied about an\ninnocent man, and yet refused to “defile” themselves by entering a\nbuilding owned by the Gentiles – John 18:28\n
5. Like the Pharisee in Jesus’ story – Luke 18:11-12<\/p>\n
C. The Israelites can’t understand why they fast and God doesn’t notice – Isaiah 58:3<\/p>\n
1. The same question arises again in Malachi’s day – Malachi 3:14<\/p>\n
2. God answers that it is because their fasts don’t make them better people<\/p>\n
a. They were going after their own desires and abusing their workers<\/p>\n b. Just as those in Malachi’s day concluded that sinning was better –\nMalachi 3:15\n 3. When God set up the Day of Atonement, it included a fast – Leviticus\n16:29-31\n
a. It should have been a time of humility and rejecting sin.<\/p>\n
b. Instead they were violent and fought – Isaiah 58:4<\/p>\n
c. Proving that they really weren’t interested in having God hear them<\/p>\n
4. God doesn’t heed the wicked – Psalms 66:18<\/p>\n D. There was only one fast in the Law of Moses, but Israel thought that if one was\ngood, more would be better\n 1. But their fasts were not being done according to God’s directions – Isaiah\n58:5\n
2. Just who were these fasts being done for? – Zechariah 7:5<\/p>\n
a. Fasting or not, they were living for themselves – Zechariah 7:6<\/p>\n
b. They were doing it to appear religious – Matthew 6:16-18<\/p>\n
E. What God wanted were righteous acts – Isaiah 58:6-7<\/p>\n
1. A fast from sin, if you will<\/p>\n
2. And a time to undo the effects of sin on people’s lives<\/p>\n
F. Then they would be righteous and God would listen to their prayers – Isaiah 58:8-9<\/p>\n
1. Quickly heard – Isaiah 65:24<\/p>\n
2. God listens to the righteous – Proverbs 15:29<\/p>\n
G. If they just did as God said, they would shine – Isaiah 58:10<\/p>\n
1. Generosity leads to increase – Proverbs 11:24<\/p>\n
2. It gives stability to life – Psalms 112:5-9<\/p>\n
H. God will get involved in their lives – Isaiah 58:11<\/p>\n
1. Life will return – Isaiah 41:17-20<\/p>\n
2. Those who fear God have no wants – Psalms 34:9<\/p>\n
I. Things will be restored – Isaiah 58:12<\/p>\n
1. Because sin has been forgiven – Ezekiel 36:33-36<\/p>\n 2. This was quoted by James as proof that God would save the Gentiles –\nActs 15:16-18\n
J. No longer follow your own desires – Isaiah 58:13<\/p>\n
1. Israel spent too much time doing as she pleased – Jeremiah 17:21-27<\/p>\n
K. Instead, take delight in God and He will raise you up – Isaiah 58:14<\/p>\n
1. Isaiah 33:14-17<\/p>\n
III. The idea that people can make God listen through rituals and suffering continues today<\/p>\n A. Many denominations focus on ritual deeds, giving up marriage, or avoiding foods\nthinking these will make them more holy\n
1. Yet, in life they practice sin – I Timothy 4:1-3<\/p>\n B. It is not uncommon to receive a note: “I’ve prayed and fasted for seven days! Why\ndoesn’t God answer my prayer?”\n
C. It is sin that is the barrier between us and God – Isaiah 59:1-2<\/p>\n
1. Sin isn’t cancelled by rituals or by suffering<\/p>\n
2. It took Jesus’ death to pay for our sins<\/p>\n
3. It requires us to give up our desires to live for God – Galatians 2:20<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 58:1-14 I. Men get into their minds that they need to make God listen to them A. Like a child holding his breath, they believe that if they suffer, then God will listen B. There were false religions based on self-inflicted pain to gain their god’s attention – I Kings 18:28-29…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[545,1510,440,1599,179],"class_list":["post-53359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-fasting","tag-prayers","tag-rituals","tag-roman-catholic-church","tag-sin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":68815,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/church-and-state\/","url_meta":{"origin":53359,"position":0},"title":"Church and State","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The Problem Enforcement of Religion Worldliness Rituals","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20044,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-proper-to-have-rituals-such-as-masses-for-those-who-died\/","url_meta":{"origin":53359,"position":1},"title":"Is it proper to have rituals, such as masses, for those who died?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 28, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a handful of questions about the dead. Is it okay to have masses for the dead? My uncle just past away a few days ago and as relatives, we have to attend the funeral wake for several days. What does the Bible say about people who have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69530,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/church-and-state-rituals\/","url_meta":{"origin":53359,"position":2},"title":"Church and State: Rituals","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 31, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Mark 7:1-8 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In a world where being born in a region determined your religious faith, the Christian approach was novel \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Christians taught a message from God to bring people into the church - Mark 16:20 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It wasn\u2019t just taking people at their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37861,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/god-and-the-concept-of-patterns\/","url_meta":{"origin":53359,"position":3},"title":"God and the Concept of Patterns","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer The nature of typology shows that God is a God of patterns. Without even going through a process of trying to \"establish\" authority, God shows through His overall record that He is a God of patterns. This is evident right from the beginning when God made a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":48444,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jeremiahs-belt\/","url_meta":{"origin":53359,"position":4},"title":"Jeremiah’s Belt","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 13:1-7 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Bible is filled with interesting small stories \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One time God told Jeremiah to buy a linen belt to wear. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Later he was told to put the linen belt in a rocky crevice near the Euphrates river \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Still later he was told to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":93131,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-old-law-unintentional-sins-and-the-christian\/","url_meta":{"origin":53359,"position":5},"title":"The Old Law, Unintentional Sins, and the Christian","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Timothy D. 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