WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.419 Well, now we have the privilege of turning in God's Word together to the Gospel of Mark chapter 7. 00:00:09.779 --> 00:00:12.640 We'll be looking at verses 1 through 23 this morning. 00:00:12.740 --> 00:00:18.740 We're going to see in this passage this interaction that Jesus has with the Pharisees, the religious rulers of the day, 00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:22.760 and the strong rebuke that he gives them in regards to their teaching. 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:27.539 Perhaps some of us here are interested in World War II history. 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:30.519 It's kind of one of my favorite parts of history to study, 00:00:30.619 --> 00:00:35.659 and many of you probably know how the British entered the war in 1939 by declaring war on Germany. 00:00:36.460 --> 00:00:43.039 But in those late months of 1939, there wasn't a whole lot of action happening until early 1940 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:46.599 when Allied forces attempted to push the Nazis out of Norway. 00:00:47.239 --> 00:00:50.280 It was a rather unsuccessful, poorly coordinated mission. 00:00:50.899 --> 00:00:55.259 And so there's a lot of fear on the part of the British to think, can we defeat the Nazis? 00:00:55.259 --> 00:00:57.399 What's going to happen to our nation? 00:00:57.559 --> 00:01:00.820 And so this was not only felt by the public, but also those within Parliament. 00:01:01.379 --> 00:01:10.939 And so this led to this two-day debate regarding this military crisis and the future of Britain against the Nazis. 00:01:11.579 --> 00:01:15.920 Many of them actually questioned the leadership of Neville Chamberlain, who was a prime minister at the time, 00:01:16.099 --> 00:01:18.620 and questioned whether he was the right man for the job. 00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:23.840 And to the end of this long debate, there was actually a member of Neville Chamberlain's own party, 00:01:24.420 --> 00:01:28.100 an MP by the name of Leo Amory, who rose to speak. 00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:33.760 And he gave this rather lengthy speech, and he ended his speech with a quote from Oliver Cromwell, 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:40.100 who 300 years previously had stormed the House of Commons in order to dismiss the long Parliament. 00:01:40.960 --> 00:01:44.760 And these are the words that he repeated to the prime minister, Chamberlain. 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:49.200 He said, you have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. 00:01:50.140 --> 00:01:53.240 Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:55.240 In the name of God, go. 00:01:56.740 --> 00:02:01.719 Within two days, Chamberlain had resigned, and Winston Churchill had become the prime minister. 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:07.060 See, Parliament had gathered to kind of discuss this military failure 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:10.560 and to think what needed to change on this military front. 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:14.580 But what Amory was pointing out to the members of Parliament and the public, 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:17.759 that it wasn't Norway specifically that was the issue. 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:19.539 The issue was leadership itself. 00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:23.060 And so in our passage today, we're going to see something very similar, 00:02:23.140 --> 00:02:27.400 because the Pharisees, these religious leaders, they begin debating hand-washing. 00:02:28.439 --> 00:02:29.879 And Jesus comes to them and says, 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:32.300 hand-washing really isn't the issue here. 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:34.319 The heart is the issue. 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:41.639 And so similar to Amory, we have Jesus here that rebukes this poor leadership of the Pharisees, 00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:44.799 who's pointing out their ignorant teachings, their self-righteous practices, 00:02:45.139 --> 00:02:47.620 and at the same time revealing the beauty of the gospel. 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:51.759 And so I hope that's what we can see in our passage together this morning. 00:02:51.959 --> 00:02:53.500 Let's turn there and read together. 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:55.459 Mark chapter 7, starting in verse 1. 00:02:55.460 --> 00:03:02.040 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus 00:03:02.040 --> 00:03:08.600 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 00:03:09.260 --> 00:03:14.840 The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:16.980 holding to the tradition of elders. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:21.200 And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. 00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:26.759 And they observe many other traditions, such as washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles. 00:03:27.419 --> 00:03:30.519 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked Jesus, 00:03:31.179 --> 00:03:34.139 why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of elders 00:03:34.139 --> 00:03:37.199 instead of eating their food with defiled hands? 00:03:37.879 --> 00:03:42.839 He replied, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. 00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:48.719 As it is written, these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:50.819 They worship me in vain. 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:53.799 Their teachings are merely human rules. 00:03:54.619 --> 00:03:59.119 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding to the human traditions. 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:01.299 And he continued, 00:04:01.579 --> 00:04:06.699 you have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions. 00:04:07.699 --> 00:04:09.899 For Moses said, honor your father and your mother. 00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:13.679 And anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:21.079 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban, 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:22.959 that is devoted to God, 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:26.780 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:31.960 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. 00:04:32.519 --> 00:04:34.160 And you do many things like that. 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:36.920 Again, Jesus called to the crowd, 00:04:37.080 --> 00:04:40.840 the called the crowd to him and said, listen to me, everyone and understand this. 00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:45.160 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. 00:04:45.760 --> 00:04:49.640 Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them. 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:53.039 After he left the crowd and entered the house, 00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:57.399 his disciples asked him about this parable. 00:04:58.279 --> 00:04:59.639 Are you so dull, he asked? 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:04.519 Don't you see that nothing that enters a person from outside can defile them? 00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:11.459 For it doesn't go into their heart, but into their stomach and then out of the body. 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:14.919 In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean. 00:05:15.779 --> 00:05:19.500 He went on, what comes out of a person is what defiles them. 00:05:19.639 --> 00:05:23.219 For it is from within, out of a person's heart, 00:05:23.939 --> 00:05:25.099 that evil thoughts come, 00:05:25.899 --> 00:05:26.839 sexual immorality, 00:05:27.699 --> 00:05:28.019 theft, 00:05:28.939 --> 00:05:29.259 murder, 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:30.579 adultery, 00:05:31.339 --> 00:05:31.800 greed, 00:05:32.719 --> 00:05:33.199 malice, 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:34.439 deceit, 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:35.800 lewdness, 00:05:36.459 --> 00:05:36.860 envy, 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:38.199 slander, 00:05:39.079 --> 00:05:39.379 arrogance, 00:05:40.019 --> 00:05:40.519 and folly. 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:45.599 All these things come from inside and defile a person. 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:47.479 This is the word of God. 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:49.939 Let's turn in prayer to Lord again. 00:05:51.939 --> 00:05:53.939 Lord, we thank you for the blessing of your word. 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:57.240 We acknowledge that it is a light into our path. 00:05:57.800 --> 00:06:03.360 So we ask, Lord, that you illuminate your scriptures this morning through the work and the power of your Holy Spirit. 