INTRODUCTION:
A. HOMEMADE ARTICLES ARE NOT ALWAYS THE BEST
1. A wise pastry cook once advertised, "Pies just
like your mother made -- $5.00 each. Pies
just like your mother -THINKS-
she used to make -- $10.00 each."
2. My wife and my mother are both talented with
a sewing machine, but some are not so blessed.
3. I've seen people wearing homemade clothing that
they were obviously embarrassed to wear.
4. The quality of homemade goods is not always perfect
and in many cases is not as good as
regular store-bought goods.
B. MUCH OF WHAT IS HOMEMADE IS MEDIOCRE
1. In many things, it is OK to settle for mediocre.
2. If your wife puts a mediocre meatloaf in front
of you,
it's always best to just
smile and eat it.
3. On the other hand, there are some things where
it would be a tragedy to settle for mediocre.
4. Would you want a backyard brain surgery performed
on you?
5. Would you want homemade brakes on your car?
6. Would you want to wear homemade contact lenses?
C. HOMEMADE RELIGION IS MEDIOCRE
1. The faith that is based on a homemade religion
is mediocre at best.
2. It will turn out to be a poor, low-quality substitute
for the real thing.
I. WHAT IS HOMEMADE RELIGION?
A. IT IS A RELIGION MADE OF SPARE PARTS
1. It's a kind of faith that is not based solely
on God's Word but on a mixture of many
different sources (something
like taking spare parts from other religions to build your own).
2. It mixes and matches things just like a bad homemade
recipe.
3. There are some elements of pure religion in the
one that is homemade.
4. But it is mostly made up of personal likes and
dislikes.
5. It is based on whatever is comfortable or whatever
is convenient for the moment.
6. It never asks "WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?" or "What
would Jesus have me do?"
7. The guiding question is always, "How can I be
more comfortable and cozy?"
B. MICAH HAD A HOMEMADE RELIGION (Judges 17)
1. Micah built a chapel right at his own house.
2. He wanted his church to be comfortable and convenient.
3. Micah did that which "was right in his own eyes."
(Judges 17:6)
4. He wanted a church that would be easy -FOR- him
and easy -ON- him.
C. THE DETAILS OF MICAH'S TABERNACLE
1. Micah stold 1100 pieces of silver from his mother
to build his church.
2. When she threatened a curse on whoever the thief
was, he admitted to the crime.
3. She had mercy on him and gave him enough money
to do as he pleased.
4. So Micah made his own little religion.
5. It was probably just like the one down the road
at Shiloh, but it was more convenient.
a. He chose one of his own
sons to be the priest.
b. He made a molten and
graven image which evidently was meant to be a cheap replica
of the Ark of the Covenant which was just down the road at Shiloh.
c. The high priest at the
Ark of the Covenant, down the road, wore a special garment
called an ephod; so, when Micah ordained his own son to be his priest he
made him
a similar garment.
D. MICAH'S MIXTURE OF ERROR
1. Micah's CHAPEL was similar to the one down the
road at Shiloh.
2. Micah's RELIGION was similar to the one down
the road at Shiloh.
3. However, Micah also had something that was not
like anything at Shiloh.
4. Micah had also included the "teraphim" or the
household gods. (Judges 17:5)
5. Like most homemade religions, Micah's had truth
mixed with error.
6. But, it was "right in his own eyes." (v.6)
7. Everything seemed just right to Micah, especially
when he considered the comfort
and convenience of his religion.
II. HOMEMADE RELIGION IS
A POOR SUBSTITUTE
A. IMITATION ELEMENTS AND IMITATION CONVICTIONS
1. Micah's religion was handy and convenient, but
it was all imitation and phony.
2. The Ark of the Covenant in the real tabernacle
was made of pure gold, but Micah's was
made of silver, iron, and
anything else that he could find laying around.
3. It was a poor imitation made out of second-rate
materials.
4. Just like a used paper hat, it wasn't going to
last for long.
5. It wouldn't last for Micah personally, and it
sure wouldn't last for his family.
6. It would not have a lasting influence on anyone.
B. HAVE YOU BUILT A HOMEMADE RELIGION FOR YOURSELF?
1. Have you avoided conviction and study while settling
for imitation and phony?
2. Micah built his own faith by borrowing ideas
from others.
