What Defiles a Person?

Game

Poison Frog?

Shawn has a game?

We should learn Mafia Sometime.

Announcements

Knitting night on the 15th

Bible Studies at the Allen’s home

Christmas Decorating on the 20th

We will have YG on the 27th!!

Review

Last week in Mark 6 we talked about two meals

In the passage about King Herod, what were the three things people thought Jesus was?

John the Baptist raised from the dead

Elijah

Prophet like the prophets of old

Who did Herod think Jesus was?

John the Baptist raised from the dead

Next one: While walking out on the water, who do the disciples think Jesus is?

A Ghost

In the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus acts like what to the people?

A Shepherd

Prayer

Introduction

I have found myself in conversations about worship for a long time. I started playing bass for the church plant my parents were attending when I was 13 years old. I remember unloading and loading trailers full of music equipment for years. I never really questioned our services At that age. I just did what I was asked to do, and participated as I was directed.

It wasn’t until later that I began wondering “why do we do what we do on a Sunday morning?” There’s really not a lot in the New Testament about the practice of our worship, apart from Worshiping Christ. It doesn’t tell us exactly what songs to sing (Colossians 3:16) but that we are to sing them. It doesn’t tell us to use pews, or chairs, or hymnals, or projectors, or how to order our service, but that our service should be orderly (1 Corinthians 14:26-40). Paul never tells us explicitly how though.

This is completely different from the Old Testament isn’t it. We have temples and tabernacles built specifically. We have specific requirements for each kind of sacrifice. If nothing else, worship in the OT tells us that God takes it seriously.

But what happened to the OT sacrificial system? The Israelites ended up worshiping the worship, rather than the God who commanded them to worship. Isaiah 1:13

Isaiah 1:13 ESV

Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

Isaiah 29:13 ESV

And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

As believers, what are we to make of this? I think that God didn’t provide the explicit details for how we worship because he doesn’t want us to worship how we worship. (Repeat this) God wants us to worship Him through the worship of His Son.

Tradition

Read Mark 7:1-8.

So let’s talk about tradition. This is completely linked to how we worship. The habits and traditions that you have had are all expressions of what you believe.

“This fencing of the Law probably began well enough, but as the years passed it produced some famous absurdities. For example, in an effort to protect the Sabbath from being broken through inadvertent labor, the devout were given an amazing list of prohibitions—fences. For example, looking in the mirror was forbidden, because if you looked into the mirror on the Sabbath day and saw a gray hair, you might be tempted to pull it out and thus perform work on the Sabbath. You also could not wear your false teeth; if they fell out, you would have to pick them up and you would be working. In regard to carrying a burden, you could not carry a handkerchief on the Sabbath, but you could wear a handkerchief. That meant if you were upstairs and wanted to take the handkerchief downstairs, you would have to tie it around your neck, walk downstairs, and untie it. Then you could blow your nose downstairs!

“The rabbis debated about a man with a wooden leg: if his home caught on fire, could he carry his wooden leg out of the house on the Sabbath? One could spit on the Sabbath, but you had to be careful where. If it landed on the dirt and you scuffed it with your sandal, you would be cultivating the soil and thus performing work.”

Excerpt From

Mark

R. Kent Hughes

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=0

This material may be protected by copyright.

Luke 6:45 ESV

45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45 ESV

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

We see the same in Matthew 12:34 when Jesus speaks of the Pharisees.

Matthew 12:34 ESV

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Jesus continues.

Read Mark 7:9-13.

This “Corban” is the excuse Pharisees would use to not care for their parents. They are trying to get around the 5th commandment by circumventing caring for their parents.

Exodus 20:12 ESV

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Exodus 21:16 ESV

16 “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.

Jesus is using these passages to trap them by their own words.

The Crowd cf. Matthew 15,

Jesus then turns to the crowd to explain what is happening.

Read Mark 7:14-23.

Jesus is speaking about food laws.

Luke 6:45 ESV

45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Matthew 12:34 ESV

34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Application

Tradition isn’t always bad! Going to church is a good thing!

The writers of hebrews gives commands for the believers in Hebrews 13.

Read Hebrews 13:1-17.

All of these are parts of our faith that we should treat as tradition. Let’s spend some time thinking about our traditions.

Pray

Discussion Questions

Why do you think it is good to have traditions? Why do you think it is bad?

Personal reflection: Traditions are similar to habits in their consistency and depth. They are an expression of what we believe. How do you believe your habits reflecting your faith?