00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:12.220 Lord, we pray, Lord, that you may give us a tent of hearts, softened hearts and opened eyes and ears to receive with gladness your instruction. 00:06:13.300 --> 00:06:16.580 That we may hear and rejoice in the message of salvation. 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:18.560 We pray this in Jesus name. 00:06:19.100 --> 00:06:19.379 Amen. 00:06:19.379 --> 00:06:28.279 Well, if we were to start at the beginning of the Gospel of Mark, we'd see that Jesus has these repeated confrontations with the Pharisees. 00:06:28.819 --> 00:06:32.079 And as we approach this passage in Mark 7, we see this. 00:06:32.139 --> 00:06:37.620 There's this really this this first and most significant confrontation where Jesus rebukes these Pharisees. 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:45.100 And it's really this this pivotal moment in the Gospel because we see Jesus addressing the very heart of the Christian faith. 00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:52.699 We see this conflict between tradition and truth, between external religiosity and internal faith. 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:57.160 And so the three things I want us to focus on in this passage are are this. 00:06:57.240 --> 00:06:59.560 We're going to focus first on the problem of tradition. 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:02.800 Second, the pollution of the heart. 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:05.660 And three, the provision of grace. 00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:11.259 The problem of tradition, the pollution of the heart and the provision of grace. 00:07:12.060 --> 00:07:18.420 So considering the problem of tradition first, I think it may be helpful to kind of make sure we have a clear understanding of who the Pharisees are. 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:26.019 Because if you've grown up in the church or been around here a long time, it's oftentimes we just recognize the Pharisees as being the bad guys, those who oppose Jesus. 00:07:26.019 --> 00:07:27.560 But what's their background? 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:31.800 Where do they come from and where do they kind of fit into Jewish culture and religion? 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:36.620 Well, we think that the Pharisees emerged during this intertestamentary period. 00:07:36.740 --> 00:07:42.120 This 400 years after the Old Testament was completed and before the New Testament begins. 00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:45.319 And these Pharisees, they weren't priests. 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:49.560 These were lay people, a lay movement within Jewish culture. 00:07:49.740 --> 00:07:51.259 They were teachers of the law. 00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:55.720 They wanted to preserve Jewish culture, Jewish identity, Jewish faithfulness. 00:07:55.720 --> 00:08:01.920 And so they did so by having a strong adherence to knowing and obeying Scripture. 00:08:02.820 --> 00:08:07.000 And in order to obey Scripture, they developed what was known as the tradition of elders. 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:14.460 It was basically these man-made traditions and customs that kind of fenced or created a wall of protection around God's laws. 00:08:14.660 --> 00:08:19.040 But it was ultimately these traditions that led the Pharisees and many others astray. 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:25.540 And so when we think about the problem of tradition, maybe that may cause us to bristle at first because we recognize there's great value in tradition, 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:30.340 especially when we think about the tradition within the free church and tradition within Scottish Presbyterianism. 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:34.460 And so the point is to say not that all tradition is bad. 00:08:34.519 --> 00:08:36.039 There's great value in tradition. 00:08:36.580 --> 00:08:40.580 Even how we're doing going about worship this morning in the liturgy that we have, 00:08:40.580 --> 00:08:47.360 this is a form of tradition that's based on God's words that allows us to recognize the drama of the gospel as it unfolds. 00:08:47.920 --> 00:08:51.960 There's other traditions that we hold to, like the sacraments, like baptism and the Lord's Supper, 00:08:52.060 --> 00:08:54.740 even certain things like a carol service at Christmas. 00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:56.040 Those things aren't bad. 00:08:56.639 --> 00:09:02.620 What happens is we have tradition that contradicts or takes us away from the Word of God. 00:09:02.620 --> 00:09:12.060 And so when we recognize these traditions that the elders, excuse me, the traditions of elders that were put forward by the Pharisees, 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:15.659 we recognize that they created them at first to protect the law, 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:20.980 but in fact they actually held them in such a state that they became equal with the law 00:09:20.980 --> 00:09:25.919 and then began to overshadow the law and then actually became contrary to the law. 00:09:26.960 --> 00:09:30.560 And so what would have been this spiritual movement to preserve Scripture 00:09:30.559 --> 00:09:34.500 ultimately became this deadly disease of religious externalism. 00:09:35.699 --> 00:09:37.279 And so what we see at the beginning of this chapter, 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:42.419 the Pharisees come to Jesus and his disciples and they're criticizing them for their uncleanliness 00:09:42.419 --> 00:09:45.259 because they're not washing their hands as they should before they eat. 00:09:45.259 --> 00:09:47.979 And they would have been referencing Old Testament law. 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:50.799 This law would have been ceremonial law for the priests, 00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:53.479 the washing that they needed to do before they make sacrifice. 00:09:54.219 --> 00:09:57.719 And so what the Pharisees were doing here, they were applying this to themselves and saying, 00:09:57.859 --> 00:09:58.839 well, we need to be clean. 00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:03.120 And so we see Mark giving this commentary in verses 3 and 4 and saying, 00:10:03.220 --> 00:10:04.960 they had a lot of rules about cleanliness, 00:10:05.180 --> 00:10:07.680 about when they went out into the marketplace and when they came back 00:10:07.680 --> 00:10:11.180 and how they need to wash their cups and their dishes, even their furniture. 00:10:12.620 --> 00:10:15.340 And we may think, well, that doesn't seem like that's such a big deal. 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:17.940 I mean, it seems like a pretty good practice to wash up, 00:10:17.980 --> 00:10:19.920 especially in a time where there's not modern medicine 00:10:19.920 --> 00:10:22.460 and certainly sickness and disease going around. 00:10:22.560 --> 00:10:25.680 And even today we tell our kids to wash up before we have dinner. 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:31.459 And so what's the big deal with having these practical washing rituals? 00:10:31.659 --> 00:10:33.779 But the thing is, it wasn't really practical in nature. 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:36.679 They were much more concerned about the ritual itself 00:10:36.679 --> 00:10:39.500 because they weren't so concerned about making their hands clean, 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:43.019 but they thought by following these rituals they were making their hearts clean. 00:10:44.059 --> 00:10:48.379 And so again, we see this preoccupation with religious externalism. 00:10:48.379 --> 00:10:51.860 I don't know if some of you here may go to the gym. 00:10:51.939 --> 00:10:53.559 I try to go a few times a week. 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:57.379 And a common trend that I'm seeing growing that I really, really dislike 00:10:57.379 --> 00:11:00.720 is when people go to the gym with their iPhone in a tripod 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:03.279 in order to record themselves working out. 00:11:04.019 --> 00:11:05.360 And I don't know who these people are, 00:11:05.500 --> 00:11:07.360 how many followers they think they have on TikTok, 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:09.860 and who really cares about what they squatted 00:11:09.860 --> 00:11:11.759 or how many reps they did in a workout. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:15.919 But it's becoming, I mean, I don't know why these people do this, 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:18.439 but it's really ironic in the sense that 00:11:18.439 --> 00:11:22.139 they become much more preoccupied with their appearance 00:11:22.139 --> 00:11:23.939 than the actual physical working out. