26-1018a Transcript

(1:50) Good morning to everyone that is here at the building and who may also be on the phone.

(2:00) This lesson is on traditions. This morning in our Bible class, we had mention of traditions (2:12) and traditions that are handed down. According to Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, (2:29) a tradition is a process of handing down information, opinions, beliefs, (2:41) and customs by word of mouth.

Also, I didn’t put that in here, but it also mentioned (2:57) scriptures. Now in the Bible, there is written what was originally handed down by word of mouth. (3:13) Patriarchal age, if we’re going to go through dispensations, we have the patriarchal age where (3:27) God gave to the fathers the things that he wanted.

And it was the fathers that handed down (3:40) what God wanted. Didn’t have what is known as the written word. Later, that is, Moses (3:57) was told by God to write what God had instructed him.

(4:05) In Exodus 17, 14, Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And the one place that it said that he wrote (4:21) all that God commanded him. There are those who question what is written in the Bible, (4:33) whether it is really infallible.

There could be mistakes made along the way. (4:46) We know holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, according to Peter in (4:57) 2 Peter 1, verse 20 and 21. (5:07) That no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation.

That is, it didn’t originate from (5:26) man’s thoughts, for prophecy never came by the will of man. But holy men of God spoke as they (5:39) were moved by the Holy Spirit. But that’s a different lesson there.

I don’t want to stray (5:52) away from looking at traditions. First off, we’re going to look at men’s traditions, (6:05) what is dealt with in Mark 7. Now, the Pharisees and some of the scribes, the Jewish leaders (6:19) of the time, came to Jesus and questioned him concerning [unwashed] hands. (6:38) You know, when I was still in the teens and I was reading, not here in Mark, but in (6:55) Matthew, I was reading about [unwashed] hands.

And that troubled me. Now, I know that in (7:08) Matthew, he speaks of it, speaks of the Pharisees questioning him. But then, reading in Mark, (7:24) here in Mark 7, there’s an explanation about what is meant by the religious leaders questioning (7:37) Jesus and his disciples on this matter of [unwashed] hands.

Now, when they saw some of (7:51) his disciples eat bread with the fowl, that is, with [unwashed] hands, in a special way, (8:07) holding the tradition of the elders. Now, I want you to notice that said, the tradition (8:17) of elders, that what they were doing in this was not from God. It was from them.

(8:29) Now, let me say that in and of itself, what they were doing would not be wrong just because it came (8:45) from them. It is why they were doing this and why that it was wrong. It was why.

But here’s what (9:08) the Tree of Life version says in Mark 7, verse 3. For the Pharisees and all Jewish people do not eat (9:27) unless they wash their hands up to the elbows. That’s curious. You know, (9:44) it is correct that we wash our hands.

It is correct that we keep our hands clean. (9:59) But it’s not for the reason that they were doing this. When they come from the marketplace, (10:17) they do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing.

There are many other conditions that (10:26) they have received and hold such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and copper vessels. So, (10:39) they went through this ritual. Now, it is curious about the washing (10:52) up to the elbows.

You know, when it comes to eating the food, (11:03) now, if I had a piece of food up here and I would pick it up, I wouldn’t pick it up with my elbow. (11:15) I would pick it up with these. And yes, I believe the disciples did wash their hands, (11:27) but they didn’t go through the rituals that the Jewish people did.

Now, it says when they (11:42) come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. There are many other things that (11:50) they have received and hold like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and [kettles]. (12:01) So, they were really clean.

Now, in and of itself, that would be all right. (12:10) But it is, now here is, so while they were doing that, then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, (12:24) why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Think about that. (12:38) Where is the tradition of the elders? And who are the elders? They are men, (12:52) but eat bread with non-washed hands, that according to them, the disciples haven’t gone in there and (13:04) gone through this ritual that they go through before they came to eat.

Then Jesus answered (13:17) and said to them, well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written. (13:26) This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. (13:35) In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

(13:44) For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pitchers, (13:56) and cups, and many other such things you do. But here is what Jesus (14:09) got to them on. And he said to them, all too well you reject the (14:20) commandments of God, that you may keep your tradition.

Now he gets on to what the word of God (14:33) says, and it is written in the Ten Commandments, it’s a law. For Moses said, honor your father and (14:51) mother, and he who curses father or mother, let him be put to death. Now sometimes when it comes (15:07) to children, honoring father and mother, or as it is said in Ephesians 6.1, children, (15:21) obey your parents and the Lord.

Now children here could refer to little children, (15:34) but for this is a man, a man who dishonors his father or mother, and he who curses father or (15:54) mother, let him be put to death. Now this is what is issued from the mouth of God to these people. (16:08) But now here comes the Pharisees, and they think of a way of circumventing this law.

