Religion and Jesus

Introduction

Week 4 of our series in Mark. We’ve seen the humility it takes to follow Christ, the work He does and that we are apart of, and today we are going to examine our own hearts in light of Christ.

Written by John mark who is mentioned in Acts, the one that Paul and Barnabas separated over. They were the first two missionaries.

Believed to be a written record from Peters memory. Written around AD 50-60 AD to Roman/Gentile believers and portrays Christ as the suffering Servant.

Today we are going into what could be a sensitive topic some. Also, I know myself, I know my speaking style, and I want to say upfront, this is something that is near and dear to my heart. This topic particularrly is one that I can have, what I call righteous indignation about. Which can lead to my voice inflection and tone sounding angry. That’s becuase I am angry about this. I beleive Jesus was angry about this topic.

The topic we are going to see addressed in Mark today is Religion vs Jesus. I want you to know, I don’t hate someone caught up in religion. I don’t hate a person of any denomination that would teach religion over Jesus. I hate that they are caught up in it. I hate that they don’t know the freedom found in Christ.

Now I could preach 3-4 weeks on this passage alone, there is a lot of meat here. Today is meant to be an overview of what is taking place with an examination of the heart.

Don’t hear this message though and be thinking about everyone else that needs to hear it. If you think more people should hear it, share it on social media.

Today as you sit at home watching online or here in the auditorium, examine your own heart in light of the truth. Let’s look at the beams in our own eyes before we start trying to remove the speck from our neighbors. Sound good?

All right, as you examine your heart this momrning I want you to ask yourself, “Am I following a religion or am I following Jesus?” We’ll see at the end how to know which you are following.

Last week we saw where Jesus was becoming a household name and people were flocking to Him. Now he has called another disciple, Levi, and is on the road again.

We pick up the life of Christ here in

Mark 2:16-17 “16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Exegete:

Jesus is now at a place where he is eating with publicans and sinners.

A publican is a Jewish person that works for the Roman govwernment to collect taxes. So think the IRS agents and most likely they are corrupt. They would add onto the taxes people had to pay in order to line their own pockets.

Sinners were people that didn’t obey the law according to the Pharisees.

When Jesus heard their accusation He responded that he came to call them to repentance.

Illustrate:

Have you ever heard the old saying “Bad company corrupts good morals”?

That is derieved from

1 Cor 15:33 “33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

Why would Jesus want to spend time with people that could lead to corruption?

And Solomon wrote

Prov 1:11-15 “11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; And whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, We shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in thy lot among us; Let us all have one purse: 15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; Refrain thy foot from their path:”

Solomon spoke very directly to his son about this. He says don’t walk with them…don’t follow them.

Why is what Jesus is doing ok if there is scrptural support not to?

He wasn’t following them. He wasn’t doing what they were doing. He was with them but that’s not who he spent the majority of his time with.

He influenced them, not the other way around.

He was open about his agenda as well. Mark didn’t record that his comment about calling them to to repentance was said in private.

The Pharisees wouldnt be seen with them for any amount of time becuase it would make them look bad.

Apply:

Does ths mean I should hang out with corrupt people and those who don’t follow Jesus?

Yes and no.

Yes you shoulud be around people that don’t know Jesus. If your not, then how can you spread the Gospel? How can you be a shining light and a testimony to the world?

However this isn’t an excuse teenager…look up here…dont’ uyse this as an excuse to go hang out with friends yoyu know are going to get into trouble.

Jesus wasn’t spending time with them as they were trying to gather as a group and do things wrong. He was having a meal with them.

There is a difference. The moment the tax collector went off to be sinful, Jesus stayed.

The Pharisees didn’t understand this. They saw any time spent with those who were not rightoues, according to them, as wasted time. They didn’t look like the Pharisees or live like the Pharisess so they were to be avoided.

The Pharisees hearts had been impacted by religion.

I. Religion Says “You must look exactly like us,” Jesus says “I came for those that are not like me.”

Jesus said he came to seek and to save that which was lost. While I can make the argument that many caught in religion are lost, Jesus said he was looking for the sinner.

So should we.

