Emory Baptist Church

Traditions are Sinful! Part 1

If you have your Bibles this morning, I want you to find Mark 7:1, and I want to share a message with you entitled, “Traditions are Sinful!”  Hopefully, my sermon title got your attention.  I wanted that to happen.  However, I hope you will also allow me to explain my statement regarding traditions.

 

I am traditional person.  What I mean by that is that I like and enjoy many traditions.  We have family traditions, and I enjoy holiday traditions. 

 

If you know me well, you know that I am a proud graduate of a university that is known for their many traditions.  Many of their traditions are weird, hokey, and even cult-like.

 

However, I want you to understand this morning and see from God’s Word that when the traditions of men get elevated to the Word of God or put on the same level as God’s Word and become authoritative, we have crossed a line into legalism.

 

Notice several times in today’s text this phrase: the tradition of the elders or the tradition of men.  We see it in verse 3, 5, and 8.

 

What do I mean when I say legalism?  Legalism is adding to God’s Word and elevating traditions or preferences or practices or opinions to the same level of authority as the Bible, and when that happens, traditions become sinful.

 

On multiple occasions in the Gospels, we see Jesus conversing with the Pharisees on the subject of legalism.  In Paul’s letters, he often wrote about legalism and legalists known as the Judaizes.

 

Legalism often has two common applications.  First, we can add to the Bible regarding the truth of salvation.  The Bible teaches that the gospel is Jesus plus nothing.  Therefore, when circumcision is added to the gospel, that is legalism and is not salvation.  The same could be said for baptism.  The good news is that Jesus plus nothing saves.

 

Second, we can add to the Bible regarding the truth of sanctification.  Sanctification is the ongoing process in the life of the Believer becoming more like Jesus or becoming more sanctified or holy.  We become more sanctified when we are obedient to the Bible.  However, when we add requirements to the Bible that are really just traditions of men or preferences or opinions, we have crossed the line into legalism, and our tradition has become sinful.

 

Allow me to give some easy examples, and I’ll give some more recent examples in a few minutes.  In our not so distant past, many Baptists have been guilty of legalism when we said that a Christian who danced or played cards was sinning and not living a holy life.  This same legalism also said a good Christian woman should not wear make-up or pants.  To say such is sinful.  Brothers and sisters, that is legalism, and it is that same legalism that says the only accurate Bible translation is the KJV.

 

Do you see what is happening?  We are putting traditions of men or personal preferences on the same level as the Bible.  The Bible nowhere prohibits dancing or playing cards or wearing make-up or wearing pants or that the KJV is the only inspired translation.  Those are all personal preferences and legalism when we give them the same authority as the Bible.  Therefore, traditions are sinful when we elevate them to Scripture.

 

Jesus felt the same way as He dealt with the Pharisees in Mark 7:1-8.

 

 

1. An Investigation by the Haughty, Mark 7:1-2a

1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands,

 

Who were the Pharisees?  They were the religion experts of the first century, and they were paired with the legal experts of the first century, the scribes.  They considered themselves to be better than the rest, holier than thou, haughty. 

 

Where did they come from?  Notice that they came from Jerusalem.  Maybe they came from Jerusalem because they had gotten a negative report about Jesus’ disciples.

 

What were they investigating?  They came and saw the Twelve Disciples eating bread without washing their hands.

 

 

2. An Accusation about Holiness, Mark 7:2b-5

they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?” 

 

Why did this matter?  It was not an issue of personal hygiene.  It was an issue of ceremonial cleanliness. 

 

The sin of the Twelve Disciples was about holiness.  These Pharisees believed that certain things or certain persons were unclean and touching them made you unclean.  Therefore, there was a constant need to wash and be made clean. 

 

In verses three and four, Mark shared his own comments in order to explain to his Gentile audience what the Pharisees found offensive.  Notice that hand washing for the purpose of ceremonial cleanliness was widespread among first century Jews. 

 

Notice also that the standard of holiness had become the tradition of the elders and passed down orally for many generations. 

 

Understand again that this particular tradition was not a part of the OT Law.  It was an oral tradition that began with an individual and was passed on to successive generations.

 

In verse four, Mark further explained what I mentioned a moment ago of uncleanness being transferred from things to people or from people to people.  If a Jew went to the market place and in some way came in contact with pork, he had to wash his hands because the pork was unclean and he was then unclean.  The same would be true for touching a leper or touching anything or anyone deemed unclean.

