Gospel vs Religion

Yesterday, Sunday 8.28.11, Pastor Bruce Frank of Biltmore Baptist Church taught a sermon on the difference between being of the gospel vs being of religion. Something so many Christians get confused.

He started by introducing the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector from the book of Luke. (Luke 18: 9-14)

Two men, a pharisee and a tax collector, both went into the temple to pray.

The Pharisee prayed to himself "I am thankful I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all i have."v11-12
--Its as if the Pharisee is saying, wow God you really did a good job when you created me. Well done. Bragging upon himself while loudly and obviously putting down on others around him who cannot do the things he does. (specifically the tax collector)

The Tax Collector prayed to God "God, have Mercy on me, the sinner." v13
--How humble of the tax collector to openly admit his thoughts and raised his mercies up to God.

verse 14 gos on to say "I tell you that this man (the tax collector) rather than the other (the Pharisee), went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
--Being justified means, through Christ God makes you Righteous (clean, blameless). You are more than forgiven. You have His mercy. Through the Gospel the tax collector understood this. (2 Cor 5:21)

RELIGION-I obey so I'm accepted.

GOSPEL-I'm accepted, so I will obey.

Obeying simply because you feel like you have too to gain acceptance completely defeats the purpose. When you truly obey, you do it whole heartily. Not because you are trying to gain acceptance, but because you know you already have it!

NO matter how many things/deeds we do God can never love us more, and he can never love us less! Being a Christian needs to revert back to being more about the Gospel than about Religion. You are already accepted, you do not have to do ANYTHING to gain it!

So how do we come more about Gospel than Religion???
1-Stop comparing yourself to others.
2-Humble Yourself.
Be OK with being overlooked
Serve Someone

I pray that i don't fall any harder into the "obey because I have to" mode. I need the mindset of I "obey because I want to". we are all guilty of this in some form or the other! I pray that you revert for the gospel and obey because you are accepted, not because you want to be!