There was a time as a pastor here, early on, I remember asking God…how am I supposed to witness to people and share the gospel if I’m only around believers. Becuase early on, the only people we knew here was the church.

Thankfully God answereed that prayer and has allowed me to develop relationships with people that don’t know Him. I want to encourage you to ask for God to send people into your life that don’t know Him so you can introduce them to Jesus.

The Pharisees were about their appearance and how everyone would look at them as greateer than otherrs religiously.

They continued to follow Jesus as He was traveling and are asking him another question

Mark 2:18-22 “18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.”

Exegete:

This is one of those passages that has some meeat to it. I could spend an entire messgee onn just these verses. However, let’s look at the interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees.

The John mentioned here is not the apostle John that was trravelinng with Jesus, this is a reeference to John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the one who was a prrecursor to Jesus and proclaimed Him as the Messiah. He hadd people following Him.

The Pharisees we have already talked about. They woudl fgast. Which in it’s literal form and how it most often practiced is abstaininng from food.

The Old Testament law called for the Israelites to fast for different reasons:

Distress and grief (mourning) David did this over the loss of his son after his sin with bathsehba, Spiritual Preparation- estheer called for this to happen as she preparedd to go speak to a king to save her people and could have lost her life if he had been in the wrong mood, Repentance and Atonement- The Ninevites that Jonah preached to fasted to repent towards the Lord and he didn’t destroy them.

These are all great, biblical reasons to fast. Some have made fating a part of their regular scchedule based upon desiring the power of God in their lives.

Jesus told His disciples that the poweer to ccast out devils came from “prayer and fasting.”

Howeveer, there is no NT command to fast but there is an expectation.

Just as Jesus said wheen teeacching how to prayer, “when you pray” expecting those who follow Him to have a prayer life

Matthew 6:16 “16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

When ye fast. There is an expectationn that we arer fasting as blieveers. Now if you like me this is the mot convicting part of the message. I asked a couple weeks ago “How is your prayer life?” This week I’m asking “How is your fasting life?”

If its not a command then why is it expeected? What’s thee purpose of fasting

Illustrate:

How many of you like nascar? Any type of racing? Maybe Baja?

Ok, those cars are well tuned machines. However they run a grueling race. Hundreds of laps at high speeds with precision.

One mistake and it can lead to disaster.

However, even with the fine tuning, expenive parts, best mechanics working on it, that car can’t run that race without stopping.

They have to take a pit stop. They have to check in becuase the cocnditions of the race change throughout the day. Refuel, check tires, check fluids, and give the car and driver a moment of rest to refocus.

Not only is your body an excellent creation, your spiritual life is one that can be fine tunend and well oiled if you will as you follow Jesus.

As you run this race of life though, you arer finding yourself consuming constantly. Consuming food, consuming stress, anxiety, worry, and all the things that can run your body, mind, and spirit down.

Life happens and you encounter neew circumstances your not ready for.

Fasting should be like that pit stop. It’s u denying the things we need physically do spiritually check in and reefocus.

Jesus said he shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Apply:

The conditions to fast are prime in each of your lives and mine. Is there anyone here that would say “I don’t need a spiritual reset?”

The pharisees were fasting, John’s discicples would fast, Jesus said His disciples would fast when he departs…what’s the difference though.

The pharisees had added to the law and established ceretain days to fast. And if you didn’t fast on those days the way they did, they would look down on you as being less righteous.

Jesus didn’t refute the importance of fasting, he refuted their reasoning for fasting.

You see again, religion had hurt their understanding of what God had intended.

II. Religion says “You have to do what I do,” Jesus says “It is done.”

When Jesus died on the cross his last wors were “it is finnished” The work was completed. All of the doing that needed to be done to restoree mankinds relationship with God was over.

I’m thankful for a church like Liberty that doesn’t look at people who follow Jesus by faith in the gospel with judgment because they do things differently than us.

I’m thankful Jesus said “I’ve done the work. You just believe.”

From our faith comes our works but it’s not our works that justify us in the eyes of God, it’s Jesus’ finnishe dworked on the cross.

The last question we see the Pharisees asking about is is regarding the Sabbath.

