Do some of our modern traditions actually contradict the teachings of scripture?

 Making the Word of God of No Effect by Our Traditions (Mark 7:1-16)

How do you apply Scripture? Here are few application questions:

 Is it okay for women to be elders in the local church?

 We will discuss those questions after we have considered Mark 7:1-16.There are many traditions in Christianity today that are deeply ingrained. Christians have been influenced by our churches, Christian authors and preachers, church history, culture, schools, press, and movies.

 How do we decide which traditions are good and which traditions are bad?

 The Commandment of Men: - 

Ceremonial Hand Washing (Mark 7:1-5). The religious leaders of Israel had a tradition that it was sin to eat without washing your hands “in a special way.” They did not say that it was a good idea. They said it was God’s commandment.

But there is no such commandment anywhere in the OT or NT, for that matter. This was something that the Jewish rabbis came up with over time. They studied the OT and came up with a list of hundreds of commandments that are not found in the OT. These were what they thought were reasonable applications of the OT.

But as this passage shows, we must take great care with applications. First, we must not elevate them to commandments. Second, we must take great care that our suggested applications do not actually contradict God’s commandments

Isaiah’s Prophecy about the Commandments of Men (Mark 7:6-8): -

Jesus does not directly address the actions of the disciples. He is clearly defending their actions. But His point is that it is the words and actions of the Pharisees and scribes that are wrong.

Isaiah rebuked the Jews of his generation for honoring God with their lips yet having hearts that were far from God. They did worship God. But their worship was “in vain.” Vain worship is empty worship. To take God’s name in vain is to use it in an empty way. To worship God with your words while your heart is a million miles away is vain worship.

Isaiah said that the reason their hearts were far from God and their worship was in vain was because of the traditions of men. The very issue that the Pharisees approached Jesus about, handwashing, was a contemporary example.

Jesus is saying that what Isaiah wrote 750 years before applies directly to the people confronting Him. How did the Pharisees “lay aside the commandment of God” (v 8)? The Lord goes on to give an example.

 Beware of Tradition Contradicting God’s Word (Mark 7:9-13):-

The Jews had come up with a tradition that said if you dedicated money to give to God, then you must pay it even if your aging parents need that money.

Jesus said that such a policy about Corban involves “making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down” (v 13).

The word Corban is merely the Greek letters put into English. Mark explains what it means when he writes, “that is, a gift to God.” In Jewish tradition, if you vowed to give so much money for the temple, then that pledged gift superseded all other obligations, including taking care of your elderly parents in need.

 Tradition can be bad. If a tradition contradicts the Word of God, then it is bad and should be rejected. Jesus Explains Why Handwashing Is Not a Religious Requirement (Mark 7:14-16).

 When Jesus speaks of defilement, he is talking not about physical disease, but of moral defilement. The Lord is not denying that we can get sick if we have a virus on our hands and we touch our nose or mouth or eyes. He is talking about moral defilement.

Jesus is saying that what we put into our mouths does not defile us morally, as the Pharisees believed. Instead, He was saying that what comes out of a man, what he says and what he does, is what defiles him morally. The Pharisees were defiled by their self-righteous words and actions. The disciples did nothing wrong by eating bread without ceremonially washing their hands first.

 Having women elders and pastors. Even some Bible churches have women elders. Many Evangelical churches have women preachers in the church service. But Scripture says that only older men are able to be elders (1 Tim 3:1-7). Women are not to exercise authority in the church, which means that they are not to be elders (1 Tim 2:12). In addition, women are to learn in silence during church (1 Tim 2:12), not to preach. This tradition of having women elders and preachers contradicts the commands of God.

  Conclusion:-

Can we recognize when our tradition leads us to violate the Word of God?  If I and/or any other author or speaker gives an application that seems to be contrary to the Word of God, then reject it unless you become convinced that it is consistent. We will each be evaluated by the Lord Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ for the ways in which we have applied the Word of God (2 Cor 5:9-10) which says :-  

 “Whether we are "at home" (in our earthly bodies) or "away" (in the afterlife), our aim should be to please God, as we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive what is due for our actions in this body”.

 If we disobey Scripture due to faulty application, then that is on us.

