Good morning everyone. Before I begin I'm going to pray for us so please join
with me. Father as we come to hear your word this morning please give us soft
hearts, hearts ready to hear. May it go into our mind and then in deep into our
hearts so that we may seek to live following you, trusting in you each day.
Amen. Well good morning everyone. As has already been said my name is Scott. I'm
normally at Vic Park Presbyterian. I do kind of two days a week there primarily
with children's ministry and so if I use my hands a lot that's that's why. We're
gonna be primarily looking at Mark chapter 7 so if you could have that open
in front of you that'd be great. Last year my wife and I we watched a rather
horror documentary. This is one of the ones where I talked to you about it but I
really don't want you to go and watch it. So it was called shiny happy people. It
was a documentary. It kind of traced the rise and fall of a homeschooling
curriculum and kind of a family particularly attached to it. I know
it's the Duggar family. I mean it was like a really brutal watch. It kind of
gave me a glimpse into like the worst parts of American Christianity and it
was a culture of rules, kind of strictness, large families as kind of the
necessary thing to do as a Christian and homeschooling as the only option was
their kind of big thing. They had a TV show kind of following them as they had
19 children and it kind of they had more after the start of the show and the TV
show kind of always presented them as good people, godly people, kind of shiny
and bright, kind of the ones that you wanted to be but there was a documentary
that kind of traced their rise and like definite fall and the documentary
pointed out that actually what was what looked like obedience was fear. What
looked like godliness was kind of just the perfect family was actually just a
cesspit of cover-ups and greed. They were always trying to protect this
outer image that kind of their TV show kind of depended on that kind of
everything's okay here while actually their children suffered and so many
families in America and from around the world kind of bought into it, bought into
the system that they were promoting and why? Because from what everyone could see
they had it all together right. How could that family be anything other than just
like perfect and godly? You know with all their 19 or 20 children kind of clean
smiling playing violin it looked like they all just loved Jesus. How could that
be anything but godly? And their program the home schooling thing kind of came
with all the promises. You know if you join us if you follow our curriculum if
you buy in then you too can be just like us. We've got the discipline right we've
got the schooling right kind of all of our church priorities and ducks are in a
row but clearly that was not actually the case. Kind of this system where they
sell you the promise is not new for Christians it's the same system again
and again that we see in our culture. Purity culture is the same thing the
anti-alcohol movement it's the same thing anti-dancing movements kind of it's
just again and again it's the same system if you join us if you put these
barriers in place you will be safe. They have all the promises but nothing to
change the heart. It's the pattern from the beginning where human rules was what
will make you right with God. It's about what you can do or not do that affects
your relationship with God. Jesus in our passage this morning is going to
vehemently oppose that. Mark records that for us so that we can see clearly that
the heart needs to change and Jesus knows this in Mark records because in the
first century second century third century kind of and it's going to be
the same until Jesus returns the same kinds of things are going to pop up
that will tempt you to put your hope in something other than Jesus. So let's come
look at our passage this morning we're gonna look at it in three big points
some people have like points where they all start by the same letter that's just
too complicated for me mine are just gonna rhyme so the first one is Jesus
gonna warn us about traditions that compare secondly tradition sorry you know
and secondly traditions that ensnare and then thirdly that actually real
defilement is in there. So let's go verse one have a look at that with me kind of
Mark sets the scene that the Pharisees return with the scribes first one the
Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law had come from Jerusalem gathering
around Jesus and saw some of his disciples with eating food with
hands that were defiled that is unwashed. It's worth saying that there's
something funny here that I think we could like pull out from Mark occasionally
in Gospels you can kind of trace a theme through it you kind of see like
Jesus is clearly king you can see Jesus showing his kingship all the way
through it's a good thread to go let me show you one that's kind of not in any
commentaries or any book that you'll ever read because it's kind of funny and
from me is that yeah this is the kind of the quest for the disciples and food
kind of in Mark there's like threads going through here we get the disciples
and their food that was kind of meant to be a joke maybe that was that's okay I'll
warm you up I'm sure because the disciples they've interacted a lot with
food at this point in kind of Mark twice already in the Gospel of Mark
Mark has recorded for us that actually the crowds are so big there they've
come with all their needs that the disciples have not been able to eat
bread it's already recorded that twice for us in the previous chapter there was
the feeding of the five thousand but we don't kind of don't hear did the
disciples get to eat any of that food after the feeding of five thousand they
quickly jumped in a boat they rode across the lake all night Jesus kind of
meets them on the water but we still don't know whether they've finally got to
sit down and eat bread and kind of at the start of our chapter here finally
they do finally it's their turn to eat they sit down they take out their bread
but they're quickly kind of met with opposition so the Pharisees kind of walk
up and slap it out of their hands kind of going look aren't you forgetting
something and mark kind of knows that we probably don't really understand what's
going on so mark kind of steps in and kind of comments on that for us in verse
