Services | Tradition Verses Commandment

Bulletin

Hymn # 33 “To God Be the Glory”

SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 24:7 - 10
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate

Praise and Worship
“Resurrection Power”
“Echo Holy”
“Great I Am”

Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Tradition Verses Commandment”


PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“This Is Amazing Grace”


Acknowledgements and Announcements

Sermon Notes
Mark 7:1 - 4 Pharisees observing traditions
Mark 7:5 Pharisees and scribes criticize Jesus’ disciples for not following tradition of washing
Mark 7:6 – 8 Jesus states that prophesy has been fulfilled
Mark 7:9 – 13 Jesus gives examples how they have set aside God’s word for their traditions
Mark 7:14 & 15 Jesus teaches the crowd what defiles a person
Mark 7:17 – 23 Disciples do not understand so Jesus teaches them further on it is what comes out of you not what goes into you

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Scritpures

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Transcript of Service

The religious authorities, the religious leaders were criticizing Jesus' disciples because they didn't ceremonially wash their hands.

Jesus will later teach that it's not the amount of dirt or lack of dirt that are on your hands that makes you clean or unclean, but instead what you do with your hands determines whether you're clean or unclean. Let's see what Jesus
(Music)
A lot of other people have tradition and don't know that they have tradition. Some people hold fast to tradition and some people want to avoid any kind of tradition whatsoever. I find that tradition can be helpful when tradition is helpful and should be avoided when it's not. I'll give you a couple of examples in my life. One tradition that we did do that no longer do because of circumstances.

When my wife and I married, we didn't come to a formal agreement. We just kind of did. We always just sat next to each other when we would go out to eat. Just what we would do. We would never sit opposite each other. We would go to a restaurant and they would try to sit us up for a table of two. We would always say no. We want to sit so we can sit next to each other. We would even wait to get a table because that's just our tradition. We didn't seek to evangelize that tradition. We just simply did it. The only people we specifically told that was our kids. Because I said to our kids, "I married your mom. They didn't marry you. You're going to grow up and you're going to fall in love and you're going to get married and you're going to leave dad and mom, but we're still going to be together. You're going to sit over there and we're going to sit together because you're never going to get us separated. We just would never sit opposite each other. Now the only time that we would not necessarily sit together, but if we were in a large group and me being a loner, I didn't have to sit where everybody was going to be important, the reason why we're there. I would move to wherever at the end of the table or something like that. Sometimes Libby would sit wherever and it was fine because she was much more of a people person and I didn't mind that because it was a large group. But if we were like with four people, we would tell people, "You need to move because in a square table, we would sit next to each other." That was what we did. It's funny. Again, I don't know if anybody who ever followed our tradition, I know sometimes when we would ask for a different table that the receptionist would be impressed and go, "Oh, I want to do that when I get married." Now they probably did it and whatever, but that was our tradition. We didn't verbalize it, it's just what we did. It was a statement of we're always together, we're not on opposite sides. Another tradition that I have that Libby didn't necessarily follow because whatever was that, and I got this from my mother, was whenever we got to a new body of water, I put my feet in it because that's what she did. I think she never told me why she did it other than she was

a poor farmer's daughter living on the country and didn't go. The idea that she would get to put her feet in the Atlantic was something significant and she got to put her feet in the Pacific because none of her relatives really ever did that. It was a blessing and an acknowledgement of that. As a result, I started doing that. I put my feet in three of the five Great Lakes. When we got to Lake Superior, Libby said, "I'll pass because the water's too cold." I would follow tradition. I've done the Atlantic, the Pacific, south of the equator. I think I've educated this tradition in my family because when my son and grandsons went to the United Kingdom with us, we put our feet in the Loch Ness and in the North Sea and in the Atlantic where Wales is, so we're on the eastern part of it. I'm hoping that they'll continue that tradition, but I won't be depressed if they don't because it's whatever. It's not a law. It's a tradition. There are some other traditions that irritate me, but I understand it's tradition and you can't fight. What are one of those traditions?