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:26.439 Because they're doing less work than most of us 00:11:26.439 --> 00:11:27.600 because they have to set up the tripod, 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:29.700 and then they get in position and do their lift, 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:31.080 and they come back and they look at the camera, 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:34.080 and then they change the angle of the tripod again and then do it again. 00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:38.080 And you want to think you made the effort to be in the gym, 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:42.000 put forth the real effort without caring what other people think. 00:11:42.860 --> 00:11:44.440 But they think they're really the benefits, 00:11:44.580 --> 00:11:46.420 they care more about the appearance of working out 00:11:46.420 --> 00:11:47.500 than the benefits themselves, 00:11:47.620 --> 00:11:50.320 or the benefits don't really count in their mind 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:52.360 unless someone else has seen them do it. 00:11:53.580 --> 00:11:55.580 And so I think the same is for the Pharisees here. 00:11:55.660 --> 00:11:58.900 They're rejecting this fundamental inward godliness 00:11:58.900 --> 00:12:03.080 in replace for this outward display of righteousness. 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:05.060 And this is what Jesus is calling them out about. 00:12:05.660 --> 00:12:06.700 He calls them in verse six, 00:12:06.700 --> 00:12:08.040 he refers to them as hypocrites, 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:09.580 for they honor God with their lips, 00:12:09.660 --> 00:12:11.720 but their hearts are far from him. 00:12:12.500 --> 00:12:14.620 And so he's actually quoting from the prophet Isaiah, 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:17.220 Isaiah 29, where Isaiah the prophet is, 00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:20.560 he's really bringing this prediction of destruction 00:12:20.560 --> 00:12:22.600 on the city of Jerusalem 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:24.280 because of the hypocrisy of the people, 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:27.520 because they're practicing this false worship of God. 00:12:28.780 --> 00:12:30.920 And so we know this word hypocrisy, 00:12:30.920 --> 00:12:34.600 or a hypocrite to be a rather derogatory term in our day and age. 00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:35.940 We don't want to be called a hypocrite. 00:12:35.940 --> 00:12:38.680 We may be cautious in calling other people hypocrites, 00:12:38.820 --> 00:12:40.740 but in the Greek, this word really just, 00:12:40.900 --> 00:12:42.360 it was a term for a stage actor, 00:12:42.560 --> 00:12:46.060 for someone who performed or someone who wore a mask. 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:48.600 And so we recognize that an actor, 00:12:48.700 --> 00:12:50.740 how they perform on a stage is very different, 00:12:50.820 --> 00:12:53.240 how they may act backstage or in real life. 00:12:53.760 --> 00:12:56.400 And Jesus is saying the same is true for these Pharisees 00:12:56.400 --> 00:12:58.780 because they're pretending to follow God's laws, 00:12:58.780 --> 00:13:01.120 but they're actually very far from him. 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:03.779 There's this disconnect, Jesus is saying, 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:06.100 between their lips and their hearts. 00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:07.779 They're pretending to worship God, 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:11.679 but also ultimately much more concerned with this self-worship. 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:15.060 And so there's other times that we see in the gospel, 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:17.200 Jesus has these encounters with the Pharisees. 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:20.039 If we return to the gospel of Matthew 23, 00:13:20.659 --> 00:13:24.340 he announces these seven woes upon the scribes and the Pharisees. 00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:27.759 This is what he says in Matthew 23, verse 27. 00:13:29.139 --> 00:13:29.360 He says, 00:13:29.540 --> 00:13:32.440 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:35.040 for you are like whitewashed tombs, 00:13:35.379 --> 00:13:37.460 which outwardly appear beautiful, 00:13:37.920 --> 00:13:42.879 but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:48.620 And I wonder if that may describe some of us here today, 00:13:48.620 --> 00:13:53.000 that we may cling to outward displays of tradition 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:57.940 rather than truly recognizing and internalizing the truth of the gospel. 00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:01.360 I think we see this played out in our culture a lot. 00:14:01.460 --> 00:14:03.500 I was down in London a few weeks ago 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:05.299 preaching at London City Presbyterian Church, 00:14:05.379 --> 00:14:07.019 and I was staying with the minister, Andy Longway, 00:14:07.060 --> 00:14:10.259 and that Saturday we got up and did a park run that he often does. 00:14:10.379 --> 00:14:12.240 And these park runs happen all around the UK, 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:14.639 and they gather hundreds of people, 00:14:14.700 --> 00:14:16.680 depending on where you are, every single Saturday morning. 00:14:16.679 --> 00:14:20.079 And before the 5K race, there was an announcement. 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:21.859 They were saying, we need more volunteers. 00:14:21.959 --> 00:14:24.719 It takes dozens of volunteers to pull this off every Saturday, 00:14:24.839 --> 00:14:29.139 but also honoring those volunteers who have been there week after week, 00:14:29.219 --> 00:14:30.979 you know, 100 times, 200 times, 00:14:30.979 --> 00:14:33.539 and wanted to give them proper recognition. 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:35.159 And it got me thinking, 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:37.659 well, why are these people serving here every week? 00:14:37.699 --> 00:14:41.099 And not to say there's anything wrong with being altruistic 00:14:41.099 --> 00:14:43.319 or wanting to commit to volunteerism, 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:46.760 but for many of them, this is kind of like their church 00:14:46.760 --> 00:14:48.800 because they show up every week 00:14:48.800 --> 00:14:52.280 in order to either prove to themselves or prove to others 00:14:52.280 --> 00:14:54.120 maybe how good of a person they are. 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:55.820 Look, I work hard all week, 00:14:55.860 --> 00:14:58.640 and even then I'll wake up on a Saturday morning 00:14:58.640 --> 00:15:00.120 to volunteer at 8 a.m. 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:02.260 in order for this race to get put on. 00:15:02.660 --> 00:15:03.580 Look at how good I am. 00:15:04.940 --> 00:15:07.840 I think the same can even be true in the church. 00:15:07.940 --> 00:15:09.480 We can be tempted in similar ways. 00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:13.340 We can come faithfully on a Sunday morning and a Sunday evening. 00:15:13.580 --> 00:15:15.960 If you're a student, you can be involved in Scripture Union 00:15:15.960 --> 00:15:17.320 or Christian Union. 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:20.019 You think about going to community groups 00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:22.159 and prayer meetings and Bible studies, 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:24.700 and it can be all in the sense of keeping up appearances, 00:15:24.700 --> 00:15:27.820 as if we have to check enough boxes 00:15:27.820 --> 00:15:29.600 in order that God will be pleased with us 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:32.420 when actually our hearts are truly far from God. 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:35.560 And I think this can be true for even those 00:15:35.560 --> 00:15:37.399 who are in full-time ministry. 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:41.259 I think of myself as I was studying this text 00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:44.399 and recognizing how often I can fall into the same trap 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:45.980 of staying busy in ministry, 00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:47.299 in preaching and teaching 00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:50.039 and being a director for a missions organization, 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:51.419 travel and strategy, 00:15:51.419 --> 00:15:53.840 but ultimately can feel very far from God 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:56.740 because I'm finding my identity oftentimes in what I do. 00:15:58.819 --> 00:16:00.559 And oftentimes when this happens, 00:16:00.579 --> 00:16:01.759 when I feel far from God, 00:16:02.019 --> 00:16:04.179 the answer that I internally think is, 00:16:04.259 --> 00:16:05.399 well, maybe I just need to lean 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:06.819 a little bit further into my work. 00:16:06.820 --> 00:16:08.620 Maybe I need to try a little bit harder 00:16:08.620 --> 00:16:09.660 or do a little bit better 00:16:09.660 --> 00:16:11.420 and then God will be pleased with me. 00:16:11.800 --> 00:16:14.240 Maybe then I'll reach this level of spiritual maturity. 