Amen. Please take out your copy of God's Word. Turn to the Gospel according to Mark chapter 7.
Amen. It's good to be here with you today, and I'm glad that you're here with us. If you are a guest with us today, we have been preaching, working together through, verse by verse, through the Gospel according to Mark, looking at the life of Christ together.
And we've come now to chapter 7, and I'm going to read to us the first 13 verses.
Now when the Pharisees gathered to him with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.
For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders.
And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.
And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.
And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him,
Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?
And he 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.
In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.
And he said to them,
You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition.
For Moses said,
Honor your father and mother, and whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.
But you say,
If a man tells his father or his mother,
Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban, that is, given to God,
then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,
thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.
And many such things you do.
This is God's word to us, written for his glory and our good.
We will all do well to listen to it and obey it.
Join me in prayer.
Father, we do praise you this morning for the person and work of Jesus Christ.
We thank you that you are drawing us together even now to hear from your word,
and we praise you for it.
I pray, Father, that it will be powerful this morning in our lives,
in my preaching of it and in the hearing of it and in the application of it throughout this next week.
This is a gift from you.
We cannot accomplish this on our own.
No perfectly put together speech.
No convincing nature of my argument.
Not the best note-taker, best listener in this room can possibly understand and apply your word
unless you work in us to accomplish that by your spirit.
And so we pray that that would be the case this morning,
that none of us would leave here unchanged.
And we pray this in Christ's name.
Amen.
So we have another one of these confrontations on the religious of Jerusalem with Jesus.
Now he's coming to a close of his Galilean ministry.
It's beginning to wind down.
He's just fed the 5,000.
It's the last of the largest groups.
We'll see him feed later 4,000 as the reverb is being worked out of the system right now.
But this is winding down.
When he's going to move from the region of Galilee,
he's going to go to Tyre and Sidon, some other places.
He's primarily going to be focused, through the rest of the Gospel account of Mark,
on teaching the disciples.
And he'll encounter the world, the lost along the way.
And he'll be teaching the disciples things as that happens.
And we kind of see this heightened level of confrontation
as the religious of the day are getting more and more nervous about the things that Jesus is teaching.
And they confront him here.
As he is allowing his disciples to eat with unwashed hands.
And we'll explain that in a bit more degree in just a moment here.
But I want you to focus your attention in on the very beginning of verse 7.
This is the axiom statement.
This is the thing we really need to draw our attention to and really notice.
Everything else in this text builds around this.
This little phrase,
In vain do they worship me.
It is possible to worship the right God wrongly.
And this is a frightful reality.
That you could worship the God of Moses,
the God of Abraham,
the God of Jesus,
and do it wrongly,
and find yourself outside the faith,
is a frightful reality.
You see,
they thought that they were worshiping God rightly.
In fact,
their lives were devoted to this.
These Pharisees and the scribes.
The scribes would have been the academic elite.
They would have come down from Jerusalem.
You see,
they were probably called as some elites down.
Help us come and confront this Jesus
because he is confounding our accusations at every turn
and we need your expertise
to come down from Jerusalem,
the center of religious learning.
These people devoted themselves
to what they thought was the right worship of God
in their legalism.
And we see that
Mark's parenthetical statement
that it was not just the Pharisees and the scribes,
but that it was all of Israel
at the beginning of verse 3.
The Pharisees and the scribes
and all of Israel
worshipped in this way.
This small group of Judaism,
the Pharisees numbered about 700 in these days,
had so convinced the nation
that they must follow the traditions of the elders
rather than submit themselves
to the Word of God.
Today we see this happening
with either legalism or liberalism,
right?
With good intention,
but that there's a strain
from the teaching of the Word
and a living that is supposed
will bring us into righteousness
by the outworking,
the showing of what we do
rather than the change that happens
in our hearts.
Matthew 23,
verse 13-15,
Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees.