 

Trust on God and not on self

 According to the Bible, the emphasis is firmly on placing faith in God, not in oneself; the scripture repeatedly encourages reliance on God's power and guidance rather than relying on one's own understanding or abilities. 

Key verses like Proverbs 3:5-6 state "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"

 highlighting the importance of putting faith solely in God. 

Key points to remember:

Focus on God:

The Bible consistently instructs believers to put their trust in God above all else. 

Not self-reliance:

Relying too heavily on one's own abilities is considered contrary to the teachings of the Bible.

God's power:

The Bible emphasizes that true strength and confidence come from believing in God's power and provision. 

Christ if the only saviou

 “It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment” is a Bible verse from Hebrews 9:27. It appears in the New Testament, and is part of the Christian belief that people are judged by God after they die. 

Explanation

In the Bible, Hebrews 9:27 states that everyone is destined to die once and then face judgment. 

The judgment is based on a person's deeds while they were alive. 

People who have received Jesus as their savior from sin do not need to fear judgment. Instead, they will enter into a blessed fellowship with God for eternity. 

The Christian faith teaches that after death, people will be taken into the presence of God. 

Some Christians believe that this judgment will happen when they die..

The word of God in Bible says :-

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life".

What does it mean that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45)

 

This verse is from what is sometimes called the Sermon on the Plain. In this part of the sermon, Jesus tells us how we can judge a person’s character. We do it in much the same way we look at a tree or plant to tell if it is a “good” plant or not: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers” (Luke 6:43–44). If you want to know what kind of tree or plant you have, you have to look at its fruit. A pear tree sounds like a good tree, but, if you have a Bradford pear tree, you will get small, inedible pears about the size of marbles. What is on the inside—what the tree is really “made of”—will determine what kind of fruit it produces. Jesus says that the same is true of people.

In Luke 6:45, Jesus says that people can be judged by what they say and do because these things reveal what is really inside the person: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of wrong things . 

If you want to know what is on the inside of a person, you simply watch his actions; listen to what comes out of his mouth on a regular basis. This is not being judgmental; this is being realistic.

If a person is angry, rude, lewd, or immoral on a regular basis, you can be assured that this is what he is like “on the inside.” If a person is consistently kind, encouraging, and polite, then you can be sure that is what he is like “on the inside.” Of course, it is possible that someone might put up a façade to deceive others regarding his character, but eventually what is inside will come out. The mouth speaks out of the abundance—the overflow—of the heart.

The primary point of application in Jesus’ words seems to be this: when we see evil consistently coming out of a person in word and deed, we should not deceive ourselves by saying, “I think he really is a good person inside; he just has some bad habits” or “That’s just the way he talks, but he’s not really like that.” How many people fall in love and get married, thinking that the bad behavior they have observed is only an aberration? How many parents deceive themselves regarding the spiritual state of their children, thinking that they are true believers because of a childhood profession of faith, even though their lives demonstrate a heart of evil?

When Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” He meant that consistently sinful words and deeds are indicative of a sinful heart. Rather than always giving people “the benefit of the doubt,” we would do well to recognize the “fruit” we observe and respond accordingly. Being a “fruit inspector” does not mean we consider ourselves to be without sin; it does mean that we are realistic about whom to trust and whom we allow to exert influence over us and the people for whom we are responsible.

Understand that the satan is not invincible

Romans 6:5-10

"5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be [a]done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been [b]freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.'

In Roman 6:5-10 the apostle Paul expounds the truth that each believer is United with Christ in His total victory over sin death and satan. 

This is an infallible truth upon which each believer is responsible to stand. 

Sin and satan cannot rule over a dead person.

 Sin cannot master and put into slavery a person who is now " alive unto God" because of our union with Christ in His in resurrection. 

That is an infallible , unchanging truth upon which we are meant to stand regardless of experience.

So do not trust your experiences...

Decision to forgive

We are now going to focus on another vitally important decision—the decision to forgive. Perhaps you are surprised that I call that a decision.

