Duty not Delight
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Im so irritated with my neighbor… they kept playing Lionel Richie songs at full blast, it normally wouldnt bother me, but it was ALL NIGHT LONG
What do you call a cow that just had a baby? Decalfinated.
First 9 verse are a lot about what they would call fence laws... Laws they would put in place to keep them from really messing up but they came to love those laws more than the others... it was a sure sign Jesus would show them that their hearts were away from God and more focused on their traditions and themselves than Him...
Who/What did he call the people to?
And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand:
Confrontation part 1 about authentic faith... different sects and one comes to Jesus... you dont wash your hands... a ceremonial law you dont do... These people honor me with their lips... teaching as commandments of men
He said you don't follow the laws so you don't know God... and he says You DO understand the laws of God properly and you are lost anyway.
Why? They didn't have a relationship with God, they just understood the rules and rituals... and the point of the text is for us to look at ourselves and say is this me... where I do everything out of duty and nothing out of delight.
Related to marriage...Amazing day.. because I had to... I am doing this out of duty... no I am doing this out of delight because I love you... we should do the same thing with our relationship with Christ we should be doing it out of delight...
Loopholes and easy living is what we want... and this is what the pharisees did... and thats what our hearts go toward naturally, we want the easiest way thats why we love the religion of it, because relationships are messy. And if we sit and watch in relationships we have to figure it out and change thigns and realize how sinful we are we have to repent and look at ourselves and see who we are and who we arent... we have to talk to people about what we have done wrong... and thats why its hard...
ANd Jesus tells us that is why we go toward that... because we want the loop holes... he says our heart is far from him we know all the right thigns but our hearts are far from them.
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
He means they took the rituals of men and made them rules and doctrine... they wanted to know exactly how they stood at all times... and they wanted to put those things as on par with the teachings of the OT. and we do that all the time... we make the doctrines of man as strong as the doctrine of the Bible... the problem is when we elevate anything above the authority of the Bible... we gear toward those things than more toward the authority of scripture itself.. how could anyone do that?
Trinity... what Biblical Text would you use to defend that. Tell me what you use... what about the divinity of Jesus.. what would you point to? If you had to explain Hell, what scriptural text would you use...
WE might criticize the pharisees and ask how they coiuld take the traditions of men and make it higher than the authority if heaven... but we can do it because we dont make our faith our own we just hear and run with it...
And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand:
To Him... he doesnt call the people to rituals or a religion or practices or pilgrimages... he calls people to himself... he says I am the meaning of everything in the universe... dont trust in yourself... trust in me...
Babylon bee... jan 5 2017.... sattire...
Woman Unsure Why She Needs Jesus After Preacher Spends 30 Minutes Telling Her How Amazing She Is
TWIN OAKS, AZ—According to reports coming out of Hope Community Church, first-time visitor Brittany Wilson remains unsure about why she needed “this Jesus guy” in her life after the pastor spent the entire Sunday sermon reiterating how awesome, amazing, unique, and special she is.
“The message was super-encouraging. It was all about how I need to let the goodness within me shine and ‘just do me,’ without worrying about all the haters,” Wilson said after the service.
“But then the pastor said I needed Jesus, out of the blue. Like, what? It made no sense. I’m not sure what He has to offer that I don’t, based on how wonderful the pastor said I am.”
Wilson, who hasn’t attended church since she was a child, further reported she was “a little hurt” that the pastor would segue into an invitation to add Jesus to her life.
“It really undermined my confidence in myself,” she said, adding she wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
Jesus doesnt do what we tend to always do... trust in yourself.. no trust in me and hear what I am about to say to you. He called to the people to him and said hear and understand... so he confronts them., and then he turns away from the Pharisees... he isnt an enabler... he doesnt baby each other like we like to... we baby people in our culture too much.... we cancel colleges because of who won the election.. what is this... JEsus gives us hard things to our hearts and our minds and puts us in a state of crisis... and then walks away and has us to deal with it... the spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness...
Sometimes the best thing he can do is push us out to the deep end and let us struggle to get stronger....
Then the heart of the text
it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
The pharisees believed it was about the food and the cleaning... and Jesus says no its not about that at all... Its something deeper... and this is going to be really important... the pharisees think the way to solve all the problems of the world are to make sure your hands are washed... they believed if all of israel could keep the sabbath for two weeks in a row the Messiah would show up... and Jesus says no, you think the problem is all the stuff that goes into you, but thats not it.. its what comes out of you
if you believe in worship, you will say that the problem is we just need to worship and sing to God more in your car and everywhere.... then there is a group of theology people... they think doctrine is the problem and theology and more study is the solution... if we could just think properly about the doctrine of God.... and group of people social justice.... poor needy.... we dont need all these nice things... the solution is get rid of it all... and everyone has an idea about the way to fix the world...