He says,
But woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites,
for you shut the kingdom of heaven
in people's faces,
for you neither enter yourselves
nor allow those who would enter
to go in.
Woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites,
for you travel across sea and land
to make a single proselytite.
And when he becomes a proselytite,
you make him twice as much
a child of hell
as yourselves.
You see the good intention here.
They would do all this traveling
to just bring one convert
into Judaism.
All of this work
to see this accomplished.
And yet,
what they're accomplishing
is the opposite
of what they hoped to do.
Well-intentioned,
but wrong.
To quote the great Wes Shelnut,
the song he once wrote,
which he thinks he picked this up
from someplace else,
they were providing
air conditioning
on a train ride to hell.
Air conditioning
on a train ride to hell.
And the issue at hand here,
really,
concerning the worship of God,
is an issue of heart.
God desires heart worship.
Deuteronomy 6, 4 and 5.
God says,
Hear, O Israel,
the Lord our God,
the Lord is one.
You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your might.
And we're speaking here
of the heart
as the center of who we are,
our very being.
Don't misunderstand this
as the beating vessel
that pumps blood to our organs.
This is the center
of who we are.
Religion kills.
Outward trappings,
outward appearance
of righteousness
kills.
Its end is destruction
and death.
But heart worship
gives life.
This is how we find
these Pharisees
and these scribes
coming and bringing
this accusation.
Mark chapter 12,
verse 28 to 34.
You'd do well to turn there
if you'd like to join me.
Mark chapter 12.
Here we see
an exception to the dorm.
A scribe who seems
to understand
what Jesus was teaching.
Beginning in verse 28,
and one of the scribes
came up
and heard them
disputing with one another
and seeing that he
answered them well,
asked,
which commandment
is the most important
of all?
Jesus here answers
quotes from Deuteronomy 6,
4 and 5.
The important is,
Hear, O Israel,
the Lord our God,
the Lord is one.
And you shall love
the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this,
that you shall love
your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other
commandment greater
than these.
And the scribe said to him,
You are right, teacher.
You have truly said
that he is one
and there is no other
besides him.
And to love him
with all the heart
and with all the understanding
and with all the strength
and to love one's neighbor
as oneself
is much more
than all whole burnt offerings
!
And sacrifices.
And when Jesus saw
that he answered wisely,
he said to him,
You are not far
from the kingdom
of God.
It's an issue of
heart,
right?
We must
be changed
by God,
that we will submit
to his ways.
The things that we do
on the exterior
are the evidences
of a changed heart.
But those evidences
do not change
who we are.
This was not a new issue
just in Jesus' time.
In the past,
this was a problem as well.
It seems to be
kind of knit into
our sinful character
that we would want
to trade the commandments
of God
for the traditions of men.
In the days of Isaiah,
this was true.
Turn to Isaiah 1,
verse 11.
Get ready to Bible drill
this morning,
or at least jot down
these references.
Isaiah 1,
beginning in verse 11.
What to me is the multitude
of your sacrifices,
your religion,
says the Lord?
I have had enough
of burnt offerings,
of rams,
and the fat
of well-fed beasts.
I do not delight
in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs,
or of goats.
When you come to appear
before me,
who has required of you
this trampling
of my courts?
Now get,
these were prescribed things.
God had asked them
to do these things.
But he says to them,
who has required of you
this trampling
of my courts?
Bring no more
vain offerings.
Verse 13.
Incense is an abomination
to me.
New moon and Sabbath
and the calling
of convocations.
I cannot endure
iniquity and solemn assembly.
The two can't walk
hand in hand.
Your new moons
and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become
a burden to me.
I am weary
of bearing them.
When you spread out
your hands,
I will hide my eyes
from you.
Even though you make
many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full
of blood.
Now here's the answer.
Here's the right way
to worship God.
Wash yourselves.
Make yourselves clean.
We do this by the blood
of Christ.
Remove the evil
of your deeds
from before my eyes.
Cease to do evil.
Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Correct oppression.
Bring justice
to the fatherless.
Plead the widow's cause.
These are the evidences
of changed hearts.
Come now.
Let us reason together,
says the Lord.
Though your sins
are like scarlet,
they shall be
as white as snow.
Though they are red
like crimson,
they shall become
like wool.
If you are willing
and obedient,
you shall eat
the good of the land.
But if you refuse
and rebel,
you shall be eaten
by the sword,
for the mouth
of the Lord
has spoken.
This was not a new issue
in Jesus' time.
This was a problem
in the days of Isaiah
as well.
It's also a problem
in the days of Malachi
after Israel's return
from exile.
Malachi chapter 2.
This is the prophet
right before Matthew
if you don't know
where that's at.
Just before Matthew,
Malachi chapter 2.
After God is commended
by the prophet Malachi
the service of Levi,
the first in the
priestly order,
in verse 8 he says
to the priests of that day,
but you have turned aside
from the way.
You have caused many
to stumble
by your instruction.
You have corrupted
the covenant of Levi,
says the Lord of hosts,
and so I make you
despised and abased
before all the people
inasmuch as you do not
keep my ways,
but show partiality
in your instruction.
So it's happening
after the return
from exile.
After Israel had been
taught a great lesson
at the hands
of their enemies,
and they returned,
they'd been restored
by God,
it was still an issue.
It was an issue
in the days of Peter
and Paul,
after Jesus' death
and his resurrection.
Turn to 1 Timothy
chapter 6.
1 Timothy 6.
Verses 3 through 5.
If anyone teaches
a different doctrine
and does not agree
with the sound words
of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the teaching
that accords with godliness,
he is puffed up
with conceit
and understands nothing.
He has an unhealthy craving
for controversy
and for quarrels
about words
which produce envy,
dissensions,
slander,
evil suspicions,
and constant friction
among people
who are depraved in mind
and deprived of the truth,
imagining that godliness
is a means of gain.
So men in this day
were already preaching
what we would call
the prosperity gospel.
And the warning to Timothy
is to shut them up.
This is not truth.
Quiet them.
Peter experienced it too.
2 Peter 2.
Verses 1-3.
But false prophets
also arose among the people.
Just as there will be
false teachers among you
who will secretly bring in
destructive heresies,
even denying the master
who bought them,
bringing upon themselves
swift destruction.
And many will follow.
Many will follow
their sensuality.
And because of them
the way of truth
will be blasphemed.
And in their greed
they will exploit you
with false words.
Their condemnation
from long ago
is not idle.
And their destruction
is not asleep.
It was happening there
in this case as well.
And was predicted
that it would happen
both by Peter
in the text we just read
as well as by Paul
in 2 Timothy 4.
Verses 3-4.
Paul stated
this would be the case.
For the time is coming
when people
will not endure
sound teaching
but having itching ears
they will accumulate
for themselves
teachers to suit
their own passions
and will turn away
from listening to the truth
and wander off
into myths.
This is a problem
in our day.
People who have
wandered from
the truth of God.
People who have
wandered away
into myths.
People who have
built religion
which kills
which damns people
rather than
bringing them
to Christ
and having their hearts
be changed.
Now
let's take a look
at our text
and let's see
three ways
that the Pharisees
and all the Jews
worshipped God
in vain.
But don't miss
that this has
application for our day.
Don't put this
off and distant
for the Pharisees
and all the Jews.
This was a problem
for them.
The reason I just read
to you all those texts
was to show you
that this is a sweeping
problem.
It existed
way back then
and it certainly
exists now.
So three ways
that the Pharisees
and all the Jews
worshipped God
in vain.
In vain
do they
worship me.
Number one
by being
hypocritical.
The first part
of verse 6
and he said to them
well did Isaiah
prophesy of you
hypocrites
as it is written.