I want to deal first with the relationship between forgiving and getting our prayers answered. It’s much closer than many people imagine. In Mark 11, verses 24 and 25, Jesus speaks about how to receive the answers to our prayers but He then goes on to warn us about one thing that will block the answer to our prayers. This is what He says:

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. [Notice, the time to receive the answer to your prayers is when you pray— ‘...believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’ The manifestation of what you have received will follow in due course. That’s wonderful but now comes the warning.] And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Jesus warns us there that failure to forgive other people can block the answer to our prayers. Maybe some of you have been praying a long time and saying, “Why doesn’t God answer my prayer?” I suggest you need to check whether there’s someone you need to forgive. Failure to forgive blocks the answers to our prayers. That’s very important to remember.

Then, remember, as I’ve said already, forgiving is a decision, not an emotion. You don’t have to feel forgiving; you have to will to forgive.

And then, another very important point brought out by those words of Jesus, the initiative is with us, not with other people. If you hold anything against anyone, forgive him. Jesus doesn’t say, “When he comes up to you and asks to be forgiven, forgive him.” But He says, “When you’re praying—in fact, before you begin to pray, make sure you’ve forgiven everyone against whom you have anything.”

And then Jesus says at the end, “...so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” You see, the way we relate to others determines the way that God relates to us. If we have totally forgiven others, we can ask for total forgiveness from God; but if we withhold forgiveness from others, God will withhold forgiveness from us.

Prayer Response

Dear Father, thank You for the gift of forgiveness. Lord, if there is still unforgiveness in my heart show me to whom, and I want to forgive. Yes Lord, I want to forgive (name the person God brought to your mind) in Jesus’ name. I want to bless him/her, and ask You Lord to shower him/her with all Your blessings. Lord, I want my prayers to be answered! In Jesus’ Name, amen!

Narrow and Wide gate

Narrow and Wide gate

Throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus has been teaching us what it looks like to live as citizens of the Kingdom of God, but as He brings the sermon to a close, He shifts His focus slightly. He ends His sermon with a four-part conclusion about entrance into the Kingdom of God. 

His conclusion is made up of four parts – and each part reveals a contrast.  First, He speaks of two different paths (7:13-14) and then two different kinds of fruit (7:15-20). Third, He addresses two different professions of faith (7:21-23) followed by two different kinds of builders who build on different foundations (7:24-27).

While each of these contrasts emphasizes something slightly different, they all tell us something about entrance into the Kingdom of God, who will be welcomed and who will be excluded.

The Call: Enter by the narrow gate (7:13a)

In this small paragraph Jesus emphasizes that there are two paths and only two paths. Every person will either take the path toward destruction or the path toward life. Jesus begins this important discussion with this call: Enter by the narrow gate. This is a call from Jesus to enter the gate and follow the path that leads to life.  

The First Path – Entering by the wide gate (7:13)

• A wide gate – The first path is entered by a wide gate. This is an entrance that everyone sees and that most people choose.

• An easy way – The wide gate leads to an easy path. That’s not to say that life is always easy, but it’s a path that doesn’t require repentance, self-denial, sacrifice or suffering in the way the other path does.

• A well-travelled way – Jesus says that many (most) enter the through the wide gate and travel the easy way. This is the path we are all born on and most never leave.

• Leads to destruction – This is where we recognize the weight of this teaching from Jesus. This is the path that most are following, and yet it’s a path that leads to eternal destruction. While we may not like to think about this kind of judgment, the Bible is clear – there is eternal judgment for all who die apart from Christ (Matthew 25:31-41; Revelation 14:11; Ephesians 2:1-3). 

• Psalm 73:13-20 – Consider the story Asaph and how his perspective changed when he remembered the fate of the wicked.

The Second Path – Entering by the narrow gate (7:14) 

• A narrow gate – What we learn from Scripture is that the narrow gate is Christ Himself. It is only through Christ and His work on the cross that we can be forgiven and welcomed onto the path toward life (John 14:6; Acts 4:10-12).

• A hard way – The path toward life is a way of repentance, self-denial, sacrifice (Luke 18:18-30; Mt. 16:24-26) and suffering (John 15:20-21).

• A less-travelled way – Because the narrow way is hard, there are few who will find and follow this path. Most will not choose to humbly repent and submit to following Christ (Matthew 22:14; Luke 13:22-30). 

• Leads to life – While the way is narrow and hard, the end of this path is eternal life (John 3:16). This reality should motivate us to follow Christ and compel us to tell others about their need to trust Him.

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