Doctrine Matters

Good Morning Church!

Bibles out…Mark 7.

READ V1-23

I want to focus in today on the verse 7 (READ AGAIN)

This verse is the key to unlocking everything Jesus is saying here in this section of text…

Look at the word “doctrine”

Notice the importance placed on it…

The Lord is leading us here to the root issue He is dealing with…DOCTRINE

What is “doctrine”???

Websters 1828- DOCTRINE: “In a general sense, whatever is taught. Hence, a principle or position in any science; whatever is laid down as true by an instructor or master. The doctrines of the gospel are the principles or truths taught by Christ and his apostles. The doctrines of Plato are the principles which he taught. Hence a doctrine may be true or false; it may be a mere tenet or opinion.”

SO!!! Doctrine is teachings…but just because something is called doctrine….does not make it true…by definition it can be false…

Is there false doctrine out there??? YES!!!!

We must know where to find true doctrine…

Especially when it comes to doctrine on our eternal life…(what is salvation, how to obtain it, how to live forever)

Here is how important knowing true doctrine is!!!

Every single book in the NT has at least 1 line of scripture written to the Church warning them about teachers of false doctrine

Some of Pauls epistles are directly written to combat false teaching…

SO WHERE DO WE FIND TRUE DOCTRINE???

Thats what we are going to tackle today…Where do we find true doctrine???

NOW as we look back at the text we read we can easily see that there is also a truth being taught here by Jesus…

A truth on the where defilement comes from…

We have seen as we walk through Gods Word how much stock the Jews put into cleanliness…

IT IS EVERYTHING TO THEM

So the topic of discussion between the Pharisees and Jesus in this text is…

-What defiles a man (makes him unclean)

The Pharisees are great comparers…they compare themselves to everyone…

They felt they were holy men of God…and so everyone should be compared to them…

They believed that they were the living standard of holiness…

Here they are comparing themselves to Jesus and His disciples…

As they stare upon the disciples of Jesus eating…they noticed that no one washed their hands before the meal…

And v2 says “THEY FOUND FAULT”…and they question Jesus about this fault…

“why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders and not wash their hands before eating???”

SO…what is being claimed here by the Pharisees is a doctrine…a teaching…

The teaching they are backing as the standard of living a holy life…that washing keeps you clean…

They question Jesus…”WHY DO YOU AND YOURS NOT WALK LIKE US??? THE HOLY MEN”

BUT is this doctrine truth???

What we are going to see today is this…locating true doctrine is dependent on one thing…

WHERE IT CAME FROM!!!

WHERE DO YOU GET TRUE DOCTRINE?

That is the question we must leave here today with an answer to…

Luckily…when it comes to doctrine…there are only 2 choices

ALL DOCTRINE COMES FROM ONE OF TWO PLACES…

Lets look at the first option you have to choose from…

From Man??? (v1-13)

Man has a doctrine…man has many doctrines…

Here in the text again they are stating a doctrine…

They are standing on a teaching…

Where does this doctrine that the Pharisees are questioning Jesus about come from???

Look with me at v3 and v5…The “traditions of the elders”

This command didn’t come from the Law of Moses…it didn't come from the book of Leviticus…which is where alot of the laws on cleanliness are…

IT CAME FROM MAN…The traditions of men

They are not looking at Jesus here and asking Him…”why aren't you and your disciples walking according to God and His commands in Torah (in the law)?”

NO they are asking Him…why aren't you walking like us??? (Like “holy men”)

According to our traditions…

Man has his own doctrine here…the Jews have a better way…

Remember what the topic is here…”what makes a man unclean??”

According to the Pharisees…its dependent upon when and how he cleans himself…

IT DEPENDS ON MAN!!!

This is called legalism…

That man has control over his cleanliness…that he can wash away his own filth (sin)

LOOK HOW JESUS RESPONDS TO THIS…

What Jesus says about The DOCTRINE of men (READ):

-v6-7—Make you a hypocrite (Worship in vain…Say that God is Lord of all, but make man lord over you)

-v8-12—Makes you reject the Word of God (Discuss the honoring of parents lesson Jesus teaches!!!)

-(Ultimately this leads to) v13—Make the Word of God ineffective (You are no longer living in obedience to the Lord)

FOLLOWING THE DOCTRINE OF MEN WILL ALWAYS LEAD TO DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD!!!

