When I was a kid, I loved the game Simon Says. If Simon says, “Pat your head,” you pat your head. If Simon says, “Touch your nose,” you touch your nose. But if somebody just says, “Elbow your neighbor,” and you do it, you’re out. There’s no more Simon Says left for you after that.
I was always the guy who would miss it. I always thought, “I’m so detail-oriented. This game is for me.” Then all of a sudden, I’d find myself elbowing my neighbor. How many of you hate it when you’re wrong?
In second grade, my teacher asked us to write something we love to do and draw a picture of it, and she hung them up in the classroom all year long. Second-grade David wrote, “I love exercise.” I know, you can hardly believe it. A few days later, one of my classmates said, “Hey, you misspelled exercise.” I put too many C’s in there, and I had to sit there and look at my mistake for an entire year.
If a 45-year-old man can remember a mistake he made at age seven, something as simple as a misspelled word, how many of you know there’s power in knowing right from wrong? It may sound crazy, but I’m going to tie all of this together under the simple illustration of Simon Says.
We are in a war, and we win
This is the last part of a series we’ve called War. I almost didn’t name it that, because I wondered if it was too serious. But this can be one of the most life-giving series we’ve ever had at Rise Church, because we are in a war, and we win. If you’re in Jesus, you’ve already won.
We don’t have anything to fear, but we’re learning about the tactics and schemes of the enemy, because he is trying to get to us. Even those of us who follow Christ are still a target. But our theme verse tells us we can stand firm:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:10-12 (NIV)
The scheme called religion
The final scheme I want to unpack is religion. It’s the tactic the enemy uses to make us religious in our thinking.
Religion is a set of beliefs that a group of people rally around, usually with some eternal purpose involved. The problem is not that Christianity is a religion. Of course it is. The problem is that many Christians don’t understand the difference between what we believe and what other religions believe. We have a direct relationship with God through Jesus Christ. What He did for us on the cross gives us access to more than a religion. We get to have a relationship.
I think a lot of Christians are deceived about this, because they’re choosing to depend on the wrong things instead of depending on Jesus. In the worst cases, people call themselves Christians and wear it like a badge or a label, but they’re not saved. They’re not walking daily in the way of Jesus, and they’ve not trusted Him to make Him Lord. That’s what it takes. It’s not just saying, “I’m a Christian.” It’s putting your full faith and your full trust in Jesus and letting Him take full control of your life.
So the spirit I’m talking about is the spirit of religion: someone knows to believe, but they don’t choose to walk in that belief every day. People think they’re alive and well, but they’re actually dead on the inside. On the outside, they’re putting themselves together in all the right ways, but they’re not putting their full trust in God.
In Simon Says, one slip-up and you’re out, and somebody is always watching you. Sometimes that happens in life too. Somebody will judge your life, and the moment you slip up, they’ll say, “See, I knew that Jesus stuff wasn’t real in your life.” That is a spirit, and it’s evil. The worst thing you could do is judge that person back. Love them and show them that you really do know Jesus.
The Bible has a Simon too
The Bible has a Simon too. He was a Pharisee named Simon, and he dealt with this exact problem. He had a religious heart, poisoned by his own pride, haughtiness, and selfish thinking. You’ll meet him in Luke 7:
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” Luke 7:36-39 (NLT)
What she did was one of the most beautiful scenes of honor you could imagine. She broke some conventions of the day in order to honor Jesus. And I love that the New Living Translation puts an exclamation mark at the end of Simon’s thought. Can you hear the judgment in his voice? That is religion talking.
Simon was seated at the same table as Jesus, and those two men looked at this woman completely differently. Simon looked down on her. He was monitoring her every move and judging her behavior. And yet he thought he was winning the game. Jesus was at his table. He was following all the rules, he invited the right guest, and this woman was doing everything wrong.
What religion says
The spirit of religion often has a lot to say. Religion says things like this:
“I believe in God, and that’s enough fire insurance for me.” Do you know anybody like this? They believe in God, but there’s no other fruit in their lives that shows they’re following Jesus. I looked this up: 63% of Tennesseans went to church every single week growing up. Today that number is 36%. I know church attendance isn’t everything, but I think we start to see some things missing in our own walk with the Lord.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. James 2:19 (NIV)
So yes, you believe in God. Satan also believes. But what about what Jesus did for you?
“If I learn enough about God, then I can know Him.” You do not have to wait to start a relationship with God. There’s nothing you can do or learn in order to have one. You have to believe. It’s very simple.
“I need to do good in order to be good.” That’s the person who thinks, “I did something bad three months ago, so now I’ve done five good things to offset that sin.” Nope. That’s legalistic thinking.
“At least I’m better than they are.” Maybe you don’t say it out loud, but something clicks in your brain for a few seconds, and you have to take that thought captive.