Nativity. You will see in an activity set three wise men. First off, we're never told that there are three wise men. We know that there were men, so there had to be at least two. We are told that there were three gifts. There could have been 16 different gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, so there could have been 16 wise men, but we did three because there's a gift. That's okay because at least that's an assumption. The other though is that they put the wise men in the Nativity set. The Scriptures clearly say that they entered the house. Jesus was never homeless. He lived in Bethlehem in a house and when they moved to Egypt, he lived. I'm not going to go crazy because even though it's factually incorrect, it's not like it's going to affect your eternity and wrong doctrine, but there are certain traditions and people do traditions for that, but there becomes a tradition or problem with tradition. When you follow tradition rather than the Scriptures, and that's what we're going to see today. So if you have your Bibles and you should turn to the Gospel of Mark chapter seven, we're going to start with the first verse. And it says this, "The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around him and when they had come from Jerusalem and had seen that some of his disciples were eating their bread with impure hands that is unwashed." These Pharisees are the religious leaders of the time and the scribes were the lawyers who wrote the law and followed the law and did those things. So it's the religious establishment are criticizing Jesus's disciples because they did not notice it says impure hands because they didn't ceremonially wash their hands. This has nothing to do with hygiene, it has everything to do with a religious experience. And so it goes on and says, "For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders." So again, this has nothing to do with with hygiene. There was a ceremony that they would conduct to show that they were ritually clean. So they would wash their hands in a bowl and do these types of things, which I find interesting later and towards the end of Jesus's life, Pilate will wash his hands.

But the blood still doesn't come off. But they were following this tradition of the elders because we did it. So one of the problems with tradition, we will see here, is that they're going to conflict with the Word of God. But the same token,

one of the worst things that you can say about tradition is because we always did it.

That's a terrible reason. So for instance, Jews traditionally follow a particular meal and thing when it comes to Passover, the Passover Seder. That is an excellent tradition, which also happens to be scriptural. But the great thing about this tradition that they celebrate, it isn't, well, many thousands of years ago, our ancestors were slaves and now they were made free.

It's identified. We were subject to sin and slavery and we have been. It's an identification of what God has done in their lives. And so tradition that has a purpose is excellent, but they just had this tradition. And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves. And there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots. They wanted to make sure that all these things were ceremonially clean again, had nothing to do with whether it was hygienic. It was, we're showing that we are separated. Now notice this talk about especially when they come from the marketplace, because we hung around people who might have been sinners and we might have been tainted by them. So we're going to wash ourselves to show that we aren't like those people.

The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands? So they criticized his disciples because they're not doing exactly all the things that tradition tells that they're supposed to do. Why is it that you're not following the tradition of the elders that you don't do this ceremony? Again, has nothing to do with whether their hands are clean or not.

And he that be Jesus said to them, Riley did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.

He's saying your ceremonies has nothing to do with following what the will of God is, nor honoring God. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines, the precepts of men.

We can worship God, but it may be in vain. And Jesus is saying the Pharisees worship by doing these traditions of Washington, ceremonially does not truly worship God. Jesus lives in the in the gospel of John that God seeks those who worship him in spirit and in truth.

And so he's saying you are presenting as doctrines the precepts of men. It is the traditions that is more important than the actual commands. He says, neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men. And unfortunately, we will see that in people's lives and perhaps maybe in our own lives, where what the word of God says is one thing, but our tradition we hold fast to rather than saying my tradition as of from men, not of God. And therefore I need to lay aside my tradition, not because we've always done it, but I want to worship God in spirit and truth and do so and hold to his commandments. And so he's going to give them an example of where they follow the precepts of men rather than the commandment of God. He was also saying to them, you are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. He's going, not only do you guys do it, you have perfected it, you're experts in setting aside God's commandments in order to follow your traditions. For Moses said, and the Pharisees and its agencies all would honor the law giver Moses. And when Jesus quotes, he said, I'm giving you the law. For Moses said, honor your father and your mother. And he who speaks evil of father and mother is to be put to death. Now, I want you to notice them. So he, Jesus saying, I want to pick out a commandment and it says you're supposed to honor your father and your mother. Jesus doesn't tell us, but we also, if you read it, is a commandment with a promise. It's commandment that says, if you do this,

your days will be for long and it will go well with you in the land on the earth. And so God saying, if you follow my commandment, it's going to be better for you than not. So it is a commandment with a promise, but it's also a commandment without a loophole. I'm a lawyer. Oftentimes I get paid to try to find loopholes. Now it says you are to honor and your father and your mother doesn't say you are to honor your father and mother if they were good parents

or if they read all the right books and, and, and, and raised you the way the most recent psychologists say you ought to raise kids. You could have lousy parents and the scriptures doesn't say, well, that exempts you from honoring your father and your mother. When I go into court, I will say to the judge, your honor, I give him deference and, and whatever, because he has a position. Now he may decide against me and I may not like his decision, but I'm still to pay him honor and respect because of his position. Your parents, it doesn't matter whether you agree or disagree. The word of God says we are to honor him. Didn't say a word to agree with him. As a matter of fact, almost every child I've ever heard of said at one point they are not going to do something their parents did.