(16:20) But you say if a man says to his father or mother, whatever prophet you may have received from me (16:31) is Corban, that is a gift of God. In other words, this is when father and mother (16:40) have gotten elderly, older, and here is the father or here is the son or daughter that (16:56) should be taking care of them. Well the Pharisees come along and they say, (17:05) well if what you could have given them, you give it as a gift to God, then you no longer let him (17:19) do anything for his father or his mother, because what he would have given to his father and mother (17:31) to help them, he’s not helping them.

Therefore it’s making the word of God of no effect (17:47) through your tradition, which you have handed down as many such things as you do. Now there is (18:06) one more thing to consider. Now we’re going to get the reason (18:17) is what is making all this ceremonial cleansing that these Jewish leaders (18:25) have passed down and these Jewish people are going through.

He calls the multitude to him, (18:41) beginning in verse 17. When he had called all the multitude to himself, he said to them, (18:54) hear me everyone and understand there is nothing that enters a man from the outside which can defile (19:10) him, but these things which comes out of him, those are the things that defile him. If anyone (19:25) has ears to hear, let him hear.

This is Jesus speaking to the people. Jesus is God’s son (19:41) and he said to them that it doesn’t defile. All this ritual that they were going through with, (19:53) they are thinking that if I don’t really clean, really be clean up, if I touch this piece of food (20:08) and it goes into my mouth, it’s going to defile me.

That’s what they’re saying. Eat bread with (20:21) a foul. That is with unwashed hands.

They found fault. Well, to have clean hands is to wash hands. (20:41) We don’t have to go up to the elbows, just wash the hands and clean the hands.

(20:49) By now, when he had entered a house, away from the crowd, his disciples asked him concerning (21:00) the parable that he just spoke about nothing that enters the man from outside can defile him, (21:12) but what comes out of him. They asked him concerning this. He said to them, (21:25) are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that what ever enters a man from (21:39) outside cannot defile him? Because it does not enter his heart, but his stomach and is eliminated, (21:56) thus purifying all foods.

And he said, what comes out of a man, that defiles a man. (22:09) And he tells what comes out of a man. For from within, out of the heart, (22:19) proceeds evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, (22:31) lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.

All these evil things come from within and defile a man. (22:51) Now, we keep our hands clean to keep up the germs that may be around, from giving somebody else the germs that may be on our hands. (23:12) Nevertheless, if we do get a disease or a malady, those things are not defiling a man.

(23:23) It’s the evilness that comes from the heart that defiles him. (23:31) And so it’s that which comes out of the man from the heart. (23:40) So let’s think about what really defiles a man.

It is sin. It is evil, these evil things. (23:52) We get, maybe get sick, maybe have a disease, but that disease is not defiling the man.

It’s making (24:05) whatever it is, it’s making, it’s sick or it’s not good. So cleanliness is a lot better. (24:18) But yet, he says, you’re not defiling yourself.

You know, by not going through that ritual that they’re going through. (24:33) So they may be thinking that they’re going to be defiled if they don’t really clean themselves up. (24:46) And while from the Old Testament, that there were transits before they entered the (24:57) tabernacle, they had to wash themselves before they handled the sacrifices.

(25:08) God did not issue all this. It wasn’t handed down from God. (25:17) It was originally from the Jewish leaders.

It was from them. And that’s what made this wrong. (25:30) And so Jesus was correcting that.

Now, this is part one of this, and I’m going to have part two, (25:46) which is going to be considering, it’s going to be still traditions, but it’s going to be what (25:58) the apostles laid out in the Word. (26:03) And the traditions that especially Paul had laid out for the church to do, for Christians to comply with. (26:19) I’m going to give the invitation, if there’s anyone that (26:24) does not, have not made Christ their own, have not come to Christ, (26:38) Jesus said that he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.

(26:50) In Acts 2.38, Peter told the people when they asked, what shall we do? (27:00) He said to them, repent, and be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of sins, (27:11) and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So if you haven’t done so, (27:21) believe and be baptized. Repent and be baptized.

Believe, repent, and be baptized. (27:31) This is how to get into salvation. And once we are saved from our sins, we must continue to be faithful, (27:41) be faithful unto death.

That is in Revelation 2:10. We need to continue to be faithful. (27:55) But what we need to watch out for is what man hands down as if they are the commandments of God. (28:10) And we need to stick with the word of God to make sure that we know what’s from God and what is (28:24) really man made.

So if you are subject in any way to the gospel invitation, (28:33) why don’t you come now while we stand and while we pray. (28:39)