And thats what the pharisees were saying... and he is saying no thats not it... thats behavior modification.... skip down
English Standard Version Chapter 15
17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
WHat he says is what matters isnt surface level stuff.... the pharisees arent evil.. they are just misguided...mankind is so evil and wicked... and the question of this text is why... why do we lie to keep up our rep... why do we slander... why do we talk about each other behind each others backs... and the pharises answer to this is control everyones behacior.... and Jesus says thats not it... you have to get under the behavior and get to the root... no one just lies out of nowhere... they lie from the heart... religion says go after their actions... the gospel says go after their heart.... heart = brains and affections.... what we do is born out of our desires and longings... teh question is what are we on earth for, religion says if you want to shape the world you are here to go after peoples actions and lead them to be good people...the gospel says NO... go after their hearts and what they love....its not about changing what we do its about changing what we WANT to do...
The modern view is we are what we think....so we need to get the right data and understand doctrines propwerly.... but what augustine pointed out... is somethign is under the hood that defines our actions.. and the deeper thing that is going to motivate your life is what you love and desire... so christianity needs to be erotic.... not in a sexual sense.... but in the way it goes after the things you love... itsn ot jsut about your thoughts its about getting into your heart and changing what you love...so that you love what God loves and despise what he despises....
and our sermons are often about giving people the right data... and we are really all about our passions and what we love....
The question for us if you look at it is is what gives us pleasure and what we desire is what changes our behacior... when you watch an ad they are trying to hit your desires...it pitches you a life of happiness and so it is appealing to your heart...to what you want to be true to your life and desires... thats why Jesus says this will define everything...
We have to get to peoples hearts... and leaders think we want to just get people the right information... French novelist...Antoine De Saint Exupery
"If you want to build a ship don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."
Thats the idea... Jesus says the thing that defines actions for all of us is our affections...
so go back to how lame the pharisees view of life is.... its not about what you do... its abotu your heart and where your relationship is with him in the dark. How do we gauge peoples holiness... do they smoke,,, do they drink.... and if they do these things they are holy or not... and he says dont do that... you can misread him... what he eats is just expelled... and you can listen to hillsong everyday... and tithe... and still not love GOd and have joy in the Christian life, but you see the outside and not the inside...
Isaiah 64 says all of our works end up as filthy rags...
So the question for all of us is do I know God, is this authentic... like if your wife or parents didnt bring you here would this be a part of your life, and if so would you delight in it at all... if my husband wasnt so excited about Christianity would I ever dream about this being my world.... and at the end of the day there are tons of opinions about Jesus.... some say a prophet some say elijah... then he asks a crazy question... who do YOU say I am... because at teh end of the day it will be just you and I. and the question is what do you take delight in... not what information you are getting... but what are you hungering for.... the ultimate central question of all discipleship is not what you think or do... but what do you want....
if you eat of the bread of life you will be fully satisfied.,, so waht do you want? Him or everything BUT him>. Its not the things... its do you get God.... is that what your affections long for
Back to 12
They thought it was all about the outside.... and here is vs what happens
vs 12-14
Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
Dont hang around them... here is what some of you need to hear... some of you have people who you dont need to be around... they create too much pressure and temptation so you need to leave them alone because they are going to bring you down... so at some point in your life there are people you need to look at and leave them aloen because spiritually they are blind guides and they are leading you astray
ITs dangerous to follow blind guides... and some of you think you can handle it but everytime you do it leads you to temptation...
Every plant that is not planted will be rooted up...
and peter says explain that bro
So he gives the image of a plant and peter then wants a explanation...
vs 16
And he said, “Are you also still without understanding?
Jesus is frustrated... how can you not get this... whatever my father planted... thats what will last.... so here is the question... some of us are closer to a tribe than we are to the father.. we have a certain group down and on lock,,,, and we have the same views as a certain theologian.... I wont get ripped up because I am part of this group... and you spend more time getting assurance from your relationship with teachers and tribes and groups... than you do with the father... the core relationship with your life... and whether you stay planted is whether you were planted by the father himself... do you know him... do you spend more time talking about Him than pushing into him....
Thats what I want to leave you with... there is a difference between the person and the principles and the ideas of Jesus and I want you to know that person.