One of the great ones is I'm not going to tell my kids because I said so.

That lasts until about three. And then you just, well, why? Why? Because I said so. Every parent will ultimately kind of remind themselves of their parents and do things. But again, we are commanded to respect our parents without exception.

But you say, the man says to his father or mother, whatever I have that would help you as Corbonne, that is to say, given to God. So they had a tradition. This and it will go on as this. You no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother, thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down and you do many things such as that. Now, back in the day, actually up until fairly recently, and even today in a sense,

people's children were their social security with their retirement plan.

You had a lot of kids because a lot of times people don't survive to adulthood,

but you had a lot of kids so that you had a lot of opportunity to do well when you're old and couldn't work. And so Jesus saying, so you have an obligation to see that your parents are provided for. But you say, if you tell your parents, I've dedicated this to God,

then I don't have to take care of you. Now, the interesting thing about this little tradition, it's not like they said it in a trust for God. It's not like they said, okay, we're taking all the property we have and all the money we're going to the temple and we're giving it and we're signing all the deeds to God and we're walking away from our wealth. No, no, they got to live on their wealth and not provide for their parents. Jesus is saying, your tradition abandons the whole principle of God of honoring your parents. You set aside to live a comfortable life for yourselves, but deny your obligations. And God says, you have an obligation to write, to provide for your parents. And after he called the crowd to him again, he began saying to them, listen to me, all of you and understand. So now he's not going to teach the Pharisees and the scribes because they are lost in their tradition. Sometimes you just stop arguing with someone who isn't listening. And that's what Jesus says. You are so wrapped up in your tradition that you can't understand what I'm going to say. So I'm going to talk to the crowd and I'm not going to talk to you because hopefully the crowd will hear what he said because Jesus already acknowledged that these people have been prophesied in Isaiah that though their lips speak, their hearts are far from him. And so as he called the crowd to him again and began saying to them, listen to me, all of you and understand there is nothing outside the man which came to file him. If it goes into him, but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. Then he goes on to say, if anyone has ears, let them hear and if you'll notice, you'll see brackets. I want to comment on the brackets first. The brackets mean some of the older versions of the scripture, the gospel, aren't this phrase isn't there. I always mentioned that because when people say, well, you can't rely on the word of God, we even know what we're not sure we know.

So don't tell me that the scriptures aren't reliable. How many times have you read, I don't know, Homer's Iliad and you saw little brackets because the last, the closest translation from Homer to us is 500 years. There's no brackets there. You, everybody just assumes, oh, you must have wrote it. We're willing to say we're not sure if Jesus spoke that. Now, what I hear here, Jesus has said before it doesn't, but I'm not going to base a doctrine on that. But again, it's something, but again, it's something that we are aware of. But he goes back and he tells them that it is the teaching is it's not the outside that defiles you. It's what I mean. And so, for instance, if you're a mechanic, it is really tough to get that grease and oil off your hands.

You can wash and you can scrub and you can do whatever, and you can even ceremony to wash your hands, but there still may be some oil and grit on your hands. He's saying, you're not defiled. You're not unclean. It's what comes out of you. The food that you eat doesn't defile you. It's what comes out of you. And when he left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples questioned him about the parable. And he said to them, are you lacking in understanding? That is a question that Jesus could continually ask his disciples, because it always seems that they are lacking in understanding. They, Jesus will do something or teach something and they don't figure it out. So Jesus has to more plainly tell them. And after he more plainly tells them the next time something happens, they still lack understanding, which is great. I'm criticizing them. But as I tell you, as I point the finger this way, three more count back. So there's a lot of times God does something in my life or teaches me something and I lack understanding, but it would not be nice if we get Jesus teaching the first time or the second time or the third time or the 97th time, but we're always seeming to be lacking in understanding. But at least I will say, I will give this benefit to the disciples. They ask the source. When we've seen in other times when people were debating what Jesus were saying, they would ask one another, the Pharisees and scribes and the crowd would argue, well, what did he mean? At least the disciples will say to the source, Jesus, what did you mean by this? They didn't ask the Pharisees. Okay. So he says, are you lacking? Also, do you not understand whatever goes into the man from the outside cannot defile him.

Just because you are a mechanic doesn't mean you're unclean.

Just because you have some dirt on your hands doesn't make you unclean. Just because you might eat something that other people think you shouldn't eat doesn't make you unclean. Because he'll go on and say, because it does not go into his heart, but out into his stomach and is eliminated, doesn't declare all foods clean. Now they never follow this and whatever. And it does. It takes a vision by Peter to finally figure out about things being clean. But he's saying it is not. So if you have a shrimp, somehow now you're not unclean because it goes into your stomach and it goes out of the body. And he was saying that which proceeds

out of the man, that is what defiles the man. What comes out of you? Unfortunately, it's words and attitudes that do. And I wish it weren't true.

