“Hear the Word of God and Do It” (Luke 11:27-44)

The Lord differentiates between false and true religion. False religion produces no holiness of actions, it denies the obvious sign of Jesus' supremacy, and it makes up rules that God hasn't, while rejecting faith and love.

First, you're blessed with Mary, if you obey God, so that obedience matters more than anything. We read, “A certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You! But He said, More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28).  Mary, like you, stands in Jesus Christ, the obedient One. He is the unique One who shall be praised for who He is and what He's done, revealing the character of God in saving sinners in justice and mercy. He is the One that we believe in, and He is the One that we honor. This righteousness is God's gift, and it is the evidence that we are blessed. Not because or anything else, but by our relationship to God through the Son whom we believe obeyed for us, whom we believe that we honor with our life.

Secondly, Jesus is God's prophet, greater than all, and He must be received (Luke 11:29-32).   He says, “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here” (Luke 11:32). Examine His words & deeds. You'll find no fault in Him, because He's the Son of God, worthy of worship. He died and rose again, giving all evidence that He's the Christ, fulfilling scripture.

He has proven the judgment of God is just, and all who reject him disregard God's greatest sign – Jesus' resurrection - and shall be judged as guilty of deliberate unbelief.

Thirdly, human rules are not the glory of God, and we're not bound by human religion (Luke 11:37-41). We read,“And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in & sat down to eat. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and the dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness”. The rule of Christ, which is the law of temperance, we follow (1 Cor 9:19-23). But the self-righteous pretend holiness of men is not our rule. We practice what the bible alone teaches and nothing forbids us to enjoy all things lawful in temperance, thankfulness, and pleasure, fearing and honoring God in the deed. God's word teaches faith and love, not “touch not, taste not, handle not” (Col 2:21-22).