He constantly
was railing
against them
this accusation
that they were
hypocrites
that they said
one thing
and they did
quite the opposite
that they set
a standard up
for the people
of Israel
to live to
that they themselves
could not keep
and they did this
by mounding laws
that were called
hedge laws
on top of
the law of God.
In order to
prevent people
from breaking
the law of God
they added all
these nuances
all these extra
things
they stacked
them up
they piled it
around
so that no one
could possibly
keep all of them
and they missed
the very point
of the law of God.
The very point
of it being
that we are meant
to live righteous
before him
and we can't
so we need
a savior.
Every road
in the scriptures
leads to
Golgotha.
The law
was meant
to show us
our need
of Christ
but they
became legalists
they began
to add on
extra things
all around
do we not
know people
like that
this day?
Matthew chapter 23
verse 25
through 28
Woe to you
scribes
and Pharisees
hypocrites
for you clean
the outside
of the cup
and the plate
but inside
they are full
of greed
and self-indulgence
you blind
Pharisee
first clean
the inside
of the cup
and the plate
that the outside
also may be
clean
clean your heart
so that your actions
will be clean
is what he's saying
to them
verse 27
Woe to you
scribes
and Pharisees
hypocrites
for you are like
whitewashed tombs
which outwardly
appear beautiful
but within
are full of
dead people's bones
and all uncleanliness
so you also
outwardly appear
righteous to others
but within
you are full
of hypocrisy
and lawlessness
their hearts
were not changed
they did a lot
of things
that seemed
righteous
on the outside
but they were not
because they were
done for their glory
and not for the glory
of the Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ
John 14
15
Jesus says
if you love me
you will keep
my commandments
so get it right
that if our hearts
are changed
if we have been
compelled by God
to believe in Christ
and our desires
are now being shaped
into his desires
and we love Jesus
for the reality
of the gospel
all these songs
we sing together
that are so gospel
centric
are also Christo
centric
that we might praise
the one who redeemed us
if we love him
we'll keep his commandments
we'll do the things
he told us to do
the commandment keeping
is a result
of the love
of the changed heart
not the other way
around
now at this point
Jesus' statement here
is so scathing
because none of us
can say
that we keep
Jesus' commandments
as perfectly
can we?
I certainly cannot
right?
is that not great evidence
that I don't love him
at all?
1 John chapter 1
gives us some
better understanding
I think
of this
bring some comfort
to your Christian souls
1 John chapter 1
beginning of verse 5
this is the message
we have heard from him
and proclaim to you
that God is light
and in him
is no darkness
at all
he is perfect
he is righteous
he is holy
if we say we have
fellowship with him
while we walk
in darkness
we lie
and do not practice
the truth
but if we walk
in the light
as he is in the light
we have fellowship
with one another
and the blood
of Jesus his son
cleanses us
from all sin
now get
he's talking about
habitual practice here
right?
John's talking about
a person who walks
in darkness
it is the characteristic
of their life
they walk in darkness
versus the 1 in verse 7
the characteristic
of their life
is that they walk
in the light
notice the summation
of verse 7
the blood of Jesus
his son
cleanses us
from all sin
verse 8
if we say we have
no sin
you find the Pharisees
would find themselves
this way
the legalists of our day
would find themselves
in this position
if we say we have
no sin
we deceive ourselves
and the truth
is not in us
we don't have
a clear picture
of who we are
we don't know
that we need
a savior
verse 9
if we confess our sins
praise God
he is faithful
and just
to forgive us
our sins
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness
if we say we have
not sinned
we make him a liar
and his word
is not in us
in some ways
we're all hypocrites
aren't we?