Mark 2:23-28 “23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.”

Exegete:

Again, could preach an entire message on just this passage.

the Sabbath day is Saturday, it’s the day God rested and the day that God called for his people to rest.

The Old Testament laws on the Sabbath are relatively vague. The intention is to not work and rest unto the Lord. There are specific mentioned in the OT like not having a fire in your house, there was instruction to the Israelites that were in the desert not to collect Manna on the Sabbath as well.

What happened is that over time the Pharisees would add to the Sabbath law 39 specific ways to keep the sabbath.

Now, is it wrong for us to establish biblical principles or convictions to keep us from sinning?

Shake your head like this.

Should you have some standards and convictions in your life that keep you from sinning?

Shake your head like this.

So what i the problem here....They were not just establishing those standarrds in their life, they were trying to hold everyone elsee to standards that God had not sat.

Jesus turns the conversation back to them by asking about King David eating from the bread thats in the temple or tabeernacle at the time that was, by law, only for the priests.

They saw David as they greateest King Israell ever had and a man after God’s own heart. He then goes on to explain to them that The Sabbath was made for us and not us for thee Sabbath. As God, Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.

He is there to fulfill the law, including the law of the Sabbath.

Why did thee Pharisees have an issue?

Illustrate:

The Pharisees had developed a religious system that they saw as making theem righteous.

However, if they readd Isaiah they would know their righteousness is as filthy rags. There is no system of good works or obedience we can conjure or keep that makes us righteous

Rom 4:22-25 “22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

2 Cor 5:21 “21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Our righteousness comes from God and God alone.

The Phariseees were looking down on others that didn’t uphold their standard of righteoussness.

They were extremely judgmental.

III. Religion says “Your not righteous because your not like me.” Jesus said “Judge not.”

Apply:

This is a famous saying we love to quote. “Only God can judge me or we can’t judge others.”

Both are not true.

What did Jesus actually say?

Matthew 7:1-2 “1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

Judge not so your not judged....becuacse what you judge people by will be what you are judged by.

There is only one thing in this world that is deserving of being the baseline for judgement…That’s the Bible.

Judging someone off of your opinion puts you in the position of God. Judging someone off the the Word of God, leaves God right where He should be.

I can look at a person and say “they are drunk, therefore they are a drunkard, and in sin.” That’s a judgement based on the Word of God.

I can’t say “There is a person who goes to church on Saturday instead of Sunday. They are in sin or they are not right with God.”

Why? becuase the Bible ddoesn’t explicity tell us it’s sinful to go to church any other day besides Sunday. God just said for us to gather.

The Pharisees had developed a legalistic system that was putting unnecessary barrieers between peple and God.

Thiss is what I hate. For anyone or any organization or church to start tellling peoplee they have to do and be something God doesn’t call them to. To tell them their reelationship with God is dependent upon how much they pay or what days they attend services.

Some go so far to judge and shame people based on what they are wearing or what bible version they read.

I think it’s terrible but wait....While we as a community of believers, I believere, are far from that. There is a ditch on the other side that we have to keep from,

Remember, dont’ hear this and examine others hearts and not our owns.

Notice the one quetion Jesus asked in all this

Mark 3:1-5 “1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. 3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.”

Jesus asked them “Can I do good or can I do evil on the Sabbath? Save lives or end them?

This is us questioning those we find caught up in religion.

Now the Pharisees didn’t respond but Jesus did…He was angered AND..AND…He was grieved. That word in Greek means sorrow or saddened.

If you know someone that is reeligious and pharisaical, it is not for you to become to them what they are to you. It is for us to love theem, speak truth, and kindly go about doing our fathers business.

Time of Response

Is there a part of your heart where you have become pharisaical and judgmmeental? have you seen people that are religious without a relationship?

Are you doing anything to help them know Jesus more or have you pushed them to the side.

Are you nto grieved by their current position? One of the saddest sights we should see is a full parking lot at a building where peopl are being taught releigioin but not being taught Jesus.

It should angeer us, it should sadden us, and it should call us to action for their sakes and for the sakes of anyone that could fall into the snare of religion.