The last one is “I’ve got this.” The vast majority of people I talk to who say “I’ve got this” are Christians. I’ll talk to somebody at the gas station or the grocery store who is far from God, and they’ll say, “Man, I ain’t got this.” Then you talk to a Christian, and they say, “I’ve got this.” We should be the ones saying every day, “Jesus, take the wheel. I ain’t got this.” You can’t save yourself. Nothing in religion is going to lead you to being saved.
Even entire churches
I want to say something strong, and I hope you hear my heart: there are even entire churches caught up in a spirit of religion. That’s how much it can affect us, and I’ll use the word infect us.
Churches like that say things like, “We’ve always done it this way.” Is tradition more important than God? They say, “Everybody knows how to find us. If they wanted to be here, they’d be here.” How about compelling them to come in? They say, “I don’t know why they wore that to church today.” At Rise, our dress code is real basic: wear some clothes. They say, “Me share the gospel with somebody? That’s the pastor’s job.” The pastor’s job is to equip the saints for the works of ministry, so if I do my job well, you’re sharing your faith. And then there’s, “Our maroon carpet is just fine.” Some of y’all got delivered from that same church!
These churches are like the fruit basket on my grandma’s table. It looks real, but don’t dare bite into it. It’s plastic. There’s nothing on the inside but air.
I’m not attacking the body of Christ. We all need correction, and we all need help from Jesus to grow closer to Him. But we heed the warning Jesus gave to the church in Sardis, one of the seven churches He wrote to in Revelation 2 and 3:
“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” Revelation 3:1 (NIV)
Jesus can see the outside behavior that looks godly. People look at that church and think it’s so alive. Then Jesus drops the truth bomb: you’re actually dead. Come on, Rise Church. Let’s not be the people who die before we get there. Let’s be the church that’s alive in Jesus Christ and gives Him our whole lives.
From Simon thinks to Jesus says
Simon wasn’t saying anything out loud. He was thinking something. But Jesus saw his thoughts, and the game went from Simon thinks to Jesus says:
Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied. Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. Luke 7:40-43 (NLT)
I love Jesus so much because He has forgiven so much in my life. This parable shows where Jesus was leading Simon, to the love and forgiveness that can only come through Jesus.
Religion, much like Simon judging this woman, will try to tell you how much you messed up, how you can’t get it right, and how you’re never going to measure up. Maybe that voice came from a parent, or even a church leader. Jesus came to reject all of that in your life. I know that because of what He did next:
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.” Luke 7:44-46 (NLT)
Jesus is basically saying, “Simon, if you want to keep score, let Me tell you what the scoreboard actually says.” Simon was so caught up in himself that he missed Jesus right in front of him. That can happen to any one of us. I’m not immune to it, and no one is.
Notice what Jesus called Simon out on. It wasn’t something Simon did. It was what he didn’t do. He didn’t honor Jesus. And he dishonored the one Jesus loves. You would almost rather take an attack yourself than have somebody attack your kids. Simon had that better-than spirit, looking down on somebody instead of up. This woman was worshiping Jesus, and he was judging her. If that’s not a picture of religion, I don’t know what is.
That’s a dead religion. It will leave you exhausted and ashamed. It will make you feel powerful, but it will leave you powerless:
They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. 2 Timothy 3:5a (NLT)
People feel powerful by judging somebody else and puffing themselves up with pride. But they’re stripping themselves of the power that can only come from God Almighty.
You can’t assume
I’ve started asking people more directly than I ever have in 25 years of ministry. If somebody says, “I believe in God, and I go to this church over here,” that doesn’t tell you where they are with Jesus. So I break it down with people, and I realize some of them are wearing the badge of Christian. They’ll say, “I’ve been in church all my life.”
And I’ll ask, “What has Jesus done for you? Have you received His forgiveness? Have you made Him Lord of your life? Does He lead your life, or are you leading your life?”
If you believe in God but you’re leading your own life, you are your own god. That’s the religion of me, and it’s the most toxic and dangerous one. God will let you build great businesses and be a great father. You can even be in harmony with God’s people emotionally, but you’re not spiritually if you haven’t made Jesus Lord of your life.
So how do we become alive in Christ? We don’t find it in Simon. It’s in the woman at Jesus’ feet.
Love Him because He loved you first
The first thing I see in her is her love for Jesus. She shows us that you get to love Him because He loved you first.
Religion would say, “I need to do good to be good.” But in a relationship with Jesus, I do good because He’s been so good to me. That doesn’t mean you’re perfect. It means you have somebody you can go to when you do mess up.
Religion would say, “At least I’m better than they are.” But relationship says, “I need Jesus as much as anybody else.” We are a church full of people who need Jesus as much as you do. If you don’t know Him yet, we want to show you the way to Him. After that, it’s you and Him, and that’s the best part of all. I’m a pastor, but your relationship with God doesn’t come through me. It’s direct.
Jesus said to Simon:
“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Luke 7:47 (NLT)
People who aren’t recognizing the forgiveness of God in their lives aren’t showing Jesus the love He deserves. If even one sin in our lives gets forgiven, we go from death to life.