00:16:16.300 --> 00:16:18.280 Maybe that rings true with some of you as well. 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:24.300 The late poet T.S. Eliot wrote this once. 00:16:25.580 --> 00:16:25.840 He said, 00:16:25.920 --> 00:16:29.280 the greatest sin is to do the right thing 00:16:29.280 --> 00:16:30.300 for the wrong reason. 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:32.140 He says, 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:35.220 at what point do we become legalists in our faith? 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:39.519 When are we going through the motions without emotions? 00:16:40.199 --> 00:16:41.199 Or worse, 00:16:41.319 --> 00:16:42.340 going through the motions 00:16:42.340 --> 00:16:45.199 because they have taken the place of our faith? 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:47.080 In this state, 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:48.860 we are no better than the Pharisees 00:16:48.860 --> 00:16:50.819 who Jesus set on their heads 00:16:50.819 --> 00:16:53.240 or bobbing dolls on a dashboard 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:55.019 with glazed, empty smiles. 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:58.779 I wonder if this can be true of us, 00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:01.340 that we've allowed our external customs 00:17:01.340 --> 00:17:03.419 and traditions to replace this need 00:17:03.419 --> 00:17:05.480 for true heart transformation. 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:11.160 I wonder if sometimes we can become the legalists 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:12.779 that Eliot is speaking about here. 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:14.879 When we think about legalism, 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:16.339 what is legalism? 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:18.639 What is a legalist? 00:17:18.700 --> 00:17:19.740 It's someone who believes 00:17:19.740 --> 00:17:21.200 that their standing before God 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:23.019 is based on their performance 00:17:23.019 --> 00:17:25.019 rather than God's grace. 00:17:26.059 --> 00:17:26.799 And so practically, 00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:29.100 we recognize that's not the truth of the gospel, 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:30.700 but oftentimes in our lives, 00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:32.180 this is how we act, right? 00:17:32.259 --> 00:17:34.840 Because we think we need to supplement God's grace 00:17:34.840 --> 00:17:36.340 with our own actions. 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:39.259 We need to add something to this idea 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:41.400 or this recipe of salvation 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:43.100 in order for God to be pleased with us. 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:46.460 That's the recipe for legalism 00:17:46.460 --> 00:17:47.840 that Jesus is speaking about here. 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:50.259 That we obey God 00:17:50.259 --> 00:17:52.200 because we think then we will earn his love. 00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:55.299 But the gospel says something very different. 00:17:56.140 --> 00:17:57.339 God loves us, 00:17:57.519 --> 00:17:59.119 therefore we obey. 00:18:00.660 --> 00:18:02.519 And so that brings us to our second point, 00:18:02.599 --> 00:18:04.519 the pollution of the heart. 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:06.920 I'm sure many of you, 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:08.160 we all have cell phones here. 00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:09.720 We're probably used to using filters 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:12.640 in Instagram or TikTok 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:14.059 or different forms of social media 00:18:14.059 --> 00:18:15.900 or FaceTime when we communicate to one another. 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:17.819 My parents are with us today, 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:19.299 but often they live in the States. 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:21.579 And so we communicate through FaceTime often with them 00:18:21.579 --> 00:18:23.139 and we try to talk to them regularly. 00:18:23.139 --> 00:18:24.059 Or when I'm traveling, 00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:26.399 I talk to my kids using FaceTime. 00:18:26.819 --> 00:18:28.759 And typically when they take hold of the phone, 00:18:28.819 --> 00:18:31.059 the temptation is to start flipping through the filters 00:18:31.059 --> 00:18:32.119 and start talking to me 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:34.059 as like a dinosaur or a dog or something. 00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:36.079 And they become much more preoccupied 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:36.919 with the technology 00:18:36.919 --> 00:18:39.059 than actually carrying on a conversation. 00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:42.759 And we see these filters are used in different forms, right? 00:18:42.779 --> 00:18:44.980 Whether it's to make you look younger or older 00:18:44.980 --> 00:18:48.119 or to change the aspect of your picture. 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:49.259 We recognize that though, 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:50.299 what these filters do, 00:18:50.379 --> 00:18:52.519 they're creating this false image of ourselves. 00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:56.480 And this is essentially what these traditions of the elders, 00:18:56.759 --> 00:18:57.460 that's what they're doing. 00:18:57.519 --> 00:18:59.659 They're providing a filter for these Pharisees 00:18:59.659 --> 00:19:03.859 in order to create this false image of selves, 00:19:03.940 --> 00:19:05.639 that they look at these traditions 00:19:05.639 --> 00:19:06.839 that they're now keeping and say, 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:08.579 look how good of a person I am. 00:19:08.859 --> 00:19:10.299 Look how righteous I am. 00:19:11.899 --> 00:19:12.919 And so the irony is, 00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:13.980 they think these traditions 00:19:13.980 --> 00:19:15.819 are maintaining a high view of the law 00:19:15.819 --> 00:19:17.099 when actually they're creating 00:19:17.099 --> 00:19:18.639 a rather low view of the law 00:19:18.639 --> 00:19:22.639 because law and tradition in their mind equals merit. 00:19:22.919 --> 00:19:25.399 Keep the rules and God will accept you. 00:19:25.859 --> 00:19:27.659 Follow God's commands and then you'll be righteous. 00:19:29.339 --> 00:19:32.759 And maybe you're not familiar with church 00:19:32.759 --> 00:19:34.759 or maybe this is all new to you 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:36.459 and you think this is what Christianity is all about. 00:19:36.460 --> 00:19:38.500 No doubt, if you were to go on the pavement 00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:40.140 and just pull students walking by 00:19:40.140 --> 00:19:42.240 and ask them, what is Christianity all about? 00:19:42.299 --> 00:19:44.259 They'd probably give you an answer like that. 00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:46.640 Well, you have to be a good person 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:48.059 in order for God to love you. 00:19:49.120 --> 00:19:51.440 Similarly, probably people who reject Christianity, 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:54.380 it's because they view God as some cosmic killjoy 00:19:54.380 --> 00:19:55.840 who's just ready to drop the hammer 00:19:55.840 --> 00:19:56.819 whenever you screw up. 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:00.700 But what we see here is a very different picture 00:20:00.700 --> 00:20:01.840 in the scriptures. 00:20:02.900 --> 00:20:04.460 And so if we go back to the Old Testament, 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:07.960 we see God deliver his people out of the land of Egypt, 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:09.059 out of the house of slavery, 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:11.240 brings them into the wilderness 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:12.740 where he gives them his law. 00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:14.600 He gives them the 10 commandments 00:20:14.600 --> 00:20:16.259 to Moses on Mount Sinai. 