 

Mark went on to say that the Jews participated in many other traditions of the elders for the sake of ceremonial cleanliness such as the washing of cups and the washing of pitchers and the washing of pots. 

 

In verse 5, we see the Pharisees scrutinizing the leader of the Twelve Disciples.  Instead of asking the disciples personally, the Pharisees questioned Jesus. 

 

Rightly or wrongly, people are often judged by the company they keep.  Whether adult or student, if you socialize with those who drink alcohol, you will be seen as one of them.  If you socialize with those who gossip, you will be seen as one of them.  If students socialize with those who disrupt class and cheat on tests, you will be seen as one of them.

 

They asked Jesus why His disciples didn’t follow or keep the tradition of the elders of washing their hands before they ate.  Jesus and His disciples were considered to be rebels.  They were rule breakers.  They were mavericks and cavaliers.  They were the furthest thing from holy in the eyes of the Pharisees. 

 

How did Jesus respond to these Pharisees and their legalism?  Jesus put the Pharisees and their legalism on trial, and we get to see that courtroom action. 

 

 

3. A Condemnation of Hypocrisy, Mark 7:6-8

6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.  7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’  8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

Jesus’ condemnation was personal.  He answered to them verse 6 says.  He applied Isaiah 29:13 to them (you), and called them “this people.”

 

Jesus’ condemnation was also scriptural.  He challenged them with God’s Word.  He said the Pharisees looked good on the outside with their words, but their hearts were wrong. 

 

Jesus’ condemnation was practical.  Look at verse 8.  They were putting their traditions and their preferences on the same level as the Bible, and that is wrong.  It was wrong then, and it is wrong today.

 

Very plainly put, the Pharisees were hypocrites.  They talked a good game, but their hearts were evil because they elevated the traditions of men or personal preferences to place of Scripture.  Jesus called that vain worship.  In other words, it was legalism and sinful.  Their traditions were sinful.

 

 

Conclusion

So the question we constantly have to ask ourselves is “What is the priority of our hearts?  Is it the Word of God or the Traditions of Men?”

 

So what does all this mean for us today?  We all have personal preferences and that is fine, but make sure you don’t elevate your personal preferences to authoritative as the Bible. 

 

For example, you may not like tattoos, but what is on the outside doesn’t defile the body. 

 

You may not like piercings, but what is on the outside doesn’t defile the body. 

 

You may not like preachers without a coat and tie on Sunday mornings or preachers with facial hair, but make sure you don’t elevate your personal preferences of appearance or dress or music or whatever to the level of Scripture because that is legalism, and legalism is sin.  Rather than being concerned with what is on the outside, let’s follow the Lord and be more concerned about what is in a person’s heart so that we don’t make our traditions sinful.

 

One last thing before I close…as I said previously, adding anything to Jesus for salvation is legalism.  All you need is Jesus, and Jesus doesn’t need any help.  Come to Jesus today to be saved.

Touching the Hem...

This morning, we come to the end of Mark 6 with this four verse summary.  These four verses are a summary of the Lord Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. 

 

In the recent Sundays, we have seen Him cast out demons.  We have seen Him heal the sick and raise the dead.  We have seen Him feed the thousands.  We have seen Him walk on water.  We have seen Him calm the storm.

 

Now chapter 6 ends with a summary of all that had happened. In this summary, we find four groups of people: the Disciples, the People, the Lord, and the Sick.  I want to focus our attention on two: the People and the Sick.

 

 

Exposition

53 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.

 

Verse 53 tells us that Jesus and the Disciples made it across the Sea of Galilee after He calmed the storm.  They anchored at Gennesaret.

 

That really is all that is said in this text about the Twelve.

 

 

The People

54 And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him

 

Verses 54 says they got out of the boat and were met by a large crowd of people.  The “they” pronoun is now going to refer to the people for the rest of this text.

 

This large crowd of people recognized Jesus, and the word here literally means they knew Jesus.   However, it means more than that.  It means they knew Jesus completely and fully based on their previous experience with Him.  They had probably been part of the thousands who ate from the five loaves and two fish.

 

Notice that they recognized Him immediately.  Again, this happened because they not only knew about Him, but they knew Him personally.

 

I know about Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett.  I know personally Rains Head Coach Randy Barnes. 

 

Because the people knew Jesus completely and personally, I want you to see what they did in response. 

