Tabor Baptist Church

• A very important message to us and all people
• It is not the things that come from without that defile us but within
• Speaks of the need to have your heart transformed
• Speaks of the dangers of just following rules
• The Pharisees and Scribes had a religion of rules
• They looked down on those who didn’t follow these rules
• They even criticised and looked down on Jesus and His disciples for not following these rules
• Could we as Christians fall victim to following rules or tradition and elevate it above the Word of God
• The church of Galatia had fallen victim to following rules
• The came under the influence of Jewish tradition
• Paul wrote to them to highlight this error
• Even Peter had fallen victim to this error having a separation from Jew and Gentiles
• Even Barnabas was carried away with this error
• Everything we do is based on the Word of God
• Everything must be tested by the Word of God
• This passage marks a change in attitudes to Jesus
• Prior to chapter 7 Jesus works many miracles and many people came to Him
• In chapter 7 officials come from Jerusalem to try and trap the Lord Jesus
• The crowds start to draw away and as the chapters go by Jesus becomes more unpopular
• Jesus was very loving, the disciples were very loving
• Hands that wrought miracles and tender gifts were now
•  Now their hands are defiled
• The disciples had not washed their hands in the ceremonial manner
• Jews were very concerned about ceremonial washings
• An early Rabbi had said that if you washed your hands before eating and lived is Israel you would have eternal life
• What a ludicrous idea
• What a selective and restrictive idea only allowing a narrow group to be saved
• Christianity is all inclusive and does no discriminate

Critical Spirit (v1-5)

• Legalism always brings a critical spirit
• When you came to eat you had to wash yourself lest you defile others
• Ritual washing and cleaning
• Lev 15 (v11)
• Ex 30
• The rules on ritual washing and cleaning moved from the priests (the Levites) and was applied to all people
• The rules were misinterpreted or reinterpreted and Scripture was altered
• Their rules were causing divisions
• The rules would make them look holy but separated them from others
• It is about honouring God’s word and loving Him
• Paul wrote to the Galatians to warn them to 'beware not to bite or devour one another’
• They had gained a critical spirit
• We must never allow church tradition to rest on the same level of truth
• We must never allow personal taste or our opinions to take the place of the Word of God
• We must not allow our desires to usurp the Word of God
• The Bible never gives instruction on how people should dress for church (apart from to say people should dress with modesty)
• Wear a suit if you want but do not judge others for dressing different
• Wear casual clothes if you want but do not judge others for dressing different
• The church building must not become a tradition
• We need this type of furniture, this type of instrument, this type of service
• The disciples often never met in church buildings
• Do I concentrate on externals/the outward - or am I more concerned with the heart?
• Am I more concerned about how other people act or my own heart before God?
• How am I towards to my wife or my children and is my concern more for my heart before God?
• Am I more concerned with their heart before God?

Strong Rebuke (v6-13)

• The attack comes from the Pharisees (v5)
• Jesus rebukes them as hypocrites (v6-7)
• Jesus could deliver this rebuke as He was not a hypocrite
• He knew they attended the synagogue regularly but that they had no real desire for God, no heart for God
• They were really only concerned with teaching the traditions of men
• They had laid "aside the commandment of God” for the "traditions of men” (v8)
• Certain churches have put tradition above the Word of God
• The Catholic Church:
• They have a Pope and teach he is infallible - the Bible teaches this is unscriptural
• They teach the venerations of the saints - the Bible teaches this is unscriptural
• They celebrate the mass teaching it is a continual sacrifice of Christ - the Bible teaches this is unscriptural
• The Scribes had said it was a greater offence to transgress Hillel’s interpretation of the law rather than the law itself
• Jesus uses an example to highlight the offence of breaking the commandment of God to follow their tradition (v9-13)
• This makes the Word of God to no effect (v13)
• Never let tradition replace the Word of God
• Baptist Church:
• Dedication of children - there is no Biblical precedent to do this
• People do not need to dedicate their children or can do it at home
• Some people might think that by having a child dedicated it brings an automatic protection or make them automatically a Christian

Main Teaching (v14-23)

• It is not the outward things that matter - these things do not touch a mans soul or heart
• It is what comes from within that matters
• The disciples did not understand
• They came to ask Jesus afterwards
• Jesus was aghast they did not understand
• Jesus was teaching that this ceremonial law would be abolished
• The heart is the seat of the emotions, the centre of our being
• 5 faculties - Mind, will, conscience, affections, memory
• The heart controls these all
• Personal example of children going to university
• Homeschooling is big in the USA but will not change the attitudes of the heart
• It is not the environment that is the 'be all and end all’ but the heart that matters
• Out of the heart comes lust (which leads to adultery)
• Out of the heart comes hatred (which leads to murder)
• Out of the heart comes covertness (which leads to stealing)
• Suddenly we are on the same playing field, suddenly we are all the same, suddenly we are all broken before God
• Appearance can be kept up to a certain extent
• God knows the thoughts and intent of the heart
• Christ came into the world to save sinners and change their heart
• Paul wrote that the Lord had come to give us a new heart
• Jesus has come to create in us a new heart
• Jesus died on the cross to take away our sin
• Jesus offers us His Holy Spirit to dwell in us
• This is all of grace
• Do you have heart religion?
• You will break off from sin and walk in righteousness
• He will start to make you holy
• The real problem is the heart, do not depend on human tradition