Pastor Barry's  Chapter & Verse"  Day 350

December 16;      Mark 12:24;      40/260;      ‘Men’s Words, Not God’s’

Mark 12:24 Jesus replied, "Your problem is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God.      NLT

The religious leaders were asking Jesus questions, trying to catch Him in what He said.  Obviously they couldn’t.  Jesus’ responses ‘stopped them dead in their tracks.’  These religious leaders had taught their religious traditions for so long that they believed that these ideas of men were the truth.  Then the Lord Jesus described religion.  Religion does not know the scriptures, nor does it care to know the scriptures, because religion is more interested in the man made rules it draws up.  Often these rules of men are written to benefit certain groups (usually the men) at the expense of others (usually women).  Religious teachings can be cruel and are a tool of the devil to enslave people.  The devil also uses religion to turn people off.  They want nothing to do with a god whose teachings are often confusing and mean spirited.  Neither does religion know the power of God, because it does not know the Lord, the Originator of that power.  God’s power flows out of our knowledge of the truth, the Word of God.  Since religious traditions are not based on the Word of God, the Lord cannot and does not validate it with power.  The Lord’s power flows through us when we know Him by the Word and receive the power of the Holy Spirit which He supplies to us.  Religion is man endeavoring to earn heaven by his or her actions.  That is not biblical and the results are tragic.  Salvation is what we are freely given when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  The Word of God, the scriptures, are for our protection and to save us and bless our lives with wisdom and power for ourselves and to set the lost free.