we say one thing
and practice another
it's very often
that we don't
practice what we preach
but the regenerate heart
the one that is
close to God
the person who is pursuing
God knows this
full well
and is humbled by it
throws themselves
on his grace
and mercy
knows that we have
a high standard
that we've been called to
that we cannot keep
apart from his work
in our life
it is true that God
uses crooked sticks
to draw straight lines
the religious elite
of this day
were self-proclaimed
straight sticks
drawing lines
that they supposed
were straight
but they were horribly
mistaken
they thought they were
doing this on their own
under their own
power
yes those of you
who like propaganda
that's where that came from
in vain do they worship me
by being hypocritical
in vain do they worship me
number two
by having their hearts
distant from God
the second part of verse six
this people
honors me with their lips
but their heart
is far
from me
turn to the book of Hosea
chapter six
I hope by the time
you young people
leave Christ family church
you love the Old Testament
and I hope that none of you
only carry a New Testament
with you
to church
that's only a part
of the scriptures
Hosea chapter six
verses one
through six
now there's just been
this accusation made
to the people of Israel
by the prophet Hosea
if you read there
at the end of chapter five
and this is the response
to it
okay now
I want you to
I want you to know
that it's going to sound
really good for the first
three verses
I'm going to tell you
why it's not
verse one
come let us return
to the Lord
for he has torn us
that he may heal us
he has struck us down
and he will bind us up
after two days
he will revive us
on the third day
he will raise us up
that we may live
before him
let us know
let us press on
to know the Lord
his going out
is sure as the dawn
he will come to us
as the showers
as the spring rains
that water
the earth
this is not
true repentance
and God's going to give us
a clue to that
here in a moment
through the
through the prophet Hosea
right
but what they are doing
is expecting something
of God
without first repenting
of their sin
right
they are just saying
yeah
time and time again
God has restored
his people
time and time again
we mess up
God came back
this is a
let's sin so that grace
may abound
type of attitude
which Paul said
of may it never be
emphatically
we cannot go on
living our lives
that way
if we are thankful
for what God
has done for us
we will live
righteously
as a response
to it
right
look at his response
here
verse 4
this is God
speaking to
the people of Israel
because of their response
Hosea chapter 6
verse 4
what should I do
with you
oh Ephraim
what should I do
with you
oh Judah
your love
is like a morning cloud
like the dew
that goes early away
therefore I have
hewn them
by the prophets
I have slain them
by the words
of my mouth
and my judgment
goes forth
as the light
for I desire
steadfast love
and not sacrifice
the knowledge
of God
rather than burnt
offerings
see that steadfast love
that he requires
our hearts
being close
to God
a desire to commune
with him
and meet with him
and live appropriately
in response
to that
Psalm of David
Psalm 28
verse 7
David writes
the Lord is my strength
and my shield
in him
my heart
trusts
and I am helped
my heart exults
and with my song
I give thanks
to him
if our hearts
are thankful
if our hearts
are near to God
our lives
will reflect that
our lives
will be the song
in which we give thanks
to our God
in Hebrews chapter 10
first part of verse 22
says
in light of the gospel truth
that the writer of Hebrews
has presented so far
he says
let us draw near
with a true heart
in full assurance
of faith
it's a matter of heart
and these people
these scribes
and these Pharisees
had hearts
that were distant
from God
thirdly
in vain do they worship
me
one by being hypocritical
two by having their hearts
distant from God
three by placing
the tradition of men
above
the commandment
of God
and you see that
in this quote
from Isaiah 29
13
the last half
of verse 7
teaching as doctrines
truths