Look what Paul says about this…

Titus 1:10-16 “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate”

CHURCH…The doctrines of men are still all around us…nothing has changed

They exist everywhere…

In philosophy, science, other religions…

THE MOST PROMINENT PLACE IS OFTEN INSIDE OF CHURCHES…

You can go to churches all over America that are teaching the doctrine of men…

They teach that YOU… by your actions can be washed clean…

-you can be sprinkled as a baby

-dunked in a tank in your teens

-Go to a mass

-go to a class

-live a certain way

-become a member at a certain building

-recite a certain prayers

-confess to a certain “holy man”

-give a certain amount of money

THAT ALL OF THESE THINGS WILL WASH YOU CLEAN…AND KEEP YOU CLEAN…

This is the doctrine of men…

And these are all lies…

CHURCH We must beware of the doctrine of men…

They are the same doctrines that the Pharisees are standing on…and Jesus says they ARE NOT TRUTH…

SO WHERE DO WE GET TRUE SOUND DOCTRINE CHURCH?????

From God!!! (v14-23)

Hearken (listen) to ME!!!

If you have ears, HEAR ME!!!

Listen to the Words of the Lord!!!

John 8:31-32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

If you listen to Jesus…believe in His doctrine…you will know truth!!!!

Then He teaches the truth…

He says when it comes to uncleanliness…

It does come from the outside…

It comes from within…within the heart…

What a man eats cant defile him…

Why?

Because what he eats doesn't go to his heart…it goes to his stomach and ends up in DRAUGHT (thats the toilet yall)

NO…mans heart is where uncleanliness comes from…WITHIN…

NOW this is a huge statement…BECAUSE JESUS JUST TOLD A BUNCH OF MEN WHO THINK THEY ARE HOLY…WHO THINK THEY ARE THE STANDARD OF HOLINESS…THAT BELIVE THAT BECAUSE THEY WASH THEY ARE CLEANSED…

JESUS JUST TOLD THEM…YOU ARE CLEAN ON THE OUTSIDE…BUT YOUR INSIDE IS FILTHY…

YOUR HEART IS FULL OF SINFULNESS…

He even gives them a list of all the evil that comes from inside of them…

READ V21-22 AGAIN

EVIL COMES FROM MANS HEART…THAT IS THE TRUTH…

MANKIND IS NOT GOOD…AND HE CANT DO ANY RITUAL, GO TO ANY CHURCH SERVICE, BE DUNKED IN WATER, TAKE PART IN ANY EUCHERIST, adhere to any tradition, LIVE IN ANYWAY TO CHANGE THAT…

That is what Jesus is trying to show the Pharisees…

You may look clean…but your filthy…

YOU NEED ME…

You may look perfect…you may do everything right…you were baptized in a tank, come to church every Sunday, serve the church, are a member, tithe, you don’t cuss, you don’t watch porn, you don’t listen to nothing but worship music, don’t watch any bad TV shows, your children are well behaved….

You might be all of those things…with a filthy unsaved heart…

IF YOU DON’T TRULY HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD AND BELIVE IN IT…

IF YOUR SO FULL OF PRIDE THAT YOU CANT SEE YOURSELF…AS A SINNER IN NEED OF A SAVIOR…UNABLE TO SAVE YOURSELF…

YOU WILL NEVER BE WASHED CLEANED…

Jesus tells us here ALL mankind has an evil heart…BUT HE HAS COME TO PROVIDE US WITH A NEW ONE!!!!

Ezekiel 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh”

THAT IS THE TRUE DOCTRINE OF GOD…

That all man is sinful…and has sinned…and owes a death as the wages of his sin…

BUT JESUS CAME TO TAKE THAT DEATH…HE DIED IT FOR US..

AND THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO DO IS BELIEVE IN HIS SHED BLOOD AND HIS RESURRECTION!!!

THAT PAID FOR OUR SIN…

AND WE WILL BE WASHED CLEAN!!!

Washed in the precious blood of the Lamb!

Thats the Gospel…

TURN WITH ME TO 1 Corinthians 15 Church…

This is truth…Paul says it is the only doctrine that should be taught and believed in…

That the only way to salvation is through faith in the shed blood of Jesus

AND IT CAME FROM THE SCRIPTURES…

If you want to know where to find eternal life, how to live in it…TRUTH ITSELF

YOU FIND IT IN THE SCRIPTURES…

If you are wanting to lead someone to Jesus…lead them to eternal life…to be saved…

Where do you lead them and how do you lead them??? to and through the scriptures..

CHURCH IT IS THE ONLY TRUE DOCTRINE…

Not form man…but from the Lord Himself…

Scripture must be the final authority of truth in our lives!!!

THE WORD OF GOD IS TRUTH…

ITS THE ONLY DOCTRINE WE STAND ON…

ITS THE ONLY DOCTRINE WE PROCLAIM…

ITS THE ONLY DOCTRINE WE TEACH…

ITS THE ONLY DOCTRINE WE DISCIPLE WITH…

IT HAS FINAL AUTHORITY IN OUR LIVES…

WE ARE TO HEAR IT,,,UNDERSTAND IT…AND OBEY IT

Avoid ALL other doctrine…stand firm in the word of God…

Speak only truth…

NO MATTER WHAT…

LETS PRAY…