3 Mark says the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their
hands a ceremonial washing holding to the tradition of the elders when they
come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash and they observe
many other traditions such as the washing of cups pitches and kettles
like for the Pharisees actually what what's happening here with the disciples
not washing their hands they think that this is a serious matter this is not
just about hygiene like my children come in from playing outside with hands that
are a very different color than what they should be and that's not what's on view
here that the Pharisees actually think that this is about worshiping God the
tradition is about being ready through washing to come to God the Pharisees see
that their tradition is that they take God's law so seriously they sign off to
register obey God's law but they've gone further than God's law they've taken up
on themselves to do more washing than what the priests in the temple would even
be required to do because they're ready like externally they're ready to come
and worship God and they then compare with Jesus disciples right here they're
clearly looking down on the disciples they're not following our traditions
they're unworthy to come by looking down on Jesus disciples they're looking down
on Jesus they're thinking that if Jesus was anybody he was anyone actually
important his disciples would be following us in our traditions and so
Jesus can't let that stand Jesus is going to oppose it he quickly responds with
Isaiah 29 that you're washing and your worship are the same that they're merely
external and they're empty see that with me in verse 6 he replied Isaiah was
right when he prophesied about you hypocrites as it is written these
people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me they worship me
in vain their teachings are merely human rules it's just external and empty and
there's no substance my school back in year 11 we had like a free sports period
where they kind of forced you to do something other than study and they
would like you could choose a sport you go and do a sport and for the first one
that I got to do was ice skating was like super excited about it it was like
you know kind of don't really know what living in Perth kind of what ice really
is and I was super excited when one of my friends said that he would sell me one
of his ice skate or clearly the pair a pair of ice skates and they looked really
impressive I got them for a bargain and I came to school for the first day for
these ice skating kind of classes with these like professional ice hockey
skates you know they're attached to my bag on the outside I looked like a real
pro good to go until I kind of got to the ice right you know put them on lace
them up step on and you know the arms as you kind of try not to fall over
because you know you know just having ice skates doesn't make me good at ice
skating but actually the story is worse because I was super clever in year 11
the kind of this side of the blades had a little bit of rust on it so I went to
my dad shed I was I can clean this up go get some sandpaper just take off the
side of the blades and I was like oh while I'm here I'll just make the whole
thing really shiny kind of on the sides on the bottom which you know anything
about ice skates is that there's a kind of like a lip on the bottom kind of like
a really sharp part that actually allows you to grip to the ice at all and so not
only did my arms fail my leg comes out from underneath me because it has no
grip I turned my ice skates into basically button arms I ended up with
useless skates looked impressive on the outside but actually completely useless
the Pharisees with all their extradition here like on the outside it
looks super impressive right they wash after every meal they do so many things
to make themselves look like they're ready to go and meet God it looks so
godly but like me with my sandpaper skates like the shiny happy people from
the documentary the religion of the Pharisees does no work it's worthless
and empty merely external worship is not worship at all there's no love for God
they just love to be seen to be holy and to go hard like I think that's always a
temptation for us in the church we always want to look like we're doing the
right thing and it's so easy for us to get tripped up on traditions which
emphasise only what is external rather one that actually views the heart it's
worth saying that I think actual holiness actual godliness and the path
there is so full of failures when you actually want to fight sin in your life
and you wrestle with it and you fight with it sometimes we win and we make
great strides sometimes if you're actually fighting sin you will fail
sometimes and we come again and we repent but that doesn't look pretty
doesn't look godly maybe externally but it is the fight against sin to
constantly fight it is where true worship and godliness lies Jesus here
warns as he can condemns the Pharisees that our fake worship won't do and Jesus
wants us to understand that further understand the Pharisees and so he gives
us gives his listeners a rather specific example and this is our second point
Jesus warns about traditions that ensnare if you like kind of safe headings
this is the kind of tradition versus God's word as well kind of Jesus brings
in one of their traditions a Jewish tradition and states that actually
following your tradition leads to you breaking God's law like it's funny
because it's like the lawyers are in view here the lawyers are actually
promoting law breaking Jesus example here kind of we need to explain because we
don't often think about Corbin in an everyday life yeah so let's have a look
at what's happening verse 10 he begins with what does God's law says for Moses
said honor your father and mother and anyone who curses their father or mother
is to be put to death begins like suit like pretty clear commandment number 5
in the 10 commandments and then also like a really potent one kind of the one
that you tell your children when they're not obeying you you know Exodus 21 that
anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death they're really
clear commands right like God cares about honoring your parents and then Jesus
brings in their tradition kind of the tradition of the elders and asks them