00:20:17.120 --> 00:20:19.500 And we see later on in the book of Exodus 00:20:19.500 --> 00:20:20.340 and into Leviticus, 00:20:20.519 --> 00:20:21.559 he gives them more laws, 00:20:21.700 --> 00:20:23.559 ceremonial laws and civil laws. 00:20:23.640 --> 00:20:24.680 And so if you've ever started 00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:26.360 a new Bible reading plan 00:20:26.360 --> 00:20:28.940 and you may be excited to start a new year, 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:30.660 you get through Genesis and the first part of Exodus 00:20:30.660 --> 00:20:32.300 and you kind of feel like you hit this wall 00:20:32.300 --> 00:20:34.860 come second part of Exodus and Leviticus 00:20:34.860 --> 00:20:37.500 because it's just loaded with all these laws 00:20:37.500 --> 00:20:38.880 that we may not really understand 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:40.480 their significance about sacrifice 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:42.200 or Sabbath or clothing 00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:44.340 or feasts or social justice. 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:45.060 And so we may ask, 00:20:45.380 --> 00:20:47.920 what's the purpose of all these laws? 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:50.160 Well, if we think about 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:51.940 the Westminster Confession of Faith, 00:20:52.600 --> 00:20:54.160 and this is a document that we use 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:56.820 to help us understand and articulate our faith, 00:20:57.120 --> 00:20:59.060 help us to understand what the Bible says 00:20:59.059 --> 00:21:00.200 and what we ought to believe, 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:01.779 it talks about the law 00:21:01.779 --> 00:21:04.079 and it gives us three uses of the law. 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:05.980 The first use it says is, 00:21:06.119 --> 00:21:07.700 the law serves as a mirror. 00:21:09.179 --> 00:21:10.000 What does that mean? 00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:12.279 When God looks at the law, 00:21:12.419 --> 00:21:14.919 he sees his holiness and his perfection. 00:21:15.859 --> 00:21:17.679 But when man looks at the law, 00:21:18.379 --> 00:21:19.819 we see our own sin. 00:21:20.740 --> 00:21:23.099 The law reveals just how far 00:21:23.099 --> 00:21:25.299 we have fallen from God's perfect standard. 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:27.579 And so this is what Paul says in Romans 3, 00:21:27.659 --> 00:21:27.819 he says, 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:29.399 no one will be declared righteous 00:21:29.399 --> 00:21:31.319 in God's sight by works of the law. 00:21:32.099 --> 00:21:33.700 Rather, through the law, 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:36.500 we become conscious of our sin. 00:21:37.919 --> 00:21:38.939 And so for the Pharisees, 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:40.279 really their big issue is 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:42.000 they have a false understanding 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:43.639 of what the law is meant to do. 00:21:43.639 --> 00:21:46.019 They think the law allows them 00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:47.599 to prove their cleanliness. 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:50.720 And it's what's external to them 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:52.059 is what makes them defiled. 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:53.839 Jesus is saying something very different. 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:56.119 Look in our passage again in verse 20. 00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:57.819 He says, 00:21:57.819 --> 00:21:59.419 what comes out of a person 00:21:59.419 --> 00:22:01.039 is what defiles them. 00:22:01.919 --> 00:22:03.019 For it is from within, 00:22:03.159 --> 00:22:04.700 out of a person's heart, 00:22:05.500 --> 00:22:06.639 that evil thoughts come, 00:22:06.740 --> 00:22:07.679 and sexual immorality, 00:22:07.879 --> 00:22:09.399 theft, murder, adultery, 00:22:09.559 --> 00:22:11.019 greed, malice, deceit, 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:13.159 lewdness, envy, slander, 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:14.240 arrogance, and folly. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:15.700 All these evil things 00:22:15.700 --> 00:22:17.539 come from inside 00:22:17.539 --> 00:22:19.399 and defile a person. 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:22.360 And so what Jesus is making clear here, 00:22:22.420 --> 00:22:23.480 it's not the external 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:24.980 that defiles a person, 00:22:25.100 --> 00:22:26.540 but what is internal. 00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:29.440 And so listen to what Paul says again 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:30.960 in Romans 5, verse 12. 00:22:32.140 --> 00:22:32.800 He says, 00:22:32.860 --> 00:22:34.580 therefore, just as sin came 00:22:34.580 --> 00:22:36.040 into the world through one man 00:22:36.040 --> 00:22:38.100 and death through sin, 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:40.720 and so death spread to all men 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:42.480 because all sinned. 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:44.380 For sin indeed was in the world 00:22:44.380 --> 00:22:45.400 before the law was given, 00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:46.519 but sin is not counted 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:47.480 where there is no law. 00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:48.680 He's basically saying, 00:22:49.120 --> 00:22:49.960 because Adam sinned, 00:22:50.019 --> 00:22:51.279 we have all sinned. 00:22:52.120 --> 00:22:53.720 And the law reveals to us 00:22:53.720 --> 00:22:55.819 just how sinful we are. 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:59.099 The late Welsh minister, 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:00.180 Martin Lloyd-Jones, 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:01.880 he said this. 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:03.259 He said, 00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:05.599 the sinner is an abomination to God. 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:09.019 He is a monstrosity in God's universe. 00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:12.539 He is altogether hateful and vile. 00:23:14.259 --> 00:23:15.440 We may hear those words and think, 00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:16.740 ooh, that sounds a bit harsh, 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:17.400 like, Martin, 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:18.740 what did you have for breakfast this morning? 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:19.620 Like, take it easy. 00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:21.960 Because certainly the culture around us 00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:22.720 thinks, well, we are, 00:23:23.019 --> 00:23:24.579 man is basically good. 00:23:24.700 --> 00:23:26.700 It's maybe circumstances around us 00:23:26.700 --> 00:23:28.680 that are to blame for our bad behavior, 00:23:28.680 --> 00:23:29.779 but what we just need to do 00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:31.900 is we just need to weigh the scales, right? 00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:33.559 If we simply just tip the scales 00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:35.339 a little bit in our favor of good, 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:36.740 more good than bad, 00:23:37.420 --> 00:23:38.839 then we're seen as righteous. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:41.180 Now, obviously, 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:43.279 we wouldn't confess this in the church, 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:44.180 but again, practically, 00:23:44.299 --> 00:23:45.640 this can play out in our lives. 00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:47.480 We recognize that we are depraved 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:48.400 and sinful, 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:50.020 but oftentimes we can think about 00:23:50.020 --> 00:23:52.020 our practice of coming to church 00:23:52.020 --> 00:23:52.900 and we're reading scripture 00:23:52.900 --> 00:23:53.720 and we're volunteering 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:54.840 and we're serving the church 00:23:54.840 --> 00:23:55.520 and we think, you know what? 00:23:55.540 --> 00:23:56.300 I'm doing pretty good. 00:23:57.180 --> 00:23:58.840 God must be pretty pleased with me. 00:24:00.500 --> 00:24:01.700 And that ultimately puts us 00:24:01.700 --> 00:24:03.320 in a pretty dangerous spot 00:24:03.320 --> 00:24:05.000 because it can show 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:06.800 that we're failing to recognize 00:24:06.800 --> 00:24:07.640 the significance 00:24:07.640 --> 00:24:09.820 and pervasiveness of our own sin 00:24:09.819 --> 00:24:11.619 or that we're failing 00:24:11.619 --> 00:24:13.359 to recognize the perfection 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:15.200 and superiority of God's standard. 