And this is where I will get convicted. And I've shared it before, and I'll continue to share it until God finally cleaned me up. But I will be driving down the road, singing praise songs along with the radio and somebody will cut me off and I'll say some very unkind things. I was just a half a second ago praising God and now I'm cursing men,

which should disturb and does disturb me because I went, wait a minute, how come you went from praising God in less than a half a second spewing things out? You should. And a couple of times I've mastered it. A couple of times I go, Lord, forgive him, praise him. And I've done it, but most of the time, and I'm being honest, most of the time it isn't, well, Lord, forgive him. I forgive him. It's okay. There have been times when I've turned out into a street and didn't see anybody coming. And so I'm as guilty, so I'm not going to condemn. No, most of the, you know, but most of the time, no. So that is a check on my spiritual condition. What's coming out of me

is, am I quick tempered? Am I quick to condemn? Am I quick to say unkind things? Or does what can proceed out of me is love and forgiveness and in patience and endurance or those are things that come in. And that is a very excellent test for ourselves.

When things happen, what is our response? If our response is anything other than you would want us to talk about in church, then maybe God needs to work on us, but it's not

that you had pepperoni pizza that makes you that.

The for with from within out of the heart of men proceeds the evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adulteries, needs of coveting and wickedness, as well as the seat sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.

All of these things, all of these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.

So again, Jesus is saying, you're all worried about not only the hygiene of washing your hands, but the ceremony of washing your hands. And why are you doing the ceremony of washing your hands? Because you want to be distinct from those dirty people, those unclean people. And I want to show that I am holy and clean. And so I ceremony wash so that you can see that I'm ceremony wash and I'm better than you. He's saying that's evil.

For all has sinned and come short of the glory of God.

None of us are better than any other. And none of us are less than any other, because we're all created in the image of God. And so the test is, what are you doing? What are your hands doing? Not whether they're clean or dirty, but what are your hands doing? Are they being deceitful? Are they being sensual? Are they stealing? What are they doing? What is it that you're doing? And that is a result of what is within the heart. As I say, when you do what is right, when no one is watching, shows you the kind of person you are. When you only do right, when people are watching, that also shows you the kind of person you are. And Jesus is saying, stop looking at the outside. Look at the inside. And again, what I am saying,

I'm not to look at your insides. I'm to look at mine.

I'm not to judge you on your cleanliness or uncleanliness. But I am to judge mine for the fruit of the Spirit and whether I have not perfected the response that I ought to have

when people do things that I don't want them to do. But I notice that I'm a little better today than I was previously. And that's where we, what is the trajectory? Because let's face it, when you have a dirty fountain, it takes some cleaning to do. It doesn't become clean instantaneously. Now, fortunately, we are forgiven instantaneously. We don't have, when Jesus comes and forgives us our sins, our sins are forgiven. But unfortunately, sometimes the vessel still remains a little dirty. And we need to clean it up. And how is it? Because we know what's coming out of us. And we can see what's coming out of us. And we should be more worried about what's coming out of us and what's going inside of us. And more concerned about what's coming out of us than what's on your hands. This is the amazing thing of

God. The grace of God. Because He calls all of us. Those who think we're pretty clean,

and those who understand we are totally filthy. They called us anyway. He called us not to leave us as we are, but to change us to be like Him.

There is a song, and most of the lyrics are great,

but the song kind of bugs me. Because one of the lines is, "The God loves me just the way I am. And God did love me just the way I am. He's not leaving me that way. His spirit is cleaning me up from the inside. He's changing me, not to be a better version of Joe, but to be like his son.

And I may have one or two of you semi-fooled that you think that your pastor is pretty cool and I've noticed I said a few of you because I know you asked, "Hey pastor, would you pray for me?" I'm going, "I'd have no more insight to God than you do, but I will." But there's the sense of

whatever. But I am not content, and you should not be content to being better versions of who you are.

It's a tremendous goal to be the best version of me, because I know the distance between who I am now to who I could be and should be.

But it's infinitely further a goal to be who I am now, to be like Him. I have no hope in the human instance to be like Him, no matter how many traditions I do or don't do, no matter how many commands I try to follow or whatever, no matter what good I may try to do.

And it's His grace that will get me there, and His grace will get you there. And His grace will lead us home, because that's why He came to save sinners of whom most of I

am Me. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost,

but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see. Those who have ears, even if it may not have been in this particular creature,





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