why does your tradition counter that why is it a opposition or actually that
actually prevents children from obeying their parents kind of the evidence is
brought in to the witness stand stands up and it's it's Corbin but let me
explain to you because like again we don't kind of we don't think about
Corbin very much this is a tradition that's primarily about money pledged to
the temple you can imagine kind of end of financial years kind of coming up
still a little bit away but you kind of you've sat down you've done all your
money and your little spreadsheet if you love maths you kind of figure out
actually business is going pretty well like oh end of year is gonna be great and
you go I'll be I'll be generous this year actually God has graciously blessed me
so I I can bless in return and so you call up call up the synagogue or the
church and you kind of go oh I reckon like 40% of my income this year I could
I could give and your elders like oh yeah that's great it's a good idea and
remember we've talked about that Corbin thing yeah I could I could take that
vow I'll pledge that much money right now and your elders like yeah okay that's
good that's good and you kind of you put the phone down things are going well
until like the phone rings again you pick it up and it's your it's your mom and
dad and they just let you know that actually there are time at funds run
dry things didn't go well with investment actually the banks taken the house
they're in desperate need of financial help you're in charge of the family's
money can you can you help and you go of course mom and dad like let me let me
let me call back the church and I'll be right back with you you call them back
the elders and you kind of go oh yeah my parents they're in need the elders go
oh that sounds really hard but you know you kind of promised that amount right
you took the vow you know it's commandments about not lying you don't
want to do that kind of phone call in and you're stuck this tradition of this
pledge kind of this good thing about giving money to the temple or to church
has left this child this adult in this situation unable to love and care for
their parents and that's something that's promoted by the lawyers and the
Pharisees they may have even used that guy's a positive example look he took
these vows so seriously he couldn't even help his mom and dad he giving to God a
good thing has morphed into a tradition that hasn't snared the Jewish people
such that they end up breaking God's law as Jesus and the Exodus 21 puts it
cursing our parents
Jesus is really clear what's happening here says it three times verse 8 verse 9
verse 13 you have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human
traditions and he continued you have a fine way of setting aside the commands
of God in order to observe your own traditions verse 13 thus you nullify
the word of God by your tradition that you've handed down and you do many things
like that it's Jesus's assessment of the leaders of God's people that they
actually prefer human religion than trusting in God's own commands like
there shouldn't have been any competition right you kind of Jesus has set
them both up which one is of more of more value and clearly it's God's
commands by an infinite amount how did this happen how does God's people love
their own traditions more than God's law I think it's worth saying that we can
do we can do this with any good thing as we raise its importance so that it
stands side by side with God's commands our heart produces idols at a
phenomenal rate our heart loves anything that shines that's new it loves the
exciting particularly if other people can see it
Thomas Kramner very old and dead guy has been known to say what the heart
loves the will chooses and then the mind justifies that is what I love is the
real driving force about everything I do it guides my will and then when I want
to do it I then justify doing it I think that's what's happened with the
Pharisees they've probably justified this tradition again and again because of
the external price and of these vows gift-giving in the temple long loud
prayers all that's kind of associated with the Pharisees is all about the
external they love the praise they love the glory and so they choose their will
chooses it and they justify it and that's not just true the Pharisees is it
actually that pattern of us loving our will choosing and us justifying is just
the pattern of my heart with all sin my heart desires my will pursues it and in
that moment I justify it does your heart not also go and you sin you deserve
this no one will know ah how could you expect to hold out for so long and that's
just sin a sin that comes from my heart because my heart is actually the problem
and Jesus knows that and so Jesus tackles that with our last point that real
defilement comes from in here Jesus kind of turns from the Pharisees in our
passage to the crowd and then particularly to his disciples Jesus begins
with the diagnosis in verse 15 you called the crowd to him and said listen to
me everyone and understand nothing outside a person can defile them by going
into them rather it's what comes out of a person that defiles them and then he
explains that in verse 18 and 19 when the disciples kind of asked him what's
happening I are you so dull he says don't you see that nothing that enters a
person from the outside can defile them it doesn't go into their heart but into
their stomach and then out of the body and saying this Jesus declared all
foods clean like because look the problem is not outside of you Jesus says like does food actually make you
unworthy to approach God like does it change your very being does your heart
kind of get like radically transformed by the food that you eat no Jesus says
actually food goes in food comes out the problem is the heart and like as a
side note I think it's worth talking about how big of a deal what Jesus is
saying here like it feels like us because our Christians would be like you
know this has been the thing for 2,000 years but for Jesus in the first entry
like this is a big deal what Jesus is saying because Jesus loves the law right
and the whole Old Testament come versus the traditions doesn't make sense
unless Jesus actually loves God's Word and God's law but Jesus here it's almost