00:24:17.379 --> 00:24:18.720 Ultimately, the Pharisees thought 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:20.259 that the law and the tradition 00:24:20.259 --> 00:24:21.339 could save them, 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:23.379 but the reality is 00:24:23.379 --> 00:24:24.939 that the law does not save. 00:24:25.399 --> 00:24:26.740 It only condemns. 00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:28.839 And so that's what separates Christianity 00:24:28.839 --> 00:24:30.799 from any other religion out there. 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:31.899 Other religions say, 00:24:32.259 --> 00:24:33.339 follow the law and be saved. 00:24:33.500 --> 00:24:35.059 That's what the Pharisees practiced, 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:36.079 but Christianity says, 00:24:36.159 --> 00:24:37.299 you can't follow the law. 00:24:37.299 --> 00:24:39.579 You're not able to follow the law. 00:24:41.019 --> 00:24:42.000 But think for a second 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:43.339 if you could follow the law, 00:24:43.399 --> 00:24:44.579 if the law could save you. 00:24:44.879 --> 00:24:45.819 Because maybe we have 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:46.779 that independent streak 00:24:46.779 --> 00:24:47.559 and we think, you know what? 00:24:47.579 --> 00:24:48.359 I just want to be able 00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:49.559 to control my own fate 00:24:49.559 --> 00:24:51.819 and so let me give it a try. 00:24:53.240 --> 00:24:54.680 But think about all the uncertainty 00:24:54.680 --> 00:24:56.059 that that would cause in our lives. 00:24:56.680 --> 00:24:57.980 Because how would you ever know 00:24:57.980 --> 00:25:00.079 that you follow the law closely enough? 00:25:00.579 --> 00:25:01.879 And so we'd have this temptation 00:25:01.879 --> 00:25:03.740 to think we've got to keep working harder 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:04.559 and harder 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:06.419 and really have no sense of assurance 00:25:06.420 --> 00:25:07.360 that we've ever met 00:25:07.360 --> 00:25:08.440 God's perfect standard. 00:25:09.660 --> 00:25:11.000 And so that'll only lead 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:12.320 to the sense of discouragement 00:25:12.320 --> 00:25:13.180 and despair 00:25:13.180 --> 00:25:14.880 and anxiety in our lives. 00:25:15.800 --> 00:25:17.180 And does that not describe 00:25:17.180 --> 00:25:18.740 the ways the Pharisees acted? 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:21.300 These were not winsome teachers 00:25:21.300 --> 00:25:22.900 who just kind of came to Jesus 00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:24.000 cheerfully and his disciples. 00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:26.320 They came looking for a fight. 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:28.860 They were judgmental. 00:25:28.940 --> 00:25:30.060 They were self-righteous, 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:31.580 thinking that the law could save, 00:25:31.580 --> 00:25:33.200 but the law only condemns. 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:35.900 The law is not a filter. 00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:37.420 It is a mirror. 00:25:38.620 --> 00:25:39.640 And so what Jesus wants 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:40.980 the Pharisees to see here, 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:42.620 he wants them to see 00:25:42.620 --> 00:25:43.920 their own depravity. 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:46.460 He wants them to recognize 00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:47.380 their fallenness, 00:25:47.480 --> 00:25:50.200 to sense their helplessness, 00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:51.740 to feel the weight 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:53.039 of their own sin. 00:25:54.940 --> 00:25:55.759 And so when we think about 00:25:55.759 --> 00:25:56.980 that long list of sins 00:25:56.980 --> 00:25:57.759 that Jesus listed, 00:25:57.840 --> 00:25:58.080 you may think, 00:25:58.160 --> 00:25:59.080 okay, that's enough. 00:25:59.200 --> 00:25:59.819 Like, you can stop. 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:01.519 Or it kind of leads us 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:02.659 to think about that other person 00:26:02.659 --> 00:26:03.339 or that other person. 00:26:03.419 --> 00:26:04.599 Yeah, that describes that person. 00:26:04.679 --> 00:26:06.279 When we need to recognize 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:07.740 that what Jesus is listing here, 00:26:07.799 --> 00:26:09.399 it's describing you and I 00:26:09.399 --> 00:26:12.519 in our total state of depravity. 00:26:12.859 --> 00:26:13.899 That there's nothing 00:26:13.899 --> 00:26:14.639 that we can do 00:26:14.639 --> 00:26:15.480 to save ourselves. 00:26:15.579 --> 00:26:16.779 There's no amount of effort 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:18.519 that we can rescue ourselves 00:26:18.519 --> 00:26:19.839 from the penalty of sin and death. 00:26:21.679 --> 00:26:22.779 And so we can stop there 00:26:22.779 --> 00:26:23.319 and pray, right? 00:26:24.099 --> 00:26:24.939 No, of course not. 00:26:24.980 --> 00:26:26.879 This isn't the end of the story. 00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:29.620 This leads us to our final point, 00:26:29.700 --> 00:26:31.660 the provision of grace 00:26:31.660 --> 00:26:33.120 that Jesus makes clear 00:26:33.120 --> 00:26:34.480 to his disciples 00:26:34.480 --> 00:26:36.580 as well as the Pharisees. 00:26:37.380 --> 00:26:39.500 You may remember back in 2010, 00:26:40.260 --> 00:26:41.120 what became national 00:26:41.120 --> 00:26:42.180 or international news. 00:26:42.280 --> 00:26:44.200 It was this Chilean mining accident 00:26:44.200 --> 00:26:46.180 where 33 men were trapped 00:26:46.180 --> 00:26:47.980 in this copper mine 00:26:47.980 --> 00:26:50.760 2,000 feet under the ground. 00:26:51.380 --> 00:26:53.280 And they had little food. 00:26:53.600 --> 00:26:55.860 They had little supplies down there, 00:26:55.940 --> 00:26:56.420 little water. 00:26:56.420 --> 00:26:58.100 And for the first 17 days, 00:26:58.240 --> 00:26:59.500 those who were on the surface 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:00.620 didn't know if these men 00:27:00.620 --> 00:27:01.660 were alive or not. 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:02.900 And it was only until 00:27:02.900 --> 00:27:04.160 they could drill this little hole 00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:05.580 down there and retrieve this letter 00:27:05.580 --> 00:27:08.160 that said all 33 men were alive. 00:27:08.320 --> 00:27:09.539 And so this put the engineers 00:27:09.539 --> 00:27:10.380 into high gear 00:27:10.380 --> 00:27:11.519 trying to figure out a way 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:13.160 to rescue these men 00:27:13.160 --> 00:27:15.519 while also delivering them supplies 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:17.000 while they tried to figure this out. 00:27:17.860 --> 00:27:19.660 And so they formulated this plan. 00:27:19.740 --> 00:27:20.220 They were going to drill 00:27:20.220 --> 00:27:21.640 this shaft down there 00:27:21.640 --> 00:27:23.560 and create this rescue mechanism 00:27:23.560 --> 00:27:25.240 to bring them up one at a time. 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:27.740 And it took 69 days 00:27:27.740 --> 00:27:30.039 for them to execute this plan 00:27:30.039 --> 00:27:33.019 that ultimately all 33 men were saved. 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:36.400 These miners were left under the ground. 00:27:36.500 --> 00:27:37.859 They weren't able to save themselves. 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:39.400 It wasn't because of their own efforts 00:27:39.400 --> 00:27:40.319 that they got rescued. 00:27:41.120 --> 00:27:43.980 They had to rely on someone above. 00:27:44.120 --> 00:27:44.819 In the same way, 00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:46.059 we see something very similar 00:27:46.059 --> 00:27:46.779 in this passage 00:27:46.779 --> 00:27:48.960 that man is totally without hope. 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:50.620 We are unable to save ourselves. 00:27:50.619 --> 00:27:52.899 We are liable to sin and death. 00:27:52.959 --> 00:27:54.559 It is only Christ who comes 00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:56.579 and to rescue and offer salvation. 