 

First, the people ran to the sick in verse 55.  They ran around with excitement and enthusiasm.  They ran around everywhere, the whole country.  They ran to the sick because they wanted to see the sick get well.

 

Brothers and sisters, why don’t we run to the spiritually sick more often?  Is it that we don’t believe that people are really sick?  See Romans 3:23.

 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 

Is it that we don’t believe that sick people die?  See Romans 6:23.

 

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Is it that we don’t believe that death is hell?

 

Is it that we don’t believe that hell is real? 

 

These people ran to the sick.

 

Secondly, notice that the people relied on The Solution.  Look at verses 55-56.

 

They carried the sick and lame on their pallets to Jesus wherever He was.  They went to villages, cities, and the countryside laying them at Jesus’ feet.  They really believed that Jesus could not only solve their problems.  They believed that Jesus was the ONLY solution to their problems.

 

Thirdly, notice that the people requested salvation.  Look at verse 56 again.  They begged Him or requested Him to allow the sick to touch the hem of His garment. 

 

 

The Sick

56 Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.

 

Jesus’ robe wasn’t magical.  However, touching it was a sign of faith.  Faith honored Him, and He honored faith.

 

When the sick touched His robe, they were cured, made whole, healed, and saved.  Jesus is the solution to life’s greatest problems regarding peace, satisfaction, marriage, children, and finances. 

 

 

Invitation

Keep with the theme of getting back in the game, the body of Christ must see this text as a challenge to get back in the game of bringing people to Jesus and begging Jesus to save.  Rains County is full of lost people that don’t need moralism and they don’t need a denomination and they don’t need a quick fix.  They need Jesus. 

 

If you’re here this morning, and you understand that you are lost and separated from Jesus, you need Jesus today!  You need to accept Jesus’ invitation to touch the hem of His garment and be made well.

Straining at Rowing...

The last time, we were in Mark’s Gospel, Bro. Ronnie led us in seeing Jesus feed 5,000 plus individuals with five loaves and two fish. 

 

The week before that, Tom Witt led us in looking at the death of John the Baptist and the Herod’s response.  Thank you to both of those brothers for faithfully filling the is pulpit.

 

This morning, we move on.  We know come to Mark 6:45 and a message I have entitled, “Straining at the Oars.”

 

In today’s text, we find the twelve disciples in the middle of an actual, literal storm on the Sea of Galilee, and we will see them in the midst of tiredness, in the midst of trouble, facing temptation. 

 

However, before we see this literal storm, we need to think for a moment about spiritual storms of life or emotional or relational storms of life. I have learned that most people can sympathize for the following reason.  The storms of life are not partial. 

 

 

Everybody in the room is either in a storm, just out of a storm, or about to enter a storm.  It doesn’t matter who you are or how old you are or even your own spiritual maturity.  No one is immune to the storms of life.  At some point or another, we all are or have been straining at rowing.

 

6:45, 45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.

 

We immediately move into this next scene of Jesus making His disciples get into a boat to travel to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  Why did He do this?  See John 6:15. 

 

John 6:15, 15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

 

Jesus wanted to deal with the crowds by Himself.  He didn’t want the disciples to get caught up in the euphoria like the multitudes.

 

6:46, 46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

 

So after sending the disciples on their way and the crowd on their way, Jesus left the scene also to go up on a near-by mountain to pray.

 

6:47, 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.

It is now evening, sometime between 6 and 9 PM.  The Romans divided the night into four watches: first-6-9 PM; second-9-12 AM; third-12-3 AM; and fourth-3-6 AM.  The disciples were now in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was still alone on the land now.

 

6:48, 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.

 

We now fast-forward some 6 to 9 hours.  Jesus is watching His disciples.  They are in the middle of a storm with very strong winds, and they are straining at rowing.  It is about 3 AM, and they have now rowed some three or four miles according to John’s gospel. 

 

Their rowing is extremely difficult and perhaps futile considering the strength of the winds.  Where the Sea of Galilee is located, it is not uncommon for gale force winds to come out of nowhere.  That is what happened here.

 

For these disciples, don’t you know that after a few hours of waiting, they were wondering where Jesus was.  When things are going bad for you, do you ever wonder where Jesus is?  Does your Christ ever seem to be distant?  However, be of good cheer.  Perhaps He is praying for you.

 

After seeing them struggling, Jesus decided to come to them.  He then walked on the sea or walked on the water.  He was walking on the water and yet not sinking. 

