Tradition or truth?
Notes
Transcript
Go and Sin No More
10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.”
11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ”
12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”
13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”
15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
The first truth about Jesus I want to discuss is that He is perfect. He is God therefor He is perfect.
16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
I am not sure why people still argue that Jesus never said He was God. Here is another prime example. Do you have your Bibles? If you Bible is a red letter edition, what color is verse 17? It’s red Jesus said “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” Now this might not mean much to you. But it was very clear to His original audience what Jesus meant by calling God His Father and for interpretation look at verse 18.
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
I believe this leads to a very important question, If Jesus is God and God is perfect is He really viloating the Sabbath. Let’s look closer at this.
So last week we looked at the Sabbath and how Jesus was not having this man he healed breaking Gods laws but he was violating man’s tradition. A great example of this teaching is found in Mark 7:1-13
1 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem,
2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.
3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders,
4 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.)
5 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?”
6 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;
7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’
11 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)—
12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,
13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
Do you see this playing out in our passage? Jesus heals an invalid for 38 years and then tells the man to violate one of the traditions of the elders at which point we see where their hearts are don’t we. What is the commandment of God the are ignoring?
18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
So God’s commandment in scripture is very clear. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do you think if they were laying there for 38 years they were be rejoicing and praising God they were healed. Absolutely! Who wouldn’t? But they also were missing something else. Look at Isaiah with me.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
This is the prophesy from the Tanakh. The scripture which they were to be experts of. They should have known more than anyone that Jesus was the Messiah, but they spent so much time studying their own traditions and working on their own self-righteousness they weren’t studying the Word. They could’t see the simple reality of who Jesus was. Because if you believe it is wrong to carry your mat on the Sabbath and the very Son of God. The Word of God in the flesh. Tells a man to pick up your mat and walk what do you do? You reevaluate your tradition right? Because the Word of God is never wrong. Another great example is science. When scientist come up with a theory and it doesn’t align with Scripture. What do you do? You reevaluate your theory because the Word of God is perfect, It is never wrong. But you are aren't you? A great example is the age of the earth. When your scientific theory says the earth is billions of years old. You don’t invent theories to make the Bible agree with you. A plain reading of the text states that the earth is around 6,000 years old. So people create silly theories like each day of creation was billions of years.
What does our text say about us.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”
A miraculous encounter with Jesus isn’t enough to save us is it? Our hearts are prone to wonder. And the reality is that sin will kill you.
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. –”
“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. –”
― R Zaccharias
So how do we obey Jesus? How do we go and sin no more?
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”
Last night I opened the YouTube app on my phone and I saw a video by Paul Washer titled “On going sin in the life of the believer” It caught my interest as I thought about our text and Jesus’ charge to go and sin no more. He said something very interesting. He said often as he preaches about killing sin or becoming more holy. People always come up to him and ask how. He said they are looking for some magic formula. He said he asked them how much are you reading the Word of God, how much are you studying the Word of God, and how much are you memorizing the Word of God and he said often times people say it can’t be that easy.
But it is that easy, how much time do you spend with Jesus in prayer and in the Word. He gave the example of eating. If you skipped breakfast you will be hungry by lunch if you skip lunch and supper. You maybe sick tomorrow.