00:27:58.299 --> 00:27:59.319 And so if we look to the actions 00:27:59.319 --> 00:27:59.879 of the Pharisees, 00:27:59.939 --> 00:28:01.879 we should really see this great irony 00:28:01.879 --> 00:28:04.299 because they are believing 00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:05.479 that they are protecting 00:28:05.479 --> 00:28:07.599 Old Testament ceremonial law 00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:08.299 when in fact, 00:28:08.359 --> 00:28:09.519 they're totally ignorant 00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:11.000 of the reason 00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:12.699 and the intended purpose of this law. 00:28:14.039 --> 00:28:15.679 We turn to the book of Hebrews 00:28:15.679 --> 00:28:17.639 chapter 10 verse 1. 00:28:17.719 --> 00:28:18.459 This is what it says. 00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:20.039 It says, 00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:21.059 For since the law 00:28:21.059 --> 00:28:22.240 has but a shadow 00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:24.519 of the good things to come 00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:25.740 instead of the true form 00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:26.579 of these realities, 00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:28.400 it can never, 00:28:28.579 --> 00:28:29.980 by the same sacrifices 00:28:29.980 --> 00:28:31.360 that are continually offered 00:28:31.360 --> 00:28:32.059 every year, 00:28:32.380 --> 00:28:34.120 make perfect those who draw near. 00:28:35.079 --> 00:28:36.019 What does that mean? 00:28:37.019 --> 00:28:37.980 It means that the law 00:28:37.980 --> 00:28:40.799 was never intended to save us. 00:28:41.200 --> 00:28:41.840 So think about 00:28:41.840 --> 00:28:43.240 all these Old Testament laws, 00:28:43.380 --> 00:28:44.400 all these sacrifices, 00:28:44.620 --> 00:28:45.360 all these offerings, 00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:46.360 there were burnt offerings 00:28:46.360 --> 00:28:47.680 and peace offerings 00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:48.620 and sin offerings 00:28:48.620 --> 00:28:49.840 and guilt offerings, 00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:51.240 grain offerings, 00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:53.440 but they had to be repeatedly given 00:28:53.440 --> 00:28:54.539 over and over again. 00:28:54.620 --> 00:28:54.740 Why? 00:28:54.880 --> 00:28:57.160 Because they weren't ultimately effective 00:28:57.160 --> 00:28:59.380 in bringing lasting change. 00:29:00.519 --> 00:29:02.380 The law pointed forward 00:29:02.380 --> 00:29:04.039 to someone else 00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:04.759 who could provide 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:05.799 that lasting change, 00:29:06.519 --> 00:29:07.240 and that's Jesus. 00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:09.460 And so if we think about 00:29:09.460 --> 00:29:11.380 the Westminster Confession of Faith again, 00:29:12.180 --> 00:29:13.140 in chapter 19, 00:29:13.140 --> 00:29:14.140 it actually says this 00:29:14.140 --> 00:29:14.720 about the law. 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:17.600 It says that ceremonial laws 00:29:17.600 --> 00:29:19.019 prefigure Christ, 00:29:20.140 --> 00:29:20.779 his graces, 00:29:21.579 --> 00:29:22.039 actions, 00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:23.519 sufferings, 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:24.779 and benefits. 00:29:26.339 --> 00:29:28.339 The reason that God gave 00:29:28.339 --> 00:29:29.400 the people of Israel 00:29:29.400 --> 00:29:30.279 ceremonial laws 00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:31.160 was not for them 00:29:31.160 --> 00:29:32.460 to keep themselves clean, 00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:34.039 but to point them forward 00:29:34.039 --> 00:29:35.180 to a spotless Savior 00:29:35.180 --> 00:29:36.019 who would come 00:29:36.019 --> 00:29:38.400 to provide lasting cleansing 00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:39.640 in their lives. 00:29:39.640 --> 00:29:42.640 And so Jesus says this 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:43.420 in verse 18, 00:29:43.580 --> 00:29:44.500 Are you so dull? 00:29:45.780 --> 00:29:46.640 Don't you see that 00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:48.320 nothing that enters a person 00:29:48.320 --> 00:29:49.220 from outside 00:29:49.220 --> 00:29:50.140 can defile them? 00:29:51.259 --> 00:29:52.259 For it doesn't go 00:29:52.259 --> 00:29:53.100 into their heart, 00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:54.040 but into their stomach, 00:29:54.320 --> 00:29:55.840 and then out of their body. 00:29:56.860 --> 00:29:57.680 In saying this, 00:29:57.759 --> 00:29:58.380 Jesus declared 00:29:58.380 --> 00:29:59.720 all foods clean. 00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:01.340 And that's a little bit 00:30:01.340 --> 00:30:01.860 of commentary 00:30:01.860 --> 00:30:02.860 that Mark uses 00:30:02.860 --> 00:30:04.080 at the end of that passage 00:30:04.080 --> 00:30:05.580 to explain for us 00:30:05.580 --> 00:30:07.780 what's really going on here. 00:30:07.779 --> 00:30:08.859 Because all we'd have to do 00:30:08.859 --> 00:30:09.539 is jump forward 00:30:09.539 --> 00:30:10.359 in the New Testament 00:30:10.359 --> 00:30:11.319 to the book of Acts. 00:30:11.799 --> 00:30:12.559 In Acts 10, 00:30:12.619 --> 00:30:13.200 you may remember 00:30:13.200 --> 00:30:14.559 these visions that Peter, 00:30:14.680 --> 00:30:15.139 who's the leader 00:30:15.139 --> 00:30:16.059 of the New Testament church, 00:30:16.119 --> 00:30:16.519 is having 00:30:16.519 --> 00:30:18.660 of all these unclean foods 00:30:18.660 --> 00:30:19.259 and animals 00:30:19.259 --> 00:30:20.139 that he has instructed 00:30:20.139 --> 00:30:21.339 to kill and eat. 00:30:21.639 --> 00:30:22.700 And he refuses and says, 00:30:22.819 --> 00:30:24.279 This is against ceremonial law. 00:30:24.359 --> 00:30:25.539 We're not supposed to do this. 00:30:25.639 --> 00:30:26.079 And again, 00:30:26.160 --> 00:30:27.879 he's told to kill and eat. 00:30:29.079 --> 00:30:30.059 At the same time, 00:30:30.379 --> 00:30:31.619 a Roman centurion 00:30:31.619 --> 00:30:32.720 comes to him, Cornelius, 00:30:32.779 --> 00:30:33.619 and invites him back 00:30:33.619 --> 00:30:34.099 to his house. 00:30:34.180 --> 00:30:35.299 This Gentile family 00:30:35.299 --> 00:30:36.960 where they want to know 00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:38.299 the true meaning 00:30:38.299 --> 00:30:39.140 of the gospel 00:30:39.140 --> 00:30:40.460 and who Jesus truly is. 00:30:40.600 --> 00:30:41.860 And Peter recognizes 00:30:41.860 --> 00:30:42.640 at this point 00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:44.140 that it's no longer 00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:45.160 any rules 00:30:45.160 --> 00:30:47.200 regarding these unclean foods 00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:48.480 that Gentiles themselves 00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:49.259 shouldn't be viewed 00:30:49.259 --> 00:30:49.940 as unclean. 00:30:51.140 --> 00:30:53.180 But all is now permissible 00:30:53.180 --> 00:30:54.880 and seen as clean 00:30:54.880 --> 00:30:55.539 through Christ. 00:30:56.940 --> 00:30:57.259 And so, 00:30:57.400 --> 00:30:58.160 when we think about 00:30:58.160 --> 00:30:58.680 that passage, 00:30:58.779 --> 00:30:59.120 you may think, 00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:00.460 Okay, that's the point in time 00:31:00.460 --> 00:31:01.579 in the New Testament church. 00:31:01.720 --> 00:31:02.600 They're in Acts 10 00:31:02.600 --> 00:31:04.019 where all these laws 00:31:04.019 --> 00:31:05.180 are kind of go by the wayside. 00:31:05.259 --> 00:31:06.039 But Mark is making 00:31:06.039 --> 00:31:06.779 very clear here. 00:31:07.059 --> 00:31:07.799 It doesn't happen 00:31:07.799 --> 00:31:09.420 after Jesus' departure. 00:31:09.899 --> 00:31:11.019 This change occurs 00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:12.259 at Jesus' arrival 00:31:12.259 --> 00:31:13.500 because the law 00:31:13.500 --> 00:31:14.460 points forward 00:31:14.460 --> 00:31:15.639 to the real image 00:31:15.639 --> 00:31:16.779 who is now here. 00:31:17.139 --> 00:31:18.500 The barrier to cleanliness 00:31:18.500 --> 00:31:19.480 has now been broken. 00:31:20.299 --> 00:31:21.440 And Christ has come 00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:23.440 who makes all things clean. 00:31:25.500 --> 00:31:25.759 And so, 00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:27.180 Jesus' harsh rebuke 00:31:27.180 --> 00:31:28.839 of the Pharisees 00:31:28.839 --> 00:31:30.220 is not to embarrass them 00:31:30.220 --> 00:31:32.319 or simply to ridicule them, 00:31:32.379 --> 00:31:33.659 but to reveal to them 00:31:33.660 --> 00:31:35.140 their need for 00:31:35.140 --> 00:31:36.240 a sinless substitute. 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:38.600 To reveal 00:31:38.600 --> 00:31:39.380 and to demonstrate 00:31:39.380 --> 00:31:40.660 they need someone 00:31:40.660 --> 00:31:42.279 to do what the law 00:31:42.279 --> 00:31:43.120 could not do. 00:31:43.220 --> 00:31:44.320 Someone who could legally 00:31:44.320 --> 00:31:45.460 declare them righteous 00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:46.740 before God. 00:31:47.500 --> 00:31:47.740 And so, 00:31:47.800 --> 00:31:48.540 this is what the whole 00:31:48.540 --> 00:31:49.320 Gospel of Mark 00:31:49.320 --> 00:31:49.920 goes through. 