3. It turned out to be worthless.
4. Very little in the way of religion that you pick
up from others (as compared to what you pick
up from God's Word) is authentic.
5. It may be comfortable and convenient, but there
will be no conviction or commitment.
6. It won't last through the storms! (Matthew 7:24-27)
C. DO YOU WORSHIP A SECOND-RATE IMITATION?
1. Micah's little chapel looked fine on the surface
but a closer look revealed it was just a
second-rate copy of the
real thing.
2. His faith featured a counterfeit priest, with
an unauthorized ordination.
3. Many homemade religions feature a counterfeit
Jesus as their Great High Priest.
4. It's not the Jesus of the Bible. (2Cor
11:4)
5. Their Jesus is merely a false idol fashioned
out of whatever was handy at the time.
6. Their's is what the Apostle Paul refers to as
"another Jesus" or a different Jesus. (2Cor 11:4)
7. Micah's priest wasn't even a Levite.
8. Their Jesus isn't even Lord!
9. He is not allowed to rule their lives!
10. His Word has no place in their homes except perhaps as a
book to take up space on a shelf!
11. The True and Living God will convict, challenge, and chasten
you!
12. True religion is not always comfortable, cozy, and convenient.
III. THE ELEMENTS OF
HOMEMADE
RELIGION
A. HOMEMADE RELIGION IS SELF-SEEKING
1. Micah did not perceive that he was doing anything
wrong.
2. It didn't bother him to even steal from his own
mother in order to start his religion.
3. Those with homemade religions are seeking selfish
gain and don't care about others.
4. They don't care who they step on in order climb
their self-made ladder to God.
5. They come up with all kinds of strange doctrines.
6. I've heard deluded souls even say that it doesn't
matter what you believe as long as you
believe in something.
7. The Bible teaches us that Scripture is our only
authority.
2Tim 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works.
B. HOMEMADE RELIGION IS SELF-RIGHTEOUS
1. Micah was concerned that his priest was not proper.
2. He had appointed his own son to be priest but
his son was not of the priestly tribe of Levi.
3. Micah felt that everything would be just right
if he only had a priest from the correct tribe.
4. The truth is, everything would be right in Micah's
eyes, but it would never be right with God.
5. Micah was fooling himself.
6. He had replaced God's righteousness with his
own self-righteousness.
7. Judges 17:7-13 tells of a "real" priest who passed
by Micah's house.
8. Micah offered him the pastorate for ten pieces
of silver a year, and a place to stay.
9. The young man was happy to accept and Micah thought
everything was perfect. (v.13)
10. Micah was only concerned with how he looked to himself and
to those around him.
11. He hadn't asked God what God wanted or expected from Micah.
12. Micah only "did that which was right in his own eyes." (Judges
17:6)
13. How about you, are you only concerned with how you look
to yourself and to others?
14. Do you only do that which is right in your own eyes, or
are you concerned with what
is right in God's eyes?
C. HOMEMADE RELIGION DOESN'T LAST
1. Judges chapter 18 tells of a wandering tribe
of Danites who discovered Micah's chapel.
2. They stold his priest and all the furnishings
of the chapel.
3. Micah called the local militia and pursued the
Danite warriors, but when they caught up with
them they frightened Micah
and he quickly returned home.
4. When the devil attacks those with homemade religions,
they call on the world just like
Micah did.
5. But, the arm of flesh and its carnal weapons
will fail them. (Eph 6:10-16)
6. Without the God of the Bible, they have no hope.
(2Cor 10:4-6)
7. Homemade religions don't have the power to prevent
being robbed by the enemy!
8. Homemade religions get defeated, robbed, and
looted by the forces of evil.
9. They don't produce any lasting results.
10. Even when there is growth, it is only temporary. It
doesn't last.
CONCLUSION:
1. Everything Micah did in establishing his homemade religion was unnecessary.
2. The real thing was just down the road at Shiloh all the time!
3. He had a fair imitation of the real thing.
4. He had all the trimmings, even if they were imitation and phony.
5. Sometimes people adopt a fair imitation of Christianity.
6. They include some of the trimmings of the real thing, but
it is a self-manufactured faith that
is not based on the Word of God.
7. The sad part is, Jesus is there knocking at the door of their heart
all the time they are
constructing their homemade religion.
8. Everything they do in establishing their homemade religion is unnecessary.
7. Acts 4:12 says, "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there
is no other name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."