 

The end of 6:48 tells us that His intent was to pass by to their side.  Note there is a difference between pass by and bypass.  He wasn’t trying to elude them.  He was coming to their side or coming to their aide.

 

6:49, 49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out.

 

Once they saw Him, the Twelve were terrified.  They thought He was a ghost or water phantom.  They were so scared, they cried out or shrieked in horror. 

 

By the way, let’s consider the context or the situation of the disciples.  Yes, they were fishermen.  However, remember the storm.  The boat was up and down.  The waves were over the bow.  The spray was in their faces and on their clothes.  Remember the shadows.  It was dark because it was between three and six in the morning. 

 

Remember also they had to be exhausted.  They had traveled a long distance on foot to Bethsaida.  They spent the entire day dealing with the people and their sicknesses.  They then worked hard in picking up the bread and fish leftovers from twenty thousand plus people.  Now they had been rowing for several hours and had only made it about half way across the Sea of Galilee because of the weather. 

 

Then they looked up and according to verse 49, thought they saw a ghost.  Needless to say, they were frightened.  However, in reality, it wasn’t a ghost but Jesus, and He was walking on the water towards them.  He spoke to them and said, “It is I; do not be afraid.”  He literally said, “I AM is here.” 

 

Some would like to explain away this miracle of walking on the water as Jesus actually walking on the shore, and the disciples misjudged His location.  Others have said He was on a sandbar.  Still others have claimed He was standing on a floating log.  None of these explanations possess any credence in dismissing this supernatural experience.  The text says He walked on the sea. 

 

However, can you understand how the disciples’ context could have become distorted with the storm, the shadows, and being sleepy? 

Haven’t there been times when your context or perspective became distorted especially in the middle of a storm?  Have there been times when you thought the end of the world was here? Yet, the sun came up the next day. 

 

In the storms of life, what we see, what we say, and what seems may not make sense. 

 

6:50, 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

 

But Jesus calmed them immediately.  He spoke to them and said, “Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid.”  Literally, He said, “I AM is here.”  Undoubtedly, this is an OT reference to Yahweh and Exodus 3:14, I AM who I AM. 

 

6:51, 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.

 

He got into the boat with them.  Notice, He didn’t take them out of the boat, but He got in the boat with them, and immediately, the wind stopped.  The wind stopped or the storm stilled when Jesus got in the boat.  They disciples were astonished and amazed at Jesus’ power

 

6:52, 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

 

However, they shouldn’t have been surprised.  They had just seen Him feed 15,000-20,000 individuals with five loaves and two fish, but sometimes, we need to be told again and again and again. 

 

Interestingly enough, even though Mark and John do not include this event, between 6:51 and 6:52 is where Peter walked on the water for a time before seeing the wind and the waves and then sinking.

 

 

Big Idea/Explanation

So what is the big idea of this text?  Jesus is in control of the storms of life.  He is in control of the physical storms of life like rain and floods and ice and thunderstorms and tornados and hurricanes. 

 

However, He is also in control of the storms of life like disease and death and disasters like financial setbacks and firings and divorce and rebellious children.

 

 

Applications

This text is overflowing with applications related to the storms of life.  In the storms of life, sometimes Jesus sends us there, 6:45.  In the storms of life, Jesus prays for us, 6:46.  In the storms of life, Jesus is watching close by, 6:48.  He hasn’t left the scene to be alone.  In the storms of life, sometimes Jesus allows us to struggle for a time so that we realize that we desperately need Him, 6:48.  In the storms of life, Jesus can cause the storms to cease at any time, 6:51.

 

Conclusion

However, here is what I want you to remember the most.  When you find yourself straining at rowing, making no progress because of the wind and the waves, first remember that no darkness is so dark that Jesus can’t see.

 

Second, remember that no distance is so distant, that Jesus can’t come. 

 

Third, remember that no depth is so deep that Jesus can’t rescue. 

 

I wonder who would be honest this morning and admit that they are straining at rowing against the storms of this life?  Perhaps you are trying your best to do right and get things in order, but the winds are beating against your boat, and you’re not going anywhere. 

 

Can I give you some encouragement?  Let Jesus get in your boat.  Let Jesus get in your boat, and see if winds won’t stop, and see if you get where you’re going. 

 

Today’s invitation is for those who need to be saved and for those who need to surrender.  Let Jesus get in your boat and watch your life be radically changed!

 

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Lunchable Leftovers

The Beheading of John the Baptist...