00:31:50.259 --> 00:31:50.700 That Jesus, 00:31:51.040 --> 00:31:52.500 it's Jesus' journey 00:31:52.500 --> 00:31:53.320 to the cross 00:31:53.320 --> 00:31:55.240 where he willingly 00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:56.259 suffers and dies 00:31:56.259 --> 00:31:57.420 in order to pay the penalty 00:31:57.420 --> 00:31:58.680 for your sin 00:31:58.680 --> 00:31:59.279 and for mine. 00:31:59.400 --> 00:32:00.320 Taking away our guilt 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:01.480 and giving us 00:32:01.480 --> 00:32:02.339 his own righteousness. 00:32:04.399 --> 00:32:05.059 And so, 00:32:05.119 --> 00:32:06.119 this is what we believe 00:32:06.119 --> 00:32:07.019 and that we preach. 00:32:07.399 --> 00:32:08.419 That we are saved 00:32:08.419 --> 00:32:09.480 by grace alone 00:32:09.480 --> 00:32:11.000 through faith alone 00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:12.339 in Christ alone. 00:32:13.579 --> 00:32:14.220 And so, 00:32:14.259 --> 00:32:15.059 this is the invitation 00:32:15.059 --> 00:32:16.399 for each one of us today 00:32:16.399 --> 00:32:17.419 that we may receive 00:32:17.419 --> 00:32:18.159 the righteousness 00:32:18.159 --> 00:32:19.019 of Jesus. 00:32:19.419 --> 00:32:20.319 We may receive 00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:20.960 his grace 00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:21.759 that comes through 00:32:21.759 --> 00:32:22.740 our own faith. 00:32:22.879 --> 00:32:23.279 And so, 00:32:23.299 --> 00:32:23.859 that we don't try 00:32:23.859 --> 00:32:25.419 to strive after Jesus 00:32:25.419 --> 00:32:26.980 to earn his satisfaction 00:32:26.980 --> 00:32:28.220 or his pleasure. 00:32:28.220 --> 00:32:29.640 but we come to him 00:32:29.640 --> 00:32:30.539 in our filth 00:32:30.539 --> 00:32:31.779 and in our sin 00:32:31.779 --> 00:32:32.920 and in our guilt 00:32:32.920 --> 00:32:33.799 recognizing that 00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:34.579 he's the only one 00:32:34.579 --> 00:32:35.380 who can clean us. 00:32:37.740 --> 00:32:38.460 Horatius Bonar 00:32:38.460 --> 00:32:39.680 who is a Scottish minister 00:32:39.680 --> 00:32:40.799 from the 1800s 00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:41.940 was famous 00:32:41.940 --> 00:32:42.740 not only as a preacher 00:32:42.740 --> 00:32:43.819 but also as a hymn writer. 00:32:44.740 --> 00:32:45.940 And he wrote these words 00:32:45.940 --> 00:32:46.839 in one of his hymns. 00:32:48.299 --> 00:32:48.839 He said, 00:32:49.019 --> 00:32:49.660 Upon a life 00:32:49.660 --> 00:32:50.700 I have not lived. 00:32:51.700 --> 00:32:52.500 Upon a death 00:32:52.500 --> 00:32:53.400 I did not die. 00:32:54.279 --> 00:32:55.039 Another's life. 00:32:55.940 --> 00:32:56.660 Another's death. 00:32:56.660 --> 00:32:56.740 Death. 00:32:57.360 --> 00:32:59.040 I stake my whole eternity. 00:33:00.740 --> 00:33:01.320 And so, 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:02.080 when we do that 00:33:02.080 --> 00:33:02.700 when we stake 00:33:02.700 --> 00:33:03.759 our whole eternity 00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:04.640 on the life 00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:05.680 and death 00:33:05.680 --> 00:33:06.279 of Jesus 00:33:06.279 --> 00:33:07.019 it's not only 00:33:07.019 --> 00:33:07.740 going to transform 00:33:07.740 --> 00:33:08.320 our hearts 00:33:08.320 --> 00:33:09.019 it's also going to 00:33:09.019 --> 00:33:09.720 transform our 00:33:09.720 --> 00:33:11.019 relationship to the law 00:33:11.019 --> 00:33:11.940 because we said 00:33:11.940 --> 00:33:12.440 that the law 00:33:12.440 --> 00:33:13.380 serves as a mirror 00:33:13.380 --> 00:33:14.900 but as a believer 00:33:14.900 --> 00:33:16.240 the law also serves 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:17.640 as a guide for us. 00:33:18.320 --> 00:33:19.680 We don't throw away 00:33:19.680 --> 00:33:20.060 the law 00:33:20.060 --> 00:33:21.060 because Jesus came. 00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:21.820 Jesus came 00:33:21.820 --> 00:33:22.800 to fulfill the law. 00:33:23.180 --> 00:33:23.779 We don't follow 00:33:23.779 --> 00:33:24.700 the law out of duty 00:33:24.700 --> 00:33:25.620 but we follow the law 00:33:25.619 --> 00:33:26.099 out of hearts 00:33:26.099 --> 00:33:26.699 of gratitude 00:33:26.699 --> 00:33:27.379 and joy 00:33:27.379 --> 00:33:28.739 when we recognize 00:33:28.739 --> 00:33:29.359 the beauty 00:33:29.359 --> 00:33:30.419 and the blessing 00:33:30.419 --> 00:33:31.259 of the gospel 00:33:31.259 --> 00:33:31.879 in our lives. 00:33:31.959 --> 00:33:32.159 Therefore, 00:33:32.339 --> 00:33:33.339 we are made able 00:33:33.339 --> 00:33:34.199 through the power 00:33:34.199 --> 00:33:34.659 of the Spirit 00:33:34.659 --> 00:33:35.500 to be obedient 00:33:35.500 --> 00:33:36.139 to Christ. 00:33:38.259 --> 00:33:38.879 And so, 00:33:38.939 --> 00:33:39.579 this is the truth 00:33:39.579 --> 00:33:40.059 that we see 00:33:40.059 --> 00:33:40.619 in our passage 00:33:40.619 --> 00:33:41.139 this morning. 00:33:42.279 --> 00:33:43.239 That tradition 00:33:43.239 --> 00:33:44.479 wrongly says 00:33:44.479 --> 00:33:45.739 obey me 00:33:45.739 --> 00:33:46.599 and hope to live. 00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:48.679 The law 00:33:48.679 --> 00:33:49.519 rightly says 00:33:49.519 --> 00:33:50.759 you can't obey me 00:33:50.759 --> 00:33:51.799 so you must 00:33:51.799 --> 00:33:52.779 certainly die. 00:33:53.779 --> 00:33:54.879 But Christ 00:33:54.879 --> 00:33:56.559 graciously says 00:33:56.559 --> 00:33:57.960 I have obeyed 00:33:57.960 --> 00:33:59.339 so you can 00:33:59.339 --> 00:34:00.000 surely live. 00:34:01.059 --> 00:34:01.799 Let's cling 00:34:01.799 --> 00:34:02.339 to this truth 00:34:02.339 --> 00:34:02.779 this morning. 00:34:03.400 --> 00:34:04.180 Let's pray together. 00:34:04.180 --> 00:34:10.340 Lord, 00:34:10.360 --> 00:34:10.780 we thank you 00:34:10.780 --> 00:34:11.460 for the truth 00:34:11.460 --> 00:34:12.039 of the gospel 00:34:12.039 --> 00:34:12.800 that comes 00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:13.700 through this 00:34:13.700 --> 00:34:14.539 harsh rebuke 00:34:14.539 --> 00:34:15.380 of the Pharisees. 00:34:16.760 --> 00:34:17.599 And while it's 00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:18.119 so often 00:34:18.119 --> 00:34:18.680 our temptation 00:34:18.680 --> 00:34:19.420 to distance 00:34:19.420 --> 00:34:19.940 ourselves 00:34:19.940 --> 00:34:20.480 from them, 00:34:20.559 --> 00:34:21.400 may we identify 00:34:21.400 --> 00:34:22.019 ourselves, 00:34:22.280 --> 00:34:23.200 identify with them 00:34:23.200 --> 00:34:23.659 this morning 00:34:23.659 --> 00:34:24.960 to recognize 00:34:24.960 --> 00:34:25.559 how often 00:34:25.559 --> 00:34:26.139 we rely 00:34:26.139 --> 00:34:26.840 on traditions 00:34:26.840 --> 00:34:27.960 and our good works 00:34:27.960 --> 00:34:28.680 and customs 00:34:28.680 --> 00:34:29.659 in order to 00:34:29.659 --> 00:34:31.280 receive your pleasure 00:34:31.280 --> 00:34:32.980 and your approval. 00:34:34.660 --> 00:34:35.080 Lord, 00:34:35.140 --> 00:34:35.940 help us to recognize 00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:36.540 the truth 00:34:36.540 --> 00:34:37.000 and the beauty 00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:37.540 of the gospel 00:34:37.540 --> 00:34:40.080 that we are sinners 00:34:40.080 --> 00:34:40.980 saved by grace, 00:34:41.940 --> 00:34:43.180 that our righteousness 00:34:43.180 --> 00:34:43.940 comes only 00:34:43.940 --> 00:34:44.440 through the blood 00:34:44.440 --> 00:34:44.840 of Jesus. 00:34:46.519 --> 00:34:47.100 And so, 00:34:47.200 --> 00:34:47.280 Lord, 00:34:47.340 --> 00:34:48.060 we ask that you 00:34:48.060 --> 00:34:48.680 cleanse us 00:34:48.680 --> 00:34:49.180 this morning. 00:34:50.760 --> 00:34:51.380 We pray, 00:34:51.540 --> 00:34:51.660 Lord, 00:34:51.700 --> 00:34:52.260 that we will 00:34:52.260 --> 00:34:53.480 recognize 00:34:53.480 --> 00:34:54.900 and stand 00:34:54.900 --> 00:34:55.780 under the law 00:34:55.780 --> 00:34:56.560 as condemned 00:34:56.560 --> 00:34:57.519 but to see Christ 00:34:57.519 --> 00:34:58.460 having fulfilled it 00:34:58.460 --> 00:34:59.000 that therefore 00:34:59.000 --> 00:34:59.960 we may use 00:34:59.960 --> 00:35:00.480 the law 00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:01.579 as a guide 00:35:01.579 --> 00:35:02.360 for Christian living. 00:35:03.820 --> 00:35:04.699 Not out of a sense 00:35:04.699 --> 00:35:05.139 of duty 00:35:05.139 --> 00:35:06.320 but a sense 00:35:06.320 --> 00:35:07.039 of true joy 00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:08.260 that we may 00:35:08.260 --> 00:35:09.119 follow after you 00:35:09.119 --> 00:35:09.760 all the days 00:35:09.760 --> 00:35:10.300 of our life. 00:35:11.240 --> 00:35:11.920 We pray this 00:35:11.920 --> 00:35:12.659 in Jesus' name. 00:35:13.380 --> 00:35:13.639 Amen.