doctrine not words
simply means truths
the commandments
of men
now they had done
all types of things
as I mentioned previously
and here we actually see
in the rest of our text
we see
Mark's commentary
on that
in the parenthetical
from verse 3
and verse 4
right
they weren't talking
about them eating
with dirty hands
it wasn't that they had
soiled hands
and they just couldn't believe
that they would possibly
do that
because there was
Old Testament commandment
to clean your hands
right
for the sake of staying healthy
and we all know that
they knew it in this day
as well
right
you don't go do something
real nasty
and then go eat
with your hands
right
not a good idea
I hope you all know that
right
not a good idea
this is not what
they're talking about
the disciples weren't
sitting around with
with gross hands
in that way
but they were speaking
of this further tradition
that they had stacked on
just look at his
explanation
and I like to read it
with a bit of
sarcasm
for the Pharisees
and all the Jews
did not eat
unless they washed
their hands
holding the tradition
of the elders
and when they come
from the marketplace
they don't eat
unless they wash
and there are many
other traditions
that they observe
such as the washing
of cups and pots
and copper vessels
and dining couches
it's like he's marked
going and on and on
and on and on
and on
all these other things
that they do
that's his commentary
there
and then Jesus shows
them another example
another way in which
that they've done this
and remember that he
sums up at the end
of verse 13
and many such
things
you do
this is not the
only two cases
in which they did
this
they did this
in many
many ways
and his summation
is
you leave the command
of God
hold the traditions
of men
and he said to them
you have a fine way
of rejecting the command
of God
in order to establish
your tradition
for Moses said
honor your father
or mother
and whoever reviles
father or mother
must surely die
so Moses gave
by God
a commandment
to honor
your father
and mother
and that if you're
sinful and you don't
the end of that
is death
but you say
these religious elite
you say
if a man tells
his father or mother
whatever you have
gained from me
is Corban
that is
we get the
again Mark's
little commentary
that is
given to God
this was a
common practice
this term
was similar
to a term
that referred
to the
temple treasury
and so it
became a
kind of oath
you could take
monies that you
had
and you could
set it aside
for the expressed
intent of giving
it to the temple
service
whether in your
life or when you
died it would be
set aside
for that purpose
so what this
person would be
doing
saying to his
father or mother
rather than caring
for them
in their older age
when they were no
longer able to
produce for themselves
they didn't have
401ks or any
other types of
retirement investing
in this day
they relied on
the younger
people to take
care of them
so they said
to them
whatever you
would gain
from me
is Corban
I'm not going
to give it
to you
I'm going
to give it
to the temple
service
instead
then you
no longer
verse 12
permit him
do anything
for his
father or
mother
thus making
void the
word of
God
by a tradition
that you've
handed down
and many
such things
you do
so the
explanation
this is the
accusation
that Jesus
makes back
in response
that they
had taken
these teachings
of men
and placed
them above
the word
of God
beloved this
happens so
so much
in our
day
I have
as I
come to
preach the
word of
God
I don't
think I'm
the best
preacher of
the word
of God
there are
many men
more talented
than I am
more full
of the spirit
quite often
than I am
but I gotta tell
you I come to
this thing
fearfully
I do not
want to
say something
that would
cause you
to follow
me and
not follow
our risen
and reigning
Lord
the word
of God
points you
to him
you ever
wonder why
all my
sermons
are so
text heavy
it's because
I just
don't know
what to
say
I just
don't feel
like I
have anything
really good
to say
to you
at all
but the
word
of God
speaks
to our
hearts
and our
lives
this is
why
because I
see this