like he's gathering particular parts of the Old Testament law and kind of going
oh yep over there so let me let me rant for a little bit there are such things
as unclean food when Jesus is time there is food that if you ate would make you
unworthy to come to worship before God what's Jesus doing like there are
numerous things outside of a person that could make you unclean like if you
touched or interacted with things make you unclean you find a dead body and you
touch it unclean if you like if you touch any bodily discharged male or
female you're unclean like actually there's so many things in the Old
Testament in the time that Jesus is living that makes you unclean so what is
Jesus doing I think it's all about who Jesus is and what he's come to do because
like all those unclean laws they're all about being ready to approach God come
into his presence and Jesus is God himself Jesus has come to his people
he's clothed himself in humanity the God that radiates holiness has now come so
clear that all those rituals and symbols that pointed to their inability to come
close to him it's as if they melt away all those things that were once unclean
food people there it's as if God himself has come near to bring us so God himself
has come near he will he has brought himself near and will bring us near by
his death for us as all those all that brought us all that separates us is
removed but with God now so close the real problem is seen in such greater
clarity what defiles a person what creates the problem between us and God
that makes us unworthy to approach it's our heart it's all that comes out of us
verse 21
for it is from within out of a person's heart that evil thoughts come sexual
morality theft murder adultery greed malice deceit lewdness envy slander
arrogance and folly all these evils come from inside and defile a person they
all come from inside the problem is me my heart and my love the diagnosis is in
is that we all have a heart problem and it's terminal in 2019 my oldest son got
really sick I was in a cuddling him trying to like comfort him and he ended
up throwing up all over me kind of in that moment I felt really really
unclean he got better I got sick and then slightly better but I got a post
viral infection kind of irritated the lining around my heart and I was dying
which is super serious but that came from outside Jesus here is saying that
our heart is sick it comes from our own heart our heart desires sin so often
called the desires of the flesh and the list that Jesus uses here is not good
right it's like a game of what commandment have we broken how are we
sinning against God today and this is just a list for all of us it's what our
heart naturally produces in thought word indeed this is the Pharisee this is you
and this is me and as we've already seen just making ourselves look clean on the
outside doesn't fool God and Jesus kind of gets to the end of our passage he
condemns us all declares us all unclean and kind of the passage ends but there
is a glimmer of hope salvation just around the corner now our next passage
that wasn't read for us and I will summarize it for us Jesus kind of leaves
the land of God's people gonna moves out to Tyron Tyron Siron on so don't that's
like Jesus going out into the unclean land and in that area Jesus meets a
woman whose daughter is demon possessed that's with an unclean spirit so big
picture Jesus has gone out into an unclean land he's met an unclean woman
whose daughter who is also unclean has an unclean spirit it's like layer upon
layer of uncleanness and Jesus has mercy on her he makes her clean the unclean
spirit is driven out and I think our two passages are put there one after the
other kind of pre-emptive of Jesus's death to see that if anyone can make our
hearts clean if anyone can transform our hearts it's Jesus Jesus is the one who
will wash us clean give us a new heart if you're just here today just checking out
church try figure out what Jesus is all about I think here we get a glimpse into
Jesus's love for the unclean people for all of us and also a glimpse into his
transforming work because if Jesus transforms your heart then from the
inside out you will change Jesus changes actually what you love that'll change
what we want and what we want to do each day Jesus is here to forgive us to wash
us clean from the inside out so if you don't know Jesus he's not the one that
you're trusting and in following come today and be washed clean have your
sins forgiven and your heart transformed and like if you are following Jesus
that's still true for us if Jesus is the one that we trust in and follow and I
think our passage calls us to stop trying to make ourselves clean by our
own power to stop being like the Pharisees we so often just try to make
ourselves clean as we fight sin we just do things we take our computer and we
lock it away we double down on discipline we wake up early with more
alarms that we do more things so that then God will forgive us and love us
then that we think that will be holy but Jesus came and died to actually
wash us clean he showed us his love and his heart he showed us the worth of his
life and through his death how much he has given to transform us if we just
work hard if we don't trust and ask for Jesus's help all we're gonna end up
doing in ourselves in our children in our groups in our church is just to
replace visible sins with internal ones and that's terrifying how good is it
that Jesus's death is all that we need and so we can come to him and pray again
and again and again as we wrestle with sin asking for his help and his strength
knowing that he is the one that is actually able to transform us
Jesus is so gentle each day he wants us to come again and again to him
confessing our sins and seeking his help to live loving him I love Jesus's own
words he says come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden I will give you
rest let's come to him now and pray
father we come and we confess that we are so quick so often to attempt to
change our own hearts by our own strength and Lord we can't change ourselves at all
Lord we need what you have accomplished on the cross we need your saving power
your blood to wash us clean
not just from sin initially but from sin in our heart each day transform us
Lord you are a found that does not cease to which we can come to and drink from
each day
Lord lead us there
amen