This is the proof that Jesus loved her, and it’s the same proof of how He loves you: His forgiveness. He died for you before you ever chose Him. You do have to choose Him and receive this for yourself, but no matter how much forgiveness you need, His love will cover it. You could have a mountain of sin piled up, and Jesus can forgive it. In fact, He wants to take that load off your life. Let Jesus in. Let Him cover it.
We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (NKJV)
When we receive that love, we receive life:
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)
Make Him Lord of your life
The second thing I see in this woman kneeling at His feet is that she made Jesus Lord of her life. Some of you might need to do that for the first time. Some of you who knew Him once might need to make Him Lord of your life again. He’s still looking for you. He still loves you, and He’s still ready to forgive.
Religion would say, “I believe in God, and that’s enough fire insurance for me.” But relationship says, “Jesus is my Lord.” Religion says, “If I learn enough about God, then I can know Him.” Relationship says, “I know Him.” Theology and doctrine are fantastic, and we want to keep learning. But never mistake the idea that you need to learn something about Him in order to know Him. To know Him, say yes to Jesus.
Think about the thief on the cross. He said, “When you come into your kingdom, would you remember me?” And the man on the middle cross said, “This day you’ll be with Me in paradise.” That man had zero theology. He wasn’t a member of a church, and he never once served on the Dream Team. He stole from people up to the last moment of his life. But he recognized that the man on the middle cross had something he needed. If the thief on the other cross can get in through the man on the middle cross, we can trust God too.
That’s why I love baptism. It’s a perfect picture of what happens when we let Jesus forgive us. Our old way is buried, and when we come up out of that water, we celebrate going public with our faith and coming to new life in Him. If it were up to us, we’d stay buried. But thank God He came to set us free.
One of the most important things Jesus ever said to this woman was this:
Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:48 (NLT)
If you go to God and accept His forgiveness, He will forgive your sins. The only way she could have loved Jesus the way she did is that she had made Him Lord of her life, and her actions prove it. There’s only one who has the authority to be Lord of your life, and that’s Jesus:
But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. Mark 2:10a (NIV)
Right before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed for you and me:
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3 (NIV)
The whole point of Jesus going to the cross was for you and for me. How dare we bring religion into it, that toxic, judgmental, works-based thinking, when we have eternal life in Jesus?
We were on vacation recently, and I met a man, a very accomplished tech guy. Our conversation turned to faith, and I could tell I needed to ask him the deeper question. I asked him, “Is Jesus Lord of your life?”
He looked at me and said, “Why would I need to do that? I don’t really need that. I’ve built everything I’ve needed in my life.”
If I had asked him at the beginning of the conversation whether he was a Christian, he would have absolutely said yes. And yet he was so comfortable with everything he had built that he was willing to say he didn’t need Jesus. I hope seeds were planted. But it showed me how big a problem this is, people thinking they can take care of themselves. If eternal life is not enough, I don’t know how else to say it.
Walk in His peace every day
Some of you are walking around troubled right now. One of the best promises we have is that you get to walk in His peace every day. Jesus calmed the storm by saying, “Peace, be still,” and if there’s a storm in your life, He wants to speak that over you.
But if you’re in the religious way of thinking and saying, “I’ve got this,” you won’t find that peace. You can’t produce it for yourself. Relationship says, “I don’t got this. Jesus, take the wheel.” Even if I don’t got this, I know someone who does, and His name is Jesus.
Eternal life should be enough. But we don’t have to merely survive this life. I love the last thing Jesus said to the woman:
And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:50 (NLT)
Jesus is saying, “You’re saved,” and that lets you walk through life in total peace, starting right now. If you’ve ever known God but you’ve gotten stuck in religious thinking, go back to the place where you first experienced His peace, where you first made Him Lord. Get out of that religious mindset that leads to nothing but emptiness and death, and receive the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ all over again. He loves you. He never stopped.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)
That’s an invitation, not from a pastor, but from a Savior who can back up that promise. If you’ve never known Him, come to Him. If you knew Him once, come back.
Remember the church Jesus warned about in Revelation? There’s hope in that same letter:
Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. Revelation 3:4-5 (NIV)
God always finds His faithful few. Come on, Rise Church, let’s be that faithful few, passionately in love with Jesus and walking in His peace every day.
You don’t have to. You get to.
All it takes to move from Simon’s high and lofty position is to get out of that chair and sit at the feet of Jesus. We don’t have to. We get to. It’s not a duty. It’s a delight. It’s the joy of our lives to live for Him.
The Bible is so simple. If you declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, you’re saved (Romans 10:9-10). If you’re ready to say yes to Jesus, pray this with me:
“Lord Jesus, thank You for saving me. Today, I make You Lord. Take over. I’m Yours. My way didn’t work. I trust Your way from here on out. Thank You for what You did for me on that cross. Thank You that You were raised to new life so I could be too. I receive that new life today and walk forward in confident faith. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, we would love to help you take your next step. Visit rise.church to let us know.