rampant
in our
culture
I see
pastor
worship
see guys
saying
look like
me
right
that's
hypocrisy
that's
legalism
look like
me
I'm
ahead
of you
watch me
watch what
I do
this is
the way
I treat
my wife
this is
the way
I eat
food
this is
what I
exercise
this is
all the
things
we get
all the
steps
and all
the
processes
for being
more like
the pastor
I don't
want you
to be
like me
I'm a
sinner
I screw
up all
the time
I want
you to
be like
Christ
I don't
want to
help
point
you
to
that
very
thing
this is
why
I mean
literally
I tremble
before I
preach
sometimes
I'm a
type 1
diabetic
I think
I'm low
many of
you have
caught me
drinking grape
juice
in the
back
the juice
we use
for the
Lord's
supper
because I
think
I'm low
and more
often than
not
I'm just
nervous
because it
has such
weight
there's so
much
value
for your
living
in it
I don't
want you
to hear
me
if it
were
possible
for me
to
disappear
from the
stage
and you
guys
just
hear
the
word
of
God
I
would
do
it
I
would
absolutely
do
it
what
the
Bible
is brutal
absolutely
brutal
the book
of Jude
verses 12
and 13
speaking of
false
teachers
says
these are
hidden
reefs
at your
love
feast
as they
feast
with you
without
fear
shepherds
feeding
themselves
waterless
clouds
swept
along
by
winds
fruitless
trees
in late
autumn
twice
dead
uprooted
wild
waves
of the
sea
casting
up the
foam
of their
own
shame
wandering
stars
it's like
he can't
get enough
adjective
to explain
these type
of men
for whom
the gloom
of utter
darkness
has been
reserved
forever
Charles
Spurgeon
said of
this text
if I
must be
lost
let it
be
anyhow
rather
than
as
an apostate
is one
who falls
away
from the
truth
who's
walked
away
from the
truth
it's
one
who
teaches
the
traditions
of
men
over
the
commands
of
God
if
there
be
any
distinction
among
the
damned
those
have
it
who
are
wandering
stars
trees
plucked
up
by
the
roots
twice
dead
for whom
Jude
tells
us
is
reserved
the
blackness
of
darkness
forever
reserved
as if
nobody
else
were
qualified
to
occupy
that
place
but
themselves
they
are
to
inhabit
the
darkest
hottest
place
because
they
forsook
the
Lord
in
vain
do
they
worship
me
by
being
hypocritical
by
having
their
hearts
distant
from
God
by
placing
the
tradition
of
men
above
the
commandments
of
God
and so
what
does
this
mean
for
us
today
because
it
does
the
word
of
God
was
written
then
but
it
was
written
for
us
firstly
be
sure
that
you
were
not
apostate
be
sure
that
you're
not
found
outside
the
faith
we
live
in a
Christian
culture
to
be
sure
and
many
of
you
may
come
to
church
thinking
that
that's
what
gains
you
acceptance
to
heaven
thinking
that
if
you
can
just
stack
more
good
things
up
than
bad
things
up
that
God
will
put
that
on
a
scale
and
accept
you
into
heaven
you
must
know
that
apart
from
Christ
you
are
utterly
sinful
everything
you
do
even
the
things
you
may
see
as
good
attending
church
is
evil
apart
from
Christ
it
is
from
Christ
that
we
are
able
to
have
faith
and
anything
not
of
faith
is
sin
you
must
understand
this
you
must
stand
before
God
one
day
and
claim
only
the
excellencies
of
Christ
for
your
admission
!
into
his
kingdom
that's
all
we've
got
that
is
all
we've
got
be
sure
that
you
are
not
apostate
that
you
don't
simply
go
through
motions
thinking
that
it
gains
you
godliness
secondly
correct
the
one
who
is
apostate
correct
the
one
who
is
apostate
we
need
to
learn
something
from
our
Lord
here
and
the
way
in
which
he
deals
with
his
accusers
now
remember
that
this
is
compassionate
Jesus
right
this
is
the
Jesus
who
was
trying
to
get
away
from
the
crowds
because
he
had
just
learned
that
his
predecessor
and
cousin
John
the
Baptist
had been
beheaded
he was
trying to
get
away
to
a
quiet
place
and
this
large
crowd
followed
him
around
20 to
25
thousand
people
I
would
have
been
so
annoyed
by
them
but
he
had
compassion
on
them
he
saw
!
them
as
sheep
without
a
shepherd
right
he
sat
them
down
and
not
only
gave
them
the
things
they
needed
for
spiritual
life
but
also
gave
them
the
things
they
needed
for
physical
life
this
is
the
Jesus
that
healed
indiscriminately
people
came up
and touched
!
