Sermon Tone Analysis

There are to many today that are bound in empty religion mixed with the burdensome traditions of man that has brought no life and hope.

It only leads to greater despair and confusion on what else must I do to be approved by God.

On the flip side Christianity is vibrant and life giving to our mortal steps and breathes a certainty of hope that will come to pass.

A new life is born with a proper perspective of what brings honor, what motivates me for greater living, becoming devoted to things that do not lead me to destruction but rather to life.

Revealing that my destiny is sure not because of my merit but because of Jesus work.

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Pray.

A REBELLIOUS JESUS

As we have seen in the last couple weeks and continuing into this week Jesus’ encounters with the leading spiritual leaders of His day.

As He had come forth with new authority in his speaking for even the demons obey His voice, you can only imagine the commoners and those who had ailments that would flood the feet of one who has been spoken of that can heal these infirmities.

The God that spoke the world into motion, breathed the stars into place and made man from dust, looks with compassion upon the broken of His day and works great miracles.

He speaks and a man that was blind can see.

He speaks and a man that is paralyzed gets up and walks.

What a miracle worker this Jesus was.

And His lively illustrations brought color to His clear and authoritative teaching that went in the opposite direction of the religious tradition of His day.

This naturally brought pious enemies to Jesus’ door.

Why do you not follow our tradition?

This began to become so troublesome to the religious leaders minds that instead of seeing the Messiah and rejoicing, they saw a rebel that was disobeying their self-proclaimed traditions and this was worthy of death.

It ends in chapter 3 with the religious leaders planning from that day forward how they might destroy Him.

What a powerful thing Tradition is.

We must be careful that we don’t allow tradition to be our governing and authoritative force rather than the word of God.

Tradition is not always a bad thing depending on what it is grounded in and position it holds.

Tradition: A long established custom or belief that has been passed on from one generation to another.

In this form I pray that i pass alot of things down to my children that will benefit them for life.

Wisdom and instruction that would be rooted and grounded in a habitual practice in my life that my children would see and live in the same light revealing the life giving force of the word of God.

Tradition: A doctrine believed to have divine authority though not in scripture.

This is when you step off into muddy waters not knowing what is going to pop out.

Teaching the traditions of men and putting the divine stamp on them.

Colossians

Traditions are deceptive

Galatians

IT was his zeal for the traditions of his fathers that lead him to persecute the church.

Then Christ appeared to him on damascus road and said saul, saul why are you persecuting me?

Aimless conduct received by tradition.

This is what naturally gets handed down by men and woman that have greatly influenced our lives.

So we must be careful that we do not allow tradition to govern our steps but rather the Word of God.

How Zealous we become for things that have been passed down by men but then how lax we become in the clear things that have been passed down by God our creator, The Heavenly Father, who cannot lie, does not deceived.

Do not let your doctrinal hills you are willing to die on be that which is handed down by the authority of men but rather that have been passed down by God.

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This is exactly where we come this morning in our text when these people and come to question Jesus about the customary practices of the day and the lack of Jesus’s disciples participating.

It was customary in this time by the influence of the religious leaders that they would fast 2 times a week.

Commentators differ on which days exactly they were.

Its like they were asking, Jesus don’t you know that our tradition has taught us that fasting twice a week is essential to holy living yet, you having this great following and influence, proclaiming to be the Son of God yet do not practice these things.

Something is off here.

Here your eating with sinners and tax collectors, which is questionable activity anyways, yet you do not fast a clear sign of righteousness.

What did He say about fasting in Matthew.

Matthew

The religious practice of the day was deceptive.

For their motives behind fasting was to be seen by men and perceived as holier than thou.

Yet they would disfigure their faces that they may appear to be fasting.

Christ exposing their intent at heart and their profitless reward.

An applause of men.

Yet Christ says when you fast do so in private without the display of fatigue.

The purpose of fasting to come to closer communion with the father in a time of need or for more intimate fellowship with the father

yet these religious leaders desired not to be seen by God with fasting but rather to appear more righteous and holy before men.

How often do we do this?

So and so is going to ride with me I need to put on Christian music.

Teenager i know you do this with your parents before.

I better watch my mouth...

Encounter with a man at miss spanns house

Plumber that came and worked on my house.

I need to sound spiritual when i pray

I need to look the part

All this that we may gain the approval of men, and in an attempt to appear more Godly to men.

It completely defeats the purpose and point to which we are trying to make.

You dont need to worry about what I think and approve of you need to worry what God thinks and approves of.

But how often are we satisfied with the empty applause of men.

These religious leaders wanted people to operate by their order and law.

They wanted people to act according as they would have them.

John nor Jesus were wrong in how they lived for they had different missions as we will see here.

John a demon

For he withstood from those things that they delighted in.

Jesus a glutton and a drunkard

For He partook with who they didn’t delight in.

In our churches if we are not careful we will allow the tradition of our fathers fighting against the work of Gods mission.

Well known pharisee leader that stood up for the

In nineteenth-century England, there was a poor woman who attended a church women’s meeting.

She had been living with a man of another race by which she had had a baby, and she brought the child with her.

She liked the meeting and came back again and again.

But then the vicar came to her and said, “I must ask you not to come to this meeting again.”

Seeing her questioning look, he continued, “The other women say that they will stop coming if you continue to come.”

Looking at him in poignant wistfulness, she asked, “Sir, I know that I’m a sinner, but isn’t there anywhere a sinner can go?”

This is a mindset that often comes with those that like their tradition and preferences rather than the mission of God.

But like all good traditions there were always loop holes and exceptions.

So these pharisees fasted a couple times a weak but with an exception during a wedding feast.

This was not a time to be sad and somber but a time to be joyous and celebrating.

After an ancient Jewish wedding, the couple did not honeymoon, but stayed at home for a week of open house in which there was continual feasting and celebration.

For the hardworking, this was traditionally considered to be the happiest week in their lives.

The bride and groom were treated like a king and queen that week (sometimes they even wore crowns).

They were attended by chosen friends known as “guests of the bridegroom,” which means literally, “children of the bride’s chamber.”

Their guests were exempted from all fasting through a rabbinical ruling which said, “All in attendance on the bridegroom are relieved of all religious observances which would lessen their joy.”

So this cultural practice Jesus used as a means to describe the eschatological time which Joy of the coming kingdom and messiah has come so those who properly understand this time and who it was that they were asking “why dont you fast?” it wouldn’t even be a question at all.

This is not a season of sadness seeking to beckon unto God for this is a season of Joy for God has come to man to redeem that which could not redeem themselves.

This just makes me think of the woman at the well when Jesus told her if she only knew who He was it wouldn’t be him asking for a drink but rather her that she may receive water that would cause her to never thirst again.

And when she saw she understood.

But for us today this is more than just metaphorical language but a present reality when we repent and trust in Christ.

That we no longer thirst for the things of this world but we thirst for righteousness.

Its when we see ourselves as we truly are rebelling against the only one that has shown us true love, to find that He is our only Hope.

The best part is that when we are made new we are not friends of the Bride but rather we are the Bride.

Yet why is that it appears, as though, we who are in Christ are continually looking at their relationship as hindering what we want to do.