1. The Religion of the Samaritans 2 Kings 17:24-41

2. Israel carried away captive by Assyria ( 2 Kn. 17:5-6 ) Samaria was resettled with captives from Babylon, etc. ( 17:24 ) They brought with them their gods. The LORD sent lions in the land They consulted to determine “the rituals of the God of the land” ( 27 )

3. They appointed priests for the high places from every class of people, ( 2 Kn. 17:32 ) But they served their own gods ( 17:33-34 )

4. “However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals. So these nations feared the L ORD, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.” ( 40-41 )

5. A religion of fear At first they did not fear ( 2 Kn. 17:25 ), until they faced consequences They did fear the retribution of the Lord – 32-33, 41 In following their idols they did NOT fear Him – 34-40

6. A religion of fear FEAR is where our faith begins Psalm 111:10, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Prov. 1:7, 9:10 Realizing our sinful condition ought to provoke fear 2 Cor. 5:10, Heb. 10:31; Matt. 10:28

7. A religion of fear FEAR should not paralyze us! It ought to provoke a response. Cf. Acts 16:29-30, Prov. 19:23, “The fear of the L ORD leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.”

8. A religion of fear Proper FEAR leads to obedience Eccl. 12:13-14 Phil. 2:12 2 Cor. 7:1, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

9. A religion of fear Proper FEAR keeps us faithful Heb. 4:1 1 Pet. 1:17, “And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;”

10. A religion of fear Perfect faith – not FEAR but reverence Fear and reverence are related. Terror vs. respect Heb. 12:28, 2 Tim. 1:7 1 John 4:18-19

11. A religion of ritual “They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods” ( 17:22- 23 ) Rituals, without the heart!

12. A religion of ritual Can we be guilty of this? How we worship and serve IS important But so is our attitude, Matt. 15:7-9 Psa. 138:1 “I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You.”

13. A religion of ritual Every act of worship involves the heart Col. 3:16 – singing 2 Cor. 9:7 – giving 1 Cor. 11:27-29 – Lord’s Supper James 5:16 – prayer Ac. 10:33 - preaching

14. A religion of compromise They worshipped their own gods ( 29-33 ) and sought the favor of the Lord at the same time.

15. A religion of compromise We are living in a time of compromise Many want to serve God and the world – Matt. 6:24, Jas. 4:4 Others seek compatibility with all religions Some brethren compromise God’s word for sake of unity

16. A religion of compromise God NEVER accepts compromise! He has always been very specific as to how He is worshipped Deut. 6:4-5, 14 Jeremiah 25:6 Matt. 4:10 Gal. 1:6-9 1 Cor. 10:14-22

17. Are we standing true to God’s word?