Him
and
were
healed
he
went
around
making
people's
lives
better
constantly
this
is
the
Jesus
who
spoke
words
of
life
to
people
right
this
is
that
Jesus
compassionate
in
every
way
but
when
to
you
scribes
and
Pharisees
you
hypocrites
brood of
vipers
because
what they
were doing
was evil
in the
greatest sense
because they
were leading
so many
astray
I don't know
what that looks
like for your
life
I would
not encourage
you to go
and confront
preachers
that you know
don't preach
the word of
God
well
probably
not your
place
I don't
know what
it means
exactly
for my
life
but
beloved
we have
to be
more
bold
in living
the truth
of the
gospel
speaking
the truth
of the
gospel
and
correcting
it
there
are
thousands
hundreds
of
thousands
possibly
millions
of
people
in
just
our
region
being led
astray
by false
teachers
so number
one be sure
that you're
not apostate
second correct
the one
who is
apostate
thirdly
do not
miss the
lesson
for our
lives
now if
you are
found
in
Christ
you are
sure
that you're
in the
faith
you can
say with
confidence
that you're
not
apostate
praise
God
for that
as a
work
of his
on your
behalf
praise
God
for it
but yet
we still
act like
the Pharisees
in many
ways
we can
still tend
towards this
because we
still have
our sinful
nature
we can
tend to want
to make
our list
and simply
check them
off
this is so
tempting
right
just give me a
list
it'd be so
much easier
right
just give me a
list
it wouldn't
require my
devotion
it wouldn't
require my
relationship
with the
Lord
right
just give me
the list
I can do
the list
it's no
problem
God draws
us into
relationship
with him
because he
is the
best thing
he is the
great end
to everything
that we
do
that we
might know
him
experience
him
and make
him known
this is why
we have
life
this is why
we're not
already taken
up with
him
that's why
we're
experiencing
him in
greater
and more
unfolding
ways
if you
all don't
know about
the man
George
Mueller
I would
really
commend
any of
his
biographies
to you
particularly
George
Mueller
of Bristol
written by
a man
named
wonderful
read
listen to
this quote
from him
after he's
recorded
Mueller going
through an
experience in
his life
where he
became more
devoted to
the word
of God
as the
supreme
authority
in his
life
and I
just as
an aside
tell you
that he
was preaching
at a
meeting
and afterwards
three ladies
were having
a conversation
about believers
baptism
and they
asked him
what he
thought
and he
said
I see
no need
to be
baptized
as a
believer
because I
was
baptized
as an
infant
and one
lady said
have you
ever searched
the scriptures
on this
matter
and he
said
no I
haven't
and she
said
well then
I would
encourage
you
to never
speak
on it
again
until you
have
this is
the preacher
the guest
preacher
and he
was moved
to do so
he did
and he
read the
entire
new
testament
and praise
god
he was a
baptist
at the
end of
that
process
as was
A.T.
Pearson
listen to
what he
says
what radical
reforms
would be
made in
modern
worship
teaching
and practice
in the
whole
conduct
of
disciples
and the
administration
of the
church
of God
if the
one final
criterion
of all
judgment
were
what
do the
scriptures
teach
and what
revolutions
in our
own lives
as believers
might take
place
if we
should
first put
every
notion
of truth
and custom
of life
to this
one test
of scripture
authority
and then
with the
courage
of conviction
dare to do
according
to that word
counting
no cost
but studying
to show
ourselves
approved
of God
is it
possible
that there
are any
modern
disciples
who reject
the commandment
of God
that they
may keep
their own
tradition
and he's
asking that
rhetorically
is it
possible
yes
it is
that there
are modern
disciples
disciples in
our day
who reject
the commandment
of God
that they
may keep
their own
tradition
beloved we
must filter
everything we
do
through the
powerful
word
of God
and it
is there
God wrote
a book
for us
we should
submit
ourselves
to it
in every
way
so as we
look at the
lives of
these men
that Jesus
makes these
great accusations
to let us
also be sure
that we will
not be
accused one
day of
these same
things
be sure
you're not
apostate
correct the
one who
is and
do not
miss this
lesson for
those of
us who
are in
the faith
let's pray
together