Religious words. Here's another one, religious words. This is the one you find around the church, religious words. It's found in Matthew, Chapter 15, Verse 8. These people honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. You say whoa! We would never do that! We're in a Pentecostal - we're actually in Bay City. Listen, any time you stand there, and you're just mouthing some words, but your heart and your mind and everything is far away, there are empty words. Don't think they don't do something. The only kind of words that build an atmosphere that brings the presence of God, is words that come from a heart that's engaged, and actually really authentically wants to love God, and express to Him something, and He comes to those words. The other, He says, they're religious words. He said Pharisees are like that. He said the Pharisees talk, but they don't do. That's why you'll get stirred periodically in church to get out of just being half-hearted. Half-hearted means you're saying the words, and going through the motions, but your heart isn't in it. That is empty words, and they don't release life. They release death. They actually reinforce a heavy spirit over the whole congregation. That's why we stir people to be very expressive physically, and with words. Why? Because it totally shifts the atmosphere, by putting something with life into it.
Empty words won't do that. Empty praise will not bring about the presence of God. Don't think that just because you sing a few songs, God has to come. He doesn't at all. He comes where there's faith, and a heart that loves Him, and will engage Him. So engaging God is what counts, not just having a service, and so you get these palavery oh well, the Lord bless you. You think, oh! Actually, religious words make me sick. I just actually feel sick inside, because they're sweet to the point of being sick, because they're not authentic, and they turn you off, and not only that, if you're an unsaved person well, you've got every right to be turned off. I'm turned off by them! I can't stand them, because they're insincere. There's no life in them. They don't carry life, they carry a religious spirit, which brings death. Oh brother, we're praying for you. Just do it - don't tell me about it!
You start to listen around, boy, you'll just be amazed how much of this religious talk goes on, and it's just words which are not sincere, words which the person's heart isn't engaged in. That's all it is, and Jesus said we're called to account for empty words. Don't speak empty words. They don't bring about life. They bring about death - empty, religious words. Whoa! We're getting all quiet now. Here's another one, empty words: lame excuses. Ever heard the old lame excuse? Someone gives you an excuse, and you think oh God, that one's so lame it can't even stand up on its feet. [Laughter] Kids give all these excuses, why they didn't get their homework done, and why they didn't get their room done, didn't do the dishes, didn't do this, didn't do that. You think oh God, give me a break. Basically, you're just not being responsible for your behaviour, and you're covering it with these empty words. They don't mean a thing.
Saul did that, had empty words, you know, empty words. He failed to do what God said, and then he said oh, I'm so sorry. Yeah, right! How do we know yeah, right? Because a few minutes later, he was saying look, I'm really sorry, but could you come and honour me in front of all the people, because that's what I'm really concerned about? He wasn't concerned about God. It was empty words. It sounded religious and good - oh, I'm sorry, I have sinned against the Lord. But listen, just so that it looks good in front of all the people, could you make sure you come over here and pray with me? Come on, this is the kind of nonsense. This is the sort of stuff that people get offended with, and God gets offended with it. He took away the guy's role because of that.